Research note. Gaining access to looked after children for research purposes: lessons learned

Heptinstall, Ellen

doi:10.1093/bjsw/30.6.867

Cited by 60 publications

(53 citation statements)

References 2 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…However, it is possible that some competitive-structured activities may be required to be in place 'in situ' in order to capture the boys' attention more rapidly in future studies. But this finding must also be held in the context of the great complexity of the young people's lives and the 'slipperiness' of this group of learners (Heptinstall, 2000).…”

Section: Conclusion and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…First, this study involved a specific group of learners of mixed ability and who were in local authority care and this represented a number of significant challenges to be overcome (Heptinstall, 2000). The first and most obvious one was the concern for the safety and well-being of the young people who wished to participate.…”

Section: Conclusion and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Previous studies have reported on the inherent difficulties in reaching and working with looked after and accommodated children (Heptinstall, 2000). Some previous studies have used methodologies in order to capture 'the voice of the child' to improve ownership of issues related to young people in care, but it is debatable if any of these have actively involved the young people in a participatory fashion (Holland, 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Inter-Life: a novel, three-dimensional, virtual learning environment for life transition skills learning

Devlin

Lally

Sclater

et al. 2013

Interactive Learning Environments

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Devlin, A., Lally, V., Sclater, M., and Parussel, K. (2013) This paper presents the findings from one of the first empirical research studies which has investigated the impact of Inter-Life; a novel three-dimensional immersive virtual learning environment, on learning and development of social and educational life transition skills in a group of looked after and accommodated children. Drawing on social constructivism in which meaningful learning is related to context and situated in practice, we report on a series of Inter-Life workshops that enabled young people to work together and through the processes of participation in authentic learning activities contributed to the development of life transition skills such as self-confidence, empathy, negotiation and mediation skills, teamwork and active problem-solving skills. The novel affordances of the Inter-Life virtual world which contributed to the development of the learning community included the ability to personalise learner engagement and activities from the outset along with 'co-presence' and 'immersion' and the flexibility provided by the innovative, technology-enhanced Inter-Life platform. This study presents some empirical evidence to demonstrate the efficacy of new models of learning that are mediated by innovative malleable technologies that can be shaped by the learner in a participatory manner.Keywords: Inter-Life; transition skills learning; 3-dimensional virtual learning environment; social constructivism IntroductionThe present study details a novel approach to life transition skills learning using Inter-Life, which is a novel technology enhanced, three-dimensional, immersive virtual learning environment. The Inter-Life research project is an interdisciplinary project funded by the EPSRC/ESRC Teaching and Learning Research Programme technology-enhanced learning (TEL) phase (http://www.tlrp.org/tel/) in the UK (Lally et al., 2009). Inter-Life is an immersive three-dimensional virtual world based on the Linden Lab Second Life TM platform but has been extensively modified and includes novel integrated automated data collection tools and private spaces for critical reflection . Since the potential of virtual worlds for learning is now being investigated (Bronack, Riedl, & Tashner, 2006;Dalgarno & Lee, 2010;Dede, 2009)

show abstract

Section: Conclusion and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Section: Conclusion and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Inter-Life: a novel, three-dimensional, virtual learning environment for life transition skills learning

Devlin

Lally

Sclater

et al. 2013

Interactive Learning Environments

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In the case of the physical restraint research, however, which was a national study funded by Save the Children, gaining access proved much more problematic and time-consuming. Access can be less of an event than a continuing process involving negotiations with a number of gatekeepers who may support or hinder the research (Hayes, 2005;Heptinstall, 2000;Masson, 2002;McGee, 1999). Hood, Kelley and Mayall (1996) refer to this as 'a hierarchy of gatekeeping' running from the organizational level to the parents and finally to the child (Hood et al, 1996, p. 120).…”

Section: Access Information Consent and Choicementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Hood, Kelley and Mayall (1996) refer to this as 'a hierarchy of gatekeeping' running from the organizational level to the parents and finally to the child (Hood et al, 1996, p. 120). Heptinstall (2000) demonstrates how gatekeepers' ability to block children's participation can constrain children and young people from making decisions themselves about involvement in research, effectively silencing them.…”

Section: Access Information Consent and Choicementioning

confidence: 99%