Disciplinary Discussions
Oxford Brookes University (Gipsy Lane Campus)
Social Organizations as an Agency of Social Change: An Historical Institutional Analysis
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Xun Wang
Based on historical data, particularly government policy documentations and news reports, this paper explores the development of social organizations (NGOs) in China from the historical institutional perspective. First, I review the development of social organizations in China since 1949, particularly in the past two decades. Second, I demonstrate the important social changes brought by social organizations. Finally, I explore how the institutional environment affect the development of social organizations. I argue that the institutional environment provides both impetus and restrains for the development of social organizations in China. Nevertheless, social organizations in China not only try to adapt to but also try to shape institutional environment. The implication of this study is that we need to understand the agency of social change in its relationships with the institutional environment.
Generality and Generalisation in Transdisciplinary Social Science View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Liam Greenacre
Transdisciplinary research is becoming increasingly popular in the social sciences due to its unique perspective on tackling complicated problems. Yet, little theorising has been done on how to synthesise distinct, yet also integrable, points of view from different disciplines. I propose ‘generalisation’ and ‘generality’ are two ways of doing this. ‘Generalisation’ is the process by which findings from one discipline are applied to other areas of study. I suggest complexity theory is an example of ‘generalisation’, the same paradigms and rules are applied across the sciences, social sciences and humanities. In this way, complexity can be said to be found in different scenarios and because of this it is possible to use different disciplines to tackle problems in another area (i.e., a complex social system may be compared to a communication system like the internet- they all share reoccurring features). After this, I introduce ‘generality’, which, in contrast to ‘expertise’, is having a breadth of knowledge rather than depth. I suggest this allows integration between different vantage points. To do this, I use complexity theory again and argue different disciplines should be understood as a system of interacting parts which have complex features (such as emergent behaviour, non-linearity and feedback loops). Conceptualising transdisciplinarity like allows us to build a framework to understand the process of synthesis in transdisciplinary research. Overall, then, ‘generalisation’ and ‘generality’ are both seen as vital to transdisciplinary research and that complexity theory provides a way and vocabulary to talk about uniting distinct perspectives.
Interdisciplinary Collaboration in Posture Training for Community-dwelling Adolescents with Mild Scoliosis
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Mei Chun Cheung
Poor spinal posture is associated with several spinal musculoskeletal disorders. Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS), the most common type of poor posture, is characterised by uneven shoulders, curvature in the spine, and uneven hips. Around 15-20% of adolescents in the community suffer from a mild level of scoliosis (that is, spinal curvature angle between 10° and 20°). These adolescents show significantly lower self-image and poorer daily function. They are unhappy with their back shape and suffer from back pain. This study was an interdisciplinary collaboration that included expertise in social work and clinical psychology, textile technology and orthopaedics (spine surgeon). A mixed methods approach was used to investigate the health-related quality of life issues due to poor posture and/or spinal deformity and their associated risk factors in daily activities and evaluated the effectiveness of non-invasive, user-friendly, and evidence-based surface electromyographic (sEMG) biofeedback posture training for community-dwelling adolescents with mild scoliosis. The results showed that sEMG biofeedback posture training facilitated the active participation of community-dwelling adolescents with mild scoliosis in improving their spinal posture, enhancing their quality of life, and decreasing the likelihood of further curve progression. The findings substantiate evidence-based sEMG biofeedback posture training as an effective intervention in AIS, especially for community-dwelling adolescents with mild scoliosis.
