Strengths-Based Approaches to Conducting Research With Low-Income and Other Marginalized Populations

2021 ◽  
pp. 76-108
Author(s):  
Sherry Hamby
Keyword(s):  
Working Class ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Academic Language ◽  
Academic Culture ◽  
Personal Characteristics ◽  
Standpoint Theory ◽  
Marginalized Populations ◽  
Marginalized Groups ◽  
Multiple Characteristics ◽  
Conducting Research

As researchers, providers, and policymakers strive to make their work more inclusive, it is important to move beyond simply paying more attention to “understudied” groups. Along with calls for more research, there should be equally vigorous calls to move beyond stigmatizing, deficits-based approaches and instead develop respectful, strengths-based lenses. One challenge is the lack of published guidance about how to interact professionally with marginalized populations. Guided by standpoint theory, I share my experiences and recommendations for working with marginalized populations, focusing especially on working with people from low-income and working-class communities. Everyone has a standpoint that is shaped by multiple characteristics, and for many people these will include some privileged and some disadvantaged characteristics. However, even for well-intentioned people, it can be challenging to look beyond one’s socialization and to recognize that personal characteristics, in and of themselves, cannot confer goodness on a person, only privilege. The following recommendations are explored in more detail in the chapter: researchers are encouraged to recognize one’s perspective (reflexivity), avoid setting up studies that inadvertently reflect academic culture, offer incentives that convey respect for people’s time and expertise in their own lives, ensure measures are written in straightforward (not academic) language, include or create measures that explore the strengths of marginalized groups, and disseminate work to communities, not just fellow researchers. Researchers, students, editors, reviewers, and policymakers should be aware of best practices in this area.

Conclusion

2021 ◽  
pp. 167-184
Author(s):  
Christian Dyogi Phillips
Keyword(s):  
Working Class ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Women Of Color ◽  
White Women ◽  
Descriptive Representation ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Immigrant Incorporation ◽  
Multilevel Analyses ◽  
Immigrant Communities ◽  
Marginalized Groups

The concluding chapter offers a review of the main arguments and findings of the book and situates them in the broader literatures on women of color in politics, immigrant incorporation, and descriptive representation. Immigrant communities’ recent and possible future roles in reshaping American electoral processes are also discussed. The chapter specifically details how the intersectional model of electoral opportunity can offer more expansive accounts of the forces shaping descriptive representation, due to its embrace of multidimensional and multilevel analyses. This includes a discussion of how the representation of other marginalized groups that are not centrally featured in the book, such as LGBTQ communities, working-class and low-income communities, and white women, can be studied in future research using the intersectional model’s approach. The chapter closes by looking forward to upcoming redistricting processes and reforms that may address the structural challenges to equitable electoral opportunities and representation raised in the book.

Analysing capabilities and resources used to incorporate fruit and vegetables into the family diet: findings from an Australian case study

2014 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 13
Author(s):  
Samantha B Meyer
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Vegetable Intake ◽  
Vegetable Consumption ◽  
Fruit And Vegetables ◽  
Fruit And Vegetable ◽  
Organizational Skills ◽  
Australian Case ◽  
Low Income Families ◽  
Conducting Research

Research attributes low fruit and vegetable consumption to problems of access, availability and affordability. We conducted, for the first time, a case study with three families designed and analysed using the sustainable Livelihoods Framework. The benefit of such an approach is that we moved away from identified barriers and towards identifying the capabilities and resources low-income families use to incorporate fruit and vegetables into their diets. Mitigating cost and access, we provided families with a box of fresh fruit and vegetables free of charge for up to 10 weeks and observed and recorded how/if the contents were used. Results identify the importance of social networking, organizational skills, knowledge of health benefits, and social structures. This paper demonstrates an effective methodology for understanding the capabilities of, rather than barriers to, low-income families increasing fruit and vegetable intake. Additionally, we provide a ‘how to’ and ‘lessons from the field’ for researchers interested in conducting research of this nature.

scholarly journals Acute care research competencies for clinical research professionals

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (6) ◽  
pp. 485-492
Author(s):  
Stephanie Schuckman ◽  
Lynn Babcock ◽  
Cristina Spinner ◽  
Opeolu Adeoye ◽  
Dina Gomaa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Research ◽  
Acute Care ◽  
Performance Metrics ◽  
Task Force ◽  
Continuing Professional Development ◽  
Personal Characteristics ◽  
Care Research ◽  
Trial Competency ◽  
Conducting Research ◽  
Research Professionals

AbstractIntroduction:Acute care research (ACR) is uniquely challenged by the constraints of recruiting participants and conducting research procedures within minutes to hours of an unscheduled critical illness or injury. Existing competencies for clinical research professionals (CRPs) are gaining traction but may have gaps for the acute environment. We sought to expand existing CRP competencies to include the specialized skills needed for ACR settings.Methods:Qualitative data collected from job shadowing, clinical observations, and interviews were analyzed to assess the educational needs of the acute care clinical research workforce. We identified competencies necessary to succeed as an ACR-CRP, and then applied Bloom’s Taxonomy to develop characteristics into learning outcomes that frame both knowledge to be acquired and job performance metrics.Results:There were 28 special interest competencies for ACR-CRPs identified within the eight domains set by the Joint Task Force (JTF) of Clinical Trial Competency. While the eight domains were not prioritized by the JTF, in ACR an emphasis on Communication and Teamwork, Clinical Trials Operations, and Data Management and Informatics was observed. Within each domain, distinct proficiencies and unique personal characteristics essential for success were identified. The competencies suggest that a combination of competency-based training, behavioral-based hiring practices, and continuing professional development will be essential to ACR success.Conclusion:The competencies developed for ACR can serve as a training guide for CRPs to be prepared for the challenges of conducting research within this vulnerable population. Hiring, training, and supporting the development of this workforce are foundational to clinical research in this challenging setting.

Longitudinal measurement of growth in definitional skill

1997 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 603-625 ◽  
Author(s):  
BRENDA F. KURLAND ◽  
CATHERINE E. SNOW
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Fourth Graders ◽  
Academic Culture ◽  
Individual Growth ◽  
Formal Schooling ◽  
Low Income Children ◽  
Longitudinal Measurement ◽  
Formal Definitions ◽  
Low Income Mothers

This study examines individual growth rates in definitional skill over a period of three to six years, for 68 low-income children. Children were asked to define words once a year at school, from kindergarten (youngest administration at 5;3) through fourth grade (oldest administration at 10;10). A plateau was observed between age nine and ten both for percent formal definitions (characterized by presence of a superordinate) and for the quality of formal definitions. The plateau was lower than the theoretical ceiling for these measures. However, the children appear to have attained ‘adult levels’ of definitional skill: forty-seven fourth-graders (aged 9;1 to 10;10) performed higher, on average, than their own mothers when giving definitions. These results support the notion that definitional skill is related to being part of an academic culture: low-income mothers, whose formal schooling is complete, generally do not give oral definitions to simple nouns as well as do their nine- to ten-year-old children.

scholarly journals LEFT REALISM CRIMINOLOGY: BASIS AND PERSPECTIVES

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (5) ◽  
pp. 1365-1370
Author(s):  
Vesna Stefanovska
Keyword(s):  
Working Class ◽  
Criminal Behavior ◽  
Critical Criminology ◽  
Personal Characteristics ◽  
Street Crime ◽  
Community Based ◽  
The Family ◽  
Cultural Goals ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Race And Place

Left realism emerges in the early 1980s as a separate department, or direction within the neo-Marxist critical criminology. It results from dissatisfaction and certain criticisms of the foundations on which critical criminology is built, which left realists call left idealism. Namely, they are called realists because, in their view, crime should be considered in its reality, and the causes that led to criminal behavior should be seriously looked at, which means that leftist realists focus on already experienced realities. Hence, the issues of interest to left realists are the problems faced by certain groups regarding their age, class, sex, race and place of residence. They have some similarities with structural subcultural theories, arguing that crime is a form of subcultural adaptation to lived problems and realities. The basis is that due to material constraints and circumstances, the required cultural goals and aspirations cannot be achieved by legally disposable means. The central postulate of left realism is to reflect the reality of crime, in its origin, nature and influence. This means that crime cannot be romanticized or it cannot be explained as a product of the offender's pathology or other personal characteristics. Real problems related to the crime need to be considered and resolved. In this respect, the issues of left realism are the problems that citizens face, the relationship between the victim and the perpetrator, the geographical distribution of crime, as well as the prevalence of crime in certain social areas and sectors of the community. They are particularly concerned about ignoring the crime that is taking place on the streets by truly disadvantaged and marginalized citizens, as well as the crime that takes place behind closed doors, particularly in the family. So, the perspectives of the left realists are that street crime is a serious problem for the working class, working class crime is primarily committed against other working class members, relative poverty feeds the dissatisfaction and that dissatisfaction, in the absence of political solutions creates crime, and crime can be reduced by implementing practical social policies.On the basis of what has been stated, in this paper we will elaborate the critiques of critical criminology stated by the proponents of Left Realism , a Square of crime that offers appropriate solutions for criminal and social response to crime and perspectives of left realism that predominantly rely on community-based policies.

Trumpism, Policing, and the Problem of Surplus Population

2020 ◽  
pp. 169-188
Author(s):  
Cedric Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Working Class ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Current System ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
Mass Incarceration ◽  
People Of Color ◽  
Class Relations ◽  
Corporate Elite ◽  
Blue Line ◽  
Surplus Population

This chapter tackles the issues of mass incarceration and aggressive policing, and their impact on low-income communities and people of color. It places Trump's defense of police and denigration of Black Lives Matter into historical context. The chapter connects the rise of the carceral state with an ideology that pathologizes poverty, blames working-class and unemployed people for their failure to get rich, and defines an urban “underclass” as the problem. In this context, the chapter analyzes Trump's reverence for police as the “thin blue line” that separates civilization from chaos. Focusing its attention on the intersection between class and race, the chapter unpacks the logic that has motivated a long-standing effort to shift power and resources away from the working class and toward the corporate elite. It argues that liberal antiracist arguments misunderstand the class relations that underlie the current system of policing. The chapter concludes that labor groups have a crucial role to play in fighting police abuse and mass incarceration.

Environmental Health

2019 ◽  
pp. 363-386
Author(s):  
Barry S. Levy
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Health ◽  
Global Climate Change ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Minority Groups ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Social Injustice ◽  
Marginalized Populations ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
The Impact

This chapter describes the adverse impact of social injustice on environmental health. Environmental pollution is a social injustice for all people, with a disproportionate impact on low- and middle-income countries and, within countries, low-income people, minority groups, and other marginalized populations. The chapter describes the evolution of the environmental justice movement and the studies that have demonstrated disproportionate exposures and the disproportionate occurrence of pollution-related diseases among low-income people, minority groups, and other marginalized populations. A separate section describes the environmental and health consequences of global climate change. Three text boxes focus on childhood lead poisoning, the impact of natural disasters on social justice, and on the new interdiscipilinary field of planetary health.

A Framework for Evaluating Children's Books About Poverty

2022 ◽  
pp. 77-94
Author(s):  
Danielle E. Hartsfield
Keyword(s):  
Social Class ◽  
Working Class ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Middle Grades ◽  
Children’S Literature ◽  
Children's Books ◽  
Children’S Books ◽  
Children And Families ◽  
One Step ◽  
Low Income Families

Enacting a class-sensitive pedagogy means disrupting negative discourses about social class and affirming the lives and experiences of children and families from poverty and the working class. One step that educators can take toward embracing a class-sensitive pedagogy is the inclusion of books with poor and working-class perspectives in the curriculum. This chapter describes a framework that educators can use to analyze and evaluate depictions of poor and working-class characters in books for children. This framework can support educators with selecting books that are respectful of and affirming to children from low-income families. In addition, the chapter offers book recommendations and approaches for integrating children's literature in elementary and middle grades classrooms.

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