Role of master's degree in research work .....

Master's degrees may be designed to fulfill a range of purposes. The purpose for

which the degree is intended will reflect both the desires and ambitions of students

and the traditions and needs of particular disciplines and professions. That master's

degrees may be designed with more than one purpose in mind will be reflected in the

destinations of graduates. As articulated in the national qualification descriptor, graduates of all master's degrees should be capable of demonstrating a systematic understanding of knowledge, much of which is at, or informed by, the forefront of the discipline, field of study or area of professional practice. They should be capable of demonstrating originality in their application of that knowledge and in addressing problems. They will have demonstrated a comprehensive understanding of the techniques applicable to their own research or advanced scholarship. In relation to future employment, master's graduates will be expected to possess the skills needed to exercise independent learning and to develop new skills to a high level. Higher education providers may offer a master's degree with the specific intention of:

1.enabling students to focus on a particular aspect of a broader subject area in

which they have prior knowledge or experience through previous study or

employment and/or

2.enabling students to focus on a particular subject area or field of study in greater

depth than they encountered during the course of previous study or experience.

This may include enabling students to develop knowledge of a new discipline or

field of study in combination with a relevant subject area in which they have prior

knowledge or experience and/or

3.enabling students to learn how to conduct research, often linked to a particular

discipline or field of study. Programmes will often include a greater emphasis

on the delivery of structured learning as opposed to independent study than

those which are dedicated to the actual undertaking of research and/or

4.enabling students to undertake a research project on a topic within the area

of interest that makes up the majority of the overall assessment and/or

5.enabling students to specialize or to become more highly specialized in an area

of employment or practice related to a particular profession.

Early as well as late .....

Interventions can be described as ‘early’ or ‘late’ both in relation to the timing of the intervention relative to a child’s age and in relation to the stage in development of the problem to be addressed. In relation to children’s age, there is a need for intervention across childhood, as neglect can occur at any time from infancy to teenage years.There is also a need for intervention in infancy and before three years of age, given what is know about brain development and quality of care-giving. Whatever the chronological age of the child involved, the child’s developmental age needs to be taken into account when designing interventions, as indeed does the parents’ (Howe, 2005).

In relation to the stage in development of the problem, ‘early’ and ‘late’ interventions may also be required. In this context, ‘early’ refers to primary initiatives aimed at prevention of difficulties, and can involve universal service provision such as prenatal care and health visiting. ‘Early’ may also involve secondary interventions that tackle difficulties in their early stages, such as services aimed at isolated families or withdrawn children. Although we have relatively little robust research evidence regarding the effectiveness of preventative interventions in relation to neglect, the principle that risk is cumulative and that multiple risk factors most place a child at risk (Rutter, 1987) implies that early intervention is essential. It is also known that non-uptake of routine universal services, such as missing children’s developmental health checks and poor attendance at nursery or
school, is typical of neglectful parents for a number of reasons, including a mistrust of services. Early intervention is therefore significant for improving outcomes for this group. ‘Late’ interventions also play a role, and involve tertiary levels of provision that target difficulties at severe, entrenched or crisis levels. These services can involve provision from specialist agencies such as child and adolescent health teams and statutory social services involvement.

Research about various neglect towards childern

1. Medical neglect – this involves carers minimizing or denying children’s illness or health needs, and failing to seek appropriate medical attention or administer medication and treatments.

2. Nutritional neglect – this typically involves a child being provided with inadequate calories for normal growth. This form of neglect is sometimes associated with ‘failure to thrive’, in which a child fails to develop physically as well as psychologically. However, failure to thrive can occur for other reasons, independent of neglect. More recently, childhood obesity resulting from an unhealthy diet and lack of exercise has been considered as a form of neglect, given itsserious long-term consequences.

3. Emotional neglect – this involves a carer being unresponsive to a child’s basic emotional needs, including failing to interact or provide affection, and failing to develop a child’s self-esteem and sense of identity. Some authors distinguish it from emotional abuse by the
intention of the parent.

4. Educational neglect – this involves a carer failing to provide a
stimulating environment, show an interest in the child’s education at
school, support their learning, or respond to any special needs, as
well as failing to complying with state requirements regarding school
attendance.

5. Physical neglect – this involves not providing appropriate clothing,
food, cleanliness and living conditions. It can be difficult to assess
due to the need to distinguish neglect from deprivation, and because
of individual judgements about what constitutes standards of
appropriate physical care.

6. Lack of supervision and guidance – this involves a failure to provide
an adequate level of guidance and supervision to ensure a child is
physically safe and protected from harm. It may involve leaving a
child to cope alone, abandoning them or leaving them with
inappropriate carers, or failing to provide appropriate boundaries
about behaviors such as under-age sex or alcohol use. It can affect
children of all ages.

neglect as problem for childerns .....

Dr Patricia Moran, Action for Children Consultancy Services 

Neglect has been called the ‘Cinderella’ of child welfare topics due to the
relative lack of attention the subject has attracted (Tanner and Turney,
2006). It is often subsumed with physical or sexual abuse into a generalised
category of child maltreatment and is rarely the focus of research in its own
right. And yet recent UK social care statistics indicate that cases of neglect
are on the increase (NSPCC, 2007). Whether this increase represents a
genuine rise in numbers, a shift in definition or another change in practice is
unclear. Child Protection Register (CPR) statistics also indicate that neglect
is the leading category for registration across the UK. The latest statistics for
England, for example, show that in the year up to 31 March 2007, neglect
was given as a reason for registration in 44 percent of cases, representing
14,800 children (DCSF, 2007). These figures give some indication of the
scale of the problem, but are likely to be an underestimate given the role
that neglect may play in cases of children in need, or among cases that go
undetected by services.
1.2 Other sources of statistics also indicate that neglect has a higher prevalence
rate than other forms of childhood maltreatment such as physical or sexual
abuse. Cawson et al (2000) found that 18 percent of a random sample of 18
to 24 year olds reported some absence of care in childhood, and 20 percent
had experienced inadequate supervision. In a retrospective study of
childhood experience among working-class women, Bifulco and Moran
(1998) reported a rate for moderate to severe neglect of 17 percent. The
evidence from these various sources clearly indicate that neglect of children
and young people is a significant problem.

Neglect: research evidence to inform practice

 Definition of neglect

 

 Difficulty in gathering evidence about neglect in order to inform practice lies

in the complexity surrounding its definition. Neglect has been described as a

mulch-faceted concept (Stone, 1998), and its non-unitary nature has given

rise to differences in the way that it is defined within research and practice.

 

The lack of consensus regarding its definition has impacted on

understanding of not only the scale of the problem, but also its causes, its

assessment, and approaches to intervening to prevent or reduce its adverse

effects.

 

 Although there are many different definitions of neglect, one common

aspect of definitions is their emphasis on neglect as an act of omission.

Unlike physical or sexual abuse, in which specific abusive acts are directed

towards a child, neglect is typically defined by the absence of provision for a

child’s basic needs (Gough, 2005). However, beyond the consensus that

neglect involves acts of omission, definitions of neglect vary in significant

ways, including differences in the breadth and scope of what is considered

to constitute a ‘basic need’ and differences in what are considered to be

adequate standards of provision to meet them. 

 

to be continue .......

How to become survey researcher.......

BASIC RESEARCH EXPLORED THROUGH..............

1. The respective importance of basic research,applied research and experimental development , as an indication of towards whom the research policies are directed and of research industry relations.

2. The balance between technological emulation and innovation,as a reflection of the knowledge stock and focus.

3. The use of defence originated research for developing civilian applications, as an indication of the degree of interaction between different policy areas.

4. The extent to which the lack of funding, equipment and human resources can act as a constraint to creating knowledge and transferring it to society. 

The Role of Basic Research in Innovation

This short article discusses the role of basic research in innovation. Policymakers and researchers tend to agree that basic research is important for society, also for innovation and economic growth. There is, however, considerable debate about why it is important and the implications of this importance.

One major problem is the frequent lack of definitions and precise formulations of the questions to be discussed. “Basic research” has many different meanings and definitions, and alternative terms like “strategic”, “fundamental”, “curiosity-driven”, “researcher-controlled” and “autonomous” only contribute to making the issue more confusing. The research and development (R&D) statistics use an intentional definition
where basic research refers to activities that have “no practical application in mind”. Scientists themselves often use other flexible definitions, e.g. based on the degree of theoretical content or ambition in a project
(Calvert 2006; Gulbrandsen & Langfeldt 2004). Sometimes basic research is regarded as the same as university research, but this is not necessarily correct. Statistical data show that in many countries, e.g. Norway, only about half of the R&D activities in the university sector are classified as “basic research”. Some firms also carry out basic research, although this is most often too risky for private companies even though they may benefit from it in the future (Rosenberg 1990). Finally, it has been argued that influential researchers have often strived for fundamental understanding, yet worked primarily with projects of an applied nature (Stokes 1997).