Action Research Intervention Research Articles

Interaction in the classroom based on typologies of experiments and mathematization in physics teaching

Changing the traditional approach to experimentation in science teaching poses a significant challenge. This research discusses the characterization of physics experiments, not solely based on the topics they cover, or the materials used in their setups, but rather in terms of the opportunities they offer to enhance classroom interaction and, consequently, contribute to the development of scientific thinking skills. This study is an action-research intervention in the classroom, involving four groups of undergraduate physics students from a public university in Bogotá, Colombia. This process allowed us to categorize experiment typologies, including discrepant, homemade, illustrative, research-based, recreational, crucial, mental, and virtual experiments. The most relevant data were derived from students’ productions and researchers’ reports after each class. Through content analysis techniques, we were able to categorize the information and derive insights into the richness that each experiment typology brings to classroom interactions. The results reveal shifts in the perception of the role of new teachers, who are no longer seen as mere possessors and transmitters of truth. They now comprehend strategies for effectively engaging students as the class progresses, fostering the exchange of ideas, reflections, debates, and questions among students themselves, their peers, and the teacher.

Educational intervention on sexual violence to empower university students in developing healthy affective-sexual relationships

IntroductionSexual violence (SV) is frequent in universities, and a link has been demonstrated between SV and toxic substance use by university students in leisure settings. In Spain there is little scientific evidence in this regard, and SV prevention programmes are practically non-existent in Spanish universities. ObjectivesTo develop, implement, and evaluate an educational awareness-raising intervention regarding SV aimed at empowering university students to develop healthy affective-sexual relationships. MethodsParticipatory action research intervention, implemented with a convenience sample of students recruited in a public university and qualitatively evaluated using a phenomenological approach. ResultsThe sample was composed of 22 women students, whose discourse revealed that SV acts are normalized in university leisure settings featured by the consumption of alcohol and other drugs. Post-intervention, the participants showed an increased understanding of SV, a heightened awareness of SV, and a greater capacity to identify SV acts. The intervention empowered the participants in terms of coping with SV situations and in raising awareness in their own social circles. ConclusionsThe intervention changed the participants' attitudes and behaviours regarding SV, empowering them not only regarding their own affective-sexual relationships, but also in censoring attitudes and behaviours that foster SV, and in transmitting their acquired knowledge of SV in their social circles. Post-intervention, the participants considered themselves to be agents of social change in their environment and in terms of healthy affective-sexual relationships. Public contributionUniversity students participated in and evaluated an intervention that trained them to identify and to censor attitudes and behaviours that promote SV, empowered them as engines of social change, and showed them how to foster healthy affective-sexual relationships.

Classroom Learning Environment and Action Research in a Science Methods Course for Preservice Elementary Teachers

ABSTRACT This study examined the impact of action research conducted by five science teaching methods course instructors on their students’ perceptions of the classroom learning environments at a large public university in Texas. The study analyzed the results from 133 students who completed two administrations of the What is Happening in this Class (WIHIC) questionnaire, one at the beginning of the semester and one at the end of the semester. Five sections served as a treatment group while two sections served as a control. Quantitative analyses, including one-way ANOVA, were conducted for each class section. Results showed that the perceived learning environment increased between the beginning of the semester and the end of the semester for all sections. However, the most significant gains in students’ perceptions were made in the treatment sections and were attributed to the action research interventions that were designed and implemented by the instructors based on the analyses of the first WIHIC administration.

Storytelling for personal connection: A pedagogical strategy to localise fashion education

The 2015 student protests, #RhodesMustFall and #FeesMustFall, gave rise to the call to decolonise curricula and end the dominance of Western ideologies in South African higher education (HE). The argument put forward in this paper is the need to shift from a traditional approach to a humanised pedagogical approach, wherein students frame knowledge around individual experiences to construct personal and shared understanding. Although limited scholarship around decolonising South African fashion HE exists, such scholarship does not focus on storytelling and circle learning as pedagogical strategies. To address this research gap, narrative humanism, referred to in this research as storytelling, and circle learning are put forward as pedagogical strategies to integrate student identities for personal connection in South African fashion HE. This paper aims to explore the affordances of storytelling and circle learning to decolonise South African fashion HE. Through qualitative action research, two teaching and learning interventions, termed the pilot and main studies, were designed and applied with fashion students at a South African HE institution. Data collection entailed semi-structured student questionnaires, artefacts, and a reflective research journal. To analyse the data, content analysis was employed. The findings reveal that, irrespective of cultural lived experiences or diverse backgrounds, storytelling afforded a decolonised approach in terms of inclusivity, collaboration, and a safe environment for socially engaged dialogue and peer feedback. Similarly, circle learning seemed to reduce teacher-student power relations and contrasted traditional modes of delivery. Circle learning appeared to encourage meaningful, engaged participation, affording a progressive pedagogical strategy to accommodate student and teacher voices in open dialogue. This paper contributes to the scholarship of teaching and learning in that storytelling and circle learning are suitable pedagogies to decolonise fashion education in the Global South.

Speaking of Organic Chemistry: A Faculty Metaphor Analysis in Organic Chemistry Education

Organic Chemistry is frequently considered to be a difficult subject. Understanding the factors that contribute to this phenomenon can inform the chemistry education community of what can be done to improve organic chemistry education. This work is part of a larger study focused on student and faculty perceptions of organic chemistry at a large public university in the southeastern United States. Specifically, this paper contains an analysis of metaphors from interviews with faculty members who teach organic chemistry. Over the course of the interviews, the faculty members compared experiences in organic chemistry to learning a new language, practicing an instrument, and organizing clothes. The analysis of these metaphors was based on the Improved Metaphor Analysis (IMA) framework. The connections made by these metaphors gives greater insight into the perspectives of the organic chemistry faculty members as well as possible faculty action research interventions in organic chemistry education. We propose that metaphor analysis can be a powerful and innovative tool to guide professional development and action research initiatives.

Community-Based Action Research Intervention to Promote Occupational Health Nursing of Portuguese Quarry Workers.

The northern region of Portugal has the largest number of companies manufacturing granite and stone products, which has become the region's trademark. In the municipalities of Marco de Canaveses and Penafiel, the economic activity of this area is important. However, the lack of attractiveness of this activity, combined with the high prevalence of silicosis and tuberculosis in this population, has led to a growing shortage of labor. In order for this project to be the result of collaborative, integral work centered on the people who are the target of health promotion, we used the Participatory Health Research (PHR) approach, based on the PRECEDE-PROCEED model, to implement a mixed-methods study, including participant observation, interviews and document analysis. These data were used to co-create a study design. In 2021, a total of 102 interviews were carried out and self-completion surveys were distributed: the Fantastic Lifestyle Questionnaire (FLQ) and the EQ-5D-3L. Within the scope of occupational health nursing and in the field of action of public health nurses, with the interviews and self-completed surveys carried out, we identified potential focuses for occupational health nursing intervention to promote the health of stone industry workers: adherence to protective measures, energy balance deficit, tobacco and alcohol consumption and access to health services. Data analysis made it possible to assess the prevalence of risk behaviors by order and to involve managers and workers in the co-creation of a health promotion program. The accurate identification of the focuses for nursing intervention not only improves the effectiveness of occupational health services, allowing for targeted interventions adapted to workers' needs, but also contributes considerably to health promotion in the workplace, resulting in safer working environments, a reduction in occupational diseases and, consequently, a healthier and more productive workforce. This protocol of this study was not registered.

From Our Cell to Your Block: Hip Hop and Podcasting as a Youth Participatory Action Research Intervention

This narrative inquiry explores the experiences of youth in a school within a juvenile detention facility, who participated in a hip hop and podcasting small-group counseling intervention. Specifically, youth wrote and recorded a podcast consisting of a hip hop song, interviews with their peers, and staff reflections on the youth’s experience. Salient results from this study offered that the hip hop podcasting group supported youth in emotionally processing their experience of being incarcerated.

Critical Thinking. Undeveloped Competence in Teachers? A Review

Purpose: In a framework of the notoriety of the lack of critical thinking competence in teachers, it was intended to give approximations that allow visualizing the formative failures that lead to the precariousness of developing this thinking in young students. Method: An exhaustive systematic review of 27 scientific articles was made using the PRISMA methodology and the Atlas ti® tool to identify and code subcategories. Results and conclusion: The results showed that this competence was not developed in many teachers and, therefore, the promotion of this competence in the students of these teachers is not applied either, having as a good example to follow the action-research interventions that some authors carried out. Research implications: Likewise, the educational systems where the studies were registered were described as a barrier instead of an incentive. University educational management should give greater consideration to the systematization and transmission of critical thinking promotion strategies in teachers, designing a mechanism for recurrent support to achieve greater effectiveness in implementation with students. Originality/value:That situation led to the reflection that the curricular plans of university students must be reviewed to improve the development and strengthening of this thought, starting with teachers. However, it should be noted that very few contributed practical strategies that could be implemented for this purpose.

Advancing Students’ Teamwork Competency via an Action Research Intervention: Lessons Learned and Their Implications

Although teamwork skills are imperative for students’ future success in the workplace, teamwork in academic settings does not always provide students with the necessary teamwork competencies. The current study used action research principles to design and implement a teamwork competency training intervention featuring cycles of reflection and addressing previous shortcomings through action plans. Undergraduate college students (n = 108) in teams of 3–5 completed five team-based projects. After each project, teams provided individual and team reflections, ratings of team members’ contributions, perceived ratings of team performance, and action plans for the next project. Using qualitative analysis, we identified the most common themes in students’ reflections and action plans, explored changes in those themes across the five projects, and related those themes to the teams’ perceived performance. Current findings provide evidence that implementation of action research processes in academic teamwork may advance students’ teamwork competency in planning, time management, equal contributions, interpersonal skills, and team cohesion. We conclude that instructors may utilize these strategies to address issues in student teamwork and provide a structure to support the development of students’ teamwork skills.

Language and technological inclusion among immigrant low-income Latina mothers: A feminist action research intervention

Summary Although Latinx families comprise the largest growing population in the United States, research has not examined how the lack of social inclusion (e.g., multidimensional term comprising economic, political, and cultural dimensions, among others) influences the lives of low-income Latina mothers. Social inclusion, which is a term born as a counterpart to social exclusion, has been overlooked as an alternative construct that allows the development of personal agency. Contrary to social exclusion paradigms which often focus on deficits, social inclusion focuses on recognizing inherit strengths among vulnerable families. The first purpose of this research is to explore social inclusion (a strength perspective) as a much-needed alternative to social exclusion (deficit view). The second is to describe the experiences of low social inclusion among low-income urban Latina mothers via two interviews, a focus group, recollection of artifacts from participants, and reflective journaling, which were documented within a context of a feminist action research intervention. Participants consisted of 12 low-income Latina mothers ( N = 12) who participated in a financial literacy intervention. Findings Via thematic analysis, findings confirmed two new dimensions of low social inclusion not found in traditional literature: low language and technological inclusion. Applications Recommendations for social work practitioners and future research include developing culturally relevant interventions among minoritized communities and families, for instance, by promoting bilingual curricula and implementing technology in current interventions, which can have significant positive effects on the social inclusion of vulnerable communities.

THE EFFECTS OF PROJECT-BASED LEARNING ON 9TH GRADE STUDENTS’ WRITING PERFORMANCE AT PHAN TAY HO SECONDARY SCHOOL, HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM / ẢNH HƯỞNG CỦA HỌC TẬP DỰA TRÊN DỰ ÁN NHẰM TĂNG KỸ NĂNG VIẾT TIẾNG ANH CỦA HỌC SINH LỚP 9 TRƯỜNG THCS PHAN TÂY HỒ, THÀNH PHỐ HỒ CHÍ MINH, VIỆT NAM

The current paper attempted to perform an action research to measure the effects of using project-based learning (PBL) on students’ writing performance and their perceptions towards the use of PBL in writing lessons. In response to research aims, objectives, and questions, the researcher adopted mixed methods with the use of quantitative and qualitative approaches. While pre-test and post-test were adopted to collect quantitative data to measure whether the use of PBL promoted students’ performance after action research interventions, student questionnaires and teacher interviews were respectively used to collect quantitative and qualitative data of students’ perceptions of using PBL to promote their writing performance. One hundred Grade 9 and four in-charge English students were selected as research samples. Overall, the analysis of research data reveals the following findings: 1) Descriptive statistics and results of sample t-test of test scores indicated that there was a statistically significant difference in writing test scores of students, implying that the use of project-based learning generated positive impacts on students’ improvement in writing proficiency; 2) Data collected from the questionnaire indicated that students expressed their positive perceptions towards the adoption of project-based learning to promote students’ writing competence owing to the enhancement of learning environment, improvement in learning motivation and the positive impacts of PBL on students’ writing skills; and 3) Data collected from teacher interview also support findings from the questionnaire concerning students’ perceptions of benefits of PBL, leading to their students’ positive perception towards the use of project-based learning. Based on the research findings, the implications for the use of PBL in writing teaching and learning in an effective manner are proposed.<p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0095/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

IMPLEMENTING SYSTEM DYNAMICS AND PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH AT THE NEXUS OF PATIENT CARE FACTORS

Ponte Academic JournalFeb 2023, Volume 79, Issue 2 IMPLEMENTING SYSTEM DYNAMICS AND PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH AT THE NEXUS OF PATIENT CARE FACTORSAuthor(s): Maseeha Mahomed Farouk Ansermeah ,Cecile Gerwel ProchesJ. Ponte - Feb 2023 - Volume 79 - Issue 2 doi: 10.21506/j.ponte.2023.2.7 Abstract:Purpose: Factors influencing patient care were analyzed in a public health setting in a bid to enhance patient experience and identify areas of health care delivery which could be improved upon. Methods: Patients and members of health care staff were interviewed by means of purposeful sampling. Causal loop diagrams and stock flow diagrams were merged with the use of Systems archetypes under the broad purview of System Dynamics and Participatory Action Research. Results and Conclusion: System Dynamics heuristics unmasked flaws in the system which were then acted upon utilizing Participatory Action Research interventions. Overall there has been a homogenous improvement in understanding the factors which contribute to patient care. Download full text:Check if you have access through your login credentials or your institution Username Password

Intervensi Fleksibiliti Pendidikan Digital Merintis Kemahiran Kebolehpasaran Graduan

The emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic has drastically disrupted various sectors including the education system. The education system changed from a conventional landscape to online one for fulfil sustainability of the education system. Even so, there are weaknesses and deficiencies including smooth interaction and communication involving lecturers and students. This study examines three main objectives which are to identify the level of interaction between students and lecturers, to identify the level of interaction between students and students and to study the distribution of changes in action research interventions. This study uses a quantitative approach using questionnaire instruments. The findings ofthe study were analysed descriptively by viewing at the mean value, frequency and percentage. A total of 45 students from one section of the Malaysian Nationality and Development Introductory Course for the entry of the special semester of 2021. The results of the study showed that student interaction experienced positive changes based on the pre-and post-test findings. The distribution of action research findings also presented a decent improvement between the pre-and post-test. This evidently proves that interventions that emphasize the aspect of flexibility are effective and change the perception of student interaction satisfaction while learning online.

Early satiety in cancer

<h3>Objectives</h3> Edication management is a process in which medications are selected, procured, delivered, prescribed, reviewed, administered and monitored to assure high-quality patient care and safety. This paper explores clinicians’ attitudes...

Participatory Action Research for Tackling Distress and Burnout in Young Medical Researchers: Normative Beliefs before and during the Greek Financial Crisis.

(1) Background: We aimed to explore Young medical researchers (YMR) normative beliefs and perceived causes of distress and burnout, prior and during the financial crisis in Greece, and to assess their views on Participatory Action Research (PAR) interventions towards tackling these disorders. (2) Methods: A Participatory Learning and Action (PLA) methodology was performed in two time periods (prior crisis: December 2008; during crisis: February–March 2017). In both time periods, three different groups (Group 1: females, Group 2: males, Group 3: mixed) of 5–7 participants and two sessions (≈1 h/session) per group took place in each site. Overall, 204 sessions with 1036 YMR were include in the study. (3) Results: Several socio-demographic characteristics of YMR altered during the crisis (lower income, higher smoking/alcohol consumption, etc.). The majority of YMR conceived distress and burnout as serious syndromes requiring professional support. Feeling very susceptible and the necessity for establishing PAR interventions were frequently reported during the crisis. Numerous (a) barriers and (b) cues to action were mentioned: (a) lack of time, money and support from friends/family/colleagues (b) being extensively informed about the intervention, participation of their collaborators, and raising awareness events. (4) Conclusions: The changing pattern of Greek YMR’s beliefs and needs during the crisis stresses the necessity of interventions to tackle distress and burnout. Effectiveness of these interventions could be enhanced by the suggested cues to action that emerged from this study.

‘This made me feel honoured’: a participatory action research on using process drama in English language education with ethics of care

ABSTRACT This study investigates English as a foreign language learners' emotions and questions the authenticity of the communication in language classrooms in Turkey. To become more aware of learners' emotions and to make a speaking module more engaging, the teacher-researcher decided to utilise process drama as a participatory action research intervention. The data were collected over a three-week process drama. Drawing on ‘ethics of care' and ‘social and emotional learning', the findings demonstrated that authentic communication empowered learners when the content was relevant to their emotion labour. When learners’ emotions are scrutinised explicitly through drama-in-education, they feel respected and more engaged.

Digital media innovations through participatory action research: Interventions for digital place-based experiences

Abstract This article presents an action-research study investigating a spatially sensitive innovation process of place-based experiences in a rural area of Sweden. Lately, there have been a growing number of initiatives focused on developing location-aware mobile media – geomedia technologies – to offer place-based digital experiences within tourism. Drawing on contemporary critical studies on geomedia technologies, we stress the importance of reflecting upon the implications of place-based technologies to minimise both the negative impacts on a place and the neglect of local perspectives. We conducted action-research interventions to unpack the complexity of developing place-based mediated experiences. The study makes an illustrative case of how interventions lead to more nuanced development processes of geomedia technologies while simultaneously fostering creativity. We argue that as action research allows researchers to intervene in media innovations, it identifies models for more nuanced place-based development processes, including local spatial and sociocultural perspectives.

“Asking the ‘dumb’ questions”.

INTRODUCTION: Reflective social work supervision is essential to professional development, building resilience and client work. However, in child protection, supervision is preoccupied with managing risk and meeting outcomes at the expense of analysis and critical reflection. Oranga Tamariki (OT), the statutory child protection organisation in Aotearoa New Zealand, has recently been scrutinised for poor supervisory practice. The authors worked alongside OT social work supervisors and supervisees to explore ways to generate resilience, learning, self-awareness and develop practices that support reflective capability and well-being in supervision. METHODS: This article presents data from the pre/post online evaluation of an action research intervention study with OT supervisors and supervisees. The aim of the online survey was to measure participants’ supervision practices, and the extent to which perceptions of confidence, reflection, professional learning and resilience improved. FINDINGS: The findings are reported from key areas within OT supervision: the frequency of supervision sessions, the functions of supervision, engagement in reflection, supervision- changing practice, resilience and longevity in social work careers and the supervision of supervisors. CONCLUSIONS: The results from the survey showed social workers had increased confidence as they built reflective capacity, resiliency and improved their supervision practice. The study identified the importance of developing learning spaces that enhance reflective supervision for supervisors and supervisees in child protection.

Strengthening Community Participation by People With Disabilities in Community-Based Group Homes Through Innovative Action Research

In the US and beyond, a paradigm shift is underway toward community-based care, motivated by changes in policies, payment models and social norms. A significant aspect of this shift for disability activists and policy makers is ensuring participation in community life for individuals with disabilities living in residential homes. Despite a U.S. government ruling that encourages community participation and provides federal and state funding to realize it, little progress has been made. This study builds on and integrates the expanded model of value creation with relational coordination theory by investigating how the resources and relationships between care providers, adults with disabilities, family members, and community members can be leveraged to create value for residents through meaningful community participation. The purpose of our community case study was to assess and improve the quality of relationships between stakeholder groups, including direct care staff and managers, residents, family members, and the community through an action research intervention. This study took place in a residential group home in a Northeastern US community serving adults with disabilities from acquired brain injury. A pre-test post-test design was used and quantitative assessments of relational coordination were collected through electronic surveys, administered at baseline, and post-intervention. Direct care staff, supervisors, the house manager, and nursing staff completed the survey. Qualitative data were collected through focus groups, change team meetings, and key informant interviews. Direct care staff formed a change team to reflect on their baseline relational coordination data and identified the weak ties between direct care staff, family members, and the community as an area of concern. Staff chose to hold a community-wide open house to provide an opportunity to foster greater understanding among staff, residents, family, and community members. The change team and other staff members coordinated with local schools, business owners, town officials, churches, and neighbors. The event was attended by 50 people, about two-thirds from the community. Following the intervention, there was an increase in staff relational coordination with the community. While statistical significance could not be assessed, the change in staff RC with the community was considered qualitatively significant in that real connections were made with members of the community both directly and afterwards. Despite a small sample size, a residential setting where management was favorable to initiating staff-led interventions, and no comparison or control group, our small pilot study provides tentative evidence that engaging direct care staff in efforts to improve relational coordination with community members may succeed in building relationships that are essential to realizing the goal of greater participation in community life.

Internet Addiction: a prevention action-research intervention

&#x0D; The aim of this paper was to present an action-research intervention for the prevention of Internet addiction (IA) in schools. Applying a pre-experimental research design model, a total of 90 young subjects (45 males and 45 females) were treated using a peer education programme. The Internet Addiction Test was used as a screening tool pre- and post-treatment and analysed using a paired t-test. The results showed a significant positive difference in the post-treatment values for both males and females. This research highlights the link between IA and cultural and social aspects of the disease in addition to discussing the difficulties of IA prevention. &#x0D;