Social Inclusion - Black and Minority Ethnic Communities - Research Paper Example

Part 1 According to Moran et al. (2004) social inclusion is imperative in improving our society, by engaging the concerned individuals in matters that affect them; the quality of service is improved as the real issues are addressed. Individuals from black and minority ethnic (BME) communities have been identified as a population that faces various barriers in accessing services (Thoburn et al., 2004). Becher and Hussain (2003), define social barriers as socioeconomic practices and systems that hinder an individual which is defined by gender and ethnicity. Social barriers determine how individuals or groups of people are able to interact with their environment. This means that social barriers influence how one is able to access services and their ability to fully participate in the execution of services and policies. Adult BME Communities who are not well educated or illiterate do not receive enough opportunities to take part in mainstream services and activities. These individuals especially parents, are assumed to lack the proper exposure or knowledge to actively participate. According to Henricson (2002), parents from BME Communities have limited access to services and opportunities due to their lack of knowledge and understanding of the local services and in what ways they could be of assistance. A research conducted by Bhabra and Ghate (2004) reveal that one of the main challenges that face illiterate BME Communities in accessing services include; the need to acquire quality services and the actual ability to access these service as well as the lack of sufficient resources and trained staff. Social inclusion and the barriers associated with them should be viewed as a quality of interaction that allows individuals to fit in their environment despite their age, gender and ethnicity. In order to have a full understanding of the concept of social barrier among the BME Communities, it is important to first understand how culture and cultural competencies and how the influence social inclusion. From the capability approach, it is feasible to question how diversity, education level and social justice impact inclusion when it comes to BME Communities. Several studies on social justice are used to address various challenges associated with social barriers that BME Communities face on a daily basis. Hardiman et al. (2007 argue that the concept of social justice is inconsistent and flexible and can be used to examine the lives of individuals and is not only used as a tool of well-being. According to Sen (1993), the capability approach is used as an effective tool to analyze how education addresses the issues of social inequality, and social injustices as part of social barriers faced by the BME Communities. Therefore it is important to understand three concepts in order to fully approach the issue of social barrier among the BME Communities. These include: How is social barrier and social justice related? What is culture and cultural competencies and in what ways do they impact the social lives of BME Communities? Lastly, how does adult education assist in dissolving the issues of social barrier in BME Communities? Part 2 Issues arising from social barrier in BME Communities are mainly associated with language barriers, cultural or religious practices. These particular factors as discussed by Funk et al. (2010) argue that the lack of information, poor quality services and occasional negative experiences contribute to the social injustices and barriers faced by the BME Communities. From this specific study it is eveident that the knowledge background and past experiences of individuals influence the direction of their lives. Through the experiences I have acquired by working with adult BME Communities, I am inclined to agree with this study. The main aim as an educator is to ensure that these learners acquire the necessary skills and knowledge so as to be able to get into employment. The information offered to these learners encourages them to be self sufficient and reliant. English is usually a second language within the groups and for most individuals it is the first type of formal learning they have had. Furthermore, many of the learners are from deprived and disadvantaged backgrounds, for example black ad ethnic minorities and refugees from Eastern European countries. Therefore, in this setting it is essential to encourage capability and redistribution approaches in search of equality and equity with reference to social justice. Studies by Giuntoli and Cantan (2012) and Boydell (2010), social barriers to quality service are associated with demographic perception. Past personal experiences of individuals as the environment around them influences how they are able to respond to the social activities or events around them. These arguments resonate well with the capability approach. The capability approach through informative advice and guidance aspires to develop the strengths of the students with the aim of concentrating on what they can do best. This is achieved by contributing to the decrease of possible effects of the weaknesses of the learners when trying to achieve social justice and equality. Alternatively, the redistribution approach is applicable to the students through the inclusion of suitable theoretical knowledge on policies and procedures. This information will allow students to obtain the preferred skills in joining the gap between the rich and poor. Therefore, to conclude within my workplace it is possible to improve the knowledge of social justice and equality within the 16+ students in the course through use of capability and redistribution approaches. Part 3 Narrative interviews are in depth tools used to collect qualitative data. Therefore, narrative interviews are used to gather information from the experiences of the respondent through a cross-examining the issues affecting the interviewee Jovchelovich and Bauer(2002). The subject of my interview was a young black lady. As a single mother of young boy, I wanted to understand how her past experiences had shaped her life. This required me to ask personal questions in order for me to have a full understanding of my subject. The main aim of these types of these interviews is to encourage the subject to share their thoughts and experiences in relation to their social context. Narrative interviews elicit various emotional feeling in both the subject and the listener as it exposes the listener to the emotional state of the subject thus introducing various ways to interpret the experience of the subject (Camila et al., 2014). For this particular case, a narrative interview was appropriate as the subject of my interview has faced social discrimination growing up. Being a member of the BME Community and a woman, the interviewee has encountered social, emotional and physical abuses which have all influenced the outcome of her life as a woman and an individual. According to Camila et a. (2014), the methodological approach used by the interviewer, involves using the past experiences of the subject to come to a conclusion that will provide viable information in the study. In relation to this study, the approach used allows the interviewer to experience the past experiences of the subject in an infinite and finite manner. As a result the interviewer is able to come up with a collective and conclusive explanation of the outcomes and experiences. Moreover, during the interview the language used was simple and casual one that the subject could easily relate to without any difficulties. According to Jovchelovich and Bauer( 2002), the language used during an interview should not be imposing in any way. This is because a narrative interview uses a method that is assumed to be spontaneous and simple language should be adopted. Jovchelovich and Bauer (2002), further argue that the language used is indicative which allows the interviewer to evaluate the current feelings and experiences discussed at that particular moment. Part 4 Design of the interview The type of design interview that was used in this interview was the narrative design. In using this design, the main aim was to assist the subject to be comfortable in enough and articulate her own personal experiences and thoughts on the subject based on past and present social settings. In this interview, I particularly focused on the Biographical Narrative Interpretive Method (BNIM). This narrative interviewing technique starts by asking one main question that allows the subject to begin narrating their experiences. The subsequent questions are only asked once the subject has concluded telling their story. According to Wengraf (2001), despite the method of narrative interview used, it is imperative that the subject is allowed to tell their own stories and express themselves using their own words and articulate their perspective. This will allow the subject to remember the ordeal and the feelings that it aroused thus providing raw and sincere data. The BNIM design method is one that allows the subject to recount their experiences and retell the events of that particular incident. During the interview, I focused on questions that were particularly aimed at investigating the events, when and how they happened. The questions asked were open and avoided placing too much focus on the subject’s feelings, opinions or merely generalizing the interview on every aspect of the event. Nonetheless, during an interview the subject is in most instances inclined to speak about their personal thoughts and emotions. Wengraf (2001) affirms that when interviewing, it is important not to ask questions that are directed towards investigating the subject’s feelings of opinions as this may be threatening to the emotional wellbeing of the subject. In other circumstances, inquiring about the personal views or feelings may invoke socially unacceptable behaviors. Moreover, a subject’s current opinion on a topic may hinder them from explaining or talking about the past experiences in full. Questions asked In asking the questions I used the BNIM method, whereby I began with one open question. Wengraf (2001) refers to this particular question as the SQUIN (Single Question aimed at Inducing Narrative). The open question was followed by subsequent questions which were asked once my subject had concluded telling her story. Question 1: (Open Question) I would like you to tell me an account of your life history. To what extent to think that your choices have been determined by your social and economic context? I will listen as you narrate your story and will not interrupt at any given time until you are through. I will occasionally write down a few points which I will ask you about once you are done. Feel free to start whenever you are ready. Kindly begin by telling me about your life history the experiences and events that have shaped your outcome as an individual and as a black woman. Question 2 Do you think that poverty in your community is characterized by the lack of access to social and basic amenities? Question 3 In what ways has social inclusion contributed to the lack of opportunities among people in your community and you as an individual? Question 4 What makes you think that if you were raised in a different community you would be leading a more stable and successful life? Question 5 In what way has adult education shaped your perspective and thoughts about your society? Question 6 How are the concepts of social justice and cultural competencies related? An evaluation of the interview During the BNIM interview the interviewer may at times tends to come out as quite passive. This is because the design interview is aimed at focusing on the experiences of the subject. Thus the role of the interviewer is to listen and observe. The interviewer is not allowed to give any input or share their thoughts but rather ask questions. The use of the SQUIN method in asking questions, proved to be very helpful as it enabled me to use the experiences narrated by my subject and narrow them down while focusing on the topic at hand. According to Wengraf (2001), the BNIM Interview is relevant step in narrative interviewing since the initial story told by the subject is believed to be of great significance and unique for the narrator. In my experience it was quite challenging to remain quiet and just listen, as there were instances where I wanted to interrupt and ask questions on that particular time so as to learn more about the subject’s experiences. For instance, when the interviewee spoke about her childhood and early pregnancy, I wanted to explore more on the matter and have a clear understanding on how these events have shaped her life now. Another challenging aspect of the narrative interview is when the interviewer has to use the experiences of his/her own subject and relate them the topic at hand. Nonetheless the subsequent questions asked assist the interviewer to explore more on the subject’s thoughts and story as told. Interview transcripts are a great tool to revisit the information shared, evaluate it and have a clear understanding of the main concepts discussed and how they can be linked to the topic. Additionally, interview transcripts act as evidence which one can always refer to while compiling their report. When comparing semi-structured or focus group interviews to narrative interview, narrative interviews are more are reliable and with the help of the interview transcript, the interviewer is likely to maximize on the data collected. The ability to have a long and uninterrupted narrative of the experiences or events that influenced the life of a person allows the interviewer to gather as much relevant information for their topic as possible. References Bhabra, S. and Ghate, D. (2004) Parent Information Point: Evaluation of the Pilot Phase. London: NFPI Boydell, J. Morgan, C. and Dutta, R. (2010). Satisfaction and inpatient treatment for first episode psychosis among different ethnic groups: A report from the UK AeSOP Study. International Journal of Social Psychiatry. 58:98-105. Camila J. M. et al (2014). Narrative interviews: an important resource in qualitative research. Retrieved From: www.ee.usp.br/reeusp/ Funk, L. et al. (2010). Part 2: Home-based Family Caregiving at the end of life. A Comprehensive Review of Published Qualitative Research, 24: 594-607. Giuntoli, G. and Cattan, M. (2012). The Experiences and Expectations of Care and Support Older Migrants in the UK. European Journal of Social Work, 15: 131-147 Hardiman, R., Jackson, B. and Griffin, P., (2007). Conceptual foundations for social justice education. Henricson, C., Katz, I., Mesie, J., Sandison, M. and Tunstill, J. (2001) National Mapping of Services in England and Wales: A Consultation Document. London: NFPI Jovchelovich S. and Bauer M. W. (2002). Narrative Interviews. In: Bauer MW, Gaskell G. Pesquisa qualitativa com texto, imagem e som: um manual prático. Petrópolis: Vozes, p. 90-113. Moran, P., Ghate, D. and van der Merwe, A. (2004) What Works in Parenting Support? A Review of the International Evidence. London: DFES Sen, Amarta (1993) Capability and Well-being,” in Nussbaum and Sen (eds.), The Quality of Life, Oxford: Clarendon Press, pp. 30–53 Thoburn, J., Chand, A. and Procter, J. (2004) Review of Research on Child Welfare Services for Children of Minority Ethnic Origin and Their Families (Draft Report for Consultation), Centre for Research on the Child and Family, The University of Nottingham and University of East Anglia Wengraf, T. (2001). Qualitative Research Interviewing: Biographic Narrative and Semi- Structured Methods. Sage Publications Read More