Annual Report 2012 (pdf) - Institute of Education, University of London

SEMINARS
SSRU hosted a programme of lunchtime
seminars throughout 2012 to discuss a
variety of topics in social research.
Children and young people’s views
about obesity: two systematic reviews
Date 11 January 2012
Speaker Rebecca Rees, SSRU
There are risks of obesity to both immediate
and longer-term health in children and young
people. Their attitudes to, and beliefs about,
their bodies have also raised concern. This
presentation described two reviews which set
out to apply systematic methods to synthesise
recent studies of the views of UK children and
young people on obesity. Existing research was
found to be variable in quality, and frequently
took only minimal steps to support children or
young people’s engagement or participation
in discussion. However, strong cross-cutting
themes emerged, centred on the social nature
of body size, responsibility and blame, and
stigma and discrimination.
Theory synthesis and qualitative
synthesis: a case study of a review
of crime, fear of crime and health and
wellbeing
Date 4 April 2012
Speaker Theo Lorenc, London School of
Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
This presentation drew on a case-study, to
consider the value of theoretical syntheses for
systematic reviews of qualitative evidence.
Whilst the use of theory has been widely
discussed in the context of reviews and
evaluations of interventions, its potential value
for reviews of qualitative evidence has been
less well recognised. Theo described methods
for reviewing and utilising theory in conjunction
with qualitative syntheses, and considered how
these methods may relate to existing models
for qualitative synthesis, such as thematic
synthesis, meta-ethnography and critical
interpretive synthesis. Theory-informed
synthesis may be a promising way to combine
the transparency of conventional systematic
review methods with insight into the broader
meanings of qualitative data.
A review of conceptualisations and
meanings of ‘community’ in research:
a meta-narrative approach
Date 2 May 2012
Speakers Marcello Bertotti and Farah Jamal,
Institute for Health and Human Development,
University of East London
There is a growing interest in broadening the
methodological scope of systematic reviews,
particularly related to theory-driven, qualitative
and mixed-methods approaches. The metanarrative
is one such approach - it attempts to
make sense of complex and heterogeneous
literature using a historical and paradigmatic
perspective. The speakers critically reflected on
the meta-narrative approach using an example
of a review on the meanings and
conceptualisations of community.
From Third Mesa to Bloomsbury: An
Anthropologist Comes to Palliative
Care
Date 4 July 2012
Speaker Myra Bluebond-Langner, University
College London and Rutgers University, USA
In this talk Myra explored the power of
ethnography in shaping research and care of
children with life-limiting conditions and lifethreatening
illnesses and their families; and
how it has helped to advance our thinking about
socialization and approaches to the study of
children and families. Her seminar was based
on her studies conducted over the last 35+
years, including work on children’s
understanding and experience of illness in
everyday life and their role in decision-making
about care and treatment, as well as parents’
approaches to care and treatment, and their
management of illness in the context of family
life.
Evaluating Child-to-Child approaches
to child-centred active learning to
promote resilience: a case study from
Sierra Leone
Date 11 July
Speakers Michael Ungar, Linda Lieberman
- Dalhousie University; Patricia Young - The
Child to Child Trust; Abdulai Swaray - Pikin to
Pikin Movement.
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