Despite their best intentions, professionals in the helping fields are influenced by a deficit perspective that is pervasive in research, theory, training programs, workforce preparation programs, statistical data, and media portrayals of marginalized groups. They enter their professions ready to fix others and their interactions are grounded in an assumption that there will be a problem to fix. They are rarely taught to approach their work with a positive view that seeks to identify the existing strengths and assets contributed by individuals who are in difficult circumstances. Moreover, these professionals are likely to be entirely unaware of the deficit-based bias that influences the way they speak, act, and behave during those interactions. Reconstructing Perceptions of Systemically Marginalized Groups demonstrates that all individuals in marginalized groups have the potential to be successful when they are in a strengths-based environment that recognizes their value and focuses on what works to promote positive outcomes, rather than on barriers and deficits. Covering key topics such as education practices, adversity, and resilience, this reference work is ideal for industry professionals, administrators, psychologists, policymakers, researchers, academicians, scholars, instructors, and students.

Organizations worldwide have introduced equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) policies to address the inherent disadvantages experienced by employees with diverse social identities in different national contexts. EDI policies are present to address the inherent disadvantages and inequalities experienced by a diverse workforce. The Handbook of Research on Exploring Gender Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Through an Intersectional Lens reports on current challenges that organizations face in terms of gender diversity management and provides crucial research on the application of strategies designed to increase organizational change and support and integrate diverse individuals, including physically disabled individuals, women, and people of color, into organizations. Covering key topics such as mental health, tolerance, and a sustainable workforce, this major reference work is ideal for managers, business owners, administrators, government officials, policymakers, researchers, scholars, academicians, practitioners, instructors, and students.

The promotion of sustainable urban development and livable cities in the past three decades has effectively merged the themes of urban health, urban sustainability, and urban livability into an integrated research field. As more people are predicted to live in a relatively confined space, the balance between the physical/built environment, social environment, and urban dwellers becomes more delicate. Urban systems have evolved to be more complex than ever during this process. While complex systems often offer relative stability, delicate balance requires carefully designed plans and management to avoid collapse. It is, hence, of great interest and importance to know what future sustainable and livable cities look like. Intersecting Health, Livability, and Human Behavior in Urban Environments considers how to improve the quality of the environment and healthy living in contemporary and future urban environments. Covering key topics such as environmental health, smart cities, and urban health, this premier reference source is ideal for policymakers, government officials, scholars, researchers, academicians, instructors, and students.

There are inequalities in global knowledge production in communication outlets, cultural practices, and governance problems. Under this symbiotic relationship, they reinforce the cultural ideas, values, and governance systems operating in the Western countries as an ideal and role model for the Global South countries. Media is regarded as the agent of change for communication and cultural values. Indigenous knowledge production and dissemination is an essential feature to get a better insight into Global South countries. Likewise, dewesternizing and demystifying societal culture and governance issues are pertinent in this age of information. The Handbook of Research on Deconstructing Culture and Communication in the Global South focuses on local production practices keeping in view the local needs of communication outlets and societal and cultural sensitivities. This Indigenous knowledge would provide deeper and richer insights into the problems and sensitivities of Global South countries. To achieve this end, this book adopts a broader approach encompassing development issues, democratic values, digitalization practices, gender equality issues, and more. Covering topics such as biocultural activism, language ideology, and religiocentrism, this major reference work is a valuable resource for graduate students, sociologists, government officials, students and educators of higher education, librarians, development organization leaders, religious scholars, policymakers, researchers, and academicians.

While issues of marginalization and participation have engaged scholars across various disciplines and domains, and a range of theoretical perspectives and methodological framings have been deployed in this enterprise, the research presented in this volume aligns itself to alternative traditions by focusing on people’s membership and participation across settings and institutional contexts. The work here, thus, focuses on the constitution of marginalization inside, outside and across a range of settings. It centre-stages marginalization and participation as action in the human world. Going beyond a focus on the marginalized or explanations of marginalization or comparing groups of the marginalized with the non-marginalized, a number of contributions focus on mundane processes inside, outside and across institutional settings in different geopolitical spaces. Other chapters in the book demonstrate the marginalization of specific analytical foci in the research process or hegemonies of national high-stake testing protocols and specific dialects in different geopolitical regions or in domains such as the sporting arena. In contrast to other studies on marginalization and participation, this book takes its point of departure in the complexities that characterize and shape both individuals and societies, past and present. Its chapters challenge demarcated fields of study and conceptions of identity framed marginalization and participation. Drawing attention to the fact that the centre (continues to) define the margins, the work presented here joins research efforts that highlight the need to focus on the constitution of marginalization and participation in a wide range of settings with the explicit aim of going beyond static boundaries that define the human state at different scales of becoming and beyond an understanding of development and progress in terms of a linear trajectory.

This edited collection explores issues that arise when researching "hard-to-reach" groups and those who remain socially excluded and marginalized in society, such as access, the use of gatekeepers, ethical dilemmas, "voice," and how such research contributes to issues of inclusion and social justice. The book uses a wide range of empirical and theoretical approaches to examine the difficulties, dilemmas and complexities surrounding research methodologies with particular groups. It emphasizes the importance of national and international perspectives in such discussions, and suggests innovative methodological procedures.

The general public often views early childhood education as either simply “babysitting” or as preparation for later learning. Of course, both viewpoints are simplistic. Deep understanding of child development, best educational practices based on development, emergent curriculum, cultural competence and applications of family systems are necessary for high-quality early education. Highly effective early childhood education is rare in that it requires collaboration and transitions among a variety of systems for children from birth through eight years of age. The SAGE Encyclopedia of Contemporary Early Childhood Education presents in three comprehensive volumes advanced research, accurate practical applications of research, historical foundations and key facts from the field of contemporary early childhood education. Through approximately 425 entries, this work includes all areas of child development – physical, cognitive, language, social, emotional, aesthetic – as well as comprehensive review of best educational practices with young children, effective preparation for early childhood professionals and policy making practices, and addresses such questions as: · How is the field of early childhood education defined? · What are the roots of this field of study? · How is the history of early childhood education similar to yet different from the study of public education? · What are the major influences on understandings of best practices in early childhood education?

The SAGE Handbook of Research on Teacher Education offers an ambitious and international overview of the current landscape of teacher education research, as well as the imagined futures. The two volumes are divided into sub-sections: Section One: Mapping the Landscape of Teacher Education Section Two: Learning Teacher Identity in Teacher Education Section Three: Learning Teacher Agency in Teacher Education Section Four: Learning Moral & Ethical Responsibilities of Teaching in Teacher Education Section Five: Learning to Negotiate Social, Political, and Cultural Responsibilities of Teaching in Teacher Education Section Six: Learning through Pedagogies in Teacher Education Section Seven: Learning the Contents of Teaching in Teacher Education Section Eight: Learning Professional Competencies in Teacher Education and throughout the Career Section Nine: Learning with and from Assessments in Teacher Education Section Ten: The Education and Learning of Teacher Educators Section Eleven: The Evolving Social and Political Contexts of Teacher Education Section Twelve: A Reflective Turn This handbook is a landmark collection for all those interested in current research in teacher education and the possibilities for how research can influence future teacher education practices and policies.