scholarly journals Managing categories: The role of social technology in kindergarten teachers’ work to promote early intervention and integration

2021 ◽  
pp. 146394912110454
Author(s):  
Eric Kimathi ◽  
Ann Christin Eklund Nilsen
Keyword(s):  
Early Intervention ◽  
Institutional Ethnography ◽  
Kindergarten Teachers ◽  
Social Technology ◽  
Research Projects ◽  
The Social ◽  
Everyday Work

Early intervention and integration are highly valued ideals in kindergartens in Norway. Building on two research projects informed by institutional ethnography, the authors address how kindergarten teachers ‘do’ early intervention and integration in their everyday work. They argue that this work largely revolves around managing categories, whether making categories fit people or making people fit categories. In this work, the kindergarten teachers rely on social technology that is influenced by a ‘psy-discourse’. Despite good intentions, the social technology and the professionals’ use of it ends up constructing the categories they are intended to help or ‘heal’.

The role of individual-social-technology fit in online social network value development: an empirical study

Info ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 66-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
ChienHsing Wu ◽  
Shu-Chen Kao ◽  
Hsin-Yi Liao
Keyword(s):  
Social Network ◽  
Online Social Network ◽  
Social Software ◽  
Social Technology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social ◽  
Social Features ◽  
Individual Features ◽  
The Individual

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to reveal the role of individual–social–technology fit in online social network (OSN) value development. The social software features (e.g. communication and interaction), social features (e.g. privacy and trust) and individual features (e.g. sense of belonging and self-disclosure) are considered fitting forms to describe the OSN value. Implications and suggestions are addressed. Design/methodology/approach – The literature review on social software, the social and individual characteristics and the research gap with respect to OSN value is presented. The research arguments are then hypothesized, and research model used to describe the proposed role is examined empirically. The research targeted mobile phone users as the subjects, and the extent of the activities of these users on OSN for both work and studies. A salient investigation explores the moderation effect of gender. The research results are obtained, and the findings are revealed on the basis of 468 social software users. Findings – The significant effect of individual–social–technology fit on OSN value development is presented through the satisfaction of both participation and sharing information, and knowledge about this fit is verified. The interplay of social software, social and individual features contributes significantly to individual–social–technology fit development, implying that OSN value development is not a single issue. OSN value development should be considered concurrently with technological, personal and social issues. Research limitations/implications – The empirical study confirms that fitness analysis produces a systematic outcome, in which all elements (e.g. social, technology and individual) are required to cooperate with one another to maximize the OSN value. An individual adopts online channels to communicate with others; thus, the benefits may be a multidimensional issue instead of only a single information service issue. They also consider building an equal social relationship to be important, as it enables diverse propositions, maintains acceptable privacy and behaves on faith to enhance the fit of technology features and individual features to value development. The subjects also likely accepted the fact that emotion generation is important for the advantage of fit of technology features and social features, thereby likely benefitting OSN value development. Originality/value – The OSN does not only add new values to the society but also brings new effects on social development, especially in terms of social cognition from virtual community formation, development and creation. Although existing studies in the literature present the important aspects and antecedents linked significantly to OSN value development, these studies also insufficiently discuss the effect of fit of these facets on OSN value development. This exploratory study mainly aims to propose and examine the individual–social–technology fit model through an empirical investigation. The main argument of the study is that when a positive and healthy virtual society is developed through social software, the individual and social characteristics, as well as the social software features, should be defined with a suitable fit to promote the social networking value.

scholarly journals The Material Presence of Absence: A Dialogue between Museums and Cemeteries

2008 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 127-135 ◽  
Author(s):  
Morgan Meyer ◽  
Kate Woodthorpe
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Research Projects ◽  
Key Points ◽  
The Social ◽  
Multiple Meanings ◽  
Similarities And Differences ◽  
The Dead

This is an exploratory paper that aims to stimulate a dialogue between those interested in two particular spaces in society: the museum and the cemetery. Using empirical evidence from two research projects, the paper considers similarities and differences between the two sites, which are further explored through theoretical ideas about the social life of things and the agency of absence. Examining the materiality of these spaces, the paper addresses the role of objects in these two spaces and their respective associations with death, either through the dead themselves or the representation of those who have once lived. In particular, it explores the ‘presence of absence’ through three key points: its spatiality, its materiality, and its agency. Museums and cemeteries are, in this sense, directly comparable, as both spaces are shaped by and built upon the practice of making the absent present. Called ‘heterotopic’ by Foucault (1986) in that they are layered with multiple meanings, this paper will also argue for an understanding of museums and cemeteries as being able to transcend absence. Underpinning this is the belief that there remains much scope for future connections to be made between these two sites, theoretically, politically and practically.

La juste distance? Comment les sciences sociales et historiques pensent la différence

2013 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 62-90 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bastien Bosa
Keyword(s):  
Social World ◽  
Research Projects ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
The Third ◽  
The Social ◽  
The World ◽  
Sciences Sociales

This article presents three tensions related to the concept of ‘difference’ in the social and historical sciences. The first tension is related to ethnocentrism and anachronism: the author shows that they both represent simultaneously dangers that must be prevented and unavoidable working tools. The second tension is related to the role of conceptualization and to the difficult choice that social scientists have to make between ‘native categories’ and ‘analytical categories’. Finally, the third dilemma is related to the impossibility for the researcher to find a right distance ( juste distance) in relation with the world he studies (be it a familiar or unfamiliar world). The author attempts to show that, although these tensions are often thought of separately, they are in fact closely related, and concern the need for all research projects to be taking the social world as their research object.

scholarly journals “A Two Glass of Wine Shift”: Dominant Discourses and the Social Organization of Nurses’ Substance Use

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 233339361881065 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlotte A. Ross ◽  
Sonya L. Jakubec ◽  
Nicole S. Berry ◽  
Victoria Smye
Keyword(s):  
Substance Use ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
Work Stress ◽  
Working Conditions ◽  
Emotional Labor ◽  
Expert Knowledge ◽  
Institutional Ethnography ◽  
Substance Use Problems ◽  
The Social ◽  
Everyday Work

We undertook an institutional ethnography utilizing the expert knowledge of nurses who have experienced substance-use problems to discover: (a) What are the discourses embedded in the talk among nurses in their everyday work worlds that socially organize their substance-use practices and (b) how do those discourses manage these activities? Data collection included interviews, researcher reflexivity, and texts that were critically analyzed with a focus on institutional features. Analysis revealed dominant moralistic and individuated discourses in nurses’ workplace talk that socially organized their substance-use practices, subordinated and silenced experiences of work stress, and erased employers’ roles in managing working conditions. Conclusions included that nurses used substances in ways that enabled them to remain silent and keep working. Nurses’ education did not prepare them regarding nurses’ substance-use problems or managing emotional labor. Nurses viewed alcohol as an acceptable and encouraged coping strategy for nurses to manage emotional distress.

When your world gets smaller: how older people try to meet their social needs, including the role of social technology

2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (8) ◽  
pp. 1826-1852 ◽  
Author(s):  
TINA TEN BRUGGENCATE ◽  
KATRIEN G. LUIJKX ◽  
JANIENKE STURM
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Older People ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Social Needs ◽  
Social Technology ◽  
The Social ◽  
The World

ABSTRACTSocial needs are important basic human needs. When social needs are not fulfilled, it can lead to mental and physical health problems. In an ageing society, meeting the social needs of older adults is important to sustain their wellbeing and quality of life. Social technology is used by younger people attempting to fulfil social needs. The aim of this study is to understand the social needs of older people and the role of social technology in fulfilling these needs. Using this information we will uncover opportunities for (technological) interventions. We conducted a qualitative explorative field study by interviewing 19 community-dwelling older adults. The participants were selected by professional care-givers with the help of a list of criteria for people at risk of social isolation or loneliness. Semi-structured interviews were held, using a topic list covering the following topics: social networks, social support, connectedness, neighbourhood, activities and hobbies, as well as use of and experiences with social technology. After thematic analysis, inductive codes were attached to quotations relevant to the research question. The results were described in four sections: (a) social needs and relationships; (b) the influence of life history and personality; (c) possibilities and barriers to meet social needs; and (d) use of and attitude towards social technology. The results indicate that the group of participants is heterogeneous and that their social needs and the way they try to meet these are diverse. The Social Production Functions Theory of Successful Aging (SPF-SA) was found to be a useful basis for interpreting and presenting the data. Social needs such as connectedness, autonomy, affection, behavioural confirmation and status are important for the wellbeing of older people. Although the need for affection is most easy to fulfil for older people, it looks like satisfaction of the need for behavioural confirmation and status are in some cases preferred, especially by the male participants. Resources such as relationships, activities, personal circumstances and social technology can help meet social needs. Where there is a lack of (physical) resources such as health problems, reduced mobility, death of network members, fear of rejection and gossip, and poor financial circumstances, meeting social needs can be more difficult for some older people. Social technology now plays a modest role in the lives of older people and in fulfilling their social needs. Because of its potential and its role in the lives of younger people, social technology can be seen as a promising resource in the satisfaction of social needs. However, since it is yet unknown how and to what extent the use of social network technologies, such as Facebook, can be beneficial for older people, more research in this area is needed. Based on our findings, we conclude that the world of older individuals is getting smaller. The loss of resources,e.g.the loss of one's health and mobility, may make it more difficult for an older person to connect with the world outside, which may result in a smaller social network. We therefore suggest that interventions to support older adults to meet their social needs may focus on two aspects: supporting and improving the world close by and bringing the world outside a little bit closer.

scholarly journals Ritual as a classical social technology of China (philosophical and sociological analysis)

2019 ◽  
pp. 163-168
Author(s):  
M. Yu. Zakharov
Keyword(s):  
Traditional Culture ◽  
Modern China ◽  
Social Technology ◽  
Sociological Analysis ◽  
Complex Mechanism ◽  
Social Significance ◽  
Social Sphere ◽  
Significant Function ◽  
The Social

The nature of Chinese ritual and features of its use in the social sphere of society have been examined. The potential of ritual as a social technology has been revealed. The modern scientifi understanding of the ritual has been analyzed, the content of the internal and external aspects has been studied, their interconnection and interdependence have been shown, an attempt has been made to understand the role of the ritual in traditional culture. The conclusion has been made about the social significance of the ritual, its place in the complex mechanism of self-preservation and reproduction of social behavior, the socially significant function fulfilment of the stable life, traditional regulator in modern China.

Social Representations and Commitment

2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 233-249 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Bonetto ◽  
Fabien Girandola ◽  
Grégory Lo Monaco
Keyword(s):  
Social Representations ◽  
Social Representation ◽  
Second Line ◽  
Review Of The Literature ◽  
First Line ◽  
Research Perspectives ◽  
The Social ◽  
Bibliographic Search ◽  
English Articles

Abstract. This contribution consists of a critical review of the literature about the articulation of two traditionally separated theoretical fields: social representations and commitment. Besides consulting various works and communications, a bibliographic search was carried out (between February and December, 2016) on various databases using the keywords “commitment” and “social representation,” in the singular and in the plural, in French and in English. Articles published in English or in French, that explicitly made reference to both terms, were included. The relations between commitment and social representations are approached according to two approaches or complementary lines. The first line follows the role of commitment in the representational dynamics: how can commitment transform the representations? This articulation gathers most of the work on the topic. The second line envisages the social representations as determinants of commitment procedures: how can these representations influence the effects of commitment procedures? This literature review will identify unexploited tracks, as well as research perspectives for both areas of research.

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