Doctor of Philosophy / Human service professionals provide a range of services to support the health and development of children with a disability and to assist their families. Over the past two decades, family-centred approaches have become widely acclaimed as a means of providing quality services. To date, research has focused predominately on identifying or measuring discrete elements of professionals’ practice with families, such as parent–professional partnerships, family-centred practice and family empowerment, often neglecting to consider the broader practice context. What is missing is an empirical and contextually grounded understanding of how professionals interpret and enact the multiple concepts informing practice. This study addresses this gap by exploring how professionals think, feel and act when working with families and by examining more broadly, the multi-dimensional and contextual concept of ‘professional practice’. In this study, professional practice with families is conceptualised as a cultural activity. The study sought to identify and describe the culture of professional practice with families and how this culture is instantiated in daily work practice. The theoretical framework underpinning this study comes from Jerome Bruner’s cultural psychology, and specifically his writings on situated action, culture and narrative. Accordingly, narrative was considered a means to identify, describe and understand the daily work practices of professionals ‘situated’ in their cultural setting and their own intentions when working with families. One hundred and sixty three stories about professional practice were collected in focus groups and individual interviews with human service professionals in New South Wales, Australia. These narratives were analysed deductively to identify the culture of professional practice. This culture comprised of ten components reflecting professionals’ understanding of the culturally acceptable ways of working with families. The cultural components reflected principles underlying family-centred practices as well as traditional medically framed and emerging business-like principles associated with managerialism and economic rationalism. Narrative analysis was employed to inductively develop four cultural core narratives grounded V in participants’ stories: Making it work, having to fight, hopeless struggle and making the best of it. Professionals potentially have all of these narratives available to them to explain their actions in each practice situation. The results of this study provide a description and analysis of the cultural world of professional practice with families. For family-centred approaches to become a reality, these findings emphasise the critical importance of education, policy and staff development for professionals working with families that addresses the broader practice context. Suggestions are made regarding further exploration of the crosscultural validity and the application and implications of these narratives for professionals and families. By exposing the culture of professional practice and the four cultural narratives, this study challenges professionals, managers, academics and policymakers alike to critically examine the practice culture and their contribution to creating and sustaining it.

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

Doctor of Philosophy / Human service professionals provide a range of services to support the health and development of children with a disability and to assist their families. Over the past two decades, family-centred approaches have become widely acclaimed as a means of providing quality services. To date, research has focused predominately on identifying or measuring discrete elements of professionals’ practice with families, such as parent–professional partnerships, family-centred practice and family empowerment, often neglecting to consider the broader practice context. What is missing is an empirical and contextually grounded understanding of how professionals interpret and enact the multiple concepts informing practice. This study addresses this gap by exploring how professionals think, feel and act when working with families and by examining more broadly, the multi-dimensional and contextual concept of ‘professional practice’. In this study, professional practice with families is conceptualised as a cultural activity. The study sought to identify and describe the culture of professional practice with families and how this culture is instantiated in daily work practice. The theoretical framework underpinning this study comes from Jerome Bruner’s cultural psychology, and specifically his writings on situated action, culture and narrative. Accordingly, narrative was considered a means to identify, describe and understand the daily work practices of professionals ‘situated’ in their cultural setting and their own intentions when working with families. One hundred and sixty three stories about professional practice were collected in focus groups and individual interviews with human service professionals in New South Wales, Australia. These narratives were analysed deductively to identify the culture of professional practice. This culture comprised of ten components reflecting professionals’ understanding of the culturally acceptable ways of working with families. The cultural components reflected principles underlying family-centred practices as well as traditional medically framed and emerging business-like principles associated with managerialism and economic rationalism. Narrative analysis was employed to inductively develop four cultural core narratives grounded V in participants’ stories: Making it work, having to fight, hopeless struggle and making the best of it. Professionals potentially have all of these narratives available to them to explain their actions in each practice situation. The results of this study provide a description and analysis of the cultural world of professional practice with families. For family-centred approaches to become a reality, these findings emphasise the critical importance of education, policy and staff development for professionals working with families that addresses the broader practice context. Suggestions are made regarding further exploration of the crosscultural validity and the application and implications of these narratives for professionals and families. By exposing the culture of professional practice and the four cultural narratives, this study challenges professionals, managers, academics and policymakers alike to critically examine the practice culture and their contribution to creating and sustaining it.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2006. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Toronto, 2006. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 67-06, Section: A, page: 2116. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 244-250).

Thesis (Ph.D.) - James Cook University, 2003. / Typescript (photocopy) Bibliography: p. 332-359.

Thesis (Ph. D. (Educational Psychology)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Canterbury, 2006. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 66-73). Also available via the World Wide Web.

"This paper is concerned with the various phases of the homebound program, including the problems and the progress. What is the relationship between the child and the members of his 'Team'? How does he compare with so-called normal children socially, emotionally, and educationally? What are his vocational possibilities? How are school materials, procedures, and methods geared to meet his needs? Why are recreation and the 'transition period' considered as two of the most significant phases of the homebound program? It is to be hoped that this paper will offer some aid to those most concerned, and will answer some of their many questions. It is not written to be used as a pattern nor for technical digestion, but only as a guidepost on the way to a more effective program for the homebound child"--Introduction. / "August, 1956." / Typescript. / "Submitted to the Graduate Council of Florida State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts." / Advisor: M. B. Caldwell, Professor Directing Paper. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 93-97).

Feeding disorders are common in disabled children, and family reactions are critical factors influencing the severity and course of this problem. This study hypothesized that feeding disorders in disabled children would be significantly more stressful to parents than other childhood disabilities; that pediatric feeding disorders would be more stressful in single parent families than two parent families; and that childhood feeding disorders would be less stressful to fathers than to mothers.Two copies each of the Friedrich Questionnaire on Resources and Stress (QRS-F) and a demographic data survey were sent to 79 families of disabled children. Responses were received from 47 subjects representing 31 households. Analysis of Variance of the QRS-F scores indicated significantly greater stress levels in families of disabled children who received tube feedings, but not in families whose disabled children required special assistance with oral feeding. There was an inadequate number of responses from single parent families to statistically compare their stress levels to two parent families with feeding disordered children. The comparison of fathers and mothers of disabled children with feeding disorders did not yield a statistically significant difference in stress levels.The greater stress levels found in parents of disabled children who received tube feedings shows a need to provide improved education and training programs, as well as support after hospital discharge, to families with tube fed children. / Department of Family and Consumer Sciences