Using Social Worlds Theory to Explore Influences on Community Nurses’ Experiences of Providing Out of Hours Paediatric Palliative Care

Abstract Background: Paediatric oncology palliative care in the community is rare and nationally there is a lack of standardisation of out of hours nursing service provision. Objectives: This paper seeks to explore influences on the experiences of paediatric nurses providing out of hours palliative care within the family home to children with cancer. The study used social worlds theory to aid identification and demonstration of the findings. Methods: Twelve community-based palliative cases were purposively selected from children with cancer treated at one regional centre. Tape-recorded interviews were undertaken with 54 health professionals (general practitioners, community nurses and allied health professionals) involved in providing their palliative care and five facilitated case discussions completed. Data analysis followed a grounded theory approach; chronological comparative data analysis identifying generated themes. Social worlds theory was used as a framework to examine the data. Results: Nurses’ experiences are shaped by their social world and those of the nursing team,child and family and the inter-professional team providing the care. The lack of a formalised service, sub-optimal inter-professional working and impact of social worlds influence the experience of the nurse. Conclusions: Social worlds theory provided a new perspective in understanding these experiences based within a paediatric palliative care setting, knowledge that can be used to inform service provision.

Weathering crises on social media – Theory and practices from social media active organizations operating in Finland

Thesis compiles findings from previous research to produce guidelines on addressing crises on social media. These guidelines extracted from previous research are compared qualitatively with empirical evidence from 12 organizations by examining whether organizations apply practices recommended in previous research. Much of guidelines gain support from practitioners with few exceptions. Findings stemming from theory and practice combine to shed light on how controversies are born on social media, how crises can be prevented on social media and how organizations may manage crisis situations on social media. The majority of the resulting guidelines focus on how to address negative information and communicate during a crisis but other means of crisis management are also presented. Previous research had voiced that the field of public relations was very fractured, crisis management was lacking qualitative research and provided very little information on what organizations should do before a crisis. Thesis collects a comprehensive amount of previous research from various fields of PR in an effort to unite findings and guidelines, gathers and analyzes empirical data in a qualitative manner and includes a pre-crisis paradigm. One of the challenges in the field of crisis management still remains the absence of universally agreed definition of a crisis and the lack of means to quantify and compare the magnitude of crises.

LA REGLA DE VOTACIÓN ADMITIDA EN LA CONVENCIÓN AMERICANA: UNA MIRADA DESDE SOCIAL CHOICE THEORY

ResumenEn el presente artículo se analiza cuáles son las restricciones que impone la Convención Americanade Derechos Humanos en la construcción de un sistema de elección de representantes populares.Para ello, se tomarán herramientas de Social Choice Theory, que nos permitirán depurar y encontrarprecisamente cuales sistemas electorales no pueden ser tolerados en el Sistema Interamericano deDerechos Humanos.Palabras clave: Social Choice Theory, Derechos Políticos, Teorema de la Imposibilidad de Arrow,Sistema Interamericano de Derechos Humanos.AbstractThis article analyzes which are the restrictions that the American Convention of Human Rights imposeson the construction of an electoral system for popular representation. To do so, tools from Social ChoiceTheory will be taken which will allow us to precise and find which exact electoral systems cannot be toleratedin the Inter-American Human Rights System.Keywords: Social Choice Theory, Political Rights, Arrow’s Impossibility Theorem, Inter-AmericanHuman Rights System.

Tecnologias e metodologias na ensinagem de inglês no século XXI : elaboração e análise de webquests

Este trabalho tem como objetivo geral apresentar mecanismos de análise e validação de propostas de material didático na forma de Webquests e, com base nesses mecanismos, elaborar e validar três propostas de material didático em forma de WebQuests criticamente situados para a ensinagem de inglês como língua adicional. As WebQuests elaboradas visam priorizar o desenvolvimento do letramento digital crítico e da competência comunicativa em inglês como língua adicional do aprendiz. A WebQuest se insere na perspectiva de uma metodologia que tem esse mesmo nome e consiste na proposta de uma pesquisa orientada e organizada em etapas em que toda ou grande parte do conteúdo a ser acessado e necessário para a realização da(s) tarefa(s) encontra-se disponível online (DODGE, 1995). A metodologia deste estudo é de cunho qualitativo e também se insere na perspectiva da metodologia de desenvolvimento. O design metodológico dessa investigação foi organizado em três etapas, quais sejam, a análise de necessidades, a elaboração de três WebQuests e a análise das WebQuests elaboradas a partir de uma rubrica. A revisão de literatura, que constituiu parte da análise de necessidades, sugere que as demandas do século XXI exigem maior atenção e investimento para o desenvolvimento de letramentos múltiplos e críticos, de competências comunicativas e interacionais e de formação de cidadania. A análise de WebQuests disponíveis para ensinagem de inglês no principal sítio brasileiro de WebQuests, que compôs a segunda parte da análise de necessidades desse estudo, evidenciou a escassez de WebQuests que abordam de forma significativa tanto as questões do letramento digital crítico quanto os aspectos da competência comunicativa na língua adicional do indivíduo. A análise de necessidades como um todo forneceu subsídios relevantes para o processo de elaboração das WebQuests propostas neste estudo, que também se embasou nas diretrizes e princípios do modelo WebQuest e em grande parte do seu embasamento teórico. Como fase final deste estudo, as três WebQuests elaboradas foram submetidas à validação a partir de uma rubrica criada especialmente para esse propósito. Os resultados das análises de validação das três WebQuests elaboradas sugerem que a proposta desses materiais é válida sob o ponto de vista teórico, pois mostram que as ferramentas criadas vão ao encontro da proposta do modelo WebQuests de Dodge (1995, 2001) e das recomendações de qualidade sugeridas por Bottentuit Junior e Coutinho (2008a, 2012), bem como estão ancoradas na teoria sócio-construtivista e do ensino situado e nos princípios metodológicos da abordagem de ensino baseada em tarefas e da abordagem de ensino de conteúdos diversos por meio da língua (CLIL). Concluímos que as três WebQuests são materiais de ensinagem de inglês que fogem do enfoque tradicional conteudista historicamente voltado para o ensino de vocabulário e gramática na língua-alvo, extrapolando os objetivos linguísticos para alcançar também objetivos sociais e culturais da ensinagem de inglês como língua adicional, na medida em que se trabalha paralelamente (e intencionalmente, por entender que ambos se complementam) o desenvolvimento da competência comunicativa e do letramento digital crítico do indivíduo, contribuindo, assim, para a sua formação cidadã e colaborando para a “inclusão” do aprendiz no mundo social e digital.

Intellectual property rights and the campaign for access to essential medicines : the advocacy role assumed by Médecins Sans Frontières

Non-governmental organizations and transnational networks have been increasingly successful a t gaining influence within issue areas traditionally controlled by the state. In many instances, non-state actors have been instrumental in forcing issues onto the global agenda, have aided in the development or transformation of global regimes, and have participated in securing state compliance for the adoption of new international norms. This paper argues that, consistent with social constructivist theory, ideas are important in influencing state preferences and change may be possible when certain factors are present. I f non-state actors can influence states, it is meaningful to understand how this happens. This paper focuses on a campaign led by Medecins Sans Frontieres that began in the late 1990s to acquire affordable medicines for patients in developing states that could not afford patented drugs. The campaign reached a measure of success in that member states of the World Trade Organization re-negotiated contested terms and meanings within the trade agreement for intellectual property rights and allowed concessions that would benefit lower income states. What factors contributed to the success of the campaign? And what were the most important factors - the issue, the actors or the mechanisms used?

Uso de um objeto de aprendizagem no ensino de ciências tomando-se como referência a teoria sócio-construtivista de Vygotsky

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Social cognition, language acquisition and the development of the theory of mind

Theory of Mind (ToM) is the cognitive achievement that enables us to report our propositional attitudes, to attribute such attitudes to others, and to use such postulated or observed mental states in the prediction and explanation of behavior. Most normally developing children acquire ToM between the ages of 3 and 5 years, but serious delays beyond this chronological and mental age have been observed in children with autism, as well is in those with severe sensory impairments. We examine data from Studies of ToM in normally developing children and those with deafness, blindness, autism and Williams syndrome, as well as data from lower primates, in a search for answers to key theoretical questions concerning the origins, nature and representation of knowledge about the mind. In answer to these, we offer a framework according to which ToM is jointly dependent upon language and social experience, and is produced by a conjunction of language acquisition with children's growing social understanding, acquired through conversation and interaction with others. We argue that adequate language and adequate social skills are jointly causally sufficient, and individually causally necessary, for producing ToM. Thus our account supports a social developmental theory of the genesis of human cognition, inspired by the work of Sellars and Vygotsky.

The longitudinal association between social functioning and theory of mind in first episode psychosis

Introduction. There is some cross-sectional evidence that theory of mind ability is associated with social functioning in those with psychosis but the direction of this relationship is unknown. This study investigates the longitudinal association between both theory of mind and psychotic symptoms and social functioning outcome in first-episode psychosis. Methods. Fifty-four people with first-episode psychosis were followed up at 6 and 12 months. Random effects regression models were used to estimate the stability of theory of mind over time and the association between baseline theory of mind and psychotic symptoms and social functioning outcome. Results. Neither baseline theory of mind ability (regression coefficients: Hinting test 1.07 95% CI 0.74, 2.88; Visual Cartoon test 2.91 95% CI 7.32, 1.51) nor baseline symptoms (regression coefficients: positive symptoms 0.04 95% CI 1.24, 1.16; selected negative symptoms 0.15 95% CI 2.63, 2.32) were associated with social functioning outcome. There was evidence that theory of mind ability was stable over time, (regression coefficients: Hinting test 5.92 95% CI 6.66, 8.92; Visual Cartoon test score 0.13 95% CI 0.17, 0.44). Conclusions. Neither baseline theory of mind ability nor psychotic symptoms are associated with social functioning outcome. Further longitudinal work is needed to understand the origin of social functioning deficits in psychosis.

Theory of mind and social functioning in first episode psychosis

There is evidence of associations between social functioning and theory of mind performance and between social functioning and negative symptoms in chronic psychosis. This study investigates these associations in those with first episode psychosis who are unaffected by factors related to long-term mental illness. Our first hypothesis states that there is an association between theory of mind and social functioning. The second hypothesis states that there is no association between symptoms of psychosis and social functioning. Methods. Fifty-two individuals with first episode psychosis were assessed for social functioning, theory of mind ability (using the Hinting test with verbal stimuli and the Visual Cartoon test with pictorial stimuli), and symptoms of psychosis. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine associations. Results. Social functioning and theory of mind were associated when measured by the Hinting test (OR 1.70, 95% CI 1.08, 2.66), but not with the Visual Cartoon test (ToM jokes OR 0.61, 95% CI 0.15, 2.53). There was no association between social functioning and symptoms (psychotic symptoms; OR 0.95, 95% CI 0.81, 1.12; selected negative symptoms; OR 1.33, 95% CI 0.78, 2.25). Conclusions. Theory of mind assessed by verbal stimuli is associated with social functioning in a population with first episode psychosis. These findings may be related to language disorders in psychosis.

The genetical theory of social behaviour.

We survey the population genetic basis of social evolution, using a logically consistent set of arguments to cover a wide range of biological scenarios. We start by reconsidering Hamilton's (Hamilton 1964 J. Theoret. Biol. 7, 1-16 (doi:10.1016/0022-5193(64)90038-4)) results for selection on a social trait under the assumptions of additive gene action, weak selection and constant environment and demography. This yields a prediction for the direction of allele frequency change in terms of phenotypic costs and benefits and genealogical concepts of relatedness, which holds for any frequency of the trait in the population, and provides the foundation for further developments and extensions. We then allow for any type of gene interaction within and between individuals, strong selection and fluctuating environments and demography, which may depend on the evolving trait itself. We reach three conclusions pertaining to selection on social behaviours under broad conditions. (i) Selection can be understood by focusing on a one-generation change in mean allele frequency, a computation which underpins the utility of reproductive value weights; (ii) in large populations under the assumptions of additive gene action and weak selection, this change is of constant sign for any allele frequency and is predicted by a phenotypic selection gradient; (iii) under the assumptions of trait substitution sequences, such phenotypic selection gradients suffice to characterize long-term multi-dimensional stochastic evolution, with almost no knowledge about the genetic details underlying the coevolving traits. Having such simple results about the effect of selection regardless of population structure and type of social interactions can help to delineate the common features of distinct biological processes. Finally, we clarify some persistent divergences within social evolution theory, with respect to exactness, synergies, maximization, dynamic sufficiency and the role of genetic arguments.

The sociology of childhood as scientific communication - Observations from a social systems perspective

This article begins by identifying a close relationship between the image of children generated by several sociologists working within the new sociology of childhood perspective and the claims and ambitions of the proponents of children's autonomy rights. The image of the child as a competent, self-controlled human agent are then subjected to observation from the perspective of Niklas Luhmann's social systems theory. The new sociology of childhood's constructivist approach is compared and contrasted with Niklas Luhmann's theory of 'operational constructivism'. The article applies tenets of Luhmann's theory, to the emergence of the new childhood sociologist's image of the child as a competent, self-controlled social agent, to the epistemological status of this image and, in particular, to claims that it derives from scientific endeavour. The article proceeds to identify two theoretical developments within sociology - sociology of identity and social agency - which have brought about fundamental changes in what may be considered 'sociological' and so 'scientific' and paved the way for sociological communications about what children,really are'. In conclusion, it argues that the merging of sociology with polemics, ideology, opinion and personal beliefs and, at the level of social systems, between science and politics represents in Luhmann's terms 'dedifferentiation'- a tendency he claims may have serious adverse consequences for modern society. This warning is applied to the scientific status of sociology - its claim to be able to produce 'facts' for society, upon which social systems, such as politics and law, may rely. Like the mass media, sociology may now be capable of producing only information, and not facts, about children.

O professor na visão das crianças: uma pesquisa sobre a construção do conhecimento social sob o enfoque piagetiano

The focus of this paper is on the construction of social knowledge according to Piagetian constructivist theory. We present data related to the ideas of children aged seven and eight years old about the role of the teacher. We observed 52 children, both male and female, immersed in two different educative environments: one considered socio-moral constructivist and the other one, traditional. The main results showed the particular processes of the individuals when they try to comprehend the surrounding reality. The only meaningful difference between the two environments studied was related to the comprehension of the necessity of formation to develop the function of a teacher. In the other aspects observed we have not found meaningful differences concerning the representations of the subjects as well as the environment in which they participated.

Remembering sport history: Narrative, social memory and the origins of the rugby league in Australia

This study examines the historiography of the origins of rugby league in Australia. By accepting the inclusive nature of representation of the past as found in social memory theory, a wide range of sources ranging from histories written by academics to annuals, yearbooks and newspaper books are consulted. These sources reveal that there are several competing and conflicting accounts of the emergence of rugby league in Australia. These divergent accounts are used to facilitate a discussion of the role of narrative in sport history This article argues that narrative is an integral, not optional, feature of the production of history and that the historography of the origins of rugby league highlight the problematic nature of objectivity in history and the unavoidable, impositionalist role of the historian.

Social identity and self-categorization processes in organizational contexts

Although aspects of social identity theory are familiar to organizational psychologists, its elaboration, through self-categorization theory, of how social categorization and prototype-based depersonalization actually produce social identity effects is less well known. We describe these processes, relate self-categorization theory to social identity theory, describe new theoretical developments in detail, and show how these developments can address a: range of organizational phenomena. We discuss cohesion and deviance, leadership, subgroup and sociodemographic structure, and mergers and acquisitions.