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Studies have shown that science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers remain to be one of the areas where there is considerable job growth (Lacey & Wright, 2009; National Science Board, 2010; Singh et al., 2002). However, in many rural regions, science teachers still find it challenging to motivate adolescents to develop an interest in these fields or pursue opportunities in STEM at their schools or in their communities. In exploring a distinctive way to motivate students from rural regions to develop and maintain a STEM mindset, the authors provided students opportunities to participate in programs within their communities to increase their interests in STEM. The authentic STEM learning experiences, “at no cost” for the high school students, helped them focus on cognitive and social abilities as they engaged in experiences developing identities as pre-STEM professionals. This paper reports on how the authors were able to develop research through the support of the professional development system at the university.

The authors explored the experiences of the high school students and parents as they engaged in the Science Olympiad events, community volunteering and mentoring projects over three years in the southeastern United States. A total of 50 high school students participated from the Science Olympiad team from ethnic backgrounds: Hispanic/Latino Americans (55%), African Americans (10%) and White Americans/Caucasians (35%) participated. The high school students and parents were asked to participate by completing required permissions and also completing pre- and post-surveys to help understand their reasons for participating in the activities. At the end of the semester, an interview was conducted with participants to better understand their experiences with working on the team and their STEM perspectives. Parents and guardians of the high school students were also asked to share their thoughts about their children participating in these activities through indirect conversations. The school partnership teacher, also Science Olympiad co-coach, invited high school students to participate in additional STEM activities throughout the school year through the university partnership.

The pre- and post-survey responses provided insight to researchers about the “lived experiences” of the students as they developed a STEM mindset. Analysis of data indicates students’ interests in STEM and working with youth increased as a result of the STEM opportunities. To help in increasing their interests, additional opportunities are needed for these youth to engage in STEM tasks and mentoring. The professional development system (PDS) creates the space for these opportunities to take place, leading to new knowledge for learning and “boundary-spanning roles” for school-university faculty to discover and experiment new ideas that “transcend institutional settings” (National Association for Professional Development Schools, 2021).

Additional research is needed in helping high school students develop a STEM mindset as they participate in volunteer STEM experiences. The survey tools should be revised to address the specific STEM activities that the students participate in during the year. In addition to feedback from the youth and parents using focus group interviews or other defined survey instruments.

The school-university partners continue to explore the successes and challenges of the collaborative effort. Disruptions in the collaborative effort such as school closures due to severe weather and the pandemic have resulted in cancellations of STEM opportunities for high school students. Despite challenges, this collaborative effort continues with an additional focus on STEM learning.

Suggested research may involve investigating parental involvement strategies that increase the likelihood of actual high school student attendance during out-of-school time activities, such as community STEM fairs, competitions and summer STEM camps. Use of focus group interviews provided students setting to talk freely.

Through a new initiative established by the PDS at the university, “PDS Master Teachers,” the school-university faculty were invited to participate and engage in purposeful, intentional professional learning and leading to enhance the quality of the experiences for teacher candidates (Professional Development System, Watson College of Education at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, 2022). This innovative program inspired the school-university faculty to reflect on practice and create new approaches to expand STEM learning in the school and community. Through this collaborative effort, the following National Association for Professional Development Schools (NAPDS) Nine Essentials were addressed: Essential 2: Clinical Preparation; Essential 3: Professional Learning and Leading; Essential 4: Reflection and Innovation; Essential 5: Research and Results; and Essential 8: Boundary-Spanning Roles (National Association for Professional Development Schools, 2021). The University’s PDS comprehensive approach to professional learning and its dedication to providing a space for all to engage in reflective practices for professional growth provided the required support for this project.

This research aims to present an exploratory study of the consequences of environmental marketing strategies in New Zealand organisations. In general, empirical research on the impact of environmental practices on organisational outcomes is limited and inconclusive, thus a greater understanding of the consequences associated with successful corporate environmental (CE) organisations is needed.

Eight in‐depth interviews were conducted with leading and proactive CE organisations in New Zealand.

General consequences including innovation, strategic alliances, and improved public relations were found in addition to consequences specifically related to product/service, process‐, and project‐dominant environmental marketing strategies. Negative consequences were also identified.

Owing to the broad nature of the study, it is not possible to make substantial inferences between different industries or specific organisation types and environmental marketing strategies. The size of the sample further limits data generalisability.

Practically, it is anticipated the research will provide guidance for marketing and management leaders in organisations to gain a greater understanding of the consequences associated with environmental strategies. Managers need awareness of the potential impacts of choosing an environmental orientation and strategy.

This research provides the first empirical evidence regarding the consequences for CE organisations except those with previous support relating to organisation performance, brand attitude, employee attitude, and employee commitment and esprit de corps. Several new consequences not previously suggested in previous literature are identified.

This ethnographic study explores how local and global forces influence a unique set of self-employed people in Havana’s tourism industry – dance instructors – and how these circumstances drive the strategies and rationalities they use to navigate socioeconomic transformations. Cuba’s recent history of economic crises, the decline in welfare assistance, and an array of market-driven economic reforms have driven many Cubans to search for incomes in Havana’s lucrative tourism industry. Global circulations of people, wealth, and ideas shape the opportunities Cubans find in this type of work. Furthermore, strict state policies and regulations, in conjunction with underlying systems of oppression, hinder and constrain Cubans who work in tourism-based ventures. Building on theories of neoliberalism and tourism, we discuss how Cuban dance instructors develop professional skills, standardize their activities, and address global consumer desires/demands while simultaneously drawing from collectivized social norms cultivated under Cuban socialism. These hybridized formal/informal business tactics reveal how self-employed Cubans are positioned between socialist configurations and the capital-driven tourism industry. These innovative socioeconomic logics are also critical in understanding how people living in centrally planned economies, some of which are socially marginalized because of patterns of inequality, gain access to and participate with contemporary modalities of the global economy.

The purpose of this paper is to advance the information society research by examining and better understanding the impact of the adoption information and communication technologies (ICT) within households on improving sustainability.

The survey questionnaire was used and data collected from 679 Polish households were statistically analyzed to understand the phenomena of ICT adoption and sustainability as well as identify correlations between them.

The research findings reveal that the ICT adoption is well described by the ICT outlay, information culture, ICT management and ICT quality, whereas sustainability is composed of ecological, economic, socio-cultural and political sustainability. Furthermore, the ICT quality, ICT management and information culture have a significant impact on sustainability, whereas the ICT outlay does not have such an impact.

The research sample included Polish households only. Researchers may use the proposed approach and methodology to do similar analyses with different sample groups in other countries.

Households may find the results appealing and useful in enhancing the adoption of ICT, experiencing the full potential of ICT and deriving various benefits from the ICT adoption. The findings can help governments develop sound ICT adoption plans for implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The paper provides and verifies a new theoretical model of sustainable information society to depict various dimensions shaping the ICT adoption and their impact on different types of sustainability in the context of households.