34,911 results on '"COMMUNITY involvement"'
Search Results
2. Facilitating Socially Just Evidence-Based Practice
- Author
-
Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), Midwest & Plains Equity Assistance Center (MAP EAC), Amanda L. Sullivan, and Thuy Nguyen
- Abstract
This "Equity Tool" is intended to facilitate use of the concepts and processes described in greater depth in the Equity by Design brief, "Promoting Socially Just Evidence-based Practice." We summarize the framework presented in this brief and offer guiding questions to support educators' preparation for and engagement in equity-based practice (EBP) elements and processes.
- Published
- 2024
3. Six Global Lessons on How Family, School, and Community Engagement Can Transform Education
- Author
-
Brookings Institution, Center for Universal Education, Emily Markovich Morris, Laura Nóra, Richaa Hoysala, Contributor, Max Lieblich, Contributor, Sophie Partington, Contributor, and Rebecca Winthrop, Contributor
- Abstract
This report is the result of the participation of hundreds of students, families, school educators, and researchers who dedicated their time and energy to investigating the critical role that families and communities play in ensuring students and schools can flourish. It is a culmination of over two years of collaborative research and hundreds of conversations on six continents. While there were unique findings in each school, district, and country, six powerful lessons stand out across geographies and contexts. This research report delves into these lessons and how to build greater family, school, and community partnerships as seen through the eyes of families, educators, and students who shared their beliefs on, experiences with, and trust in schools. After venturing into government schools across rural and urban districts in Sierra Leone to facilitate conversations with families and communities, one of the lead researchers noted that there is a crucial and symbiotic relationship between schools, families, and communities that are often overlook.
- Published
- 2024
4. Academic Community-Engaged Learning and Student Mental Health and Wellness: Understanding the Lived Experiences of Undergraduate Students
- Author
-
Stephanie J. Brewer
- Abstract
The purpose of this study was to illuminate the experiences of undergraduate students who participated in academic community-engaged learning, specifically as those experiences related to student mental health and wellness. The data for this qualitative interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was collected through semistructured interviews with seven undergraduate students. Analysis resulted in the identification of essential components of the student community-engaged learning experience as it relates to students' mental health and wellness and included three main themes: Identity (Head), Belonging (Heart), and Agency (Hands). The implications of these findings are many, including pedagogical considerations for community-engaged classrooms and campuswide considerations for the inclusion of high-impact practices, as well as community partner implications. Ultimately, the findings of this study will lead to a better informed, nuanced, macrolevel strategy that higher education institutions can use to impact the state of student mental health and wellness broadly.
- Published
- 2024
5. The Multilayered Nature of 'Democratic Aspects' Leading to Equity: Considerations from Collaborative Activities between Schools and Communities in Japan and the United States
- Author
-
Ayaka Nakano
- Abstract
This paper examines how public education can ensure equity and diversity by clarifying the "democratic aspects" that can be captured through school-community collaborative activities in Japan and the U.S. As a result of comparison and analysis, it is indicated that in both Japan and the U.S., these activities are conducted in the context of streamlining educational administration. In addition, the participation in school management of diverse people such as local residents, parents, and children is promoted in order to grasp their needs and achieve deliberation on an equal footing. In contrast to Japan, however, these activities in the U.S. put importance on providing health and educational services to disadvantaged families and children. Furthermore, they aim to change not only schools but also communities. Therefore, this paper suggests that "democratic aspects" encompassed by collaborative activities have multiple layers: (1) "compensatory-type" (status-quo satisfaction -oriented democratic aspects), (2) "participatory-type" (deliberation-oriented democratic aspects), and (3) "transformative-type" (status-quo change-oriented democratic aspects). In order to guarantee equity of education that ensures fairness and inclusion to all children, this paper clarifies the importance of having both activities that distribute educational and welfare services on a curve to disadvantaged children and families (compensatory-type) and activities that involve children themselves in the practice, leading to the transformation and creation of the world (participatory and transformative type). The types of activities described above do not necessarily set the transformative-type as the ultimate goal. The three types interact together and pave the way toward a democratic and equitable education that is open to all and respects the voices of minorities.
- Published
- 2024
6. Toward (Racial) Justice-In-The-Doing of Place-Based Community Engagement
- Author
-
Tami L. Moore, Lindsey P. Abernathy, Gregory C. Robinson Ii, Marshan Marick, and Michael D. Stout
- Abstract
Community and campus partners can benefit from place-based community engagement to enact a commitment to racial equity and community-driven decision-making. Racial equity is paramount in place-based community engagement. However, very little attention has been given to how whiteness in the ideological foundations of higher education shapes the work lives of professionals, faculty, and the collaborations they form to address community issues. Thus, the purpose of this case study is to foreground some paradoxes of whiteness-at-work (Yoon, 2012) in an informal place-based community engagement collaboration between the Center for Public Life at Oklahoma State University-Tulsa and members of the historic Greenwood community in Tulsa, Oklahoma. We take a reflexive stance (Ozias & Pasque, 2019), examining our own experience to explore how Yoon's (2012) concept of whiteness-at-work serves as a tool for advancing the racial equity agenda of place-based community engagement. We conclude that whiteness-at-work provides a useful lens through which to begin explicitly surfacing ways in which place-based community engagement can reify and perpetuate white hegemony. This approach also provides a starting point for racial "justice-in-the-doing," the internal, interpersonal, and institutional work to disrupt hegemonic whiteness" (Yoon, 2022), in place-based community engagement that may move us further toward garnering the racial equity to which we aspire.
- Published
- 2024
7. Using a Critical Service-Learning Approach to Prepare Public Health Practitioners
- Author
-
Meg Landfri, Lindsay Bau Savelli, Brittany Nicole Price, Liz Chen, and Dane Emmerling
- Abstract
Training the next generation of public health practitioners to promote health equity requires public health graduate programs to cultivate students' skills in community partnership. The Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) requires Master of Public Health (MPH) students to produce a high-quality written product as part of their culminating Integrative Learning Experience (ILE). Because CEPH recommends that ILE written products be useful to community partners, ILEs can draw lessons from the field of experiential education, especially the social justice aligned principles of critical service-learning (CSL). However, the current literature lacks descriptions of how to operationalize CSL's principles within graduate-level culminating experiences. To help fill this gap, we discuss a CSL ILE for MPH students, called Capstone. We describe CSL's key components and explain and assess how each is operationalized. We hope Capstone's model will help educators engage more deeply with CSL practices to advance health equity.
- Published
- 2024
8. Mindful Service-Learning: An Innovative Pedagogical Approach -- 'Tend the World and You Tend Yourself: Tend Yourself and You Tend the World'
- Author
-
Helen Damon-Moore
- Abstract
Why Mindful Service-learning? While over 30 years of service-learning has yielded many benefits, I have found that students today are more stressed than ever, that meaningful and effective preparation for reciprocal service-learning can be lacking, and that an exclusively Western perspective could be expanded to include Eastern views, thereby better preparing students for a global world. Mindful Service-learning draws on established service-learning practices, the Eastern practice of mindfulness, and Asset-Based Community Development to foster healthful student learning and meaningful university-community collaboration. Specifically, mindful service-learning utilizes Eastern tools--being present, beginner's mind, deep listening, compassion--in addition to more individualistic and analytical practices, to broaden the contemporary approach to service-learning. Focused on an intersectional perspective, it is an innovative way to address privilege, oppression, identity and power dynamics in all environments, but especially in complex urban settings. As I will demonstrate through a review of past practice as well as a study of contemporary student experience, this approach can help students from different backgrounds and various academic disciplines engage in authentic service-learning partnerships as well as learn lifelong wellness skills.
- Published
- 2024
9. Curbing the Campus Mental Health Crisis: The Role of Extracurricular Activity Participation
- Author
-
Rosanne Villemaire-Krajden and Erin T. Barker
- Abstract
Worldwide trends suggest we are witnessing a global "campus mental health crisis" (Andersen, Holm, & Côté, 2021). According to the most recent US National College Health Assessment, over the course of a typical month, 29% of students chronically experience high levels of stress, 42% experience stress that negatively impacts their performance or progress towards their degree, and 66% feel hopeless (National College Health Assessment, 2022a). Study reviews in various countries indicate that the prevalence of students meeting criteria for a mental health disorder is alarmingly high (e.g., 25% depressive disorder, Sheldon et al., 2021). Accordingly, students' demand for mental health services has reached new heights (Xiao et al., 2017). While this rise in psychological distress and help-seeking behavior is likely in part due to decreased mental health stigma (Lipson, Lattie, & Eisenberg, 2019), postsecondary students are also believed to be facing unprecedented challenges. Ensuring that colleges and universities procure learning environments that prioritize emerging adults' wellbeing has thus become necessary.
- Published
- 2024
10. Community Development through Summer Camps
- Author
-
Edgar Iglesias Vidal, Narcís Turon Pèlach, Pere Soler Masó, and Lara Morcillo Sanchez
- Abstract
Summer camps are widespread in many countries and have a long history. Their contribution to children's and young people's leisure and recreation is widely acknowledged, as is their usefulness as an educational resource. That large numbers of children and young people across Europe attend summer camps is well-known; according to Eurofound (2020), most of the twenty-seven countries analyzed record student attendance at camps, and in twelve countries (including Spain) over 50% of young people take part. However, another study carried out in the member countries of the European Union (Plantenga & Remery, 2017) stated that when the availability, use, and quality of this service was assessed, it was seen that out-of-school services lacked structure and quality. Despite being an especially important and relevant topic in political discourses and international organizations, most countries do not define the service clearly and precisely (OECD, 2011). According to Eurofound (2020), many European states centralize their planning of educational leisure at national level, including the laws and decrees that underpin how these activities are organized. But camps are implemented locally, and municipalities play a significant role in designing and providing this leisure activity, both during the year and during holiday periods. Coinciding with previous publications (Eurofound, 2007), the formula for success was to be found in public-sector support, community involvement, integration between services and spaces, and the inclusion of minorities.
- Published
- 2024
11. The Oregon Student Success Plans: Creating the Conditions for Students to Thrive. Project Brief
- Author
-
Region 16 Comprehensive Center (R16CC)
- Abstract
This project brief maps out how the Oregon Department of Education, with support from Region 16, conceived, developed, and implemented the six Student Success Plans, co-developed in collaboration with the communities surrounding six student focal groups: (1) Black/African American students; (2) American Indian/Alaska Native students; (3) Latino/a/x students; (4) Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander students; (5) LGBTQ2SIA+ students; and (6) Immigrant and refugee students. Thanks to the guidance of key communities, each plan is tailored to the assets, aspirations, and needs of student focal groups. By transforming the maze of education, these plans forge navigational pathways for students often left behind by the system by creating an environment where many different visions of success can co-exist.
- Published
- 2024
12. Literacy Preservation and Transmission of Youyang Chinese Folk Songs
- Author
-
Can Fan, Sayam Chuangprakhon, and Li Linyan
- Abstract
Youyang folk songs represent a significant component of China's intangible cultural heritage from Youyang County in Chongqing Municipality, China. The study objective is to analyze the education literacy in preserving and transmitting Youyang Chinese folk songs within the cultural context of Chongqing Municipality, China. The research content encompasses various aspects, including integrating folk songs into educational curricula, artistic engagement in rural communities, government initiatives for transmission enhancement, and preservation through publication and book distribution. The research site primarily focuses on Youyang County, renowned for its cultural heritage and ethnic traditions. Three key informants include governmental bodies, educational institutions, private organizations, and individual custodians involved in preservation efforts. Data analysis involves qualitative methods such as document analysis and interviews with stakeholders. The research results highlight a concerted effort from stakeholders to preserve and transmit Youyang folk songs, emphasizing the importance of legislative support, increased funding, and community involvement in safeguarding intangible cultural heritage. Suggestions for further improvement include strengthening legislative support, increasing funding for preservation efforts, and enhancing community involvement in protecting intangible cultural heritage.
- Published
- 2024
13. Rongshui Lusheng: Knowledge Management for Learning Arts and Culture
- Author
-
Feiqi Meng and Sitthisak Champadaeng
- Abstract
The objectives of this research are to study (i) the development of the Lusheng and its relationshipwith Rongshui culture and (ii) the knowledge management for learning arts and culture insouthern China. This research used qualitative research methods by studying documentsand collecting field data through surveys, interviews, observations, group discussions, and workshops. The data was collected from a group of 18 people. The analysis was based on the objectives, and the results were presented in a descriptive-analytical manner. The research results indicated that: (i) Lusheng is an ancient musical instrument in the bamboo family that has spread throughout Asia, This instrument has evolved differently in difference regions. This musical instrument is closely related to the way of life of people in southern China. People use it as a show for entertainment during important festivals. They believe that the worship of ancestors and gods can protect one's life. Lusheng culture has artistic value and should be studied to be photographed for future generations. (ii) The knowledge of Rongshui Lusheng, a wind instrument made from bamboo, is a valuable musical and dance cultural heritage and deserves to be carefully studied through systematic inheritance. It was found that it is a teaching activity in educational institutions starting in primary school. Secondary and higher education learning in this study has two characteristics: Learning to produce Lusheng and practicing playing Lusheng, which must create a melody. The rhythm goes along with the related dance. In summary, this study can be used as a guideline for the conservation and inheritance of cultural heritage as well as a guideline for teaching and learning for the transmission of artistic and cultural heritage.
- Published
- 2024
14. Historical Development and Literacy Transmission of the Poya Songbook
- Author
-
Tingting Li and Khomkrich Karin
- Abstract
The Poya Songbook, an integral part of Zhuang traditional culture, embodies rich music and folklore passed down through generations. This study aims to examine the historical development and literacy transmission of the Poya Songbook for education and literacy studies in Funing County, Wenshan Prefecture, Yunnan Province, China. Drawing upon a combination of ethnographic methods and semiotic analysis, the research delves into the intricate journey of the Poya Songbook, contrasting its state before and after the pivotal year 2006, when it received official recognition as an intangible cultural heritage. Three key informants, deeply rooted in the local cultural milieu, provide valuable insights into the songbook's transformation, its role in education, and the challenges of preserving its authenticity amidst modern influences. The data analysis discerns shifts in transmission methods, content, and performance, shedding light on the evolving relationship between tradition and cultural identity. The findings underscore the importance of balancing preservation with adaptation to ensure the continued vitality of this cherished cultural heritage. Suggestions for the sustained safeguarding of the Poya Songbook include innovative educational initiatives that integrate its teachings into contemporary curricula, fostering a deeper understanding and appreciation of Zhuang cultural identity.
- Published
- 2024
15. This Is Why We Do It: Faculty Motivations for Embracing Community-Engaged Pedagogy
- Author
-
Magdalena Denham, Lee M. Miller, Joyce K. Mccauley, Danica Schieber, Taylor L. Morrison, and Chuck Drumm
- Abstract
Institutions of higher education are increasingly highlighting community engagement activities to make the benefits of higher education more visible. The most transformational community engagement is linked to curriculum, so it is faculty who must incorporate community-engaged pedagogy. This content analysis of faculty narratives about community engagement reveals motivations for faculty to engage in this work. These findings connect to social capital theory and suggest a new direction for faculty development efforts to promote community engagement.
- Published
- 2024
16. Community Engagement in Music Therapy: Reflections from the Field
- Author
-
Jess Rushing and Denise M. Cumberland
- Abstract
This reflective essay addresses the nexus of two recent events in the United States: (1) the public scrutiny of the relationship between land grant universities and the expropriation of Indigenous lands and (2) the often uncritical and rapid uptake of settler land acknowledgments at public college and university events. We argue that written land acknowledgment statements need to accompany actions that align with declarations of respect and honor. Specifically, we offer readers three concrete ideas through which institutions may further land acknowledgments: challenging their historical legacies, fostering meaningful partnerships with Native Nations and Indigenous Peoples, and materializing resources for this highly underserved, long-neglected, often ignored community.
- Published
- 2024
17. Gaining Insights into Community Engagement Efforts: Learning from Preservice STEM Educators
- Author
-
Amy G. Maples, Lynn L. Hodge, and Nick Kim
- Abstract
This study seeks to extend research in the field by exploring literature examining preservice teachers' perceptions of community engagement efforts. We then report findings from a thematic analysis of a survey conducted with teacher candidates at a university in the southeastern U.S. who took part in school- and community-based STEM events, and provide implications and suggestions for utilizing community engagement opportunities as a means of enriching preservice teachers' understandings of local school and community contexts.
- Published
- 2024
18. A Process for Asset Mapping to Develop a Blue Economy Corridor
- Author
-
Emily Yeager, Beth Bee, Anjalee Hou, Taylor Cash, Kelsi Dew, Daniel Dickerson, Kelly White-Singleton, Michael Schilling, and Sierra Jones
- Abstract
Through a multistakeholder partnership, this research aims to catalyze the development of a blue economy corridor (BEC) through community-based asset mapping in the eastern portion of the Tar-Pamlico River Basin in North Carolina, a geographic area predominated by physically and culturally rural landscapes. Underpinned by appreciative inquiry, this project aims to counter a deficit model of community development in this portion of eastern North Carolina by increasing awareness of quality of life assets that communities currently possess and may leverage for sustainable economic, environmental, and social development through their inclusion in a digital interactive map freely available to the public.
- Published
- 2024
19. Amplifying Community Partner Voices in Rural Community Service-Learning Partnerships
- Author
-
Lauren R. Paulson and Caitlyn Davis
- Abstract
This mixed-methods study delves into rural community service-learning (CSL) partnerships, shedding light on the complexities and dynamics of collaboration between colleges and rural communities. Through quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews, the research amplifies the voices of rural community partners, emphasizing the crucial role of trust, communication, and reciprocity. Challenges such as staff demands and organizational mismatches underscore the need for rural institutions to better prepare students and allocate resources to support their community partners effectively. The study advocates for transformative CSL approaches that prioritize community needs and nurture long-lasting collaborations. By providing insights into the impact of CSL on rural partners and organizations, this research offers valuable recommendations for improving future practices and fostering meaningful engagement in both rural and urban settings.
- Published
- 2024
20. Rethinking the Field in Crisis: The Baltimore Field School and Building Ethical Community and University Partnerships
- Author
-
Nicole King, Tahira Mahdi, and Sarah Fouts
- Abstract
This Projects With Promise case study offers insights for addressing tensions between universities and communities in building partnerships and collectively rethinking "the field" of community engagement. We explore moving beyond a solely place-based understanding of "the field" into an ethos based on human interactions and mutual trust. Through an analysis of the Baltimore Field School (BFS) project, we argue that partnerships must be designed to create the time and space for self-reflexive qualitative methods that emerge from a personality-proof and sustainable infrastructure that can respond to crises and needs in both communities and universities. Rethinking and even "undoing" notions of institutional time and space within universities allows community-centered reflection that begins to cross the boundaries imposed by neoliberal institutions focused on profits above people. Exploring the distinct scholarly communities of higher education can inspire academics to rethink how universities can work with and not just for local communities.
- Published
- 2024
21. Engaging Epistemic Tensions in Graduate Education: Promising Practices and Processes from the Tulane Mellon Graduate Program in Community-Engaged Scholarship
- Author
-
Diana Soto-Olson, Lucas Díaz, Ryan McBride, and Agnieszka Nance
- Abstract
Productive tensions with traditional academic practices develop within a graduate certificate program in community engagement at Tulane University. The program offers an alternative approach to traditional graduate education practices by fostering community, epistemic justice, and care for the whole person through sustained interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary conversations and collaborations. A 2021-22 survey of current and prior program participants in the graduate certificate program documents a variety of tensions that arise when the graduate certificate program is compared to students' main experiences with graduate school at Tulane. The analysis relies on theories and concepts of epistemic injustice, decolonizing methodologies, and community engagement, which enable the interpretation of results. We find that results point to the Tulane Mellon Graduate Program in Community-Engaged Scholarship's differences in approaches compared to traditional graduate educational experiences at Tulane, offering insights into more ethical and humane possibilities for graduate education generally, as well as insights into community-engaged graduate education. These insights would be useful to graduate program directors, graduate students, community engagement advocates inside and outside academia, and administrators interested in connecting their universities to local communities through ethically informed, graduate student-led scholarly collaborations.
- Published
- 2024
22. Extractive Knowledge: Epistemic and Practical Challenges for Higher Education Community Engagement
- Author
-
Nancy Arden Mchugh, Samantha Kennedy, and Ashley Wright
- Abstract
Extractive knowledge is prevalent in higher education community engagement. It is a type of epistemic injustice that is harmful to the historically and systemically minoritized communities and community nonprofits that many universities, particularly predominately white institutions, seek to engage. Extractive knowledge results from what we can think of as transactional relationships with community members or community nonprofits. These are largely superficial but impactful relationships perpetuating injustice in higher education spaces that imagine themselves working to create greater justice. In this article, we make two primary arguments: a.) Extractive knowledge is an epistemic injustice prevalent in community-engaged higher education, and b.) The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's model for transformative community engagement and the Fitz Center for Leadership in Community's Practice Principles provide strategies and models for more epistemically just approaches to community engagement that shape knowledge in epistemically responsible ways, in partnership with communities and alignment with communities' goals and outcomes, this paper finishes with the Fitz Center's Health Equity Program and a community-led partnership as examples of these Practice Principles that lead toward reciprocal, responsible, community-driven, and transformational community engagement.
- Published
- 2024
23. Implementing Rest as Resistance: Balancing Care for Students, Community, and Self
- Author
-
Dresden June Frazier and Karin Cotterman
- Abstract
Utilizing Hersey's (2022) "Rest is Resistance," this article examines the tensions between the culture of higher education, the needs of community, and the ways that antiblackness and intersectionality impact the well-being of students, faculty, staff, and community partners. University of San Francisco's Engage San Francisco initiative is reviewed as a case study to balance the conflicting needs of community partners, students, and staff to maintain accountability to justice and public service while deconstructing toxic work norms in higher education. In opposition to White supremacist work culture, Hersey (2022) proposes that liberation "resides in our deprogramming and tapping into the power of rest and in our ability to be flexible and subversive" (p.16). In alignment with community-engaged values of decolonizing the institution and our minds, community-engaged staff and faculty can embody "Rest is Resistance" to support themselves, students, and community partners without reinforcing inequity and class oppression. Hersey offers a guide to unlearning grind culture, which enables a critical examination of the sacrifices that are asked of staff, faculty, students, and partners, as well as the consequences of those sacrifices.
- Published
- 2024
24. Education and Learning Guidelines for the Preservation and Protection of Qinghai Mongolian Folk Songs in China
- Author
-
Genqiqige Meng and Sayam Chuangprakhon
- Abstract
This study aims to develop comprehensive education and learning guidelines aimed at preserving and protecting Qinghai Mongolian folk songs in China within the broader context of intangible cultural heritage. With a strong theoretical foundation emphasizing the role of education, interdisciplinary approaches, and community engagement, this study employs a multidisciplinary methodology. This includes an extensive literature review, expert consultations, fieldwork, and case studies to develop comprehensive education and learning guidelines for the safeguarding of Qinghai Mongolian folk songs. The historical evolution of Mongolian folk songs, legal frameworks, collaborative efforts, government-led initiatives, the role of social forces, published resources, and higher education institutions all feature prominently in the research results. These findings align with the theoretical principles outlined in the literature review, emphasizing the importance of education, interdisciplinary approaches, and community engagement in ICH preservation. The education and learning guidelines generated by this research serve as a valuable framework for the sustainable protection of Qinghai Mongolian folk songs and offer insights applicable to the preservation of intangible cultural heritage globally.
- Published
- 2024
25. From Theory to Practice: How the Cheyenne and Arapaho Department of Education (Re)Centered Indian Education in Western Rural Oklahoma
- Author
-
Carrie F. Whitlow
- Abstract
The Cheyenne and Arapaho Department of Education (CADOE) functions as a tribal education department (TED) in western rural Oklahoma, situated within a tribal government that has a total membership of 13,212; 3,160 of whom are ages 3-18 years. CADOE has supported and advocated for equal opportunity and access for Cheyenne and Arapaho families and students since its inception. The purpose of this article is to utilize the Liberating Sovereign Potential framework to illustrate how CADOE continues to employ tenets from the model to liberate their sovereign potential, often serving students and families in rural contexts. While significant literature addresses Indigenous education, a gap still exists when considering the unique perspectives of TEDs and how they serve their rural tribal communities. Our goal is not only to improve educational outcomes for Cheyenne and Arapaho families and students, but also to assert our sovereign rights in educational systems. Here we outline various programs and efforts we have undertaken as we work to liberate our sovereign potential as Cheyenne and Arapaho people.
- Published
- 2024
26. Schools Inspiring Change: Research on the Practices and Behaviours of Positive Deviant Schools in Zambia. Data Must Speak
- Author
-
UNICEF Office of Research – Innocenti (Italy)
- Abstract
Education plays a pivotal role in Zambia's vision of achieving prosperity as a middle-income nation by 2030. The Government is committed to delivering high-quality, relevant education and lifelong skills for all children. Despite progress in reading and mathematics scores, learning outcomes in Zambia remain low. Regional disparities within the country persist in primary school completion rates, with girls facing a higher likelihood of dropping out before reaching senior secondary levels. The 2017-2021 Education and Skills Sector Plan underscores the Government's focus on enhancing learning outcomes by addressing gaps in education quality, accessibility, equity and efficiency. In this context, the Ministry of Education (MoE) is leveraging an innovative research partnership with UNICEF to identify and scale local solutions already improving learning in Zambian primary schools. This report presents the local behaviours and practices found in positive deviant schools in Zambia, with the aim of helping to inform future education policy. This mixed-methods research has been co-created and co-implemented with MoE since 2021. [The Ministry of Education Zambia and UNICEF Zambia collaborated with this report.]
- Published
- 2024
27. Inclusive Settings in Belizean Primary Schools: A Focus on Teacher Practices
- Author
-
Katherine A. Curry, Jentre Olsen, Ed Harris, Candy Garnett, and Dian Danderson
- Abstract
Educators in Belize are charged with ensuring that all Belizeans are given an opportunity to acquire a quality education that promotes personal development and productive citizenship. Consequently, Belizean law now requires all children from ages five through fourteen to attend at least eight years of primary school. Students with special needs have historically not received accommodations in the education system, so many teachers struggle with meeting the needs of students with learning disabilities in these inclusive settings. This qualitative case study explored teaching strategies and contextual factors in inclusive primary classrooms in Belize and was conducted in the form of Community Engaged Research in partnership with the Ministry of Education, Youth, Sports, and Culture (MOE). Findings suggest consistent approaches for differentiating instruction, teacher passion for teaching and commitment to meeting student needs, a need for additional resources and training, and a disconnect between families and schools. Interpretation of these findings through Hornby's (2015) theory of inclusive education suggests that Belize is primarily following inclusivity as students with disabilities are integrated into the mainstream educational system. However, while some principles and practices of inclusion are followed, other features are absent. Adding a special education component could enhance student learning as individualization and standardization of instruction, expectations, and assessment could occur between teachers, across grade levels, and in communication with families. A special education component with associated teacher training could support teacher desire for additional resources and meet the needs of an increasingly diverse population of students.
- Published
- 2024
28. Learning by Doing: Students' Experiences of Interprofessional Education and Community Partnership in a Pilot Student-Run Clinic. A Practice Report
- Author
-
JiaRong Yap, Patrick Broman, Patrea Andersen, and Sharon Brownie
- Abstract
This report presents an evaluation of students' experiences in a student-run clinic project in Aotearoa New Zealand, aiming to provide interprofessional learning opportunities and accessible health services to the community. Qualitative focus group interviews were conducted with students' post-clinical placement. A six-step thematic data analytic approach guided identification of three key themes: placement preparation and understanding expectations, interprofessional relationships and collaboration, and learning experience and value. Students reported positive experiences in this student-run clinic placement, including in respect to collaborative experiences, the development of interprofessional relationships, and value of the learning experience. This report highlights the need for enhanced pre-placement preparation and clarification of expectations regarding a community-based interprofessional placement experience, particularly for first year students. The student-run clinic model has potential to address healthcare disparities and enhance learning through community-engaged experiences. Results provide insights for educational institutions and healthcare providers looking to implement similar initiatives, emphasising collaborative partnerships and student-centred interprofessional education.
- Published
- 2024
29. Unveiling the Transformative Power of Service-Learning: Student-Led Mental Health Roundtable Discussions as Catalysts for Ongoing Civic Engagement
- Author
-
April N. Terry and Ziwei Qi
- Abstract
This current study measured the impact of a one-time semester-long course-based civic engagement activity on student learning and participant impact, particularly participants' willingness to engage in community dialogue and promote awareness of social justice issues within their communities. The service-learning project involved on-campus and online students from three criminal justice courses and a hybrid format event titled "Finding Common Ground: Social Justice Issues Surrounding Mental Health & Mental Illness & Disorders" at a Midwestern teaching institution. The two-hour event included roundtable discussions to promote open dialogue about mental health and mental health illness and disorders. Learning and self-impact were measured via self-constructed questions and the Civic Engagement Short Scale Plus (CES[superscript 2+]). Results indicated increased endorsement for community engagement and positive qualitative feedback on self-empowerment. The findings provide insights into the potential benefits of service-learning activities, such as mental health community roundtables, for fostering community dialogue, personal growth, and social justice activism. The insights gained from the current study can inform future planning and enhancement of civic engagement initiatives while also contributing to developing community-based education and outreach strategies.
- Published
- 2024
30. New Perspectives on Civic Engagement as an Outcome of Higher Education: An Exploratory Case Study
- Author
-
Oscar van den Wijngaard, Simon Beausaert, Wim Gijselaers, and Mien Segers
- Abstract
This study explores the potential of a new perspective on research into the impact of higher education on students' civic engagement. We propose shifting from viewing engagement as the key dependent variable to two "fundamental constituents": political interest and agency. Both constituents have been presented as either static or determined entirely by factors external to education, such as maturation, but also as dynamic and affected by various aspects of the educational experience in higher education. Furthermore, as analyses of these effects based on sample means do not account sufficiently for the intersectionality of background variables that define the student experience, we propose that data are explored through cluster analysis. Employing this type of analysis, a case study conducted at a small international liberal arts college in the Netherlands showed four distinctly different patterns in the development of both constituents of civic engagement. Based on further data obtained from the same sample, we offer suggestions for specific foci in further research about the impact of higher education on the development of civic engagement.
- Published
- 2024
31. Extending a Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) Approach to Understanding and Addressing Postsecondary Awareness and Access
- Author
-
Austin R. Jenkins and Virginia L. J. Bolshakova
- Abstract
Postsecondary education enrollment is declining across the United States. The U.S. Department of Education's Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) initiative focuses on increasing the college-going rate of students living in low-income neighborhoods through targeted university-community partnerships (UCPs). Here, we reflect on our program's use of a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach to explore family postsecondary perspectives during the pandemic with the goal of developing community-level interventions. We outline the implementation of this approach in defining community, sharing planning power with partners, and responsive sampling. Reflection on the relevance, inclusion, and value of CBPR in education research is included.
- Published
- 2024
32. Bridging the Gap between Faculty Motivations and Institutional Aspirations Using the Community Engagement Institutional Assessment Rubric
- Author
-
Sandra Sgoutas-Emch, Kevin G. Guerrieri, and Colton C. Strawser
- Abstract
This article examines faculty motivation to integrate community engagement (CE) into teaching and research, in relation to faculty identity, rank and status, experience, and faith. Building upon previous research that focused on intrinsic and extrinsic motivators, our study also examined the role of an institutional definition of CE with clear criteria, as outlined by the Community Engagement Institutional Assessment (CEIA) rubric, in the motivational cycles of faculty reflection on current and aspirational aspects of CE. Surprisingly, our results illustrate that even when colleges and universities support CE across the institution, faculty may not be significantly motivated by this expressed valuing of CE. Importantly, our findings indicate that faculty would like to achieve the aspirational status on all criteria, pointing to the potential for the rubric to bridge the gap between institutional mission and individual faculty motivations. Enhancing this alignment may increase sustained and meaningful impact on the community.
- Published
- 2024
33. Unfolding the Community Engagement Narratives of Three Universities Using a Discourse Analysis Approach
- Author
-
Gustavo Gregorutti
- Abstract
Although a large body of literature discusses the advancement of community engagement in higher education, a less substantial body of scholarship explores how engagement is promoted and institutionalized within universities. In this exploratory study, using a discourse analysis of official reports posted on the websites of three university cases, the qualitative results unfolded how community engagement was institutionalized. The study identified some of the basic mechanisms social language uses to create institutions within institutions, like university engagement. The study provided data to support the theoretical assumption that language, through a host of possible configurations of texts, generates discourses that engender social actions such as institutionalization. Those processes disclosed how engagement was produced, and it is still evolving. Further research strategies are discussed.
- Published
- 2024
34. Private Tutoring in Bangladesh: Its Implications and Suggestions for Policy Change, in Order to Mitigate Its Adverse Effects on the Education System
- Author
-
Mashraky Mustary
- Abstract
Private tutoring has become a pervasive phenomenon in Bangladesh, with significant implications for educational equity and quality. This paper examines the policy landscape surrounding private tutoring and proposes comprehensive strategies to mitigate its adverse effects on the education system. Through a systematic review of existing literature and policy documents, this study elucidates the multifaceted challenges posed by private tutoring, including exacerbating educational inequalities, compromising teacher accountability, and perpetuating a two-tiered education system. Drawing on insights from international experiences and stakeholder consultations, the paper presents a framework for policy interventions tailored to the context of Bangladesh. These interventions encompass regulatory measures, teacher training and capacity-building initiatives, curriculum reforms, and community engagement strategies. Furthermore, the paper explores the potential synergies between formal schooling and supplementary tutoring services to harness the benefits of private tutoring while addressing its negative externalities. By illuminating the complex dynamics surrounding private tutoring and offering evidence-based policy recommendations, this research aims to catalyze informed dialogue and action among policymakers, educators, and civil society stakeholders to foster a more equitable and inclusive education system in Bangladesh. [For the complete Volume 22 proceedings, see ED656158.]
- Published
- 2024
35. Community Partner Experiences in a Service-Learning Development Program
- Author
-
R. Tyler Derreth, Katie E. Nelson, Charlie H. Nguy?n, Alexandria Warrick Adams, and Mindi B. Levin
- Abstract
In response to continued calls for research centering community perspectives in service-learning and community engagement, this mixed-methods article examines the experiences of community fellows who were a part of a university service-learning development program. The purpose of the program was to train faculty and community partners in service-learning pedagogy and implementation practices. We analyzed self-reported data from 25 community partners over eight cohorts of the program. In the article, we find that community fellows grew their knowledge of service-learning terms and practices. At the same time, they identified logistic and equity challenges in service-learning implementation and partnerships. Amid these experiences, community fellows highlighted the formation of a shared community among all fellows as the strongest outcome of the program. The shared community afforded them space to build meaningful relationships, collectively plan, and problem-solve together as they practiced servicelearning.
- Published
- 2024
36. The Interlocking Roles of Campus Security and Redevelopment in University-Driven Neighborhood Change: A Case Study of the University of Pennsylvania
- Author
-
Francesca M. Ciampa
- Abstract
Why are many urban universities' relationships with their surrounding communities fraught despite university efforts at community engagement? Relationships between the factors underlying university-driven neighborhood change remain largely unexplored. In this article, I take the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) as a case study and examine the relationship between campus security on the one hand and university-related redevelopment projects in Penn's West Philadelphia neighborhood on the other. I ask what this relationship can reveal about how university-driven neighborhood change operates and why Penn's relationship with its community is persistently tense. I organize my data into two case studies and argue that campus safety and redevelopment have long worked hand-in-hand to securitize campus by creating and reinforcing private zones of exclusivity. Not only have crime and resulting security measures played a key role in driving redevelopment projects, but recently, redevelopment itself has further begun to serve as a form of securitization.
- Published
- 2024
37. The Preservation and Transmission of Gannan Tea Picking Opera Knowledge after the Cultural Revolution in 1949
- Author
-
Junyong Chang and Weerayut Seekhunlio
- Abstract
The study focuses on the preservation and transmission of Gannan Tea Picking Opera knowledge after the Cultural Revolution in 1949 using qualitative research methods such as interviews and observations with seven key informants. The following findings were obtained, which can be divided into three distinct periods: The tortuous development phase from 1949 to 1966 marked significant growth and development, with the establishment of specialized schools and the implementation of the "three reforms" contributing to knowledge transmission and preservation. The survival dilemma period from 1966 to 1976 during the Cultural Revolution imposed constraints on artistic expression, but the return of artists from rural areas and their role in recruiting apprentices supported the continuity of Gannan Tea Picking Opera. Finally, the Ganzhou Gannan Tea Picking Opera Troupe and educational institutions contributed to the revival of this traditional art form during the period of rebirth from 1976 to 2023. Retired artists continue to play a vital role in knowledge preservation and dissemination, reflecting the enduring resilience of Gannan Tea Picking Opera.
- Published
- 2024
38. Measuring Two Constructs of Afterschool Activity Participation: Breadth and Intensity
- Author
-
Jose R. Palma, Martin Van Boekel, and Ashley S. Hufnagle
- Abstract
The benefits of afterschool activity participation for youth development are well-documented. An interesting question dominating this field is whether there is a threshold at which point participating in too many activities (breadth) and spending too much time in those activities (intensity) is negatively associated with desirable outcomes. Using 9th grade student data (N=115,731) from three administrations of a state-wide school survey, we explore whether students' breadth and intensity of afterschool participation is associated with GPA and perceived family and community support. Findings corroborate prior research in demonstrating the association between breadth and intensity. Importantly, we extend the discussion, with three important observations. First, a linear model is insufficient for modeling these complex associations with outcomes. Second, there is a threshold at which too much participation has a negative impact in these outcomes. Third, variations in activities, time windows and indices have small or no influence in the association with outcomes.
- Published
- 2024
39. The Scenarios of Educational Administration of Secondary Schools in Thailand during the Next Decade (A.D. 2022-2031)
- Author
-
Pimlabhat Janlasee, Sakdinaporn Nuntee, and Sukhum Prommuangkun
- Abstract
This research is the scenarios of educational administration of secondary schools in Thailand during the next decade (A.D. 2022-2031) by using EDFR research techniques, The research objectives were 1) To study the current conditions and problems of educational administration of secondary schools in Thailand 2) To study the scenarios of educational administration of secondary school in Thailand during the next decade (A.D. 2022-2031). The research results can be summarized as follows: I) The current state and problems of educational administration of the secondary school in Thailand overall practice is at a high level when considering each aspect, there are practices at a high level in all 8 aspects: 1) Planning and quality assurance 2) Academic affairs 3) Student affairs 4) Human resources 5) Administrative work 6) Finance and supplies 7) Building and environment services and 8) Community work and affiliate networks. As for the educational administration problems in Thai secondary schools, the overall practice is at a low level, when considering each aspect, there is a low level of practice in all 8 aspects: 1) Planning and quality assurance 2) Academic affairs 3) Student affairs, 4) Human resources, 5) Administrative work, 6) Finance and supplies, 7) Building and environment services, and 8) Community and affiliate networks. II) The scenarios of educational administration of the secondary school in Thailand during the next decade (A.D. 2022-2031) have 49 possible trends as follows: 1) Planning and Quality assurance 7 trends 2) Academic affairs 11 trends 3) Student affairs 8 trends 4) Human resources, 9 trends, 5) Administrative, 4 trends, 6) Finance and supplies, 5 trends, 7) Building and environment services, 3 trends, and 8) Community and affiliate network 2 trends.
- Published
- 2024
40. Strategies for Fostering Authentic Community Partnerships in STEM Education Research
- Author
-
Community for Advancing Discovery Research in Education (CADRE), Ceily Moore, Tyrisse Silmon, Davon L. Breedlove, and Terrell R. Morton
- Abstract
What are the opportunities and challenges for establishing community partnerships among K-12 STEM education researchers and Black and Brown communities? CADRE partners interviewed five community partners from diverse backgrounds in STEM education to understand how STEM education researchers can better engage with communities and share their insights in this brief.
- Published
- 2024
41. Centering the Experiences and Perspectives of Educational Partners: Five Considerations for Schools and Districts
- Author
-
WestEd, Timothy Ojetunde, and Arturo Chavez
- Abstract
This brief emphasizes the importance of including the voices and experiences of students, families, staff, and community partners in educational decision-making processes. It provides five key considerations for schools to effectively engage with their educational partners, such as making authentic connections through listening sessions and conducting empathy interviews to seek new perspectives. The document also highlights the significance of identifying areas to celebrate achievements, highlighting best practices, and fostering thoughtful solutions by collaborating with all educational partners involved in education. [This resource was developed by the California Center for School Climate (CCSC).]
- Published
- 2024
42. Reviewing Education Policies to Advance Equity. Systemic Equity Review
- Author
-
WestEd, David Lopez, Erica Mallett Moore, and Amanda Nabors
- Abstract
Education policies serve as potent tools for advancing equitable outcomes and systematically addressing inequities in schools and districts. But education policies often mirror inequities and bias-based beliefs within the K-12 education system. Increasing educational equity is key to overcoming the status quo and improving educational outcomes for historically disenfranchised students in K-12 public education. This brief explores five critical equity domains that education practitioners can use to examine and assess how equitable their education policies are: (1) Focus on educational equity and access; (2) Rejection of bias-based beliefs; (3) Student, family, and community involvement; (4) Evidence base and data practices; and (5) Support for culturally responsive-sustaining education. [Funding for this report was provided by WestEd's Strategic Investment Fund.]
- Published
- 2024
43. Promoting Learning about Local Food Security by Applying Environmental Education Processes to People in Central Part of Thailand
- Author
-
Khomkrit Bunkhiao, Jidapa Koomklang, Wee Rawang, and Seree Woraphong
- Abstract
The objective of this research is twofold: firstly, to examine the level of local food security and the community members' understanding of environmental education; and secondly, to develop a model that enhances local food security by implementing the environmental education practices of the community residents. Utilized mixed-methods research. Data were gathered via a questionnaire, a group discussion, and a workshop. A total of 378 respondents were chosen for the questionnaire using multi-stage selection, while 45 respondents were chosen using purposive sampling. Furthermore, a total of 32 community volunteers were extended an invitation to participate in the workshop. This study included descriptive statistics and content analysis. The findings indicate that the target communities have an average perception level of 3.19 regarding local food security, while their knowledge about the environment is at a high level of 4.01. The study identifies five key components for establishing local food security, namely: (1) learning local food identity; (2) inheriting local wisdom; (3) transmitting local food knowledge; (4) managing sources of local food; and (5) building local networks.
- Published
- 2024
44. An Analysis of School-Based Management on Learning Achievement in Senegal Primary Education
- Author
-
Yudai Ishii and Keiichi Ogawa
- Abstract
Background/purpose: School-based management (SBM) has gained international attention for the promotion of student learning and educational development. Senegal is one of the initiatives of French speaking African countries that adopted the move towards promoting SBM at the school level, but lacks substantial evidence of its effectiveness in enhancing educational quality. In addition, there has yet to be a clear consensus on the heterogeneity of SBM on learning achievement. This study aimed to examine the influences of SBM characteristics on learning achievement and investigate the relationship between them and students' gender status in Senegal primary education. Materials/methods: The study adapted the framework on what matters most in marginalized autonomy and school accountability for better education results. It linked autonomy and accountability, requiring parents and the community to participate in and trust the school. The study applied a multilevel regression model using the cross-sectional dataset of Program d'Analyse des Systemes Educatifsde la Confemen (PASEC) 2019 learning achievements survey. Results: The study revealed that parental and community participation has a positive and statistically significant association with reading scores regardless of student gender. On the other hand, a positive correlation was found regarding information sharing with parents, and a negative correlation concerning school autonomy, but with no significant relationship to reading scores. Conclusion: Participation from parents and the community can improve student learning and mitigate learning gaps in gender status. The findings of this study are expected to provide insight into narrowing the gap in student learning, especially for neighboring countries facing similar issues to Senegal.
- Published
- 2024
45. Transformational Leadership Framework: 'Redefining How Schools Are Led'
- Author
-
New Leaders
- Abstract
New Leaders developed the Transformational Leadership Framework (TLF) to pinpoint practices commonly found in schools that were significantly advancing student achievement and in what sequence principals and their teams implemented those practices to deliver consistent and equitable outcomes for students. The TLF is based on: (1) More than 100 site visits and case studies of schools that achieved dramatic gains; (2) An extensive review of available research on effective schools and leadership; and (3) The collective knowledge of the New Leaders staff and program participants. The Framework is organized to show how specific school leader actions have influenced and enabled schoolwide practices that have collectively yielded sustained improvements in student achievement. [This report was adapted from "Breakthrough Principals: A Step-by-Step Guide to Building Stronger Schools."]
- Published
- 2024
46. Disillusionment and Hope with Transnational Mothers: Avenues of Change in Education through Acompañamiento
- Author
-
Ana Contreras
- Abstract
This critical ethnographic study explores a participatory action research group consisting of Latin American immigrant mothers seeking to involve their community in school decision-making. Drawing from "pedagogies of acompañamiento", I describe how the mothers responded to decision-making challenges and leveraged reflections on their struggles to co-create knowledge and belonging. I demonstrate how their collective learning highlights transformation outside of formal policy channels, pushing us to consider alternative ways of making social change.
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
47. Creating Thirdspace: Indigenous Learning Lab to Transform a School Discipline System
- Author
-
Dian Mawene, Aydin Bal, Aaron Bird Bear, Dosun Ko, Linda Orie, and Morgan Mayer-Jochimsen
- Abstract
Racial disproportionality in school discipline is an enduring systemic problem. This study is based on a collaboration with 14 school stakeholders: American Indian students, parents, community members, and educators at a high school in a community-driven problem-solving process called Indigenous Learning Lab (ILL). ILL members addressed the root causes of the racialized school discipline and created a new school discipline system. Using critical geography and decolonizing methodology as the theoretical and analytical framework, this study aimed to unpack the emergence of Thirdspace -- a space of resistance, possibilities, and hopes -- in ILL to address enduring racial disproportionality. Members challenged race-neutrality of data sense-making, mapped out dystopia, revitalized American Indian epistemology, and mapped out a real utopian vision of schooling.
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
48. Leisure, Employment, Community Participation, and Quality of Life in Primary Caregivers of Autistic Children: A Qualitative Study
- Author
-
Gemma Davy, Josephine Barbaro, Katy Unwin, and Cheryl Dissanayake
- Abstract
Purpose: In prioritising the needs of their autistic children, parents often modify their own participation across leisure, social, and workforce activities. Few studies have examined the impact these modifications have on caregiver quality of life (QoL). The aim in the current study was to examine how parenting their autistic child/ren impacts parent's participation and QoL. Methods: Twenty primary caregivers (29-48 years, all female) of autistic children (7-11 years) were interviewed online about their participation in leisure, community, and employment activities including the impact of COVID-19. Results: Five themes with underlying subthemes were identified using reflexive thematic analysis. The themes were: (1) Reflecting on the important things in life, (2) Getting access to everything needed, (3) Barriers to participation in meaningful activities, (4) Facilitators of participation in meaningful activities, and (5) Participation through the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusion: The findings highlight the importance of regular participation in meaningful activities for parents of autistic children and the support needed by them, particularly single parents, to achieve balance between meeting caring responsibilities and their own participation needs.
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
49. 'We Don't Separate out These Things. Everything Is Related': Partnerships with Indigenous Communities to Design, Implement, and Evaluate Multilevel Interventions to Reduce Health Disparities
- Author
-
Elizabeth Rink, Sarah A. Stotz, Michelle Johnson-Jennings, Kimberly Huyser, Katie Collins, Spero M. Manson, Seth A. Berkowitz, Luciana Hebert, Carmen Byker Shanks, Kelli Begay, Teresa Hicks, Michelle Dennison, Luohua Jiang, Paula Firemoon, Olivia Johnson, Mike Anastario, Adriann Ricker, Ramey GrowingThunder, and Julie Baldwin
- Abstract
Multilevel interventions (MLIs) are appropriate to reduce health disparities among Indigenous peoples because of their ability to address these communities' diverse histories, dynamics, cultures, politics, and environments. Intervention science has highlighted the importance of context-sensitive MLIs in Indigenous communities that can prioritize Indigenous and local knowledge systems and emphasize the collective versus the individual. This paradigm shift away from individual-level focus interventions to community-level focus interventions underscores the need for community engagement and diverse partnerships in MLI design, implementation, and evaluation. In this paper, we discuss three case studies addressing how Indigenous partners collaborated with researchers in each stage of the design, implementation, and evaluation of MLIs to reduce health disparities impacting their communities. We highlight the following: (1) collaborations with multiple, diverse tribal partners to carry out MLIs which require iterative, consistent conversations over time; (2) inclusion of qualitative and Indigenous research methods in MLIs as a way to honor Indigenous and local knowledge systems as well as a way to understand a health disparity phenomenon in a community; and (3) relationship building, maintenance, and mutual respect among MLI partners to reconcile past research abuses, prevent extractive research practices, decolonize research processes, and generate co-created knowledge between Indigenous and academic communities.
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
50. 'They Just Forget about the Students': Growing Resilient Urban Farmers with a Research Practice Partnership
- Author
-
Marc T. Sager and Anthony J. Petrosino
- Abstract
A sustainable transdisciplinary research network was established through a research practice partnership (RPP) between an urban farm, faculty and staff from a Historically Black College (HBC), and researchers at a medium-sized private university. We investigate student-worker resilience at this urban farm situated on the HBC campus, drawing on literature that explores tensions between informal learning environments and formal spaces, equitable food systems and farming systems, as well as the resilience of farm work, and which is grounded critical food systems education theory. Utilizing a participatory design approach, we conducted semi-structured interviews and deductively analyzed the data. The research questions guiding this paper are: (1) What topics of discussion are most important to the student-workers and staff working on an urban farm, (2) How do student-workers and college staff members perceive and experience resilience on an urban farm? We found that what participants on an urban farm discuss, relating to their experiences, include (1) how participants were eager to "engage" with the local community, (2) how participants demonstrated "resilience" while working on the urban farm, (3) how "power dynamics" played a pivotal role informing the direction of the urban farm, (4) how participants consider community "access" to healthy foods an important mission for the farm, (5) how the college acted as a power wielding entity, perpetuating its "privilege" over the farmers and the farm operations. These findings have the potential to enable community organizing spaces to promote resilience for their volunteers and workers, and for urban farms top partner with their community to promote the mission of increasing access to healthy and affordable food options.
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
Catalog
Discovery Service for Jio Institute Digital Library
For full access to our library's resources, please sign in.