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1 – 10 of 495Sarah Cramer and Mercedes Tichenor
School gardening and garden-based learning (GBL) have gained great popularity in recent years, and the COVID-19 pandemic forced many educators to think creatively about safe…
Abstract
Purpose
School gardening and garden-based learning (GBL) have gained great popularity in recent years, and the COVID-19 pandemic forced many educators to think creatively about safe, outdoor education. Scholarship from diverse disciplines has demonstrated the positive impact of GBL on student learning, attitudes toward school and various health outcomes. Despite widespread interest in school gardening, GBL remains absent from most teacher education programs. This is a critical disconnect, as teacher education programs deeply inform the pedagogy of future teachers. In this article, the authors discuss an independent study course for pre-service teachers designed to bridge this gap and share the perspectives of the future teachers who completed the course.
Design/methodology/approach
To understand and evaluate the experiences of the preservice teachers engaged in the GBL independent study course, the authors conducted an exploratory qualitative case study.
Findings
The authors argue that GBL curriculum integration in teacher education programs, along with garden-focused PDS partnerships, can be powerful levers in expanding gardening initiatives and preparing pre-service teachers to garden with their future students.
Originality/value
The authors also provide GBL suggestions for universities and partnership schools.
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Carin A. Lightner-Laws, Mario V. Norman and Constance A. Lightner
The purpose of this paper is to highlight the importance of cultivating belongingness within an organization. This paper will also indicate ways human resources (HR) practitioners…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to highlight the importance of cultivating belongingness within an organization. This paper will also indicate ways human resources (HR) practitioners can enhance inclusivity and foster a more diverse workplace.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper is written for practitioners who want to create a more inclusive organization. Exploring lessons learned from an environment seemingly disparate from a typical workplace revealed common generalizable themes. HR practitioners can use these themes to better understand the need for an intentionally designed workplace that prioritizes belonging as a means of improving overall organizational efficiency.
Findings
Organizations compete globally for market share and consumers, who are nonhomogeneous. Attracting, retaining and growing a diverse talent pool that is representative of their heterogeneous customers will help organizations better understand and adjust to dynamic market demands. Research shows that promoting diversity, inclusion and belongingness in the workplace oftentimes enhances employee performance, improves organizational culture and increases profitability.
Originality/value
Learnings from outdoor adventure sports are explored to garner insight for HR professionals seeking to enhance diversity and inclusion. This paper proposes three ways HR professionals could foster a more diverse environment where employees will be more engaged, empowered and fulfilled: create safe spaces, open access to opportunities and cultivate belongingness.
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Chanita Rukspollmuang, Jaratdao Reynolds and Praphan Chansema
Initiating a practical model for embedding transformative learning in education that will promote sustainable development is a challenge for higher education. Siam University…
Abstract
Initiating a practical model for embedding transformative learning in education that will promote sustainable development is a challenge for higher education. Siam University decided to assign a task force with the mission to work with communities in order to propose guidelines of learning for sustainability (LfS) based on real-life experiences. Selected communities which have agreed to be the community living labs for teaching and learning activities of the university were chosen based on the Bray and Thomas’ Cube Model. There are differences in sizes (number of members), locations (urban, suburban), and histories (old settlement with long history and rich culture and the newly settlement communities consisting of migrated members). Community-based participatory research (CBPR) was applied in the study. The initial model was developed from the synthesis of experiential work with communities in sustainability-related projects. After revision, the “Learning for Sustainability Action Model” was proposed. Success factors in implementing the model were also suggested.
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Adilah Hisa, Nurul Amirah Ishak and Md Zahidul Islam
This study aims to examine the impact of knowledge and skills acquisition from youth leadership programs on the extent of training transfer. Additionally, it explores the role of…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine the impact of knowledge and skills acquisition from youth leadership programs on the extent of training transfer. Additionally, it explores the role of self-esteem as a potential intervening mechanism in linking the acquired knowledge and skills to the transfer of training.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a non-probability purposive sampling, data were gathered from participants of youth leadership programs in Brunei. The study hypotheses were validated using multiple linear regression analysis and Hayes PROCESS macro.
Findings
The findings revealed that knowledge and skills acquisition positively affect the extent of training transfer among youth leadership program participants. Moreover, self-esteem is found to be a crucial mediator in the relationship between knowledge and skills acquired from youth leadership programs and the extent of training transfer.
Practical implications
The study suggests that to optimize the transfer of training in the youth leadership programs, relevant stakeholders – training providers, and practitioners – must prioritize not only the knowledge and skills acquisition but also the cultivation of participants’ self-esteem. To achieve this, a primary focus should be placed on the criticality of designing such programs to address these factors. Policymakers, particularly in Brunei, can enhance the leadership pipeline among the youth population and expedite progress toward achieving the national vision by aligning leadership development initiatives with the broader national development agenda.
Originality/value
Collectively, this study enhances understanding of training transfer in youth leadership development, an often-overlooked area in the literature.
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Belinda Mary MacGill, Sangeeta Jattan, Dropati Lal, Babra Narain, Bec Neill, Teupola Nayaca, Alexandra Diamond and Ufemia Camaitoga
The purpose of this paper is to explicate the links between public pedagogy, ethics of care and storying as a methodology and method in Oceania.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explicate the links between public pedagogy, ethics of care and storying as a methodology and method in Oceania.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper explores the role of extended families as First Teachers in iTaukei and Indo-Fijian Early Childhood contexts in Fiji. Using storying as methodology, the authors, three Australian and four Fijian academics, present three portraits to make visible the pedagogical entanglements of public pedagogy research in diverse community contexts. These portraits reveal the intersection and integration of extended family with the authors' community–family–child–informed pedagogical approaches, and the advantages of culturally located standpoints when working with iTaukei and Indo-Fijian communities. This article's unique contribution lies in its demonstration of the importance of an ethics of care approach in site-specific and contextually emerging pedagogical encounters.
Findings
The findings demonstrate the traditional role of First Teachers and carers in iTaukei and Indo-Fijian Early Childhood contexts in Fiji who use arts-based approaches to teaching and learning within a public pedagogical framework.
Research limitations/implications
The implications of the research highlight the need to address policy interventions that disrupt the value of First Teachers in community context and their role in values formations for young people in community.
Practical implications
The implications of the research can be addressed at the policy and international level where considerations of educational arrangements need to be understood.
Social implications
The social implications of this publication are the value of iTaukei and Indo-Fijian Early Childhood educators in Fiji, and their voices being heard and understood via a published academic journal.
Originality/value
This work is original and is a collaborative paper written between Australian and iTaukei and Indo-Fijian Early Childhood educators.
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Elisa Herold, Pamela Wicker, Uta Czyrnick-Leber, Bernd Gröben and Milan Dransmann
The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of four different sport programs on various social and subjective health outcomes among prisoners.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of four different sport programs on various social and subjective health outcomes among prisoners.
Design/methodology/approach
Four different sport programs (endurance, strength, dance-like martial arts, soccer) were provided in 2020 and 2021 in a German prison. Participants completed paper-pencil surveys before and after the sport programs (n = 134 observations), including questions about potential social health (enjoyment of physical activity, interpersonal exchange, interpersonal trust, self-efficacy) and subjective health outcomes (health status, health satisfaction, well-being). Further information such as prisoner characteristics were added to the data.
Findings
Results of regression analyses show that the endurance program had a significant positive effect on interpersonal trust, while the soccer program had a negative effect. Subjective well-being increased significantly after the strength and the soccer program. The weekly sport hours before imprisonment had a positive association with enjoyment of physical activity and interpersonal exchange while being negatively related to health status and health satisfaction. Furthermore, the number of months of imprisonment before the survey, being a young offender, the prisoners’ body mass index, educational level and migration background were significantly associated with several social and subjective health outcomes.
Originality/value
This study analyzed the effects of different sport programs for prisoners on various social and subjective health outcomes, revealing differences across programs and outcomes. The findings suggest that sport can be a way to enhance prisoners’ social and subjective health, ultimately facilitating their rehabilitation process.
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The aim of this paper is to explore the stakeholder exclusion practices of responsible leaders.
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this paper is to explore the stakeholder exclusion practices of responsible leaders.
Design/methodology/approach
An interpretive multiple case analyses of seven responsibly led organisations was employed. Twenty-two qualitative interviews were undertaken to investigate and understand perceptions and practice of responsible leaders and their approach to stakeholder inclusion and exclusion.
Findings
The findings revealed new and surprising insights where responsible leaders compromised their espoused values of inclusivity through the application of a personal bias, resulting in the exclusion of certain stakeholders. This exclusivity practice focused on the informal evaluation of potential stakeholders’ values, and where they did not align with those of the responsible leader, these stakeholders were excluded from participation with the organisation. This resulted in the creation and continuity of a culture of shared moral purpose across the organisation.
Research limitations/implications
This study focussed on responsible leader-led organisations, so the next stage of the research will include mainstream organisations (i.e. without explicit responsible leadership) to examine how personal values bias affects stakeholder selection in a wider setting.
Practical implications
The findings suggest that reflexive practice and critically appraising management methods in normative leadership approaches may lead to improvements in diversity management.
Originality/value
This paper presents original empirical data challenging current perceptions of responsible leader inclusivity practices and indicates areas of leadership development that may need to be addressed.
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