scholarly journals “And the Word was made flesh?” – Exploring young people’s situated learning in leadership and spirituality in a secular context

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-23
Author(s):  
Katarina Westerlund
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Identity Formation ◽  
Situated Learning ◽  
Education Programme ◽  
Legitimate Peripheral Participation ◽  
Focus Group Interviews ◽  
Church Of Sweden ◽  
Secular Culture ◽  
Group Interviews ◽  
The Church

Abstract This article explores the situated learning found among 18 young volunteers taking part in an education programme about leadership and Christian spirituality in the Church of Sweden. Focus group interviews and observations are analysed in the framework of situated learning, using legitimate peripheral participation as a lens. The study shows how the young people, through the education programme, formed a safe community where new identities were shaped through participating in new ways of worship, making pilgrimages, engaging in peer dialogue, and in reflection. They also gained new perspectives and models for volunteering. The young people´s experience of living in a secular culture presents challenges to their identity formation and to their ongoing spiritual practice and development. The use of situated learning provides a deeper understanding of the process of learning in spirituality and of the problems associated with conflicting communities of practice.

THE TROUBLED JOURNEYS OF SCHOOL DROP-OUTS: WASTAGE, REDEMPTION AND POLICY CONSIDERATIONS

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Andile Dube ◽  
Mokubung Nkomo
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Young People ◽  
Labour Market ◽  
Training And Development ◽  
Focus Group Interviews ◽  
Second Chance Education ◽  
Qualitative Research Methodology ◽  
Group Interviews ◽  
Drop Outs ◽  
Second Chance

The study traces the pathways of young people who dropped out of school between grades 1 to 11 as they seek re-entrance to the education, training and development (ETD) system, or entrance into the labour market. Particular attention is given to the factors that determine the choices that drop-outs make in either re-entering the ETD system or entering the labour market. An analysis of the experiences of the interviewed sample of drop-outs is presented. The study employs a qualitative research methodology, using interviews to elicit the experiences of drop-outs and school managers. Through snowballing, 14 youths and three principals were selected from a township south of Durban. Individual and focus group interviews were conducted. The findings provide insights into the drop-outs’ perceptions regarding the value of investing in education. They are discussed further in relation to the respective theories used in the study. The concluding section suggests the need for investments in second chance education by government and the private sector, and proposes an integrated model to assist young people who re-enter psychologically and emotionally.

scholarly journals Change in store? An investigation into the impact of the book superstore environment on use, perceptions and expectations of the public library as a space, place and experience

2009 ◽  
Vol 28 (88) ◽  
pp. 13-26
Author(s):  
Helen Cartwright
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Focus Group ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Focus Group Interviews ◽  
Community Resource ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
The Public ◽  
Group Interviews ◽  
Perceptions And Expectations ◽  
The Impact

The book superstore is promoted not just as a place to buy books but also as a community resource in which to read, learn and socialise: traits that have in combination traditionally been the preserve of the public library. This study investigates the impact of the bookstore environment on public library space. The attitudes and behaviours of library and bookstore users were examined through focus group interviews and a self-completed questionnaire. Clear areas of overlap in the functions of the two sites were found, as was evidence of age and income-related splits in use and perception of bookstores and libraries. Results suggest attention should be paid to the beliefs and behaviours of young people and middle-income earners (the groups most noticeably increasing their use of the bookstore) and to the desired balance of education and recreation in the image and nature of the public library.

scholarly journals Pi-kaPika: A qualitative study for trainer-owned Pokémon

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ka-Huen Yip
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Young People ◽  
Focus Group ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Social Activity ◽  
Childhood Memories ◽  
Focus Group Interviews ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Motivation Factors ◽  
Group Interviews

Abstract Objective To explore insights of young people’s experiences and motivations in Pokémon GO in Hong Kong. The perspectives of young people through qualitative focus group interviews. Results Eight focus group discussions with young people (n=45; age from 18-25 years old) recruited in Hong Kong. We analysed the discussions using a thematic approach. Five theme categories emerged from data analysis: missing out or self-regulation, childhood memories of Pokémon, extending virtual-reality exploration, spending more time outdoors for walking and exercise, gathering together and socially interacting with others. This study sets the way for a deeper analysis of motivation factors to young people that indicate the increasing playing location-based game (LBG) via smartphones worldwide among all cohorts of society. This relatively new phenomenon of LBG may impact players’ movement, social activity, and behaviour to gain a common goal into the preferences and effects of playing LBG for young people.

scholarly journals A care deficit? The roles of families and faith-based organisations in the lives of youth at the margins in Pretoria Central

2018 ◽  
Vol 74 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marlize Rabe
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Young People ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Safety Net ◽  
Dropping Out ◽  
Focus Group Interviews ◽  
Faith Based ◽  
Group Interviews ◽  
Care Deficit

After completing or dropping out of school, many young people leave their family households and in some cases they move from rural or semi-rural areas to urban centres. Faith-based organisations (FBOs) in major cities in South Africa sometimes act as a safety net for marginalised youth, especially as government departments are overburdened and not addressing all the needs of youth at the margins. This qualitative research is based on an analysis of individual and focus group interviews undertaken with young people living in the central areas of Pretoria. It is shown how families and FBOs engage as separate, although at times not unrelated, entities in the lives of youth at the margins. In certain cases, the FBO became an institution of last resort and only in rare cases is a certain synergy achieved between FBOs and families.

scholarly journals Deliberation or Self-presentation?: Young People, Politics and Social Media

2014 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 17-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tanja Storsul
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Young People ◽  
Focus Group ◽  
Political Participation ◽  
Social Contexts ◽  
Focus Group Interviews ◽  
Self Presentation ◽  
Political Activities ◽  
Political Deliberation ◽  
Group Interviews

Abstract This article presents a study of how politically engaged young people use social media for political purposes. There has been a growing optimism that social media can stimulate political participation and deliberation, especially among young people. Based on focus group interviews with Norwegian teenagers, the article argues that social media have become an important platform for young people to participate in political activities. Whether the purpose is internal meetings or external mobilization, social media provide platforms for planning, reporting and communicating political activities. At the same time, politically engaged young people are hesitant about using social media for political deliberation. They are concerned about how they present themselves, and they are reluctant to stand out as highly political. One important explanation for this is that social media integrate different forms of communication and collapse social contexts. This causes teenagers to delimit controversies and try to keep political discussions to groups with more segregated audiences.

Understanding politics more thoroughly: How highly engaged young citizens use the Internet for civic knowledge integration

First Monday ◽  
2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Younei Soe
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Knowledge Integration ◽  
Public Affairs ◽  
Online Resources ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Focus Group Interviews ◽  
Political Learning ◽  
Civic Knowledge ◽  
People First ◽  
Group Interviews

When people first learn of news, the information often remains in their minds as a passing fact rather than something fully understood. They attempt to better understand such information when particular topics interest them. This study explores how young people who self-identify as highly interested in politics and public affairs use diverse online resources to more thoroughly understand those topics in order to form their own thoughts and views, a process referred to as civic knowledge integration. Analyzing focus group interviews and essay answers provides a nuanced, in-depth understanding of such processes. These youths practice monitorial scanning, opinion sampling, verification (cross-checking), comparison of differing viewpoints, and collaborative layering of ideas. This study expands on the existing knowledge about political learning by considering the process in which learners’ efforts to understand is the most important aspect.

Interpreting conflicting narratives: Young people’s recollections of the terrorist attacks in Norway 2011

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 470-485 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans Lödén
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Collective Memory ◽  
Political Socialization ◽  
Value Orientation ◽  
Memory Formation ◽  
Terrorist Attacks ◽  
Critical Event ◽  
Right Wing ◽  
Focus Group Interviews ◽  
Group Interviews

In 2011, a Norwegian right-wing extremist killed 77 mostly young people in an attack on proponents of multiculturalism. A critical event of this magnitude is important in a nation’s collective memory. For young people’s political socialization and value orientation, it could be crucial. Adolescents’ memories and interpretations of terrorism are an understudied area. On the basis of different memory narratives among ethnic Norwegian adolescents, who were 13 or 14 in 2011, implications of the attacks, seen as a case of collective memory formation of terrorism, are discussed in terms of how young people remember and interpret the attacks and negotiate between competing narratives. Focus group interviews conducted in 2015–2016 with 18-year-olds showed a marked tension between support for democratic values and numerous references to individuals and organizations having critical views on immigration and diversity and the importance of active agents promoting the conflicting narratives.

The Important Role of the School following Suicide in Norway. What Support Do Young People Wish That School Could Provide?

2009 ◽  
Vol 59 (2) ◽  
pp. 147-161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kari Dyregrov
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
School Nurses ◽  
Suicide Survivors ◽  
Focus Group Interviews ◽  
Close Family Member ◽  
Care And Support ◽  
New Material ◽  
Group Interviews ◽  
Close Family

Little knowledge has been documented on the experiences of young suicide survivors, how they are coping with schooling and what kind of support they think they need. Thirty-two adolescents who had lost a close family member or friend by suicide participated in a research project by filling in questionnaires and participating in focus group interviews. The article explores the young people's experiences with and wishes for help from the school, including teachers and school nurses. The results show that the young people struggle with concentration and learning new material. Although many are satisfied with care and support while at school, the young bereaved do not receive all the assistance they wish for and need. In order to adequately support young suicide survivors to continue schooling, it is worth listening to their opinions about how they may be approached.

Queering Sexting and Sexualisation

2014 ◽  
Vol 153 (1) ◽  
pp. 138-147 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kath Albury ◽  
Paul Byron
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Focus Group ◽  
Same Sex ◽  
Focus Group Interviews ◽  
Popular Discourse ◽  
Heterosexual Women ◽  
Sexual Cultures ◽  
Group Interviews ◽  
Popular Texts

Recent Australian research on ‘sexting’ (the production and exchange of naked and semi-naked digital pictures) has observed that formal legal and educational discourses have failed to fully account for young people's understandings and experiences. While there is a proliferation of scholarly and popular texts focusing on the risks that sexting might pose to young (heterosexual) women, there is a relative absence of academic, educational or popular discourse acknowledging same sex-attracted young people's participation in cultures of creating and sharing pictures via dating and hook-up apps. This article draws on focus-group interviews with young people in Sydney (aged 18–26) to present alternative accounts of sexting, and reflect on same sex-attracted men and women's strategies for negotiating safety and risk within online and offline sexual cultures.

scholarly journals Unga i karismatiska och evangelikala kyrkor resonerar om sin tro

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Greger Andersson ◽  
Roland Spjuth ◽  
Fredrik Wenell
Keyword(s):  
Main Part ◽  
Final Section ◽  
Western World ◽  
Focus Group Interviews ◽  
Evangelical Churches ◽  
Or Groups ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Group Interviews ◽  
Point Of Departure ◽  
The Church

The subject that is examined in this article is how young Christians in Swedish Charismatic and Evangelical churches talk about their faith. The study takes its point of departure in Charles Taylors suggestion that both believers and non-believers in the Western world live in a “secular age” and that this affects the conditions for religious beliefs. Taylors reasoning as well as some American and Swedish studies about young believers are presented in the first part of the article. The main part consist of a presentation of two focus group interviews with young adults. In a final section the interviews are discussed in relation to earlier research. The authors argue that the interviewees emphasize the personal and the authentic, and that it is vital to have “a relation with Jesus”. They refer to, and long for, charismatic experiences but are also searching for a mature faith and an acceptance of “ups and downs” in their spiritual life. Although they shy traditional expressions and admit that they find certain dogmas difficult to understand, their belief offers them a certain “wholeness” in life. They are unhappy about the stereotypes about Christians they encounter in society but want to share their beliefs through testimony and a loving life style. Ethics, in the form of love and tolerance rather than rules, is very important. However, this is a problem not least in relation to issues about homosexuality. Finally, the au- thors note, that the church, or groups within the church, are salient for these Christians.

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