This qualitative research enabled the participants (three young people, aged nine to fourteen years, and seven mothers) to explain their experience of living with long-term Glue Ear. As far as I could ascertain this is the first research in which young people and their mothers have led the researcher in exploring their experience. This innovative research illustrates the effects of the condition at home and school. It provides insight into participants’ views of interactions with healthcare and educational professionals. Photovoice is usually used with groups, but in this research it was successfully adapted to enable individual participants to reflect on their experience. The data was analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to keep the focus on each participant’s words. Innovatively combining these two methodologies provided depth to both the data gathering and the data analysis. Five healthcare and educational professionals were interviewed to understand their perspective. The contribution of this research is that the methodology enabled young people and their mothers to reflect on their experience and lead the researcher in understanding the impact Glue Ear had on their day-to-day life. It highlighted the need for educational professionals to receive more formal training about Glue Ear’s potential educational and social impacts and to potentially adapt their teaching and learning practices to better support affected students. Young people and their parents demonstrated that they have valuable information to contribute to decisions about their healthcare and education requirements and would welcome the opportunity to work collaboratively with such professionals.

This study, conducted in one local authority in England, set out to investigate how and why ‘Structured Teaching’ is implemented for children with autism and learning difficulties who are educated in special schools in one local authority in England. Structured Teaching is the educational component of the comprehensive approach ‘Treatment and Education for Autistic and Related Communication handicapped CHildren’, better known as the TEACCH approach. Structured Teaching aims to promote independence and self-esteem, manage behaviours and, in so doing, facilitate learning. Despite its popularity, there has been little research in relation to the approach as it is implemented in the United Kingdom. In addition, the need for eclectic educational practice is widely documented, given the wide range of individual needs and strengths of learners with autism. Yet despite schools implementing a diverse range of approaches, knowledge of how and why teachers select combinations of approaches is limited. This investigation aimed therefore to: 1. Identify which Structured Teaching strategies are implemented, in what ways and for what purposes. 2. Identify which other approaches are used in combination with Structured Teaching and for what purposes. 3. Explore factors which underpin teachers’ decisions in selecting and combining approaches. An early literature review established key principles, purposes, definitions and concepts associated with Structured Teaching, as determined by those who developed the TEACCH approach to autism. This enabled the researcher to evaluate whether Structured Teaching was being implemented in the ways intended by those who developed the approach. A further literature review explored the existing research evidence-base for Structured Teaching and revealed gaps in that evidence, both methodologically and in relation to outcomes for children. A positivist approach which measures children’s behaviours has resulted in Structured Teaching being identified as an ‘evidence-based approach’. However, that evidence neglects to consider the perceptions of those who implement the approach and does not consider in depth other outcomes for children such as the effect upon their wellbeing and readiness to learn. This investigation was therefore designed to explore the gaps in the existing research evidence in order to better understand how and why the approach is implemented. An initial survey questionnaire, distributed to five special schools in one local authority in England, found that all components of Structured Teaching were being implemented. The results revealed that a predominant perception of outcomes for children was linked to their wellbeing. A variety of other classroom approaches were also identified by respondents and again linked to children’s wellbeing. Subsequently, an interpretative case study approach was designed to gather qualitative insights into classroom practices in relation to Structured Teaching combined with other approaches. Multiple case studies included: two key stage two classes in one special school; one key stage two class, together with one contrasting class for children in their early years, in another special school in a neighbouring town. Fieldwork took place over four school terms. Iterative analysis of interviews and classroom observations revealed that Structured Teaching is implemented as a flexible framework, responsive to individual needs and strengths. Within this framework, a combination of other approaches is implemented. Decision-making is underpinned by knowing each child as an individual and with a priority focus upon children’s wellbeing. The analysis and synthesis of the case studies result in a new model, which reflects the ‘mindful blending’ of approaches within a framework of Structured Teaching. The results of this investigation complement the existing research evidence-base. Future research might best be conducted by adopting a mixed-methods approach, combining positivist with interpretivist methodology. This would enhance the research evidence. Measurable behaviours would reveal what children do as a result of classroom practices, whilst insights of practitioners may shed light on potential reasons for why. In addition, an interpretive approach might also usefully gather the insights of those who are at the receiving end of a blend of approaches, that is, the children and their families. Finally, future research might test the usefulness of the ‘mindful blending’ model in order to inform and enhance educational approaches for children with autism.

Объектом исследования является управление детско-юношеским волонтерством в Свердловской области. Цель работы – разработка рекомендаций по совершенствованию управления детско-юношеским волонтерством в Свердловской области. Основными методами проведения исследования стали анализ научных источников, документов, статистических данных; экспертный опрос; методы проектирования – сетевое, ресурсное, календарное планирование. В процессе исследования были выделены основные характеристики детско-юношеского волонтерства в предметном поле управления, дана оценка нормативно-правовому регулированию детско-юношеского волонтерства, проанализировано управление детско-юношеским волонтерством в государственном и третьих секторах российского региона как социальный институт, проведено эмпирическое исследование, направленное на изучение потенциала детско-юношеского волонтерства на Среднем Урале. Результатом работы стала разработка рекомендаций по совершенствованию управления детско-юношеским волонтерством в Свердловской области. / The Object of study is the management of youth volunteering in the Sverdlovsk region. Purpose of work - development of recommendations for improvement management of youth volunteerism in the Sverdlovsk region. The main research methods were the analysis of scientific sources, documents, statistics; expert survey; methods design - network, resource, calendar planning. During the study, the main characteristics were identified youth volunteerism in the subject field of management, given assessment of the legal regulation of children and youth volunteering, analyzed the management of youth volunteering in the state and third sectors of the Russian region as a social institution, an empirical study was conducted, aimed at exploring the potential of youth volunteerism on Middle Urals. The result of the work was the development of recommendations on improving the management of youth volunteerism in Sverdlovsk region.

The thesis deals with risk elements which influence the origin of burnout syndrome and leaving of workers from lowtreshold establishments for children and youth. The first part characterizes lowthreshold, the lowtreshold establishment for children and youth. It is followed by characteristics of workers of the lowtreshold establishment for children and youth, burnout syndrome description and its impact on workers of the lowtreshold establishment for children and youth. In the second part particular risk elements of work in the lowtreshold establishments are specified. From the discussion with the workers of the lowtreshlod establishment emerged a few risk factors, which could evoke the burnout syndrome. The important reasons for leaving the job are: lack of team communication, psychical immunity, art of compensation, vision meaningful work, finance, evaluation and newness of the field.

This thesis focuses on the research of leisure time of children and youth in the Czech Republic after the year 1989. It deals with this subject from the side of institutional and organizational (support) arrangements, staffing and thematic contents. The first two chapters present basic theoretical introduction into the topic of leisure time, which is crucial for understanding the context of following text of the thesis. The first chapter provides a basic explanation of general terms. It defines the concept of leisure time, introduces the age categories of children and youth and describes the specifics of their leisure time. The second chapter is devoted to the leisure time research itself. At first it provides general information about research ? it is a brief explanation of the types of scientific research and a survey of the methods and techniques of research in sociology. Then it recapitulates the history of research on leisure time in foreign countries and summarizes the research on leisure time of children and youth in the Czech Republic before 1989. The third chapter consists of a list of thirty selected research works. Their individual characteristics tell who realized them and when and what kind of leisure time activity of children and youth they were focused on. The fourth chapter presents a summary of the research of leisure time of children and youth in the Czech Republic after 1989. It attempts to systematize the obtained knowledge about scientific departments, scientists and research topics. This final fourth chapter was created on the base of the overview of the third chapter.

This thesis investigates how variations in individual social contexts account for the existence of ethnic differences in educational outcomes. Four questions are answered. First, how are school ethnic and poverty compositions associated with ethnic differences in educational progress? Second, how are individual and school cohort level religious attitudes and behaviours associated with ethnic differences in the likelihood of aspiring to university? Third, how are parenting behaviours and closed parental networks at the individual and school cohort levels associated with ethnic differences in positive schoolwork attitudes and behaviours? Fourth, how are variations in the duration of residence in England and in additional language use, at the individual and school cohort levels, associated with ethnic differences in English language proficiency? English data from wave 1 of the Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Survey in Four European Countries (CILS4EU) and from the National Pupil Database (NPD) matched to the Pupil Level Annual School Census (PLASC) are used to answer these questions. Both datasets are used to analyse outcomes for a sample of the school cohort that turned 14 in the academic year 2009/10. The key findings are as follows. First, increases in school ethnic minority density are associated with increased progress; increases in school average poverty are associated with decreased progress. Second, individual level religiosity is positively associated with university aspirations, but cohort level religiosity has no association. Third, positive parenting behaviours are associated with improved schoolwork attitudes, whilst parental closure has positive effects at the individual level but not at the cohort level. Fourth, the duration of residence in England is a positive predictor of English language proficiency, whilst there is no effect of using an additional language. This thesis addresses a highly relevant social issue from a novel perspective, and has important implications for both policy and future research on this topic.

This thesis investigates reading for pleasure in Britain from a variety of perspectives, in the context of popular concerns surrounding levels of readership, particularly among young people, and consists of four substantive chapters. The first chapter reports how book sales and library circulation have changed, and what predicts readership in the Taking Part survey. I show that claims surrounding changes in reading in Britain may be overstated, although the number of issues from British libraries has fallen, and that while the predictors of readership are largely as expected, there are some important results surrounding social status, and ethnic differences in children. The second chapter investigates changes in young people’s reading behaviour, using the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England. I show that changes in young people’s reading cannot be explained through a displacement effects account, and that socioeconomic differences in readership do not increase as panel members get older. In the third chapter, I investigate whether the relationship between reading for pleasure and educational attainment can be explained through cultural capital, and extend this with occupational attainment, using the 1970 British Cohort Study. I show a relationship between reading for pleasure and occupational attainment net of education, and I show that this relationship seems to have a cultural dimension beyond a cognitive effect account. In the fourth chapter, I show that the relationship between leisure in adoles- cence and educational and occupational attainment is not driven purely by highbrow activities, as on a certain understanding of Bourdieu: in particular, I show a relationship between occupational attainment and middlebrow activities.

Nagrinėjant pasirinktą temą norima išsiaiškinti kokie veiksniai daro įtaką vaikų ir jaunimo klubų veiklai ir kokios veiklos gerinimo galimybės leistų tikėtis dinamiškų ir veiksmingų pokyčių. / The aim of the paper is to explore the optimum possibilities of the movement in the children and youth clubs. The methods used to reach the aim are these: the analysis of the science literature, which studies the informal education; the research with questioners.

This thesis considers the education of children of immigrants in Finland, focusing on attainment and transitions around the age of 16. It is the first detailed representative study on the topic in Finland. Compared to international research it is amongst the ones to most fully explore the different aspects of education around this age. For the most part, it is limited to studying structural explanations for differences between students and ethnic groups. The majority of the analyses in the thesis are done using register data. Statistical modelling of this data is done using multivariate regression analyses. The results are supplemented with evidence from interviews with both majority students and children of immigrants. With regards to school achievement at the end of comprehensive school, many immigrant-origin groups are seen to have lower average grades than the majority. However, this is explained by lower parental resources. After controlling for parental resources, very few disadvantages remain. On the other hand, the gender gap evident amongst the majority is not found amongst many immigrant-origin groups. Looking at continuation to upper secondary education compared to dropping out, most children of immigrants are seen to have a higher probability of dropping out than the majority. This is explained by their lower school achievement and higher parental non-employment. Nevertheless, the difference between children of immigrants and the majority remains evident at the very low end of the achievement scale. Considering the choice of upper secondary school type, children of immigrants can be seen to be more likely than the majority to continue to vocational school. Yet, after controlling for prior school achievement and parental resources, almost all immigrant-origin groups are more likely than the majority to continue to general rather than vocational school. Interviews suggest that when considering their school choices, majority students tend to be driven by their interests and see their decision making as being independent of others. On the other hand, children of immigrants tend to have more specific future plans and to take the wishes of their parents more into consideration.

This thesis explores religion and popular culture in post-genocide Rwanda. In particular, I examine the rise of the new Pentecostal churches – the abarokore ("the saved ones") – and the reconstruction of the "modern" music industry after the genocide. I argue that contemporary social life in Rwanda is defined by "quiet insecurity" and "temporal dissonance". I employ these concepts to take seriously how young people in Rwanda create alternative pasts, presents, and futures for themselves within an authoritarian political context. While the government attempts to control the historical narrative and impose a particular developmentalist "vision" of the future onto its citizens, young people articulate and perform their hopes, fears, dreams, and anxieties within the realms of religion and popular culture, creating "unofficial" narratives that both converge with and contest those of the state. Against the prevailing academic consensus of Kigali as silent, I instead reposition the capital as a site of creativity wherein noisy debates take place about Rwandan identity and culture. I examine the new abarokore churches as important affective spaces that allow for healing and the keeping of secrets. Yet the fact that these same churches tend to be mono-ethnic suggests the limits of the born-again project. Conversely, the community imagined within popular culture, particularly through hip hop songs, is more inclusive, with identity forged through the mutual experience of pain and suffering. I pay particular attention to gender, and consider how patriarchal tendencies in the new churches and popular culture undermine the country's "progressive" gender policies. By examining Pentecostal services, conversion testimonies, song lyrics, the Kinyarwanda-language entertainment media, and discourses of musical corruption, I explore how young people respond to a context of quiet insecurity through quiet agency – they actively seek to transform and resolve their life circumstances, however modest or temporary their transformations or resolutions prove to be.