The interactional consequences of 'empowering discourse' in intercultural patient education.

PubMed

Crawford, Tonia; Roger, Peter; Candlin, Sally

2017-03-01

Patient education is an important part of nurses' roles; however the inconsistent quality of communication skills, including those of registered nurses (RNs) from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds, risk patient safety. Empowerment in patient education has been found to influence patients' self-efficacy and participation in decision-making. Discourse analysis of a whole interaction is used in this paper to trace the consequences of patient education where empowering discourse is displayed by an RN from a CALD background. Ethnographic techniques of participant observation and audio recordings of naturally occurring interactions between nurses from CALD backgrounds and their patients were conducted and analysed using interactional sociolinguistic (IS) and theme oriented discourse analytic approaches. The interactional consequences of the nurse's empowering approach are readily observable in the data. The RN addresses the patient's education needs through a respectful encounter that illustrates the patient's active involvement. Examining the interactional consequences of empowering discourse demonstrates its effectiveness, and illustrates how empowering behaviour can be integrated into patient education, thus offering an alternative to traditional approaches. Greater awareness of how to use empowering discourse will offer an alternative and consistent approach that enables nurses to facilitate patient-centred education. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Real Principals Listen

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Glover, Eric

2007-01-01

Many teachers fear that their chances to influence decisions about their profession are eroding. Principals must change this perception so that teachers feel empowered as school leaders. Drawing on the work of communications consultant William Isaacs, Glover discusses how principals can engage in communication that encourages teacher leadership by…

How experiential learning in an informal setting promotes class equity and social and economic justice for children from "communities at promise": An Australian perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zyngier, David

2017-02-01

Educational research often portrays culturally, linguistically and economically disenfranchised (CLED) children's disengagement from school learning as individual behaviour, ignoring the contribution of race, gender, socio-cultural, ethnic and social class factors. This paper analyses a specific community engagement programme in Australia which uses experiential learning in an informal setting. The programme, which has been running for seven years, partners pre-service teachers, volunteer high school students and volunteers from a national bank with primary schools where many pupils are experiencing learning difficulties and school engagement problems as a result of their socio-economic status, their poverty, and their ethnic and cultural diversity. Drawing on the perspectives of the children and volunteers participating in the pilot study, and privileging their voices, this paper illustrates how community partnerships may be developed and sustained. The programme's conceptual framework of Connecting-Owning-Responding-Empowering (CORE) pedagogy is explored for its potential to enhance student engagement, achievement and empowerment through focused community involvement. The findings show that when students feel connected to and involved in their community, all participants are empowered in their learning and teaching.

Growing Youth Food Citizens

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wright, Wynne; Nault, Katherine

2013-01-01

How can youth be educated and empowered to become responsible food citizens? Evidence from a university-community partnership with youth in Michigan is presented to illuminate participatory approaches to youth engagement in food systems. We found that youth have valuable knowledge to enhance our understanding of food environments. At the same…

The Future Role of GIS Education in Creating Critical Spatial Thinkers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bearman, Nick; Jones, Nick; André, Isabel; Cachinho, Herculano Alberto; DeMers, Michael

2016-01-01

Teaching of critical spatial thinking in higher education empowers graduates to effectively engage with spatial data. Geographic information systems (GIS) and science are taught to undergraduates across many disciplines; we evaluate how this contributes to critical spatial thinking. The discipline of GIS covers the whole process of spatial…

"If You Really Knew Me" … I am Empowered through Action

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fisette, Jennifer L.; Walton, Theresa A.

2014-01-01

In this paper, we argue for the importance of creating a context that allows students to explore their sense of "self" and their embodied identities, specifically within a physical education context. We specifically explore how students' mediated and embodied identities are "translated," particularly as they engaged in activist…

Engaging and Empowering First-Year Students through Curriculum Design: Perspectives from the Literature

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bovill, Catherine; Bulley, Cathy J.; Morss, Kate

2011-01-01

There is an increasing value being placed on engaging and empowering first-year students and first-year curriculum design is a key driver and opportunity to ensure early enculturation into successful learning at university. This paper summarises the literature on first-year curriculum design linked to student engagement and empowerment. We present…

How Do Contextual Factors Influence Implementation and Receipt of Positive Youth Development Programs Addressing Substance Use and Violence? A Qualitative Meta-Synthesis of Process Evaluations.

PubMed

Dickson, Kelly; Melendez-Torres, G J; Fletcher, Adam; Hinds, Kate; Thomas, James; Stansfield, Claire; Murphy, Simon; Campbell, Rona; Bonell, Chris

2018-05-01

Positive youth development (PYD) often aims to prevent tobacco, alcohol, and drugs use and violence. We systematically reviewed PYD interventions, synthesizing process, and outcomes evidence. Synthesis of outcomes, published elsewhere, found no overall evidence of reducing substance use or violence but notable variability of fidelity. Our synthesis of process evaluations examined how implementation varied and was influenced by context. Process evaluations of PYD aiming to reduce substance use and violence. Study Inclusion Criteria: Overall review published since 1985; written in English; focused on youth aged 11 to 18 years; focused on interventions addressing multiple positive assets; reported on theory, process, or outcomes; and concerned with reducing substance use or violence. Synthesis of process evaluations examined how implementation varies with or is influenced by context. Two reviewers in parallel. Thematic synthesis. We identified 12 reports. Community engagement enhanced program appeal. Collaboration with other agencies could broaden the activities offered. Calm but authoritative staff increased acceptability. Staff continuity underpinned diverse activities and durable relationships. Empowering participants were sometimes in tension with requiring them to engage in diverse activities. Our systematic review identified factors that might help improve the fidelity and acceptability of PYD interventions. Addressing these might enable PYD to fulfill its potential as a means of promoting health.

How Service Learning Addresses the Mental Health Needs of Students in Urban Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilczenski, Felicia L.; Cook, Amy L.

2009-01-01

Service learning promotes social-emotional and academic development through active engagement in community activities. It empowers students to think beyond themselves and to develop a commitment to serve others. In so doing, service learning builds connections with school and community that are critically important in urban settings. This paper…

Fostering Faithful Engagement with Postmodernity: Practical Suggestions for Christian College Faculty and Administrators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rine, P. Jesse

2012-01-01

How can evangelical Christian colleges prepare their students to lead lives of Christian faith in a postmodern world characterized by cultural heterogeneity? Fallibilist Christian spirituality is presented as an orientation that empowers students to be receptive to the insights of diverse perspectives while maintaining their personal faith…

Pockets of Hope: How Students and Teachers Change the World. Series in Language and Ideology.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de los Reyes, Eileen; Gozemba, Patricia A.

This book presents case studies of six "pockets of hope," democratic educational projects in which empowered students and their teachers actively engage with relevant academic and social problems. Although seemingly very different, the projects share a core commitment to democratic pedagogy and demonstrate practices consistent with…

Empowerment and Democracy in the Workplace: Applying Adult Education Theory and Practice for Cultivating Empowerment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dew, John R.

This book, which is written from the perspectives of an adult education practitioner engaged in helping create empowering work systems in manufacturing, service organizations, city governments, and educational systems, explains how the principles of emancipatory education and the concept of praxis may be used to reshape organizations into…

Inside Our Schools: Teachers on the Failure and Future of Education Reform

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murphy, Brett Gardiner, Ed.

2017-01-01

In this powerful collection of personal accounts, successful and respected teachers from across the country reveal how recent education policies have played out in their schools and classrooms in negative and counterproductive ways, and offer teacher-led alternatives for providing equitable, engaging, and empowering education. Framed by critical…

Evaluating a Professional Development Framework to Empower Chemistry Teachers to Design Context-Based Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stolk, Machiel Johan; Bulte, Astrid; De Jong, Onno; Pilot, Albert

2012-01-01

Even experienced chemistry teachers require professional development when they are encouraged to become actively engaged in the design of new context-based education. This study briefly describes the development of a framework consisting of goals, learning phases, strategies and instructional functions, and how the framework was translated into a…

Empowering Reflective Ethical Engagement in Field Settings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cohen, Perrin

2010-01-01

Intrinsic to experiential learning is the challenge of empowering students to both reflectively engage with and inquire into ethical issues, while facing time, task, social, and other daily pressures. As designated "learners" in a professional setting, experiential education students typically see themselves as having little authority…

Empowering families by engaging and relating Murri way: a grounded theory study of the implementation of the Cape York Baby Basket program.

PubMed

McCalman, Janya; Searles, Andrew; Bainbridge, Roxanne; Ham, Rachael; Mein, Jacki; Neville, Johanna; Campbell, Sandra; Tsey, Komla

2015-05-21

Evaluating program outcomes without considering how the program was implemented can cause misunderstandings and inefficiencies when initiating program improvements. In conjunction with a program evaluation, reported elsewhere, this paper theorises the process of implementing an Indigenous Australian maternal and child health program. The Baby Basket program was developed in 2009 for the remote Cape York region and aimed to improve the attendance and engagement of Indigenous women at antenatal and postnatal clinics through providing three baskets of maternal and baby goods and associated health education. Constructivist grounded theory methods were used to generate and analyse data from qualitative interviews and focus groups with Indigenous women who received the baskets, their extended family members, and healthcare workers who delivered them. Data was coded in NVivo with concepts iteratively compared until higher order constructs and their relationships could be modelled to explain the common purpose for participants, the process involved in achieving that purpose, key strategies, conditions and outcomes. Theoretical terms are italicised. Program implementation entailed empowering families through a process of engaging and relating Murri (Queensland Indigenous) way. Key influencing conditions of the social environment were the remoteness of communities, keeping up with demand, families' knowledge, skills and roles and organisational service approaches and capacities. Engaging and relating Murri way occurred through four strategies: connecting through practical support, creating a culturally safe practice, becoming informed and informing others, and linking at the clinic. These strategies resulted in women and families taking responsibility for health through making healthy choices, becoming empowered health consumers and advocating for community changes. The theoretical model was applied to improve and revise Baby Basket program implementation, including increased recognition of the importance of empowering families by extending the home visiting approach up to the child's third birthday. Engaging and relating Murri way was strengthened by formal recognition and training of Indigenous health workers as program leaders. This theoretical model of program implementation was therefore useful for guiding program improvements, and could be applicable to other Indigenous maternal and child health programs.

Social Emotional Learning in High School: How Three Urban High Schools Engage, Educate, and Empower Youth. Research Brief

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hamedani, MarYam G.; Darling-Hammond, Linda

2015-01-01

The psychological, social, and emotional aspects of education have enjoyed increased attention in recent years as often termed "non-cognitive factors" and "soft skills" have gained traction in research, policy, and practice circles as major drivers of student achievement. This renewed attention represents an important shift, as…

Dis/Locating the Margins: Gloria Anzaldua and Dynamic Feminist Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mahraj, Katy

2010-01-01

It is confusing to be a feminist student. Deconstruction is "de rigueur"; reconstruction less so. Awareness rises while answers recede. Feminist students seek out learning experiences that disrupt, empower, and make them feminist students not only by what they learn, but also by how they learn, by the pedagogy in which they engage. Certainly there…

Congregating to Create for Social Change: Urban Youth Media Production and Sense of Community

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Charmaraman, Linda

2013-01-01

This case study explored how adolescents were empowered through afterschool media production activities and, in the process, re-imagined themselves as active and engaged citizens within their community. Through analyzing interviews, participant observations, and media artifacts of 14 participants (aged 15-19) over a period of 18 months, three main…

Making Characters Come Alive: Using Characters for Identification and Engagement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chadwick, Jocelyn A.

2012-01-01

How do English teachers, with their amazing gift, empower students to see and experience literature not as a burden that must be endured and memorized for the test and then mercifully forgotten, but as a vehicle for self-discovery and reflection? One effective way to help students experience and discover literature is through the characters. For…

Family members facilitating community re-integration and return to productivity following traumatic brain injury - motivations, roles and challenges.

PubMed

Gagnon, Alicia; Lin, Jenny; Stergiou-Kita, Mary

2016-01-01

This study explores the experiences of family members in supporting community re-integration and return to productive occupations of the traumatic brain injury (TBI) survivor in order to: (i) describe family members' supportive roles, (ii) determine challenges family members experience in supporting the TBI survivor; and (iii) identify supports that family members require to maintain and enhance their roles. This qualitative descriptive study involved 14 interviews with immediate family members of TBI survivors. Data was analyzed using thematic analysis. Family members expressed strong motivation and engaged in six key roles to support TBI survivors: researcher, case manager, advocate, coach, activities of daily living (ADL)/instrumental ADLs and emotional supporter. Personal and family stressors and challenges navigating the health care system were perceived as challenges in meeting demands of their supportive roles. Stigma also presented a barrier to successful community and vocational re-integration. Subsequently, family members desired more education related to the functional implications of TBI, to be connected to health care and community resources, and sought a greater family-centred care approach. Family members require on-going counseling and community supports to prevent burnout and allow for their continued engagement in their supportive roles. Further education on how to navigate the health care system, access community programs and rights to workplace accommodation is also warranted. Family members are strongly motivated to support survivors' return to productive occupation following a traumatic brain injury, but require counseling and community support to enable their on-going engagement and prevent burnout. Family members can be further empowered through the implementation of family-centred care. Family members requested further education on the long-term functional implications of TBI, how to navigate the health care system, how to access community programs and workers' rights to workplace accommodations.

Violence: A non-chemical stressor and how it impacts human ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Objectives of this presentation Define non-chemical stressors and provide overview of non-chemical stressors in a child’s social environment Summarize existing research on exposure to violence as a non-chemical stressor for children under 18 years of age Show that exposure to violence (a non-chemical stressor) may modify the biological response to chemical exposures To be presented at the Seventh Annual Session on Empowering Sustainability on Earth. Empowering Sustainability is an initiative at the University of California, Irvine, dedicated to connecting sustainability leaders across generations, countries, and disciplines and fostering engagement and research. Launched in 2011, the UCI Summer Seminar Series "Empowering Sustainability on Earth" is co-hosted each July by the UCI Newkirk Center for Science and Society, presenting a series of seminars for the next generation of leaders of global sustainability from over 70 countries around the world. The seminar talks are open to the public.

The Productive Ward: releasing Time to Care(™)--what we can learn from the literature for implementation.

PubMed

White, Mark; Wells, John Sg; Butterworth, Tony

2014-10-01

This paper reviews the Productive Ward: Releasing Time to Care™ literature, identifying and discussing the key characteristics that may contribute to successful implementation. It is 5 years since the official UK launch of the Productive Ward, and the Republic of Ireland commenced a phased, national implementation programme in 2011. Thus it is timely to reflect on the implementation lessons learned to date and described in the literature. Using taxonomic mapping, this paper evaluates the current state of the literature that pertains to Productive Ward implementation experience; success factors; reports, and assessments. Seven common contextual characteristics were identified: robust and engaging communication; enabling and empowering roles; appropriate training; project planning and management; leadership; corporate/management engagement and support; and financial and human resource commitment. The key characteristics identified have a direct impact on the implementation of the Productive Ward. The interplay between these key characteristics and how this interplay influences successful implementation of the Productive Ward warrants further research. Acknowledging and embracing the seven characteristics during implementation will positively improve the progress and success of the initiatives implementation. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Building Resilience in Students at the Intersection of Special Education and Foster Care: Challenges, Strategies, and Resources for Educators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parker, Parker; Folkman, Jessica

2015-01-01

The purpose of this article is to inform educators (general educators, special educators, teacher educators, and administrators) about ways to teach, advocate for, and empower students with disabilities who are also engaged in the foster care system. The conclusion includes authors' suggestions for how teacher educators might incorporate the…

Spirit of the Game: Empowering Students as Designers in Schools?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lim, Cher Ping

2008-01-01

The aim of this paper and the one which follows is to explore how the potential of computer games may be taken up in schools to support learning engagement among students. It is not the intention of the papers to dismiss existing classroom practices or overlook accounts of innovative practices in schools; the papers' aim is to provide educators…

Creating a Profession of Educators with the Living-Theories of Master and Doctor Educators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whitehead, Jack; Huxtable, Marie

2016-01-01

In our last paper in "GEI" we presented an argument for teachers to engage in Living Educational Theory research as Continuing Professional Development. In this paper we extend our analysis to show how this can empower educators to improve their practice and, by offering as a gift the knowledge they generate in the process, contribute to…

Taking patient and public involvement online: qualitative evaluation of an online forum for palliative care and rehabilitation research.

PubMed

Brighton, Lisa Jane; Pask, Sophie; Benalia, Hamid; Bailey, Sylvia; Sumerfield, Marion; Witt, Jana; de Wolf-Linder, Susanne; Etkind, Simon Noah; Murtagh, Fliss E M; Koffman, Jonathan; Evans, Catherine J

2018-01-01

Patient and public involvement (PPI) is increasingly recognised as important in research. Most PPI takes place face-to-face, but this can be difficult for people who are unwell or have caring responsibilities. As these challenges are particularly common in palliative care and rehabilitation research, we developed an online forum for PPI: www.csipublicinvolvement.co.uk. In this study, we explored how well the online forum worked, if it is a suitable method for PPI, and how PPI members and researchers reacted to using it. We used an existing theory about online interventions to help choose the 'right' questions to ask participants. We invited PPI members and researchers who had used the online forum to participate in focus groups, and identified the most important themes discussed. Within this study, PPI members have helped with the interview questions, analysis, and write up. Overall, four PPI members and five researchers participated in the focus groups. Participants felt the online forum worked well and had multiple benefits. From the discussions, we identified four key questions to consider when developing online methods for PPI: how does the forum work, how does it engage people, how does it empower people, and what is the impact? Participants suggested the forum could be improved by being more PPI and less researcher focused. We conclude that when developing online methods of PPI, a functioning forum is not enough: it also needs to be engaging and empowering to have an impact. Future work can use these four domains when developing their own online PPI methods. Patient and public involvement (PPI) in research is increasingly recognised as important. Most PPI activities take place face-to-face, yet this can be difficult for people with ill health or caring responsibilities, and may exclude people from hard-to-reach populations (e.g. living in vulnerable social circumstances and/or remote geographical locations). These challenges are particularly pertinent in palliative care and rehabilitation research where people often live with, or care for someone with, advanced illness. In response to this, we aimed to test the functionality, feasibility, and acceptability of an online forum for PPI for palliative care and rehabilitation research (www.csipublicinvolvement.co.uk). We conducted separate focus groups with PPI members and researchers who had used the online forum. Data collection was underpinned by DeLone and Mclean's model of information systems success. Focus groups were recorded, transcribed, and analysed using inductive thematic analysis. Dual coding by two authors ensured rigour, and attention was paid to divergent cases. Four PPI members and five researchers participated in the focus groups (two PPI focus groups, one researcher focus group). The online forum was perceived as functional, feasible, and acceptable. Our analysis identified four key questions to consider when developing online methods for PPI: (1) how does the forum work, (2) how does it engage people, (3) how does it empower people, and (4) what is the impact? PPI members felt that the online forum was too researcher led, and needed to be more PPI focussed. When developing online methods of PPI, a functioning forum is not enough: it also needs to be engaging and empowering to have an impact. To optimise online involvement, future work should refer to these four domains and balance the needs of researchers and PPI members.

Core aspects of "empowering" caregivers as articulated by leaders in home health care: palliative and chronic illness contexts.

PubMed

Stajduhar, Kelli I; Funk, Laura; Wolse, Faye; Crooks, Valorie; Roberts, Della; Williams, Allison M; Cloutier-Fisher, Denise; McLeod, Barbara

2011-09-01

Home-based family caregivers are often assisted by home care services founded upon principles of health promotion, such as empowerment. Using an interpretive approach and in-depth qualitative interviews, the authors examine descriptions of family empowerment by leaders and managers in the field of home health care in the province of British Columbia, Canada. In a culture of fiscal restraint, dying at home, and self-care, participants described how home care nurses empower family caregivers to meet these objectives. This involves educating and informing caregivers, engaging them in planning and decision-making, and reassuring them that their role is manageable and worthwhile. Though some participants viewed providing supports as empowering (e.g., during times of crisis), others viewed them as disempowering (by promoting dependence). Empowered caregivers were characterized as able to provide home care, confident of their capabilities, and believing that their work is positive and beneficial. The long-term goal of empowerment was characterized as client self-care and/or family care and decreased dependence on formal services.

Electron collisions with atoms, ions, molecules, and surfaces: Fundamental science empowering advances in technology

PubMed Central

Bartschat, Klaus; Kushner, Mark J.

2016-01-01

Electron collisions with atoms, ions, molecules, and surfaces are critically important to the understanding and modeling of low-temperature plasmas (LTPs), and so in the development of technologies based on LTPs. Recent progress in obtaining experimental benchmark data and the development of highly sophisticated computational methods is highlighted. With the cesium-based diode-pumped alkali laser and remote plasma etching of Si3N4 as examples, we demonstrate how accurate and comprehensive datasets for electron collisions enable complex modeling of plasma-using technologies that empower our high-technology–based society. PMID:27317740

Dreher High School and the University of South Carolina College of Education: A Long-Standing PDS Relationship That Works

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smoak, Kimberly; Blakeney, Roy; Dalton, Mary Lu

2016-01-01

Dating back to 1990, the PDS relationship between the University of South Carolina and Dreher High School in Columbia, South Carolina, has had a persistent dedication to a partnership that not only benefits pre-service teacher candidates but also empowers early career teachers to actively engage in their school. This article describes how this…

Empower, not impose!-Preventing academic procrastination.

PubMed

Hoppe, Johannes D; Prokop, Philipp; Rau, Renate

2018-01-01

In the frame of the goal setting process between supervisor and student while writing a thesis, it is hypothesized that mutually set goals (participation) and writing down the results of the meeting (recording) can prevent procrastination and increase engagement of the student. With a questionnaire relating to the latest written thesis (n = 97, academic sample), the effects of goal setting characteristics (recording, participation) and task characteristics (ambiguity, control) on engagement and procrastination were examined. Results of a multiple mediation model indicate that recording indirectly influences engagement and procrastination through its effect on ambiguity. Moreover, participation indirectly influences engagement through its effect on control. It is concluded that goal setting characteristics and task characteristics can affect student's procrastination. Thus, the present research provides criteria for how supervisors can prevent students from procrastinating.

Art messaging to engage homeless young adults.

PubMed

Nyamathi, Adeline; Slagle, Alexandra; Thomas, Alexandra; Hudson, Angela; Kahilifard, Farinaz; Avila, Glenna; Orser, Julie; Cuchilla, Manuel

2011-01-01

Art has been shown to be an empowering and engaging entity with numerous benefits to vulnerable populations, including the homeless persons and young adults. However, little is known how homeless young adults perceive the use of art as messages that can communicate the danger of initiating or continuing drug and alcohol use. The purpose of this study was to solicit perspectives of homeless, drug-using young adults as to how art can be used to design messages for their peers about the danger of initiating or continuing drug and alcohol use. Qualitative methodology via focus group discussions was utilized to engage 24 homeless young adults enrolled from a drop-in site in Santa Monica, California. The findings revealed support for a myriad of delivery styles, including in-person communication, flyers, music, documentary film, and creative writing. The young adults also provided insight into the importance of the thematic framework of messages. Such themes ranged from empowering and hopeful messages to those designed to scare young homeless adults into not experimenting with drugs. The findings indicate that in addition to messages communicating the need to prevent or reduce drug and alcohol use, homeless young adults respond to messages that remind them of goals and dreams they once had for their future, and to content that is personal, real, and truthful. Our research indicates that messages that reinforce protective factors such as hope for the future and self-esteem may be as important to homeless young adults as information about the risks and consequences of drug use.

Delving into Critical Literacy in the Elementary Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bennett, Mark

2012-01-01

Developing critical literacy skills in students from an early age is vital and should be every teacher's goal. When students are taught how to evaluate a text in critical terms, they are empowered to consider and analyze the influences that are shaping their thoughts and ideas. Strong critical thinking skills enable students to question and…

Bringing home the health humanities: narrative humility, structural competency, and engaged pedagogy.

PubMed

Tsevat, Rebecca K; Sinha, Anoushka A; Gutierrez, Kevin J; DasGupta, Sayantani

2015-11-01

As health humanities programs grow and thrive across the country, encouraging medical students to read, write, and become more reflective about their professional roles, educators must bring a sense of self-reflexivity to the discipline itself. In the health humanities, novels, patient histories, and pieces of reflective writing are often treated as architectural spaces or "homes" that one can enter and examine. Yet, narrative-based learning in health care settings does not always allow its participants to feel "at home"; when not taught with a critical attention to power and pedagogy, the health humanities can be unsettling and even dangerous. Educators can mitigate these risks by considering not only what they teach but also how they teach it.In this essay, the authors present three pedagogical pillars that educators can use to invite learners to engage more fully, develop critical awareness of medical narratives, and feel "at home" in the health humanities. These pedagogical pillars are narrative humility (an awareness of one's prejudices, expectations, and frames of listening), structural competency (attention to sources of power and privilege), and engaged pedagogy (the protection of students' security and well-being). Incorporating these concepts into pedagogical practices can create safe and productive classroom spaces for all, including those most vulnerable and at risk of being "unhomed" by conventional hierarchies and oppressive social structures. This model then can be translated through a parallel process from classroom to clinic, such that empowered, engaged, and cared-for learners become empowering, engaging, and caring clinicians.

Towards an Ontology-driven Framework to Enable Development of Personalized mHealth Solutions for Cancer Survivors' Engagement in Healthy Living.

PubMed

Myneni, Sahiti; Amith, Muhammad; Geng, Yimin; Tao, Cui

2015-01-01

Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) cancer survivors manage an array of health-related issues. Survivorship Care Plans (SCPs) have the potential to empower these young survivors by providing information regarding treatment summary, late-effects of cancer therapies, healthy lifestyle guidance, coping with work-life-health balance, and follow-up care. However, current mHealth infrastructure used to deliver SCPs has been limited in terms of flexibility, engagement, and reusability. The objective of this study is to develop an ontology-driven survivor engagement framework to facilitate rapid development of mobile apps that are targeted, extensible, and engaging. The major components include ontology models, patient engagement features, and behavioral intervention technologies. We apply the proposed framework to characterize individual building blocks ("survivor digilegos"), which form the basis for mHealth tools that address user needs across the cancer care continuum. Results indicate that the framework (a) allows identification of AYA survivorship components, (b) facilitates infusion of engagement elements, and (c) integrates behavior change constructs into the design architecture of survivorship applications. Implications for design of patient-engaging chronic disease management solutions are discussed.

Development and psychometric testing of the clinical networks engagement tool

PubMed Central

Hecker, Kent G.; Rabatach, Leora; Noseworthy, Tom W.; White, Deborah E.

2017-01-01

Background Clinical networks are being used widely to facilitate large system transformation in healthcare, by engagement of stakeholders throughout the health system. However, there are no available instruments that measure engagement in these networks. Methods The study purpose was to develop and assess the measurement properties of a multiprofessional tool to measure engagement in clinical network initiatives. Based on components of the International Association of Public Participation Spectrum and expert panel review, we developed 40 items for testing. The draft instrument was distributed to 1,668 network stakeholders across different governance levels (leaders, members, support, frontline stakeholders) in 9 strategic clinical networks in Alberta (January to July 2014). With data from 424 completed surveys (25.4% response rate), descriptive statistics, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, Pearson correlations, linear regression, multivariate analysis, and Cronbach alpha were conducted to assess reliability and validity of the scores. Results Sixteen items were retained in the instrument. Exploratory factor analysis indicated a four-factor solution and accounted for 85.7% of the total variance in engagement with clinical network initiatives: global engagement, inform (provided with information), involve (worked together to address concerns), and empower (given final decision-making authority). All subscales demonstrated acceptable reliability (Cronbach alpha 0.87 to 0.99). Both the confirmatory factor analysis and regression analysis confirmed that inform, involve, and empower were all significant predictors of global engagement, with involve as the strongest predictor. Leaders had higher mean scores than frontline stakeholders, while members and support staff did not differ in mean scores. Conclusions This study provided foundational evidence for the use of this tool for assessing engagement in clinical networks. Further work is necessary to evaluate engagement in broader network functions and activities; to assess barriers and facilitators of engagement; and, to elucidate how the maturity of networks and other factors influence engagement. PMID:28350834

Leader empowering behaviours, staff nurse empowerment and work engagement/burnout.

PubMed

Greco, Paula; Laschinger, Heather K Spence; Wong, Carol

2006-12-01

Efforts to improve nursing working conditions are critical to retaining nurses currently in the system and attracting newcomers to the profession (Laschinger et al. 2003b). The nurse leader's empowering behaviours can be pivotal in the way nurses react to their work environment. The purpose of this study was to test a model examining the relationship between nurse leaders' empowerment behaviours, perceptions of staff empowerment, areas of work life and work engagement using Kanter's theory of structural power in organizations. A cross-sectional correlational survey design tested the model in a random sample of 322 staff nurses in acute care hospitals across Ontario. Overall, staff nurses perceived their leaders' behaviours to be somewhat empowering and their work environment to be moderately empowering. Fifty-three percent reported severe levels of burnout. Leader empowering behaviour had an indirect effect on emotional exhaustion (burnout) through structural empowerment and overall fit in the six areas of work life. The final model statistics revealed a good fit (chi(2)=30.4, chi=3, chi=0.96, chi=0.95, chi=0.95). These findings suggest that the Leader's empowering behaviours can enhance person-job fit and prevent burnout. These findings have important implications in the current nursing shortage.

A proposed model for an optimal mentoring environment for medical residents: a literature review.

PubMed

Davis, Orin C; Nakamura, Jeanne

2010-06-01

To develop a model of the optimal mentoring environment for medical residents. The authors propose that such an environment is a function of a relationship that rests upon a set of interactional foundations that allow a protégé to capitalize on the strengths of the mentor, and it facilitates behaviors that will enable the protégé to develop and internalize the requisite knowledge, skills, and attitudes (KSAs) as fully as possible. The authors searched the literature using Web of Science and Google Scholar in 2007-2008 to identify articles addressing the mentoring process and the context in which it occurs (mentoring environment), and the effect both have on KSA development. The authors distilled the attributes of a good mentor that were consistent across the 20 papers that met inclusion criteria and described good mentoring of residents or curricula for training mentors or residents. The authors identified six interactional foundations that underlie the optimal mentoring relationship: emotional safety, support, protégé-centeredness, informality, responsiveness, and respect. These foundations enable protégés to engage in four key developmental behaviors: exercising independence, reflecting, extrapolating, and synthesizing. This model identifies mentoring practices that empower protégés to engage in developmental behaviors that will help them become the best physicians possible. Educators may use this model to develop training tools to teach attendings how to create an optimal mentoring environment. Researchers can use the model to help guide their future investigations of mentoring in medicine.

Learner Agency within the Design of an EAP Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seppälä, Riina

2015-01-01

To meet the demands of today's society and working life, higher education should support the development of learner agency. How the agency of individual learners emerges in university courses and what kind of agency empowers the learners to face new challenges should be considered. In this article, the focus is on learner agency enabled and…

Enhancing Mental and Physical Health of Women through Engagement and Retention (EMPOWER): a protocol for a program of research.

PubMed

Hamilton, Alison B; Farmer, Melissa M; Moin, Tannaz; Finley, Erin P; Lang, Ariel J; Oishi, Sabine M; Huynh, Alexis K; Zuchowski, Jessica; Haskell, Sally G; Bean-Mayberry, Bevanne

2017-11-07

The Enhancing Mental and Physical health of Women through Engagement and Retention or EMPOWER program represents a partnership with the US Department of Veterans Health Administration (VA) Health Service Research and Development investigators and the VA Office of Women's Health, National Center for Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Primary Care-Mental Health Integration Program Office, Women's Mental Health Services, and the Office of Patient Centered Care and Cultural Transformation. EMPOWER includes three projects designed to improve women Veterans' engagement and retention in evidence-based care for high-priority health conditions, i.e., prediabetes, cardiovascular, and mental health. The three proposed projects will be conducted in VA primary care clinics that serve women Veterans including general primary care and women's health clinics. The first project is a 1-year quality improvement project targeting diabetes prevention. Two multi-site research implementation studies will focus on cardiovascular risk prevention and collaborative care to address women Veterans' mental health treatment needs respectively. All projects will use the evidence-based Replicating Effective Programs (REP) implementation strategy, enhanced with multi-stakeholder engagement and complexity theory. Mixed methods implementation evaluations will focus on investigating primary implementation outcomes of adoption, acceptability, feasibility, and reach. Program-wide organizational-, provider-, and patient-level measures and tools will be utilized to enhance synergy, productivity, and impact. Both implementation research studies will use a non-randomized stepped wedge design. EMPOWER represents a coherent program of women's health implementation research and quality improvement that utilizes cross-project implementation strategies and evaluation methodology. The EMPOWER Quality Enhancement Research Initiative (QUERI) will constitute a major milestone for realizing women Veterans' engagement and empowerment in the VA system. EMPOWER QUERI will be conducted in close partnership with key VA operations partners, such as the VA Office of Women's Health, to disseminate and spread the programs nationally. The two implementation research studies described in this protocol have been registered as required: Facilitating Cardiovascular Risk Screening and Risk Reduction in Women Veterans: Trial registration NCT02991534 , registered 9 December 2016. Implementation of Tailored Collaborative Care for Women Veterans: Trial registration NCT02950961 , registered 21 October 2016.

Healthcare quality improvement work: a professional employee perspective.

PubMed

Gadolin, Christian; Andersson, Thomas

2017-06-12

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe and analyze conditions that influence how employees engage in healthcare quality improvement (QI) work. Design/methodology/approach Qualitative case study based on interviews ( n=27) and observations ( n=10). Findings The main conditions that influence how employees engage in healthcare QI work are professions, work structures and working relationships. These conditions can both prevent and facilitate healthcare QI. Professions and work structures may cement existing institutional logics and thus prevent employees from engaging in healthcare QI work. However, attempts to align QI with professional logics, together with work structures that empower employees, can make these conditions increase employee engagement, which can be accomplished through positive working relationships that foster institutional work, which bridge different competing institutional logics, making it possible to overcome barriers that professions and work structures may constitute. Practical implications Understanding the conditions that influence how employees engage in healthcare QI work will make initiatives more likely to succeed. Originality/value Healthcare QI has mainly been studied from an implementer perspective, and employees have either been neglected or seen as passive resisters. Weak employee perspectives make healthcare QI research incomplete. In our research, healthcare QI work is studied closely at the actor level to understand healthcare QI from an employee perspective.

Empowering clinical supervisors to flourish though critical companionship.

PubMed

Mackay, Maria; Stephens, Moira; Wragg, Siobhan; Ebejer, Saskia; Bourgeois, Sharon

2018-01-01

Education for professional nursing practice has undergone a significant shift over the last few decades impacting nursing practice and the relationship between nurses. Enhancing professional practice and acting as a conduit for empowering nurses to be active participants in their learning and development is Practice Development. This action research project with philosophical premises of critical companionship and human flourishing aimed to develop the knowledge and skills of registered nurses in their ability to provide clinical supervision of nursing students in practice. The overall project consisted of two action research cycles in two different health facilities. Participants in both projects identified similar issues and common learning needs including; how to better understand and develop skills in reflective practice; how to provide a positive learning and enabling environment; and how to provide effective solution focused feedback. Workshop facilitators witnessed the flourishing of participants as they were enabled to negotiate their learning requirements; grow and develop in their roles over the workshop series. Participants themselves identified personal growth in skills, knowledge and confidence in being a preceptor as a result of the workshops in the study. Overall, this study has resulted in the development and capacity building of the nursing workforce clinical placement capacity through the development of clinical supervisors. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Leadership lessons from the Chilean mine rescue.

PubMed

Rashid, Faaiza; Edmondson, Amy C; Leonard, Herman B

2013-01-01

Three years ago, when a cave-in at the San José mine in Chile trapped 33 men under 700,000 metric tons of rock, experts estimated the probability of getting them out alive at less than 1%. Yet, after spending a record 69 days underground, all 33 were hoisted up to safety. The inspiring story of their rescue is a case study in how to lead in situations where the stakes, risk, and uncertainty are incredibly high and time pressure is intense. Today executives often find themselves in similar straits. When they do, many feel torn. Should they be directive, taking charge and commanding action? Or should they be empowering, enabling innovation and experimentation? As the successful example of André Sougarret, the chief of the mine rescue operation, shows, the answer is yes--to both. The choice is a false dichotomy. Implementing this dual approach involves three key tasks. Each has directive and enabling components. The first task is envisioning, which requires instilling both realism and hope. The second task is enrolling, which means setting clear boundaries for who is on and off the team, but inviting in helpful collaborators. The third task is engaging--leading disciplined execution while encouraging innovation and experimentation. The authors of this article describe how Sougarret ably juggled all of these tasks, orchestrating the efforts of hundreds of people from different organizations, areas of expertise, and countries in an extraordinary mission that overcame impossible odds.

Developing a nurse-led clinic using transformational leadership.

PubMed

Gousy, Mamood; Green, Kim

2015-03-25

Nurses are at the forefront of implementing and managing change, given constantly changing healthcare services and the increase in demand for health care. Therefore, it is important to identify the best style of leadership to engage nurses in implementing service-led improvements. This article explores the effects of transformational leadership in bringing about service-led improvements in health care, using the example of setting up a nurse-led acupuncture clinic to optimise the care of patients with chronic pain. Transformational leadership was used throughout the project - from the initial local planning, training and development, through to liaising with the appropriate staff and deciding on an evaluation strategy. Transformational leadership proved to be an effective way to engage and empower nurses and other members of the chronic pain team to enable them to achieve the project aims.

Mediating equity in shared water between community and industry: The effects of an after school program that addresses adolescents' knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of water science and environmental issues

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Patton, Mary Chandler

This critical ethnography deconstructs how one participant researcher came to understand young adults' changing knowledge about water science and environmental issues in an after school program in Colombia. The program intended to empower self-identified young community leaders by teaching participants to engage community members in discourse related to how environmental factors impact one's level of health and quality of life. The data presented in this study illustrate how student participants responded to long-term teacher engagement and to particular curricular components that included hands-on science teaching and social justice coaching. I assessed how student interest in and knowledge of local water ecology and sanitation infrastructure changed throughout the program. Students' responses to the use of technology and digital media were also included in the analysis. The data demonstrates a dramatic change in student's attitudes and perceptions related to their environment and how they feel about their ability to make positive changes in their community.

The Arts and Health Communication in Uganda: A Light Under the Table.

PubMed

Sonke, Jill; Pesata, Virginia; Nakazibwe, Venny; Ssenyonjo, Jude; Lloyd, Robert; Espino, Danielle; Nieves, Mia; Khandakji, Samantha; Hahn, Phillip; Kerrigan, Maria

2018-04-01

This qualitative interview study brings the voices of 27 public health leaders, health communication experts, and artists who work in public health in Uganda together to articulate the principles and practices that make the country a shining example of effective, evidence-based use of the arts for health communication. The specific aim of the study was to identify best practices, theoretical foundations, and other factors that contribute to the success of arts-based health communication campaigns in Uganda. The study presents four primary themes related to use of the arts for health communication in Uganda: (1) the arts empower health communication; (2) the arts engage people emotionally; (3) effective programs are highly structured; and (4) professionalism is critical to program effectiveness. The findings suggest that the arts humanize, clarify, and empower health communication. The arts can attract attention and engage target populations, reduce hierarchical divisions and tensions that can challenge communication between health professionals and community members, make concepts clearer and more personally and culturally relevant, and communicate at an emotional level wherein concepts can be embodied and made actionable. The findings articulate why and how the arts are an effective means for health communication and can guide best practices.

Empowering Teachers to Author Multimedia Learning Resources That Support Students' Critical Thinking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holley, Debbie; Boyle, Tom

2012-01-01

Students studying Marketing, Fashion, Public Relations, Advertising and similar subjects need to develop a "critical eye" in relation to images, media and digital technologies. This project aims to empower teachers to develop multimedia learning resources that would support students engaging in this essential activity. Developing such…

Literacy Mash-Up: Discipline-Specific Practices Empower Content-Area Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dostal, Hannah; Gabriel, Rachael

2016-01-01

The authors describe a process for building teachers' capacity to identify, develop, and engage in discipline-specific literacy instruction that supports both content and literacy aims. This process uses three questions to frame inquiry and guide discussions. Addressing these three questions can empower content-area teachers to incorporate…

Empowering Learners with Mobile Open-Access Learning Initiatives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mills, Michael, Ed.; Wake, Donna, Ed.

2017-01-01

Education has been progressing at a rapid pace ever since educators have been able to harness the power of mobile technology. Open-access learning techniques provide more students with the opportunity to engage in educational opportunities that may have been previously restricted. "Empowering Learners with Mobile Open-Access Learning…

Educating adult females for leadership roles in an informal science program for girls

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McCreedy, Dale

The purpose of this study is to gain an understanding of and an evidentiary warrant for, how a community of practice focused on informal science learning, can engage and promote active participation that offers adult female members and the community opportunities for legitimacy and transformation. This study is a qualitative, ethnographic research study that documents how adult female volunteers, historically inexperienced and/or excluded from traditional practices of science, come to engage in science activities through an informal, community-based context that helps them to appreciate science connections in their lives that are ultimately empowering and agentic. I begin to understand the ways in which such informal contexts, often thought to be marginal to dominant educational beliefs and practices, can offer adults outside of the field of science, education, or both, an entree into science learning and teaching that facilitate female's participation in legitimate and empowering ways. Using descriptive analyses, I first identify the characteristics of peripheral and active program participants. Through phenomenological analyses, I then develop an understanding of participation in an informal science program by focusing on three adult female members' unique trajectories of participation leading to core member status. Each draws on different aspects of the program that they find most salient, illustrating how different elements can serve as motivators for participation, and support continuation along the trajectory of participation reflecting personal and political agency. Through a purposeful ethnographic case-study analysis, I then explore one core member's transformation, evidenced by her developing identities as someone who enjoys science, engages in science activities, and, enacts a role as community old timer and door opener to science learning. This study: (1) contributes to the limited knowledge base in fields of informal learning, science education, and feminist research; (2) provides data that lead to assertions about the impact of NSP participation; and (3) takes advantage of a unique context in which to study adults and the interaction of gender, science, and informal learning.

Creating an enabling environment for adolescent sexual and reproductive health: a framework and promising approaches.

PubMed

Svanemyr, Joar; Amin, Avni; Robles, Omar J; Greene, Margaret E

2015-01-01

This article provides a conceptual framework and points out the key elements for creating enabling environments for adolescent sexual and reproductive health (ASRH). An ecological framework is applied to organize the key elements of enabling environments for ASRH. At the individual level, strategies that are being implemented and seem promising are those that empower girls, build their individual assets, and create safe spaces. At the relationship level, strategies that are being implemented and seem promising include efforts to build parental support and communication as well as peer support networks. At the community level, strategies to engage men and boys and the wider community to transform gender and other social norms are being tested and may hold promise. Finally, at the broadest societal level, efforts to promote laws and policies that protect and promote human rights and address societal awareness about ASRH issues, including through mass media approaches, need to be considered. Copyright © 2015 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Impact Evaluation of Enabling Mothers to Prevent Pediatric Obesity through Web-Based Education and Reciprocal Determinism (EMPOWER) Randomized Control Trial

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Knowlden, Adam P.; Sharma, Manoj; Cottrell, Randall R.; Wilson, Bradley R. A.; Johnson, Marcus Lee

2015-01-01

Background. The family and home environment is an influential antecedent of childhood obesity. The purpose of this study was to pilot test The Enabling Mothers to Prevent Pediatric Obesity through Web-Based Education and Reciprocal Determinism (EMPOWER) intervention; a newly developed, theory-based, online program for prevention of childhood…

Empowerment Failure: How Shortcomings in Physician Communication Unwittingly Undermine Patient Autonomy.

PubMed

Ubel, Peter A; Scherr, Karen A; Fagerlin, Angela

2017-11-01

Many health care decisions depend not only upon medical facts, but also on value judgments-patient goals and preferences. Until recent decades, patients relied on doctors to tell them what to do. Then ethicists and others convinced clinicians to adopt a paradigm shift in medical practice, to recognize patient autonomy, by orienting decision making toward the unique goals of individual patients. Unfortunately, current medical practice often falls short of empowering patients. In this article, we reflect on whether the current state of medical decision making effectively promotes patients' health care goals. We base our reflections, in part, on research in which we observed physicians making earnest efforts to partner with patients in making treatment decisions, but still struggling to empower patients-failing to communicate clearly to patients about decision-relevant information, overwhelming patients with irrelevant information, overlooking when patients' emotions made it hard to engage in choices, and making recommendations before discussing patients' goals.

Personalized Hypertension Management Using Patient-Generated Health Data Integrated With Electronic Health Records (EMPOWER-H): Six-Month Pre-Post Study

PubMed Central

Lv, Nan; Xiao, Lan; Simmons, Martha L; Rosas, Lisa G; Chan, Albert

2017-01-01

Background EMPOWER-H (Engaging and Motivating Patients Online With Enhanced Resources-Hypertension) is a personalized-care model facilitating engagement in hypertension self-management utilizing an interactive Web-based disease management system integrated with the electronic health record. The model is designed to support timely patient-provider interaction by incorporating decision support technology to individualize care and provide personalized feedback for patients with chronic disease. Central to this process were patient-generated health data, including blood pressure (BP), weight, and lifestyle behaviors, which were uploaded using a smartphone. Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the program among patients within primary care already under management for hypertension and with uncontrolled BP. Methods Using a 6-month pre-post design, outcome measures included office-measured and home-monitored BP, office-measured weight, intervention contacts, diet, physical activity, smoking, knowledge, and health-related quality of life. Results At 6 months, 55.9% of participants (N=149) achieved office BP goals (<140/90 mm Hg; P<.001) and 86.0% achieved clinically meaningful reduction in office BP (reduction in systolic BP [SBP] ≥5 mm Hg or diastolic BP [DBP] ≥3 mm Hg). At baseline, 25.2% of participants met home BP goals (<135/85 mm Hg), and this percentage significantly increased to 71.4% (P<.001) at 6 months. EMPOWER-H also significantly reduced both office and home SBP and DBP, decreased office-measured weight and consumption of high-salt and high-fat foods (all P<.005), and increased intake of fruit and vegetables, minutes of aerobic exercise, and hypertension knowledge (all P<.05). Patients with higher home BP upload frequencies had significantly higher odds of achieving home BP goals. Patients receiving more total intervention, behavioral, pharmaceutical contacts had significantly lower odds of achieving home BP goals but higher improvements in office BP (all P<.05). Conclusions EMPOWER-H significantly improved participants’ office-measured and home-monitored BP, weight, and lifestyle behaviors, suggesting that technologically enabled BP home-monitoring, with structured use of patient-generated health data and a personalized care-plan facilitating patient engagement, can support effective clinical management. The experience gained in this study provides support for the feasibility and value of using carefully managed patient-generated health data in the day-to-day clinical management of patients with chronic conditions. A large-scale, real-world study to evaluate sustained effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, and scalability is warranted. PMID:28928111

Limits and opportunities to community health worker empowerment: A multi-country comparative study.

PubMed

Kane, Sumit; Kok, Maryse; Ormel, Hermen; Otiso, Lilian; Sidat, Mohsin; Namakhoma, Ireen; Nasir, Sudirman; Gemechu, Daniel; Rashid, Sabina; Taegtmeyer, Miriam; Theobald, Sally; de Koning, Korrie

2016-09-01

In LMICs, Community Health Workers (CHW) increasingly play health promotion related roles involving 'Empowerment of communities'. To be able to empower the communities they serve, we argue, it is essential that CHWs themselves be, and feel, empowered. We present here a critique of how diverse national CHW programs affect CHW's empowerment experience. We present an analysis of findings from a systematic review of literature on CHW programs in LMICs and 6 country case studies (Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique). Lee & Koh's analytical framework (4 dimensions of empowerment: meaningfulness, competence, self-determination and impact), is used. CHW programs empower CHWs by providing CHWs, access to privileged medical knowledge, linking CHWs to the formal health system, and providing them an opportunity to do meaningful and impactful work. However, these empowering influences are constantly frustrated by - the sense of lack/absence of control over one's work environment, and the feelings of being unsupported, unappreciated, and undervalued. CHWs expressed feelings of powerlessness, and frustrations about how organisational processual and relational arrangements hindered them from achieving the desired impact. While increasingly the onus is on CHWs and CHW programs to solve the problem of health access, attention should be given to the experiences of CHWs themselves. CHW programs need to move beyond an instrumentalist approach to CHWs, and take a developmental and empowerment perspective when engaging with CHWs. CHW programs should systematically identify disempowering organisational arrangements and take steps to remedy these. Doing so will not only improve CHW performance, it will pave the way for CHWs to meet their potential as agents of social change, beyond perhaps their role as health promoters. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Youth empowerment solutions for violence prevention.

PubMed

Reischl, Thomas M; Zimmerman, Marc A; Morrel-Samuels, Susan; Franzen, Susan P; Faulk, Monique; Eisman, Andria B; Roberts, Everett

2011-12-01

The limited success of youth violence prevention interventions suggests that effective prevention needs to address causes at multiple levels of analysis and empower youth in developing and implementing prevention programs. In this article, we review published studies of youth violence prevention efforts that engage youth in developing or implementing violence prevention activities. The reviewed studies suggest the promise of youth empowerment strategies and the need for systematic outcome studies of empowerment programs. After reviewing empowerment theory applied to youth violence prevention programs, we present a case study of the Youth Empowerment Solutions (YES) for Peaceful Communities program. YES engages middle-school youth in an after-school and summer program that includes a culturally tailored character development curriculum and empowers the youth to plan and implement community improvement projects with assistance from adult neighborhood advocates. The case study focuses on outcome evaluation results and presents evidence of the YES program effects on community-level outcomes (eg, property improvements, violent crime incidents) and on individual-level outcomes (eg, conflict avoidance, victimization). The literature review and the case study suggest the promise of engaging and empowering youth to plan and implement youth violence prevention programs.

The Brown Superfund Basic Research Program: A Multistakeholder Partnership Addresses Real-World Problems in Contaminated Communities

PubMed Central

Senier, Laura; Hudson, Benjamin; Fort, Sarah; Hoover, Elizabeth; Tillson, Rebecca; Brown, Phil

2008-01-01

The NIEHS funds several basic and applied research programs, many of which also require research translation or outreach. This paper reports on a project by the Brown University Superfund Basic Research Program (SBRP), in which outreach and research translation teams collaborated with state regulatory agency personnel and community activists on a legislative initiative to mitigate the financial impacts of living in a contaminated community. The Environmentally Compromised Home Ownership (ECHO) program makes home equity loans of up to $25,000 available to qualified applicants. This collaboration provides a case study in community engagement and demonstrates how research translation and outreach activities that are clearly differentiated yet well integrated can improve a suite of basic and applied research. Although engaging diverse constituencies can be difficult, community-engaged translation and outreach have the potential to make research findings more useful to communities, address some of the social impacts of contamination, and empower stakeholders to pursue their individual and collectively-held goals for remediation. The NIEHS has recently renewed its commitment to community-engaged research and advocacy, making this an optimal time to reflect on how basic research programs that engage stakeholders through research translation and outreach can add value to the overall research enterprise. PMID:18677987

Brown Superfund Basic research Program: a multistakeholder partnership addresses real-world problems in contaminated communities.

PubMed

Senier, Laura; Hudson, Benjamin; Fort, Sarah; Hoover, Elizabeth; Tillson, Rebecca; Brown, Phil

2008-07-01

The NIEHS funds several basic and applied research programs, many of which also require research translation or outreach. This paper reports on a project by the Brown University Superfund Basic Research Program (SBRP), in which outreach and research translation teams collaborated with state regulatory agency personnel and community activists on a legislative initiative to mitigate the financial impacts of living in a contaminated community. The Environmentally Compromised Home Ownership (ECHO) program makes home equity loans of up to $25,000 available to qualified applicants. This collaboration provides a case study in community engagement and demonstrates how research translation and outreach activities that are clearly differentiated yet well-integrated can improve a suite of basic and applied research. Although engaging diverse constituencies can be difficult community-engaged translation and outreach have the potential to make research findings more useful to communities, address some of the social impacts of contamination, and empower stakeholders to pursue their individual and collectively held goals for remediation. The NIEHS has recently renewed its commitment to community-engaged research and advocacy, making this an optimal time to reflect on how basic research programs that engage stakeholders through research translation and outreach can add value to the overall research enterprise.

Why and How Africa Should Invest in African Languages and Multilingual Education: An Evidence- and Practice-Based Policy Advocacy Brief

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ouane, Adama; Glanz, Christine

2010-01-01

In the 21st century, learning is at the heart of the modern world's endeavours to become a knowledge economy. It is the key to empowering individuals to be today's world producers and consumers of knowledge. It is essential in enabling people to become critical citizens and to attain self-fulfilment. It is a driver of economic competitiveness as…

Who Goes There? Linking Remote Cameras and Schoolyard Science to Empower Action

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tanner, Dawn; Ernst, Julie

2013-01-01

Taking Action Opportunities (TAO) is a curriculum that combines guided reflection, a focus on the local environment, and innovative use of wildlife technology to empower student action toward improving the environment. TAO is experientially based and uses remote cameras as a tool for schoolyard exploration. Through TAO, students engage in research…

The Influence of Simulations on Family Engagement--Prospective Early Childhood Educators' Perceptions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Paz-Albo Prieto, Jesús

2018-01-01

Nurturing experiences in preparation for prospective early childhood educators' work with families during their training are critical for establishing empowering relationships. This article details a qualitative case study of 77 prospective early childhood educators engaged with the Parent, Family and Community Engagement Simulation. An electronic…

One-Year Efficacy Testing of Enabling Mothers to Prevent Pediatric Obesity through Web-Based Education and Reciprocal Determinism (EMPOWER) Randomized Control Trial

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Knowlden, Adam; Sharma, Manoj

2016-01-01

Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of the Enabling Mothers to Prevent Pediatric Obesity through Web-Based Education and Reciprocal Determinism (EMPOWER) intervention at 1-year, postintervention follow-up. Method: A mixed between-within subjects design was used to evaluate the trial. Independent variables included a…

Patients, persons or partners? Involving those with chronic disease in their care.

PubMed

McWilliam, Carol L

2009-12-01

Self-care management is essential for effective chronic disease management. Yet prevailing approaches of healthcare practitioners often undermine the efforts of those who require on-going medical attention for chronic conditions, emphasizing their status as patients, failing to consider their larger life experience as people, and most importantly, failing to consider them as people with the potential to be partners in their care. This article explores two approaches for professional-patient interaction in chronic disease management, namely, patient-centred care and empowering partnering, illuminating how professionals might better interact with chronically ill individuals who seek their care. The opportunities, challenges, theory and research evidence associated with each approach are explored. The advantages of moving beyond patient-centred care to the empowering partnering approach are elaborated. For people with chronic disease, having the opportunity to engage in the social construction of their own health as a resource for everyday living, the opportunity to experience interdependence rather than dependence/independence throughout on-going healthcare, and the opportunity to optimize their potential for self-care management of chronic disease are important justifications for being involved in an empowering partnering approach to their chronic disease management.

Predicting Patient Advocacy Engagement: A Multiple Regression Analysis Using Data From Health Professionals in Acute-Care Hospitals.

PubMed

Jansson, Bruce S; Nyamathi, Adeline; Heidemann, Gretchen; Duan, Lei; Kaplan, Charles

2015-01-01

Although literature documents the need for hospital social workers, nurses, and medical residents to engage in patient advocacy, little information exists about what predicts the extent they do so. This study aims to identify predictors of health professionals' patient advocacy engagement with respect to a broad range of patients' problems. A cross-sectional research design was employed with a sample of 94 social workers, 97 nurses, and 104 medical residents recruited from eight hospitals in Los Angeles. Bivariate correlations explored whether seven scales (Patient Advocacy Eagerness, Ethical Commitment, Skills, Tangible Support, Organizational Receptivity, Belief Other Professionals Engage, and Belief the Hospital Empowers Patients) were associated with patient advocacy engagement, measured by the validated Patient Advocacy Engagement Scale. Regression analysis examined whether these scales, when controlling for sociodemographic and setting variables, predicted patient advocacy engagement. While all seven predictor scales were significantly associated with patient advocacy engagement in correlational analyses, only Eagerness, Skills, and Belief the Hospital Empowers Patients predicted patient advocacy engagement in regression analyses. Additionally, younger professionals engaged in higher levels of patient advocacy than older professionals, and social workers engaged in greater patient advocacy than nurses. Limitations and the utility of these findings for acute-care hospitals are discussed.

Training the Peer Facilitator: Using Participatory Theatre to Promote Engagement in Peer Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Orr, Sarah Hunter

2015-01-01

"Training the peer facilitator: using participatory theatre to promote engagement in peer education" examines the role of participatory theatre in a peer education setting in relation to the goal of young people engaging and empowering their peers to create new knowledge together. Extending research about the use of applied theatre…

Earthwatch and the HSBC Climate Partnership: Linking climate change and forests management one citizen scientist at a time

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stover, D. B.; Jones, A.; Kusek, K.; Bebber, D.; Phillips, R.; Campbell, J.

2010-12-01

Earthwatch has engaged more than 90,000 citizen scientists in long-term research studies since its founding in 1971. One of its newer research and engagement programs is the HSBC Climate Partnership, a five-year global program on climate change to inspire action by individuals, businesses and governments (2007-2012). In this unique NGO-business partnership, Earthwatch has implemented five forest research-focused climate centers in the US, UK, Brazil, India and China. At each center, a team of scientists—supported by HSBC banking employees and local citizen scientists—is gathering data to determine how temperate and tropical forests are affected by changes in climate and human activity. Results are establishing baseline data to empower forest managers, conservationists and communities with the information they need to better manage forests within a changing climate. A critical component of the program is the engagement of 2,200 corporate HSBC employees who spend two weeks out of the office at one of the regional climate centers. They work alongside leading scientists to perform forest research by day, and participate each evening in an interactive education program on the ecological and socioeconomic impacts of climate change—including how climate change impacts HSBC’s bottom line. Program participants are empowered and have successfully developed sustainability projects they implement back in their office, homes and communities that furthers corporate and public commitment to sustainability and combating the effects of climate change. In addition to the corporate engagement model, Earthwatch has successfully engaged scores of local community stakeholders in the HSBC Climate Partnership, including teachers who report back to their classrooms “live from the field,” reporters and other business/NGO leaders in modified one week versions of the field program. New models of citizen science engagement are currently under development, with best practices and stories documenting the effectiveness of the program design from a research, engagement and business perspective. In US, the program has successfully collected over 10,000 hours of data collection in just 2 years and has contributed to our understanding of positive growth response to climate change in the Chesapeake Bay forests. Additionally, preliminary results are indicating that invasive species recruitment in recently logging areas is modifying the future crown species dominance. By the end of the program, nearly 100,000 citizen science research hours will have been invested in the program globally—leading to scientific publications on forest responses to climate change, policy development and citizen engagement.

Engaging stakeholders in rehabilitation research: a scoping review of strategies used in partnerships and evaluation of impacts.

PubMed

Camden, Chantal; Shikako-Thomas, Keiko; Nguyen, Tram; Graham, Emma; Thomas, Aliki; Sprung, Jennifer; Morris, Christopher; Russell, Dianne J

2015-01-01

To describe how stakeholder engagement has been undertaken and evaluated in rehabilitation research. A scoping review of the scientific literature using five search strategies. Quantitative and qualitative analyses using extracted data. Interpretation of results was iteratively discussed within the team, which included a parent stakeholder. Searches identified 101 candidate papers; 28 were read in full to assess eligibility and 19 were included in the review. People with disabilities and their families were more frequently involved compared to other stakeholders. Stakeholders were often involved in planning and evaluating service delivery. A key issue was identifying stakeholders; strategies used to support their involvement included creating committees, organizing meetings, clarifying roles and offering training. Communication, power sharing and resources influenced how stakeholders could be engaged in the research. Perceived outcomes of stakeholder engagement included the creation of partnerships, facilitating the research process and the application of the results, and empowering stakeholders. Stakeholder engagement outcomes were rarely formally evaluated. There is a great interest in rehabilitation to engage stakeholders in the research process. However, further evidence is needed to identify effective strategies for meaningful stakeholder engagement that leads to more useful research that positively impacts practice. Implications for Rehabilitation Using several strategies to engage various stakeholders throughout the research process is thought to increase the quality of the research and the rehabilitation process by developing proposals and programs responding better to their needs. Engagement strategies need to be better reported and evaluated in the literature. Engagement facilitate uptake of research findings by increasing stakeholders' awareness of the evidence, the resources available and their own ability to act upon a situation. Factors influencing opportunities for stakeholder engagement need to be better understood.

The Time Is Now: Empowering Educators to Examine and Address Race in Their Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flanagan, Candra

2017-01-01

Race is a social construct with a powerful impact on individuals and our society. Understanding the impact of race and racism in our educational settings is crucial to the betterment of our students and our future. This article discusses the role of museums to empower educators to engage in direct conversations about race within the school…

Accessing support and empowerment online: The experiences of individuals with diabetes.

PubMed

Brady, Ellen; Segar, Julia; Sanders, Caroline

2017-10-01

The use of the internet for health information by those with long-term conditions is growing. It has been argued that this represents a form of empowerment by patients, as it enables them to control the content and flow of the information available to them. To explore this, the use of online discussion groups by those with diabetes was examined. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 21 participants with type 1 and 2 diabetes and analysed using thematic analysis. Participants were recruited via online and offline routes, namely discussion boards, newsletters, and research networks related to diabetes. By drawing on the advice, information, and support shared online, participants were empowered to position themselves as active participants in their own health care and to further engage with health-care professionals. The findings indicate that forums can play a valuable role in aiding and motivating individuals in the daily management diabetes and highlight how this support is used to complement formal health services. However, more work needs to be carried out to determine to explore when and under what circumstances online support may be particularly beneficial to those with long-term conditions. © 2017 The Authors Health Expectations Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Improving socially constructed cross-cultural communication in aged care homes: A critical perspective.

PubMed

Xiao, Lily Dongxia; Willis, Eileen; Harrington, Ann; Gillham, David; De Bellis, Anita; Morey, Wendy; Jeffers, Lesley

2018-01-01

Cultural diversity between residents and staff is significant in aged care homes in many developed nations in the context of international migration. This diversity can be a challenge to achieving effective cross-cultural communication. The aim of this study was to critically examine how staff and residents initiated effective cross-cultural communication and social cohesion that enabled positive changes to occur. A critical hermeneutic analysis underpinned by Giddens' Structuration Theory was applied to the study. Data were collected by interviews with residents or their family and by focus groups with staff in four aged care homes in Australia. Findings reveal that residents and staff are capable of restructuring communication via a partnership approach. They can also work in collaboration to develop communication resources. When staff demonstrate cultural humility, they empower residents from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds to engage in effective communication. Findings also suggest that workforce interventions are required to improve residents' experiences in cross-cultural care. This study challenges aged care homes to establish policies, criteria and procedures in cross-cultural communication. There is also the challenge to provide ongoing education and training for staff to improve their cross-cultural communication capabilities. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Building to Make a Difference: Advanced Practice Nurses' Experience of Power.

PubMed

Schoales, Catherine A; Bourbonnais, Frances Fothergill; Rashotte, Judy

2018-02-01

Power is necessary for nurses to affect change in patient care and to move the nursing profession forward. Despite the evolving body of nursing research on power, there have been no studies that have investigated the nature of advanced practice nurses' (APNs') power. The purpose of this study was to explore the APNs' lived experience of power. Interpretive phenomenology guided the method and analysis. Eight APNs employed in a single Canadian tertiary care teaching health-care organization engaged in in-depth interviews. The overarching theme, building to make a difference, reflected the APNs' perception of power in their practice, which involved a passion to facilitate change in practice to improve patient care. Building to make a difference involved three themes: building on, building with, and building for. The APNs experienced more power-a process they described as power creep-when they used soft power that was shared with others to affect positive change in health care. These findings contribute to our understanding of how power is perceived and manifested in the APN role, thus further enabling organizations to create working conditions to support the APNs' endeavors to empower others.

GIS Story Maps : A Tool to Empower and Engage Stakeholders in Planning Sustainable Places

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-10-01

Public engagement continues to be transformed by the explosion of new digital technologies/tools, software platforms, social media networks, mobile devices, and mobile apps. Recent changes in geospatial technology offer new opportunities for use in p...

In the foot steps of Madame Curie: A cross-case study of female undergraduate physics majors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jaladanki, Vani Savithri

Females are disproportionately underrepresented in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) majors. Further, the number of females who take physics in college has declined. While female students make up 61% of graduates in biological sciences and 50% in chemistry, the proportion of women completing physics degrees is only 21% (Sawtelle, 2011). In order to improve women's access to science and engineering education, research must focus on personal and environmental factors that motivate them to select these fields (AAUW, 2010). The purpose of this study was to explore how the educational experiences of three female undergraduate physics majors contribute to their current dispositions toward, interest in, and pursuit of physics as a major at a large southern research university. This qualitative study employs symbolic interactionism (Blumer, 1969) as its methodological framework and social cognitive career theory (Lent, Brown, & Hackett, 2002) as its theoretical framework. Case study methods (Yin, 2006) were implemented to investigate the experiences of three participants. The primary sources of data included critical incident interviews (Flanagan, 1954), photographs, documents, object elicitations, and the researcher's reflections. Narrative and arts-based techniques were employed to analyze and represent data. Findings are presented as co-constructed narratives of the participants' journeys to becoming undergraduate physics majors. Three major themes emerged from the cross case analysis: carving new spaces, authoring an empowered self, and show me you care and so will I. The direct experiences of engaging with science at a young age and social persuasions of family members, teachers, and peers strongly influenced the participants' interest in and pursuit of physics. Their current dispositions to physics result from vicarious experiences with professors and peers in combination with the social persuasions of the latter. This study informs science educators in general, and physics educators in particular, about how to motivate and enable female students to engage with physics and possibly pursue it as a career choice. Three major implications for practice were suggested: teach science as a vibrant field, enable students to understand failure as an opportunity to succeed, and shift the focus from competition to collaboration.

Caring Science: Transforming the Ethic of Caring-Healing Practice, Environment, and Culture within an Integrated Care Delivery System.

PubMed

Foss Durant, Anne; McDermott, Shawna; Kinney, Gwendolyn; Triner, Trudy

2015-01-01

In early 2010, leaders within Kaiser Permanente (KP) Northern California's Patient Care Services division embarked on a journey to embrace and embed core tenets of Caring Science into the practice, environment, and culture of the organization. Caring Science is based on the philosophy of Human Caring, a theory articulated by Jean Watson, PhD, RN, AHN-BC, FAAN, as a foundational covenant to guide nursing as a discipline and a profession. Since 2010, Caring Science has enabled KP Northern California to demonstrate its commitment to being an authentic person- and family-centric organization that promotes and advocates for total health. This commitment empowers KP caregivers to balance the art and science of clinical judgment by considering the needs of the whole person, honoring the unique perception of health and healing that each member or patient holds, and engaging with them to make decisions that nurture their well-being. The intent of this article is two-fold: 1) to provide context and background on how a professional practice framework was used to transform the ethic of caring-healing practice, environment, and culture across multiple hospitals within an integrated delivery system; and 2) to provide evidence on how integration of Caring Science across administrative, operational, and clinical areas appears to contribute to meaningful patient quality and health outcomes.

Caring Science: Transforming the Ethic of Caring-Healing Practice, Environment, and Culture within an Integrated Care Delivery System

PubMed Central

Durant, Anne Foss; McDermott, Shawna; Kinney, Gwendolyn; Triner, Trudy

2015-01-01

In early 2010, leaders within Kaiser Permanente (KP) Northern California’s Patient Care Services division embarked on a journey to embrace and embed core tenets of Caring Science into the practice, environment, and culture of the organization. Caring Science is based on the philosophy of Human Caring, a theory articulated by Jean Watson, PhD, RN, AHN-BC, FAAN, as a foundational covenant to guide nursing as a discipline and a profession. Since 2010, Caring Science has enabled KP Northern California to demonstrate its commitment to being an authentic person- and family-centric organization that promotes and advocates for total health. This commitment empowers KP caregivers to balance the art and science of clinical judgment by considering the needs of the whole person, honoring the unique perception of health and healing that each member or patient holds, and engaging with them to make decisions that nurture their well-being. The intent of this article is two-fold: 1) to provide context and background on how a professional practice framework was used to transform the ethic of caring-healing practice, environment, and culture across multiple hospitals within an integrated delivery system; and 2) to provide evidence on how integration of Caring Science across administrative, operational, and clinical areas appears to contribute to meaningful patient quality and health outcomes. PMID:26828076

Patient–physician relationship in the aftermath of war

PubMed Central

Stambolović, V; Đurić, M; Đonić, D; Kelečević, J; Rakočević, Z

2006-01-01

During the period of conflict that led to the dissolution of the former Yugoslavia, the Serbian healthcare system suffered greatly; as a result, relationships between physicians and their patients reached an all‐time low. After cessation of the various wars, a group of medical students attempted to assess the state of the patient–physician relationship in Serbia. Their study showed a relationship characterised by very meek patients and rather arrogant physicians. Empowered by their engagement, the medical students constructed a set of standards for achieving a proper patient–physician relationship; physicians should be capable of hearing and understanding patients, with the result that the ensuing empowerment can enable patients and physicians to create a tool for changing the relationship between both parties. PMID:17145917

75 FR 26203 - Implementing the National Broadband Plan by Empowering Consumers and the Smart Grid: Data Access...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-05-11

... good example of an enabling Smart Grid technology that can empower both utilities and consumers to... Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) sector by integrating broadband into the developing Smart...'s years [[Page 26204

Personalized Hypertension Management Using Patient-Generated Health Data Integrated With Electronic Health Records (EMPOWER-H): Six-Month Pre-Post Study.

PubMed

Lv, Nan; Xiao, Lan; Simmons, Martha L; Rosas, Lisa G; Chan, Albert; Entwistle, Martin

2017-09-19

EMPOWER-H (Engaging and Motivating Patients Online With Enhanced Resources-Hypertension) is a personalized-care model facilitating engagement in hypertension self-management utilizing an interactive Web-based disease management system integrated with the electronic health record. The model is designed to support timely patient-provider interaction by incorporating decision support technology to individualize care and provide personalized feedback for patients with chronic disease. Central to this process were patient-generated health data, including blood pressure (BP), weight, and lifestyle behaviors, which were uploaded using a smartphone. The aim of this study was to evaluate the program among patients within primary care already under management for hypertension and with uncontrolled BP. Using a 6-month pre-post design, outcome measures included office-measured and home-monitored BP, office-measured weight, intervention contacts, diet, physical activity, smoking, knowledge, and health-related quality of life. At 6 months, 55.9% of participants (N=149) achieved office BP goals (<140/90 mm Hg; P<.001) and 86.0% achieved clinically meaningful reduction in office BP (reduction in systolic BP [SBP] ≥5 mm Hg or diastolic BP [DBP] ≥3 mm Hg). At baseline, 25.2% of participants met home BP goals (<135/85 mm Hg), and this percentage significantly increased to 71.4% (P<.001) at 6 months. EMPOWER-H also significantly reduced both office and home SBP and DBP, decreased office-measured weight and consumption of high-salt and high-fat foods (all P<.005), and increased intake of fruit and vegetables, minutes of aerobic exercise, and hypertension knowledge (all P<.05). Patients with higher home BP upload frequencies had significantly higher odds of achieving home BP goals. Patients receiving more total intervention, behavioral, pharmaceutical contacts had significantly lower odds of achieving home BP goals but higher improvements in office BP (all P<.05). EMPOWER-H significantly improved participants' office-measured and home-monitored BP, weight, and lifestyle behaviors, suggesting that technologically enabled BP home-monitoring, with structured use of patient-generated health data and a personalized care-plan facilitating patient engagement, can support effective clinical management. The experience gained in this study provides support for the feasibility and value of using carefully managed patient-generated health data in the day-to-day clinical management of patients with chronic conditions. A large-scale, real-world study to evaluate sustained effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, and scalability is warranted. ©Nan Lv, Lan Xiao, Martha L Simmons, Lisa G Rosas, Albert Chan, Martin Entwistle. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (http://www.jmir.org), 19.09.2017.

Cyberfeminism, technology, and international "development".

PubMed

Gajjala, R; Mamidipudi, A

1999-07-01

This article reports on the implications and benefits of Internet technology among women from developing countries. Cyberfeminism is the practice of feminism in cyberspace. Feminists believe that women should take control and augment Internet technologies to empower themselves. Learning to use the computers, getting "connected," and surfing the Internet are encouraged among all women with the aim of advancing feminist causes and empowering women. The Internet has been observed to cause radical changes in the way business and social activities are conducted. A description of how two women have engaged in cyberfeminism and worked in development and technology programs is included. One contributor, Annapurna Mamipudi, is involved in a non-governmental organization working with traditional handloom weavers in India Another contributor is Radhika Gajjala, who works in academia and creates on-line "discussion lists" and Web sites from her North American geographical location. Her job is to create spaces that provide opportunities for dialogue and collaboration among women with Internet access all over the world.

Social Support and Sexual Risk Among Establishment-Based Female Sex Workers in Tijuana.

PubMed

Choudhury, Shonali Mona; Toller Erausquin, Jennifer; Park, Kyuwon; Anglade, Debbie

2015-08-01

Social support can affect health outcomes of female sex workers. In this inductive feminist grounded theory study based on 20 in-depth interviews, we explore how establishment-based female sex workers in Tijuana perceive the impact of the connections among women on their lives and health. Participants elected to discuss the importance of social support from mothers, sisters, friends, and co-workers, and the empowering and disempowering aspects of these relationships. In previous studies, scholars demonstrated the efficacy of formal organization of female sex workers in promoting the mitigation of sexual and HIV risk. We show the importance of informal ties with other women. Some participants mentioned competitive relationships, others talked about cooperation and the desire for a venue to learn from one another. Social interactions with other women are especially empowering when female sex workers can openly engage in "woman talk" that may contribute to the mitigation of sexual and HIV risk. © The Author(s) 2015.

Education Model Program on Water-Energy Research: A New STEM Graduate Program from Development through Evaluation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McCay, D.; Fiorenza, P.; Lautz, L.

2017-12-01

More than half of Ph.D. scientists and engineers find employment in non-academic sectors. Recognizing the range of career options for graduate degree holders and the need to align graduate education with the expectations of prospective employers, the National Science Foundation (NSF) created the NSF Research Traineeship (NRT) program. To date, over 100 NRT programs have been funded. As these programs are implemented, it is important to assess their progress, successes, and challenges. This presentation describes the ongoing evaluation of one NRT program, "Education Model Program on Water-Energy Research" (or EMPOWER) at Syracuse University. Through seminars, mini-grants, professional development activities, field courses, internship opportunities, and coursework, EMPOWER's goal is to equip students with the skills needed for the range of career options in water and energy. In collaboration with an external evaluator, EMPOWER is examining the fidelity of the program to proposed goals, providing feedback to inform project improvement (formative assessment) and assessing the effectiveness of achieving program goals (summative assessment). Using a convergent parallel mixed method design, qualitative and quantitative data were collected to develop a full assessment of the first year of the program. Evaluation findings have resulted in several positive changes to the program. For example, EMPOWER students perceive themselves to have high technical skills, but the data show that the students do not believe that they have a strong professional network. Based on those findings, EMPOWER offered several professional development events focused on building one's professional network. Preliminary findings have enabled the EMPOWER leadership team to make informed decisions about the ways the program elements can be redesigned to better meet student needs, about how to the make the program more effective, and determine the program elements that may be sustained beyond the funding period. Evaluation of programs like EMPOWER provide essential information to support continual improvement of STEM graduate programs.

Empowering staff and clients: comparing preferences for management models by the professional degrees held by organization administrators.

PubMed

Hardina, Donna; Montana, Salvador

2011-07-01

In this article, findings from a national survey of social service managers are described. Respondents were asked to identify theories and models of management that influenced their administrative activities. The results indicate that many of the respondents used an empowerment-oriented approach to management. Respondents were more likely to engage in management activities that focused on empowering staffthan in activities intended to increase client involvement in the political process or organizational decision making. However, when the responses of participants with MSW degrees were compared with those of non-social workers, findings indicate that social workers are more likely to engage in workplace activities that facilitate the political empowerment of clients.

"Life Within the Person Comes to The Fore": Pastoral Workers' Practice Wisdom on Using Arts in Palliative Care.

PubMed

O'Callaghan, Clare; Byrne, Libby; Cokalis, Eleni; Glenister, David; Santilli, Margaret; Clark, Rose; McCarthy, Therese; Michael, Natasha

2018-07-01

Pastoral care (also chaplaincy, spiritual care) assists people to find meaning, personal resources, and connection with self, others, and/or a higher power. Although essential in palliative care, there remains limited examination of what pastoral workers do. This study examined how pastoral workers use and consider the usefulness of art-based modalities. Qualitative research was used to examine the practice wisdom (tacit practice knowledge) of pastoral workers experienced in using visual arts and music in palliative care. Two focus groups were conducted. Thematic analysis was informed by grounded theory. Six pastoral workers shared information. Three themes emerged. First, pastoral workers use arts as "another tool" to extend scope of practice by assisting patients and families to symbolically and more deeply contemplate what they find "sacred." Second, pastoral workers' art affinities inform their aims, assessments, and interactions. Third, pastoral workers perceive that art-based modalities can validate, enlighten, and transform patients and families through enabling them to "multisensorially" (through many senses) feel recognized, accepted, empowered, and/or close to God. Key elements involved in the work's transformative effects include enabling beauty, ritual, and the sense of "home" being heard, and legacy creation. Pastoral workers interpret that offering art-based modalities in palliative care can help patients and families to symbolically deal with painful memories and experiences, creatively engage with that deemed significant, and/or encounter a sense of transcendence. Training in generalist art-based care needs to be offered in pastoral education.

Healthy & Empowered Youth: A Positive Youth Development Program for Native Youth.

PubMed

Rushing, Stephanie N Craig; Hildebrandt, Nichole L; Grimes, Carol J; Rowsell, Amanda J; Christensen, Benjamin C; Lambert, William E

2017-03-01

During 2010-2012, Oregon Health & Science University's Prevention Research Center, a Northwest Tribe, and the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board, collaborated to evaluate the Healthy & Empowered Youth Project, a school- and community-based positive youth development program for American Indian and Alaska Native high school students. The Native STAND (Students Together Against Negative Decisions) curriculum was enhanced with hands-on learning activities in media design to engage students in sexual and reproductive health topics covered by the curriculum. Guest speakers, field trips, and extracurricular activities were added to provide academic enrichment, engage students in cultural activities, and offer opportunities for career development. Students completed comprehensive pre- and post-surveys, and the authors conducted focus groups and key informant interviews with students and teachers. Data analysis was conducted during 2013-2014. Survey findings demonstrated improvements in student leadership and achievement, physical and mental health, and protective sexual health behaviors. The percentage of female teens reporting use of a condom the last time they had sex increased from 17% to 30%, and those who reported ever having been tested for sexually transmitted illnesses doubled from 12% to 24%. Focus group and interview findings indicated similar improvements in student self-esteem, life skills, health behavior, and engagement in community. The Healthy & Empowered Youth Project educated and empowered Native high school students on a variety of sensitive health topics. The media enhancements were central to the program's success, reinforcing and personalizing classroom lessons and generating health-related videos and posters that resonated with family and friends. Copyright © 2016 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A Role for Technology in Enhancing Students' Engagement with Feedback

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parkin, Helen J.; Hepplestone, Stuart; Holden, Graham; Irwin, Brian; Thorpe, Louise

2012-01-01

This paper explores the potential of technology-enabled feedback to improve student learning. "Technology, Feedback, Action!: The impact of learning technology upon students' engagement with their feedback" aimed to evaluate how a range of technical interventions might encourage students to engage with feedback and formulate actions to…

Health literacy of mothers accessing child development services: a model of information use.

PubMed

Cheung, Winnie; Davey, Jeanette; St John, Winsome; Bydeveldt, Carmen; Forsingdal, Shareen

2016-02-01

This study aimed to explore how mothers use information in home therapy programs within child development services. A grounded theory study using semistructured interviews was conducted with 14 mothers of children aged 3-6 years accessing occupational therapy, physiotherapy and speech pathology services for developmental needs. A conceptual model of mothers' information use was developed. Findings showed that the mothers went through a cyclical process of information use and decision making: acquisition (collaboration, learning preferences), appraisal (understanding, relevance), application (capacity, resourcefulness) and review (evaluation, modification), with contextual factors including information characteristics, environment, personal characteristics and relationships. Mothers who used information effectively had a sense of confidence, control and mastery, and were empowered to apply information to make decisions and adapt their child's home therapy. This study adds to knowledge about health literacy, specifically how mothers interpret and use health-related information at home. Findings will enable health professionals to address families' unique health literacy needs and empower them to support their child's optimal development, functioning and participation at their stage of life.

VIH-TAVIE.

PubMed

Rouleau, Geneviève; Richard, Lauralie; Côté, José

2016-01-01

The use of information and communication technologies for designing web-based nursing interventions is growing exponentially. Despite the interest devoted to such approaches, little is known about their foundational principles and the way they translate into virtual nursing practice to generate meaningful engagement with patients. VIH-TAVIE^TM is a virtual nursing intervention aiming to empower people living with HIV to help them in managing their antiretroviral therapy. Here we present VIH-TAVIE^TM relational model of engagement - its core components informed by interview data with patients and a virtual nurse: building a virtual presence founded on caring relational principles and values; creating a caring environment where patients feel safe, supported and respected; stimulating patients' engagement by offering supportive and tailored messages; transposing nursing communication skills into a virtual practice to build trust and reciprocal relationships. This study suggests that empowering connections can develop between a nurse and a patient within a caring virtual environment.

Empowering and Engaging Students in Learning Research Methods

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Shuang; Breit, Rhonda

2013-01-01

The capacity to conduct research is essential for university graduates to survive and thrive in their future career. However, research methods courses have often been considered by students as "abstract", "uninteresting", and "hard". Thus, motivating students to engage in the process of learning research methods has become a crucial challenge for…

Teacher Use of Constructivism in High School Science Courses: Perception versus Reality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Williams, Alisha M.

With all of the research devoted to the use and effectiveness of constructivist learning principles in high school science classes, it is somewhat surprising to find that there is very little research devoted to constructivism's use in international settings. The problem that this lack of research poses is that classrooms are increasingly diverse as families are more and more frequently choosing to live in countries that they do not share a cultural background with. This means that there is an increasingly diverse range of cultural norms and expectations within a classroom, both of which are known to affect the effectiveness of learning strategies in general as the students will approach the problems in different ways. The purpose of this study, then, was to begin looking at whether teachers of international classrooms believe in the ideas of constructivism and whether those beliefs translate into classroom practice. A multiple case study approach was used to determine whether the beliefs of seven high school science classroom teachers and one high school administrator are consistent with constructivism and to what extent constructivist learning principles are being used to empower and engage students. The interview data suggested that most of the participants have some beliefs consistent with constructivism but do not fully embrace the learning theory. The observational evidence supported this by failing to provide evidence of constructivist activities in the classrooms. It was concluded that most of the participants in the study do not hold beliefs consistent with constructivism and that they are not using the learning theory to empower and engage students in the learning of science. Recommendations for future study include: exploring why teachers are not using constructivism to empower and engage students; provide training and support to help teachers successfully implement constructivism to engage and empower students; and expanding this study to determine whether the findings are consistent throughout the district.

Empowering Women in Higher Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wisker, Gina

This book focuses on enabling and empowering women in higher education, and it draws both on research and experience with women-centered teaching and learning practices and professional development and training of women staff. The first section of the book concentrates on women students in higher education. Chapters include: "Women Students and…

Professional Collaboration: Empowering School Personnel through Peer Coaching.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, Dana M.; And Others

Peer coaching, in which two teachers observe each other's classes with the objective of helping each other improve their instructional abilities, empowers teaching professionals by enabling them to develop their own criteria for evaluation of and responsibility for quality classroom performance. Peer coaching can involve collaborative, expert, or…

Patients' and caregivers' experiences of using continuous glucose monitoring to support diabetes self-management: qualitative study.

PubMed

Lawton, J; Blackburn, M; Allen, J; Campbell, F; Elleri, D; Leelarathna, L; Rankin, D; Tauschmann, M; Thabit, H; Hovorka, R

2018-02-20

Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) enables users to view real-time interstitial glucose readings and provides information on the direction and rate of change of blood glucose levels. Users can also access historical data to inform treatment decisions. While the clinical and psychological benefits of CGM are well established, little is known about how individuals use CGM to inform diabetes self-management. We explored participants' experiences of using CGM in order to provide recommendations for supporting individuals to make optimal use of this technology. In-depth interviews (n = 24) with adults, adolescents and parents who had used CGM for ≥4 weeks; data were analysed thematically. Participants found CGM an empowering tool because they could access blood glucose data effortlessly, and trend arrows enabled them to see whether blood glucose was rising or dropping and at what speed. This predicative information aided short-term lifestyle planning and enabled individuals to take action to prevent hypoglycaemia and hyperglycaemia. Having easy access to blood glucose data on a continuous basis also allowed participants to develop a better understanding of how insulin, activity and food impacted on blood glucose. This understanding was described as motivating individuals to make dietary changes and break cycles of over-treating hypoglycaemia and hyperglycaemia. Participants also described how historical CGM data provided a more nuanced picture of blood glucose control than was possible with blood glucose self-monitoring and, hence, better information to inform changes to background insulin doses and mealtime ratios. However, while participants expressed confidence making immediate adjustments to insulin and lifestyle to address impending hypoglycaemia and hypoglycaemia, most described needing and expecting health professionals to interpret historical CGM data and determine changes to background insulin doses and mealtime ratios. While alarms could reinforce a sense of hypoglycaemic safety, some individuals expressed ambivalent views, especially those who perceived alarms as signalling personal failure to achieve optimal glycaemic control. CGM can be an empowering and motivational tool which enables participants to fine-tune and optimize their blood glucose control. However, individuals may benefit from psycho-social education, training and/or technological support to make optimal use of CGM data and use alarms appropriately.

Brokering at the boundary: A prospective science teacher engages students in inquiry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meis Friedrichsen, Patricia; Munford, Danusa; Orgill, Marykay

2006-05-01

Using a theoretical perspective of communities of practice, this case study examines a prospective chemistry teacher's inquiry-based teaching during his practicum. Conrad was a former student of an inquiry-oriented science course, Inquiry Empowering Technologies (IET). The research questions were (a) How did Conrad translate the IET inquiry practices during his practicum?; (b) How did the mentor teacher shape Conrad's participation?; (c) In what ways did Conrad negotiate new meanings of inquiry as a result of his practicum? Interview transcripts were the primary data source. Conrad carried many of the IET inquiry practices into his practicum. He equated inquiry with the use of evidence and had students create evidence-based explanations for how soap works. He chose not to incorporate the tentative nature of science. Although traditional in his own teaching, the mentor teacher supported Conrad by allowing him to teach through inquiry and by removing time constraints. As a result of his practicum, Conrad negotiated new meanings of inquiry teaching and developed an expanded view of technology. Conrad believed that high school students needed guidance when engaging in inquiry and that the tentative nature of science does not transfer to secondary chemistry. Implications for theory and practice are given.

Skynet Junior Scholars: From Idea to Enactment--Tales from the Trenches II Implementation with Blind and Low Vision Youth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beasley, Jeremiah; Fahlberg, Tim; Hoette, Vivian L.; Mekeel, Tina; Meredith, Kate; Williamson, Kathryn; Hoette, B. Charles; Skynet Robotic Telescope Network, University of North Carolina

2016-01-01

Skynet Junior Scholars is an ambitious program that aims to:--Develop online tools that enable middle school and high school aged youth to use robotic optical and radio telescopes to do astronomy--Create an inquiry-based curriculum that promotes critical thinking and scientific habits of mind--Proactively incorporate Principles of Universal Design in all SJS development tasks to ensure access by blind/low vision and deaf/hard of hearing youth--Prepare 180 adult youth leaders from diverse backgrounds including 4-H leaders, museum educators, amateur astronomers and teachers to facilitate SJS activities in a variety of settings.In this paper we describe the work of staff and volunteers at the Wisconsin School for the Blind and Visually Impaired who have implemented SJS activities in school and camp environments, as well as ways in which they have empowered their students to take on leadership roles. Students from the Wisconsin School for the Blind and Visually Impaired planned and co-hosted a Magic of Astronomy (Harry Potter Themed) star party that incorporated topics learned as part of the SJS program; filters, exposure time, locating objects in the sky, as well as, how to make an image request from the Skynet network. Their experiences in successfully doing active astronomy will provide insight into how anyone can engage everyone in programs like Skynet Junior Scholars.Skynet Junior Scholars is supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant Numbers 1223687, 1223235 and 1223345.

Hearing nurses' voices through reflection in women's studies.

PubMed

Doran, F M; Cameron, C C

1998-01-01

Women's studies is an elective offered through the Faculty of Nursing and Health Sciences, Griffith University-Gold Coast, Australia, and is attended primarily by female nursing students. The main objective of this subject is for students to gain an improved understanding and application of feminist perspectives. One of the teaching/learning strategies we have recently implemented was that of reflective processes that allowed us to explore how students' thoughts were changed during the course of the subject. As a result of engaging with women's studies, students also described how in the future they may incorporate an awareness of feminist theories and frameworks into personal and occupational roles. This paper describes the common themes identified from this learning process and offers a set of empowering stories from female nursing students.

Advancing working and learning through critical action research: creativity and constraints.

PubMed

Bellman, Loretta; Bywood, Catherine; Dale, Susan

2003-12-01

Continuous professional development is an essential component within many health care 'Learning Organisations'. The paper describes the first phase of an initiative to develop a professional practice development framework for nurses in an NHS general hospital. The project was undertaken within a critical action research methodology. A tripartite arrangement between the hospital, a university and professional nursing organisation enabled clinical, educational and research support for the nurses (co-researchers) engaged in the project. Initial challenges were from some managers, educationalists and the ethics committee who did not appear to understand the action research process. A multi-method approach to data collection was undertaken to capture the change process from different stakeholders' perceptions. Triangulation of the data was undertaken. Despite organisational constraints, transformational leadership and peer support enabled the co-researchers to identify and initiate three patient-focused initiatives. The change process for the co-researchers included: enlightening personal journey, exploring the research-practice gap, enhancing personal and professional knowledge, evolving cultural change and collaborative working, empowering and disempowering messages. A hospital merger and corporate staff changes directly impacted on the project. A more flexible time-scale and longer term funding are required to enable continuity for trust-wide projects undertaken in dynamic clinical settings.

Peer-assisted learning--beyond teaching: How can medical students contribute to the undergraduate curriculum?

PubMed

Furmedge, Daniel S; Iwata, Kazuya; Gill, Deborah

2014-09-01

Peer-assisted learning (PAL) has become increasingly popular over recent years with many medical schools now formally incorporating peer-teaching programs into the curriculum. PAL has a sound evidence base with benefit to both peer-teacher and peer-learner. Aside from in teaching delivery, empowering students to develop education in its broadest sense has been much less extensively documented. Five case studies with supportive evaluation evidence illustrate the success of a broad range of peer-led projects in the undergraduate medical curriculum, particularly where these have been embedded into formal teaching practices. These case studies identify five domains of teaching and support of learning where PAL works well: teaching and learning, resource development, peer-assessment, education research and evaluation and mentoring and support. Each case offers ways of engaging students in each domain. Medical students can contribute significantly to the design and delivery of the undergraduate medical program above and beyond the simple delivery of peer-assisted "teaching". In particular, they are in a prime position to develop resources and conduct research and evaluation within the program. Their participation in all stages enables them to feel involved in course development and education of their peers and ultimately leads to an increase in student satisfaction.

Complementary Tools to Empower and Sustain Behavior Change: Motivational Interviewing and Mindfulness.

PubMed

Sohl, Stephanie Jean; Birdee, Gurjeet; Elam, Roy

2016-11-01

Improving health behaviors is fundamental to preventing and controlling chronic disease. Healthcare providers who have a patient-centered communication style and appropriate behavioral change tools can empower patients to engage in and sustain healthy behaviors. This review highlights motivational interviewing and mindfulness along with other evidence-based strategies for enhancing patient-centered communication and the behavior change process. Motivational interviewing and mindfulness are especially useful for empowering patients to set self-determined, or autonomous, goals for behavior change. This is important because autonomously motivated behavioral change is more sustainable. Additional strategies such as self-monitoring are discussed as useful for supporting the implementation and maintenance of goals. Thus, there is a need for healthcare providers to develop such tools to empower sustained behavior change. The additional support of a new role, a health coach who specializes in facilitating the process of health-related behavior change, may be required to substantially impact public health.

Complementary Tools to Empower and Sustain Behavior Change: Motivational Interviewing and Mindfulness

PubMed Central

Sohl, Stephanie Jean; Birdee, Gurjeet; Elam, Roy

2015-01-01

Improving health behaviors is fundamental to preventing and controlling chronic disease. Healthcare providers who have a patient-centered communication style and appropriate behavioral change tools can empower patients to engage in and sustain healthy behaviors. This review highlights motivational interviewing and mindfulness along with other evidence-based strategies for enhancing patient-centered communication and the behavior change process. Motivational interviewing and mindfulness are especially useful for empowering patients to set self-determined, or autonomous, goals for behavior change. This is important because autonomously motivated behavioral change is more sustainable. Additional strategies such as self-monitoring are discussed as useful for supporting the implementation and maintenance of goals. Thus, there is a need for healthcare providers to develop such tools to empower sustained behavior change. The additional support of a new role, a health coach who specializes in facilitating the process of health-related behavior change, may be required to substantially impact public health. PMID:28239308

Developing Students' Ability to Engage Critically with Science in the News: Identifying Elements of the "Media Awareness" Dimension

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jarman, Ruth; McClune, Billy

2010-01-01

Worldwide, science education reform movements are stressing the need to promote "scientific literacy" among young people. Increasingly, this is taken to include empowering students to engage critically with science-related news reporting. Despite this requirement now featuring in statutory curricula throughout the UK, there has, to date,…

Leveling up from Player to Designer: Engaging and Empowering Youth through Making Video Games

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gershenfeld, Alan

2011-01-01

Over the past few years a growing body of research has highlighted the potential for educational video games to foster highly engaged, effective learning in the classroom. These research reports from organizations such as the Federation of American Scientists, the National Science Foundation, and the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop…

Participatory Mapping with Urban Youth: The Visual Elicitation of Socio-Spatial Research Data

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Literat, Ioana

2013-01-01

Participatory mapping attempts to engage youth in the generation of personalized maps, as a way to both harness the value of individual knowledge about geographic space, and to concurrently empower the research participants by inviting them to take an active stake in the representation and explication of their spatial environment. Engagement in…

Raising the Bar: Engaging Staff and Students in a Culture of Participation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kowalski, Sue

2012-01-01

To thrive, a successful school library program needs active participation from all members of its community. As an instructional leader, the school librarian must be the one to raise the bar, not just informing other educators about resources and services, but empowering all adults to become engaged in the school library program. For example,…

Floating Experiences: Empowering Early Childhood Educators to Encourage Critical Thinking in Young Children through the Visual Arts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Danko-McGhee, Kathy; Slutsky, Ruslan

2007-01-01

Engagement in the arts nurtures the development of cognitive, social, and personal competencies. When well taught, the arts provide young children with authentic learning experiences that engage their minds. To get children to think critically, teachers ought to become comfortable with the problem-solving process themselves. This article…

Improving the delivery of veterinary services in Africa: insights from the empirical application of transaction costs theory in Uganda and Kenya.

PubMed

Ilukor, J

2017-04-01

This paper presents a summary of findings from a research project that examined institutional arrangements for providing animal health services in Uganda and Kenya. Given the need to find solutions to the pervasive governance challenges encountered in the delivery of veterinary services in Africa, the study applied transaction economics theory to generate recommendations on how to improve the delivery of these services and minimise livestock production risks, including those that pose a risk to human health, e.g. zoonoses. The most notable recommendations are as follows: i) lower- and middle-income countries should invest in creating an enabling environment that supports the relationship between professional veterinarians and para-professionals, to ensure the timely reporting, treatment and control of animal diseases; ii) the provision of veterinary extension services should not focus solely on household 'heads', but also on other household members, such as wives and children, and on herdsmen; iii) strong government engagement is required in the provision of veterinary services for pastoral or extensive livestock production systems, because normal market forces have failed to attract professional veterinarians and trained para-professionals from the private sector to work in these sectors; iv) farmers must be empowered to hold service providers accountable, by the development and trialling of tools that would enable them to measure the quality of services that they receive and to verify the qualifications of different service providers; v) investment in veterinary education is vital, to ensure that enough qualified veterinary staff are available to offer veterinary services to farmers.

Web-assisted tobacco interventions: empowering change in the global fight for the public's (e)Health.

PubMed

Norman, Cameron D; McIntosh, Scott; Selby, Peter; Eysenbach, Gunther

2008-11-25

Tobacco control in the 21(st) century faces many of the same challenges as in the past, but in different contexts, settings and enabled by powerful new tools including those delivered by information and communication technologies via computer, videocasts, and mobile handsets to the world. Building on the power of electronic networks, Web-assisted tobacco interventions (WATI) provide a vehicle for delivering tobacco prevention, cessation, social support and training opportunities on-demand and direct to practitioners and the public alike. The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, the world's first global public health treaty, requires that all nations develop comprehensive tobacco control strategies that include provision of health promotion information, population interventions, and decision-support services. WATI research and development has evolved to provide examples of how eHealth can address all of these needs and provide exemplars for other areas of public health to follow. This paper discusses the role of WATI in supporting tobacco control and introduces a special issue of the Journal of Medical Internet Research that broadens the evidence base and provides illustrations of how new technologies can support health promotion and population health overall, empowering change and ushering in a new era of public eHealth.

An opportunity for success: Understanding motivation and learning from urban youth participation in an after school science program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Catlin, Janell Nicole

This dissertation is an ethnographic study that documents through student voice the untold stories of urban student motivation to learn and engage in science through the contexts of an after school science program and the students' in-school science classrooms. The purpose of this study is to add to the literature in science education on motivation of urban youth to learn and engage in science through thick and rich descriptions of student voice. This study addresses issues in educational inequity by researching students who are historically marginalized. The focus of the study is four middle school students. The methodology employed was critical ethnography and case study. The data sources included participant observations and field notes, interviews, student artifacts, Snack and Chat, autophotography, and the researcher's reflective journal. The findings of this study state that motivating factors for urban middle school students' learning and engaging in science include a flexible and engaging curriculum, that students are empowered and motivated to learn when teachers are respectful, that urban middle school science students hold positive images about scientists, themselves and knowing science, and that urban teachers of the dominant culture believe that their urban middle school science students are motivated. In using Sociotransformative Constructivism (STC) and Critical Race Theory (CRT) the researcher informs the issues of inequity and racism that emerge from historical perspectives and students' stories about their experiences inside and outside of school. The implications state that allowing for a flexible curriculum that motivates students to make choices about what and how they want to learn and engage in science are necessary science teaching goals for urban middle school students, it is necessary that teachers are conscious of their interactions with their students, diversifying the science field through educating and empowering all students through learning science is key, and to get teachers to the point of an anti-deficit view of urban education more positive stories told by and research done with White urban science teachers must be documented.

An Examination of How a Teacher's Use of Digital Tools Empowers and Constrains Language Arts Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hutchison, Amy C.; Woodward, Lindsay

2014-01-01

The Common Core State Standards produce a need to understand how digital tools can support literacy instruction. The purpose of this case study was to explore how a language arts teacher's integration of computers and iPads empowered and constrained her and the resulting classroom instruction. Constraining factors included (a) inadequate…

Massive Open Online Grants (MOOG's): Connecting hundreds of thousands with ocean science by allowing the public to vote on research grants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McNeil, B.

2016-02-01

We know that universities who host Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC's) are driving deep global engagement by allowing the public to enrol in open and free quality course online. At thinkable.org, we have pioneered the development of 'Massive Open Online Grants or MOOG's, which allow research organizations & societies to host open grants, prizes & contests that allows the public to vote, connect & engage with high quality research for the first time. In order to reach a wide audience, researchers create short video summaries of their work that allows anyone to learn, vote, share and connect with research important to them. We have found this to help both research organizations and researchers reach a wide audience to demonstrate public impact & innovation, drive collaborative partnerships and raise public funding for their research. In this talk, I will outline our experience in developing MOOG's and the immense future opportunities to revolutionize how high-quality research engages with society by using technology to empower deep connections between ocean researchers & the wider public.

Intrinsic and extrinsic factors affecting patient engagement in diabetes self-management: perspectives of a certified diabetes educator.

PubMed

Rodriguez, Kellie M

2013-02-01

Patients with diabetes are responsible for the vast majority of management requirements of their condition. However, their ability and motivation to engage in required self-management behaviors may be mitigated by multiple intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Intrinsic barriers include attitudes and health beliefs, limited diabetes knowledge and technical skill, reduced functional health literacy, and inadequate self-efficacy to promote positive behavior change. Extrinsic barriers include financial considerations, inadequate family and community support systems, ineffective clinical relationships, and limited access to effective diabetes health care delivery. Diabetes providers have opportunities for enhancing patient engagement with clinical recommendations and diabetes self-management through effective communication, including efforts to contextually assess patients' perceptions of diabetes and how the condition fits within the context of their changing lives. This article provides a conceptual framework for establishing and building an effective clinical alliance with patients with the goal of empowering them to take more control of their diabetes and reduce their risks for poor diabetes outcomes. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier HS Journals, Inc. All rights reserved.

An Introduction to Air Quality Modeling | Science Inventory ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Empowering Sustainability is an initiative at the University of California, Irvine, dedicated to connecting sustainability leaders (fellows) across generations, countries, and disciplines through the exchange of ideas and experiences related to all aspects of sustainability, and fostering engagement and research on the ground through the collaboration among fellows and like-minded organizations worldwide. Launched in 2011, the UCI Summer Seminar Series "Empowering Sustainability on Earth," co-hosted each July by the UCI Newkirk Center for Science and Society, presents a series of seminars for members of the next generation of leaders of global sustainability from over 70 countries around the world. The seminar talks are open to the public. Presented at the Seventh Annual Session on Empowering Sustainability on Earth

Empowerment and the Construction of a Safe Space in a Women's Studies Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Toraiwa, Tomoka

2009-01-01

One of the original goals of women's studies programs in the United States has consisted in empowering women to enable them to take control of their own lives. In order to achieve that goal, feminist scholars have developed a new pedagogy aimed at empowering students through the creation of equal relations between faculty and students, as well as…

Empowering aged care nurses to deliver person-centred care: Enabling nurses to shine.

PubMed

Marriott-Statham, Kelly; Mackay, Maria; Brennan, Ngaire; Mackay, Jacinta

2018-05-23

In this paper, the authors will describe the journey of registered nurses across a series of workshops as part of a research project that was undertaken in a regional aged care service in New South Wales, Australia. The aim of the project was to empower the participant registered nurses to positively influence the health care workplace culture within the residential care home by raising consciousness about their own practice. Registered nurses were actively involved in this reconnaissance phase of a participatory action research project through practice development principles and methods. Registered nurses determined the content and the outcomes of the overall program. The researchers evaluated the impact of a series of workshops, designed to develop skills and knowledge using nominal group technique. Results revealed registered nurses perceived they were empowered to flourish, and developed an understanding of the uniqueness of their role. A shared understanding of the role of the registered nurse in the aged care setting was fundamental in enabling them to feel empowered to lead their team and contribute positively to the workplace culture. Overall, the outcomes of this project have positively impacted workplace culture. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

"Terms of Engagement" Not "Hard to Reach Parents"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Day, Sara

2013-01-01

This article presents findings of qualitative research commissioned by the Achievement for All project in a UK local authority. The research investigated how schools should engage parents, including those considered to be "hard to reach". A focus group methodology was adapted to enable parents to provide answers to the research…

A Leader's Three Rs: Reading, Reflecting, and Relationships.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Krueger, Debbie

Empowering others and oneself is an essential task in any organizational framework. Although people are empowered internally, part of that empowerment forms the positive interpersonal relationships built with others. This article discusses how the author, as leader, has learned to empower those around her. Different power bases are listed, with…

Empowering Discourse: Discourse Analysis as Method and Practice in the Sociology Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hjelm, Titus

2013-01-01

Collaborative learning and critical pedagogy are widely recognized as "empowering" pedagogies for higher education. Yet, the practical implementation of both has a mixed record. The question, then, is: How could collaborative and critical pedagogies be empowered themselves? This paper makes a primarily theoretical case for discourse…

Patient empowerment and motivational interviewing: engaging patients to self-manage their own care.

PubMed

McCarley, Patricia

2009-01-01

Patient empowerment is centered on the belief that patients should be in control of their own care and that behavioral changes and adherence to therapies cannot be achieved unless patients internalize the need for self-change. Data have consistently shown improved outcomes among patients on dialysis who are engaged, empowered and self-managing. Motivational interviewing provides a technique that can be applied by nephrology nurses to partner with patients and engage them in the management of their own care.

Hospitious Adoption: How Hospitality Empowers Children and Transforms Adoption

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gritter, James L.

2009-01-01

Building on previous books by the author, "Hospitious Adoption: How Hospitality Empowers Children and Transforms Adoption" examines the next step after open adoption. Gritter takes the approach that practicing goodwill, respect, and courage within the realm of adoption makes the process move smoother and enriches children's lives. Following a…

How to change environmental conditions for health.

PubMed

Commers, Matthew J; Gottlieb, Nell; Kok, Gerjo

2007-03-01

Since the Lalonde report, contemporary public-health theory has given steadily more attention to the role of environments in influencing health status. Environments, both social and physical, influence health directly or through complex interactions with behavior, genetics and health-care systems. They are also important for public-health because environments are the complex systems through which people are both empowered and exercise their empowerment. If public-health professionals are to play a significant role in influencing environments for health, they need analytical instruments that enable them to link specific environmental conditions with the actions necessary to improve them. These instruments must also enable public-health professionals to identify points of leverage for stimulating key actors to take the actions necessary to make environments more promoting of health. This article first presents one such analytical instrument. Then, building on examples relating to socio-economic health inequities, the analytical instrument is applied to reveal how it can add value to health professionals' effectiveness in planning interventions for more health-promoting environments.

Assistive technologies to address capabilities of people with dementia: From research to practice.

PubMed

Kenigsberg, Paul-Ariel; Aquino, Jean-Pierre; Bérard, Alain; Brémond, François; Charras, Kevin; Dening, Tom; Droës, Rose-Marie; Gzil, Fabrice; Hicks, Ben; Innes, Anthea; Nguyen, Mai; Nygård, Louise; Pino, Maribel; Sacco, Guillaume; Salmon, Eric; van der Roest, Henriëtte; Villet, Hervé; Villez, Marion; Robert, Philippe; Manera, Valeria

2017-01-01

Assistive technologies became pervasive and virtually present in all our life domains. They can be either an enabler or an obstacle leading to social exclusion. The Fondation Médéric Alzheimer gathered international experts of dementia care, with backgrounds in biomedical, human and social sciences, to analyze how assistive technologies can address the capabilities of people with dementia, on the basis of their needs. Discussion covered the unmet needs of people with dementia, the domains of daily life activities where assistive technologies can provide help to people with dementia, the enabling and empowering impact of technology to improve their safety and wellbeing, barriers and limits of use, technology assessment, ethical and legal issues. The capability approach (possible freedom) appears particularly relevant in person-centered dementia care and technology development. The focus is not on the solution, rather on what the person can do with it: seeing dementia as disability, with technology as an enabler to promote capabilities of the person, provides a useful framework for both research and practice. This article summarizes how these concepts took momentum in professional practice and public policies in the past 15 years (2000-2015), discusses current issues in the design, development and economic model of assistive technologies for people with dementia, and covers how these technologies are being used and assessed.

Apples and Pears: Engaging Social Work Students in Social Dialogue

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reyneke, Roelof P.

2017-01-01

Purpose: To investigate how an adventure-based activity could help facilitate dialogue and enable a safe process where students could engage in a difficult topic such as diversity without feeling threatened. Method: A qualitative study was used in which 89 social work students who took part in diversity training gave permission that their…

Fostering Community and Civic Engagement in Low-Income Multicultural Schools through Transformative Leadership

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bader, Barbara; Horman, Judith; Lapointe, Claire

2010-01-01

In this study, we examine how transformative leadership enables students from a low-income and multicultural neighbourhood to learn about democracy, responsible citizenship, and community engagement at school. As part of a graduate seminar on critical pedagogy and cultural studies in education, in-depth group interviews were conducted with…

Fostering employee service creativity: Joint effects of customer empowering behaviors and supervisory empowering leadership.

PubMed

Dong, Yuntao; Liao, Hui; Chuang, Aichia; Zhou, Jing; Campbell, Elizabeth M

2015-09-01

Integrating insights from the literature on customers' central role in service and the literature on employee creativity, we offer theoretical and empirical account of how and when customer empowering behaviors can motivate employee creativity during service encounters and, subsequently, influence customer satisfaction with service experience. Using multilevel, multisource, experience sampling data from 380 hairstylists matched with 3550 customers in 118 hair salons, we found that customer empowering behaviors were positively related to employee creativity and subsequent customer satisfaction via employee state promotion focus. Results also showed that empowering behaviors from different agents function synergistically in shaping employee creativity: supervisory empowering leadership strengthened the indirect effect of customer empowering behaviors on employee creativity via state promotion focus. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Empowerment of promotoras as promotora-researchers in the Comidas Saludables & Gente Sana en las Colonias del Sur de Tejas (Healthy Food and Healthy People in South Texas Colonias) program.

PubMed

St John, Julie A; Johnson, Cassandra M; Sharkey, Joseph R; Dean, Wesley R; Arandia, Gabriela

2013-04-01

Promotoras are trusted members of underserved, at-risk Hispanic communities experiencing social and health inequities. As promotora-researchers, promotoras have the unique ability and opportunity not only to provide outreach and education but also to be actively engaged in conducting research in their communities and serve as a cultural bridge between the community and researchers. In this article, we present a case study of personal and collective empowerment of six promotora-researchers who participated in seven community-based participatory research projects. Data sources included debriefing interviews with the promotora-researchers, milestone tracking and documentation completed during and after each study, and observations by the principal investigator and project managers regarding the role of the promotora-researchers in these studies. We qualitatively analyzed the data to identify the processes and decisions that were developed and implemented in a series of projects, which resulted in promotora-researcher empowerment. We found that active engagement empowered promotora-researchers personally and collectively in all phases of the research study. Common elements that contributed to the empowerment of promotora-researchers were valuing promotora-researchers' input, enabling promotora-researchers to acquire and utilize new skills, and allowing promotora-researchers to serve as both researchers and traditional promotoras. Together, these elements enabled them to more fully participate in research projects, while allowing them to identify and address needs within their own communities.

Changing Technology = Empowering Students through Media Literacy Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

De Abreu, Belinha

2010-01-01

Background: As the world is changing quickly due to the technological advances, educators are looking at ways in which to empower their students' learning with digital platforms. Media literacy education is key for how this can happen in the 21st century classroom which seeks to promote learning without censoring the learner. Considering how media…

77 FR 13128 - Agency Information Collection Request; 30-Day Public Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-05

... Service Announcement (PSA) campaign that aims to educate, engage and empower women and their families to.... The campaign launched in February, 2011 and includes TV, radio, print and social media PSA. This study...

Benefit of social media on patient engagement and satisfaction: Results of a 9-month, qualitative pilot study using Facebook.

PubMed

Dhar, Vikrom K; Kim, Young; Graff, Justin T; Jung, Andrew D; Garrett, Jennifer; Dick, Lauren E; Harris, Jenifer; Shah, Shimul A

2018-03-01

Despite the potential benefits of social media, health care providers are often hesitant to engage patients through these sites. Our aim was to explore how implementation of social media may affect patient engagement and satisfaction. In September 2016 a Facebook support group was created for liver transplant patients to use as a virtual community forum. Data including user demographics and group activity were reviewed. A survey was conducted evaluating users' perceptions regarding participation in the group. Over 9 months, 350 unique users (50% liver transplant patients, 36% caregivers/friends, 14% health care providers) contributed 339 posts, 2,338 comments, and 6,274 reactions to the group; 98% of posts were reacted to or commented on by other group members. Patients were the most active users compared with health care providers and caregivers. A total of 95% of survey respondents reported that joining the group had a positive impact on their care; and 97% reported that their main motivation for joining was to provide or receive support from other patients. This pilot study indicates that the integration of social media into clinical practice can empower surgeons to synthesize effectively a patient support community that augments patient engagement and satisfaction. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Unexpected Effects of a System-Distributed Mobile Application in Maternity Care: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

PubMed

Ledford, Christy J W; Womack, Jasmyne J; Rider, Heather A; Seehusen, Angela B; Conner, Stephen J; Lauters, Rebecca A; Hodge, Joshua A

2018-06-01

As pregnant mothers increasingly engage in shared decision making regarding prenatal decisions, such as induction of labor, the patient's level of activation may influence pregnancy outcomes. One potential tool to increase patient activation in the clinical setting is mobile applications. However, research is limited in comparing mobile apps with other modalities of patient education and engagement tools. This study was designed to test the effectiveness of a mobile app as a replacement for a spiral notebook guide as a patient education and engagement tool in the prenatal clinical setting. This randomized controlled trial was conducted in the Women's Health Clinic and Family Health Clinic of three hospitals. Repeated-measures analysis of covariance was used to test intervention effects in the study sample of 205 patients. Mothers used a mobile app interface to more frequently record information about their pregnancy; however, across time, mothers using a mobile app reported a significant decrease in patient activation. The unexpected negative effects in the group of patients randomized to the mobile app prompt these authors to recommend that health systems pause before distributing their own version of mobile apps that may decrease patient activation. Mobile apps can be inherently empowering and engaging, but how a system encourages their use may ultimately determine their adoption and success.

Implementation Process of 5S for a Company in Real Life - Problems, Solutions, Successes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Czifra, György

2017-09-01

Developed in Japan, 5S is a system of organizing workplace for efficiency, effectiveness and safety. Is 5s important? The answer is: "YES", because the implementation is about empowering employees to control their work area and create an environment where they want to work every day. It is a program that only works with grass roots level engagement. With commitment to safety, we are equally committed to 5S to ensure a safe place to work. It enabled us to indicate where waste was occurring and thus improve the work area sustainably. We recognized real problems, found solutions and ultimately we were successful in our endeavors. Throughout different companies, various words of similar meaning are used. No matter what specific words are used to identify the steps in 5S, the purpose remains the same: create a clean, organized and efficient work environment.

A Semester-Long Project-Oriented Biochemistry Laboratory Based on Helicobacter pylori Urease

PubMed Central

Farnham, Kate R.; Dube, Danielle H.

2015-01-01

Here we present the development of a thirteen-week project-oriented biochemistry laboratory designed to introduce students to foundational biochemical techniques and then enable students to perform original research projects once they have mastered these techniques. In particular, we describe a semester-long laboratory that focuses on a biomedically relevant enzyme – Helicobacter pylori (Hp) urease – the activity of which is absolutely required for the gastric pathogen Hp to colonize the human stomach. Over the course of the semester, students undertake a biochemical purification of Hp urease, assess the success of their purification, and investigate the activity of their purified enzyme. In the final weeks of the semester, students design and implement their own experiments to study Hp urease. This laboratory provides students with an understanding of the importance of biochemistry in human health while empowering them to engage in an active area of research. PMID:26173574

A semester-long project-oriented biochemistry laboratory based on Helicobacter pylori urease.

PubMed

Farnham, Kate R; Dube, Danielle H

2015-01-01

Here we present the development of a 13 week project-oriented biochemistry laboratory designed to introduce students to foundational biochemical techniques and then enable students to perform original research projects once they have mastered these techniques. In particular, we describe a semester-long laboratory that focuses on a biomedically relevant enzyme--Helicobacter pylori (Hp) urease--the activity of which is absolutely required for the gastric pathogen Hp to colonize the human stomach. Over the course of the semester, students undertake a biochemical purification of Hp urease, assess the success of their purification, and investigate the activity of their purified enzyme. In the final weeks of the semester, students design and implement their own experiments to study Hp urease. This laboratory provides students with an understanding of the importance of biochemistry in human health while empowering them to engage in an active area of research. © 2015 The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Web-Assisted Tobacco Interventions: Empowering Change in the Global Fight for the Public’s (e)Health

PubMed Central

McIntosh, Scott; Selby, Peter; Eysenbach, Gunther

2008-01-01

Tobacco control in the 21st century faces many of the same challenges as in the past, but in different contexts, settings and enabled by powerful new tools including those delivered by information and communication technologies via computer, videocasts, and mobile handsets to the world. Building on the power of electronic networks, Web-assisted tobacco interventions (WATI) provide a vehicle for delivering tobacco prevention, cessation, social support and training opportunities on-demand and direct to practitioners and the public alike. The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, the world’s first global public health treaty, requires that all nations develop comprehensive tobacco control strategies that include provision of health promotion information, population interventions, and decision-support services. WATI research and development has evolved to provide examples of how eHealth can address all of these needs and provide exemplars for other areas of public health to follow. This paper discusses the role of WATI in supporting tobacco control and introduces a special issue of the Journal of Medical Internet Research that broadens the evidence base and provides illustrations of how new technologies can support health promotion and population health overall, empowering change and ushering in a new era of public eHealth. PMID:19033147

Human rights in occupational therapy education: A step towards a more occupationally just global society.

PubMed

Crawford, Emma; Aplin, Tammy; Rodger, Sylvia

2017-04-01

Education on human rights will place occupational therapists in a strong position to address societal inequities that limit occupational engagement for many client groups. The imminent changes to the Minimum Standard for the Education of Occupational Therapists engender efforts towards social change and will require university-level human rights education. This education might enhance the profession's influence on disadvantaging social structures in order to effect social change. To contribute to the evidence base for social change education in occupational therapy, this research aims to understand the knowledge, skills, confidence and learning experiences of occupational therapy students who completed a human rights course. Final year occupational therapy students responded to questionnaires which included listing human rights, a human rights scale measuring knowledge and confidence for working towards human rights, and open questions. Numbers of rights listed, knowledge scores and confidence scores were calculated. Responses to the open questions were thematically analysed. After completing a human rights course, students had good knowledge and moderate confidence to work with human rights. Three themes were identified including 'learning about human rights', 'learning about structural, societal and global perspectives on occupational engagement' and 'learning how occupational therapists can work with groups, communities and populations: becoming articulate and empowered'. Human rights education fosters the development of occupational therapists who are skilled, knowledgeable, confident and empowered to address occupational injustices, according to these research findings. To develop a more occupationally just global society, education that considers iniquitous social structures and human rights is necessary. © 2016 Occupational Therapy Australia.

Taking emotion seriously: meeting students where they are.

PubMed

Sunderland, Mary E

2014-03-01

Emotions are often portrayed as subjective judgments that pose a threat to rationality and morality, but there is a growing literature across many disciplines that emphasizes the centrality of emotion to moral reasoning. For engineers, however, being rational usually means sequestering emotions that might bias analyses-good reasoning is tied to quantitative data, math, and science. This paper brings a new pedagogical perspective that strengthens the case for incorporating emotions into engineering ethics. Building on the widely established success of active and collaborative learning environments, in particular the problem-based learning (PBL) philosophy and methodology, the paper articulates new strategies for incorporating emotion into engineering ethics education. An ethics education pilot study is analyzed to explore how PBL can engage students' emotions. Evidence suggests that PBL empowers students to cultivate value for engineering ethics and social responsibility, and in doing so, redefine the societal role of the engineer. Taking students' emotions seriously in engineering ethics offers an effective strategy to meaningfully engage students in ethical learning.

Developing an emotional coping skills workbook for inpatient psychiatric settings: a focus group investigation.

PubMed

Sharp, Molly; Gulati, Anu; Barker, Chris; Barnicot, Kirsten

2018-06-22

Evidence suggests an unmet need for provision of psychological interventions in inpatient psychiatric settings. However, inpatient wards can present a challenging environment in which to implement interventions. The authors developed the Emotional Coping Skills workbook, a psychosocial intervention designed to overcome these challenges and provide inpatients with an opportunity for psychologically-informed therapeutic engagement. The workbook includes information and exercises to empower inpatients to understand their emotions and learn to cope with their distress. A qualitative study using thematic analysis was undertaken in two UK inpatient psychiatric hospitals to explore staff's views about whether and how the workbook could be implemented, and on barriers to its use. Thirty-five nursing and occupational therapy staff members participated in four focus groups, and a further two psychologists in semi-structured interviews. Staff identified key barriers to successful implementation of the workbook. These were firstly, the difficulty in finding time and space for therapeutic work in the stressful ward environment. Secondly, staff identified a culture of emotional neglect whereby neither staff nor inpatients felt able to talk about emotions, and patients' physical needs and medication were prioritised. Thirdly, staff discussed how psychotic symptoms and emotional distress could limit patients' ability to engage with the workbook material. Staff suggested ways in which the feasibility of using the workbook could be enhanced. Firstly, they discussed the importance of encouraging staff to value psychological approaches and to view the workbook as a resource to help them manage their existing tasks. Secondly, they emphasised the value of staff drawing on their expertise to deliver the workbook flexibly in different formats and settings, depending on each patient's particular presentation. Thirdly, they advocated empowering staff to decide the timing of intervention delivery in the context of each inpatient's fluctuations in distress and progress towards recovery. The study has highlighted key principles for flexible and well-integrated intervention delivery; these principles will be helpful for enhancing the feasibility of any nurse-delivered psychological intervention in inpatient settings.

Decentering resources: a phenomenological study of interpretive pedagogies in patient education.

PubMed

Scheckel, Martha; Hedrick-Erickson, Jennifer

2009-01-01

The purpose of this interpretive phenomenological study was to document an innovative approach to teaching patient education where RN-Bachelor of Science in Nursing students, through an online course, learned and applied the interpretive pedagogies in patient education. The online course was the educational intervention which laid the groundwork of the study. Data were then collected from 9 of 18 students who took the course and agreed to participate. Interviews were audiotaped face to face or by telephone and transcribed and interpreted for meanings. Two themes that emerged for teaching patient education included "Decentering Resources: Listening Through Questioning" and "Decentering Resources: Empowering Through Questioning." This study revealed that, as students learned the interpretive pedagogies, resources (brochures, handouts, videos, etc.) took on less importance in their patient education practice. They recognized how resources frequently impeded patient-nurse interactions in teaching and learning encounters. Once students understood that they were perhaps depending too much on resources, they began engaging in questioning practices where significant meanings of listening and empowering in patient education unfolded. This study encourages nurse educators to teach students interpretive pedagogies in patient education to promote pedagogical literacy, which preserves the time-honored tradition of working together with patients during teaching and learning encounters.

Power, empowerment, and person-centred care: using ethnography to examine the everyday practice of unregistered dementia care staff.

PubMed

Scales, Kezia; Bailey, Simon; Middleton, Joanne; Schneider, Justine

2017-02-01

The social positioning and treatment of persons with dementia reflects dominant biomedical discourses of progressive and inevitable loss of insight, capacity, and personality. Proponents of person-centred care, by contrast, suggest that such loss can be mitigated within environments that preserve rather than undermine personhood. In formal organisational settings, person-centred approaches place particular responsibility on 'empowered' direct-care staff to translate these principles into practice. These staff provide the majority of hands-on care, but with limited training, recognition, or remuneration. Working within a Foucauldian understanding of power, this paper examines the complex ways that dementia care staff engage with their own 'dis/empowerment' in everyday practice. The findings, which are drawn from ethnographic studies of three National Health Service (NHS) wards and one private care home in England, are presented as a narrative exploration of carers' general experience of powerlessness, their inversion of this marginalised subject positioning, and the related possibilities for action. The paper concludes with a discussion of how Foucault's understanding of power may help define and enhance efforts to empower direct-care staff to provide person-centred care in formal dementia care settings. © 2016 Foundation for the Sociology of Health & Illness.

Developing the community empowered research training program: building research capacity for community-initiated and community-driven research.

PubMed

Kwon, Simona; Rideout, Catlin; Tseng, Winston; Islam, Nadia; Cook, Won Kim; Ro, Marguerite; Trinh-Shevrin, Chau

2012-01-01

Health promotion practice research conducted by or in partnership with community-based organizations (CBOs) serving Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AA and NHPI) can address health disparities. Few CBOs have the tools to integrate or initiate research into their programmatic agenda. The New York University (NYU) Center for the Study of Asian American Health (CSAAH) and the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF) created a partnership with the goal to support CBO research infrastructure development by creating the Community Empowered Research Training (CERT) program. A survey was conducted and discussions held with CBO leaders representing AA and NHPI communities to inform the development of the CERT program. The majority of participants are engaged in service-related research and reported interest in building their research capacity. CBOs may require help reframing how data can be collected and used to better inform programmatic activities and to address health disparities facing AA and NHPI communities. CBOs possess both an interest in and access to local knowledge that can inform health priorities. Findings have been applied to the CERT program to build capacity to support community-initiated/driven research to address health disparities affecting AAs and NHPIs.

Teacher Resistance to Engage with "Alternative" Perspectives of Difficult Histories: The Limits and Prospects of Affective Disruption

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zembylas, Michalinos

2017-01-01

This paper discusses teacher resistance to recognizing some perspectives of difficult histories. The paper focuses on the following question: How does affect contribute not only to the formation of teacher resistance, but also to its disruption in ways that enable the productive reclaiming of teachers' engagement with traumatic histories? To…

Leadership line care rounds: Application of the engage, educate, execute, and evaluate improvement model for the prevention of central line-associated bloodstream infections in children with cancer.

PubMed

Owings, Angie; Graves, JoBeth; Johnson, Sherry; Gilliam, Craig; Gipson, Mike; Hakim, Hana

2018-02-01

To prevent central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs), leadership line care rounds (LLCRs) used the engage, educate, execute, and evaluate improvement model to audit compliance, identify barriers and opportunities, empower patients and families, and engage leadership. Findings of excellence and improvement opportunities were communicated to unit staff and managers. LLCRs contributed to compliance with CLABSI prevention interventions. Copyright © 2018 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Coming Out of the Shadows and the Closet: Visibility Schemas Among Undocuqueer Immigrants.

PubMed

Cisneros, Jesus; Bracho, Christian

2018-01-16

Centering the experiences of 31 undocuqueer immigrants, this study seeks to understand the ways that undocuqueer immigrants negotiate the boundaries of social performance by revealing or concealing their gender, sexuality, and immigration status. Findings of this study reveal how, in order to avoid the constant threat of rejection (both legal and social), undocuqueer immigrants engage visibility schemas and make strategic decisions about coming out of the shadows and the closet across different contexts. Undocuqueer immigrants' narratives reveal the ways the closet resembles the shadows in that both provide protection from the outside world, yet neither are considered suitable places for sustaining life. This study raises implications for both research and policy by considering how the intersection of gender, sexuality, and immigration status nullifies neoliberal narratives of coming out as an empowering process and illustrating the uneven landscapes of social acceptance and political control that undocuqueer immigrants must negotiate.

Storytelling and Technology Combine to Create Student Engagement Around Locally Relevant Climate Change Topics.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leckey, E.; Littrell-Baez, M.; Tayne, K.; Gold, A. U.; Okochi, C.; Oonk, D.; Smith, L. K.; Lynds, S. E.

2017-12-01

Storytelling is a powerful way for students to engage with science topics, particularly topics that may initially seem too broad to impact their lives, like climate change. Empowering students to telling a personal story about climate change's effects and helping them turn their story into a film is powerful approach. Especially because these films can be shared globally and gives students a voice around a complex topic like climate change. Here, we present impacts of the Lens on Climate Change program (LOCC), which engages middle and high school students in producing short films featuring how climate change impacts their communities. LOCC is offered as an intensive week-long summer program and as an extracurricular program during the school year. The majority of student participants are recruited from historically underserved communities and come from ethnical and socioeconomically diverse backgrounds. Survey data revealed that LOCC participants had a significant increase in their belief in the reality of climate change after participation in their program relative to students in a demographically-matched control groups. Furthermore, participant responses on reflection surveys given after the program included statements that suggest that students had begun thinking more deeply about climate change as a serious global challenge and felt empowered to take actions to mitigate climate change and/or spread awareness in their communities. The majority of students in the LOCC program also reported being very proud of their film and intended to share their film with their friends and family. Additionally, we explored the long-term impacts of participation by interviewing students a year after the program and offered them the opportunity to make a subsequent film. Students in this "advanced group" reported being more aware of climate change in their community following making their films and were enthusiastic to increase their filmmaking skills through producing additional films. We suggest that the combination of storytelling and filmmaking gives students a means to become part of the climate change narrative and to engage in thinking about and acting on climate change at a broader level than they might otherwise be comfortable doing.

Walking the Talk: Empowering Science Communication at the University of Washington

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meyer, J. J.; Davison, J.; Graumlich, L. J.; McCarthy, M. M.

2016-12-01

Interest is growing within the academy to strengthen scientists' abilities to be better communicators about their research and how connects to society. Yet communicating the complexities of science to external audiences — media, policy-makers, funders, and others — in a way that resonates falls outside the realm of traditional academic training. Many institutions do not provide adequate resources for their faculty, students and staff to build skills to their share their work more broadly. The University of Washington College of the Environment has built a program that breaks down some of these barriers, building capacity for faculty, students and staff to become powerful spokespeople for their work. Leadership within the College values strong science communication skills and is reflected in the College's strategic plan. As a result, the College has built a science communication program that offers numerous services to meet researchers where they are to help amplify the impact of their work. Stemming from the recommendations of a Science Communication Task Force, the College of the Environment focuses on advancing three critical areas: building and connecting networks of science communicators, offering tools and trainings to develop communication skills, and providing opportunity for researchers to share their work outside of academia. These areas are related by 1) connecting researchers to a robust and growing community of their peers interested in science communication, 2) matching interest with the skills needed to engage productively, and 3) helping provide outlets for engagement that align with the goals of the researcher. As a result, more and more scientists in the College are seeking assistance to build this skillset for engagement. Many institutions express support for increasing science communication skills, yet it can be difficult to deliver a suite of cohesive resources. Through a modest investment, we have built a replicable program that not only empowers and supports faculty, students and staff, but also helps elevate the reputation, reach and impact of our research institution.

Empowering patients with diabetes.

PubMed

Meer, Maggie

Maggie Meer, founder of this November's Diabetes Professional Care event and long-standing diabetes patient, gives her views on how nurses can capitalise on their pivotal role to empower patients with diabetes and improve self-management.

In sickness and in health: Clinical research and social media

PubMed Central

Ray, Saswata

2017-01-01

In this “digital age,” the model of healthcare is changing rapidly, primarily in the area of communication that is happening among the major stakeholders each minute. Patients, being the central point of the importance of all the work and development, are more empowered than ever with information from various sources, among which social media is leading from the front. This article reviews how social media engages healthcare service providers, service seekers, and regulatory authorities. If the gaps in the current regulations are filled, better healthcare outputs can be triggered. This article also briefly explores the popular healthcare applications launched by leading pharmaceutical companies, encompassing the big data advantage, in this evolving era of patient centricity. PMID:28447017

How emotions inform judgment and regulate thought

PubMed Central

Clore, Gerald L.; Huntsinger, Jeffrey R.

2008-01-01

Being happy or sad influences the content and style of thought. One explanation is that affect serves as information about the value of whatever comes to mind. Thus, when a person makes evaluative judgments or engages in a task, positive affect can enhance evaluations and empower potential responses. Rather than affect itself, the information conveyed by affect is crucial. Tests of the hypothesis find that affective influences can be made to disappear by changing the source to which the affect is attributed. In tasks, positive affect validates and negative affect invalidates accessible cognitions, leading to relational processing and item-specific processing, respectively. Positive affect is found to promote, and negative affect to inhibit, many textbook phenomena from cognitive psychology. PMID:17698405

30 CFR 250.145 - How do I designate an agent or a local agent?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... agent empowered to fulfill your obligations under the Act, the lease, or the regulations in this part... agent empowered to receive notices and submit requests, applications, notices, or supplemental...

Climate Change and Everyday Life: Repertoires children use to negotiate a socio-scientific issue

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Byrne, Jenny; Ideland, Malin; Malmberg, Claes; Grace, Marcus

2014-06-01

There are only a few studies about how primary school students engage in socio-scientific discussions. This study aims to add to this field of research by focusing on how 9-10-year-olds in Sweden and England handle climate change as a complex environmental socio-scientific issue (SSI), within the context of their own lives and in relation to society at large. It focuses on how different interpretative repertoires were used by the students in discussions to legitimise or question their everyday lifestyles. They discussed four possible options that a government might consider to help reduce carbon dioxide production. Six main repertoires were identified: Everyday life, Self-Interest, Environment, Science and Technology, Society and Justice. The Everyday life repertoire was used when students related their discussion to their everyday lifestyles. Science and technology-related solutions were offered to maintain or improve things, but these were sometimes rather unrealistic. Arguments related to environment and health frequently appeared to have a superior status compared to the others. Findings also highlighted how conflicts between the students were actually productive by bringing in several perspectives to negotiate the solutions. These primary school students were, therefore, able to discuss and negotiate a complex real-world SSI. Students positioned themselves as active contributors to society, using their life experiences and limited knowledge to understand the problems that affected their everyday lives. Honing these skills within a school science community of practice could facilitate primary students' engagement with SSIs and empower them as citizens.

30 CFR 550.145 - How do I designate an agent or a local agent?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... designate an agent empowered to fulfill your obligations under the Act, the lease, or the regulations in... local agent empowered to receive notices and submit requests, applications, notices, or supplemental...

30 CFR 550.145 - How do I designate an agent or a local agent?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... designate an agent empowered to fulfill your obligations under the Act, the lease, or the regulations in... local agent empowered to receive notices and submit requests, applications, notices, or supplemental...

30 CFR 250.145 - How do I designate an agent or a local agent?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... Director may require you to designate an agent empowered to fulfill your obligations under the Act, the... Regional Supervisor's approval a local agent empowered to receive notices and submit requests, applications...

30 CFR 550.145 - How do I designate an agent or a local agent?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... designate an agent empowered to fulfill your obligations under the Act, the lease, or the regulations in... local agent empowered to receive notices and submit requests, applications, notices, or supplemental...

Understanding how participation in a consumer-run organization relates to recovery.

PubMed

Brown, Louis D; Shepherd, Matthew D; Merkle, Edgar C; Wituk, Scott A; Meissen, Greg

2008-09-01

The goal of this study was to examine how different types of participation in a consumer-run organization (CRO) are related to recovery. More specifically, this study uses structural equation modeling to examine the relative impact of empowering and socially supportive participation experiences on progress towards recovery among 250 CRO members from 20 CROs. An empowering participation experience refers to involvement in leadership roles and contribution to organizational functioning. A socially supportive participation experience refers to social involvement in mutually supportive friendships with intimacy and sharing. Results indicate that both types of participation are associated with recovery, although a socially supportive participation experience maintains a stronger relationship with recovery than an empowering participation experience. Findings are consistent with the idea that CROs should encourage both types of participation. Drawing from over ten years of experience supporting CROs, the discussion section explores several strategies CROs can use to foster empowering and socially supportive participation experiences.

The Engaged and Empowered Community: An Essential Ingredient of Homeland Security

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-09-01

C ommunity O riented R eadiness E ffort Handbook Version 1.1 C.O.R.E. 96 THIS PAGE...made up of representatives from the following disciplines: • Emergency response • City government • Public health • Business • Tourism

Empowering potential: a theory of wellness motivation.

PubMed

Fleury, J D

1991-01-01

Data were collected from 29 individuals who were attempting to initiate and sustain programs of cardiac risk factor modification. Data were analyzed through the technique of constant comparative analysis. Empowering potential, the basic social process identified from the data, explained individual motivation to initiate and sustain cardiovascular health behavior. Empowering potential was a continuous process of individual growth and development which facilitated the emergence of new and positive health patterns. Within the process of empowering potential, individuals use a variety of strategies which guide the initiation and maintenance of health-related change. The process of empowering potential consists of three stages: appraising readiness, changing, and integrating change. Two categories occurred throughout the process of empowering potential: imaging and social support systems. These findings provide a better understanding of how motivated action is initiated and reinitiated over time.

a Continual Engagement Approach Through Gis-Mcda Conflict Resolution of Loggerhead Sea Turtle Bycatch in Mexico

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bojórquez-Tapia, L. A.

2015-12-01

Continual engagement is an approach that emphasizes of uninterrupted interaction with the stakeholders with the purpose of fully integrating their knowledge into policymaking process. It focuses on the creation of hybrid scientific-local knowledge highly relevant to community and policy makers needs, while balancing the power asymmetries among stakeholders. Hence, it presupposes a capacity for a continuous revision and adjustment of the analyses that support the policymaking process. While continual engagement implies a capacity for enabling an effective communication, translation and mediation of knowledge among the diverse stakeholders, experts and policymakers, it also means keeping a close eye out for how knowledge evolves and how new data and information is introduced along a policymaking process. Through a case study, the loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) fishing bycatch in Mexico, a geographical information system-multicriteria modeling (GIS-MCDA) approach is presented to address the challenges of implementing continual engagement in conflict resolution processes. The GIS-MCDA combined the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and compromise programming (CP) to generate consensus regarding the spatial pattern of conflicts. The AHP was fundamental for synthesizing the different sources of knowledge into a geospatial model. In particular, the AHP enabled the assess the salience, legitimacy, and credibility of the information produced for all involved. Results enabled the development of specific policies based upon an assessment of the risk of the loggerhead population to different levels of fishing bycatch, and the needs of the fishing communities in the region.

The Relationship of Clinical Nurses' Perceptions of Structural and Psychological Empowerment and Engagement on Their Unit.

PubMed

DiNapoli, Jean Marie; O'Flaherty, Deirdre; Musil, Carol; Clavelle, Joanne T; Fitzpatrick, Joyce J

2016-02-01

The purpose of this study was to describe relationships between structural empowerment, psychological empowerment, and engagement among clinical nurses. Empowerment and engagement are key drivers of retention and quality in healthcare. Creating an empowering culture and an engaged staff supports initiatives that are essential for positive work environments. A survey of 280 nurses in a national conference was conducted using the Conditions of Work Effectiveness, Psychological Empowerment Instrument, and the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale. Pearson correlation coefficients and multiple regression analysis were used to determine relationships between demographic data and study variables. Overall, nurses had high perceptions of structural empowerment and psychological empowerment and were moderately engaged. Also, significant positive relationships were found between the key study variables. Results show positive correlations between empowerment and perceived engagement among clinical nurses.

Empowering nurses for work engagement and health in hospital settings.

PubMed

Laschinger, Heather K Spence; Finegan, Joan

2005-10-01

Employee empowerment has become an increasingly important factor in determining employee health and wellbeing in restructured healthcare settings. The authors tested a theoretical model which specified the relationships among structural empowerment, 6 areas of worklife that promote employee engagement, and staff nurses' physical and mental health. A predictive, non-experimental design was used to test the model in a random sample of staff nurses. The authors discuss their findings and the implication for nurse administrators.

30 CFR 250.145 - How do I designate an agent or a local agent?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... require you to designate an agent empowered to fulfill your obligations under the Act, the lease, or the... approval a local agent empowered to receive notices and submit requests, applications, notices, or...

30 CFR 250.145 - How do I designate an agent or a local agent?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... require you to designate an agent empowered to fulfill your obligations under the Act, the lease, or the... approval a local agent empowered to receive notices and submit requests, applications, notices, or...

30 CFR 250.145 - How do I designate an agent or a local agent?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... require you to designate an agent empowered to fulfill your obligations under the Act, the lease, or the... approval a local agent empowered to receive notices and submit requests, applications, notices, or...

Earthwatch and the HSBC Climate Partnership: Impacting the Bottom Line One Citizen Scientist at a Time

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kusek, K. M.; Stover, D. B.; Phillips, R.; Jones, A.; Campbell, J.

2009-12-01

Earthwatch has engaged more than 90,000 citizen scientists in long-term research studies since its founding in 1971. One of its newer research and engagement programs is the HSBC Climate Partnership, a five-year global program on climate change to inspire action by individuals, businesses and governments (2007-2012). In this unique NGO-business partnership, Earthwatch has implemented five forest research-focused climate centers in the US, UK, Brazil, India and China. At each center, a team of scientists—supported by HSBC employees and local citizen scientists—is gathering data to determine how temperate and tropical forests are affected by changes in climate and human activity. Results will establish baseline data to empower forest managers, conservationists and communities with the information they need to better manage forests in a changing climate. A critical component of the program is the engagement of 2,200 HSBC employees who spend two weeks out of the office at one of the regional climate centers. They work alongside leading scientists to perform forest research by day, and participate each evening in an interactive education program on the ecological and socioeconomic impacts of climate change—including how climate change impacts HSBC’s bottom line. Their charge is to develop a project they will implement back in their office that furthers HSBC’s commitment to sustainability. In addition to the corporate engagement model, Earthwatch has successfully engaged scores of local community stakeholders in the HSBC Climate Partnership, including teachers who report back to their classrooms “live from the field,” reporters and other business/NGO leaders in modified versions of the two-week field program. New models of citizen science engagement are currently under development, and Earthwatch will share “lessons learned” and stories documenting the effectiveness of the program design from a research, engagement and business perspective. By the end of the partnership nearly 100,000 citizen science research hours will have been invested in the program globally—leading to scientific publications, policy development and citizen engagement.

Impact evaluation of Enabling Mothers to Prevent Pediatric Obesity through Web-Based Education and Reciprocal Determinism (EMPOWER) Randomized Control Trial.

PubMed

Knowlden, Adam P; Sharma, Manoj; Cottrell, Randall R; Wilson, Bradley R A; Johnson, Marcus Lee

2015-04-01

The family and home environment is an influential antecedent of childhood obesity. The purpose of this study was to pilot test The Enabling Mothers to Prevent Pediatric Obesity through Web-Based Education and Reciprocal Determinism (EMPOWER) intervention; a newly developed, theory-based, online program for prevention of childhood obesity. The two-arm, parallel group, randomized, participant-blinded trial targeted mothers with children between 4 and 6 years of age. Measures were collected at baseline, 4 weeks, and 8 weeks to evaluate programmatic effects on constructs of social cognitive theory (SCT) and obesity-related behaviors. Process evaluation transpired concurrently with each intervention session. Fifty-seven participants were randomly assigned to receive either experimental EMPOWER (n = 29) or active control Healthy Lifestyles (n = 28) intervention. Significant main effects were identified for child physical activity, sugar-free beverage consumption, and screen time, indicating that both groups improved in these behaviors. A significant group-by-time interaction was detected for child fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption as well as the SCT construct of environment in the EMPOWER cohort. An increase of 1.613 cups of FVs (95% confidence interval = [0.698, 2.529]) was found in the experimental group, relative to the active control group. Change score analysis found changes in the home environment accounted for 31.4% of the change in child FV intake for the experimental group. Child physical activity, sugar-free beverage consumption, and screen time improved in both groups over the course of the trial. Only the theory-based intervention was efficacious in increasing child FV consumption. The EMPOWER program was robust for inducing change in the home environment leading to an increase in child FV intake (Cohen's f = 0.160). © 2014 Society for Public Health Education.

Two-Year Outcomes of the Enabling Mothers to Prevent Pediatric Obesity Through Web-Based Education and Reciprocal Determinism (EMPOWER) Randomized Control Trial.

PubMed

Knowlden, Adam P; Conrad, Eric

2018-04-01

Childhood overweight and obesity is a public health epidemic with far-reaching medical, economic, and quality of life consequences. Brief, web-based interventions have received increased attention for their potential to combat childhood obesity. The purpose of our study was to evaluate a web-based, maternal-facilitated childhood obesity prevention intervention dubbed Enabling Mothers to Prevent Pediatric Obesity Through Web-Based Education and Reciprocal Determinism (EMPOWER), for its capacity to elicit sustained effects at the 2-year postintervention follow-up mark. Two interventions were evaluated using a randomized controlled trial design. The experimental, EMPOWER arm received a social cognitive theory intervention ( n = 29) designed to improve four maternal-facilitated behaviors in children (fruit and vegetable consumption, physical activity, sugar-free beverage intake, screen time). The active control arm received a knowledge-based intervention dubbed Healthy Lifestyles ( n = 28), which also targeted the same four behaviors. We identified a significant group-by-time interaction of small effect size for child fruit and vegetable consumption ( p = .033; Cohen's f = 0.139) in the EMPOWER group. The construct of maternal-facilitated environment was positively associated to improvements in child fruit and vegetable behavior. We also found significant main effects for child physical activity ( p = .024; Cohen's f = 0.124); sugar-free beverage intake ( p < .001; Cohen's f = 0.321); and screen time ( p < .001; Cohen's f = 0.303), suggesting both groups improved in these behaviors over time. The EMPOWER arm of the trial resulted in an overall increase of 1.680 daily cups of fruits and vegetables consumed by children, relative to the comparison group ( p < .001, 95% confidence interval = [1.113, 2.248]). Web-based maternal-facilitated interventions can induce sustained effects on child behaviors.

Reimagining Diversity Work: Multigenerational Learning, Adult Immigrants, and Dialogical Community-Based Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yep, Kathleen S.

2014-01-01

Interactions between universities and surrounding communities have the potential to create empowering education through community engagement. Innovative "town/gown" relationships such as multigenerational learning communities with immigrant communities may foster positive student learning outcomes while at the same time strengthen local…

Amateur Subtitling and the Pragmatics of Spectatorial Subjectivity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perez-Gonzalez, Luis

2012-01-01

Developments in communication technologies have brought about the proliferation of self-mediated textualities and empowered networks of non-professional translators to engage in participatory subtitling practices. These subtitling agencies are often part of a movement of cultural resistance against global capitalist structures and institutions,…

Empowerment an essential ingredient in the clinical environment: a review of the literature.

PubMed

Kennedy, Sara; Hardiker, Nicholas; Staniland, Karen

2015-03-01

Empowerment is an important concept worthy of attention in healthcare. The merits of empowerment are irrefutable including benefits to the organisation and to the individual nurse. Empowered nurses contribute to the clinical learning environment in a positive way. There is a dearth of literature on how or indeed if nursing students are empowered. The process of empowering registered staff/nursing students is not clear. Ward environment and culture are important contributors to patient care, patient safety and staff well-being. It is therefore necessary to address how empowerment can contribute positively to improving the environment in which care is provided. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Improving the Management of Coastal Natural Resources by Engaging and Empowering the Youth: A case study from Ghana

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Attipoe, E.

2013-12-01

In rural communities of Africa, environmental programs aiming at creating awareness on environmental issues, such as climate change, have the potential to incorporate and support the youth by strengthening their knowledge, skills, attitudes and ability to adapt to a changing physical environment. Along the coastal region of Ghana, the perception of climate change involves both young and old generations within their communities. However, most educational programs in climate change adaptation and mitigation are often targeted at adults, leaving out the participation of the youth. In most cases, this is explained by the traditional idea that adults are regarded as the educators in the community. This work investigates the roles that young people can play in environmental educational programs at the community level, especially for coastal migrant populations. Young generations may be motivators of interest, changers of attitude, and creators of awareness towards the elder generations. Different tools aimed at engaging the youth population such as interactive programs of environmental communication and management are used in this work. Using these tools, the youth will be empowered to be more involved in the decision making process, they will educate their parents, newer generations and other stakeholders and, they will organize themselves to protect the coastal natural resources. Such roles and actions have the potential of transforming communities characterized for their environment degradation by over-exploiting their local natural resources towards a community based in the exploitation of the coastal resources within a preservation context. This work also shows the resistance of the older generations to promote educational changes related to the management of the coastal resources and how this is perceived by the younger generation, who will become the future leaders.

Sharing Histories-a transformative learning/teaching method to empower community health workers to support health behavior change of mothers.

PubMed

Altobelli, Laura C

2017-08-23

One of the keys to improving health globally is promoting mothers' adoption of healthy home practices for improved nutrition and illness prevention in the first 1000 days of life from conception. Customarily, mothers are taught health messages which, even if simplified, are hard to remember. The challenge is how to promote learning and behavior change of mothers more effectively in low-resource settings where access to health information is poor, educational levels are low, and traditional beliefs are strong. In addressing that challenge, a new learning/teaching method called "Sharing Histories" is in development to improve the performance of female community health workers (CHWs) in promoting mothers' behaviors for maternal, neonatal and child health (MNCH). This method builds self-confidence and empowerment of CHWs in learning sessions that are built on guided sharing of their own memories of childbearing and child care. CHWs can later share histories with the mother, building her trust and empowerment to change. For professional primary health care staff who are not educators, Sharing Histories is simple to learn and use so that the method can be easily incorporated into government health systems and ongoing CHW programs. I present here the Sharing Histories method, describe how it differs from other social and behavior change methods, and discuss selected literature from psychology, communications, and neuroscience that helps to explain how and why this method works as a transformative tool to engage, teach, transform, and empower CHWs to be more effective change agents with other mothers in their communities, thereby contributing to the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Plating up Information Literacy as a Social Practice: A Slice of the Literature

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fafeita, Jenny; Lloyd, Annemaree

2012-01-01

Few studies in the Library and Information Studies field investigate how vocational workers use information in their learning and workplace practice. This paper introduces doctoral research that explores how apprentice chefs develop information literacy practices that enable them to learn their trade and engage with the professional practices of…

Supporting Students' Knowledge Construction and Self-Regulation through the Use of Elaborative Processing Strategies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sperling, Rayne A.; Ramsay, Crystal M.; Reeves, Philip M.; Follmer, D. Jake; Richmond, Aaron S.

2016-01-01

Theoretical and empirical support for the benefits of elaborative strategy instruction for middle level students is highlighted. Consistent with the "Keys of Educating Young Adolescents," teaching elaborative strategies enhances academic achievement, engages learners, and empowers students' future independent learning. A transactional…

Indigenous Knowledge and Culturally Responsive Methods in Information Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Becvar, Katherine; Srinivasan, Ramesh

2009-01-01

Research and professional practice in librarianship has increasingly turned to community-focused information services (CIS), which allow people to participate in creating and sharing information about themselves and their communities. These information services have a great potential to empower and engage marginalized communities; however, in this…

Reimagining Critical Theory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rexhepi, Jevdet; Torres, Carlos Alberto

2011-01-01

This paper discusses Critical Theory, a model of theorizing in the field of the political sociology of education. We argue for a "reimagined" Critical Theory to herald an empowering, liberatory education that fosters curiosity and critical thinking, and a means for successful bottom-up, top-down political engagement. We present arguments…

Confronting Diversity in the Community College Classroom: Six Maxims for Good Teaching.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gillett-Karam, Rosemary

1992-01-01

Emphasizes the leadership role of community college faculty in developing critical teaching strategies focusing attention on the needs of women and minorities. Describes six maxims of teaching excellence: engaging students' desire to learn, increasing opportunities, eliminating obstacles, empowering students through high expectations, offering…

Emergy of the Occupations. Chapter 43

EPA Science Inventory

In this paper we calculated the emergy contributed to the economy of the United States in the work done by the workers of 558 occupations in 2008. We determined the empower (semj/yr) delivered by an individual engaged in each occupation, the transformity of the occupation’s work ...

Supporting Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Higher Education in Poland. OECD Skills Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

OECD Publishing, 2017

2017-01-01

This report presents evidence-based analysis on Poland's higher education transformation process towards an innovative, interconnected and multidisciplinary entrepreneurial system, designed to empower its students and staff to demonstrate enterprise, innovation and creativity in teaching, research and societal engagement. Using the OECD-European…

Supporting Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Higher Education in Ireland. OECD Skills Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

OECD Publishing, 2017

2017-01-01

This report presents evidence-based analysis on Ireland's higher education transformation process towards an innovative, interconnected and multidisciplinary entrepreneurial system, designed to empower its students and staff to demonstrate enterprise, innovation and creativity in teaching, research and societal engagement. Using the OECD-European…

Empowering Students in Science through Active Learning: Voices From Inside the Classroom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Erickson, Sabrina Ann

Preparing students for success in the 21st century has shifted the focus of science education from acquiring information and knowledge to mastery of critical thinking and problem-solving skills. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine teacher and student perspectives of the relationship between (a) active learning, problem solving, and achievement in science and (b) the conditions that help facilitate this environment. Adapting a social constructivist theoretical framework, high school science teachers and students were interviewed, school records analyzed, curriculum documents studied, and classes observed. The findings revealed that students were engaged with the material in an active learning environment, which led to a sense of involvement, interest, and meaningful learning. Students felt empowered to take ownership of their learning, developed the critical thinking skills necessary to solve problems independently and became aware of how they learn best, which students reported as interactive learning. Moreover, student reflections revealed that an active environment contributed to deeper understanding and higher skills through interaction and discussion, including questioning, explaining, arguing, and contemplating scientific concepts with their peers. Recommendations are for science teachers to provide opportunities for students to work actively, collaborate in groups, and discuss their ideas to develop the necessary skills for achievement and for administrators to facilitate the conditions needed for active learning to occur.

Continuous Improvement and Employee Engagement, Part 2: Design, Implementation, and Outcomes of a Daily Management System.

PubMed

Maurer, Marsha; Browall, Pamela; Phelan, Cynthia; Sanchez, Sandra; Sulmonte, Kimberlyann; Wandel, Jane; Wang, Allison

2018-04-01

A daily management system (DMS) can be used to implement continuous quality improvement and advance employee engagement. It can empower staff to identify problems in the care environment that impact quality or work flow and to address them on a daily basis. Through a DMS, improvement becomes the work of everyone, every day. The authors of this 2-part series describe their work to develop a DMS. Part 2 describes the implementation and outcomes of the program.

Building a Culture of Continuous Improvement and Employee Engagement Using a Daily Management System Part 1: Overview.

PubMed

Maurer, Marsha; Canacari, Elena; Eng, Kimberly; Foley, Jane; Phelan, Cynthia; Sulmonte, Kimberlyann; Wandel, Jane

2018-03-01

A daily management system (DMS) can be used to implement continuous quality improvement and advance employee engagement. It can empower staff to identify problems in the care environment that impact quality or workflow and to address them on a daily basis. Through DMS, improvement becomes the work of everyone, every day. The authors of this 2-part series describe their work to develop a DMS. Part 1 describes the background and organizing framework of the program.

Making the invisible visible - blending data with film, CGI and intuitive apps in environmental education and public engagement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kapur, Ravi

2015-04-01

Comprehending the scale of our current environmental challenges and the possible impacts of alternative policy pathways and decisions, is a very human problem, at all levels of society. For everyone from policy negotiators to school children, the invisibility of the processes of environmental change (e.g. the increase of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere), and the timeframes over which impacts are felt, exacerbate the difficulty of both understanding and communicating about the challenge. By unleashing real environmental data and imagery in a form easily usable by educators and non-technical audiences, it is possible to greatly address this problem, whilst also engaging potential new contributors in solution-finding. The combination of real data, innovative data visualisation techniques, film, animation and apps can help to connect with the public, empower teachers and learners, and create new business opportunities. This presentation will look at these opportunities principally through two current case-study initiatives: a) New methods of presenting and enabling access to earth observation data through art, film and apps (including work led by Imperative Space); and b) The use of high-end animation to enable more intuitive understanding of climate change related data (including work led by Carbon Visuals). Through this work, we will consider the importance of 'emotional engagement' and personal impact of environmental imagery and data when presented appropriately. Our aim should be to ensure the next generation of policy and decision-makers have grown up with a routine, embedded, and day-to-day exposure to environmental data and imagery, so that they are equipped with a deep-seated understanding of the majesty, vulnerability and fragility of our environment. Emotional engagement can be derived from clear communication about the context of the imagery and data, but also through high 'production values', the quality of apps and tools, the way in which stories are told through animation and video, and the way in which imagery and data is interpreted through high quality infographics and data visualisation.

The Role of the Food Industry in Obesity Prevention.

PubMed

Binks, Martin

2016-06-01

Obesity is a complex disease of diverse etiology. Among the potential influences in the development of obesity, the food supply chain remains an important influence. We provide a conceptual overview related to the food industry's role in obesity prevention. We first discuss some limitations of current public health efforts. We then describe how a model that attends to personal autonomy in the context of supportive policy intervention can empower individuals in their efforts to navigate the food supply chain. We then provide an evidence informed overview of key areas where continued efforts to collaboratively engage the food industry, through solution-focused dialogue and action, have the potential to contribute to obesity prevention. While challenging, appropriately transparent, well-governed public-private partnerships have the demonstrated potential to benefit the communities we serve.

Public and Stakeholder Engagement and the Built Environment: a Review.

PubMed

Leyden, Kevin M; Slevin, Amanda; Grey, Thomas; Hynes, Mike; Frisbaek, Fanney; Silke, Richard

2017-09-01

We review 50 articles from 2015 and 2016 that focus upon public and stakeholder engagement as it pertains to the built environment. Our purpose is to understand the current state of the literature and approaches being used to better enable public and stakeholder engagement. As part of this review, we consider whether recent digital and mobile technologies have enabled advances for stakeholder and public participation. The literature suggests some positive and some challenging developments. Researchers clearly suggest that most policy-makers and planners understand, and to some extent, aspire toward enabling more inclusive participatory planning processes. That said, there is far less consensus as to how to make meaningful inclusive participatory processes possible even with digital, as well as more traditional, tools. This lack of consensus is true across all academic disciplines reviewed. We discuss these issues as well as current solutions offered by many scholars. We find that no single solution can be applied to different situations, as contextual factors create different problems in different situations, and that the participation process itself can create biases that can-intentionally or unintentionally-benefit some participants over others. We conclude with a series of questions for practitioners and researchers to consider when evaluating inclusive engagement.

Examining how youth of color engage youth participatory action research to interrogate racism in their science experiences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sato, Takumi C.

While many researchers have worked to address the unequal educational outcomes between White and non-White students, there are few signs of progress for people of color seeking entry into a STEM career trajectory. Starting from high school, the number of students who persist to complete a STEM bachelor's degree and obtaining a job in science or engineering continues to indicate that people of color are underrepresented. I suggest that research must consider the role of race and racism in the education of youth of color. Especially in science education, there is very little work addressing how racism may present barriers that impede progress for students along the STEM trajectory. This study is informed by critical race theory (CRT) that posits racism is endemic in society. White privilege enables the dominant group to maintain inequitable advantages that marginalizes populations of color. CRT also puts forth that counter narratives of the marginalized groups is essential to challenge the institutionalized forms of oppression. Using CRT and youth participatory action research (YPAR), this investigation re-imagines youth as capable of transforming their own social and political condition through research and action. This project asked youth of color to interrogate their own experiences as science learners, engage in research on structural inequities of STEM trajectories, plan strategic moves to challenge power structures, and take action for social justice. The youth started by exploring the concept of race and instances where racism was found in public spaces and in their personal experiences. They examined their experiences in science as a student more generally and then for racism. Then, the focus turned to conducting research with peers, observing science classrooms in another school, and using online information to compare schools. The youth planned strategic action against the racism they found in the analysis of the data that included conference presentations, using social media to communicate with peers, and teaching a science unit for middle grades peers using lessons that incorporated engaging teaching practices lacking in their student experiences. YPAR resulted in counternarratives that exposed youth encounters with systemic racism and their efforts to positively change STEM trajectories for themselves and their peers. Through YPAR, youth gained research tools and skills to critically examine the world and expose racism. While schools are purported to be places of equal opportunity for all students to learn and find success, the youth showed that institutionalized racism in schools created barriers to STEM aspirations. By planning and teaching a food and nutrition unit, the youth took aim at the institutionalized racism by taking on the role of teacher and expert while improving the science learning opportunities for their middle grades peers and themselves. In addition, planning the unit enabled the youth to conduct all of the activities before teaching the unit. Thus, the youth supplemented their own science learning. YPAR provided an empowering opportunity to challenge racism along their STEM trajectories and fight for social justice.

Smartphone apps for improving medication adherence in hypertension: patients' perspectives.

PubMed

Morrissey, Eimear C; Casey, Monica; Glynn, Liam G; Walsh, Jane C; Molloy, Gerard J

2018-01-01

Digital interventions, such as smartphone applications (apps), are becoming an increasingly common way to support medication adherence and self-management in chronic conditions. It is important to investigate how patients feel about and engage with these technologies. The aim of this study was to explore patients' perspectives on smartphone apps to improve medication adherence in hypertension. This was a qualitative study based in the West of Ireland. Twenty-four patients with hypertension were purposively sampled and engaged in focus groups. Thematic analysis on the data was carried out. Participants ranged in age from 50 to 83 years (M=65 years) with an equal split between men and women. Three major themes were identified in relation to patients' perspectives on smartphone apps to improve medication adherence in hypertension: "development of digital competence," "rules of engagement," and "sustainability" of these technologies. These data showed that patients can identify the benefits of a medication reminder and recognize that self-monitoring their blood pressure could be empowering in terms of their understanding of the condition and interactions with their general practitioners. However, the data also revealed that there are concerns about increasing health-related anxiety and doubts about the sustainability of this technology over time. This suggests that the current patient perspective of smartphone apps might be best characterized by "ambivalence."

Engaging Karen refugee students in science learning through a cross-cultural learning community

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harper, Susan G.

2017-02-01

This research explored how Karen (first-generation refugees from Burma) elementary students engaged with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) practice of constructing scientific explanations based on evidence within the context of a cross-cultural learning community. In this action research, the researcher and a Karen parent served as co-teachers for fourth- and fifth-grade Karen and non-Karen students in a science and culture after-school programme in a public elementary school in the rural southeastern United States. Photovoice provided a critical platform for students to create their own cultural discourses for the learning community. The theoretical framework of critical pedagogy of place provided a way for the learning community to decolonise and re-inhabit the learning spaces with knowledge they co-constructed. Narrative analysis of video transcripts of the after-school programme, ethnographic interviews, and focus group discussions from Photovoice revealed a pattern of emerging agency by Karen students in the scientific practice of constructing scientific explanations based on evidence and in Karen language lessons. This evidence suggests that science learning embedded within a cross-cultural learning community can empower refugee students to construct their own hybrid cultural knowledge and leverage that knowledge to engage in a meaningful way with the epistemology of science.

Time! What's That? You're Joking, I Don't Have Any!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Feather, Denis

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study is to understand how lecturers delivering college-based higher education viewed their workloads, and how this (if at all), influenced their engagement in scholastic activities, which may then enable them to become more knowledgeable in their chosen field of study. The research was of a qualitative nature, whereby…

10 CFR 810.1 - Purpose.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 10 Energy 4 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Purpose. 810.1 Section 810.1 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY ASSISTANCE TO FOREIGN ATOMIC ENERGY ACTIVITIES § 810.1 Purpose. These regulations implement section 57b of the Atomic Energy Act which empowers the Secretary of Energy to authorize U.S. persons to engage...

10 CFR 810.1 - Purpose.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 10 Energy 4 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Purpose. 810.1 Section 810.1 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY ASSISTANCE TO FOREIGN ATOMIC ENERGY ACTIVITIES § 810.1 Purpose. These regulations implement section 57b of the Atomic Energy Act which empowers the Secretary of Energy to authorize U.S. persons to engage...

10 CFR 810.1 - Purpose.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 10 Energy 4 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Purpose. 810.1 Section 810.1 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY ASSISTANCE TO FOREIGN ATOMIC ENERGY ACTIVITIES § 810.1 Purpose. These regulations implement section 57b of the Atomic Energy Act which empowers the Secretary of Energy to authorize U.S. persons to engage...

10 CFR 810.1 - Purpose.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 10 Energy 4 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Purpose. 810.1 Section 810.1 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY ASSISTANCE TO FOREIGN ATOMIC ENERGY ACTIVITIES § 810.1 Purpose. These regulations implement section 57b of the Atomic Energy Act which empowers the Secretary of Energy to authorize U.S. persons to engage...

10 CFR 810.1 - Purpose.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 10 Energy 4 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Purpose. 810.1 Section 810.1 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY ASSISTANCE TO FOREIGN ATOMIC ENERGY ACTIVITIES § 810.1 Purpose. These regulations implement section 57b of the Atomic Energy Act which empowers the Secretary of Energy to authorize U.S. persons to engage...

Empowering Adolescents for Activist Literacies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Humphrey, Sally L.

2013-01-01

An essential requirement for supporting the activist literacies of adolescents is a critical understanding of the purposes, practices and roles of engaged citizens and of the linguistic and broader semiotic resources they deploy in response to their multi-layered contexts. Drawing on theories from social semiotic and rhetorical traditions as well…

Maths Games: A Universal Design Approach to Mathematical Reasoning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buchheister, Kelley; Jackson, Christa; Taylor, Cynthia E.

2017-01-01

Providing students with an opportunity to explore mathematical content through games allows teachers to include tasks that: (1) present alternative representations of the content; (2) welcome various expressions of mathematical reasoning; and (3) incorporate variations that empower all students to engage in the problem solving process. Games not…

Reclaiming Instructional Supervision: Using Solution-Focused Strategies to Promote Teacher Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stark, Marcella D.; McGhee, Marla W.; Jimerson, Jo Beth

2017-01-01

To positively affect teacher quality, instructional leaders must engage teachers in ways that support improved practice and seek to empower teachers as creative and knowledgeable risk takers. A collaborative, strengths-based approach that promotes teacher growth, rather than one that conditions teachers to await administrator directive or…

Empowering Students' Proof Learning through Communal Engagement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ko, Yi-Yin; Yee, Sean P.; Bleiler-Baxter, Sarah K.; Boyle, Justin D.

2016-01-01

This article describes the authors' three-component instructional sequence--a before-class activity, a during-class activity, and an after-class activity--which supports students in becoming self-regulated proof learners by actively developing class-based criteria for proof. All four authors implemented this sequence in their classrooms, and the…

The Integration of Personal Learning Environments & Open Network Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tu, Chih-Hsiung; Sujo-Montes, Laura; Yen, Cherng-Jyh; Chan, Junn-Yih; Blocher, Michael

2012-01-01

Learning management systems traditionally provide structures to guide online learners to achieve their learning goals. Web 2.0 technology empowers learners to create, share, and organize their personal learning environments in open network environments; and allows learners to engage in social networking and collaborating activities. Advanced…

Engaging in School-Led Multisectoral Collaboration: Implications to Agroforestry Promotion in the Philippine Uplands

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Landicho, Leila D.; Cabahug, Rowena D.; De Luna, Catherine C.

2009-01-01

The Agroforestry Support Program for Empowering Communities Towards Self-Reliance (ASPECTS) was conceived to develop a model of two-stage approach in agroforestry promotion by capacitating the upland communities to establish community-managed agroforestry extension services, while strengthening the agroforestry education programs of the three…

21 CFR 1210.17 - Authority to sample and inspect.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 1210.17 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED... FEDERAL IMPORT MILK ACT Inspection and Testing § 1210.17 Authority to sample and inspect. Inspectors engaged in the enforcement of the Federal Import Milk Act are empowered to test for temperature, to take...

21 CFR 1210.17 - Authority to sample and inspect.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 1210.17 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED... FEDERAL IMPORT MILK ACT Inspection and Testing § 1210.17 Authority to sample and inspect. Inspectors engaged in the enforcement of the Federal Import Milk Act are empowered to test for temperature, to take...

Building Performance Optimization While Empowering Occupants towards Environmentally Sustainable Behavior through Continuous Monitoring and Diagnostics

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-12-01

3.2.7 Occupant Comfort and Satisfaction .......................................................... 23 3.2.8 Facility Manager/Operators Enhanced Fault...BEHAVIOR CHANGE .................................. 51 6.7 PO-VII: INCREASE IN OCCUPANT SATISFACTION .................................... 52 6.8 PO-VIII...Engagement and Behavioral Change ........................................ 19 3.2.7 Occupant Comfort and Satisfaction

Building 21: B21 Philadelphia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

EDUCAUSE, 2015

2015-01-01

As a non-selective neighborhood high school in the School District of Philadelphia, B21's mission is to empower networks of learners to connect with their passions and build agency to impact their world. Building 21 is organized into studios, workshops, and advisories. Core studios engage students in project-based learning. Blended learning…

Copenhagen Campaigners: An Active Citizens Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Knox, Rohan

2010-01-01

In the lead-up to the Copenhagen Climate talks in December 2009, Islington Council's Sustainable Schools Officer involved seven local schools in an engaging citizenship project entitled "Copenhagen Campaigners". The aim of the project was to raise pupil's awareness of this historic global event and empower them to take action on a local…

Using a Treat-to-Target Management Strategy to Improve the Doctor-Patient Relationship in Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

PubMed

Rubin, David T; Krugliak Cleveland, Noa

2015-09-01

The doctor-patient relationship (DPR) in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has been facing new challenges, in part due to the substantial progress in medical and surgical management and also due to the rapid expansion of patient access to medical information. Not surprisingly, the complexity of IBD care and heterogeneity of the disease types may lead to conflict between a physician's therapeutic recommendations and the patient's wishes. In this commentary, we propose that the so-called "treat-to-target" approach of objective targets of disease control and serial adjustments to therapies can also strengthen the DPR in IBD by enabling defined trials of alternative approaches, followed by a more objective assessment and reconsideration of treatments. We contend that such respect for patient autonomy and the use of objective markers of disease activity improves the DPR by fostering trust and both engaging and empowering patients and physicians with the information necessary to make shared decisions about therapies.

Consideration of Shared Decision Making in Nursing: A Review of Clinicians’ Perceptions and Interventions

PubMed Central

Clark, Noreen M; Nelson, Belinda W; Valerio, Melissa A; Gong, Z. Molly; Taylor-Fishwick, Judith C; Fletcher, Monica

2009-01-01

As the number of individuals with chronic illness increases so has the need for strategies to enable nurses to engage them effectively in daily management of their conditions. Shared decision making between patients and nurses is one approach frequently discussed in the literature. This paper reviews recent studies of shared decision making and the meaning of findings for the nurse-patient relationship. Patients likely to prefer to engage in shared decision making are younger and have higher levels of education. However, there is a lack of evidence for the effect of shared decision making on patient outcomes. Further, studies are needed to examine shared decision making when the patient is a child. Nurses are professionally suited to engage their patients fully in treatment plans. More evidence for how shared decision making affects outcomes and how nurses can successfully achieve such engagement is needed. PMID:19855848

'Re-engage' pilot study protocol: a nurse-led eHealth intervention to re-engage, educate and empower childhood cancer survivors.

PubMed

Signorelli, Christina; Wakefield, Claire E; Johnston, Karen A; Fardell, Joanna E; Brierley, Mary-Ellen E; Thornton-Benko, Elysia; Foreman, Tali; Webber, Kate; Wallace, W Hamish; Cohn, Richard J

2018-04-12

Many childhood cancer survivors are disengaged from cancer-related follow-up care despite being at high risk of treatment-related late effects. Innovative models of long-term follow-up (LTFU) care to manage ongoing treatment-related complications are needed. 'Re-engage' is a nurse-led eHealth intervention designed to improve survivors' health-related self-efficacy, targeted at survivors disengaged from follow-up. Re-engage aims to overcome survivor- and parent-reported barriers to care and ensure survivors receive the care most appropriate to their risk level. This study will recruit 30 Australian childhood cancer survivors who are not receiving any cancer-related care. Participation involves two online/telephone consultations with a survivorship nurse for medical assessment, a case review, risk stratification and creation of a care plan by a multidisciplinary team of specialists. We will assess the feasibility of implementing 'Re-engage' and its acceptability to participants and health professionals involved. The primary outcome will be survivors' health-related self-efficacy, measured at baseline and 1 and 6 months postintervention. Secondary outcomes will include the effect of 'Re-engage' on survivors' health behaviours and beliefs, engagement in healthcare, information needs and emotional well-being. We will also document the cost per patient to deliver 'Re-engage'. If Re-engage is acceptable, feasible and demonstrates early efficacy, it may have the potential to empower survivors in coordinating their complex care, improving survivors' long-term engagement and satisfaction with care. Ideally, it will be implemented into clinical practice to recall survivors lost to follow-up and reduce the ongoing burden of treatment for childhood cancer. The study protocol has been approved by the South Eastern Sydney Local Health District Human Research Ethics Committee (reference number: 16/366). The results will be disseminated in peer-reviewed journals and at scientific conferences. A lay summary will be published on the Behavioural Sciences Unit website. ACTRN12618000194268. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Empowering peer group leaders for HIV prevention in Malawi.

PubMed

McCreary, Linda L; Kaponda, Chrissie P N; Davis, Kristina; Kalengamaliro, Mary; Norr, Kathleen F

2013-09-01

Behavioral change interventions using peer group leaders are effective and widely used, but few studies have examined how being a peer group leader affects the leaders. This study describes how participants felt being a peer group leader affected their lives. This descriptive qualitative study interviewed 18 experienced peer group leaders who had conducted a multisession human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention peer group intervention in rural Malawi. We used inductive content analysis and comparisons within and between cases. Three major themes were identified. All leaders said they experienced personal changes in their knowledge, attitudes, or HIV prevention behaviors. They described interacting with family, neighbors, and friends, and speaking at church or community meetings, to discuss HIV prevention issues. They increased their self-efficacy to engage others in sensitive HIV prevention issues, developed a self-identity as a change agent, and came to be recognized in their community as trustworthy advisors about HIV and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. These three themes, taken together, form the meta-theme of psychological empowerment. Being a peer group leader empowered the leaders as change agents for HIV prevention and had impacts in the community after the intervention ended, potentially increasing the long-term effectiveness and cost effectiveness of peer group interventions. Healthcare workers and community volunteers who led HIV prevention sessions continued HIV prevention activities in the community and workplace after the program ended. Training health workers as volunteer HIV prevention leaders offers a strategy to bring HIV prevention to limited-resource settings, despite health worker shortages. © 2013 Sigma Theta Tau International.

Corporate Social Responsibility and Employee Engagement: Enabling Employees to Employ More of Their Whole Selves at Work

PubMed Central

Glavas, Ante

2016-01-01

Research at the individual level of corporate social responsibility (CSR) has been growing rapidly. Yet we still lack a more complete understanding of why and how individuals (i.e., employees) are affected by CSR. This study contributes to that gap by exploring the relationship between CSR and employee engagement. Moreover, in order to address the problem of low levels of employee engagement in the workplace, CSR is proposed and tested as a pathway for engaging a significant part of the workforce. Building on engagement theory, a model is tested in which CSR enables employees to bring more of their whole selves to work, which results in employees being more engaged. Data from 15,184 employees in a large professional service firm in the USA was analyzed using structural equation modeling. Results show that authenticity (i.e., being able to show one’s whole self at work) positively and significantly mediates the relationship between CSR and employee engagement. However, the other mediator tested in this study, perceived organizational support (POS; i.e., direct benefits to the employee), did not significantly mediate the relationship. In addition, results of moderated mediation suggest that when CSR is extra-role (i.e., not embedded in one’s job design such as volunteering), it weakens the relationship between CSR and employee engagement. Moreover, post hoc analyses show that even when POS is controlled for, authenticity has an impact above and beyond POS on employee engagement. These results extend prior CSR literature which has often been top–down and has focused on how employees will be positively affected by what the organization can give them (e.g., POS). Rather, a bottom–up approach might reveal that the more that employees can give of their whole selves, the more engaged they might be at work. PMID:27303352

Corporate Social Responsibility and Employee Engagement: Enabling Employees to Employ More of Their Whole Selves at Work.

PubMed

Glavas, Ante

2016-01-01

Research at the individual level of corporate social responsibility (CSR) has been growing rapidly. Yet we still lack a more complete understanding of why and how individuals (i.e., employees) are affected by CSR. This study contributes to that gap by exploring the relationship between CSR and employee engagement. Moreover, in order to address the problem of low levels of employee engagement in the workplace, CSR is proposed and tested as a pathway for engaging a significant part of the workforce. Building on engagement theory, a model is tested in which CSR enables employees to bring more of their whole selves to work, which results in employees being more engaged. Data from 15,184 employees in a large professional service firm in the USA was analyzed using structural equation modeling. Results show that authenticity (i.e., being able to show one's whole self at work) positively and significantly mediates the relationship between CSR and employee engagement. However, the other mediator tested in this study, perceived organizational support (POS; i.e., direct benefits to the employee), did not significantly mediate the relationship. In addition, results of moderated mediation suggest that when CSR is extra-role (i.e., not embedded in one's job design such as volunteering), it weakens the relationship between CSR and employee engagement. Moreover, post hoc analyses show that even when POS is controlled for, authenticity has an impact above and beyond POS on employee engagement. These results extend prior CSR literature which has often been top-down and has focused on how employees will be positively affected by what the organization can give them (e.g., POS). Rather, a bottom-up approach might reveal that the more that employees can give of their whole selves, the more engaged they might be at work.

Empowered to Play: A Case Study Describing the Impact of Powered Mobility on the Exploratory Play of Disabled Children.

PubMed

Sonday, Amshuda; Gretschel, Pam

2016-03-01

Exploratory play is one of the most vital ways in which children learn about their environment and develop. It is well documented that limited mobility restricts a child's ability to engage in their environment through exploratory play. In this study, a qualitative, collective case study design explored the impact of powered mobility on the exploratory play of two children with physical disabilities. Data were collected from the children, their parents and their siblings through participant observation and in-depth, informal interviews. This paper focuses on two themes: Opportunity to Play revealed how powered mobility increased opportunities for the children to become more actively engaged in exploratory play with others across a wider array of contexts, and My Child was Transformed highlighted significant changes in the affect and motivation of each child, which seemed to be linked to their increased internal control over their play choices. The findings suggest that the provision of powered mobility is a key contributor promoting the participation of physically disabled children in exploratory play. Because of undergraduate curricular constraints, a limitation of this study was that data were only confined to 2 months; affecting the depth of data gained that prolonged engagement would have offered. The study recommends for occupational therapy practice that occupational therapists advocate for easier access to powered mobility through governmental and policy means. The study also recommends further research be conducted on the experiences of the caregivers on how these powered mobility devices have influenced their day-to-day occupations. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Towards multidimensional approaches to early childhood science education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siry, Christina

2014-06-01

In this forum paper, I respond to issues raised by Kristina Andersson and Annica Gullberg in their article titled What is science in preschool and what do teachers have to know to empower children? (2012). I seek to continue the discussion begun with Andersson and Gullberg's paper, by further exploring the questions they introduce to guide their paper: "What is science in preschool?" and "What do teachers have to know to empower children?" In particular, I elaborate on the value of drawing on multiple perspectives and different epistemological frameworks, and I argue for the need for a reconceptualized notion of science as a school discipline; one that acknowledges the multifaceted ways in which young children engage in science.

A Pathway for Mathematical Practices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wenrick, Melanie; Behrend, Jean L.; Mohs, Laura C.

2013-01-01

How can teachers engage students in learning essential mathematics? The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics recommends using "contexts that promote problem solving, reasoning, communication, making connections, and designing and analyzing representations" (NCTM 2006, p. 11). Understanding the Process Standards (NCTM 2000) enables teachers…

Empowering school social work practices for positive youth development: Hong Kong experience.

PubMed

To, Siu-ming

2007-01-01

Empowerment has become a popular concept in working with adolescents in recent years. It challenges the deficit model of youth work and focuses on creating a facilitative climate in which young people can make maximum use of the opportunity to learn and grow. While many practitioners have adopted the empowerment approach in youth services, however, we know little about the possibilities for empowerment practice in the field of school social work. Based on the findings of a qualitative study conducted in Hong Kong, this paper explores how school social workers engage in different dimensions of empowerment: (1) the personal dimension in regard to how students recapture a sense of competence to meet life challenges and fight for their own benefits; (2) the school and community dimensions in regard to how practitioners collaborate with service users and partners to initiate constructive changes to school policies and strengthen the school-community partnership for student development; and (3) the institutional dimension in regard to how practitioners play the advocacy role in the education sector. The findings provide rich information for other youth workers, especially those who render service in the school setting, as they apply the empowerment approach in daily practice.

Time for change in community nursing? A critique of the implementation of the Review of Nursing in the Community across NHS Scotland.

PubMed

Dickson, Caroline A W; Coulter Smith, Margaret A

2013-03-01

Current literature underpinning change is examined and a critique offered of the implementation of the role of the generic Community Health Nurse in Scotland, from a leadership and cultural perspective. In November 2006, Government strategy outlined a new service model for community nursing to be implemented in four demonstration sites across Scotland. Almost two-thirds of community nurses were not supportive of the model. There was belief this generic role would not meet the health needs of patients and carers. Evidence supporting the model is presented and the implementation process evaluated from leadership and cultural perspectives. The literature is examined to offer explanations as to why implementation was unsuccessful. Transformational and transactional leadership at all levels of the organization are required to make change happen. Evidence supporting change provides an impetus for change. The culture of an organization should be recognized and harnessed during the change process. Effective facilitation will empower staff to make change happen. Engagement with staff is vital, at the beginning of the change process. The concept of 'nearby' leadership offers an enabling style of leadership at an individual and group level which will enable effective change. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Challenges with implementing malaria rapid diagnostic tests at primary care facilities in a Ghanaian district: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Boadu, Nana Yaa; Amuasi, John; Ansong, Daniel; Einsiedel, Edna; Menon, Devidas; Yanow, Stephanie K

2016-02-27

Rapid diagnostic Tests (RDTs) for malaria enable diagnostic testing at primary care facilities in resource-limited settings, where weak infrastructure limits the use of microscopy. In 2010, Ghana adopted a test-before-treat guideline for malaria, with RDT use promoted to facilitate diagnosis. Yet healthcare practitioners still treat febrile patients without testing, or despite negative malaria test results. Few studies have explored RDT implementation beyond the notions of provider or patient acceptability. The aim of this study was to identify the factors directly influencing malaria RDT implementation at primary care facilities in a Ghanaian district. Qualitative interviews, focus groups and direct observations were conducted with 50 providers at six purposively selected primary care facilities in the Atwima-Nwabiagya district. Data were analysed thematically. RDT implementation was hampered by: (1) healthcare delivery constraints (weak supply chain, limited quality assurance and control, inadequate guideline emphasis, staffing limitations); (2) provider perceptions (entrenched case-management paradigms, limited preparedness for change); (3) social dynamics of care delivery (expected norms of provider-patient interaction, test affordability); and (4) limited provider engagement in policy processes leading to fragmented implementation of health sector reform. Limited health system capacity, socio-economic, political, and historical factors hampered malaria RDT implementation at primary care facilities in the study district. For effective RDT implementation providers must be: (1) adequately enabled through efficient allocation and management of essential healthcare commodities; (2) appropriately empowered with the requisite knowledge and skill through ongoing, effective professional development; and (3) actively engaged in policy dialogue to demystify socio-political misconceptions that hinder health sector reform policies from improving care delivery. Clear, consistent guideline emphasis, with complementary action to address deep-rooted provider concerns will build their confidence in, and promote uptake of recommended policies, practices, and technology for diagnosing malaria.

Leadership Perspective: Bringing Nursing Back to the Future Through People-Powered Care.

PubMed

Sharkey, Shirlee; Lefebre, Nancy

2017-01-01

At a time when there is a growing interest in person- and family-centred care and integrated community-based models, the unique strengths and expertise of home care nursing is a strategic lever for change across all healthcare settings. In this paper, we explore the theme of people-powered care as a universal starting point - a new approach to health and wellness that is anchored in the strengths of people, their networks and the patterns of everyday life. Leveraging key insights from home and community care, along with broader societal shifts towards personalization and empowerment, we discuss how nurses in all areas of the system can lead the way by empowering staff, patients and their families. Finally, we look at the implications for nursing leadership including how our knowledge, skills and abilities must continue to evolve to effectively impact change and enable this vital transformation to occur.

A Dream Attained or Deferred? Examination of Production and Placement of Latino Administrators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crawford, Emily R.; Fuller, Edward J.

2017-01-01

More work is needed to engage the talents and empower Latino students to reach their full academic potential. We suggest that one potential cause for Latino student underperformance is the underrepresentation of Latino school leaders. Research suggests that school leaders who understand the cultural background and lived experiences of students…

The Construction of Deaf Children as Marginal Bilinguals in the Mainstream

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mckee, Rachel Locker

2008-01-01

The political discourse of Deaf ethnolinguistic identity has empowered Deaf people in recent decades to deconstruct a pathological model of deafness and the deficit pedagogy that centres on acquisition of speech and social assimilation. The engagement of Deaf community members in consultation and employment in the New Zealand (NZ) education system…

Community Engagement to End Child Early Forced Marriage--Experiences in Selected South Asian Countries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ferreira, Frances J.; Kamal, Mostafa Azad

2017-01-01

Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5, "achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls", emphasises the need for "providing women and girls with equal access to education, health care, decent work, and representation in political and economic decision-making processes [which] will fuel sustainable economies and benefit…

Enriching English Learner Education through School and Community Partnerships

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

López, Ruth M.

2015-01-01

Community partnerships allow schools and districts to empower and engage a broad range of English learners and their families in culturally responsive ways to support student learning and socio-emotional development. This article serves as an introduction to this issue of "Voices in Urban Education." This issue focuses on out-of-school…

Innovation through Collaborative Course Development: Theory and Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aiken, K. Damon; Heinze, Timothy C.; Meuter, Matthew L.; Chapman, Kenneth J.

2016-01-01

A pressing issue for educators is the difficulty in fostering engagement and vesting students in courses. A new pedagogical model labeled Collaborative Course Development (CCD) has evolved as a viable solution. CCD not only allows students to be actively involved in initial course design but also empowers them to make decisions about class…

Empowering Children with Adaptive Technology Skills: Careful Engagement in the Digital Information Age

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huda, Miftachul; Jasmi, Kamarul Azmi; Mustari, Mohd Ismail; Basiron, Bushrah; Hehsan, Aminudin; Shahrill, Masitah; Gassama, Saikou Kawsu

2017-01-01

The technological advancement occurring in the world today has a potency to create positive and negative side effects especially on children. The positive side may entail increased empathy and acceptance of diversity through modelling the prosocial behaviours, while the negative can be manifest in aggressive behaviour, risky sexual behaviour, and…

Battery Farming or Free Ranging: Towards Citizen Participation in E-Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hall, Richard

2006-01-01

This article presents a model for conceptualising learner involvement in online environments. It takes as its starting point the emerging approach to service-user engagement in public-sector change in the United Kingdom. This is focused upon civic inclusion and empowered decision making. In turn this personalisation is related to issues…

Reducing Sexual Violence on Campus: The Role of Student Leaders as Empowered Bystanders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Banyard, Victoria L.; Moynihan, Mary M.; Crossman, Maria T.

2009-01-01

Sexual violence is a widespread problem for college communities. Students, faculty, and staff are increasingly involved in prevention efforts. To date, however, evaluation of sexual violence prevention programs has shown mixed results. One promising new practice teaches segments of college communities to be engaged, positive bystanders. It aims to…

Empowering Catholic Communicators: A Trivium Heuristic for First-Year Writing Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hurley, Gavin F.

2017-01-01

First-year writing courses at Catholic colleges and universities can provide students the communicative tools to intellectually engage with Catholic doctrines and beliefs in the public sphere. However, writing programs can neglect to balance grammar, logic, and rhetoric. This article provides a practical Catholic first-year writing course design…

The CERCA School Report Card: Communities Creating Education Quality. Implementation Manual

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guio, Ana Florez; Chesterfield, Ray; Siri, Carmen

2006-01-01

This manual provides a step-by-step methodology for promoting community participation in improving learning in local schools. The Civic Engagement for Education Reform in Central America (CERCA) School Report Card (SRC) approach empowers local school communities to gather information on the quality and conditions of teaching and learning in their…

It's a Balancing Act: The "Good" Teacher and "Ally" Identity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Melissa J.

2015-01-01

This study examines teachers' narratives about their support of LGBTQ students and their reasons for engaging in this work. The teachers represented here are past participants of the Reduction of Stigma in Schools--a professional development program that aims to provide teachers with knowledge and tools that will empower them to create affirming…

Heart to Heart Art: Empowering Homeless Children and Youth

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shepard, Jerri; Booth, Deborah

2009-01-01

This article describes Heart to Heart Art, an after-school program developed for homeless children and youth at the YWCA in Spokane, Washington. Pre-service teacher candidates from a local university create meaningful activities that engage homeless students in visual art, music, drama, cooking, and community service. Heart to Heart Art was…

Effectiveness of a Social Change Approach to Sexual Assault Prevention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Edwards, Keith E.

2009-01-01

The author examined the impact on resident assistants of a social change approach to sexual assault prevention. The interactive multi-media program focused on engaging men on sexual assault prevention, accurately defining rape for college men and women, identifying aspects of the rape culture in society and on-campus, and empowering college…

Critical Media Literacy as Engaged Pedagogy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hammer, Rhonda

2011-01-01

Given the escalating role of media and new media in our everyday lives, there is an urgent need for courses in Critical Media Literacy, at all levels of schooling. The empowering nature of these kinds of courses is demonstrated through a discussion of a Critical Media Literacy course taught at UCLA. (Contains 1 note.)

A Different Kind of Community Theatre: Performance Projects with GLBT Adolescents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Freire, Michelle Ebert

2007-01-01

The author's training and experience in educational theatre has provided her with examples of the therapeutic power that engagement in dramatic activity can have on individuals and groups. In this article, the author reflects on empowering performance projects with gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) teens at the Rainbow Pride Youth…

Navigating Layers of Teacher Uncertainty among Preservice Science and Mathematics Teachers Engaged in Action Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Capobianco, Brenda M.; Ní Ríordáin, Máire

2015-01-01

Action research provides valuable opportunities for preservice teachers to improve their practice, their understanding of their practice, and the situation in which their practice takes place. Moreover, action research empowers preservice teachers to critically examine an experience that demonstrates their potential to be influential researchers…

Adopting a Proactive Approach to Good Health: A Way Forward for Rural Australians

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Penman, Joy; Ellis, Bronwyn

2010-01-01

Minimising discrepancies between Australia's rural and the more favourable urban health status relates to more than workforce recruitment, retention and access to health services: A proactive strategy, using resources at hand, can empower people to improve their health. Academics from a nurse education unit have, therefore, regularly engaged with…

Youth Empowerment and Contemporary Art: Where Are We Now?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Linzer, Danielle

2014-01-01

In the 1990s, a handful of arts institutions made an unprecedented effort to engage young people through intensive programming geared directly at adolescent audiences--teen councils and apprenticeships sprouted up across the country and sought to welcome and empower teens within the museum. The Whitney Museum of American Art is currently leading a…

Empowering Teachers to Implement Innovative Content in Physical Education through Continuous Professional Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Braga, Luciana; Jones, Emily; Bulger, Sean; Elliott, Eloise

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine teacher perceptions regarding their experiences in a research-informed continuous professional development (CPD) initiative and its influence on their professional readiness to implement innovative content in physical education (PE). Participants included four PE teachers who engaged in a series of hands-on…

Composing on the Screen: Student Perceptions of Traditional and Multimodal Composition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parker Beard, Jeannie

2012-01-01

When college composition teachers carefully consider the role and function of multimodal composition in their classrooms, they can enhance the teaching of writing and communication, engage and empower students, and better prepare students for the challenges and possibilities of life in our rapidly changing digital age. To meet this teaching…

Single-Event Rapid Word Collection Workshops: Efficient, Effective, Empowering

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boerger, Brenda H.; Stutzman, Verna

2018-01-01

In this paper we describe single-event Rapid Word Collection (RWC) workshop results in 12 languages, and compare these results to fieldwork lexicons collected by other means. We show that this methodology of collecting words by semantic domain by community engagement leads to obtaining more words in less time than conventional collection methods.…

"Flow" in Art Therapy: Empowering Immigrant Children with Adjustment Difficulties

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Seung Yeon

2013-01-01

This qualitative multiple-case study explored the experience of flow in individual art therapy with three Korean immigrant children who had difficulties adjusting to their new home and school circumstances in the United States. Flow theory was used to interpret data collected from the children's engaged art-making experiences and illuminated the…

Identify the Best Evidence for School and Student Improvement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thessin, Rebecca A.

2016-01-01

Empowering teachers to use data effectively as part of a process of instructional improvement calls for schools and districts to engage in systematic collection and analysis of evidence as part of an ongoing school improvement cycle. In research and practice, the author has identified four steps school leaders--supported by central office--must…

"Beautiful You": Creating Contexts for Students to Become Agents of Social Change

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fisette, Jennifer L.; Walton, Theresa A.

2015-01-01

The authors argue for creating a context within education where teachers can utilize critical pedagogical practices to explicate the hidden curriculum, explore students' sense of self and embodied identities, and engage students to empower themselves to speak up and take action about issues of embodiment and their understanding of social…

Social Networking Technologies as Vehicles of Support for Women in Learning Communities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burgess, Kimberly R.

2009-01-01

Women have long since used social networking as a means of coping with their struggles, educating and empowering themselves, engaging in broader social movements, and building international advocacy. Internet communities that are designed and facilitated to be inclusive of women's experiences can be important social spaces where women feel…

Engaging Minority University STEM Education Professors in the Science of Climate Change: Recruitment, Implementation and Evaluation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hayden, L. B.; Hale, S. R.; Johnson, D.

2013-12-01

Elizabeth City State University has joined with the University of New Hampshire under the NASA Innovations in Climate Education (NICE) to empower faculty of education programs at Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) to better engage their pre-service teachers in teaching and learning about global climate change through the use of NASA Earth observation data sets. This project is designed to impact teaching first on college campuses within science education classes. Second, as pre-service teachers transition into in-service teachers, the impact will extend to elementary and secondary classrooms. Our goal is to empower faculty of education programs at Minority Serving Institutions to better engage their pre-service teachers in teaching and learning about global climate change through the use of NASA Earth observation data sets. This presentation documents the efforts to recruit two cohorts of STEM education faculty from MSIs along with the associated implementation and program evaluation efforts. To date, thirty-four (34) faculty from over a dozen MSIs have participated in the summer workshops. Recruitment efforts have focused on interactions with faculty in campus and conference settings. This has included the Johnson C. Smith University conference, the Minorities (QEM) Network Workshop on Evidence-Based STEM Instructional Strategies and the Annual Minority Serving Institutions Technical Assistance and Capacity Conference. The primary implementation mechanism was a one-week summer workshop conducted each year. ECSU hosted the first summer workshop and UNH hosted the second workshop. During each workshop, faculty had an opportunity to engage in activities using NASA Earth observation data, and benefited from engaged instruction and interaction with scientists who routinely use these datasets in their professional practice. This provided a comprehensive learning environment ensuring the transfer of the know-how on utilizing NASA datasets and tools in climate change education from researcher to science educator to pre-service STEM teacher. The faculty conducted field work that emphasizes place-based pedagogy. They worked with NASA satellite imagery data from the MODIS and SeaWiFS sensors, and discussed the challenges and approaches to integrating all or some of the lessons into their courses. Program Evaluation efforts, led by Learning Innovations at WestEd, includes formative and summative evaluation related to the outcomes of the project. Evaluators worked with project staff to create a logic model that clearly articulates a theory of action for the project. Included in the evaluation model were online questionnaires and focus group protocols. There exist evidence to show that the MSI faculty who participate in the workshop are using the information learned to engage their pre-service teachers in teaching and learning about global climate change through the use of NASA Earth observation sets.

The ontogeny of cultural learning.

PubMed

Tomasello, Michael

2016-04-01

All primates engage in one or another form of social learning. Humans engage in cultural learning. From very early in ontogeny human infants and young children do not just learn useful things from others, they conform to others in order to affiliate with them and to identify with the cultural group. The cultural group normatively expects such conformity, and adults actively instruct children so as to ensure it. Young children learn from this instruction how the world is viewed and how it works in their culture. These special forms of cultural learning enable powerful and species-unique processes of cumulative cultural evolution. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A survey of Lab Tests Online-UK users: a key resource for patients to empower and help them understand their laboratory test results.

PubMed

Leyland, Rebecca; Freedman, Danielle B

2016-11-01

Background Lab Tests Online-UK celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2014 and to mark the occasion the first comprehensive survey of website users was undertaken. Methods A pop-up box with a link to Survey Monkey was used to offer website users the chance to participate in the survey, which was live from 4 March 2014 to 11 April 2014. Results Six hundred and sixty-one participants started the questionnaire and 338 completed all of the demographic questions. Although the website is designed and aimed at patients and the public, a significant number of respondents were health-care professionals (47%). The majority of survey participants found the Lab Tests Online-UK website via a search engine and were visiting the site for themselves. The majority of participants found what they were looking for on the website and found the information very easy or fairly easy to understand. The patient respondents were keen to see their laboratory test results (87%), but the majority did not have access (60%) at the time of the survey. Conclusions This survey provides good evidence that the Lab Tests Online-UK website is a useful resource for patients and health-care professionals alike. It comes at a poignant time as the release of results direct to patients starts with access to their medical records. The Lab Tests Online-UK website has a key role in enabling patients to understand their lab test results, and therefore empowering them to take an interest and engage in their own healthcare.

A qualitative study of how patients with type 2 diabetes use an electronic stand-alone personal health record.

PubMed

Fuji, Kevin T; Abbott, Amy A; Galt, Kimberly A

2015-04-01

Patient use of personal health records (PHRs) to manage their health information has been proposed to enhance patient knowledge and empower patients to make changes in their self-care behaviors. However, there remains a gap in understanding about patients' actual PHR use behaviors. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how patients with type 2 diabetes used a PHR to manage their diabetes-related health information for self-care. Fifty-nine patients with type 2 diabetes were interviewed 3-6 months after receiving initial training on a free-of-charge, Web-based PHR. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using an iterative process of in vivo coding, categorization, and theme development. Nine themes emerged, three of which expressed positive experiences: complete and accessible record; increased awareness; and behavioral changes. The remaining six themes expressed negative experiences: out of sight, out of mind; I would have used it if I were sicker; economic, infrastructure, and computer literacy barriers; lack of patient-provider engagement; double tracking; and privacy and security concerns. Despite some potential positive benefits resulting from PHR use, several barriers inhibited sustained and effective use over time. Provider and patient education about the benefits of PHR use and about the potential for filling in information gaps in the provider-based record is key to engage patients and stimulate PHR adoption and use.

A Rapid Method for Quantifiying the Empower Density of States: Application of the LDI to Minnesota and Maryland

EPA Science Inventory

The Landscape Development Index (LDI) has been shown to correspond well with measures of human impacts on natural systems. The LDI is calculated using the empower density of nonrenewable emergy use on the landscape. One question regarding its general applicability is, “How do the...

Gender Equality Matters: Empowering Women through Literacy Programmes. UIL Policy Brief 3

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning, 2014

2014-01-01

The third in UIL's current series of policy briefs, titled "Gender equality matters: Empowering women through literacy programmes," offers research-informed analysis and action-oriented recommendations for local and national governments, providers of literacy programmes and educators on how to reduce the gender gap in adult literacy.…

What's RITE in St. Louis? Empowering Urban Youth through a Community Tutoring Collaborative

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cochran, Judith A.; Gardner-Andrews, Anna; Benson, Prescott W.; Durbin, Timothy; Peeler, Michelle

2017-01-01

This study profiles tutoring programs that empower urban youth within the Regional Institute of Tutorial Education (RITE), a community collaborative of universities, youth agencies, community service organizations, and school districts. Representative members of RITE detail how they address shared urban problems of academic deficits, school…

Listening to Others' Voices (LOV) Project: An Empowering Strategy Incorporating Marginalized Perspectives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Minsung; Ryu, Jae-Myong

2014-01-01

This study introduces the Listening to Others' Voices (LOV) project, an empowering strategy in geography education. This research aims to create a dataset detailing the perspectives of negatively stereotyped countries with respect to how their countries are portrayed in geography textbooks and to investigate the pedagogical effects of the LOV…

75 FR 3693 - Empowering Parents and Protecting Children in an Evolving Media Landscape

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-01-22

... children from the risks inherent in use of these technologies. DATES: Comments are due February 24, 2010... Parents and Protecting Children in an Evolving Media Landscape AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission... 61308, Nov. 24, 2009) seeking comment on how to empower parents to help their children take advantage of...

Empowering Adolescent Girls in Developing Countries: The Potential Role of Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murphy-Graham, Erin; Lloyd, Cynthia

2016-01-01

This article proposes a conceptual framework for how education can promote adolescent girls' empowerment and, by mapping the field, highlights promising examples of empowering education programs. We conclude by identifying both research and programmatic opportunities for the future that will harness the expertise of a range of specialists from the…

Empowering Organizations: Approaches to Tobacco Control through Youth Empowerment Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

LeRoy, Lisa; Benet, Dana Jones; Mason, Theresa; Austin, W. David; Mills, Sherry

2004-01-01

Whereas most evaluations of youth empowerment focus on individual outcomes (i.e., were individual youths empowered?), this article focuses on the program as the unit of analysis and seeks to explain how organizational structures, program design features, and processes lead to organizational empowerment (OE). OE is defined as organizational efforts…

Patient engagement in clinical communication: an exploratory study.

PubMed

Chaboyer, Wendy; McMurray, Anne; Marshall, Andrea; Gillespie, Brigid; Roberts, Shelley; Hutchinson, Alison M; Botti, Mari; McTier, Lauren; Rawson, Helen; Bucknall, Tracey

2016-09-01

Existing practice strategies for actively involving patients in care during hospitalisation are poorly understood. The aim of this study was to explore how healthcare professionals engaged patients in communication associated with care transitions. An instrumental, collective case study approach was used to generate empirical data about patient transitions in care. A purposive sample of key stakeholders representing (i) patients and their families; (ii) hospital discharge planning team members; and (iii) healthcare professionals was recruited in five Australian health services. Individual and group semi-structured interviews were conducted to elicit detailed explanations of patient engagement in transition planning. Interviews lasted between 30 and 60 minutes and were digitally recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data collection and analysis were conducted simultaneously and continued until saturation was achieved. Thematic analysis was undertaken. Five themes emerged as follows: (i) organisational commitment to patient engagement; (ii) the influence of hierarchical culture and professional norms on patient engagement; (iii) condoning individual healthcare professionals' orientations and actions; (iv) understanding and negotiating patient preferences; and (v) enacting information sharing and communication strategies. Most themes illustrated how patient engagement was enabled; however, barriers also existed. Our findings show that strong organisational and professional commitment to patient-centred care throughout the organisation was a consistent feature of health services that actively engaged patients in clinical communication. Understanding patients' needs and preferences and having both formal and informal strategies to engage patients in clinical communication were important in how this involvement occurred. © 2016 Nordic College of Caring Science.

Second generation registry framework.

PubMed

Bellgard, Matthew I; Render, Lee; Radochonski, Maciej; Hunter, Adam

2014-01-01

Information management systems are essential to capture data be it for public health and human disease, sustainable agriculture, or plant and animal biosecurity. In public health, the term patient registry is often used to describe information management systems that are used to record and track phenotypic data of patients. Appropriate design, implementation and deployment of patient registries enables rapid decision making and ongoing data mining ultimately leading to improved patient outcomes. A major bottleneck encountered is the static nature of these registries. That is, software developers are required to work with stakeholders to determine requirements, design the system, implement the required data fields and functionality for each patient registry. Additionally, software developer time is required for ongoing maintenance and customisation. It is desirable to deploy a sophisticated registry framework that can allow scientists and registry curators possessing standard computing skills to dynamically construct a complete patient registry from scratch and customise it for their specific needs with little or no need to engage a software developer at any stage. This paper introduces our second generation open source registry framework which builds on our previous rare disease registry framework (RDRF). This second generation RDRF is a new approach as it empowers registry administrators to construct one or more patient registries without software developer effort. New data elements for a diverse range of phenotypic and genotypic measurements can be defined at any time. Defined data elements can then be utilised in any of the created registries. Fine grained, multi-level user and workgroup access can be applied to each data element to ensure appropriate access and data privacy. We introduce the concept of derived data elements to assist the data element standards communities on how they might be best categorised. We introduce the second generation RDRF that enables the user-driven dynamic creation of patient registries. We believe this second generation RDRF is a novel approach to patient registry design, implementation and deployment and a significant advance on existing registry systems.

Second generation registry framework

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Information management systems are essential to capture data be it for public health and human disease, sustainable agriculture, or plant and animal biosecurity. In public health, the term patient registry is often used to describe information management systems that are used to record and track phenotypic data of patients. Appropriate design, implementation and deployment of patient registries enables rapid decision making and ongoing data mining ultimately leading to improved patient outcomes. A major bottleneck encountered is the static nature of these registries. That is, software developers are required to work with stakeholders to determine requirements, design the system, implement the required data fields and functionality for each patient registry. Additionally, software developer time is required for ongoing maintenance and customisation. It is desirable to deploy a sophisticated registry framework that can allow scientists and registry curators possessing standard computing skills to dynamically construct a complete patient registry from scratch and customise it for their specific needs with little or no need to engage a software developer at any stage. Results This paper introduces our second generation open source registry framework which builds on our previous rare disease registry framework (RDRF). This second generation RDRF is a new approach as it empowers registry administrators to construct one or more patient registries without software developer effort. New data elements for a diverse range of phenotypic and genotypic measurements can be defined at any time. Defined data elements can then be utilised in any of the created registries. Fine grained, multi-level user and workgroup access can be applied to each data element to ensure appropriate access and data privacy. We introduce the concept of derived data elements to assist the data element standards communities on how they might be best categorised. Conclusions We introduce the second generation RDRF that enables the user-driven dynamic creation of patient registries. We believe this second generation RDRF is a novel approach to patient registry design, implementation and deployment and a significant advance on existing registry systems. PMID:24982690

Understanding how different recruitment strategies impact parent engagement with an iPad-based intervention to provide personalized information about adolescent vaccines.

PubMed

Dempsey, Amanda F; Maertens, Julie; Beaty, Brenda L; O'Leary, Sean T

2015-05-01

Inadequate provider time for addressing parents' questions and concerns about adolescent vaccines is a barrier to vaccine utilization. We sought to determine how different recruitment strategies impact the degree of engagement with an intervention that provided this information via an iPad placed in a clinical setting. We provided to three pediatric practices in the Denver area the "Teen VaxScene" web site that generates individually customized information for parents about adolescent vaccines. Three recruitment strategies were assessed for their impact on parental use of the intervention as follows: passive recruitment using posters to advertise a "kiosk" version of the intervention; posters plus a $10 incentive for using the kiosk; and posters plus a $10 incentive plus decoupling the iPad from the kiosks to enable "roving." We assessed the engagement with the intervention at multiple levels including log in, consent, and completion of a baseline survey and viewing individually tailored web pages. Surveys were used to assess barriers to using the intervention. During the 14-month study period, 693 people had contact with the iPad, 199 consented, and 48 completed the survey to enable creation of tailored content; and 42 used the tailored site. Five times as many parents (n = 40) consented to participation during the 2 months when the intervention was "roving" than during the 10-month "passive" recruitment period. Engagement with the tailored material was low, with most users viewing only the "table of contents" pages. Utilizers and nonutilizers of the intervention had similar demographic characteristics. Enabling the iPad to "rove" in the clinic greatly increased the proportion of parents consenting to use the intervention. However, meaningful engagement with the material was low. Further research is needed to understand the most effective and time efficient ways to provide vaccine-related educational information to parents of adolescents. Copyright © 2015 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

How characteristic routines of clinical departments influence students' self-regulated learning: A grounded theory study.

PubMed

Berkhout, J J; Slootweg, I A; Helmich, E; Teunissen, P W; van der Vleuten, C P M; Jaarsma, A D C

2017-11-01

In clerkships, students are expected to self-regulate their learning. How clinical departments and their routine approach on clerkships influences students' self-regulated learning (SRL) is unknown. This study explores how characteristic routines of clinical departments influence medical students' SRL. Six focus groups including 39 purposively sampled participants from one Dutch university were organized to study how characteristic routines of clinical departments influenced medical students' SRL from a constructivist paradigm, using grounded theory methodology. The focus groups were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim and were analyzed iteratively using constant comparison and open, axial and interpretive coding. Students described that clinical departments influenced their SRL through routines which affected the professional relationships they could engage in and affected their perception of a department's invested effort in them. Students' SRL in a clerkship can be supported by enabling them to engage others in their SRL and by having them feel that effort is invested in their learning. Our study gives a practical insight in how clinical departments influenced students' SRL. Clinical departments can affect students' motivation to engage in SRL, influence the variety of SRL strategies that students can use and how meaningful students perceive their SRL experiences to be.

Guidelines for Datacenter Energy Information System

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Singh, Reshma; Mahdavi, Rod; Mathew, Paul

2013-12-01

The purpose of this document is to provide structured guidance to data center owners, operators, and designers, to empower them with information on how to specify and procure data center energy information systems (EIS) for managing the energy utilization of their data centers. Data centers are typically energy-intensive facilities that can consume up to 100 times more energy per unit area than a standard office building (FEMP 2013). This guidance facilitates “data-driven decision making,” which will be enabled by following the approach outlined in the guide. This will bring speed, clarity, and objectivity to any energy or asset management decisionsmore » because of the ability to monitor and track an energy management project’s performance.« less

Empowering pharmacoinformatics by linked life science data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goldmann, Daria; Zdrazil, Barbara; Digles, Daniela; Ecker, Gerhard F.

2017-03-01

With the public availability of large data sources such as ChEMBLdb and the Open PHACTS Discovery Platform, retrieval of data sets for certain protein targets of interest with consistent assay conditions is no longer a time consuming process. Especially the use of workflow engines such as KNIME or Pipeline Pilot allows complex queries and enables to simultaneously search for several targets. Data can then directly be used as input to various ligand- and structure-based studies. In this contribution, using in-house projects on P-gp inhibition, transporter selectivity, and TRPV1 modulation we outline how the incorporation of linked life science data in the daily execution of projects allowed to expand our approaches from conventional Hansch analysis to complex, integrated multilayer models.

How does leadership manifest in the patient-therapist interaction among physiotherapists in primary health care? A qualitative study.

PubMed

Rasmussen-Barr, Eva; Savage, Mairi; Von Knorring, Mia

2018-05-18

Health care is undergoing changes and this requires the participation and leadership of all health-care professions. While numerous studies have explored leadership competence among physicians and nurses, the physiotherapy profession has received but limited attention. The aim of this study was to explore how leadership manifests in the patient-therapist interaction among physiotherapists in primary health care and how the physiotherapists themselves relate their perception of leadership to their clinical practice. A qualitative study with semi-structured interviews was conducted with a purposive sample of 10 physiotherapists working in primary health care. The interviews were analyzed using inductive qualitative content analysis. Five themes were identified related to how leadership manifests in the patient-therapist interaction: (1) establishing resonant relationships; (2) engaging patients to build ownership; (3) drawing on authority; (4) building on professionalism; and (5) relating physiotherapists clinical practice to leadership. This study describes how leadership manifests in the patient-physiotherapist interaction. The findings can be used to empower physiotherapists in their clinical leadership and to give them confidence in taking on formal leadership roles, thus becoming active participants in improving health care. Future studies are needed to explore other aspects of leadership used in physiotherapy clinical practice.

Preparing engineers for the challenges of community engagement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harsh, Matthew; Bernstein, Michael J.; Wetmore, Jameson; Cozzens, Susan; Woodson, Thomas; Castillo, Rafael

2017-11-01

Despite calls to address global challenges through community engagement, engineers are not formally prepared to engage with communities. Little research has been done on means to address this 'engagement gap' in engineering education. We examine the efficacy of an intensive, two-day Community Engagement Workshop for engineers, designed to help engineers better look beyond technology, listen to and learn from people, and empower communities. We assessed the efficacy of the workshop in a non-experimental pre-post design using a questionnaire and a concept map. Questionnaire results indicate participants came away better able to ask questions more broadly inclusive of non-technological dimensions of engineering projects. Concept map results indicate participants have a greater understanding of ways social factors shape complex material systems after completing the programme. Based on the workshop's strengths and weaknesses, we discuss the potential of expanding and supplementing the programme to help engineers account for social aspects central to engineered systems.

A prescription for sustaining community engagement in malaria elimination on Aneityum Island, Vanuatu: an application of Health Empowerment Theory.

PubMed

Watanabe, Noriko; Kaneko, Akira; Yamar, Sam; Taleo, George; Tanihata, Takeo; Lum, J Koji; Larson, Peter S; Shearer, Nelma B C

2015-07-31

Community engagement has contributed to disease control and elimination in many countries. Community engagement in malaria elimination (ME) on Aneityum Island has been sustained since its introduction in the early 1990s. Capacity developed within this population has led to a health empowered community response. Health Empowerment Theory (HET) can account for the innovative community actions and capacity development efforts taken to realize and sustain meaningful changes in well-being. This study used the HET framework to investigate participant perceptions of ME efforts on the island focusing on two HET elements, personal and social-contextual resources. The purpose of this study was to explore the role of empowerment as a critical element of community engagement. Six focus group discussions, ten key informant interviews and 17 in-depth interviews were conducted in July 2012 on Aneityum. Both deductive and inductive approaches to qualitative content analysis were used to identify themes, which were condensed, coded and classified based on the HET elements above. Awareness and use of personal and social-contextual resources played an important role in ME efforts. Most participants shared their knowledge to prevent malaria reintroduction. Many participants reported their skills needed for behavioral maintenance, problem-solving or leadership. Participants who perceived a threat took preventive actions even in the dry season. Community leaders focused on second generation capacity development. A local health coalition provided ME services. Members of networks were sources of information and assistance. Face-to-face was the preferred method of communication. Barriers to engagement (e.g., financial difficulties, health literacy issues and underdeveloped infrastructure) were minimized through active collaboration and mutual assistance. In the community engagement continuum, health empowerment develops incrementally overtime as people gain their knowledge and skills, form coalitions and develop collaborative networks (social capital) to make decisions and take action for change. Community engagement, which facilitates local personal and social-contextual resource development, has potential for ME and multilevel empowerment through community-based capacity development processes. These self-empowered communities have written and will continue to write a 'prescription' for sustaining high levels of engagement.

Involving the public in spatial decision making using Internet GIS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Zhengrong; Sheng, Grant; Wang, Lei

2006-10-01

Public participation is an integral part of legislation or decision making processes. Traditionally, public participation took place through face-to-face encounters such as public meetings and other fora. However, some important factors limiting the efficiency and effectiveness of this mode of public participation include: geographic separation of participants, scheduling and financial constraints in attending meetings, and limited duration of meetings. These led to the awareness that public participation requires new methods in order to achieve a better democratic decision making. On the other hand, GIS has in the past been accused of being an elitist technology, giving more power to those people already possessing it and depriving those, namely the general public, who more often lack such direct forms of information access. Public participation GIS (PPGIS) is emerging as a distinct subset of two previously separate activities: technology-based spatial analysis and participatory democracy. The paper considers both traditional methods and Internet-based technologies of public participation and argues that new Internet-based technologies have the potential to widen participation by using online spatial decision support systems. GIS and the Internet can be used together to provide the general public with a powerful mechanism for becoming more involved in decision problems. Provision of full access to spatial and non-spatial data, along with the appropriate tools with which to use it, may greatly empower the general public. PPGIS focuses on engaging the public to participate and become involved in a particular subject of interest. It empowers GIS users from all walks of life and enabling them to use the technology purposefully to capture their local knowledge and advance their goals. In the project of public participatory Ontario nuclear waste siting, we focused on developing an Internet based PPGIS prototype to help the public to participate online from inception to the final phase of site decision-making. It shows that in certain siting problems and policy formulation processes, participatory online systems are a useful means of implementing public participation through informing and engaging the public to participate in spatial decision making. Web based PPGIS can involve more participants and higher degree of participation among experts, officials and the pblic than traditional means.

Mobilizing Practice: Engaging Space, Technology and Design from a Thai Metropolis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Amanda Marisa

2009-01-01

The project of ubiquitous computing aims to embed computation into everyday spaces. As a practice that is heavily concerned with space and place, its stance towards mobility is sometimes conflicted--treating mobility by turns as a disruption or as an opportunity--and almost always conceiving of it as free and empowered. Conducted in industrial and…

State Capacity to Link K-12/Postsecondary Data Systems and Report Key Indicators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Data Quality Campaign, 2016

2016-01-01

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) provides an opportunity to produce high quality postsecondary indicators and, as available, publicly report them in ways that inform, engage, and empower communities. As first "required" in 2009's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) stimulus law, almost every state has linked its K-12 and…

Negotiating a Physical Identity: Girls, Bodies and Physical Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garrett, Robyne

2004-01-01

A physically active lifestyle can be empowering for young women in allowing them to resist many of the dominant and limiting discourses around femininity and gender. In finding pleasure in their physical state a positive sense of self is embodied and long-term engagement in a physical culture can be fostered. However, research repeatedly cites…

Conductors of the Digitized Underground Railroad: Black Teachers Empower Pedagogies with Computer Technology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fredrick, Rona M.

2007-01-01

An interpretive case study framed by the critical race theory (CRT) and African centered theory is used to examine the teaching practices of two transformative African American teachers, which transformed the thinking and lives of their students. The analysis has illustrated that the computer technology has helped teachers in engaging in…

Triangulating System Requirements for Users with Severe Motor Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Randolph, Adriane B.

2012-01-01

By giving a voice to users in the design process of information systems, they often feel more empowered and engaged. The inclusion of users with disabilities in the design process, however, can be markedly more difficult. User profiling allows a user's preferences and interests to be captured and represented. However, for a user with severe motor…

A Large Class Engagement (LCE) Model Based on Service-Dominant Logic (SDL) and Flipped Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jarvis, Wade; Halvorson, Wade; Sadeque, Saalem; Johnston, Shannon

2014-01-01

Ensuring that university graduates are ready for their professional futures is a complex undertaking that includes, but is not limited to, the development of their professional knowledge and skills, and the provision of empowering learning experiences established through their own contributions. One way to draw these complex processes together for…

A Community Capacity-Enhancement Approach to Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening among Older Women of Color

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bullock, Karen; McGraw, Sarah A.

2006-01-01

In the Screening Older Minority Women project, the authors applied a community capacity-enhancement approach to promoting breast and cervical cancer screening among older women of color. Members of informal support networks were recruited for this health promotion intervention to empower Latina and African American women to engage in positive…

Rural Governance, Community Empowerment and the New Institutionalism: A Case Study of the Isle of Wight

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clark, David; Southern, Rebekah; Beer, Julian

2007-01-01

This article compares two different institutional models--state-sponsored rural partnerships and community-based development trusts--for engaging and empowering local communities in area-based regeneration, using the Isle of Wight as a case study. Following a critical review of the literature on community governance, we evaluate the effectiveness…

Every Day We're Shufflin': Empowering Students during In-School Independent Reading

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hall, Katrina W.; Hedrick, Wanda B.; Williams, Lunetta M.

2014-01-01

Research in the field of literacy has identified choice as a key component affecting students' reading habits and their resulting literacy growth. This article discusses an in-school independent reading project in which students are provided the freedom to choose books, use ambient music, and engage in book talks. The children showed increased…

Introducing Computational Thinking through Hands-on Projects Using R with Applications to Calculus, Probability and Data Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Benakli, Nadia; Kostadinov, Boyan; Satyanarayana, Ashwin; Singh, Satyanand

2017-01-01

The goal of this paper is to promote computational thinking among mathematics, engineering, science and technology students, through hands-on computer experiments. These activities have the potential to empower students to learn, create and invent with technology, and they engage computational thinking through simulations, visualizations and data…

Engaging and Empowering Academic Staff to Promote Service-Learning Curriculum in Research-Intensive Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fang, Yahui

2016-01-01

Much of the literature on service-learning discusses issues related to faculty, students, and community partners. However, there is little research on issues related to academic staff. In this project, through a series of meetings and workshops, change lab methodology was used to analyze the barriers to staff members' involvement in…

Methods and Strategies: Using Acorns to Generate an Entire Alphabet. Nature Walks Empower Young Bilingual Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arreguin-Anderson, Maria Guadalupe; Alanis, Iliana; Gonzalez, Irasema Salinas

2016-01-01

The increasing presence of linguistically diverse young children in U.S. public schools has prompted science educators to recognize the need for approaches that are inclusive and sensitive to students' academic needs. The challenge is to design lessons that provide language support while actively engaging children in authentic scientific inquiry.…

Literature and the Young Child: Engagement, Enactment, and Agency from a Sociocultural Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mathis, Janelle B.

2016-01-01

Authors and illustrators of children's literature bring to life characters and contexts that provide demonstrations of agency as well as resources upon which to build agency. Agency is considered here as making one's identity and perceptions visible and actively acknowledged by others to enhance and empower the personal, cultural, and social…

Close Reading: Engaging and Empowering History Students through Document Analysis on ePortfolio

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Getman-Eraso, Jordi; Culkin, Kate

2017-01-01

This article examines the intersection of the scholarship on ePortfolio and history pedagogy through an analysis of the success of the integration of Digication's Conversations feature into history courses at Bronx Community College (BCC). History professors at BCC have used the feature, which allows people to highlight and comment on text and…

Community based monitoring: engaging and empowering Alberta ranchers

Treesearch

Michael S. Quinn; Jennifer E. Dubois

2005-01-01

Community based monitoring (CBM), a form of citizen science, is presented as a potential contributor to ecosystem management and sustainable development. A conceptual model for CBM and lessons learned from a Canadian national pilot program, the Canadian Community Monitoring Network, are summarized along with a description of the European university-based “science shop...

Field-Based Professional Development of Teachers Engaged in Distance Education: Experiences from the Arctic

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Veletsianos, George; Doering, Aaron; Henrickson, Jeni

2012-01-01

We examine the experiences of five teachers who traveled with a team of educators, scientists, and explorers on circumpolar Arctic expeditions to deliver adventure learning (AL) programs to K-12 students at a distance. Results highlight the personal and professional impacts this opportunity had on teachers, including their empowering, fulfilling,…

Shaping the Library to the Life of the User: Adapting, Empowering, Partnering, Engaging

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Proffitt, Merrilee; Michalko, James; Renspie, Melissa

2015-01-01

What began with a few libraries' early application of ethnographic methods to learn more about user behaviors and needs has grown to become a significant body of work done across many institutions using a broad range of methods. User-centered investigations are increasingly influential in discussions about the shape and future of the research…

Development and Validation of an Instrument to Measure Students' Motivation and Self-Regulation in Science Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Velayutham, Sunitadevi; Aldridge, Jill; Fraser, Barry

2011-01-01

Students' motivational beliefs and self-regulatory practices have been identified as instrumental in influencing the engagement of students in the learning process. An important aim of science education is to empower students by nurturing the belief that they can succeed in science learning and to cultivate the adaptive learning strategies…

Globalizing Critical Studies of "Official" Knowledge: Lessons from the Japanese History Textbook Controversy over "Comfort Women"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Takayama, Keita

2009-01-01

This paper discusses the Japanese history textbook controversy over "comfort women" to tease out insights that help globalize the existing theoretical discussion of politics of school knowledge. I begin by documenting how the domestic struggles over Japanese history textbooks are empowered and dis empowered by the regional and…

How MOOCs Can Empower Learners: A Comparison of Provider Goals and User Experiences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Longstaff, Emily

2017-01-01

The collective aims of the three biggest providers of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are to promote anywhere, anytime learning; to increase access to world-class higher education; and to connect and empower learners. Through analysis of focus group discussions between MOOC participants at the Australian National University, this study shows…

Evolving an empowering approach to continuous quality improvement in home care.

PubMed

McWilliam, C L; Desai, K L; Sweetland, D

1995-01-01

Theory suggests that in an "empowering" organization all individuals assume genuine decision-making roles and control over their work. Unfortunately, many organizations actually stifle empowerment through creating new bureaucratic barriers as they implement structures to deploy quality management principles. The Oxford County Home Care Program describes how it redesigned its organizational structure to facilitate empowerment.

Empowering the Music Educator through Action Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Laprise, Richard

2017-01-01

Action research is an empowering experience for educators, yet many believe that they do not have the time, resources, or knowledge to make it a worthwhile experience. What do you need to know to feel confident in making action research a method of bettering your teaching and your students' learning? This article reveals how to make this process…

Empower Latino Youth (ELAYO): Leveraging Youth Voice to Inform the Public Debate on Pregnancy, Parenting and Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Villaseñor, Elodia; Alcalá, Miguel; Valladares, Ena Suseth; Torres, Miguel A.; Mercado, Vanessa; Gómez, Cynthia A.

2013-01-01

Youth perspectives are routinely absent from research and policy initiatives. This article presents a project that infuses youth participation, training and mentorship into the research process and teaches youth how to become policy advocates. Empower Latino Youth (ELAYO) studies the individual and systemic factors impacting sexuality and…

Empowering Students through Literature.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cukras, Grace-Ann Gorga

2000-01-01

A literary club formed a community of readers among underserved and nontraditional community college students. Members meet to discuss literature and host authors' visits. The environment enables students to share their perspectives and develop deeper understanding of literature and of themselves. (SK)

The Effect of Changes in Health Beliefs Among African-American and Rural White Church Congregants Enrolled in an Obesity Intervention: A Qualitative Evaluation.

PubMed

Martinez, Diane J; Turner, Monique M; Pratt-Chapman, Mandi; Kashima, Kanako; Hargreaves, Margaret K; Dignan, Mark B; Hébert, James R

2016-06-01

Church interventions can reduce obesity disparities by empowering participants with knowledge and skills within an established community. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the Biomedical/Obesity Reduction Trial (BMORe) and investigate changes in health beliefs among obese adult participants. Ten pre-/post-intervention focus groups applying the Health Belief Model conducted in two African-American churches in Tennessee (n = 20) and South Carolina (n = 20), and one rural Appalachian church in Kentucky (n = 21). Two independent coders using NVivo analyzed transcribed audio data and notes. Participants' health status of being overweight/obese and having comorbidities of diabetes and high blood pressure motivated enrollment in BMORe. Initially participants voiced low self-efficacy in cooking healthy and reading food labels. BMORe made participants feel "empowered" after 12 weeks compared to initially feeling "out of control" with their weight. Participants reported improvements in emotional health, quality of life, and fewer medications. During post-intervention focus groups, participants reported increased self-efficacy through family support, sharing healthy eating strategies, and having accountability partners. Solidarity and common understanding among BMORe participants led focus group attendees to comment how their peers motivated them to stay in the program for 12 weeks. Long-term barriers include keeping the weight off by maintaining habits of exercise and healthy eating. Implementation of pre-/post-intervention focus groups is an innovative approach to evaluate an obesity intervention and track how changes in health beliefs facilitated behavior change. This novel approach shows promise for behavioral interventions that rely on participant engagement for sustained effectiveness.

Developing Reading Comprehension with Moving Image Narratives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maine, Fiona; Shields, Robin

2015-01-01

This paper reports the findings from a small-scale exploratory study that investigated how moving-image narratives might enable children to develop transferable reading comprehension strategies. Using short, animated, narrative films, 28 primary-aged children engaged in a 10-week programme that included the explicit instruction of comprehension…

A Capstone Mathematics Course for Prospective Secondary Mathematics Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Artzt, Alice F.; Sultan, Alan; Curcio, Frances R.; Gurl, Theresa

2012-01-01

This article describes an innovative capstone mathematics course that links college mathematics with school mathematics and pedagogy. It describes how college juniors in a secondary mathematics teacher preparation program engage in leadership experiences that enable them to learn mathematics for teaching while developing student-centered…

Improving Diabetes Care in the Military Primary Care Clinic: Case Study Review

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-03-23

This research study combines qualitative and quantitative methodology in reflectively exploring positive case studies to ascertain strategies that...enabled patients to engage in self-management. Moreover, this study seeks to better understand how applying the ADA Standards of Care in a military

Cold Water, Warm Ice?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yang, Li-Hsuan

2012-01-01

This article describes engaging students in two simple observations to address the concepts of changes of states, heat, temperature, and molecular potential and kinetic energy. It also discusses how these concepts can enable students to further explore and understand interesting and significant phenomena and research in multiple areas of science.…

"The fish becomes aware of the water in which it swims": revealing the power of culture in shaping teaching identity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rahmawati, Yuli; Taylor, Peter Charles

2017-08-01

"The fish becomes aware of the water in which it swims" is a metaphor that represents Yuli's revelatory journey about the hidden power of culture in her personal identity and professional teaching practice. While engaging in a critical auto/ethnographic inquiry into her lived experience as a science teacher in Indonesian and Australian schools, she came to understand the powerful role of culture in shaping her teaching identity. Yuli realised that she is a product of cultural hybridity resulting from interactions of very different cultures—Javanese, Bimanese, Indonesian and Australian. Traditionally, Javanese and Indonesian cultures do not permit direct criticism of others. This influenced strongly the way she had learned to interact with students and caused her to be very sensitive to others. During this inquiry she learned the value of engaging students in open discourse and overt caring, and came to realise that teachers bringing their own cultures to the classroom can be both a source of power and a problem. In this journey, Yuli came to understand the hegemonic power of culture in her teaching identity, and envisioned how to empower herself as a good teacher educator of pre-service science teachers.

Integrating authentic scientific research in a conservation course–based undergraduate research experience

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sorensen, Amanda E.; Corral, Lucia; Dauer, Jenny M.; Fontaine, Joseph J.

2018-01-01

Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) have been developed to overcome barriers including students in research. However, there are few examples of CUREs that take place in a conservation and natural resource context with students engaging in field research. Here, we highlight the development of a conservation-focused CURE integrated to a research program, research benefits, student self-assessment of learning, and perception of the CURE. With the additional data, researchers were able to refine species distribution models and facilitate management decisions. Most students reported gains in their scientific skills, felt they had engaged in meaningful, real-world research. In student reflections on how this experience helped clarify their professional intentions, many reported being more likely to enroll in graduate programs and seek employment related to science. Also interesting was all students reported being more likely to talk with friends, family, or the public about wildlife conservation issues after participating, indicating that courses like this can have effects beyond the classroom, empowering students to be advocates and translators of science. Field-based, conservation-focused CUREs can create meaningful conservation and natural resource experiences with authentic scientific teaching practices.

Engaging and empowering patients to manage their type 2 diabetes, Part I: a knowledge, attitude, and practice gap?

PubMed

Serrano-Gil, Manuel; Jacob, Stephan

2010-06-01

For over 20 years, the World Health Assembly has recognized diabetes (type 1 and type 2) as a serious threat to national health and economic development and called for action regarding its prevention and control. However, the prevalence of type 2 diabetes continues to rise despite a significant percentage of cases being preventable. Furthermore, data suggest that in many patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, glycated hemoglobin (HbA(1c)) levels remain above the agreed international and national target levels, despite the availability of numerous antihyperglycemic agents, the best intentions of both patient and physician, and the support of the wider healthcare team. Part I of this two-part review considers evidence that seems to suggest there is a knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) gap in type 2 diabetes, and that although theoretical knowledge of how type 2 diabetes should be managed exists, the attitude of patients and healthcare professionals may influence the practicalities of implementing life-enhancing changes for patients living day-to-day with the condition. Here, we consider why there may be a KAP gap, how type 2 diabetes is currently being assessed and managed, and whether these current management approaches remain valid in the light of recent studies evaluating the impact of lowering current target HbA(1c) levels. This article also explores how encouraging patients to self-manage their disease, as well as engaging all stakeholders in the necessary behavioral changes, can positively influence the long-term treatment outcomes of patients with type 2 diabetes.

Are Empowered Employees More Proactive? The Contingency of How They Evaluate Their Leader

PubMed Central

Yin, Kui; Xing, Lu; Li, Can; Guo, Yungui

2017-01-01

Finding ways to enhance employee proactive behavior is a focal concern for academics and practitioners. Previous studies have found a positive association between empowering leadership and proactive behavior (Martin et al., 2013; Li et al., 2017). However, these studies lack elaboration on mechanisms and do not rule out the effect of employees’ proactive personality during empirical testing. We investigate empowering leadership from individual perspective due to the variation of empowerment levels even in the same team. Our research proposes a more elaborated theoretical model that explains why, and when, empowering leadership might promote employee proactive behavior. Specifically, we examine mediating mechanisms based on social cognitive theory and propose trust in leader competency as boundary condition. Using a sample of 280 leader–follower dyads from a large state-owned Chinese company, our results revealed that (1) empowering leadership was positively related to proactive behavior, with role breadth self-efficacy acting as a mediator for this relationship; (2) employees’ trust in leader competency moderated both the empowering leadership–subordinate proactive behavior relationship and the mediating effect of role breadth self-efficacy, such that the empowering leadership–subordinate proactive behavior relationship was weaker, and the mediating effect of role breadth self-efficacy was stronger, for employees with high levels of trust in leader competency. PMID:29163249

Are Empowered Employees More Proactive? The Contingency of How They Evaluate Their Leader.

PubMed

Yin, Kui; Xing, Lu; Li, Can; Guo, Yungui

2017-01-01

Finding ways to enhance employee proactive behavior is a focal concern for academics and practitioners. Previous studies have found a positive association between empowering leadership and proactive behavior (Martin et al., 2013; Li et al., 2017). However, these studies lack elaboration on mechanisms and do not rule out the effect of employees' proactive personality during empirical testing. We investigate empowering leadership from individual perspective due to the variation of empowerment levels even in the same team. Our research proposes a more elaborated theoretical model that explains why, and when, empowering leadership might promote employee proactive behavior. Specifically, we examine mediating mechanisms based on social cognitive theory and propose trust in leader competency as boundary condition. Using a sample of 280 leader-follower dyads from a large state-owned Chinese company, our results revealed that (1) empowering leadership was positively related to proactive behavior, with role breadth self-efficacy acting as a mediator for this relationship; (2) employees' trust in leader competency moderated both the empowering leadership-subordinate proactive behavior relationship and the mediating effect of role breadth self-efficacy, such that the empowering leadership-subordinate proactive behavior relationship was weaker, and the mediating effect of role breadth self-efficacy was stronger, for employees with high levels of trust in leader competency.

Using Agent Based Modeling (ABM) to Develop Cultural Interaction Simulations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Drucker, Nick; Jones, Phillip N.

2012-01-01

Today, most cultural training is based on or built around "cultural engagements" or discrete interactions between the individual learner and one or more cultural "others". Often, success in the engagement is the end or the objective. In reality, these interactions usually involve secondary and tertiary effects with potentially wide ranging consequences. The concern is that learning culture within a strict engagement context might lead to "checklist" cultural thinking that will not empower learners to understand the full consequence of their actions. We propose the use of agent based modeling (ABM) to collect, store, and, simulating the effects of social networks, promulgate engagement effects over time, distance, and consequence. The ABM development allows for rapid modification to re-create any number of population types, extending the applicability of the model to any requirement for social modeling.

How to engage end-users in smart energy behaviour?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valkering, Pieter; Laes, Erik; Kessels, Kris; Uyterlinde, Matthijs; Straver, Koen

2014-12-01

End users will play a crucial role in up-coming smart grids that aim to link end-users and energy providers in a better balanced and more efficient electricity system. Within this context, this paper aims to deliver a coherent view on current good practice in end-user engagement in smart grid projects. It draws from a recent review of theoretical insights from sustainable consumption behaviour, social marketing and innovation systems and empirical insights from recent smart grid projects to create an inventory of common motivators, enablers and barriers of behavioural change, and the end-user engagement principles that can be derived from that. We conclude with identifying current research challenges as input for a research agenda on end-user engagement in smart grids.

Leadership Training Module on Enable Others to Act (Kouzes & Posner)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sharma, Ananya

2013-01-01

Everyone has either come in contact with a leader or played the role of a leader. Everyone has also worked with effective leaders and ineffective leaders. And all of us want to work with leaders who can share a vision with us and empower and enable us to meet our goals. One can say that leaders play a crucial role in the success or failure of a…

Water matters: An assessment of opinion on water management and community engagement in the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom.

PubMed

Rolston, Alec; Jennings, Eleanor; Linnane, Suzanne

2017-01-01

Internationally, water management is moving from the traditional top-down approach to more integrated initiatives focussing on community-led action. With inadequacies in previous engagement initiatives undertaken through the first cycle of River Basin Management Planning for the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD), the Republic of Ireland has only recently embraced this bottom-up approach. The attempted introduction of national charging for domestic water use in 2015 has resulted in significant public disquiet and protest movements against the national government. In April 2015 we undertook a survey of current opinion on water management and community engagement initiatives in the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom. A total of 520 survey responses identified that although freshwater bodies are important in peoples' lives, respondents were typically unaware of global initiatives such as Integrated Water Resources Management and Integrated Catchment Management. Overall, 81% of respondents did not feel included in decisions about their water environment despite an overwhelming 95% believing that local communities should have a say in how the water environment is managed. However, only 35.1% of respondents stated that they would be willing to attend local water management engagement initiatives. Rather than supporting individual gain, respondents identified social gains for the local community as avenues for increasing local involvement in water initiatives. In the Republic of Ireland, a water engagement initiative that implements the national framework local delivery model should be developed and implemented. This would 1) contribute to the second round of WFD River Basin Management Planning; 2) facilitate stronger connections between local communities and their water environment; and 3) foster bottom-up initiatives that empower communities regarding local water management issues.

Information technology to support patient engagement: where do we stand and where can we go?

PubMed

Walker, Daniel M; Sieck, Cynthia J; Menser, Terri; Huerta, Timothy R; Scheck McAlearney, Ann

2017-11-01

Given the strong push to empower patients and make them partners in their health care, we evaluated the current capability of hospitals to offer health information technology that facilitates patient engagement (PE). Using an ontology mapping approach, items from the American Hospital Association Information Technology Supplement were mapped to defined levels and categories within the PE Framework. Points were assigned for each health information technology function based upon the level of engagement it encompassed to create a PE-information technology (PE-IT) score. Scores were divided into tertiles, and hospital characteristics were compared across tertiles. An ordered logit model was used to estimate the effect of characteristics on the adjusted odds of being in the highest tertile of PE-IT scores. Thirty-six functions were mapped to specific levels and categories of the PE Framework, and adoption of each item ranged from 23.5 to 96.7%. Hospital characteristics associated with being in the highest tertile of PE-IT scores included medium and large bed size (relative to small), nonprofit (relative to government nonfederal), teaching hospital, system member, Midwest and South regions, and urban location. Hospital adoption of PE-oriented technology remains varied, suggesting that hospitals are considering how technology can create partnerships with patients. However, PE functionalities that facilitate higher levels of engagement are lacking, suggesting room for improvement. While hospitals have reached modest levels of adoption of PE technologies, consistent monitoring of this capacity can identify opportunities to use technology to facilitate engagement. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Medical Informatics Association. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com

A Qualitative Study of Factors Facilitating Clinical Nurse Engagement in Emergency Department Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection Prevention.

PubMed

Carter, Eileen J; Pallin, Daniel J; Mandel, Leslie; Sinnette, Corine; Schuur, Jeremiah D

2016-10-01

The aim of this study was to explore the actions of nurse leaders that facilitated clinical nurses' active involvement in emergency department (ED) catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) prevention programs. Hospitals face increasing financial pressures to reduce CAUTI. Urinary catheters, often inserted in the ED, expose patients to CAUTI risk. Nurses are the principal champions of ED CAUTI prevention programs. This was a qualitative analysis from a multisite, comparative case study project. A total of 52 interviews and 9 focus groups were analyzed across 6 enrolled EDs. Using a conventional content analysis, members of the research team coded data and developed site summaries to describe themes that had emerged across transcripts. Subsequently, all codes and site summaries were reviewed to identify the actions of nurse leaders that facilitated clinical nurses' engagement in CAUTI prevention efforts. Nurse leaders were the principal champions of CAUTI prevention programs and successfully engaged clinical nurses in CAUTI prevention efforts by (1) reframing urinary catheters as a source of potential patient harm; (2) empowering clinical nurses to identify and address CAUTI improvement opportunities; (3) fostering a culture of teamwork, which facilitated interdisciplinary communication around urinary catheter appropriateness and alternatives; and (4) holding clinical nurses accountable for CAUTI process and outcome measures. The prevention of CAUTI is an important opportunity for nurse leaders to engage clinical nurses in meaningful improvement efforts. Clinical nurses are best positioned to examine urinary catheter insertion workflow and to suggest improvements in avoiding use and improving placement and maintenance. To engage clinical nurses in CAUTI prevention, nurse leaders should focus on how urinary catheters expose patients to potential harm, involve nurses in designing and implementing practice changes, and provide local data to show the impact of nursing practices on patient outcomes.

Water matters: An assessment of opinion on water management and community engagement in the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom

PubMed Central

Jennings, Eleanor; Linnane, Suzanne

2017-01-01

Internationally, water management is moving from the traditional top-down approach to more integrated initiatives focussing on community-led action. With inadequacies in previous engagement initiatives undertaken through the first cycle of River Basin Management Planning for the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD), the Republic of Ireland has only recently embraced this bottom-up approach. The attempted introduction of national charging for domestic water use in 2015 has resulted in significant public disquiet and protest movements against the national government. In April 2015 we undertook a survey of current opinion on water management and community engagement initiatives in the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom. A total of 520 survey responses identified that although freshwater bodies are important in peoples’ lives, respondents were typically unaware of global initiatives such as Integrated Water Resources Management and Integrated Catchment Management. Overall, 81% of respondents did not feel included in decisions about their water environment despite an overwhelming 95% believing that local communities should have a say in how the water environment is managed. However, only 35.1% of respondents stated that they would be willing to attend local water management engagement initiatives. Rather than supporting individual gain, respondents identified social gains for the local community as avenues for increasing local involvement in water initiatives. In the Republic of Ireland, a water engagement initiative that implements the national framework local delivery model should be developed and implemented. This would 1) contribute to the second round of WFD River Basin Management Planning; 2) facilitate stronger connections between local communities and their water environment; and 3) foster bottom-up initiatives that empower communities regarding local water management issues. PMID:28369136

Online Learning in Divorce: How the Formation of a Community of Practice in a Divorce Support Website Enables and Inhibits Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Paechter, Carrie

2012-01-01

This article is about the informal learning that took place in an online divorce support and advice forum. In it, the author discusses the formation of a community of practice among the members during the first nine months of the site's operation. The author shows how the key markers of mutual engagement, joint enterprise and shared repertoire…

Theory of protective empowering for balancing patient safety and choices.

PubMed

Chiovitti, Rosalina F

2011-01-01

Registered nurses in psychiatric-mental health nursing continuously balance the ethical principles of duty to do good (beneficence) and no harm (non-maleficence) with the duty to respect patient choices (autonomy). However, the problem of nurses' level of control versus patients' choices remains a challenge. The aim of this article is to discuss how nurses accomplish their simultaneous responsibility for balancing patient safety (beneficence and non-maleficence) with patient choices (autonomy) through the theory of protective empowering. This is done by reflecting on interview excerpts about caring from 17 registered nurses taking part in a grounded theory study conducted in three acute urban psychiatric hospital settings in Canada. The interplay between the protective and empowering dimensions of the theory of protective empowering was found to correspond with international, national, and local nursing codes of ethics and standards. The overall core process of protective empowering, and its associated reflective questions, is offered as a new lens for balancing patient safety with choices.

Exploring a Framework for Professional Development in Curriculum Innovation: Empowering Teachers for Designing Context-Based Chemistry Education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stolk, Machiel J.; de Jong, Onno; Bulte, Astrid M. W.; Pilot, Albert

2011-05-01

Involving teachers in early stages of context-based curriculum innovations requires a professional development programme that actively engages teachers in the design of new context-based units. This study considers the implementation of a teacher professional development framework aiming to investigate processes of professional development. The framework is based on Galperin's theory of the internalisation of actions and it is operationalised into a professional development programme to empower chemistry teachers for designing new context-based units. The programme consists of the teaching of an educative context-based unit, followed by the designing of an outline of a new context-based unit. Six experienced chemistry teachers participated in the instructional meetings and practical teaching in their respective classrooms. Data were obtained from meetings, classroom discussions, and observations. The findings indicated that teachers became only partially empowered for designing a new context-based chemistry unit. Moreover, the process of professional development leading to teachers' empowerment was not carried out as intended. It is concluded that the elaboration of the framework needs improvement. The implications for a new programme are discussed.

The contemporary construction of nurse empowerment.

PubMed

Rao, Aditi

2012-12-01

(a) To describe how nursing's construction of the concept of empowerment has selectively shaped the manner in which this concept has been applied to nursing professional practice and (b) to explicate clearly the breadth of the concept by highlighting the complex interactions that shape nurse empowerment. This integrative literature review analyzes academic literature published between 1960 and 2010 in the fields of nursing, management, and women's studies utilizing an evolutionary concept analysis method to explore the concept of nurse empowerment. While the literature suggests that empowerment is an emergent product of interactions among individual, organizational, and sociocultural factors, nursing has adopted a construction of empowerment that focuses primarily on organizational antecedents. This construction has enabled nursing to operationalize the concept in order to address a number of pressing challenges. Yet, this construction only limitedly addresses the individual and sociocultural factors that impact nurses' empowerment. In order to promote professional practice through the mobilization of power, scholarship must further investigate the complex interactions producing empowerment. For nurses to practice as professionals, they must be empowered to take action and respond to challenges using professional skill and knowledge. Unless nurses feel empowered to act, they will rely too heavily on rigid bureaucratic structures rather than their own professional power to guide practice. © 2012 Sigma Theta Tau International.

Empowering Technical College Students in the Work Place.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lewis, Theodore; And Others

The purpose of this report is to describe how Minnesota technical college students can be empowered through vocational education to be full participants in the labor force and to deal with the changes that they encounter in the workplace. Chapter 1 introduces the problem of keeping up with changes in the ways in which work is performed. Chapter 2…

College--We Want In!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Probst, Carolyn; O'Hara, Dennis P.

2015-01-01

How do school leaders help students and parents, especially those from low-income families, understand the value of a college education? Engaging students and families early and often and using a continuum of strategies enables school leaders to close aspiration gaps, thus creating and sustaining a college-going culture for all students.…

Innovative Work in School Development: Exploring Leadership Enactment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vennebo, Kirsten Foshaug

2017-01-01

Leadership is recognised in both policy and research as a key enabler of innovation in schools. Numerous researchers have focused on how school leaders formally narrate their experiences of leading innovations including their observations of effect; however, modest attention has been paid to the processes through which leaders engage in innovative…

Grow Beasts: Growing Mathematical Understanding

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roddy, Mark; Behrend, Kat

2015-01-01

What do you do when you want to get your Stage 3 students authentically and enthusiastically engaged in the active construction of their understanding and fluency with measurement, data collection, representation and interpretation? How do you enable them to make choices about their learning, to measure with purpose, to record and organise the…

Becoming a "Good Coach"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jacobs, Frank; Claringbould, Inge; Knoppers, Annelies

2016-01-01

The purpose of this paper was to gain insight into how coaches problematized their coaching practices and the process in which they engaged to become what they perceived to be better coaches using a course based on critical reflective practice. We assumed that constant critical self-reflection would enable coaches to move closer to their…

Historical Perspectives of the Causation of Lung Cancer

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. Less-known forces are involved in the etiology of lung cancer and have relevant implications for providers in ameliorating care. The purpose of this article is to discuss theories of causation of lung cancer using historical analyses of the evolution of the disease and incorporating related explanations integrating the relationships of science, nursing, medicine, and society. Literature from 160 years was searched and Thagard’s model of causation networks was used to exhibit how nursing and medicine were significant influences in lung cancer causation theory. Disease causation interfaces with sociological norms of behavior to form habits and rates of health behavior. Historically, nursing was detrimentally manipulated by the tobacco industry, engaging in harmful smoking behaviors, thus negatively affecting patient care. Understanding the underlying history behind lung cancer causation may empower nurses to play an active role in a patient’s health. PMID:28462309

Congregating to create for social change: Urban youth media production and sense of community

PubMed Central

Charmaraman, Linda

2011-01-01

This case study explored how adolescents were empowered through after school media production activities and, in the process, re-imagined themselves as active and engaged citizens within their community. Through analyzing interviews, participant observations, and media artifacts of 14 participants (aged 15-19) over a period of 18 months, three main themes emerged from the triangulation of data: (1) sociocultural capital through group ownership; (2) safe space for creative expression; and (3) developing a sense of community with diverse voices. These young people exercised their collective voice toward pro-social actions by writing and producing their stories and showcasing their works at community screenings. They hoped that their videos would promote individual and community transformations. Building on youth development, community psychology, and media literacy frameworks, this article discusses educational implications like advocating for the power of youth media production to bridge participants’ personal and private artistry to public and political statements. PMID:23459677

Congregating to create for social change: Urban youth media production and sense of community.

PubMed

Charmaraman, Linda

2013-03-01

This case study explored how adolescents were empowered through after school media production activities and, in the process, re-imagined themselves as active and engaged citizens within their community. Through analyzing interviews, participant observations, and media artifacts of 14 participants (aged 15-19) over a period of 18 months, three main themes emerged from the triangulation of data: (1) sociocultural capital through group ownership; (2) safe space for creative expression; and (3) developing a sense of community with diverse voices. These young people exercised their collective voice toward pro-social actions by writing and producing their stories and showcasing their works at community screenings. They hoped that their videos would promote individual and community transformations. Building on youth development, community psychology, and media literacy frameworks, this article discusses educational implications like advocating for the power of youth media production to bridge participants' personal and private artistry to public and political statements.

Empowering children with special educational needs to speak up: experiences of inclusive physical education.

PubMed

Coates, Janine; Vickerman, Philip

2010-01-01

The inclusion of children with special educational needs (SEN) has risen up the political agenda since the return of the Labour Government in 1997. This has seen increasing numbers of children with SEN being educated within mainstream schools. This study examines the perspectives of children with SEN attending both mainstream and special schools in relation to their experiences of physical education (PE). Findings demonstrate that children with SEN in both mainstream and special schools enjoy PE, although issues were raised in mainstream schools regarding bullying and the appropriateness of activities in PE lessons. The findings show how children offered suggestions about how to improve PE and make it more beneficial. The findings identify how children are empowered through consultation, and are aware of their needs and abilities. As such it is evident that schools and those supporting inclusive physical activity for children with SEN must use consultation as a tool for empowering pupils as a means of providing them with choices while gaining a rich insight into their lived experiences of PE.

An exploration of how young people and parents use online support in the context of living with cystic fibrosis.

PubMed

Kirk, Susan; Milnes, Linda

2016-04-01

There is increasing recognition of the Internet's potential role in providing information and support for people living with long-term conditions. However, how young people and parents use online forms of self-care support in the context of living with childhood chronic illness has been under-researched. To explore how online peer support is used by young people and parents to support self-care in relation to cystic fibrosis (CF). Online forum for young people and parents based on a CF charity website. A total of 279 individuals participated in the forum during the study. An online ethnographical approach, involving observing, downloading and analysing discussion group postings. All postings made over a random 4-month period were included (151 discussion threads). The online setting enabled a physically disconnected group to connect and create a safe space to collectively share experiences and receive support to manage and live with cystic fibrosis. Participants exchanged experientially derived advice and views on how to manage treatments, emotions, relationships, identity and support from services. While parents sought information and support on managing specific therapies/services and ways of maintaining their child's health, the information and support young people desired appeared to be more directed at how to 'fit' CF into their everyday lives. Online support groups appear to supplement professional support in relation to self-management. They enable young people and parents to share experiences, feelings and strategies for living with long-term conditions with peers and develop the expertise to empower them in interactions with health-care professionals. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Parents' views on engaging families of middle school students in obesity prevention and control in a multiethnic population.

PubMed

Cowgill, Burton O; Chung, Paul J; Thompson, Lindsey R; Elijah, Jacinta; Lamb, Sheila; Garcia, Vanessa P; Bastani, Roshan

2014-04-04

Overweight and obesity remain significant public health risks for youth in the United States, particularly among racial/ethnic minority groups. Efforts at obesity prevention and control have targeted youth and family members in diverse settings. Although involving parents in obesity prevention programs for youth may improve the potential of these programs, less is known about parents' preferred methods of engagement, especially among racial/ethnic minority parents and parents whose primary language is not English. In this qualitative study, parents of middle-school-aged children were asked how best to engage their children in obesity prevention and control efforts. We recruited 38 parents whose children attended Los Angeles middle schools to participate in focus groups. Two English-language focus groups with 14 parents of different racial/ethnic backgrounds and 2 Spanish language groups with 24 Latino parents were conducted from 2010 through 2011. We analyzed focus group transcripts by using content analysis using inductive and deductive techniques. Findings from focus groups confirmed that parents want to help their children avoid obesity but feel constrained in their ability to take action. Participants identified an overarching desire to become better parents as a potential incentive to engage in obesity prevention efforts. Parents advocated for family-focused approaches in obesity prevention programs, including family sports leagues and cooking classes. Most findings were consistent between language groups, but parents in the Spanish language groups cited language-related barriers. The development and testing of simple programs that are sustainable, community-based, and family-focused may empower families to address obesity prevention and control.

How Healthcare Can Refocus on Its Super-Customers (Patients, n =1) and Customers (Doctors and Nurses) by Leveraging Lessons from Amazon, Uber, and Watson.

PubMed

Kolker, Evelyne; Özdemir, Vural; Kolker, Eugene

2016-06-01

Healthcare is transforming with data-intensive omics technologies and Big Data. The "revolution" has already happened in technology, but the bottlenecks have shifted to the social domain: Who can be empowered by Big Data? Who are the users and customers? In this review and innovation field analysis, we introduce the idea of a "super-customer" versus "customer" and relate both to 21st century healthcare. A "super-customer" in healthcare is the patient, sample size of n = 1, while "customers" are the providers of healthcare (e.g., doctors and nurses). The super-customers have been patients, enabled by unprecedented social practices, such as the ability to track one's physical activities, personal genomics, patient advocacy for greater autonomy, and self-governance, to name but a few. In contrast, the originally intended customers-providers, doctors, and nurses-have relatively lagged behind. With patients as super-customers, there are valuable lessons to be learned from industry examples, such as Amazon and Uber. To offer superior quality service, healthcare organizations have to refocus on the needs, pains, and aspirations of their super-customers by enabling the customers. We propose a strategic solution to this end: the PPT-DAM (People-Process-Technology empowered by Data, Analytics, and Metrics) approach. When applied together with the classic Experiment-Execute-Evaluate iterative methodology, we suggest PPT-DAM is an extremely powerful approach to deliver quality health services to super-customers and customers. As an example, we describe the PPT-DAM implementation by the Benchmarking Improvement Program at the Seattle Children's Hospital. Finally, we forecast that cognitive systems in general and IBM Watson in particular, if properly implemented, can bring transformative and sustainable capabilities in healthcare far beyond the current ones.

Power and Pedagogy: International Perspectives of Chinese and American Pedagogical Practices That Empower and Engage Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhang, Dianyu; Flora, Bethany H.

2012-01-01

To ensure a student-centered campus, schools must integrate student empowerment in and out of the classroom. In China, this concept remains a novel idea. In the US, student empowerment outside of the classroom, for example, in student governance, is prevalent. However, faculty at-large still remains somewhat unaware that internal belief systems…

Empowering Oncology Nurses to Lead Change Through a Shared Governance Project.

PubMed

Gordon, Jeanine N

2016-11-01

Nurses at the bed- or chairside are knowledgeable about clinical and operational concerns that need improvement and, consequently, are in the best position to generate and evaluate practical options and potential solutions to improve efficacy and care processes. Implementation of a shared governance model is effective in engaging staff nurses to make meaningful and sustainable change in patient care processes.

Fight the Dragons: Using Online Discussion to Promote Critical Literacy in Teacher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Woodcock, Christine

2009-01-01

Today's children are bombarded by a range of media, and it is the responsibility of teachers to equip students to engage critically. Just as teachers are responsible to teach critical literacy, teacher educators must help empower teachers to become more critically literate. This paper explores the role of online discussion in the ways it fosters…

A Problem-Based Learning Approach to Civics Education: Exploring the Free Exercise Clause with Supreme Court Simulations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pagnotti, John; Russell, William B., III

2015-01-01

The purpose of this article is to empower those interested in teaching students powerful and engaging social studies. Through the lens of Supreme Court simulations, this article provides educators with a viable, classroom-tested lesson plan to bring Problem-Based Learning into their classrooms. The specific aim of the lesson is to provide students…

Learning Environment Associated with Use of Mixed Mode Delivery Model among Secondary Business Studies Students in Singapore

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koh, Noi Keng; Fraser, Barry J.

2014-01-01

At many teacher education institutes around the world, preservice teachers are empowered to use pedagogical tools and strategies that engage their students. We used a modified version of the Constructivist Learning Environment Survey (CLES) to evaluate the effectiveness of a pedagogical model known as the Mixed Mode Delivery (MMD) model in terms…

Communicating and Sharing in the Semantic Web: An Examination of Social Media Risks, Consequences, and Attitudinal Awareness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buzzetto-More, Nicole; Johnson, Robert; Elobaid, Muna

2015-01-01

Empowered by and tethered to ubiquitous technologies, the current generation of youth yearns for opportunities to engage in self-expression and information sharing online with personal disclosure no longer governed by concepts of propriety and privacy. This raises issues about the unsafe online activities of teens and young adults. The following…

Rational-Emotive Therapy to Help Teachers Control Their Emotions and Behavior when Dealing with Disagreeable Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maag, John W.

2008-01-01

Students with challenging behaviors are very deft at engaging teachers in power struggles as a way to either feel empowered, obtain attention, or escape an unpleasant task. The more frustrated that teachers permit themselves to get, the less capable they are of responding in a therapeutic, productive fashion to students' challenging behaviors. The…

Framing Discourses of Possibility and Constraint in the Empowerment of Muslim Girls: Issues of Religion, Race, Ethnicity and Culture

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keddie, Amanda

2011-01-01

This paper presents the stories of three female Muslim educators actively engaged in empowering Muslim girls in their school/community liaison roles. The stories are drawn from a broader qualitative and predominantly interview-based research project that investigated issues of teaching and social justice in three English schools. Through lenses…

Students First: The Culture of Technology-Based Data Management in Districts Comes at the Expense of Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gaither, Herman

2005-01-01

This summer, educators gathered in Seattle to reflect on the tenth anniversary of Anytime, Anywhere Learning, Microsoft's initiative to put laptops into the hands of middle and high school students. The pioneers of this program aimed to dramatically alter instruction, empower teachers, and engage students. These days, however, the emphasis has…

Integrating Media Production By Students Into Climate Change Education: Within and Beyond the Classroom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rooney-Varga, J. N.; Brisk, A. A.; Grogan, M.; Ledley, T. S.

2012-12-01

Through the Climate Education in an Age of Media (CAM) Project (http://cleanet.org/cced_media/), we have developed approaches to integrate media production by students into climate change education in ways that are engaging, empowering, and can be readily adopted in a wide range of instructional environments. These approaches can be used to overcome many of the challenges that climate change education presents and provide a means to evoke experiential, affective, and social learning pathways. Video production combines many key twenty-first century literacy skills, including content research, writing, an understanding of the power of images and sounds, the ability to use that power, and the ability to manipulate, transform, and distribute digital media. Through collaboration, reflection, and visual expression of concepts, video production facilitates a deeper understanding of material and, potentially, shifts in mental models about climate change. Equally importantly, it provides a means to bridge formal and informal learning by enabling students to educate those beyond the classroom. We have piloted our approach in two intensive summer programs (2011 and 2012) for high school students, during which students learned about climate change science content in lessons that were paired with the production of short media pieces including animations, public service announcements, person-on-the-street interviews, mock trailers, mock news programs, and music videos. Two high school teachers were embedded in the program during the second year, providing feedback and assessment of the feasibility, accessibility, and utility of the approach. The programs culminated with students presenting and discussing their work at public screening events. The media lessons and climate change science content examples used in these programs form the backbone of a toolkit and professional development workshops for middle and high school teachers, in which teachers learn how to incorporate student media-making into their science classes. Here, we share the toolkit, describe the scope and structure of the teacher professional development workshops, and share several of the media products created by YEP participants. The confluence of falling financial and technological barriers to producing media; the need for innovative approaches to meet climate change education challenges; and the potential for media literacy to empower young people to add their voice to the societal discourse about climate change science creates an ideal opportunity for integration of science and media production in education.

Digital Storytelling

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Iacchia, Flora

2005-01-01

Today, schools are actively looking for new ways to enable their students to develop storytelling skills. These skills should empower children and young adults to practice collaborative learning on many levels, from reading and writing to painting and project management. In this framework, digital painting provides educators with innovative…

ISABEL Triggering Sustainable Biogas Energy Communities through Social Innovation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baumgarten, Wibke; Piedra Garcia, Diego

2017-04-01

The Horizon 2020 funding project ISABEL (Triggering Sustainable Biogas Energy Communities through Social Innovation) is all about promoting, supporting and developing community biogas in Europe. The project is set on providing all the framework conditions for biogas communities to shape, develop and thrive. It works on all angles to pave the way for the transition from traditional supply chains to community ownership and take full advantage of the ample societal benefits of regional community-driven biogas systems, fuelled and inspired by Social Innovation principles. The biogas communities emerge in three targeted ISABEL regions, Baden-Württemberg in Germany, Central and Eastern Macedonia and Thrace in Greece and Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and the Humber in UK. To realize this vision ISABEL is employing its "5E strategy" with the following objectives: Educate: Re-position biogas energy by re-branding it as a "public good". Engage: Enable the development of regional Biogas Communities. Empower: Utilize the created momentum through Social Innovation and Public Participation Evaluate: Assess the local interventions and drafting lessons and guidelines Expand: Maximise impact through transfer and replication

Turning attention to clinician engagement in Victoria.

PubMed

Jorm, Christine; Hudson, Robyn; Wallace, Euan

2017-11-16

The engagement of clinicians with employing organisations and with the broader health system results in better safer care for patients. Concerns about the adequacy of clinician engagement in the state of Victoria led the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services to commission a scoping study. During this investigation more than 100 clinicians were spoken with and 1800 responded to surveys. The result was creation of a clear picture of what engagement and disengagement looked like at all levels - from the clinical microsystem to state health policy making. Multiple interventions are possible to enhance clinician engagement and thus the care of future patients. A framework was developed to guide future Victorian work with four elements: setting the agenda, informing, involving and empowering clinicians. Concepts of work or employee engagement that are used in other industries don't directly translate to healthcare and thus the definition of engagement chosen for use centred on involvement. This was designed to encourage system managers to ensure clinicians are full participants in design, planning and evaluation and in all decisions that affect them and their patients.

Facilitating neurorehabilitation through principles of engagement.

PubMed

Danzl, Megan M; Etter, Nicole M; Andreatta, Richard D; Kitzman, Patrick H

2012-01-01

A primary goal of neurorehabilitation is to guide recovery of functional skills after injury through evidence-based interventions that operate to manipulate the sensorimotor environment of the client. While choice of intervention is an important decision for clinicians, we contend it is only one part of producing optimal activity-dependent neuroplastic changes. A key variable in the rehabilitation equation is engagement. Applying principles of engagement may yield greater neuroplastic changes and functional outcomes for clients. We review the principles of neuroplasticity and engagement and their potential linkage through concepts of attention and motivation and strategies such as mental practice and enriched environments. Clinical applications and challenges for enhancing engagement during rehabilitation are presented. Engagement strategies, such as building trust and rapport, motivational interviewing, enhancing the client education process, and interventions that empower clients, are reviewed. Well-controlled research is needed to test our theoretical framework and suggested outcomes. Clinicians may enhance engagement by investing time and energy in the growth and development of the therapeutic relationship with clients, as this is paramount to maintaining clients' investment in continuing therapy and also may act as a driver of neuroplastic changes.

'No one wants to be the face of Herpes London': a qualitative study of the challenges of engaging patients and the public in sexual and reproductive health and HIV/AIDS services.

PubMed

Robinson, Nicola; Lorenc, Ava

2015-04-01

To explore barriers, challenges and best practice within patient and public engagement (PPE) in sexual and reproductive health and HIV (SRHH) services in London. Consultation exercise using qualitative interviews with 27 stakeholders including commissioners, managers, voluntary/community organizations (VCOs) clinicians and patients, analysed using Framework Analysis and Atlas.ti software. Participants recognized PPE's importance, echoing recent political and NHS drives, and highlighted the need for meaningful, empowering PPE, including user-designed methods, peer research and participatory approaches. Although challenging in SRHH and requiring training and support, PPE may help tackle stigma, and promote self-management and patient-centred-care, including peer education and role modelling. Expertise may come from experienced VCOs. Themes in priority order were: organizational commitment (including lack of dedicated staff, time and money); motivating patients; changing NHS philosophy; informing patients/public; using public awareness/education campaigns; overcoming stigma; working with VCOs. 'Reaching out' to engage underrepresented groups in this sensitive area was emphasized through community outreach, incentivization and linking with existing organizations. Making engagement easy and addressing issues of public value were also important. Stigma was less hindering than anticipated, except for ethnic minorities. PPE was seen to improve patient satisfaction, increase service uptake and reduce inequalities, key priorities in SRHH, and identify innovative service delivery ideas. PPE is crucial in creating a patient-led NHS and responsible society. If organizations, including the NHS, commit to implementing meaningful PPE which actively targets those at risk of poor SRHH, services can be truly patient-led and patients and communities empowered to tackle the stigma of SRHH. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Care Coordination: Empowering Families, a Promising Practice to Facilitate Medical Home Use Among Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs.

PubMed

Ufer, Lisa Gorman; Moore, Julie A; Hawkins, Kristen; Gembel, Gina; Entwistle, David N; Hoffman, David

2018-05-01

Introduction This paper describes the care coordination training program and results of an evaluation from its pilot in seven states. Despite the importance of practice-based care coordination, only 42.3% of children with special health care needs (CYSHCN) met all needed components of care coordination as defined by the Maternal Child Health Bureau. Recognizing that children with medically complex conditions often have lower rates of achieving care coordination within a medical home, the Region 4 Midwest Genetics Collaborative worked with families to develop a training to empower families in care coordination. The Care Coordination: Empowering Families(CCEF) training provides families with the knowledge, tools, and resources to engage with health, education and family support systems. This article gives an overview of the training and comprehensive evaluation. Methods Participants were family caregivers of children with genetic conditions and other special health care needs recruited in one of seven pilot states. Evaluation data were collected from 190 participants prior to and immediately following the training. An additional follow-up assessment one full year post training was completed by 80 participants (a response rate of 42%). Results Families who attended the training report being the primary source of care coordination for their children and 83.7% see their role in their child's healthcare changing as a result of the training. The findings suggest that peer support and communication with providers increased as a result of the training over the course of the study. The data suggest that the training impacted how the family interacts with the child's doctor, including initiating conversations to prepare their child for transition to adult health care. Further, families report system-level improvements 1 year later compared to the pre-training assessment. Discussion CCEF training is a promising practice for facilitating medical home use among CYSHCN.

Toward a Learning Health-care System – Knowledge Delivery at the Point of Care Empowered by Big Data and NLP

PubMed Central

Kaggal, Vinod C.; Elayavilli, Ravikumar Komandur; Mehrabi, Saeed; Pankratz, Joshua J.; Sohn, Sunghwan; Wang, Yanshan; Li, Dingcheng; Rastegar, Majid Mojarad; Murphy, Sean P.; Ross, Jason L.; Chaudhry, Rajeev; Buntrock, James D.; Liu, Hongfang

2016-01-01

The concept of optimizing health care by understanding and generating knowledge from previous evidence, ie, the Learning Health-care System (LHS), has gained momentum and now has national prominence. Meanwhile, the rapid adoption of electronic health records (EHRs) enables the data collection required to form the basis for facilitating LHS. A prerequisite for using EHR data within the LHS is an infrastructure that enables access to EHR data longitudinally for health-care analytics and real time for knowledge delivery. Additionally, significant clinical information is embedded in the free text, making natural language processing (NLP) an essential component in implementing an LHS. Herein, we share our institutional implementation of a big data-empowered clinical NLP infrastructure, which not only enables health-care analytics but also has real-time NLP processing capability. The infrastructure has been utilized for multiple institutional projects including the MayoExpertAdvisor, an individualized care recommendation solution for clinical care. We compared the advantages of big data over two other environments. Big data infrastructure significantly outperformed other infrastructure in terms of computing speed, demonstrating its value in making the LHS a possibility in the near future. PMID:27385912

Toward a Learning Health-care System - Knowledge Delivery at the Point of Care Empowered by Big Data and NLP.

PubMed

Kaggal, Vinod C; Elayavilli, Ravikumar Komandur; Mehrabi, Saeed; Pankratz, Joshua J; Sohn, Sunghwan; Wang, Yanshan; Li, Dingcheng; Rastegar, Majid Mojarad; Murphy, Sean P; Ross, Jason L; Chaudhry, Rajeev; Buntrock, James D; Liu, Hongfang

2016-01-01

The concept of optimizing health care by understanding and generating knowledge from previous evidence, ie, the Learning Health-care System (LHS), has gained momentum and now has national prominence. Meanwhile, the rapid adoption of electronic health records (EHRs) enables the data collection required to form the basis for facilitating LHS. A prerequisite for using EHR data within the LHS is an infrastructure that enables access to EHR data longitudinally for health-care analytics and real time for knowledge delivery. Additionally, significant clinical information is embedded in the free text, making natural language processing (NLP) an essential component in implementing an LHS. Herein, we share our institutional implementation of a big data-empowered clinical NLP infrastructure, which not only enables health-care analytics but also has real-time NLP processing capability. The infrastructure has been utilized for multiple institutional projects including the MayoExpertAdvisor, an individualized care recommendation solution for clinical care. We compared the advantages of big data over two other environments. Big data infrastructure significantly outperformed other infrastructure in terms of computing speed, demonstrating its value in making the LHS a possibility in the near future.

Empowering the Language Learner: Language Learning Strategy Training and Self-Regulation in an EFL Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Torres, Gabriella

2013-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to illustrate how an understanding of the Good Language Learner models described in the SLA literature can be used to tailor and implement a program of learning strategy training and self-regulatory practices in the classroom to empower L2 learners in an EFL context. The paper begins by reviewing the various…

Devious Lies: Adventures in Freelance Science Outreach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fatland, D. R.

2003-12-01

Observations are given from two freelance science outreach projects undertaken by the author: Tutoring at-risk secondary students and teaching astronomy to 5th-7th graders in a camp retreat environment. Two recurring thematic challenges in these experiences are considered: First the 'Misperception Problem', the institutionalized chasm between the process of doing science and K-12 science education (wherein science is often portrayed as something distant and inaccessible, while ironically children are necessarily excellent scientists). And second the 'Engagement Problem', engaging a student's attention and energy by matching teaching material and--more importantly--teaching techniques to the student's state of development. The objective of this work is twofold: To learn how to address these two challenges and to empower the students in a manner independent of the scientific content of any particular subject. An underlying hypothesis is that confidence to problem solve (a desirable life-skill) can be made more accessible through a combination of problem solving by the student and seeing how others have solved seemingly impossible problems. This hypothesis (or agenda) compels an emphasis on critical thinking and raises the dilemma of reconciling non-directed teaching with very pointed conclusions about the verity of pseudo-science and ideas prevalent about science in popular culture. An interesting pedagogical found-object in this regard is the useful 'devious lie' which can encourage a student to question the assumption that the teacher (and by extension any professed expert) has the right answers.

“Complexities of holistic community based participatory research for a low-income, multi-ethnic population exposed to multiple built-environment stressors in Worcester, Massachusetts”

PubMed Central

Downs, Timothy J.; Ross, Laurie; Patton, Suzanne; Rulnick, Sarah; Sinha, Deb; Mucciarone, Danielle; Calvache, Maria; Parmenter, Sarah; Subedi, Rajendra; Wysokenski, Donna; Anderson, Erin; Dezan, Rebecca; Lowe, Kate; Bowen, Jennifer; Tejani, Amee; Piersanti, Kelly; Taylor, Octavia; Goble, Robert

2009-01-01

Low income, multi-ethnic communities in Main South/Piedmont neighborhoods of Worcester, Massachusetts are exposed to cumulative, chronic built-environment stressors, and have limited capacity to respond, magnifying their vulnerability to adverse health outcomes. “Neighborhood STRENGTH”, our community based participatory research (CBPR) project, comprised four partners: a youth center; an environmental non-profit; a community based health center; and a university. Unlike most CBPR projects that are single topic-focused, our ‘holistic’, systems-based project targeted five priorities. The three research-focused/action-oriented components were: 1) participatory monitoring of indoor and outdoor pollution; 2) learning about health needs and concerns of residents through community based listening sessions; and 3) engaging in collaborative survey work, including a household vulnerability survey and an asthma prevalence survey for schoolchildren. The two action-focused/research-informed components were: 4) tackling persistent street trash and illegal dumping strategically; and 5) educating and empowering youth to promote environmental justice. We used a coupled CBPR-capacity building approach to design, vulnerability theory to frame, and mixed methods: quantitative environmental testing and qualitative surveys. Process and outcomes yielded important lessons: vulnerability theory helps frame issues holistically; having several topic-based projects yielded useful information, but was hard to manage and articulate to the public; access to, and engagement with, the target population was very difficult and would have benefited greatly from having representative residents who were paid at the partners' table. Engagement with residents and conflict burden varied highly across components. Notwithstanding, we built enabling capacity, strengthened our understanding of vulnerability, and are able to share valuable experiential knowledge. PMID:19762014

Complexities of holistic community-based participatory research for a low income, multi-ethnic population exposed to multiple built-environment stressors in Worcester, Massachusetts.

PubMed

Downs, Timothy J; Ross, Laurie; Patton, Suzanne; Rulnick, Sarah; Sinha, Deb; Mucciarone, Danielle; Calvache, Maria; Parmenter, Sarah; Subedi, Rajendra; Wysokenski, Donna; Anderson, Erin; Dezan, Rebecca; Lowe, Kate; Bowen, Jennifer; Tejani, Amee; Piersanti, Kelly; Taylor, Octavia; Goble, Robert

2009-11-01

Low income, multi-ethnic communities in Main South/Piedmont neighborhoods of Worcester, Massachusetts are exposed to cumulative, chronic built-environment stressors, and have limited capacity to respond, magnifying their vulnerability to adverse health outcomes. "Neighborhood STRENGTH", our community-based participatory research (CBPR) project, comprised four partners: a youth center; an environmental non-profit; a community-based health center; and a university. Unlike most CBPR projects that are single topic-focused, our 'holistic', systems-based project targeted five priorities. The three research-focused/action-oriented components were: (1) participatory monitoring of indoor and outdoor pollution; (2) learning about health needs and concerns of residents through community-based listening sessions; (3) engaging in collaborative survey work, including a household vulnerability survey and an asthma prevalence survey for schoolchildren. The two action-focused/research-informed components were: (4) tackling persistent street trash and illegal dumping strategically; and (5) educating and empowering youth to promote environmental justice. We used a coupled CBPR-capacity building approach to design, vulnerability theory to frame, and mixed methods: quantitative environmental testing and qualitative surveys. Process and outcomes yielded important lessons: vulnerability theory helps frame issues holistically; having several topic-based projects yielded useful information, but was hard to manage and articulate to the public; access to, and engagement with, the target population was very difficult and would have benefited greatly from having representative residents who were paid at the partners' table. Engagement with residents and conflict burden varied highly across components. Notwithstanding, we built enabling capacity, strengthened our understanding of vulnerability, and are able to share valuable experiential knowledge.

Does the amount of school choice matter for student engagement?

PubMed Central

Vaughn, Michael G.; Witko, Christopher

2013-01-01

School choice may increase student engagement by enabling students to attend schools that more closely match their needs and preferences. But this effect on engagement may depend on the characteristics of the choices available. Therefore, we consider how the amount of educational choice of different types in a local educational marketplace affects student engagement using a large, national population of 8th grade students. We find that more choice of regular public schools in the elementary and middle school years is associated with a lower likelihood that students will be severely disengaged in eighth grade, and more choices of public schools of choice has a similar effect but only in urban areas. In contrast, more private sector choice does not have such a general beneficial effect. PMID:23682202

Children as agents of change in combatting antibiotic resistance.

PubMed

Molnar, Andreea

2017-01-01

Antibiotic resistance is a worldwide problem and changes are needed in the way antibiotics are used. The value of engaging children as key contributors in health care campaigns to increase the appropriate use of antibiotics has not been fully recognized. Little is known about how to design educational materials for children in order to enable them to be agents of change in their communities. Science education needs to improve the way it engages children so as to give them the tools needed to make responsible decisions on antibiotic use.

A System Dynamics Model for Integrated Decision Making: The Durham-Orange Light Rail Project

EPA Science Inventory

EPA’s Sustainable and Healthy Communities Research Program (SHC) is conducting transdisciplinary research to inform and empower decision-makers. EPA tools and approaches are being developed to enable communities to effectively weigh and integrate human health, socioeconomic, envi...

Can we really make a difference? Exploring pre-service teachers' experience with socio-scientific issues aiming for democratic participation in science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cook, Kristin Leigh

Responding to calls for an empirical glimpse into a socioscientific issues (SSI)-based curriculum that aims to promote democratic participation, enhance students' connections to science, and empower students for the betterment of society (Dos Santos, 2008; Sadler, Barab, & Scott, 2007; Tal & Kedmi, 2006; Fusco & Barton, 2001; Hodson, 2003), this critical case study of 24 pre-service teachers (PSTs) enrolled in a scientific inquiry course offers curricular suggestions to empower learners to connect with the dynamic and socially-mediated process of science. In effect, incorporating nature of science-focused and place-based inquiry into a collaboration between PSTs and scientists were essential elements in enhancing students' connections to and feelings of inclusion in SSI. Propelled beyond a deficit model of public participation in science, the PSTs did indeed experience a public debate model and in some cases a knowledge production model in their collaborative efforts with scientists (Callon, 1999; Pouliot, 2009). While all of the PSTs engaged in rich discussion of their perspectives with scientists to enhance the investigation of their inquiry, some experienced a redistribution of the roles of participation in the production of scientific knowledge that was integrated into the scientists' decision-making processes. The materialization of these models depended on the structures of the student-scientists collaboration and the ways in which these malleable structures were flexed and negotiated. In effect, this study contributes to the literature on the potentials of SSI by providing an example of an educational approach that engages learners in a community practice as active participants in decision-making processes regarding socio-scientific issues, as well as focuses on empowering learners to be involved in the generation of scientific knowledge that contributes to their community.

A new industrial order for physicians: a talk with Jeff C. Goldsmith, PhD. Interview by Richard L. Reece.

PubMed

Goldsmith, J C

2000-01-01

Richard L. Reece, MD, interviewed Jeff C. Goldsmith, PhD, President of Health Futures, Inc. on October 12, 1999 to discuss how the Internet will affect health care delivery in the millennium. One of the most profound changes that he sees is how the relationship between physicians and patients will be altered. Empowered consumers are where the real revolution is happening--a trend sometimes overlooked by physicians. Goldsmith says, "The key thing physicians have missed is that the patient is in charge of the process.... The Internet has enabled patients to aggregate their collective experience across disease entities." But there is too much information. "It is almost universally acknowledged by patients and physicians that there is a terrible quality problem. Getting from information to knowledge is a huge commercial opportunity for somebody." He doesn't think that people have put enough emphasis on the collective learning part of this new technology.

Healthy Cities: facilitating the active participation and empowerment of local people.

PubMed

Dooris, Mark; Heritage, Zoe

2013-10-01

Community participation and empowerment are key values underpinning the European WHO Healthy Cities initiative, now in its fifth phase. This paper provides a brief overview of the history, policy context, and theory relating to community participation and empowerment. Drawing on Phase IV evaluation data, it presents the findings in relation to the four quadrants of Davidson's Wheel of Participation--information, consultation, participation in decision making, and empowerment. The large majority of European Healthy Cities have mechanisms in place to provide information for and to consult with local people. Most also demonstrate a commitment to enabling community participation in decision-making and to empowering citizens. Within this context, the evaluation highlighted a diversity of approaches and revealed varied perspectives on how participation and empowerment can be integrated within city leadership and governance processes. The paper concludes by suggesting that there is a need to strengthen future evaluative research to better understand how and why the Healthy Cities approach makes a difference.

Using the WHO-ICF with talking mats to enable adults with long-term communication difficulties to participate in goal setting.

PubMed

Murphy, Joan; Boa, Sally

2012-03-01

The World Health Organization International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (WHO-ICF) provides a framework that helps rehabilitation staff to take a holistic view of the patient. However, it is used predominantly by professionals rather than by active participation on behalf of the person with the disability. In addition, the language used within the framework can be difficult for patients to understand. In order to address these issues the Activities and Participation section of the ICF has been adapted by using graphic symbols. It has been used in conjunction with Talking Mats(™ 1 ), a low-tech communication framework, to help adults with long-term conditions participate in goal setting. This paper describes how this was done and provides examples from clinical practice. The paper discusses how this combined framework can empower people with communication difficulties and long-term conditions to become active participants in the rehabilitation process by identifying their own goals, indicating changing priorities and tracking their progress.

Head in the Cloud, Feet on the Ground!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Malcolm; Howard, Dave; Hoath, Leigh

2011-01-01

Cloud software enables children to engage with their work across and within subjects, not least in science. Bradford College in the UK and the University of Aveiro in Portugal were funded by an Anglo-Portuguese research programme, "The treaty of Windsor", to look at how new web-based technologies are embedded within pre-service and…

The Benefits of Engaging in Research Informed Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stone, Paula

2012-01-01

To be part of small scale classroom research for many practitioners is nothing more than a dream. This account describes how student teachers use such an approach to consider the rationale that underpins the teaching and learning of primary mathematics, and to enable them to question current debates, policies, and practices. The accounts from…

Igniting a Passion in English

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Noble, Susan

2018-01-01

This article looks in detail at the constraints imposed on teachers of English by current examination syllabuses, and at how approaches developed through the Key Stage 3 (KS3) offer and the innovative Excellent Futures Curriculum at Stanley Park High School, Carshalton enable KS4 students to be more securely and fruitfully engaged as readers,…

Using Sport to Engage and Motivate Students to Learn Mathematics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robinson, Carol L.

2012-01-01

This article describes how technology has been used to motivate the learning of mathematics for students of Sports Technology at Loughborough University. Sports applications are introduced whenever appropriate and Matlab is taught to enable the students to solve realistic problems. The mathematical background of the students is varied and the…

Using Dual Eye-Tracking Measures to Differentiate between Collaboration on Procedural and Conceptual Learning Activities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Belenky, Daniel; Ringenberg, Michael; Olsen, Jennifer; Aleven, Vincent; Rummel, Nikol

2013-01-01

Dual eye-tracking measures enable novel ways to test predictions about collaborative learning. For example, the research project we are engaging in uses measures of gaze recurrence to help understand how collaboration may differ when students are completing various learning activities focused on different learning objectives. Specifically, we…

The impact of a large-scale quality improvement programme on work engagement: preliminary results from a national cross-sectional-survey of the 'Productive Ward'.

PubMed

White, Mark; Wells, John S G; Butterworth, Tony

2014-12-01

Quality improvement (QI) Programmes, like the Productive Ward: Releasing-time-to-care initiative, aim to 'engage' and 'empower' ward teams to actively participate, innovate and lead quality improvement at the front line. However, little is known about the relationship and impact that QI work has on the 'engagement' of the clinical teams who participate and vice-versa. This paper explores and examines the impact of a large-scale QI programme, the Productive Ward, on the 'work engagement' of the nurses and ward teams involved. Using the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES), we surveyed, measured and analysed work engagement in a representative test group of hospital-based ward teams who had recently commenced the latest phase of the national 'Productive Ward' initiative in Ireland and compared them to a control group of similar size and matched (as far as is possible) on variables such as ward size, employment grade and clinical specialty area. 338 individual datasets were recorded, n=180 (53.6%) from the Productive Ward group, and n=158 (46.4%) from the control group; the overall response rate was 67%, and did not differ significantly between the Productive Ward and control groups. The work engagement mean score (±standard deviation) in the Productive group was 4.33(±0.88), and 4.07(±1.06) in the control group, representing a modest but statistically significant between-group difference (p=0.013, independent samples t-test). Similarly modest differences were observed in all three dimensions of the work engagement construct. Employment grade and the clinical specialty area were also significantly related to the work engagement score (p<0.001, general linear model) and (for the most part), to its components, with both clerical and nurse manager grades, and the elderly specialist areas, exhibiting substantially higher scores. The findings demonstrate how QI activities, like those integral to the Productive Ward programme, appear to positively impact on the work engagement (the vigour, absorption and dedication) of ward-based teams. The use and suitability of the UWES as an appropriate measure of 'engagement' in QI interventions was confirmed. The engagement of nurses and front-line clinical teams is a major component of creating, developing and sustaining a culture of improvement. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Impact of the Leading an Empowered Organisation programme.

PubMed

Hancock, Helen; Campbell, Steve

To evaluate the impact of the Leading an Empowered Organisation (LEO) programme on the role of grade G nurses and their multidisciplinary colleagues in one NHS trust. The LEO programme encourages and promotes leadership skills among NHS staff. A purposive sample of four grade G nurses, one from each of the hospital's four clinical divisions, was included. Each grade G nurse, and his or her matron, nominated eight colleagues for interview. The final sample comprised four grade G nurses and 32 of their colleagues. Data were analysed using the principles of thematic analysis described by Attride-Stirling (2001). The LEO programme improved the grade G nurses' approach to their work in relation to competence, communication strategies, problem solving, risk taking, leadership and management style. Factors that affected the grade G nurses' implementation of the LEO principles included: relationships, personality, experience, work context, staffing levels, autonomy and authority. This study provided insight into how the grade G nurses applied the principles of the LEO programme in their daily work. Their ability to apply the LEO principles was both restricted and assisted by the culture in which they worked. A partnership between theory and practice is needed. This finding has implications for the LEO programme and the need for it to be implicit in the local working philosophy, that is, the context in which its principles are to be used. This is so that the working context and people within it are intimately engaged with the individual undertaking the course.

Personalized Strategies to Activate and Empower Patients in Health Care and Reduce Health Disparities.

PubMed

Chen, Jie; Mullins, C Daniel; Novak, Priscilla; Thomas, Stephen B

2016-02-01

Designing culturally sensitive personalized interventions is essential to sustain patients' involvement in their treatment and encourage patients to take an active role in their own health and health care. We consider patient activation and empowerment as a cyclical process defined through patient accumulation of knowledge, confidence, and self-determination for their own health and health care. We propose a patient-centered, multilevel activation and empowerment framework (individual-, health care professional-, community-, and health care delivery system-level) to inform the development of culturally informed personalized patient activation and empowerment (P-PAE) interventions to improve population health and reduce racial and ethnic disparities. We discuss relevant Affordable Care Act payment and delivery policy reforms and how they affect patient activation and empowerment. Such policies include Accountable Care Organizations and value-based purchasing, patient-centered medical homes, and the community health benefit. Challenges and possible solutions to implementing the P-PAE are discussed. Comprehensive and longitudinal data sets with consistent P-PAE measures are needed to conduct comparative effectiveness analyses to evaluate the optimal P-PAE model. We believe the P-PAE model is timely and sustainable and will be critical to engaging patients in their treatment, developing patients' abilities to manage their health, helping patients express concerns and preferences regarding treatment, empowering patients to ask questions about treatment options, and building up strategic patient-provider partnerships through shared decision making. © 2015 Society for Public Health Education.

"Our Leaders Are Just We Ourself": Black Women College Student Leaders' Experiences with Oppression and Sources of Nourishment on a Predominantly White College Campus

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Domingue, Andrea D.

2015-01-01

This article offers a theoretical analysis and phenomenological study of the leadership experiences of black women college students at a predominantly white higher education institution. Existing literature argues that leadership development is vital to the college experience as an opportunity to empower and engage students in social change.…

Sustaining Change: Successes, Challenges, and Lessons Learned from Twenty Years of Empowering Students through Community-Based Learning Capstones

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kerrigan, Seanna M.

2015-01-01

More than four thousand students engage in the community-based learning capstone program every year by enrolling in one of 240 senior-level courses that culminate their undergraduate education. In this article, the author shares the context and history of the program, its foundational principles and processes, and the nuts-and-bolts details of the…

Empowering Pre-College Students To Engage In Climate Change Solutions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haine, D. B.

2014-12-01

Developing and implementing solutions to environmental challenges, such as climate change, depend upon the cultivation of STEM knowledge and skills among today's youth. Furthermore, STEM instruction enhances learning by providing tools to investigate and analyze environmental issues, making the issue real and tangible to students. That said, educators engaged in the climate literacy movement are aware that possession of knowledge about Earth's climate and the causes and consequences of climate change is not sufficient to empower individuals to contribute to solutions that promote a sustainable future. By framing the issue of climate change in the context of energy, by utilizing STEM instructional strategies and by showcasing scientists and others working on solutions to address climate change, the Climate Leadership and Energy Awareness Program (Climate LEAP) at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill is cultivating a network of youth who are not only informed about society's use of energy and the implication for Earth's climate but also empowered to be part of the solution as society shifts to a low carbon economy. During this year-long science enrichment program, 9th-12thgraders learn about our fossil fuel based economy, meet scientists who are working to expand the use of renewable energy sources, and develop communication and leadership skills. Experienced educators with UNC's Institute for the Environment, the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center and the Alliance for Climate Education partner with scientists to implement Climate LEAP. In addition to increasing knowledge of climate science and of the solutions proposed to address climate change, program participants are invited to engage members of their community through implementation of a solutions-oriented community outreach project. Now in its fifth year, 168 students have completed Climate LEAP, with approximately 2/3 completing at least one community outreach project. A survey of program alumni indicated that 90% of respondents were motivated by the program to make at least one behavior change to conserve energy in their daily life. This session will include a description of the program evaluation plan, which includes assessment of student learning..

Support groups: an empowering, experiential strategy.

PubMed

Heinrich, K T; Robinson, C M; Scales, M E

1998-01-01

The authors describe a student-facilitated support group experience initiated at student request and designed for RN-BSN students. Students report they emerged enlightened about group theory, empowered to share their knowledge of groups, and energized to initiate groups in their work settings. If educators make the learning experience safe, practice letting go and being vigilant, and celebrate group successes, students learn how to initiate, facilitate, and terminate small groups.

Combating Terrorism via the Womb: Empowering Iraqi Women

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-04-01

households that originated in developing countries where it successfully enables women have been forced to be the breadwinners of the extremely...support should not be just financial but should include training programmes [sic] to help women find jobs in the public and private sectors.”23 She

Midwife to a Learning Community: Spirit as Co-Inquirer.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roberson, Whitney Wherrett

2002-01-01

Describes how six women working within a liberal feminist Christian tradition sought to nurture learning communities that empower and transform. Relates how the group used metaphor and laughter as central processes. (SK)

How states exerted power to create the Millennium Development Goals and how this shaped the global health agenda: Lessons for the sustainable development goals and the future of global health.

PubMed

Marten, Robert

2018-04-26

Since 2000, the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) provided the framework for global development efforts transforming the field now known as global health. The MDGs both reflected and contributed to shaping a normative global health agenda. In the field of global health, the role of the state is largely considered to have diminished; however, this paper reasserts states as actors in the conceptualisation and institutionalisation of the MDGs, and illustrates how states exerted power and engaged in the MDG process. States not only sanctioned the MDGs through their heads of states endorsing the Millennium Declaration, but also acted more subtly behind the scenes supporting, enabling, and/or leveraging other actors, institutions and processes to conceptualise and legitimize the MDGs. Appreciating the MDGs' role in the conceptualisation of global health is particularly relevant as the world transitions to the MDGs' successor, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs' influence, impact and importance remains to be seen; however, to understand the future of global health and how actors, particularly states, can engage to shape the field, a deeper sense of the MDGs' legacy and how actors engaged in the past is helpful.

Phases of "pre-engagement" capacity building: discovery, exploration, and trial alliance.

PubMed

Campbell-Voytal, Kimberly

2010-01-01

Academic prevention researchers who engage limited-resource communities may find that organizational or community capacity for prevention is low. Community organizations, neighborhoods, and academic partners may lack shared issue awareness, mutual interests, and interactive skills necessary for collaborative intervention. Existing capacity building models either ignore a 'pre-engagement' phase or acknowledge it without offering strategic detail. An exploratory or developmental phase before active engagement can be achieved through co-located work in a community setting. The construct, "ecology of practice," provides conceptual background for examining how "shared work" introduces and prepares partners for future collaboration consistent with community-based participatory research (CBPR) principles. This paper presents two case studies where pre-engagement capacity building involved partners who were initially unaware, disinterested, or unable to engage in preventive interventions. These cases illustrate how mutual participation in shared "ecologies of practice" enabled an exchange of cultural knowledge, skill, and language that laid the groundwork for future preventive intervention. A trajectory of developmental work in each case occurred over 5 years. Historical timelines, interviews, and personal communications between community and academic leaders were reviewed and common themes identified. A model of "pre-capacity building" emerged. Capacity-building models that detail strategies for developing equitable engagement in under-resourced settings will more effectively move best practices into vulnerable communities. Preventive interventions must be translated equitably if health disparities are to be reduced.

Evaluating the engagement of universities in capacity building for sustainable development in local communities.

PubMed

Shiel, Chris; Leal Filho, Walter; do Paço, Arminda; Brandli, Luciana

2016-02-01

Universities have the potential to play a leading role in enabling communities to develop more sustainable ways of living and working however, sustainable communities may only emerge with facilitation, community learning and continual efforts to build their capacities. Elements of programme planning and evaluation on the one hand, and capacity building on the other, are needed. The latter entails approaches and processes that may contribute to community empowerment; universities may either lead such approaches, or be key partners in an endeavour to empower communities to address the challenges posed by the need for sustainable development. Although capacity building and the promotion of sustainable development locally, are on the agenda for universities who take seriously regional engagement, very little is published that illustrates or describes the various forms of activities that take place. Further, there is a paucity of studies that have evaluated the work performed by universities in building capacity for sustainable development at the local level. This paper is an attempt to address this need, and entails an empirical study based on a sample of universities in the United Kingdom, Germany, Portugal and Brazil. The paper examines the extent to which capacity building for sustainable development is being undertaken, suggests the forms that this might take and evaluates some of the benefits for local communities. The paper concludes by reinforcing that universities have a critical role to play in community development; that role has to prioritise the sustainability agenda. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Using the Process and Excitement of Science and Technology to Empower Teachers and Engage their Students

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Crannell, Carol Jo

2002-01-01

Students United with NASA Becoming Enthusiastic About Math and Science (SUNBEAMS) is a Partnership between NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) and the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS). It empowers teachers and inspires students with the process and excitement of science and technology. SUNBEAMS is being developed as a model urban intervention program for sixth grade teachers and their students. The teachers come to Goddard for five weeks during the summer. They partner with Goddard mentors and work much the same way that summer students do. In addition, the teachers are responsible for developing lesson plans that they pilot at their schools and post on the SUNBEAMS web site. During the school year, each teacher brings one class to Goddard for a full week of total immersion in math and science.

Climate Generation: Advancing Climate Action through Education, Public Engagement and Youth Leadership

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poppleton, K. L. I.

2017-12-01

Climate Generation: A Will Steger Legacy empowers youth, educators, decision-makers and the public to foster climate literacy and action with the goal of building a more equitable and resilient future. We have over eleven years of experience delivering high-quality K-12 education, public engagement and youth leadership programming, reaching over 75,000 people, 35,000 students and 17,000 educators since 2006. By engaging educators, youth, and the public, we believe that communities can be better positioned to build a resilient and equitable future. For this reason we strive to engage with all these sectors through innovative programming and policy initiatives. Communities are resilient when individuals are connected to each other, resources, and decision-makers. Sharing personal narratives, and highlighting locally relevant solutions are all tools that Climate Generation employs to engage the public. We do this through community wide convenings, as well as sector specific events including at breweries, art fairs, and businesses. Education is also an integral piece for sustained action on climate change. We support educators with a science-based, interdisciplinary model of climate change education that engages all learners, and fosters climate literacy and action. We develop curriculum and offer professional development, encouraging teachers to develop today's students into action-competent citizens. Finally, Climate Generation recognizes the importance of empowering high school youth as a key strategy in transitioning to a just and sustainable future for all. We believe in the inherent genius of youth and know from experience that mentorship fosters powerful youth leadership at the community level, inspiring peers, family members, and local decision-makers to take critical action on climate change solutions. In order to accelerate and implement action on climate change we must take a multi-faceted approach: we are building public will for strong climate action at the local and state level; preparing educators and their students to understand the problem and implement clean energy solutions; and pushing our decision-makers to do the right thing via pressure from their constituents, including youth, who can effectively articulate equitable policy solutions and hold officials accountable.

Culturally-Relevant Online Cancer Education Modules Empower Alaska's Community Health Aides/Practitioners to Disseminate Cancer Information and Reduce Cancer Risk.

PubMed

Cueva, Katie; Revels, Laura; Cueva, Melany; Lanier, Anne P; Dignan, Mark; Viswanath, K; Fung, Teresa T; Geller, Alan C

2017-04-12

To address a desire for timely, medically accurate cancer education in rural Alaska, ten culturally relevant online learning modules were developed with, and for, Alaska's Community Health Aides/Practitioners (CHA/Ps). The project was guided by the framework of Community-Based Participatory Action Research, honored Indigenous Ways of Knowing, and was informed by Empowerment Theory. A total of 428 end-of-module evaluation surveys were completed by 89 unique Alaska CHA/Ps between January and December 2016. CHA/Ps shared that as a result of completing the modules, they were empowered to share cancer information with their patients, families, friends, and communities, as well as engage in cancer risk reduction behaviors such as eating healthier, getting cancer screenings, exercising more, and quitting tobacco. CHA/Ps also reported the modules were informative and respectful of their diverse cultures. These results from end-of-module evaluation surveys suggest that the collaboratively developed, culturally relevant, online cancer education modules have empowered CHA/Ps to reduce cancer risk and disseminate cancer information. "brought me to tears couple of times, and I think it will help in destroying the silence that surrounds cancer".

Migrant Students' Emergent Conscientization through Critical, Socioculturally Responsive Literacy Pedagogy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stevenson, Alma; Beck, Scott

2017-01-01

This article analyzes data from a summer literacy program for intermediate and middle-level children of migrant farmworkers. The program was grounded in a sociocultural perspective on literacy, stressing the importance of interaction and collaboration within socioculturally responsive pedagogy, using enabling literature to empower students.…

Action Research Empowers School Librarians

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robins, Jennifer

2015-01-01

Successful school library programs occur through careful planning and reflection. This reflective process is improved when it is applied in a systematic way through action research. The action research described in this paper enabled school librarians to reflect based on evidence, using data they had collected. This study presents examples of the…

To the Cloud! A Grassroots Proposal to Accelerate Brain Science Discovery

PubMed Central

Vogelstein, Joshua T.; Mensh, Brett; Hausser, Michael; Spruston, Nelson; Evans, Alan; Kording, Konrad; Amunts, Katrin; Ebell, Christoph; Muller, Jeff; Telefont, Martin; Hill, Sean; Koushika, Sandhya P.; Cali, Corrado; Valdés-Sosa, Pedro Antonio; Littlewood, Peter; Koch, Christof; Saalfeld, Stephan; Kepecs, Adam; Peng, Hanchuan; Halchenko, Yaroslav O.; Kiar, Gregory; Poo, Mu-Ming; Poline, Jean-Baptiste; Milham, Michael P.; Schaffer, Alyssa Picchini; Gidron, Rafi; Okano, Hideyuki; Calhoun, Vince D; Chun, Miyoung; Kleissas, Dean M.; Vogelstein, R. Jacob; Perlman, Eric; Burns, Randal; Huganir, Richard; Miller, Michael I.

2018-01-01

The revolution in neuroscientific data acquisition is creating an analysis challenge. We propose leveraging cloud-computing technologies to enable large-scale neurodata storing, exploring, analyzing, and modeling. This utility will empower scientists globally to generate and test theories of brain function and dysfunction. PMID:27810005

Can managers empower nurse-midwives to improve maternal health care? A comparison of two resource-poor hospitals in Tanzania.

PubMed

Tibandebage, Paula; Kida, Tausi; Mackintosh, Maureen; Ikingura, Joyce

2016-10-01

Maternal mortality is very high in Tanzania. Competent hospital care is key to improving maternal outcomes, but there is a crisis of availability and performance of health workers in maternal care. This article uses interviews with managers, nurse-midwives, and women who had given birth in two hospitals providing virtually all the emergency maternal care in one Tanzania city. It contrasts women's experience in the two hospitals, and analyses interconnections with nurse-midwives' and managers' experiences of working conditions. The conceptual literature on nurse empowerment identifies some key explanatory variables for these contrasts. Staff experienced less frustration and constraint in one of the hospitals; had more access to structurally empowering resources; and experienced greater congruence between job commitment and working culture, resulting in better work engagement. Conversely, nurse-midwives in the other hospital were constrained by supply shortages and recurrent lack of support. Contrasting management styles and their impacts demonstrate that even in severely resource-constrained environments, there is room for management to empower staff to improve maternal care. Empowering management practices include participatory management, supportive supervision, better incentives, and clear leadership concerning ward culture. Structural constraints beyond the capacity of health facility managers must however also be addressed. © 2015 The Authors. International Journal of Health Planning and Management published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. © 2015 The Authors. International Journal of Health Planning and Management published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

NASA Astrophysics EPO Community: Increasing and Sustaining Youth and Public Engagement in STEM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lawton, B.; Smith, D. A.; Bartolone, L.; Meinke, B. K.; Schultz, G.; Manning, J.; NASA Astrophysics EPO Community

2015-11-01

The NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD) Astrophysics Education and Public Outreach (EPO) community and Forum work together to capitalize on the cutting-edge discoveries of NASA Astrophysics missions to enable youth to engage directly in doing Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) inside and outside of school. The NASA SMD Astrophysics EPO community has proven expertise in providing student opportunities that reinforce research skills; exhibits, multimedia shows, and visualizations that inspire and engage; professional development for informal educators; and partnerships that provide local, regional, and national reach. These mission- and grant-based EPO programs are uniquely poised to foster collaboration between scientists with content expertise and educators with pedagogy expertise. We present examples of how the NASA Astrophysics EPO community and Forum support youth and public engagement in STEM in these ways, including associated metrics and evaluation findings.

A whole community approach to emergency management: Strategies and best practices of seven community programs.

PubMed

Sobelson, Robyn K; Wigington, Corinne J; Harp, Victoria; Bronson, Bernice B

2015-01-01

In 2011, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) published the Whole Community Approach to Emergency Management: Principles, Themes, and Pathways for Action, outlining the need for increased individual preparedness and more widespread community engagement to enhance the overall resiliency and security of communities. However, there is limited evidence of how to build a whole community approach to emergency management that provides real-world, practical examples and applications. This article reports on the strategies and best practices gleaned from seven community programs fostering a whole community approach to emergency management. The project team engaged in informal conversations with community stakeholders to learn about their programs during routine monitoring activities, site visits, and during an in-person, facilitated workshop. A total of 88 community members associated with the programs examples contributed. Qualitative analysis was conducted. The findings highlighted best practices gleaned from the seven programs that other communities can leverage to build and maintain their own whole community programs. The findings from the programs also support and validate the three principles and six strategic themes outlined by FEMA. The findings, like the whole community document, highlight the importance of understanding the community, building relationships, empowering action, and fostering social capital to build a whole community approach.

Adventures in Citizen Science: Lessons learned engaging volunteer water quality monitors for over 30 years.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schloss, J. A.

2012-12-01

The New Hampshire Lakes Lay Monitoring Program was originally designed by faculty at the University of New Hampshire in 1979 to provide the capacity to better monitor for long-term lake water quality changes and trends. As participants became educated, empowered and engaged the program soon evolved to also become a participatory research enterprise. This resulted in not only providing useful information for informed local stewardship and protection at the local level but also for state and region-wide decision-making, state and federal assessments/reporting and advancing our understanding of lake and watershed science. Our successes and failures have been more dependent on understanding the particular human dimensions that influence our volunteers and less to do with the typical project management, quality assurance, and communication concerns we typically deal with in professional based research efforts. Our participants are extremely diverse in terms of their life experiences, interests and motivations so the key to long-term commitment and high quality participation is understanding the difference between a citizen monitor and your archetypical research technician or student. This presentation will highlight some important lessons learned on how to involve various types of volunteers from school groups to retirees, as well as particular approaches and concerns regarding program management, retention, quality control and communications.

e-Science Partnerships: Towards a Sustainable Framework for School-Scientist Engagement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Falloon, Garry

2013-01-01

In late 2006, the New Zealand Government embarked on a series of initiatives to explore how the resources and expertise of eight, small, state-owned science research institutes could be combined efficiently to support science teaching in schools. Programmes were developed to enable students and teachers to access and become involved in local…

Contextually Authentic Science for Young Children: A Study of Two Summer Herpetology Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scott, Catherine Marie

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the knowledge, skills, and dispositions enabled for elementary school participants in two summer herpetology programs, one in North Carolina and one in Florida. An additional purpose of this study was to examine the normative scientific practices in which participants engaged and to describe how these…

Reflecting on Collaborative Research into the Sustainability of Mediterranean Agriculture: A Case Study Using a Systematization of Experiences Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guimarães, Helena; Fonseca, Cecília; Gonzalez, Carla; Pinto-Correia, Teresa

2017-01-01

This article describes how a research institute went about reviewing the relationship between its members and external research partners in engaging in collaborative research. A systematization of experiences (SE) process was implemented to enable such review and draw implications for the institute's strategy regarding research into the…

ICT-Based Learning Personalization Affordance in the Context of Implementation of Constructionist Learning Activities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ignatova, Natalija; Dagiene, Valentina; Kubilinskiene, Svetlana

2015-01-01

How to enable students to create a personalized learning environment? What are the criteria of evaluation of the ICT-based learning process personalization affordance? These questions are answered by conducting multiple case study research of the innovative ICT-based learning process in iTEC (Innovative Technologies for Engaging Classrooms)…

Coffee Cups, Frogs, and Lived Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bruce, Bertram C.

2008-01-01

Stories are how we make sense of experiences, thus providing the historical sense of life. To paraphrase Dewey, extracting at each present time the full meaning of each present experience enables us to do the same for our pasts. The continual reconstruction of the past in the light of the present is integral to full engagement with the present…

Healthy Water, Healthy Habits, Healthy People Educators Guide

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Project WET Foundation, 2008

2008-01-01

Clean water, proper sanitation and good hygiene form a solid foundation for a student's health education. This activities guide is designed to enable teachers to take an active role in making a real difference in the lives of children and their families. Its 40 pages are filled with engaging ways to impart an understanding about how common…

Successful Air Force Source Selections Start with an Effective Empowered Team

DTIC Science & Technology

responsibilities of the team that will conduct a source selection, there is less guidance and focus how to create an effective source selection team and...empower that team to successfully complete a source selection. This purpose of this research was to determine if an increased focus on the formation and...empowerment of source selection teams and not just processes and procedures contribute to the efficiency and success of Air Force source selections

Parents’ Views on Engaging Families of Middle School Students in Obesity Prevention and Control in a Multiethnic Population

PubMed Central

Chung, Paul. J.; Thompson, Lindsey R.; Elijah, Jacinta; Lamb, Sheila; Garcia, Vanessa P.; Bastani, Roshan

2014-01-01

Introduction Overweight and obesity remain significant public health risks for youth in the United States, particularly among racial/ethnic minority groups. Efforts at obesity prevention and control have targeted youth and family members in diverse settings. Although involving parents in obesity prevention programs for youth may improve the potential of these programs, less is known about parents’ preferred methods of engagement, especially among racial/ethnic minority parents and parents whose primary language is not English. In this qualitative study, parents of middle-school–aged children were asked how best to engage their children in obesity prevention and control efforts. Methods We recruited 38 parents whose children attended Los Angeles middle schools to participate in focus groups. Two English-language focus groups with 14 parents of different racial/ethnic backgrounds and 2 Spanish language groups with 24 Latino parents were conducted from 2010 through 2011. We analyzed focus group transcripts by using content analysis using inductive and deductive techniques. Results Findings from focus groups confirmed that parents want to help their children avoid obesity but feel constrained in their ability to take action. Participants identified an overarching desire to become better parents as a potential incentive to engage in obesity prevention efforts. Parents advocated for family-focused approaches in obesity prevention programs, including family sports leagues and cooking classes. Most findings were consistent between language groups, but parents in the Spanish language groups cited language-related barriers. Conclusion The development and testing of simple programs that are sustainable, community-based, and family-focused may empower families to address obesity prevention and control. PMID:24698532

AN OBSERVATIONAL STUDY OF SOCIAL CONTROL, MOOD, AND SELF-EFFICACY IN COUPLES DURING TREATMENT FOR HEAD AND NECK CANCER

PubMed Central

BADR, HODA; YEUNG, CHI; LEWIS, MEGAN A.; MILBURY, KATHRIN; REDD, WILLIAM H.

2014-01-01

OBJECTIVE Head and neck cancer (HNC) patients experience debilitating side effects, including abnormally reduced salivation and difficulty swallowing. Intensive self-care protocols are prescribed to control side effects and minimize discomfort, but non-adherence rates are high. Although spouses are in a prime position to encourage adherence, studies have yet to examine how spouse social control (i.e., attempts to influence patient behavior to support adherence) affects HNC patient mood and self-efficacy for engaging in these self-care routines. METHODS One-hundred twenty-five HNC couples where the patient (86% male) was undergoing radiotherapy were recorded in the laboratory as they discussed a cancer-related issue that the patient identified as being a topic of concern. RESULTS Sixty-eight couples discussed side-effects and spouses engaged in social control in 61 of these discussions. Although oral complications and pain were frequently identified by patients as being topics of concern, dental/oral care and pain management were some of the least likely self-care behaviors to be targeted by spouses, who focused primarily on encouraging patients to maintain their weight and hydration. Although spouses engaged in an almost equal number of positive and negative control attempts, only positive control was significantly (p<.05) associated with patient positive mood and self-efficacy. CONCLUSION HNC couples may benefit from programs that emphasize the regular practice of self-care routines to control oral side effects, pain, and nutrition/hydration problems. Likewise, programs that encourage spouses to maximize their use of positive social control may also boost patients’ mood during treatment and empower them to engage in recommended self-care behaviors. PMID:25471820

500 Women Scientists: Science Advocacy Through Community Action

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bohon, W.; Bartel, B. A.; Pendergrass, A. G.; Ramirez, K. S.; Vijayaraghavan, R.; Weintraub, S. R.; Zelikova, T. J.

2017-12-01

500 Women Scientists is a grassroots organization formed in late 2016 to empower women to grow to their full potential in science, increase scientific literacy through public engagement, and advocate for science and equality. Our organization is global but we focus on building community relationships through local action. Our "pods," or local chapters, focus on issues that resonate in their communities, rooted in our mission and values. Pod members meet regularly, develop a support network, make strategic plans, and take action. In less than a year, 500 Women Scientists has already formed important partnerships and begun to work on local, regional and national projects. Nationally, we partnered with The Cairn Project to raise money to support girls in science. In an effort led by the DC pod, our members sent postcards sharing stories of how the EPA protects their communities in the #OurEPA postcard campaign. Pods have also participated in marches, including the Women's March, the March for Science and the People's Climate March. The "Summer of Op-Ed" campaign catalyzed pods and individuals to write to their local newspapers to speak up for funding science, climate change action, and general science advocacy. We have organized "strike-teams" that are working on local issues like education, the environment, climate change, and equal access to science. Additionally, pod members serve as mentors, participate in local events, hold workshops and partner with local organizations. As women scientists, we are in the position to take action to increase diversity in science and to draw attention to unacknowledged structural biases that negatively impact historically under-represented groups. 500 Women Scientists enables women in science to embrace this advocacy role, both within our scientific system and within our local communities.

Women's perceptions of polycystic ovary syndrome following participation in a clinical research study: implications for knowledge, feelings, and daily health practices.

PubMed

Colwell, Katie; Lujan, Marla E; Lawson, Karen L; Pierson, Roger A; Chizen, Donna R

2010-05-01

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a complex endocrine disorder that affects 6% to 10% of reproductive aged women. It is a poorly understood and often undiagnosed condition that has implications for the health of affected women. We assessed changes in knowledge, feelings, and daily health practices related to PCOS in clinical research study participants. Sixty-eight women who had received counselling and education about PCOS while participating in a clinical research study were invited to complete an online survey that assessed levels of concern, knowledge, healthy dieting, active living, and health care satisfaction before and after the study. Differences and associations between scores were analyzed by paired t tests and Pearson correlation. Forty-three women (63%) completed the survey. After taking part in a clinical research study, participants believed they had increased knowledge of (P < 0.001) and concern about (P = 0.029) the etiology and health consequences of PCOS, better lifestyle practices (P < 0.001), and improved health care satisfaction (P = 0.045). Enhanced knowledge of PCOS was positively associated with changes in concern (P = 0.045), healthy dietary habits (P = 0.04), activity levels (P = 0.003), and health care satisfaction (P < 0.001). After the study, women felt empowered to participate in the management of their condition and communicate with their primary care providers. Women with PCOS felt that they had more knowledge and motivation to implement preventive health strategies after participating in a clinical research study. Education about how PCOS affects their immediate and long-term health enabled women with PCOS to feel physical and psychological benefits and to engage more with their health care providers.

Community Resilience Education: Lessons Learned from an Emerging Community of Practice - NOAA's Environmental Literacy Grantees

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schoedinger, S. E.; McDougall, C.

2017-12-01

NOAA supports community resilience to extreme weather events, climate change and other environmental hazards by preparing communities through Weather Ready Nation and through programs addressing coastal community needs. These programs primarily target adult decisions makers in a professional capacity (emergency managers, city planners, et al.), leaving non-professional audiences without opportunities to understand and develop the skills to prepare for the threats and vulnerabilities that their communities face. As a result, resilience became the focus of NOAA's Environmental Literacy Grants in 2015. The goal of these investments is to strengthen the public's and/or K-12 students' environmental literacy to enable informed decision-making necessary for community resilience to extreme weather events and other environmental hazards. Funded projects build an understanding of Earth systems and the threats and vulnerabilities that are associated with a community's location, are aligned with existing adaptation/resilience plans, and connect audiences to relevant tools and resources to prepare for and respond to these hazards. These first few years of investment will create new models for how education can improve community resilience. Although these projects incorporate a variety of approaches, a few common themes stand out: empowering youth and adults to increase their understanding of locally relevant natural hazards and stresses; giving youth a voice in resilience planning; and student-led vulnerability assessments of their schools and communities. In this session we will report on the first convening of the principal investigators of our 13 funded projects, which represents the beginning of a new community of practice focused on resilience education. We will specifically share lessons learned about: engaging youth and adults about climate change and resiliency; working with local resilience/adaptation planners; and case studies on the use of NOAA's Digital Coast and the US Climate Resilience Toolkit.

Transparency, Accountability, and Engagement: A Recipe for Building Trust in Policing

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-06-01

Toward Community-orientated Policing: Potential, Basic Requirements, and Threshold Questions,” Crime and Delinquency 33 (1987): 6–30. 49 More, Current...States,” in Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics Online, accessed June 4, 2017, http://www.albany.edu/sourcebook/csv/ t2332011.csv. 89 Gary...to-date crime statistics , and empowered them to think creatively to develop individualized plans to address crime trends and conditions. His focus

Empowered Learning in Secondary Schools: Promoting Positive Youth Development through a Multi­Tiered System of Supports

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hazel, Cynthia E.

2016-01-01

Positive youth development is a strengths-based, positive psychology approach to fostering adolescents' educational engagement and achievement. It focuses not just on students' academic development but also on their vocational, social, and emotional development. The positive youth development philosophy is at the heart of Cynthia Hazel's unique…

'Nobody knows what's around the corner': the challenges of caring for people with long-term conditions in care homes.

PubMed

Martin, Susan; Martin, Joy

2018-06-02

People living with long-term conditions are increasingly being cared for in care homes. Prognostication in this population is particularly challenging, and outcomes are often uncertain. This case history highlights some of the difficulties encountered when clinicians give a time-bound prognosis. It also illustrates how education programmes with high facilitation and ongoing support for care home staff can sustain practice development and enable staff to become highly skilled in working with uncertainty. Practice development programmes such as those based on the Six Steps to Success Programme for care homes give care home staff a framework within which to regularly review a resident's clinical status and the confidence to have the ongoing conversations that empower residents to contribute to decision making and focus on their own goals for care.

Empowerment of women for health promotion: a meta-analysis.

PubMed

Kar, S B; Pascual, C A; Chickering, K L

1999-12-01

The objective of this paper is to identify conditions, factors and methods, which empower women and mothers (WAM) for social action and health promotion movements. WAM are the primary caregivers in almost all cultures; they have demonstrated bold leadership under extreme adversity. Consequently, when empowered and involved, WAM can be effective partners in health promotion programs. The methodology includes a meta-analysis of 40 exemplary case studies from across the world, which meet predetermined criteria, to draw implications for social action and health promotion. Cases were selected from industrialized and less-industrialized nations and from four problem domains affecting quality of life and health: (1) human rights, (2) women's equal rights, (3) economic enhancement and (4) health promotion. Content analysis extracted data from all cases on six dimensions: (1) problem, (2) impetus/leadership, (3) macro-environment, (4) methods used, (5) partners/opponents and (6) impact. Analysis identified seven methods frequently used to EMPOWER (acronym): empowerment education and training, media use and advocacy, public education and participation, organizing associations and unions, work training and micro-enterprise, enabling services and support, and rights protection and promotion. Cochran's Q test confirmed significant differences in the frequencies of methods used. The seven EMPOWER methods were used in this order: enabling services, rights protection/promotion, public education, media use/advocacy, and organizing associations/unions, empowerment education, and work training and micro-enterprise. Media and public education were more frequently used by industrialized than non-industrialized societies (X2 tests). While frequencies of methods used varied in all other comparisons, these differences were not statistically significant, suggesting the importance of these methods across problem domains and levels of industrialization. The paper integrates key findings into an empowerment model consisting of five stages: motivation for action, empowerment support, initial individual action, empowerment program, and institutionalization and replication. Implications for policy and health promotion programs are discussed.

Exploring Nurse Manager Support of Evidence-Based Practice: Clinical Nurse Perceptions.

PubMed

Caramanica, Laura; Spiva, LeeAnna

2018-05-01

The study identifies what constitutes nurse manager (NM) support and other resources that enable clinical nurses (CNs) to engage in evidence-based practice (EBP). Clinical nurses report that NM support enables them to use EBP but what constitutes NM support is still unclear. Nurse managers, CNs, and EBP mentors received specialized education and use a team approach for EBP. Data were collected preintervention, mid-intervention, and postintervention from observations, interviews, journaling, and surveys. Results demonstrate how NMs can perform their role responsibilities and still engage CNs to develop a spirit of inquiry, seek answers to their clinical questions using EBP, and advance their clinical performance to improve patient outcomes. Four NM supportive behaviors emerged: cultivating a shared EBP vision, ensuring use of EBP, communicating the value of EBP, and providing resources for EBP. Through education and support, NMs describe supportive behaviors necessary for the successful conduction of EBP by CNs.

A Feasibility and Efficacy Randomized Controlled Trial of an Online Preventative Program for Childhood Obesity: Protocol for the EMPOWER Intervention

PubMed Central

Sharma, Manoj

2012-01-01

Background: The home and family environment is a highly influential psychosocial antecedent of pediatric obesity. Implementation of conventional family- and home-based childhood obesity interventions is challenging for parents, often requiring them to attend multiple educational sessions. Attrition rates for traditional interventions are frequently high due to competing demands for parents’ time. Under such constraints, an Internet-based intervention has the potential to modify determinants of childhood obesity while making judicious use of parents’ time. Theory-based interventions offer many advantages over atheoretical interventions, including reduced intervention dosage, increased likelihood of behavioral change, and efficient resource allocation. Social cognitive theory (SCT) is a robust theoretical framework for addressing childhood obesity. SCT is a behavior change model rooted in reciprocal determinism, a causal paradigm that states that human functioning is the product of a dynamic interplay of behavioral, personal, and environmental factors. Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy of the Enabling Mothers to Prevent Childhood Obesity Through Web-Based Education and Reciprocal Determinism (EMPOWER) program, an Internet-based, theory-driven intervention for preventing childhood overweight and obesity. The project goal is supported by two specific aims: (1) modification of four obesogenic protective factors related to childhood obesity (minutes engaged in physical activity, servings of fruits and vegetables consumed, servings of sugar-sweetened and sugar-free beverages consumed, and minutes engaged in screen time), and (2) reification of five maternal-mediated constructs of SCT (environment, expectations, emotional coping, self-control, and self-efficacy). Methods: We will recruit mothers with children ages 4 to 6 years from childcare centers and randomly assign them to either the theory-based (experimental) or knowledge-based (control) arm of the trial. Data for the intervention will be collected at three intervals: baseline (week 0), posttest (week 4), and follow-up (8 weeks). At each phase of data collection, we will collect from both groups (1) measures of the four obesogenic protective factors, and (2) summated SCT construct scores. Constructs will be measured by a psychometrically valid and reliable SCT-based instrument. Behaviors will be evaluated by a behavior log. We will use a repeated-measures one-between-, one-within-participants design to evaluate intervention results. Constructs will be modified through Web-based learning modules, online interactive worksheets, and mother–child home-based activities. Process evaluation will assess program fidelity. PMID:23611831

Enabling eHealth as a Pathway for Patient Engagement: a Toolkit for Medical Practice.

PubMed

Graffigna, Guendalina; Barello, Serena; Triberti, Stefano; Wiederhold, Brenda K; Bosio, A Claudio; Riva, Giuseppe

2014-01-01

Academic and managerial interest in patient engagement is rapidly earning attention and becoming a necessary tool for researchers, clinicians and policymakers worldwide to manage the increasing burden of chronic conditions. The concept of patient engagement calls for a reframe of healthcare organizations' models and approaches to care. This also requires innovations in the direction of facilitating the exchanges between the patients and the healthcare. eHealth, namely the use of new communication technologies to provide healthcare, is proved to be proposable to innovate healthcare organizations and to improve exchanges between patients and health providers. However, little attention has been still devoted to how to best design eHealth tools in order to engage patients in their care. eHealth tools have to be appropriately designed according to the specific patients' unmet needs and priorities featuring the different phases of the engagement process. Basing on the Patient Engagement model and on the Positive Technology paradigm, we suggest a toolkit of phase-specific technological resources, highlighting their specific potentialities in fostering the patient engagement process.

How to engage across sectors: lessons from agriculture and nutrition in the Brazilian School Feeding Program.

PubMed

Hawkes, Corinna; Brazil, Bettina Gerken; Castro, Inês Rugani Ribeiro de; Jaime, Patricia Constante

2016-08-11

To provide insights for nutrition and public health practitioners on how to engage with other sectors to achieve public health goals. Specifically, this study provides lessons from the example of integrating family farming and a nutrition into a legal framework in Brazil on how to successfully shift other sectors toward nutrition goals. The study analyzed policy processes that led to a Brazilian law linking family farming with the National School Feeding Program. Main actors involved with the development of the law were interviewed and their narratives were analyzed using a well-established theoretical framework. The study provides five key lessons for promoting intersectorality. First, nutrition and health practitioners can afford to embrace bold ideas when working with other sectors. Second, they should engage with more powerful sectors (or subsectors) and position nutrition goals as providing solutions that meet the interests of these sector. Third is the need to focus on a common goal - which may not be explicitly nutrition-related - as the focus of the intersectoral action. Fourth, philosophical, political, and governance spaces are needed to bring together different sectors. Fifth, evidence on the success of the intersectoral approach increases the acceptance of the process. This study on policy processes shows how a convergence of factors enabled a link between family farming and school feeding in Brazil. It highlights that there are strategies to engage other sectors toward nutrition goals which provides benefits for all sectors involved.

How to engage across sectors: lessons from agriculture and nutrition in the Brazilian School Feeding Program

PubMed Central

Hawkes, Corinna; Brazil, Bettina Gerken; de Castro, Inês Rugani Ribeiro; Jaime, Patricia Constante

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE To provide insights for nutrition and public health practitioners on how to engage with other sectors to achieve public health goals. Specifically, this study provides lessons from the example of integrating family farming and a nutrition into a legal framework in Brazil on how to successfully shift other sectors toward nutrition goals. METHODS The study analyzed policy processes that led to a Brazilian law linking family farming with the National School Feeding Program. Main actors involved with the development of the law were interviewed and their narratives were analyzed using a well-established theoretical framework. RESULTS The study provides five key lessons for promoting intersectorality. First, nutrition and health practitioners can afford to embrace bold ideas when working with other sectors. Second, they should engage with more powerful sectors (or subsectors) and position nutrition goals as providing solutions that meet the interests of these sector. Third is the need to focus on a common goal – which may not be explicitly nutrition-related – as the focus of the intersectoral action. Fourth, philosophical, political, and governance spaces are needed to bring together different sectors. Fifth, evidence on the success of the intersectoral approach increases the acceptance of the process. CONCLUSIONS This study on policy processes shows how a convergence of factors enabled a link between family farming and school feeding in Brazil. It highlights that there are strategies to engage other sectors toward nutrition goals which provides benefits for all sectors involved. PMID:27533363

Scientist Participation in Education and Public Outreach - Using Web Tools to Communicate the Scientific Process and Engage an Audience in Understanding Planetary Science: Examples with Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) Data (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petro, N. E.

2013-12-01

Scientists often speak to the public about their science and the current state of understanding of their field. While many talks (including those by this author) typically feature static plots, figures, diagrams, and the odd movie/animation/visualization (when technology allows), it is now possible, using the web to guide an audience through the thought process of how a scientist tackles certain questions. The presentation will highlight examples of web tools that effectively illustrate how datasets are used to address questions of lunar science. Why would a scientist use precious time during a talk to interact with data, in real time? Why not just show the results and move on? Through experience it is evident that illustrating how data is analyzed, even in a simple form, engages an audience, and demonstrates the thought process when interacting with data. While it is clear that scientists are unlikely to use such a tool to conduct science, it illustrates how a member of the public can engage with mission data. An example is discussed below. When discussing the geology of the Moon, there is an enormous volume of data that can be used to explain what we know (or think we know) and how we know it. For example, the QuickMap interface (http://www.actgate.com/home/quickmap.htm) enables interaction with a set of data (images, spectral data, topography, radar data) across the entire Moon (http://target.lroc.asu.edu/q3/). This webtool enables a speaker the opportunity (given adequate web connectivity) to talk about features, such as a crater, and show it from multiple perspectives (e.g., plan view, oblique, topographically exaggerated) in a logical flow. The tool enables illustration of topographic profiles, 3-D perspectives, and data overlays. Now, one might ask why doing this demonstration in real time is valuable, over a set of static slides. In some cases static slides are best, and doing any real time demos is unfeasible. However, guiding an engaged audience through the thought process, in real time, also offers the audience the opportunity to interact with both the scientist and the data. When a presenter offers the audience the chance to identify a target to explore, the presentation becomes a two-way dialog and guided discussion, over a lecture with little interaction. The demonstration also allows for questions of what additional data is needed or desired to address a given question. All told, this is a method for illustrating how a scientist (primarily interested in remote sensing) can use an available tool to walk through how a focused science question can be addressed, or how typical analysis are conducted. For example, one can show how, for a small set of craters, the depth-diameter ratio varies as a function of degradation. This leads to the question of why, and hopefully a discussion of the erosion process on the Moon. Additional examples will be discussed and illustrated. Example of Quickmap interface illustrating perspective view of Tycho Crater.

Efficiency of Fiscal Allocations in Site-Based Empowered Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meyer, Jerome Jay

2011-01-01

This study implemented a two phase concurrent mixed-methods design to generate a greater understanding of how elementary schools with increased autonomy in fiscal decision making allocated their money, how their site-based decisions affected allocative efficiency, and how increased autonomy affected site-based decision making when compared with a…

A network perspective on the processes of empowered organizations.

PubMed

Neal, Zachary P

2014-06-01

Organizational empowerment is a multi-faceted concept that involves processes occurring both within and between organizations that facilitate achievement of their goals. This paper takes a closer look at three interorganizational processes that lead to empowered organizations: building alliances, getting the word out, and capturing others' attention. These processes are located within the broader nomological network of empowerment and organizational empowerment, and are linked to particular patterns of interorganizational relationships that facilitate organizations' ability to engage in them. A new network-based measure, γ-centrality, is introduced to capture the particular network structure associated with each process to be assessed. It is demonstrated first in a hypothetical organizational network, then applied to take a closer look at organizational empowerment in the context of a coordinating council composed of human service agencies. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications of relationships between these processes, and the potential for unintended consequences in the empowerment of organizations.

The case for integrating grounded theory and participatory action research: empowering clients to inform professional practice.

PubMed

Teram, Eli; Schachter, Candice L; Stalker, Carol A

2005-10-01

Grounded theory and participatory action research methods are distinct approaches to qualitative inquiry. Although grounded theory has been conceptualized in constructivist terms, it has elements of positivist thinking with an image of neutral search for objective truth through rigorous data collection and analysis. Participatory action research is based on a critique of this image and calls for more inclusive research processes. It questions the possibility of objective social sciences and aspires to engage people actively in all stages of generating knowledge. The authors applied both approaches in a project designed to explore the experiences of female survivors of childhood sexual abuse with physical therapy and subsequently develop a handbook on sensitive practice for clinicians that takes into consideration the needs and perspectives of these clients. Building on this experience, they argue that the integration of grounded theory and participatory action research can empower clients to inform professional practice.

A Tiered Mentoring Model of Exposing and Engaging Students with Research Throughout the Undergraduate Curriculum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guerard, J.; Hayes, S. M.

2015-12-01

Incorporating research into undergraduate curricula has been linked to improved critical thinking, intellectual independence, and student retention, resulting in a graduating population more ready for the workforce or graduate school. We have designed a three-tier model of undergraduate chemistry courses that enable first-year students with no previous research experience to gain the skills needed to develop, fund and execute independent research projects by the close of their undergraduate studies. First-year students are provided with context through a broadly focused introductory class that exposes them to current faculty research activities, and also gives them direct experience with the research process through peer mentored research teams as they participate in faculty-directed projects. Mid-career undergraduate students receive exposure and support in two formats: illustrative examples from current faculty research are incorporated into lessons in core classes, and courses specially designed to foster research independence. This is done by providing content and process mentoring as students develop independent projects, write proposals, and build relationships with faculty and graduate students in research groups. Advanced undergraduates further develop their research independence performing student-designed projects with faculty collaboration that frequently result in tangible research products. Further, graduate students gain experience in mentoring though formal training, as well as through actively mentoring mid-career undergraduates. This novel, integrated approach enables faculty to directly incorporate their research into all levels of the undergraduate curriculum while fostering undergraduates in developing and executing independent projects and empowering mentoring relationships.

Teacher Leadership Capacity-Building: Developing Democratically Accountable Leaders in Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mullen, Carol A.; Jones, Rahim J.

2008-01-01

Using a qualitative case study approach, the authors explore social justice implications of inservice principals' practices that affect attitudes and empower teachers. If a primary educational goal of progressive schooling is to create and sustain more democratic schools by enabling the growth of teachers as leaders who are responsible for their…

iResilience of Science Pre-Service Teachers through Digital Storytelling

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ng, Wan; Nicholas, Howard

2015-01-01

We live in a multimodal world where communication enabled by digital media supports the expression of ideas, opinions, instructions and experiences in a variety of formats that empower the individual to convey thoughts and emotions persuasively. In education, digital storytelling as a pedagogical strategy can be embedded in student-generated…

Empowering Knowledge-Building Pedagogy in Online Environments: Creating Digital Moments to Transform Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barber, Wendy; Taylor, Stacey; Buchanan, Sylvia

2014-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to examine a specific online pedagogical tool, "Digital Moments" that can be an effective strategy for building online communities in a knowledge building environment. While the paper will examine the specific techniques and teaching methodologies that enabled the authors to create authentic online learning…

Empowering and Enabling or Patronising and Pressurising? Opening Dialogues between Staff and Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marchbank, Jen; Letherby, Gayle

2003-01-01

Reflects on the process and experience of attempts to open dialogues between Women's Studies staff and students on the topic of feminist teaching practices. Provides biographies of the staff and students concerned, discusses what is meant by empowerment, and delineates debates over the Women's Studies teaching model. Addresses contradictions and…

Parsonian Influence and the Effect of School Climate and Bureaucracy on the Perceived Effectiveness in Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McVey, Deidre

2009-01-01

School climate is a significant way to predict school achievement as a positive correlation to students' standardized test scores and also teachers' perceptions of bureaucratic effectiveness and empowerment (Hoy, Tarter & Kottkamp, 1991; Sweetland & Hoy, 2000). Enabling bureaucracies are positively related to teacher empowering; however,…

Empowering Teachers to Create Educational Software: A Constructivist Approach Utilizing Etoys, Pair Programming and Cognitive Apprenticeship

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Young-Jin

2011-01-01

This study investigates whether a visual programming environment called Etoys could enable teachers to create software applications meeting their own instructional needs. Twenty-four teachers who participated in the study successfully developed their own educational computer programs in the educational technology course employing cognitive…

Effecting Change in a Resistant Organization.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Caldwell, Patricia F.; Gould, Edward

In an effort to overcome organizational resistance to change, Victor Valley College, in Victorville, California, has utilized a seven-part strategy to enable leaders to empower others and effect change. Step 1 requires the development of a visionary plan, so that changes have a meaningful context. Step 2 calls for an assessment of the campus…

The readings of smoking fathers: a reception analysis of tobacco cessation images.

PubMed

Johnson, Joy L; Oliffe, John L; Kelly, Mary T; Bottorff, Joan L; LeBeau, Karen

2009-09-01

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine how new fathers decode image-based anti-smoking messages and uncover the extent to which ideals of masculinity might influence men to take up and/or disregard smoking cessation messages. The authors analyzed 5 images that had been used to promote smoking cessation and arrived at a consensus about the dominant discourse encoded by each image. During face-to-face interviews, new fathers were invited to discuss the images; these interview data were coded and analyzed using a social constructionist gender analysis. The study findings highlight how most men negotiated or opposed dominant discourses of health that communicated the dangers of smoking by reproducing dominant ideals of masculinity, including explicit disregard for self-health. They accepted dominant social discourses of fathering that reproduced traditional notions of masculinity, such as the protector and provider. The authors conclude that tobacco interventions targeted to new fathers must (a) develop more awareness of the ability of audiences to select discourses that empower their own interpretive positioning with regard to media, and (b) deconstruct and engage with context and age-specific masculine ideals to avoid providing rationales for continued tobacco use.

Surveying Space Scientists' Attitudes, Involvement, and Needs in Education and Public Outreach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grier, J.; Buxner, S.; Schneider, N. M.

2014-12-01

Empowering scientists in education and public outreach (E/PO) activities is an important component of the work of the NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD) E/PO Forums. This work includes understanding the attitudes of scientists towards E/PO, why they do or do not engage in E/PO activities, and what resources and professional development they need to be the most efficient in their E/PO efforts. The Planetary Science E/PO Forum has conducted both surveys and interviews of space scientists regarding E/PO to ascertain how they (the Forum) and the professional societies to which those scientists belong, can help to meet their needs in E/PO. Specifically, a recent series of semi-structured interviews with members of the American Astronomical Society Division of Planetary Sciences (AAS-DPS) has helped pinpoint specific areas that can be addressed. This presentation will discuss our survey methods, responses to questions, and compare those to previous research. We will describe new products and other resources developed in response to expressed needs, as well as offer information to continue the conversation about how professional societies can better meet the needs of their members in E/PO.

GlassAllergy: a Google Glass-based solution to empower patients with skin allergies.

PubMed

Wiesner, Martin; Pobiruchin, Monika; Hetterich, Christian; Pfeifer, Daniel

2014-01-01

A variety of substances contained in cosmetic products can lead to allergic reactions for certain individuals. The names of such substances are predominantly printed onto a product in small-sized expert language. For this reason, consumers often have difficulties to assess whether some of the ingredients might be harmful for them. Consequently, patients are exposed to a risk of buying a cosmetic product that might cause a minor to severe allergic reaction. A Google Glass-based software solution for consumers suffering from skin allergies is presented. It enables users to check cosmetic products in a mobile context and empowers patients to make informed buying decisions. In particular, the solution could help to avoid or reduce the risk for allergic reactions.

Imagination in Twenty-First Century Teaching and Learning Teachers as Creative-Adaptive Leaders in the Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dias, Shamini Samanlatha Elizabeth

2013-01-01

This dissertation explored the value and functions of imagination in leading learning in the twenty-first century, a knowledge-based age marked by diversity, change and unpredictability. In such a context, how can imagination enable teachers to be leaders of learning who optimally engage and prepare students for success? Research in cognitive…

Staying on the Journey: Maintaining a Change Momentum with PB4L "School-Wide"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boyd, Sally

2016-01-01

How do schools maintain momentum with change and enter new cycles of growth when they are attempting to do things differently? This article draws on a two-year evaluation of the "Positive Behaviour for Learning School-Wide" initiative to identify key factors that enabled schools to engage in a long-term and iterative change process.…

Mobile Devices and Spatial Enactments of Learning: iPads in Lower Secondary Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meyer, Bente

2016-01-01

Based on ethnographic studies of students' learning, this paper investigates how new spatial enactments of learning that include mobile technologies engage students in specific ways that enable them to learn. Data used in the paper have been collected in three lower secondary schools (7-9th form, ages 13-15) where students and teachers have been…

Intoxigenic digital spaces? Youth, social networking sites and alcohol marketing.

PubMed

Griffiths, Richard; Casswell, Sally

2010-09-01

To examine how young people in New Zealand engage with alcohol and reproduce alcohol marketing messages and alcohol-related branding in 'Bebo', a popular social networking site (SNS) on the Internet. Data are drawn from information posted on approximately 150 Bebo Web pages and analysed by way of textual analysis and cyberspace ethnography. Social networking sites, such as Bebo, provide young people with a digital space in which to share a range of alcohol marketing messages via peer-to-peer transmission. Bebo also enables youth to communicate to one another how they consume alcohol and their views of alcohol marketing messages. The information being shared by young people who use Bebo is openly provided in the form of personal information, forum comments, digital photographs and answering quizzes about their engagement with alcohol. Through this sharing of information in the digital Internet environment, young people are creating 'intoxigenic social identities' as well as 'intoxigenic digital spaces' that further contribute towards the normalisation of youth consumption of alcohol. A better understanding of how youth are using the Internet to share their experiences with alcohol and engagement with alcohol-related messages is crucial to public health research as alcohol marketing practices rapidly evolve.

Impact of professional nursing practice environment and psychological empowerment on nurses' work engagement: test of structural equation modelling.

PubMed

Wang, Shanshan; Liu, Yanhui

2015-04-01

This study aimed to investigate the influence of professional nursing practice environment and psychological empowerment on nurses' work engagement. Previous researchers have acknowledged the positive influence that nurse work environment and psychological empowerment have on engagement. However, less is known about the mechanisms that explain the links between them. A predictive, non-experimental design was used to test the model in a random sample of 300 clinical nurses from two tertiary first class hospitals of Tianjin, China. The Utrecht Work Engagement Scale, the Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index and the Psychological Empowerment Scale were used to measure the study variables. Structural equation modelling revealed a good fit of the model to the data based on various fit indices (P = 0.371, χ(2) /df = 1.056, goodness of fit index = 0.967), which indicated that both professional practice environment and psychological empowerment could positively influence work engagement directly, and professional practice environment could also indirectly influence work engagement through the mediation of psychological empowerment. The study hypotheses were supported. Psychological empowerment was found to mediate the relationship between practice environments and work engagement. Administrators should provide a professional nursing practice environment and empower nurses psychologically to increase nurse engagement. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Using Comics to Promote Colorectal Cancer Screening in the Asian American and Pacific Islander Communities.

PubMed

Wang, Jiayan Linda; Acevedo, Nazia; Sadler, Georgia Robins

2017-06-23

There are unaesthetic aspects in teaching people about the early detection of colorectal cancer using the fecal immunochemical test. Comics were seen as a way to overcome those unaesthetic aspects. This study used the Asian grocery store-based cancer education venue to pilot-test the clarity, cultural acceptability, and alignment of five colorectal cancer education comics intended for publication in Asian American and Pacific Islander (API) community newspapers. After developing the colorectal cancer education comics, API students asked shoppers to review a comic from their collection and provide feedback on how to make the comic clearer and more culturally pertinent to API readers. To evaluate viewers' responses, the students gathered such unobtrusive data as: (1) how many of the predetermined salient information points were discussed as the student educators interacted with shoppers and (2) how many comics the shoppers were willing to review. Shoppers were also asked to evaluate how effective the comics would be at motivating colorectal cancer screening among APIs. The students were able to cover all of the salient information points with the first comic. As evidence of the comics' capacity to engage shoppers' interest, shoppers willingly evaluated all five comics. Using multiple comics enabled the educators to repeatedly address the four salient colorectal cancer information points. Thus, the comics helped student educators to overcome the unesthetic elements of colorectal cancer discussions, while enabling them to engage shoppers in animated discussions, for far more time than with their conventional didactic educational methods.

Project Zoom IN, Citizen Perspectives on Climate and Water Resources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glaser, J. P.

2012-12-01

Perspective on climate and water resources can come from the top, scientists sharing invaluable data and findings about how climate dynamics function or quantifications of systems in flux. However, citizens are endowed with an equally as powerful tool for insight: ground zero experience. Project Zoom In is a nascent project undertaken by Global Media Forge to empower youth, educators and scientists with tools to reach the media with locale-specific imagery and perspective of climate dynamics and evidence of anecdotal resource management of liquid gold: fresh water. Zoom In is taking root in Colorado but is designed for national/international scaling. This effort has three limbs: (1) student, scientist and educator workshops teaching invaluable video production skills (2) engaging Colorado school systems to stimulate submission of clips to full video productions to our database, and (3) embedding the findings on a taxonomic GIS interface on-line. The website will be invaluable in classrooms and link network media to individuals with firsthand viewpoints on change.; Climate and Water Resources

The Contribution of a Social Enterprise to the Building of Social Capital in a Disadvantaged Urban Area of London

PubMed Central

Bertotti, Marcello; Harden, Angela; Renton, Adrian; Sheridan, Kevin

2016-01-01

There has been much enthusiasm over the past 10 years for the potential contribution of social enterprises to the regeneration of disadvantaged urban areas. This enthusiasm has far outstripped the availability of empirical evidence. This paper reports a qualitative study of one social enterprise, a community café, and its contribution to building social capital in a disadvantaged urban area in London. The analysis reveals how the café builds ‘bonding’ and ‘bridging’ social capital whilst also addressing ‘downside’ social capital. Overall, the manager of the social enterprise played a considerable role in facilitating the development of social capital, thus emphasising the importance of individuals and their attitudes, skills, and background in urban regeneration. However, the role of the social enterprise in building ‘linking’ social capital was minor. In this instance, more effective mechanisms of community engagement need to be put in place in order to empower local residents and organisations. PMID:27746483

A room with a view of integrity and professionalism: personal reflections on teaching responsible conduct of research in the neurosciences.

PubMed

Bell, Emily

2015-04-01

Neuroscientists are increasingly put into situations which demand critical reflection about the ethical and appropriate use of research tools and scientific knowledge. Students or trainees also have to know how to navigate the ethical domains of this context. At a time when neuroscience is expected to advance policy and practice outcomes, in the face of academic pressures and complex environments, the importance of scientific integrity comes into focus and with it the need for training at the graduate level in the responsible conduct of research (RCR). I describe my experience teaching RCR in a graduate neuroscience program and identify three personal reflections where further dialogue could be warranted: (1) mobilizing a common set of competencies and virtues standing for professionalism in the neurosciences; (2) tailoring RCR for the neurosciences and empowering students through the active engagement of mentors; (3) soliciting shared responsibility for RCR training between disciplines, institutions and governmental or funding agencies.

'It promoted a positive culture around falls prevention': staff response to a patient education programme-a qualitative evaluation.

PubMed

Hill, Anne-Marie; Waldron, Nicholas; Francis-Coad, Jacqueline; Haines, Terry; Etherton-Beer, Christopher; Flicker, Leon; Ingram, Katharine; McPhail, Steven M

2016-12-21

The purpose of this study was to understand how staff responded to individualised patient falls prevention education delivered as part of a cluster randomised trial, including how they perceived the education contributed to falls prevention on their wards. A qualitative explanatory study. 5 focus groups were conducted at participatory hospital sites. The purposive sample of clinical staff (including nurses, physiotherapists and quality improvement staff) worked on aged care rehabilitation wards when a cluster randomised trial evaluating a patient education programme was conducted. During the intervention period, an educator, who was a trained health professional and not a member of staff, provided individualised falls prevention education to patients with good levels of cognition (Mini-Mental State Examination >23/30). Clinical staff were provided with training to support the programme and their feedback was sought after the trial concluded, to understand how they perceived the programme impacted on falls prevention. Data were thematically analysed using NVivo qualitative data analysis software. 5 focus groups were conducted at different hospitals (n=30 participants). Staff perceived that the education created a positive culture around falls prevention and further, facilitated teamwork, whereby patients and staff worked together to address falls prevention. The educator was perceived to be a valuable member of the team. Staff reported that they developed increased knowledge and awareness about creating a safe ward environment. Patients being proactive and empowered to engage in falls prevention strategies, such as ringing the bell for assistance, was viewed as supporting staff falls prevention efforts and motivating staff to change practice. Staff responded positively to patient falls prevention education being delivered on their wards. Providing individualised patient education to older patients with good levels of cognition can empower staff and patients to work as a team to address falls prevention on hospital rehabilitation wards. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

Engaging and empowering patients to manage their type 2 diabetes, Part II: Initiatives for success.

PubMed

Jacob, Stephan; Serrano-Gil, Manuel

2010-10-01

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) has reached pandemic proportions. The impact of it and its long-term sequelae represent a significant burden for many healthcare systems around the world, and a significant number of patients struggle to achieve the internationally recommended targets for the modifiable risk factors that optimize healthy outcomes. In the first part of this two-part review, the scene was set showing that there seems to be a knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) gap hindering successful management of T2D. Although theoretical knowledge about how T2D should be managed exists, the attitude of patients and healthcare professionals seems to influence the practicalities of implementing life-enhancing changes for patients living with diabetes. Following the chronic care model, macro-level initiatives such as Finland's national diabetes program, "The Development Programme for the Prevention and Care of Diabetes" (DEHKO), encourage a coordinated, supportive policy and financial environment for healthcare system change, and are advocated by the International Diabetes Federation. Over a 10-year period, the DEHKO program aims to demonstrate that a top-down population approach to prevention, focusing on reducing obesity, increasing physical activity, and encouraging healthier eating habits, may improve the overall health of the nation. However, the patient is the focus of day-to-day management of T2D, and innovative strategies that use a community (meso-level) approach to encourage self-management, or that embrace new technologies to access diabetes self-management education or support networks, are likely to be the way forward. Such measures may close the apparent KAP gap and bring about real and measurable benefits in quality of life and life expectancy. The second part of this review describes some of the many and varied initiatives designed to engage and empower patients to self-manage their T2D, with the aim of increasing the proportion of patients reaching health-related targets. This will ultimately impact on national health systems and the quality of life of the nation.

Promotion of Civic Engagement with the Family Leadership Training Institute.

PubMed

MacPhee, David; Forlenza, Eileen; Christensen, Kyle; Prendergast, Sarah

2017-12-01

In this efficacy study, both quantitative and qualitative data were used to gauge the effects of the Family Leadership Training Institute (FLTI) on civic knowledge and empowerment, civic engagement, and community health. The sample of 847 FLTI participants and 166 comparison adults completed pretest and posttest surveys. Medium to very large short-term effects were observed in civic literacy, empowerment, and engagement. Results mapping interviews were conducted with a stratified random sample of FLTI graduates (n = 52) to assess long-term (M = 2.73 years) program impact. Most FLTI graduates (86%) sustained meaningful, sometimes transformative, levels of civic engagement after program completion. This engagement involved multiple forms of leadership, most often advocacy, program implementation, and media campaigns; 63% of graduates directed at least some of their activities to marginalized populations. Content analyses of graduates' civic (capstone) projects and results mapping story maps indicated that 81-90% of community activities aligned with public health priorities. Thus, one promising means to promote community health is to empower families to develop leadership skills, become engaged in civic life, and forge connections with diverse constituents. © Society for Community Research and Action 2017.

EMPOWER: an intervention to address barriers to pain management in hospice.

PubMed

Cagle, John G; Zimmerman, Sheryl; Cohen, Lauren W; Porter, Laura S; Hanson, Laura C; Reed, David

2015-01-01

Concerns about pain medications are major barriers to pain management in hospice, but few studies have focused on systematic methods to address these concerns. The objective of this study was to test the preliminary efficacy of the Effective Management of Pain: Overcoming Worries to Enable Relief (EMPOWER) intervention, which included hospice staff education, staff screening of barriers to pain management at admission, and discussion about misunderstandings regarding pain management with family caregivers and patients. We conducted a pilot, cluster randomized, controlled trial with four hospices. One hundred twenty-six family caregivers (55 interventions and 71 controls) were interviewed at two weeks after admission. If patients survived three months after admission, caregivers were reinterviewed. At two weeks, caregivers in the intervention group reported better knowledge about pain management (P = 0.001), fewer concerns about pain and pain medications (P = 0.008), and lower patient pain over the past week (P = 0.014) and trended toward improvement in most other areas under study. Exploratory analyses suggest that EMPOWER had a greater effect for black subjects (vs. whites) on reducing concern about stigma. At three months, the intervention group trended better on most study outcomes. EMPOWER is a promising model to reduce barriers to pain management in hospice. Copyright © 2015 American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Democracy and power in alcohol premises licensing: A qualitative interview study of the Scottish public health objective.

PubMed

Fitzgerald, Niamh; Winterbottom, Jo; Nicholls, James

2018-06-11

There is international interest in how the availability of alcohol can be controlled to reduce harms. An objective of 'protecting and improving public health' was introduced to alcohol premises licensing in Scotland in 2005, resulting in public health actors engaging with licensing in new ways. We aimed to explore their experiences, including perceptions of the distribution of power, and constraints on their influence and that of the general public within the licensing system. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 public health actors who had recent and extensive experience of involvement in local licensing in 20 Scottish licensing jurisdictions. Interviews were audio-recorded and analysed using an inductive framework approach. Public health actors reported experiencing the licensing process as inherently unfair, with structures and traditions that were largely unhelpful to their efforts to support the public health objective. These included influence exerted by local officials, the formal and quasi-judicial conduct of licensing meetings, and the disparity in resources available to public health actors versus licence applicants-with many larger applicants engaging specialist lawyers to represent their interests. The influence of public opinion-through, for instance, elected representatives' perceptions of public attitudes, consultation exercises and local 'licensing forums'-was seen as having a limited effect on decision-making. Changes to Scottish alcohol licensing ostensibly designed to enhance democratic engagement and promote public health, were as yet insufficient to change the system, or empower stakeholders, to fully achieve those goals. © 2018 Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs.

Engaging patients in primary care practice transformation: theory, evidence and practice.

PubMed

Sharma, Anjana E; Grumbach, Kevin

2017-06-01

Patient engagement is a fundamental strategy for achieving patient centred care and is receiving increasing attention in primary care reform efforts such as the patient-centred medical home and related care models. Much of the prior published theory and evidence supporting patient engagement has focused on improving engagement in individual care. Much less is understood about engaging patients as partners in practice improvement at the primary care clinic or practice level. We review the historical and policy context for the growing interest in the USA and UK in patient engagement at the primary care practice level, highlight findings from systematic reviews of the research evidence on practice-level patient engagement and discuss practical considerations for implementing patient engagement. We conclude that while there are persuasive ethical and social justice reasons for empowering patient involvement in practice improvement at the clinic level, research conducted to date in primary care provides suggestive but not yet resounding evidence in support of the instrumental triple aim benefit of practice-level patient engagement. We propose a research agenda to better understand the process and outcomes of practice-level patient engagement and its potential advantages to both the practice and the patients and communities served. Better evidence as well as resources to support and incentivize effective and feasible engagement methods are needed to catalyse greater diffusion of practice-level patient engagement in primary care practices. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press.

The Family Value of Information, Community Support, and Experience Study: Rationale, Design, and Methods of a "Family-Centered" Research Study.

PubMed

Reeves, Gloria M; Wehring, Heidi J; Connors, Kathleen M; Bussell, Kristin; Schiffman, Jason; Medoff, Deborah R; Tsuji, Thomas; Walker, Jane; Brown, Alicia; Strobeck, Danielle; Clough, Tammy; Rush, Caitlin B; Riddle, Mark A; Love, Raymond C; Zachik, Albert; Hoagwood, Kimberly; Olin, S Serene; Stephan, Sharon; Okuzawa, Nana; Edwards, Sarah; Baquet, Claudia; dosReis, Susan

2015-12-01

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act focuses on improving consumer engagement and patient-centered care. This article describes the design and rationale of a study targeting family engagement in pediatric mental health services. The study is a 90-day randomized trial of a telephone-delivered Family Navigator services versus usual care for parents of Medicaid-insured youth younger than 13 years with serious mental illness. Youth are identified through a pediatric antipsychotic medication preauthorization program. Family Navigators offer peer support to empower and engage parents in their child's recovery. Outcomes include parent report of empowerment, social support, satisfaction with child mental health services, and child functioning as well as claims-based measures of psychotherapy service utilization and antipsychotic medication dosage. The focus on "family-centered" care in this study is strongly supported by the active role of consumers in study design and implementation.

How Black Colleges Empower Black Students: Lessons for Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hale, Frank W., Jr., Ed.

2006-01-01

To their disadvantage, few Americans--and few in higher education--know much about the successes of historically Black colleges and universities. How is it that historically Black colleges graduate so many low-income and academically poorly prepared students? How do they manage to do so well with students "as they are", even when…

Net Smart: How to Thrive Online

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rheingold, Howard

2012-01-01

Like it or not, knowing how to make use of online tools without being overloaded with too much information is an essential ingredient to personal success in the twenty-first century. But how can we use digital media so that they make us empowered participants rather than passive receivers, grounded, well-rounded people rather than multitasking…

‘Re-engage’ pilot study protocol: a nurse-led eHealth intervention to re-engage, educate and empower childhood cancer survivors

PubMed Central

Wakefield, Claire E; Johnston, Karen A; Fardell, Joanna E; Brierley, Mary-Ellen E; Thornton-Benko, Elysia; Foreman, Tali; Webber, Kate; Wallace, W Hamish; Cohn, Richard J

2018-01-01

Introduction Many childhood cancer survivors are disengaged from cancer-related follow-up care despite being at high risk of treatment-related late effects. Innovative models of long-term follow-up (LTFU) care to manage ongoing treatment-related complications are needed. ‘Re-engage’ is a nurse-led eHealth intervention designed to improve survivors’ health-related self-efficacy, targeted at survivors disengaged from follow-up. Re-engage aims to overcome survivor- and parent-reported barriers to care and ensure survivors receive the care most appropriate to their risk level. Methods and analysis This study will recruit 30 Australian childhood cancer survivors who are not receiving any cancer-related care. Participation involves two online/telephone consultations with a survivorship nurse for medical assessment, a case review, risk stratification and creation of a care plan by a multidisciplinary team of specialists. We will assess the feasibility of implementing ‘Re-engage’ and its acceptability to participants and health professionals involved. The primary outcome will be survivors’ health-related self-efficacy, measured at baseline and 1 and 6 months postintervention. Secondary outcomes will include the effect of ‘Re-engage’ on survivors’ health behaviours and beliefs, engagement in healthcare, information needs and emotional well-being. We will also document the cost per patient to deliver ‘Re-engage’. If Re-engage is acceptable, feasible and demonstrates early efficacy, it may have the potential to empower survivors in coordinating their complex care, improving survivors’ long-term engagement and satisfaction with care. Ideally, it will be implemented into clinical practice to recall survivors lost to follow-up and reduce the ongoing burden of treatment for childhood cancer. Ethics and dissemination The study protocol has been approved by the South Eastern Sydney Local Health District Human Research Ethics Committee (reference number: 16/366). The results will be disseminated in peer-reviewed journals and at scientific conferences. A lay summary will be published on the Behavioural Sciences Unit website. Trial registration number ACTRN12618000194268. PMID:29654052

Walking with Madhu: healing ped/agogy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Watson, T. Francene

2015-03-01

In this essay, the author responds to Madhu Prakash's piece on friendship gardens and healing our "Mother" through Prakash's central question, How to birth a world in which many worlds flourish and complement each other in their wild, divine diversity; all equally enjoying Ahimsa flourishing and happiness? Coming from the standpoint of schooling, education, and teacher preparation, the author works to reground the descriptors of "pre-service" and "in-service" from a technical discourse to an ecological one, where the notion of service becomes expansive and pedagogical. Illustrated is how people in community are building gardens and working with soil in a way that is restorative for more-than human relationships, illuminating the deep ways gardens heal and nourish. This is especially important as we emerge from the wake of Cold War numbness, where gardens enable and empower continued societal growth from ideological mindset of "against" to an increasing ability to look at the discord inside of our own communities/selves and move to growing "with." Working with soil not only opens us to relationship and hospitality with one another, but also inspires peace with the earth.

Shared intentional engagement through language and phenomenal experience

PubMed Central

Durt, Christoph

2014-01-01

This article introduces the notion of shared intentional engagement and argues that the current debate around intersubjective interaction can profit from taking that notion into account. Shared intentional engagement holds between people when they relate together to the same meaningful entities. For instance, when people talk about something, they share intentional engagement as long as they don't talk past each other. But what if the entity talked about involves perceptual experience—is the quality of one's experiences not something that cannot be conveyed to others through language? Against this widespread idea, this article takes up philosophical arguments for the intersubjectivity of, on the one hand, language, and, on the other hand, phenomenal experience. It contents that language and phenomenal experience both exhibit shared structures that enable shared intentional engagement. It then considers an example for how this result matches well with empirical research on “pop out” experiences. Because shared intentional engagement is fundamental for all kinds of human interaction, it necessitates interdisciplinary investigations that are frequently hindered by the assumption that the phenomenal experiences of humans are hidden to others. PMID:25339915

Building the Leviathan – Voluntary centralisation of punishment power sustains cooperation in humans

PubMed Central

Gross, Jörg; Méder, Zsombor Z.; Okamoto-Barth, Sanae; Riedl, Arno

2016-01-01

The prevalence of cooperation among humans is puzzling because cooperators can be exploited by free riders. Peer punishment has been suggested as a solution to this puzzle, but cumulating evidence questions its robustness in sustaining cooperation. Amongst others, punishment fails when it is not powerful enough, or when it elicits counter-punishment. Existing research, however, has ignored that the distribution of punishment power can be the result of social interactions. We introduce a novel experiment in which individuals can transfer punishment power to others. We find that while decentralised peer punishment fails to overcome free riding, the voluntary transfer of punishment power enables groups to sustain cooperation. This is achieved by non-punishing cooperators empowering those who are willing to punish in the interest of the group. Our results show how voluntary power centralisation can efficiently sustain cooperation, which could explain why hierarchical power structures are widespread among animals and humans. PMID:26888519

Building the Leviathan--Voluntary centralisation of punishment power sustains cooperation in humans.

PubMed

Gross, Jörg; Méder, Zsombor Z; Okamoto-Barth, Sanae; Riedl, Arno

2016-02-18

The prevalence of cooperation among humans is puzzling because cooperators can be exploited by free riders. Peer punishment has been suggested as a solution to this puzzle, but cumulating evidence questions its robustness in sustaining cooperation. Amongst others, punishment fails when it is not powerful enough, or when it elicits counter-punishment. Existing research, however, has ignored that the distribution of punishment power can be the result of social interactions. We introduce a novel experiment in which individuals can transfer punishment power to others. We find that while decentralised peer punishment fails to overcome free riding, the voluntary transfer of punishment power enables groups to sustain cooperation. This is achieved by non-punishing cooperators empowering those who are willing to punish in the interest of the group. Our results show how voluntary power centralisation can efficiently sustain cooperation, which could explain why hierarchical power structures are widespread among animals and humans.

The experiences of students in interprofessional learning.

PubMed

Telford, Mark; Senior, Emma

2017-03-23

This article explores the experiences of undergraduate healthcare students within interprofessional education (IPE) using a qualitative research study. The motive to undertake this study was as a result of mixed evaluations of IPE sessions. The study aimed to analyse student experiences of IPE, and as a result provide greater insight into how this type of education could be enhanced. Participants were selected through voluntary recruitment and data were collected using a focus group involving 12 participants who responded. Data analysis identified two key themes highlighting the barriers to engagement in IPE and factors that enable participants to engage. The study provides guidance for further developments and improvements when designing and delivering IPE.

Breaking the Silence; Destroying the Lies: An Education Programme on Violence against Women.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marie, Gillian

1989-01-01

Describes an educational program that enables women to explore, in a safe environment, male violence and its impact on their lives. Topics include battered women, rape, incest, pornography, nonphysical violence, and sexual harassment. The course helps women realize that violence is a societal, not individual, problem and empowers them to take…

Deaf Education Teacher Preparation: A Phenomenological Case Study of a Graduate Program with a Comprehensive Philosophy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Engler, Karen S.; MacGregor, Cynthia J.

2018-01-01

At a time when deaf education teacher preparation programs are declining in number, little is known about their actual effectiveness. A phenomenological case study of a graduate-level comprehensive deaf education teacher preparation program at a midwestern university explored empowered and enabled learning of teacher candidates using the Missouri…

Faculty-Department Chair Relationships: Examining the Nexus of Empowerment and Interpersonal Trust in Community Colleges in the Context of Change

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moye, Melina J.; Henkin, Alan B.; Floyd, Deborah J.

2006-01-01

The concept of interpersonal trust has been linked to empowerment. Managerial-practices literature has asserted that trust strengthens relationships and enables empowerment, which may result in increments in individual performance and organizational productivity. High levels of mutual trust and empowering work environments ostensibly reinforce…

The Art of Observation: Issues and Potential of Using Photo-Methods in Critical Ethnography with Adolescents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boucher, Michael L., Jr.

2017-01-01

The use of photographs in ethnographic education research is an emerging method that promises to enable scholars to collect deeper, more meaningful data from individuals who may otherwise be silenced. When used to empower participants, photo methodologies can remove what Foucault (1980) described as the analytical "gaze," allowing for…

Impact of Environmental Education on the Knowledge and Attitude of Students towards the Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Erhabor, Norris I.; Don, Juliet U.

2016-01-01

Environmentally aware and empowered youths are potentially the greatest agent of change for the long term protection and stewardship of the environment. Thus environmental education which promotes such change will enable these youths to have a greater voice on environmental issue if effectively implemented in Nigeria. Hence, this study was…

The virtual mission approach: Empowering earth and space science missions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hansen, Elaine

1993-08-01

Future Earth and Space Science missions will address increasingly broad and complex scientific issues. To accomplish this task, we will need to acquire and coordinate data sets from a number of different instrumetns, to make coordinated observations of a given phenomenon, and to coordinate the operation of the many individual instruments making these observations. These instruments will need to be used together as a single ``Virtual Mission.'' This coordinated approach is complicated in that these scientific instruments will generally be on different platforms, in different orbits, from different control centers, at different institutions, and report to different user groups. Before this Virtual Mission approach can be implemented, techniques need to be developed to enable separate instruments to work together harmoniously, to execute observing sequences in a synchronized manner, and to be managed by the Virtual Mission authority during times of these coordinated activities. Enabling technologies include object-oriented designed approaches, extended operations management concepts and distributed computing techniques. Once these technologies are developed and the Virtual Mission concept is available, we believe the concept will provide NASA's Science Program with a new, ``go-as-you-pay,'' flexible, and resilient way of accomplishing its science observing program. The concept will foster the use of smaller and lower cost satellites. It will enable the fleet of scientific satellites to evolve in directions that best meet prevailing science needs. It will empower scientists by enabling them to mix and match various combinations of in-space, ground, and suborbital instruments - combinations which can be called up quickly in response to new events or discoveries. And, it will enable small groups such as universities, Space Grant colleges, and small businesses to participate significantly in the program by developing small components of this evolving scientific fleet.

Empowering Youth to Think and Act Critically About Complex Climate Issues

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harden, L.; Michelson, M.; Schufreider, M.; Babcock, E.; Klotz-Chamberlin, R.; Bagley, E.; Cassidy, E. S.; Levedahl, K.; Perez, N.; Vanderbilt, C.; Hammond, K.; Brutus, D.; Arrowsmith, T.

2016-12-01

The world is facing complex environmental challenges and a changing climate is one of the most pressing. These challenges require innovative solutions, which can only be achieved by first developing a more science and environmentally literate public through high-quality education. We know a lot about how to frame climate change messages to be most effective for adults (1). However, we know much less about how youth respond to these same messages. It is important to engage adolescents in these conversations, as this is the age when kids begin to think more critically and abstractly about complex problems, but also when peer and social influences increase in importance (2). Thus, middle school is a critical point in young students' lives when they might either lose interest in science or gain a strong science identity. To keep them interested and invested in science and environmental issues, we need relevant and transformative climate change materials for use in the classroom—materials that are video-based, compelling, and presented by other youth. The California Academy of Sciences has developed a video-based series with lessons supporting the NGSS called Flipside Science that challenges youth to think critically about complex environmental issues. Exploring Energy: Designing a Brighter Future is a unit within this series that engages youth in thinking about how we can make changes to our current energy uses and behaviors to combat climate change. The videos in the unit are hosted by diverse teens who bring an optimistic and relevant voice to these issues, and the associated lessons engage students in honing their design thinking and problem-solving skills. Although intended for use inside the classroom, these resources inspire action among youth outside of the classroom and in their communities. Initial evaluations of two other Flipside Science units on water and food issues indicate that the youth-powered nature of the videos and the real-world challenges posed in the lessons are meaningful to students and useful for teachers. They also point the way to reimagining how environmental issues are taught by presenting them in a youth voice and injecting youth perspective on these pressing problems.1 ecoAmerica et al. (2015). Let's Talk Climate: Messages to Motivate Americans. 2 Keating, D P (1990). Adolescent thinking.

Enhancing reflective practice through online learning: impact on clinical practice

PubMed Central

Sim, J; Radloff, A

2008-01-01

Purpose Traditionally, radiographers and radiation therapists function in a workplace environment that is protocol-driven with limited functional autonomy. The workplace promotes a culture of conformity and discourages practitioners from reflective and critical thinking, essential attributes for continuing learning and advancing workplace practices. As part of the first author’s doctoral study, a continuing professional development (CPD) educational framework was used to design and implement an online module for radiation therapists’ CPD activities. The study aimed to determine if it is possible to enhance healthcare practitioners’ reflective practice via online learning and to establish the impact of reflective learning on clinical practice. Materials and methods The objectives of the online module were to increase radiation therapists’ knowledge in planning for radiation therapy for the breast by assisting them engage in reflective practice. The cyclical process of action research was used to pilot the module twice with two groups of volunteer radiation therapists (twenty-six participants) from Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Results The online module was evaluated using Kirkpatrick’s four-level evaluation model. Evidence indicated that participants were empowered as a result of participation in the module. They began reflecting in the workplace while assuming a more proactive role and increased clinical responsibilities, engaged colleagues in collaborative reflections and adopted evidence-based approaches in advancing clinical practices. Conclusion The study shows that it is possible to assist practitioners engage in reflective practice using an online CPD educational framework. Participants were able to apply the reflective learning they had developed in their workplace. As a result of their learning, they felt empowered to continue to effect changes in their workplace beyond the cessation of the online module. PMID:21614319

Students' Meaning Making in Science: Solving Energy Resource Problems in Virtual Worlds Combined with Spreadsheets to Develop Graphs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Krange, Ingeborg; Arnseth, Hans Christian

2012-01-01

The aim of this study is to scrutinize the characteristics of conceptual meaning making when students engage with virtual worlds in combination with a spreadsheet with the aim to develop graphs. We study how these tools and the representations they contain or enable students to construct serve to influence their understanding of energy resource…

Engaging men with penile cancer in qualitative research: reflections from an interview-based study.

PubMed

Witty, Karl; Branney, Peter; Bullen, Kate; White, Alan; Evans, Julie; Eardley, Ian

2014-01-01

To explore the challenges of engaging men with penile cancer in qualitative interview research. Qualitative interviewing offers an ideal tool for exploring men's experiences of illness, complementing and providing context to gendered health inequalities identified in epidemiological research on men. But conducting interviews with men can be challenging and embarking on a qualitative interview study with males can feel like a daunting task, given the limited amount of practical, gender-sensitive guidance for researchers. Reflecting on a researcher's experience of conducting qualitative research on men with penile cancer, this paper explores the potential challenges of interviewing this group, but also documents how engagement and data collection were achieved. This is a reflective paper, informed by the experiences of a male researcher (KW) with no nurse training, who conducted 28 interviews with men who had been treated for penile cancer. The researcher's experiences are reported in chronological order, from the methodological challenges of recruitment to those of conducting the interview. The paper offers a resource for the novice researcher, highlighting some advantages and disadvantages of conducting qualitative interview research as a nurse researcher, as well as recommendations on how to overcome challenges. Engaging men with penile cancer in qualitative interview raises practical, methodological, ethical and emotional challenges for the researcher. However, when these challenges are met, men will talk about their health. Methodological procedures must enable an open and ongoing dialogue with clinical gatekeepers and potential participants to promote engagement. Support from colleagues is essential for any interviewer, no matter how experienced the researcher is.

User and researcher collaborations in mental health in low and middle income countries: a case study of the EMPOWER project

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Increasing recognition has been given to the interaction of users and researchers in shaping the perspective and practice of mental health care. However, there remains very little evidence exploring how this interaction works, particularly in low and middle income countries. The aim of this study was to explore experiences of how users and researchers worked together to communicate research, using a case study of the EMPOWER project. Methods The study followed a case-study approach. EMPOWER was a project that sought to strengthen the capacity of user organizations in India, Kenya, Nepal and Zambia by encouraging user-researcher collaborations to communicate research findings in the four countries. A qualitative research method was applied for this study, with semi-structured interviews conducted with seven people: two researchers, one communications developer, and four user group members (one from each of the four countries). Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results The findings indicated positive perceptions of the collaboration between researchers and users. Key themes were partnership and support, the value of the personal experience of users and their knowledge of the target audiences, and empowerment. Key challenges related to differences in levels of education and technical knowledge and the lack of payments to users. Conclusions This exploratory study provides insight to help understand collaborative processes for communicating mental health research. It highlights many positive outcomes from the EMPOWER collaboration but also highlights the need for more in-depth research on this issue. PMID:24423150

User and researcher collaborations in mental health in low and middle income countries: a case study of the EMPOWER project.

PubMed

Gupta, Esha; Roberts, Bayard

2014-01-14

Increasing recognition has been given to the interaction of users and researchers in shaping the perspective and practice of mental health care. However, there remains very little evidence exploring how this interaction works, particularly in low and middle income countries. The aim of this study was to explore experiences of how users and researchers worked together to communicate research, using a case study of the EMPOWER project. The study followed a case-study approach. EMPOWER was a project that sought to strengthen the capacity of user organizations in India, Kenya, Nepal and Zambia by encouraging user-researcher collaborations to communicate research findings in the four countries. A qualitative research method was applied for this study, with semi-structured interviews conducted with seven people: two researchers, one communications developer, and four user group members (one from each of the four countries). Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings indicated positive perceptions of the collaboration between researchers and users. Key themes were partnership and support, the value of the personal experience of users and their knowledge of the target audiences, and empowerment. Key challenges related to differences in levels of education and technical knowledge and the lack of payments to users. This exploratory study provides insight to help understand collaborative processes for communicating mental health research. It highlights many positive outcomes from the EMPOWER collaboration but also highlights the need for more in-depth research on this issue.

Empowering teenagers to prevent pregnancy: lessons from South Africa.

PubMed

Jewkes, Rachel; Morrell, Robert; Christofides, Nicola

2009-10-01

Reducing rates of teenage pregnancy is an important part of the agenda of action for meeting most of the Millenium Development Goals. South Africa has important lessons for other countries in this regard as the rate of teenage pregnancy is high but has declined very substantially over the last twenty years. The country experiences waves of moral panic about teenage pregnancy, with assertions that current problems are rooted in accepting or even encouraging the sexual appetites of young people rather than sternly disciplining them. In this paper, we argue that the key to success in teenage pregnancy reduction has been an empowering social policy agenda that has sought to work with young people, making them aware of their rights and the risks of sexual intercourse. Furthermore, family responses and education policy have greatly reduced the potential negative impact of teenage pregnancy on the lives of teenage girls. There is tremendous scope for further progress in reducing teenage pregnancy and we argue that this lies in paying more attention to issues of gender and sexuality, including the terms and conditions under which teenagers have sex. There needs to be critical reflection and engagement with men and boys on issues of masculinity, including their role in child rearing, as well as examination within families of their engagement with supporting pregnancy prevention and responses to pregnancies.

Overcoming the Polyester Image.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Regan, Dorothy

1988-01-01

Urges community colleges to overcome their image problem by documenting the colleges' impact on their communities. Suggests ways to determine what data should be collected, how to collect the information, and how it can be used to empower faculty, staff, and alumni to change the institution's image. (DMM)

Claim More™: Empowering African American Women to Make Healthy Choices.

PubMed

Tkatch, Rifky; Musich, Shirley; Draklellis, Jennifer; Hetzel, Marla; Banks, Jo; Dugan, Jessica; Thompson, Kaylene; Hawkins, Kevin

2018-03-01

Diabetes is a serious issue for African American women. The purpose of this project was to develop and test the feasibility of a culturally appropriate and faith-based healthy eating program for African American women at risk for developing diabetes. At total of 30 women from two churches completed a 12-week, faith-based program using a community-based approach with lay health educators in the church setting. Participants set healthy eating goals, attended weekly education classes, and received daily text messaging reminders related to their goals. Outcomes included high levels of social support, frequent engagement with the program, and improved healthy eating. This program demonstrated the ability to target African American women at risk for diabetes and engage them in a health-related program.

Engaging and Empowering the National Park Service to apply Earth Observations to Management Decisions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clayton, A.; Ross, K. W.; Crepps, G.; Childs-Gleason, L. M.; Ruiz, M. L.; Rogers, L.; Allsbrook, K. N.

2017-12-01

Since 2015, the NASA DEVELOP National Program has partnered with the National Park Service (NPS) engaging more than 120 program participants, working on over 22 projects across approximately 27 unique park units. These projects examined a variety of cultural and environmental concerns facing the NPS including landscape disturbance, invasive species mapping, archaeological site preservation, and water resources monitoring. DEVELOP, part of NASA's Applied Sciences' Capacity Building program, conducts 10-week feasibility projects which demonstrate the utility of NASA's Earth observations as an additional tool for decision-making processes. This presentation will highlight several of these projects and discuss the progress of capacity building working with individual, regional, and institutional elements within the National Park Service.

Optimizing engagement in goal pursuit with youth with physical disabilities attending life skills and transition programs: an exploratory study.

PubMed

Smart, Eric; Aulakh, Adeeta; McDougall, Carolyn; Rigby, Patty; King, Gillian

2017-10-01

Identify strategies youth perceive will optimize their engagement in goal pursuit in life skills and transition programs using an engagement framework involving affective, cognitive, and behavioral components. A qualitative descriptive design was used. Two semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven youth. The first was informed by a prior observation session, and the second occurred after the program ended and explored youths' perceptions of whether and how their engagement changed. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The analysis generated eight strategies youth considered effective. These were categorized under the three components of engagement. Affective strategies: (1) building a relationship on familiarity and reciprocity; and (2) guiding the program using youths' preferences and strengths. Cognitive strategies: (3) assisting youth to envision meaningful change; (4) utilizing youths' learning styles; and (5) promoting awareness of goal progress. Behavioral strategies: (6) ensuring youth access to a resource network; (7) providing youth multiple decision opportunities; and (8) enabling youth to showcase capabilities. Service providers together with youth are encouraged to consider the role of context and self-determination needs in order to optimize youth engagement in goal pursuit. Systematic approaches to studying engagement are necessary to learn how to maximize rehabilitation potential. Implications for Rehabilitation Service providers are encouraged to be aware of the nature of engagement strategies identified by youth. Comprehensive frameworks of engagement are essential to generate knowledge on the range of strategies service providers can use to engage clients in rehabilitation services. Strategies perceived by youth to optimize their engagement in goal pursuit in life skills and transition programs have subtle yet significant differences with strategies used in other rehabilitation settings like mental health and adult healthcare services. Self-determination theory shows potential in guiding further research on exploring the role of engagement in maximizing rehabilitation outcomes.

CosmoQuest: Making the public your students and collaborators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gay, Pamela; Buxner, Sanlyn; Grier, Jennifer; Richardson, Matthew; CosmoQuest Team

2018-01-01

CosmoQuest is a second generation citizen science project that makes it possible for NASA Subject Matter Experts to engage the public as both learners and collaborators in research. Engaging the public in publishable science is termed “Citizen Science.” This is a powerful technique for accomplishing research projects and tasks that require many minds and eyes to complete. While some projects may use undergraduates for help, others simply have too many images or too much data for a small population to sort through. CosmoQuest is a platform that enables scientists to take advantage of already existing science tools to engage the public in their research and to acquire the data analysis they need. Citizen scientists, like students, need their experience properly scaffolded to their understanding, and they require mentoring and training to succeed.This presentation focuses on methods for focusing research projects for successful citizen science engagement, and determining what scaffolding must be built to support citizen education and engagement.This presentation will help you understand how to transform your research project into a successful citizen science engagement. We will also present a flowchart to help you define: what is required, how to focus on what science does and doesn’t work, and what support your project requires. The content presented will allow you to successfully implement a project within the CosmoQuest facility, and determine what educational support you should provide or request aid to provide.

Lessons learnt from promising practices in community engagement for the elimination of new HIV infections in children by 2015 and keeping their mothers alive: summary of a desk review.

PubMed

Ackerman Gulaid, Laurie; Kiragu, Karusa

2012-07-11

Through the Global Plan Towards the Elimination of New HIV Infections Among Children by 2015 and Keeping their Mothers Alive, leaders have called for broader action to strengthen the involvement of communities. The Global Plan aspires to reduce new HIV infections among children by 90 percent, and to reduce AIDS-related maternal mortality by half. This article summarizes the results of a review commissioned by UNAIDS to help inform stakeholders on promising practices in community engagement to accelerate progress towards these ambitious goals. This research involved extensive literature review and key informant interviews. Community engagement was defined to include participation, mobilization and empowerment while excluding activities that involve communities solely as service recipients. A promising practice was defined as one for which there is documented evidence of its effectiveness in achieving intended results and some indication of replicability, scale up and/or sustainability. Promising practices that increased the supply of preventing mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) services included extending community cadres, strengthening linkages with community- and faith-based organizations and civic participation in programme monitoring. Practices to improve demand for PMTCT included community-led social and behaviour change communication, peer support and participative approaches to generate local solutions. Practices to create an enabling environment included community activism and government leadership for greater involvement of communities. Committed leadership at all levels, facility, community, district and national, is crucial to success. Genuine community engagement requires a rights-based, capacity-building approach and sustained financial and technical investment. Participative formative research is a first step in building community capacity and helps to ensure programme relevance. Building on existing structures, rather than working in parallel to them, improves programme efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability. Monitoring, innovation and information sharing are critical to scale up. Ten recommendations on community engagement are offered for ending vertical transmission and enhancing the health of mothers and families: (1) expand the frontline health workforce, (2) increase engagement with community- and faith-based organizations, (3) engage communities in programme monitoring and accountability, (4) promote community-driven social and behaviour change communication including grassroots campaigns and dialogues, (5) expand peer support, (6) empower communities to address programme barriers, (7) support community activism for political commitment, (8) share tools for community engagement, (9) develop better indicators for community involvement and (10) conduct cost analyses of various community engagement strategies. As programmes expand, care should be taken to support and not to undermine work that communities are already doing, but rather to actively identify and build on such efforts.

Patient credentialing as a population health management strategy: a diabetes case study.

PubMed

Watson, Lindsay L; Bluml, Benjamin M; Skoufalos, Alexandria

2015-06-01

When given the opportunity to become actively involved in the decision-making process, patients can positively impact their health outcomes. Understanding how to empower patients to become informed consumers of health care services is an important strategy for addressing disparities and variability in care. Patient credentialing identifies people who have a certain diagnosis and have achieved certain levels of competency in understanding and managing their disease. Patient credentialing was developed to meet 3 core purposes: (1) enhance patient engagement by increasing personal accountability for health outcomes, (2) create a mass customization strategy for providers to deliver high-quality, patient-centered collaborative care, and (3) provide payers with a foundation for properly aligning health benefit incentives. The Patient Self-Management Credential for Diabetes, a first-of-its-kind, psychometrically validated tool, has been deployed within 3 practice-based research initiatives as a component of innovative diabetes care. Results from these projects show improved clinical outcomes, reduced health care costs, and a relationship between credential achievement levels and clinical markers of diabetes. Implementing patient credentialing as part of collaborative care delivered within various settings across the health care system may be an effective way to reduce disparities, improve access to care and appropriate treatments, incentivize patient engagement in managing their health, and expend time and resources in a customized way to meet individual needs.

Library Materials and Services for Teen Girls.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Dell, Katie

This book describes how libraries can define their service goals to better serve and empower young women, including how to establish partnerships with organizations, offer developmentally appropriate programming, and provide timely reader's advisory services. Chapter 1, "Girls in the Spotlight: A Short History," addresses the search for…

Developing decision-relevant data and information systems for California water through listening and collaboration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bales, R. C.; Bernacchi, L.; Conklin, M. H.; Viers, J. H.; Fogg, G. E.; Fisher, A. T.; Kiparsky, M.

2017-12-01

California's historic drought of 2011-2015 provided excellent conditions for researchers to listen to water-management challenges from decision makers, particularly with regard to data and information needs for improved decision making. Through the UC Water Security and Sustainability Research Initiative (http://ucwater.org/) we began a multi-year dialog with water-resources decision makers and state agencies that provide data and technical support for water management. Near-term products of that collaboration will be both a vision for a 21st-century water data and information system, and near-term steps to meet immediate legislative deadlines in a way that is consistent with the longer-term vision. While many university-based water researchers engage with state and local agencies on both science and policy challenges, UC Water's focus was on: i) integrated system management, from headwaters through groundwater and agriculture, and on ii) improved decision making through better water information systems. This focus aligned with the recognition by water leaders that fundamental changes in the way the state manages water were overdue. UC Water is focused on three "I"s: improved water information, empowering Institutions to use and to create new information, and enabling decision makers to make smart investments in both green and grey Infrastructure. Effective communication with water decision makers has led to engagement on high-priority programs where large knowledge gaps remain, including more-widespread groundwater recharge of storm flows, restoration of mountain forests in important source-water areas, governance structures for groundwater sustainability, and filling information gaps by bringing new technology to bear on measurement and data programs. Continuing engagement of UC Water researchers in public dialog around water resources, through opinion pieces, feature articles, blogs, white papers, social media, video clips and a feature documentary film have also been key to our continuing engagement. These novel partnerships are leading to decision-relevant tools and an improved integrated praxis in on-the-ground water-resources management. Our research is becoming more embedded in policies and our network remains interconnected with decision makers at multiple levels.

Responsive consumerism: empowerment in markets for health plans.

PubMed

Elbel, Brian; Schlesinger, Mark

2009-09-01

American health policy is increasingly relying on consumerism to improve its performance. This article examines a neglected aspect of medical consumerism: the extent to which consumers respond to problems with their health plans. Using a telephone survey of five thousand consumers conducted in 2002, this article assesses how frequently consumers voice formal grievances or exit from their health plan in response to problems of differing severity. This article also examines the potential impact of this responsiveness on both individuals and the market. In addition, using cross-group comparisons of means and regressions, it looks at how the responses of "empowered" consumers compared with those who are "less empowered." The vast majority of consumers do not formally voice their complaints or exit health plans, even in response to problems with significant consequences. "Empowered" consumers are only minimally more likely to formally voice and no more likely to leave their plan. Moreover, given the greater prevalence of trivial problems, consumers are much more likely to complain or leave their plans because of problems that are not severe. Greater empowerment does not alleviate this. While much of the attention on consumerism has focused on prospective choice, understanding how consumers respond to problems is equally, if not more, important. Relying on consumers' responses as a means to protect individual consumers or influence the market for health plans is unlikely to be successful in its current form.

Exploring empowerment in settings: mapping distributions of network power.

PubMed

Neal, Jennifer Watling

2014-06-01

This paper brings together two trends in the empowerment literature-understanding empowerment in settings and understanding empowerment as relational-by examining what makes settings empowering from a social network perspective. Specifically, extending Neal and Neal's (Am J Community Psychol 48(3/4):157-167, 2011) conception of network power, an empowering setting is defined as one in which (1) actors have existing relationships that allow for the exchange of resources and (2) the distribution of network power among actors in the setting is roughly equal. The paper includes a description of how researchers can examine distributions of network power in settings. Next, this process is illustrated in both an abstract example and using empirical data on early adolescents' peer relationships in urban classrooms. Finally, implications for theory, methods, and intervention related to understanding empowering settings are explored.

Midwives' perceptions of their role within the context of maternity service reform: An Appreciative Inquiry.

PubMed

Sidebotham, Mary; Fenwick, Jennifer; Rath, Susan; Gamble, Jenny

2015-06-01

In 2010 Australian Government reform of maternity services enabled midwives to access Medicare. This significant change provides midwives with new opportunities to engage in patterns of working that provide continuity of care to childbearing women. There remains limited evidence, however, on midwives perceptions of how the reforms impact them both personally and professionally. This research examined midwives' perceptions of their role and how, in light of the reform agenda, they might conceptualise a change in working patterns and environment to provide greater levels of continuity of care. A qualitative descriptive approach was employed using the four-stage Appreciative Inquiry model. Twenty-three midwives from three maternity units within south-east Queensland participated in one of six focus groups. Thematic iterative analysis was employed to identify empirical codes and examine relationships within and across the data. Midwives endorsed the reforms and considered the concept of continuity of midwifery care as fundamental to achieving a woman centred maternity system. Most participants, however, found it difficult to conceptualise how they might contribute to any level of system change. In addition the majority passively accepted the status quo of their employing organisation and believed they were powerless to effect change. In order to promote the growth of evidence based continuity of care models midwives need to work to their full scope of practice. Strong midwifery leadership is required to enable midwives to re-conceptualise roles and work patterns and identify how they can engage with and contribute to reform of maternity services. Copyright © 2015 Australian College of Midwives. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Is a clean river fun for all? Recognizing social vulnerability in watershed planning.

PubMed

Cutts, Bethany B; Greenlee, Andrew J; Prochaska, Natalie K; Chantrill, Carolina V; Contractor, Annie B; Wilhoit, Juliana M; Abts, Nancy; Hornik, Kaitlyn

2018-01-01

Watershed planning can lead to policy innovation and action toward environmental protection. However, groups often suffer from low engagement with communities that experience disparate impacts from flooding and water pollution. This can limit the capacity of watershed efforts to dismantle pernicious forms of social inequality. As a result, the benefits of environmental changes often flow to more empowered residents, short-changing the power of watershed-based planning as a tool to transform ecological, economic, and social relationships. The objectives of this paper are to assess whether the worldview of watershed planning actors are sufficiently attuned to local patterns of social vulnerability and whether locally significant patterns of social vulnerability can be adequately differentiated using conventional data sources. Drawing from 35 in-depth interviews with watershed planners and community stakeholders in the Milwaukee River Basin (WI, USA), we identify five unique definitions of social vulnerability. Watershed planners in our sample articulate a narrower range of social vulnerability definitions than other participants. All five definitions emphasize spatial and demographic characteristics consistent with existing ways of measuring social vulnerability. However, existing measures do not adequately differentiate among the spatio-temporal dynamics used to distinguish definitions. In response, we develop two new social vulnerability measures. The combination of interviews and demographic analyses in this study provides an assessment technique that can help watershed planners (a) understand the limits of their own conceptualization of social vulnerability and (b) acknowledge the importance of place-based vulnerabilities that may otherwise be obscured. We conclude by discussing how our methods can be a useful tool for identifying opportunities to disrupt social vulnerability in a watershed by evaluating how issue frames, outreach messages, and engagement tactics. The approach allows watershed planners to shift their own culture in order to consider socially vulnerable populations comprehensively.

Is a clean river fun for all? Recognizing social vulnerability in watershed planning

PubMed Central

Greenlee, Andrew J.; Prochaska, Natalie K.; Chantrill, Carolina V.; Contractor, Annie B.; Wilhoit, Juliana M.; Abts, Nancy; Hornik, Kaitlyn

2018-01-01

Watershed planning can lead to policy innovation and action toward environmental protection. However, groups often suffer from low engagement with communities that experience disparate impacts from flooding and water pollution. This can limit the capacity of watershed efforts to dismantle pernicious forms of social inequality. As a result, the benefits of environmental changes often flow to more empowered residents, short-changing the power of watershed-based planning as a tool to transform ecological, economic, and social relationships. The objectives of this paper are to assess whether the worldview of watershed planning actors are sufficiently attuned to local patterns of social vulnerability and whether locally significant patterns of social vulnerability can be adequately differentiated using conventional data sources. Drawing from 35 in-depth interviews with watershed planners and community stakeholders in the Milwaukee River Basin (WI, USA), we identify five unique definitions of social vulnerability. Watershed planners in our sample articulate a narrower range of social vulnerability definitions than other participants. All five definitions emphasize spatial and demographic characteristics consistent with existing ways of measuring social vulnerability. However, existing measures do not adequately differentiate among the spatio-temporal dynamics used to distinguish definitions. In response, we develop two new social vulnerability measures. The combination of interviews and demographic analyses in this study provides an assessment technique that can help watershed planners (a) understand the limits of their own conceptualization of social vulnerability and (b) acknowledge the importance of place-based vulnerabilities that may otherwise be obscured. We conclude by discussing how our methods can be a useful tool for identifying opportunities to disrupt social vulnerability in a watershed by evaluating how issue frames, outreach messages, and engagement tactics. The approach allows watershed planners to shift their own culture in order to consider socially vulnerable populations comprehensively. PMID:29715285

Achieving patient engagement in multiple sclerosis: A perspective from the multiple sclerosis in the 21st Century Steering Group.

PubMed

Rieckmann, Peter; Boyko, Alexey; Centonze, Diego; Elovaara, Irina; Giovannoni, Gavin; Havrdová, Eva; Hommes, Otto; Kesselring, Jurg; Kobelt, Gisela; Langdon, Dawn; LeLorier, Jacques; Morrow, Sarah A; Oreja-Guevara, Celia; Schippling, Sven; Thalheim, Christoph; Thompson, Heidi; Vermersch, Patrick

2015-05-01

While advances in medicine, technology and healthcare services offer promises of longevity and improved quality of life (QoL), there is also increasing reliance on a patient׳s skills and motivation to optimize all the benefits available. Patient engagement in their own healthcare has been described as the 'blockbuster drug of the century'. In multiple sclerosis (MS), patient engagement is vital if outcomes for the patient, society and healthcare systems are to be optimized. The MS in the 21st Century Steering Group devised a set of themes that require action with regard to patient engagement in MS, namely: 1) setting and facilitating engagement by education and confidence-building; 2) increasing the importance placed on QoL and patient concerns through patient-reported outcomes (PROs); 3) providing credible sources of accurate information; 4) encouraging treatment adherence through engagement; and 5) empowering through a sense of responsibility. Group members independently researched and contributed examples of patient engagement strategies from several countries and examined interventions that have worked well in areas of patient engagement in MS, and other chronic illnesses. The group presents their perspective on these programs, discusses the barriers to achieving patient engagement, and suggests practical strategies for overcoming these barriers. With an understanding of the issues that influence patient engagement in MS, we can start to investigate ways to enhance engagement and subsequent health outcomes. Engaging patients involves a broad, multidisciplinary approach. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Pharmacogenomics and Nanotechnology Toward Advancing Personalized Medicine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vizirianakis, Ioannis S.; Amanatiadou, Elsa P.

The target of personalized medicine to achieve major benefits for all patients in terms of diagnosis and drug delivery can be facilitated by creating a sincere multidisciplinary information-based infrastructure in health care. To this end, nanotechnology, pharmacogenomics, and informatics can advance the utility of personalized medicine, enable clinical translation of genomic knowledge, empower healthcare environment, and finally improve clinical outcomes.

Assessment of Students' Learning Behavior and Academic Misconduct in a Student-Pulled Online Learning and Student-Governed Testing Environment: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tsai, Nancy Wang

2016-01-01

The development of advanced and affordable information technologies has enabled higher education institutes to instantly deliver course or training materials to its students via the Internet without any time or location limitations. At the same time, the identical technology has also empowered distance learning students with easier opportunities…

Role of Education in the Empowement of Women in India

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bhat, Rouf Ahmad

2015-01-01

Women education in India has a major preoccupation of both the government and civil society as educated women can play a very important role in the development of the country. Education is milestone of women empowerment because it enables them to responds to the challenges, to confront their traditional role and change their life. So that we can't…

Two-Year Outcomes of the Enabling Mothers to Prevent Pediatric Obesity through Web-Based Education and Reciprocal Determinism (EMPOWER) Randomized Control Trial

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Knowlden, Adam P.; Conrad, Eric

2018-01-01

Background: Childhood overweight and obesity is a public health epidemic with far-reaching medical, economic, and quality of life consequences. Brief, web-based interventions have received increased attention for their potential to combat childhood obesity. The purpose of our study was to evaluate a web-based, maternal-facilitated childhood…

A Model of Successful Work Experience for Employees Who Are Visually Impaired: The Results of a Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Golub, Dawn B.

2006-01-01

This study explored the factors that contribute to a successful work experience for employees who are visually impaired from the perspective of employers. The employers who were interviewed emphasized the dual responsibility that employees have to empower their own success and that employers have to enable the employees' success. In addition, an…

BetterThanPin: Empowering Users to Fight Phishing (Poster)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tan, Teik Guan

The BetterThanPin concept is an online security service that allows users to enable almost any Cloud or Web-based account (e.g. Gmail, MSN, Yahoo, etc) to be protected with "almost" 2-factor authentication (2FA). The result is that users can now protect their online accounts with better authentication, without waiting for the service or cloud provider.

Cyberinfrastructure: In Tune for the Future

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bottum, James R.; Davis, James F.; Siegel, Peter M.; Wheeler, Brad; Oblinger, Diana G.

2008-01-01

Cyberinfrastructure permits a new kind of scholarly inquiry and education, empowering communities to innovate and to revolutionize what they do, how they do it, and who participates. (Contains 6 notes.)

Achieving successful community engagement: a rapid realist review.

PubMed

De Weger, E; Van Vooren, N; Luijkx, K G; Baan, C A; Drewes, H W

2018-04-13

Community engagement is increasingly seen as crucial to achieving high quality, efficient and collaborative care. However, organisations are still searching for the best and most effective ways to engage citizens in the shaping of health and care services. This review highlights the barriers and enablers for engaging communities in the planning, designing, governing, and/or delivering of health and care services on the macro or meso level. It provides policymakers and professionals with evidence-based guiding principles to implement their own effective community engagement (CE) strategies. A Rapid Realist Review was conducted to investigate how interventions interact with contexts and mechanisms to influence the effectiveness of CE. A local reference panel, consisting of health and care professionals and experts, assisted in the development of the research questions and search strategy. The panel's input helped to refine the review's findings. A systematic search of the peer-reviewed literature was conducted. Eight action-oriented guiding principles were identified: Ensure staff provide supportive and facilitative leadership to citizens based on transparency; foster a safe and trusting environment enabling citizens to provide input; ensure citizens' early involvement; share decision-making and governance control with citizens; acknowledge and address citizens' experiences of power imbalances between citizens and professionals; invest in citizens who feel they lack the skills and confidence to engage; create quick and tangible wins; take into account both citizens' and organisations' motivations. An especially important thread throughout the CE literature is the influence of power imbalances and organisations' willingness, or not, to address such imbalances. The literature suggests that 'meaningful participation' of citizens can only be achieved if organisational processes are adapted to ensure that they are inclusive, accessible and supportive of citizens.

Building a world-class A/P function: how UPMC went paperless.

PubMed

DeLuca, Michael; Smith, Corey

2010-03-01

UPMC engaged people, processes, and technology to move its A/P function from a highly manual, paper-based operation to a completely automated process. UPMC's CFO hired a chief supply chain officer to develop a strategic plan, and UPMC named a value analysis team to gain clinician buy-in. UPMC automated A/P by enabling receipt of electronic invoices. UPMC streamlined its processes for invoices.

Designing Informal Learning Experiences for Early Career Academics Using a Knowledge Ecosystem Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Faye; Partridge, Helen; Bruce, Christine; Hemmings, Brian

2017-01-01

This article presents a "knowledge ecosystem" model of how early career academics experience using information to learn while building their social networks for developmental purposes. Developed using grounded theory methodology, the model offers a way of conceptualising how to empower early career academics through (1) agency…

Ethical issues in transgenics.

PubMed

Sherlock, R; Morrey, J D

2000-01-01

The arguments of critics and concerns of the public on generating transgenic cloned animals are analyzed for the absence or presence of logical structure. Critics' arguments are symbolically compared with "genetic trespassing," "genetic speeding," or "going the wrong way," and responses are provided to these arguments. Scientists will be empowered to participate in the public discussion and to engage the critics on these issues as they consider thoughtful, plausible responses to their concerns. Temporary moratoriums are recognized as a plausible approach to dealing with possible concerns of new scientific advancements.

A Ground-Up Model for Gun Violence Reduction: A Community-Based Public Health Approach.

PubMed

Byrdsong, T Rashad; Devan, Angela; Yamatani, Hide

2016-01-01

The suggested strategy for the reduction of violence is to collaboratively address the problem, based on an intervention system focused on prevention, rehabilitation, and development. This strategy is capable of engaging community residents in positive ways, and it empowers them to take ownership and sustain much-needed resident commitments to achieve long-term public safety. The community residents largely insist that over-reliance on law enforcement to control violence invites further affliction among Black youth and adults.

'It's important that we learn too': Empowering parents to facilitate participation in physical activity for children and youth with disabilities.

PubMed

Willis, Claire E; Reid, Siobhan; Elliott, Catherine; Nyquist, Astrid; Jahnsen, Reidun; Rosenberg, Michael; Girdler, Sonya

2017-09-20

The actions and behaviors of parents have been identified as key factors that influence a child's participation in physical activity. However, there is limited knowledge of how parents can be supported to embody facilitative roles. This study aimed to explore how an ecological intervention encourages parents of children with disabilities to develop as facilitators, to enable ongoing physical activity participation in a child's local environment. A qualitative design using grounded theory was employed. Forty four parents (26 mothers, 18 fathers) of 31 children with a range of disabilities (mean age 12y 6m (SD 2y 2m); 18 males) partaking in the Local Environment Model intervention at Beitostolen Healthsports Centre in Norway participated in the study. Data were derived from the triangulation of semi-structured interviews and participant observation. Data analysis was an iterative approach of constant comparison, where data collection, memo writing, open, axial and selective coding analysis, were undertaken simultaneously. Findings were consolidated into a model describing the central phenomenon and its relationship to other categories. Thematic concepts uncovered in this study describe a social process of parent learning and empowerment, comprising three primary components; (i) active ingredients of the intervention that enabled learning and empowerment to transpire, (ii) parent learning and empowerment as a process, and (iii) related outcomes. A family-centered approach, encompassing family-to-family support, may enhance physical activity participation outcomes for children and youth with disabilities.

Empowering European communities to improve natural resource management for human well-being: the OPPLA web portal & communities of practice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Metzger, M.; Brown, C.; Pérez-Soba, M.; Rounsevell, M.; Verweij, P.; Delbaere, B.; Cojocaru, G.; Saarikoski, H.; Harrison, P.; Zellmer, K.

2014-12-01

The ecosystem services concept is seen by many as a useful paradigm to support decision-making at the complex interface between science, policy and practice. However, to be successful, it requires a strong willingness for collaboration and joint understanding. In support of this aspiration, OPPLA is being developed as a web portal to enable European communities to better manage ecosystems for human well-being and livelihoods. OPPLA will provide access to a variety of online resources such as tools, case studies, lessons learned, videos, manuals and training and educational materials. It will also provide expert forums and spaces for discussions between researchers, practitioners and decision makers. Hence a critical aspect of the success of OPPLA is the co-evolution of communities of practice. An example of a community of practice is the recently launched Ecosystem Services Community - Scotland (ESCom-Scotland; escomscotland.wordpress.com). ESCom-Scotland aims to support better management of Scotland's natural resources by helping to establish a community of practice between individuals and groups involved in the science, policy and practice behind sustainable ecosystem management. It aspires to encourage the sharing of ideas, increase collaboration and to initiate a support network for those engaging with the ecosystem services concept and it will use the OPPLA resources to support these activities. OPPLA is currently at the developmental stage and was instigated by two large European Commission funded research projects: OPERAs (www.operas-project.eu) and OpenNESS (www.openness-project.eu), with a combined budget of ca. €24m. These projects aim to improve understanding of how ecosystem services contribute to human well-being in different social-ecological systems. Research will establish whether, how and under what conditions the ecosystem services concept can move beyond the academic domain towards practical implementation in support of sustainable ecosystem management. New insights, and improved or novel tools and instruments, will be tested in practice in case studies that cover a range of socio-ecological systems across locales, sectors, scales and time. This presentation will discuss the development of OPPLA and the communities of practice that are emerging around it.

eHealth, Participatory Medicine, and Ethical Care: A Focus Group Study of Patients' and Health Care Providers' Use of Health-Related Internet Information.

PubMed

Townsend, Anne; Leese, Jenny; Adam, Paul; McDonald, Michael; Li, Linda C; Kerr, Sheila; Backman, Catherine L

2015-06-22

The rapid explosion in online digital health resources is seen as transformational, accelerating the shift from traditionally passive patients to patients as partners and altering the patient-health care professional (HCP) relationship. Patients with chronic conditions are increasingly engaged, enabled, and empowered to be partners in their care and encouraged to take responsibility for managing their conditions with HCP support. In this paper, we focus on patients' and HCPs' use of health-related Internet information and how it influences the patient-HCP relationship. In particular, we examine the challenges emerging in medical encounters as roles and relationships shift and apply a conceptual framework of relational ethics to examine explicit and nuanced ethical dimensions emerging in patient-HCP interactions as both parties make increased use of health-related Internet information. We purposively sampled patients and HCPs in British Columbia, Canada, to participate in focus groups. To be eligible, patients self-reported a diagnosis of arthritis and at least one other chronic health condition; HCPs reported a caseload with >25% of patients with arthritis and multimorbidity. We used a semistructured, but flexible, discussion guide. All discussions were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. Elements of grounded theory guided our constant comparison thematic analytic approach. Analysis was iterative. A relational ethics conceptual lens was applied to the data. We recruited 32 participants (18 patients, 14 HCPs). They attended seven focus groups: four with patients and three with rehabilitation professionals and physicians. Predominant themes to emerge were how use of health-related Internet information fostered (1) changing roles, (2) patient-HCP partnerships, and (3) tensions and burdens for patients and HCPs. Relational aspects such as mutual trust, uncertainty, and vulnerability are illuminated in patient-HCP interactions around health-related Internet information and the negotiated space of clinical encounters. New roles and associated responsibilities have key ethical dimensions that make clear the changes are fundamental and important to understand in ethical care. When faced with tensions and burdens around incorporating health-related Internet information as a resource in clinical encounters, participants described a particular ambivalence illustrating the fundamental changes being negotiated by both patients and HCPs.

Evaluation of the Alliance for Climate Education's national high school edutainment program (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lappe, M.; Flora, J.; Saphir, M.; Roser-Renouf, C.; Maibach, E.; Leiserowitz, A.

2013-12-01

The Alliance for Climate Education educates high school students on the science of climate change and inspires them to create effective solutions. Since 2009, ACE has reached over 1.6 million students nationwide with its multi media assembly presentation. In this paper, we evaluate the climate science knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, behavior and communication impact of the ACE Assembly program in a random sample of 49 schools (from population of 779) and a panel of 1,241 high school students. Pre and post assembly surveys composed of questions from the Global Warming Six Americas segmentation and intervention specific questions were administered in classrooms. We demonstrate that exposure to climate science in an engaging edutainment format changes youths' beliefs, involvement, and behavior positively and moves them to more climate science literate audience segments. The net impact of scaled and engaging programs for youth could be a population shift in climate science literacy and positive engagement in the issue of climate change. In addition, such programs can empower youth for deeper engagement in school programs, personal action, political and consumer advocacy.