Harnessing the Potential of Systems Approach: Deploying Classroom as Organization in Leadership Education.

Despite calls for evaluation practice to take a complex systems approach, there are few examples of how to incorporate complexity into real-life evaluations. This article presents the case for using a complex systems approach to evaluate a school-based intimate partner violence-prevention intervention. We conducted a post hoc analysis of qualitative evaluation data to examine the intervention as a potential system disruptor. We analysed data in relation to complexity concepts particularly relevant to schools: ‘diverse and dynamic agents’, ‘interaction’, ‘unpredictability’, ‘emergence’ and ‘context dependency’. The data—two focus groups with facilitators and 33 repeat interviews with 14–17-year-old students—came from an evaluation of a comprehensive sexuality education intervention in Mexico City, which serves as a case study for this analysis. The findings demonstrate an application of complex adaptive systems concepts to qualitative evaluation data. We provide examples of how this approach can shed light on the ways in which interpersonal interactions, group dynamics, the core messages of the course and context influenced the implementation and outcomes of this intervention. This gender-transformative intervention appeared to disrupt pervasive gender norms and reshape beliefs about how to engage in relationships. An intervention comprises multiple dynamic and interacting elements, all of which are unlikely to be consistent across implementation settings. Applying complexity concepts to our analysis added value by helping reframe implementation-related data to focus on how the ‘social’ aspects of complexity influenced the intervention. Without examining both individual and group processes, evaluations may miss key insights about how the intervention generates change, for whom, and how it interacts with its context. A social complex adaptive systems approach is well-suited to the evaluation of gender-transformative interventions and can help identify how such interventions disrupt the complex social systems in which they are implemented to address intractable societal problems.

Many evaluation approaches do not account for temporality and complexity. This thesis is a methodological examination of evaluation techniques based on a case study, which was designed with a dual purpose: first, to evaluate a sexuality education programme with a focus on intimate partner violence (IPV) prevention in Mexico City; and second, to provide empirical data for the thesis. The case study was an evaluation with a longitudinal quasi-experimental design. Data collection methods were semi-structured in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, self-administered questionnaires, and observations of the intervention. I used thematic analysis to examine intervention effects. The methodological exploration used a qualitative observational design based on the case study, exploring questions about the utility of qualitative longitudinal and complex adaptive systems approaches in evaluation and how qualitative and quantitative approaches to data collection compare. Evaluation data collected in Mexico served as raw data, and I wrote fieldnotes about the evaluation process. I used framework analysis, applied a complex systems approach, compared data collected through different methods, and identified barriers to high-quality data. In the evaluation, we found evidence that the intervention contributed to changes in beliefs, intentions, and behaviours related to gender, sexuality, and IPV. The methodological analysis showed that repeat interviews illuminated how the intervention influenced relationship trajectories and provided contextualised data about lived experiences. A complex adaptive systems approach helped us examine system-disruptive elements of the intervention. Challenges to data collection included earthquake-related delays, social complexities, the shifting nature of relationship experiences, and variability in motivation to participate in the study. A reflexive discussion of such barriers to high quality data should inform interpretation of research findings. I argue that evaluation methods should be designed to engage with unpredictability, interaction, temporality and change and should centre on building contextualised understanding of pathways to impact. Evaluations should engage stakeholders and beneficiaries to ensure relevant research questions and define what ‘meaningful’ evidence entails; this will facilitate utilisation of findings.

BackgroundComplex systems approaches are increasingly used in health promotion and noncommunicable disease prevention research, policy and practice. Questions emerge as to the best ways to take a complex systems approach, specifically with respect to population physical activity (PA). Using an Attributes Model is one way to understand complex systems. We aimed to examine the types of complex systems methods used in current PA research and identify what methods align with a whole system approach as reflected by an Attributes Model.MethodsA scoping review was conducted and two databases were searched. Twenty-five articles were selected and data analysis was based upon the following: the complex systems research methods used, research aims, if participatory methods were used and evidence of discussion regarding attributes of systems.ResultsThere were three groups of methods used: system mapping, simulation modelling and network analysis. System mapping methods appeared to align best with a whole system approach to PA promotion because they largely aimed to understand complex systems, examined interactions and feedback among variables, and used participatory methods. Most of these articles focused on PA (as opposed to integrated studies). Simulation modelling methods were largely focused on examining complex problems and identifying interventions. These methods did not generally focus on PA or use participatory methods. While network analysis articles focused on examining complex systems and identifying interventions, they did not focus on PA nor use participatory methods. All attributes were discussed in some way in the articles. Attributes were explicitly reported on in terms of findings or were part of discussion and conclusion sections. System mapping methods appear to be well aligned with a whole system approach because these methods addressed all attributes in some way. We did not find this pattern with other methods.ConclusionsFuture research using complex systems methods may benefit from applying the Attributes Model in conjunction with system mapping methods. Simulation modelling and network analysis methods are seen as complementary and could be used when system mapping methods identify priorities for further investigation (e.g. what interventions to implement or how densely connected relationships are in systems).

On a global scale, many major rural health issues have persisted for decades despite the introduction of new health interventions and public health policies. Although research efforts have generated valuable...

Leadership, which is prominent in every occasion where the concept of organization is articulated and which is addressed in different dimensions by each organization, is a concept that is very important in the field of education, and it is becoming the subject of many researches. In the literature of educational research, schools and school administrators are the first subjects that come to mind when leadership is mentioned. In this regard, school administrators are expected to show leadership behaviors, such as providing guidance, supporting, assigning a measurable responsibility and being a source of inspiration to all school employees and students in order to achieve the aims of the school. In addition, school leaders should form the ground that provides in-class reform and development, in order to create a positive learning environment in the school (Nichols, 2011). In this context, the studies of educational leadership have emerged in 1970s, in conjunction with research and development activities related to the effective schools movement. In those years, based on the observations of primary schools, some researchers in the UK and North America have identified that some schools' achievements in terms of learning outcomes were bigger than others. They have stated that this situation cannot be solely explained with the individual and social characteristics of the students; therefore the difference between effective and ineffective schools might be associated with the leadership attitudes and behaviors that school administrators have exhibited. Thus, educational leadership became a concept that has been discussed a lot on it. According to these researchers, the characteristics of effective schools' leaders are (Kruger & Scheerens, 2012);* They are directly involved with the school and the education of students.* They carefully evaluate teachers' classroom performance, learning process and student outcomes again and again.* They create a work environment and school climate which will make learning possible for all children.Schlechty (2001) has stated that the main task of the school is working with knowledge. This idea is based on the fact that learning is an active process. Thus, he argued that schools should be institutions working towards an objective with the help of the ideas, concepts, forms, shapes and symbols. Although the schools are solely seen as the places where learning takes place, in reality it is well-known that they are the institutions beyond mere learning, with a much more complex structure. From this perspective, even though schools are a tool for generating and transferring the culture, they are also the places where the official ideology is produced and communicated (Ilich, 1998). The effectiveness of such a complex structure, with its social, cultural, economic and political aspects has become attractive for researchers.One of the most critical factors in the realization of effective schools is the leadership behaviors of school administrators. In the literature this type of leadership is discussed in different forms and dimensions, such as education leadership, instructional leadership, program leadership, and educational leadership. At the beginning, this concept has been discussed in a limited context, as course and program leadership, however later it was considered in a broader sense to include the mentioned dimensions, in terms of the concepts such as educational leadership, education and training leadership. Although it is called by different names, it can be understood that these leaderships basically refers to the school administrators who were trying to establish effective schools and learning.School leader is the person who is planning and implementing program development, making appropriate resource allocation, improving the performance of staff and students by motivating and guiding them, in order to achieve the objectives of the school. School leaders, after setting the objectives of the school, ensure that these objectives are shared and supported by the students, teachers and school community. …

This chapter examines the key ideas of Michel Foucault. Foucault’s work is used to highlight a number of prescient issues in education and educational leadership, namely, how discourse works in the creation of particular norms and truths that function in the field of educational leadership. The chapter begins by situating this work in relation to previous work drawing on Foucault’s ideas in education and educational leadership and then discusses some of the main ideas associated with Foucault: discourse, power, governmentality, ethics and the subject. Within each of these sections, links are made to educational leadership discourse that is both useful for further examination and how such approaches may still serve some important use given the age of Foucault’s work and also the previous use of his ideas. The final section provides a brief annotated bibliography of some key works to explore for future readers and research.

Global food safety as a complex adaptive system: Key concepts and future prospects

Background Health Impact Assessment (HIA) is a process for systematically assessing the potential health and wellbeing impacts of a policy, plan, or project, including recommendations on how those impacts may be managed. Increasingly policy is seen as interventions in complex systems. Methodologically guidance for undertaking HIA do not explicitly draw on complex systems approaches. This study explores the potential contribution of systems approaches to HIA, with a view to informing practical guidance on conducting HIA. The study was registered with Research Registry (reference: researchregistry9504). Methods Scoping review, Stakeholder Workshops. Results 25 eligible sources were identified applying systems approaches in IA, mostly quantitative modelling approaches, such as system dynamics, though several advocated for the application of systems thinking more broadly. HIA is inherently seen as systems oriented, given the involvement of multiple stakeholders and the focus on the wider determinants of health. Workshop participants showed a range of reactions towards applying the systems tools. Major concerns were HIA already being under resourced and systems methods potentially adding pressure and reducing stakeholder buy-in for HIA. Whilst broadening perspectives was seen as enriching, the difficulty to apply system tools directly would require adaptation to the HIA process. Participants valued the tools for their capacity to structure discussion or stakeholder engagement, and their capacity to communicate findings. There was concern about adding to the structured HIA process. Conclusions This is the first study systematically assessing potential value and practical implications of applying systems informed tools as part of HIA. Although there is some conceptual overlap between HIA and systems approaches, there are practical challenges in incorporating new systems tools into HIA practice. Systems tools have a potential role in the initial setting of boundaries for a HIA, and as a lens to find opportunities to embed HIA in institutional decision-making processes.

Developing a theory of applied linguistics is a top priority for the discipline today. The emergence of a new paradigm - a complex systems approach - in applied linguistics presents us with a unique opportunity to give prominence to the development of a foundational framework for this design discipline. Far from being a mere philosophical exercise, such a framework will find application in the training and induction of new entrants into the discipline within the developing context of South Africa, as well as internationally.

Welcome to the Special Issue on Applications of Complexity for Resilient Organizations, Management, and Innovation Systems. This Special Issue includes six articles highlighting how complexity science and complex systems approaches can be employed to study resilient aspects in organizations, management and innovation systems. Nowadays, governments, policy-makers, managers, firms, and organizations are requested to face challenges with possible and unpredictable disruptive events always more and more interconnected. Complexity science and complex systems approaches applied to economic and managerial systems allow to model the endogenous dynamics of a system as a whole and composed of heterogeneous interacting agents from the bottom up. Such models open the opportunity for a dynamic and systemic approach to investigate and improve the resilience of organizations and innovation systems. It is crucial to remark that both scholars and decision-makers collaborated on the Special Issue to better understand the advantages of using a systemic approach (i.e., complexity science and complex systems approaches) in areas where such methodologies have not been considered so far, i.e., organization, innovation, and management. To aid in this endeavor, the papers included in the Special Issue investigate different conceptual and methodological aspects applied in different contexts and open a new vista on the opportunity offered by complexity science and complex systems approaches to face research and professional questions in the areas of organization, management, and innovation.

Purpose: Specific social and emotional learning (SEL) programs have been found to promote a myriad of positive outcomes, but definitions of the broader concept of SEL are varied in its practice and scholarly usage. It is unclear whether recent conceptual expansions of SEL to include Systemic and Transformative approaches shape the understanding of SEL among educational leaders. Communities of Practice (CPs) may serve as a dynamic knowledge source for revealing and shifting educator understanding of SEL. Thus, in the present study we asked: (1) How do educational leaders define SEL?; and (2) In what ways did definitions of SEL evolve over the course of CPs? Methods: We analyzed open-ended survey responses from educational leaders at county offices of education (N = 46; 76% White, 65% women) at two time points. At Time 1, leaders defined SEL. After six monthly statewide SEL CPs, they were given the opportunity to update their definition. To analyze the data, we engaged in reflexive thematic analysis. Findings : At Time 1, educational leaders emphasized popularized competency-based SEL definitions, emphasized skills rather than systems, and described SEL as an individualistic rather than a civic intervention. At Time 2, many educational leaders shifted their definitions towards more systemic thinking and included more elements of equity. Implications: Exploring educational leaders’ definitions of SEL, and any shifts, may inform approaches to building the capacity of educational leaders to provide SEL implementation support and using CPs for spreading and shaping the ideas of Systemic SEL and Transformative SEL.

Advancing leadership in medical radiation sciences: Incorporating systematic leadership education in pre-registration curricula

Whole systems approaches are increasingly being advocated as a way of responding to complex public health priorities such as obesity and physical inactivity. Due to the complex and adaptive nature of such systems, researchers are increasingly being embedded within host organisations (i.e., those which facilitate the whole systems approach) to work with key stakeholders to illuminate and understand mechanisms of change and develop a culture of continuous improvement. While previous literature has reported on the benefits and challenges of embedded researchers in health care, little is known about the experiences and learnings of those situated within these complex whole systems approaches. In this paper, we present our reflections of being embedded researchers within four distinct whole systems approaches and outline recommendations and considerations for commissioners working with or seeking support from an embedded researcher.

When the societies are worried about their educative process and they consider get it better, they are planning the progress in all their dimensions. There is the importance to set up politics that tend to have a high quality education. Nevertheless, the efforts in the Soledad township are not enough. In the development plan SOLEDAD CONFIABLE 2016-2019, the community indicated as a main problem the low quality education in the township. That is reflected in the performance levels measured by the ISCE. Hence, the investigation ́s objective is to analyze the continuous improvement processes of the educative quality in the successful schools of Soledad township. In other matters, this investigation used the paradigm quali- quantitative with a descriptive design to explain the academic process and the description of the factors that have influenced on this continuous process. With the help of four tools: documentary review rubric, semi-structured interview script and two questionnaires; it was achieved determine the specific practices that are using the principals and teachers to support the improvement of learnings and the integral development of the students.

How do different components of a learning environment contribute to learning in science? The study examines the contribution of laboratory experiments and computer model explorations to the learning of chemistry through a complex-systems approach. Specifically, junior high-school students’ learning of chemistry via four different methods were compared: with computer models using a complexity approach (MC); with laboratory experiments using a complexity approach (LC); with computer models and laboratory experiments using a complexity approach (MLC); and with a normative disciplinary approach that included only laboratory experiments (LN). Learning was tracked for the relevant science concepts, such as pressure, and for system component ideas, such as emergence. One hundred and fifty-nine seventh-grade students participated in a non-randomized four-group comparison quasi-experimental pre-test-intervention-post-test design with identical pre- and post-tests spaced 2–3 weeks apart. The learning activities for all modes were twelve 45-min lessons. Students’ scores rose in all four groups, but to a different extent, showing a distinct and strong advantage to combining models and labs (MLC), while no differences were seen between the MC and LC conditions. There was also an advantage to learning with the complexity approach (LC) compared to learning using the normative approach (LN). More importantly, the specific concepts that were learned show distinct patterns, distinguishing the contributions of each learning environment component. These research findings have both practical implications when designing learning environments and theoretical contributions to understanding the necessary role of different experiences in learning science.