Sophie Goldingay | Deakin University (original) (raw)

Papers by Sophie Goldingay

Advances in social work, 2020

Online and digital learning is rapidly expanding and driving demand for digital innovation in soc... more Online and digital learning is rapidly expanding and driving demand for digital innovation in social work education in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. Internal and external accreditation standards are grappling with what this means for social work education. In addition, educators are experimenting with innovative online methods with promising results, including online skills education and placement preparation. This has called on social work educators to design and develop online and digital curricula pedagogies and innovations, which are responsive to internal and external drivers that are evidence-based, and which are underpinned by social justice principles of access and equity. Nevertheless, the digital divide may compromise important principles such as access and equity. This paper explores some of the current debates and tensions within social work online education in Australia and New Zealand and makes suggestions for the profession moving forward.

Australian Social Work, 2016

Social Work Education, 2014

The politics of recognition and social justice: transforming subjectivities and new forms of resistance, Nov 7, 2013

This chapter describes how young women prisoners draw on NZ Maori spiritual values to resist limi... more This chapter describes how young women prisoners draw on NZ Maori spiritual values to resist limiting and limited identity constructions in language use within the prison.

Australian Social Work, 2021

In Australia, some non-Aboriginal social workers and academics have difficulty working in partner... more In Australia, some non-Aboriginal social workers and academics have difficulty working in partnership with Aboriginal children, families and communities because they do not know how to build authentic relationships and are fearful of doing so (Zubrzycki, Green, Jones, Stratton, Young, & Bessarab, 2014). This is particularly the case in Child Protection where children continue to be removed from Aboriginal families (Productivity Commission, 2019). Reciprocal and genuine relationships involve holding Aboriginal worldviews as equally valid as Euro-Western ones. For non-Aboriginal social workers and academics, this means moving beyond a 'helping' stance, and towards genuine openness to learn and understand the world,

Purpose This meta-synthesis of the literature critically reviews how Photovoice has been used in ... more Purpose This meta-synthesis of the literature critically reviews how Photovoice has been used in qualitative research with people on the autism spectrum whose difficulties in communication often restrain their accessibility to and participation in research. It focuses specifically on ways that researchers used Photovoice to enable people on the autism spectrum to participate in research about them and present first-hand accounts of their lives. Methods The authors conducted a meta-synthesis of qualitative research studies. Nine research databases including subject specific databases for public health, psychology and social work were searched in January and August 2020 to identify the studies that used Photovoice to explore the experiences and perspectives of people on the autism spectrum. Of the 94 identified papers, 11 met requirements for inclusion in the review. Data was extracted from these papers to describe the steps of Photovoice used by the researchers in their studies with ...

Social Work Education, 2021

Storying Beyond Social Difficulties with Neuro-Diverse Adolescents, 2019

Early Child Development and Care, 2017

ABSTRACT Concern has been raised recently in relation to excessive use of digital technology and ... more ABSTRACT Concern has been raised recently in relation to excessive use of digital technology and the detrimental effect this has on familial relationships, well-being and development, andon people’s connection with nature. This article provides a timely response to this concern by presenting the findings of a qualitative evaluation of a supported nature play programme according to the parents’ perceptions. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six participants and analysed using experiential thematic analysis. Analysis provided three major themes: enhancing interpersonal relationships; connections to nature and fostering emotional wellness. According to these participants, relational, well-being and developmental benefits continued both within and beyond the programme context. It is argued that supported nature play programmes, which include a therapy dog, have the potential to enhance interpersonal, nature and animal connections while simultaneously providing families with opportunities to strengthen their development and well-being.

Higher Education Research & Development, 2016

ABSTRACT The marketisation of higher education (HE) has created a number of tensions and ideologi... more ABSTRACT The marketisation of higher education (HE) has created a number of tensions and ideological dilemmas that may influence how academics see their roles and teaching practices. This paper explores how academics in the discipline of social work (who were also in leadership roles) perceive their roles and identities and manage the tensions and dilemmas that arise for them as teachers in the current HE environment. Unless the tensions and dilemmas are articulated, it is not possible to understand and manage their impact on academics. This may lead to the loss of quality learning experiences for students and lower workplace satisfaction. This paper addresses the research question: were there ideological dilemmas experienced by social work academics in the current environment and if so, what subject positions did they adopt in response to these? A discursive psychology approach was used to answer this question. Data showed a range of ideological dilemmas represented by each of the different subject positions adopted. The paper concludes with questions for readers to consider, generating ideas for transferring understanding of these ideological dilemmas into positive action within the workplace.

Proceedings of the Social Policy Research and Evaluation Conference Connecting Hearts Minds and Lives 2007 Conference Proceedings, 2007

Should they have the same as the men? A unique Aotearoa New Zealand perspective on the issues aro... more Should they have the same as the men? A unique Aotearoa New Zealand perspective on the issues around female prisoners 14-19 years, mixing with adult prisoners, whilst serving a prison sentence.

Proceedings of the 2007 What Works With Women Offenders Challenging Stereotypes and Achieving Change Conference, 2007

Reflective Practice, 2016

Abstract Social work is a discipline that attracts students from diverse academic backgrounds. Ma... more Abstract Social work is a discipline that attracts students from diverse academic backgrounds. Many are first in family to attend university, and come to university through alternative pathways such as vocational education. As a result, there are higher levels of attrition compared to other disciplines, especially in the first year. To address this, and in keeping with a commitment to provide accessible education, one school of social work undertook a project to embed academic literacies into the curriculum. This paper used Gibb’s reflective process to explore how this was experienced by team members. Data were collected via staff focus groups at two different points in time across the project and compared. The reflection unpacked a number of tensions experienced by team members, including concerns about potential loss of resources as a result of academics adopting new roles, and concerns about implementing what was seen as Westernised academic skills which may not fit with students’ ways of thinking and creating knowledge. Overfull curricula and constant change also appeared to be of concern. The reflection highlighted that to achieve effective and sustainable change, action was required at multiple levels.

Youth Studies Australia, Jun 1, 2012

Prisons are often considered to be places where violence and intimidation prevail, and where youn... more Prisons are often considered to be places where violence and intimidation prevail, and where young prisoners are at risk of victimisation from adult prisoners. For this reason, youth in custody are housed separately from adult offenders in most Western jurisdictions. In New Zealand, for a variety of reasons, a separate facility for young women in custody is not provided as it is for young men. Therefore, researchers were able to conduct a study to investigate the experience of age-mixing from the point of view of young women in custody. Dominant notions of what constitutes contamination and who perpetrates violence in the custodial setting have been challenged as a result of analysis of this data. In fact, young women who were age-mixed in custody asserted that age-mixing has the effect of decreasing the degree and impact of the prevailing violent culture.

International Social Work, 2016

Intercountry adoption programmes have brought children from racially and culturally diverse backg... more Intercountry adoption programmes have brought children from racially and culturally diverse backgrounds to live as Australians, including 30 Thai children from Rangsit Children’s Home who arrived in the late 1980s and early 1990s. This article provides insight into the experiences of intercountry adoptees at four key stages of the adoption process: leaving the orphanage, arrival in Australia, becoming a member of a family and reconnecting with Thai culture. As this study demonstrates, each of these phases can be challenging for both the adoptees and the families who adopt them and supports may be required long after adoptees become adults.

$Research paper thumbnail of The university didn\u27t actually tell us this is what you have to do": Social inclusion through embedding of academic skills in first year professional courses$

This paper presents findings from a mixed methods project investigating first year social work st... more This paper presents findings from a mixed methods project investigating first year social work students\u27 perceived role in academic skills and thier development. Students expressed the perception that academic skill requirements and how they would be assessed should be made explicit, and idenfied a stigma associated with accessing study support services. The aper concluses that an intentional design strategy, such as embedding academic skills into the curriculum, helps bridge the different expectations between academics and students and hence constitutes a socially inclusive strategy to teaching professional courses sucha s social work, within higher education. Recommendations to enhance the succes and sustainability of such an initiative in the current higher educacion environment are offered