Thesis
No secret places in caravans: living permanently in a caravan with young children
Southern Cross University, Graduate College of Management
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Southern Cross University
1998
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Abstract
The purpose of the study was to explore the emic view of the experience of residents living permanently in caravans with young children, in their culturally constituted environment. The intent was to further inform community health workers regarding the reality of life for families with children living in constrained circumstances and compressed habitats.
The implications of the work are for policy makers and for community health workers in their roles as advocates for persons experiencing poor living conditions and requiring public housing. The research design utilised the researcher as the primary tool of investigation and no attempt was made to manipulate the research settings or participants. The ethnographic paradigm was used to find domains of meaning that were culturally relevant to those persons in the study. The residents validated their own stories and the summaries of interview transcripts. A grounded theory approach was also used in analysis, not to prove theory, but to demonstrate plausible support, that is a good fit.
This ethnographic study was conducted by doing interviews in the field and by field observation. The researcher lived on two caravan parks during summer and winter for several weeks.
The themes which emerged from the specifically cultural data were: the making of privacy and secrecy (where there is very little to be had); forming an unintentional community out of societal rejection; children's cruelty to children; disruption, inconvenience, threat and anxiety as common threads of life; freedom or rejection - running wild on the park; unhealthy habits, unhealthy habitats, unhealthy people.
Details
- Title
- No secret places in caravans: living permanently in a caravan with young children
- Creators
- Janet Lay
- Contributors
- Sandra Carol Speedy (Supervisor) - Southern Cross University
- Awarding Institution
- Southern Cross University; Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
- Theses
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Southern Cross University
- Publisher
- Southern Cross University, Graduate College of Management
- Number of pages
- 447
- Identifiers
- 991012960200402368
- Copyright
- © Janet Lay 1998
- Academic Unit
- Graduate School
- Resource Type
- Thesis