336 Book reviews / International Journal of Educational Development 24 (2004) 329–340

research more generally. I, for one, would not beable to put such a text down.

Richard Edwards,University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, UK

E-mail address: r.g.edwards@stir.ac.uk

doi:10.1016/j.ijedudev.2003.11.007

Learning and development: processes, practicesand perspectives at workStephen Gibb, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan,2002. viii, 296 pp. ISBN 0 333 98447 1

Learning in the workplace, and the planning andorganisation of such learning as an aspect ofHuman Resource Management form the focus ofthis textbook, which is intended for undergraduatesor for students at postgraduate or professionallevel. Gibb organises his material into three sec-tions, in line with the sub-title. The approach isimaginative and thorough and the book is a storeof useful examples, illustrations and cases. To thisextent I would be happy to recommend the bookfor use as a sourcebook - for teachers looking formaterial to supplement class work or as the basisof class activities, and for students who can ekeour their perhaps limited experience with examplesfrom the real world.

However, the plum pudding approach has itsdrawbacks. For myself, I found it extraordinarilyhard to read a continuous section of text. The pagesare very busy with boxes and shading which Ifound extremely distracting. More importantly, ittoo often seemed difficult to relate the differentangles of attack that were being deployed on anissue, to see easily what went with what. Thisbrings me to what I see as the biggest problem ofthe book. If it is best used as a sourcebook, thenit is vital that the reader should be able to navigatehis or her way around the book easily so as to beable to locate the material that is most relevant atthe time. This demands excellent contents andindex sections. The contents pages are all right –they set out the structure of the book clearly,though perhaps they could be more informative.

But the author’s work with the text has been badlyundermined by a deplorable index comprisingalmost entirely uncontextualised single words andomitting some which I would see as essential tothe text (“appraisal” , for example, makes noappearance). Some of the page references arealso inaccurate.

Stephen Drodge,University of Nottingham, Centre for

Comparative Education Research, School ofContinuing Education, Jubilee Campus, Wollaton

Road, Nottingham NG8 1BB, UKE-mail address: stephen.drodge@nottingham.ac.uk

doi:10.1016/j.ijedudev.2003.11.008

Studies in symbolic interaction, volume 26Norman. K. Denzin (ed.), JAI Press/ElsevierScience, Oxford, 2003, ISBN 0-7623-1009-X, ppxii+345

This book is effectively two large journal issues.It is divided into four parts. The first deals withPeter Hall’s work on public policy, organisationsand communication. One of Hall’s major contri-butions has been to extend symbolic interactionistthinking to embrace structural issues to do withgovernment, organisation and power, and the chap-ters provide an outline of his work and variousresponses to it. There is also a chapter in whichHall reflects on the points made.

The second section of the book is titled ‘NewDevelopments in Interactionist Theory and Prac-tice’ . It is difficult to find any overall theme, forthe contributions are diverse, addressing the studyof mental health, constructionist approaches tosocial problems, genetic counselling as an arenafor negotiation, and emotion and film. The penulti-mate section is made up of three chapters relatingto ‘ (Post)modern ethnography’ , though one isspecifically concerned with tourism in Las Vegas,and another with ‘writing the self into qualitativeresearch’ . The final part is entitled ‘BorderCrossings/Border Performances’ , and also has apostmodernist flavour. Many of these chapters

337Book reviews / International Journal of Educational Development 24 (2004) 329–340

might be described as personal recollections andreflections relating to diverse issues, some takingthe form of letters and stories.

Martyn Hammersley,Open University, Faculty of Education and

Language Studies, Level 3, Office 9, WaltonHall, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA, UK

doi:10.1016/j.ijedudev.2003.11.009

Early intervention: The essential readings.Essential readings in developmental psychologyEdited by Maurice A Feldman, 2004, Blackwell,ISBN 1-4051-1168-2 (pb), 1-4051-1169-0 (hb),351 pages, £19.99 (pb), £60.00 (hb)

This book is a collection of readings that provideboth the theoretical and empirical background thatis key to the study of, or practice in, the EarlyIntervention (EI) field. The book is organised insix sections. The first is a comprehensive overviewof Early Intervention practices and results, and thelast indicates future directions. The interveningchapters describe recent EI programmes and theresults that were produced from different EImethods across various childhood problems.

The readings mainly focus on the cognitivedevelopment of either children with establisheddisabilities or those who are at biological and/orenvironmental risk. The editor successfully linksthem into a coherent whole through two measures.First, he provides a brief summary for each partand chapter, and secondly he proposes that readersadopt an inquiry approach to their reading by relat-ing Guralink’s model for Early Intervention,presented in the overview, to each of the empiricalstudies and reviews in the intervening chapters byasking the following questions:

1. How did the early intervention programme elim-inate or compensate for risk factors?

2. How far did the programme modify parentingpractices or provide stimulating experiences tothe child, independent of the parent?

3. What was the timing, the duration and the inten-sity of the programme?

The breadth of the collection and its balanced styleprovides access for those who are not specialistsin early intervention through its reader-friendlyformat, while experienced clinicians are offeredpossibilities of new perspectives both from the pro-grammes reviewed and the critical analysis of cur-rent research projects.

This book covers work that crosses many disci-plines and therefore has the potential to meet theneeds of different readers as a textbook sup-plement, as the primary readings for a stand-aloneEI course or as the theoretical support to careworkers in the field. Although its focus is on chil-dren-at-risk in low-income, low-status families inthe United States, it can be argued that the bookhas particular relevance to those living and work-ing in the developing world, in terms of povertyreduction strategies aimed at the pro-poor. First,the key message that parental participation is vitalfor the success of any EI means that the baseelement can be met in many parts of thedeveloping world where the concept of family isstill strong with traditional responsibilities for dif-ferent members. Secondly, multi-lateral, bi-lateral,NGO, CBO and other aid agencies could use thisbook as a database both for more implementationresearch in the field of EI, so as to locate themethods that would promote and sustain culturallysensitive and inclusive practices within a local con-text, and also for the identification of effective dis-semination strategies to move the knowledgegained from such research into practice. Thirdly,several of the early interventions are applicableglobally. Information relating to the effects ofsmoking, alcohol or drug abuse and over-strongmedication during pregnancy, healthy life-styles,and sexual and parenting practices could be incor-porated into school curricula or adult literacy pro-grammes that focus on education for life. In coun-tries where HIV AIDS, although prevalent, is notwidely discussed, as is the case in sub-SaharanAfrica, information from these research findings inthe field of EI could provide an entry point,through action research, to more open debate.Finally, the recommendation in the last chapter thatEI programmes should not only focus on the cogni-tive development, but also on communicative andsocial competence of children-at-risk finds strong