Research Seminar - Uncovering the Meaning and Mattering of Youth Work in Mental Health Care Contexts Through Grounded Theory Methodology by Patti Ranahan, Concordia University
Between December 2015 and May 2017, thirteen (n=13) undergraduate and graduate pre-service youth work students participated in learning experiences聽(i.e., workshops, coursework, community visits, lived experience engagements) designed to enhance literacies in mental health.聽The聽aim of the research聽was to explicate the process of聽mental health literacy聽enhancement and application to聽youth work practice聽using聽grounded theory methodology. Sixty unique sources of data were used in analyses, including individual interviews,聽written reflections, researcher observations, pre/post-quizzes, and聽artifacts created by participants.聽The core category,聽Struggling to Become, explicated how聽emerging youth work practitioners'聽mental health聽literacies were intertwined with聽a developing professional identity in聽the context of mental health care. The focus of this presentation is on the sub-category de/valuing youth work,in which the meaning and mattering of youth work to聽emerging聽practitioners intersected with聽familial and social聽relations,聽and聽relations with professionals from聽other disciplines.聽Examples of聽analytical processes using grounded theory methods will be offered.聽聽
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