PhD studies
"Schools, Families and Food: A qualitative study of diet among young children in North Wales"
Emily Warren (SIRU Research Assistant)
There is increasing concern about the rising level of child and adult obesity. This qualitative study, based in two primary schools located in (socio-economically) contrasting areas of North Wales. It uses in-depth interviews, focus groups and observation to explore the influential pressures and contexts in which children make decisions in relation to food and examines implications for promoting and encouraging healthy food behaviours.
"A Qualitative Study of the Political Engagement of Young People (18-24) in Wales"
Michael Anderson
The study examines perceptions of, and engagement with, political processes among a purposive sample of young people in Wales. In particular, the study will explore contemporary modes of communication utilised by young people in this respect.
"Women Living with HIV and Factors Affecting Adherence to Medication: a UK study"
Vicki Woodward
This qualitative study focuses on a purposive sample of women living with HIV in UK. The study is primarily concerned to explore compliance among the sample with medical regimes, and in doing so examines a range of factors including, for example, level of knowledge and understanding about the condition, contact act with and perceptions, of medical (and other) services, and participation in health-related risk behaviours. The study, which will also explore perceptions of those delivering services, will primarily involve focus groups with a purposive sample of key service providers and HIV Positive Women who have accessed treatment services in the study area.
"The protection and safeguarding of vulnerable older adults: a qualitative study of elder abuse services in Wales"
Andrea Graf
In order to identify how best to improve organisation and delivery of services for the protection and safeguarding of vulnerable adults in Wales it is necessary to have in-depth understanding of the different ways in which services are organised and delivered and the ways in which these services are differentially experienced by service users. This information is necessary to identify instances of best practise, gaps in service provision and barriers to and facilitators of service use. The study draws on the knowledge and expertise of those organising, delivering elder abuse services (including social and criminal justice services) and on the experiences of service users. It is anticipated that the study findings will provide a useful resource for the future development of elder abuse services
"A qualitative study of homelessness: contemporary patterns and profiles of homeless people with complex need"
Caroline Hughes
Homeless people, who often have a history of substance misuse combined with emotional and wider mental health issues, are a hard to reach group. This qualitative study which draws on in-depth interviews with providers and users of services addressing the needs of homeless people in an urban region of North Wales exam ines issues faced by homeless people (including substance misuse and mental health problems) patterns and levels of service use, movement in and out of services and geographical movement into and out of the county.
"Examining the deployment of lay and professional discourses by Community Care Social Workers, and the implications for social work practice"
Karen Roscoe
This study will draw on in depth qualitative interviews with social workers working in the adult sector, in local authority and under the umbrella of Community Care to examine their perceptions about the work that they do and how these perceptions relate to organisational discourse (structured collections of practices which include talking) and social work discourses (in particular). The study focuses upon both newly qualified social workers and experienced practitioners in order to capture a wide range of positions which social workers adopt in relation to lay and professional discourses and facilitate examination of any similarities or differences between the discourses that are employed.
"Issues of safeguarding children in the context of youth custody: a qualitative study"
Jan Nordoff
The study uses qualitative methods to explore issues of ‘safeguarding’ in the context of vulnerable children sentenced to youth custody in England & Wales. The study explores: current policies and practices for safeguarding children in youth custody in England and Wales; service provider priorities regarding children and safeguarding in youth custody, and perceived barriers to, and facilitators of, the safeguarding of children in youth custody?
"Making sense of ‘new’ terrorism and its implication for faith in the postmodern era"
Karen Washington-Dyer
Globalisation has led to the perception of an increasingly smaller world which results in terrorist activities impacting upon societies hundreds, and often, thousands of miles from the event (Furedi 2002).American rResearch on fear of terrorism, which has been linked to a growth in religious beliefs, reports an increase in church attendance and inter-faith activity following the 9/11 terrorist attack. However, there is a dearth of such research in the UK. The study uses qualitative methods to explore in depth, the construction of terrorism post 9/11, issues surrounding public fear of terrorism and strategies, and implications for the adoption and practice of religious beliefs amongst a purposive sample of religious leaders in Wales.
