Knowledge Of Citizens Research Articles

‘No One Should Destroy the Forest': Using photo-based vignette interviews to understand Kenyan teachers' views of the environment

In the midst of the current environmental crisis, scientists, academics, authors, and politicians worldwide are urging citizens to create sustainable communities. However, there is little capability to build a sustainable society without an informed, active, and engaged populous. This requires more than just environmentally knowledgeable citizens. It requires a society that understands the principles of the environment and can also exemplify them in daily life. In order to create a more environmentally literate world, there has been a push for environmental education integrated into schools. This qualitative study sought to examine Kenyan teachers’ perspectives on the human–nature interaction by conducting vignette focus-group interviews. It is a subject not widely explored but vital for conservation not only in this area, but also other areas that seek to have an ecological informed populous. The vignettes were created using photographs and explanations of the photographs that the participants collected and emailed to the authors. For the focus-group vignette interviews, there were a total of 55 participants (30 females and 25 males). After InVivo analysis, we had 6 codes (resentment, pride, perils, blame, pragmatism, and self-interested) within 3 major themes. This study has implications for informing science education to combat these traditions of subjecting students to a science curriculum that demotes Kenyan cultural heritage and lifestyle. By incorporating local knowledge such as the ideas discussed in this paper into Kenyan science education, Kenyans can reach one of most challenging objectives of education, which is to produce children who are fundamentally aware of their environment.

Adapting English Newspapers to Develop Language Proficiency in Low-Level EFL Learners

Students can increase their awareness of current events and develop into knowledgeable citizens of the world by reading the news. Authentic English news items, however, often contain difficult linguistic elements (including lexica and structures) that may prevent low-proficiency students from developing a genuine comprehension of the material, thus reducing this useful information to nothing more than a waste of paper. In order to provide students with lower levels of proficiency the opportunity to acquire more knowledge about the world while simultaneously improving their language abilities, this paper illustrates the adaptation of an authentic news item for low-proficiency learners.This research will identify the objectives of teaching an authentic news item, adapting and presenting it in a classroom environment, and will describe the student response to this instruction.

Social Media Geographic Information: Recent Findings and Opportunities for Smart Spatial Planning

This paper deals with the opportunities of Social Media Geographic Information (SMGI) as valuable support for analysis, design and decision-making in urban and regional planning. In the light of the recent advances in digital geographic information, such as Spatial Data Infrastructures (SDI) and Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) which are fostering innovation in urban and regional planning, the authors focus on the potentialities of Social Media as source of knowledge for the planning practices. The authors argue SMGI may play an important role to inform 'smart city' strategies extending authoritative and sensor data infrastructure with experiential and pluralist citizens knowledge. To support this thesis, an innovative methodology for the advance of Social Media Geographic Information (SMGI) Analytics is proposed. To this end, the authors present an original user-friendly tool able to extract information from popular Social Media such as Twitter.com and Youtube.com and to apply Spatial-Temporal Textual (STTx) analysis . Some examples are provided at the regional and at the local scale in order to demonstrate the potential of SMGI analytics in regional and urban planning. The results show how SMGI analytics can support design, analysis and decision making in planning, and add the value of pluralism to inform smart city initiatives. The paper ends with some brief conclusions on the opportunities of SMGI analytics for possibly affecting decision-making dynamics and urban and regional planning processes, through citizens’ dialogue and integration of experiential and professional knowledge.

Community survey of rabies knowledge and exposure to bats in homes - Sumter County, South Carolina, USA.

Subsequent to a human rabies death in Sumter County, South Carolina, we assessed the frequency of exposures to bats in homes and citizens' rabies knowledge. A self-administered survey was mailed to 6033 randomly selected Sumter County addresses. The survey inquired about household exposures to bats and respondents' rabies knowledge. Surveys were returned by mail for descriptive analysis. Of 597 respondents, 3.5% (21/597) reported having bats living in (2.8% or 17/597) or entering their homes (2.5% or 15/597) during 2010-2012. Respondents generally understood that mammals transmit rabies virus through bites, but were less aware of the severity of rabies illness and modern post-exposure vaccine administration. Respondents were unsure about how to exclude bats from homes and ranked highly both healthcare and non-healthcare entities as preferred resources for obtaining assistance with bat-related concerns. We found potential for human exposures to bats in Sumter County households and gaps in citizen knowledge of rabies and bat exclusion. Public health officials should engage non-healthcare partners in assistance disseminating rabies educational materials and for providing appropriate referral for persons potentially exposed to bats.

Let us go back to basics

Let us go back to basics

ORGANIZATIONAL TRAINING AND RELATIONSHIP BUILDING FOR INCREASING PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN A PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT

From the early twentieth century to the present, citizen participation in U.S. public institutions—particularly schools—has continually decreased. The trend has been linked to the bureaucratization of public schools and their increasing reliance on expert knowledge for solutions to school- and education-related problems. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of a parent training program designed to increase a school district’s capacity for public participation by parents and other citizens. The program—known as Leadership St. Vrain—provided citizens knowledge about school district operations and management (know-how) and relationship-building opportunities with key decision makers (know-who). This article focuses on the experiences and participation of the citizens from a mixed-methods study that collected data using two original survey instruments, follow-up interviews, and archival documents. Of the five domains studied, this paper focuses on findings for the domains of knowledge, relationships, and action, as well as the secondary ripple effect from participants to others who did not participate in the training. Keywords: parent engagement, public education administration, public participation, public deliberation, social capital

Design and Implementation of SMS-Based Universal Legal Knowledge System

The majority of crime is due to the weak or absent legal knowledge of citizens by the statistical analysis of the criminal case. In addition, the universal legal system does not include every corner of society. With the substantial & rapid growth of mobile phone users, SMS becomes a new and relatively independent of the mass media. Also, it is one important method for peoples social interaction and accessing information. The SMS system which is the legal literacy will increase the scope of legal literacy in order to make up for the lack of the system.

Sociological survey in a municipality with a high level separate collection programme in an area of historic unpopularity

Behaviours, opinions and knowledge of citizens on MSW and separate collection were investigated in the city of Mercato San Severino (about 22,000 people), in the Campania region of Southern Italy that is an area suffering from a serious solid waste emergency that has lasted over 17years due to the absence of treatment facilities. The image of heaps of rubbish in the streets of Naples and other nearby cities is only one side of the coin. Mercato San Severino has adopted an effective kerbside collection system since 2001 and a pay-as-you-throw program during 2005, guaranteeing more than the minimum level of recycling required by the Italian legislation. Structured questionnaires were administered to a sample of 500 people in 2010. Chi-square tests of independence were applied to state whether the differences were statistically significant (5%). About 90% of the sample stated that the success of the separate collection program was due to either the citizens and local authority or only the local authority, highlighting the leading role of the local authority and confirming that trust is the key to any social program success. The registered level of knowledge was better than that of nearby university students and citizens. The higher the education level, the greater the level of knowledge was.

Citizenship discourses: production and curriculum

This paper explores citizenship discourses empirically through upper secondary school student’s understandings, as these emerge in and through their everyday experiences. Drawing on a post-structuralist theorisation inspired by the work of Michel Foucault, a discourse analysis of data from interviews with students is carried out. This analysis characterises three discourses of the active citizen – a knowledgeable citizen, a responsive and holistic citizen, and a self-responsible ‘free’ citizen. The analysis raises questions over the implications of contemporary efforts for the intensification of standardising forces through citizenship education. It also stresses the notion that engaging students actively does always also involve discourses other than those stressed through the curriculum, which nurtures the body and nerve of democracy itself.

The effectiveness of environmental education workshops for teachers, learners and schools in Malaysia

In Malaysia, various efforts have been introduced to increase the knowledge, skills and awareness of citizens to the benefit of the environment by means of a variety of programmes. However, uncertainty about the effectiveness of environmental education programmes and the way they contribute to sustainability still exists. This paper reports on an evaluation of the Kelab Pencinta Alam (KPA) (School Nature Clubs) programme organised by the Malaysia Nature Society and the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia. The Kellogg Logic Model was used as an evaluative instrument as the impact of the programme had to be determined. This was done through questionnaires to teachers and principals in KPA schools. School visits were also undertaken to evaluate workplace success and to validate the findings from the questionnaires. Overall, the evaluation showed a high level of success for the programme.

Does NHK Make You Smarter (andSuper NewsMake You ‘Softer’)? An Examination of Japanese Political Knowledge and the Potential Influence of TV News

AbstractA fundamental component of liberal democracy – citizen knowledge – has only recently been examined in Japan; rarer still are assessments of the impact of media consumption on political awareness. In this paper, we utilize two recent sources – the Japanese Election Studies III (JESIII) and GLOPE2005 – to address two related questions: (1) what factors influence Japanese political knowledge? and (2) is the changing media environment in Japan having an influence on what citizens know about political affairs? With regard to the first question, we find, in line with previous studies in the US context, that knowledge is explained by education, gender, and politically impinged employment as base factors, with interest, efficacy, and civic duty playing a role as second-stage behavioral factors. Evidence of other traits presumed to distinguish the more informed Japanese – dissatisfaction with politics and community mobilization context (living in urban areas, districts with higher voter turnout, and having larger social networks – remains mixed. Regarding the second question, we find that the effects of media exposure on knowledge vary. Where the GLOPE2005 finds an influence of regular newspaper reading, the JESIII indicates that watching a TV news program ‘often’ also boosts knowledge. The JESIII results reveal further that,ceteris paribus, regular exposure to NHK contributes to higher levels of knowledge at a rate that is comparable to a one unit increase in educational attainment. Conversely, we find that softer news programs (e.g., Fuji TV'sSuper News) have a depressive effect that appears to decrease knowledge as exposure accumulates. The direction of the causal arrow is not entirely clear. At the same time, our findings lend credence to previous work that raises concerns about the ‘infotainization’ of Japanese (and US) news programming (e.g., Taniguchi, 2007; Prior, 2005). Rather than demystifying or democratizing Japanese politics, softer programs may simply be perpetuating extant gaps between elites and the public.

AXIOLOGICAL basically Türkic pedagogical thought AGES

The article describes the concept of "axiology", as well as the most relevant provisions of pedagogical axiology reflected in the ancient educational thought of the Middle Ages. The main representative of the Turkic enlightenment, along with others, is Balasaguni Yusuf, who lived and worked in the XI century. Being an encyclopedic poet, scholar and educator of his time, in the poem "Blessed knowledge" ("Kutadgu Bilik") he raises the most pressing problems that worried the Turkic peoples, and not only Turkish, and many nations of the Middle Ages, including the unresolved personal, social, political, but also, of course, educational and educational. Time problems Balasaguni Yu decides peculiar only to it in a manner based on folk wisdom sayings of the wise, the example of the life and activities of the heroes of the poem. The plot of the poem united around four global personally, socially and politically sensitive issues, including the legality, happiness, intelligence, and coming future. Pushed to the principle of life, these provisions reveals pleasing to the ears poetic voice educator. These provisions form and pedagogical axiology this poem. So, based on the solid state law life, gives all citizens equal to the launch pad; happiness citizens secured by justice ruler, intelligence and knowledge of all citizens, in particular, ensure the validity of the person of the ruler, to ensure the future of eternal life (to leave behind a good name) citizens of the state should possess a number of positive personal qualities, what is the essence of education.

Young Adolescents' Knowledge and Notions of Citizenship

The purpose of this study was to use the US naturalization test as a springboard to gauge the citizenship knowledge and notions of young adolescent students in Ohio and Georgia. The participants' citizenship knowledge was partially measured by administering questions from the US naturalization test in two case studies. Students from a range of academic achievement levels were then selected to participate in interviews regarding their notions of citizenship. The findings show that the overwhelming majority of adolescents in this study dismally failed the naturalization test. When interviewed, the predominantly Caucasian participants from Ohio struggled to articulate universal conceptions of citizenship and were notably uninformed about justice-oriented citizenship. The more diverse participants from Georgia showed very similar results, however, with a few notable exceptions among the immigrant adolescents.

Collaboration models for knowledge management: the City of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, as a case study

The process of developing a knowledge city requires active participation of the entire society. Universities have managed to be the agents of change and economic growth. The local government has been the body responsible for the exchange, evaluation, and update of knowledge. KCs initiatives are compiled by the private sector, stimulating community leaders to set ambitious goals. Further, knowledge citizens have played a vital role via the participation in the creation, exchange and transformation of knowledge. In this paper, a collaboration model to restructure the interrelationship of knowledge agents in the City of Jeddah is sketched out, moving a step towards bridging the gap between theory and application. Different roles of knowledge agents are identified and reviewed. Further, various knowledge cycle models are analysed and examined. The local context of the City of Jeddah is introduced, guidelines are derived at and a collaboration model is sketched out.

Why Does Citizens' Knowledge of New Policy Vary Between Municipalities? The Case of the Social Support Act

Providing information to citizens is an important first step in the implementation of new policy. In this study we explain differences in the knowledge of citizens between municipalities of a newly introduced law in the Netherlands, the Social Support Act, 10 months after it became into force. This law is especially important for older people that need support in their daily functioning and participation. We focused on two aspects of knowledge related to the act, i.e. having heard of the new act, and knowing how voice with regard to policy on support is organised in the place of residence. Given that socialist local governments focus more on social topics than liberal local governments, we expected citizens of municipalities with socialist councils to have more knowledge about the new Social Support Act. Contrary to our expectations, citizens from municipalities where a liberal party or a collaboration of liberal/socialist parties is the largest, have a better understanding of how voice is organised. On the other hand, citizens in municipalities with an alderman from a combination of liberal/socialist parties have a lower chance of having heard of the Social Support Act. We argue that in view of the Social Support Act, the ideology of a local government related to citizens' responsibilities (liberal view) may have more influence on citizens' knowledge than being a government that pays attention to social issues (socialist view). As far as individual differences between citizens are concerned, as expected, older people that are more educated but in poorer health status have more knowledge about the new act. A higher educational level and an excellent mental health status are related to more knowledge about voice. Educational level is the most powerful predictor for knowledge about the act.

Are the Policy Preferences of Relatively Poor Citizens Under-represented in the Swiss Parliament?

The principle of equal political representation can be undermined by differences in economic resources among citizens. Poor citizens are likely to hold policy preferences that differ from those of richer citizens. At the same time, their lack of resources can have as a consequence that these preferences are not taken into consideration by their representatives. Focusing on the case of the Swiss Parliament and using survey data on the opinions of citizens and MPs in the 2007–11 legislature, this study investigates whether the income of citizens systematically affects the proximity of their policy preferences with the stances of their representatives. It demonstrates that on economic issues MPs hold preferences that are generally less in favour of the state's intervention in the economy than the median citizen and that relatively poor citizens are less well represented as compared with citizens with high incomes. This remains true when taking into account only the opinions of the most knowledgeable citizens among these groups as well as when the focus is only on those who turned out to vote.

We are in the same boat: Tourist citizenship behaviors

This paper applies the concept of customer organizational citizenship behaviors (CCB) to the behaviors of tour participants. Tourist citizenship behaviors (TCB) are discretionary and altruistic while efficiently promoting the effective functioning of a tour. This study aims to explore TCB. A qualitative approach and content analysis were conducted, resulting in three categories of TCB: (1) facilitating communication and management to bring harmony and conviviality to the tour; (2) displaying benevolent acts toward fellow tour members; and (3) motivating and supporting service providers. This research contributes to the current knowledge of both citizenship and tour group dynamics. Future research could develop a scale of TCB and explore the antecedents of TCB.

A community intervention for behaviour modification: an experience to control cardiovascular diseases in Yogyakarta, Indonesia

BackgroundNon-communicable Disease (NCD) is increasingly burdening developing countries including Indonesia. However only a few intervention studies on NCD control in developing countries are reported. This study aims to report experiences from the development of a community-based pilot intervention to prevent cardiovascular disease (CVD), as initial part of a future extended PRORIVA program (Program to Reduce Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors in Yogyakarta, Indonesia) in an urban area within Jogjakarta, Indonesia.MethodsThe study is quasi-experimental and based on a mixed design involving both quantitative and qualitative methods. Four communities were selected as intervention areas and one community was selected as a referent area. A community-empowerment approach was utilized to motivate community to develop health promotion activities. Data on knowledge and attitudes with regard to CVD risk factors, smoking, physical inactivity, and fruit and vegetable were collected using the WHO STEPwise questionnaire. 980 people in the intervention areas and 151 people in the referent area participated in the pre-test. In the post-test 883 respondents were re-measured from the intervention areas and 144 respondents from the referent area. The qualitative data were collected using written meeting records (80), facilitator reports (5), free-listing (112) and in-depth interviews (4). Those data were analysed to contribute a deeper understanding of how the population perceived the intervention.ResultsFrequency and participation rates of activities were higher in the low socioeconomic status (SES) communities than in the high SES communities (40 and 13 activities respectively). The proportion of having high knowledge increased significantly from 56% to 70% among men in the intervention communities. The qualitative study shows that respondents thought PRORIVA improved their awareness of CVD and encouraged them to experiment healthier behaviours. PRORIVA was perceived as a useful program and was expected for the continuation. Citizens of low SES communities thought PRORIVA was a “cheerful” program.ConclusionA community-empowerment approach can encourage community participation which in turn may improve the citizen’s knowledge of the danger impact of CVD. Thus, a bottom-up approach may improve citizens’ acceptance of a program, and be a feasible way to prevent and control CVD in urban communities within a low income country.

Recognising the Other, understanding the Other: a brief history of social work and Otherness

Recognising the Other, understanding the Other is an essential question in social work but it is an entangled one. I have chosen to highlight the multi-layered nature of the question of Othering in social work from a historical point of view and discuss current understandings and alternatives for social work’s implication in this question. From the beginnings of social work and the ‘social question,’ to categorical knowledge of groups and professional competencies that rest on a Self/Other division, contextualised structural knowledge and positions of social citizenship, an ethics of the encounter, and an understanding of particularities stemming from simultaneous multiplicity views that transform the landscape of the Self and the Other.

Every tweet counts? How sentiment analysis of social media can improve our knowledge of citizens’ political preferences with an application to Italy and France

The growing usage of social media by a wider audience of citizens sharply increases the possibility of investigating the web as a device to explore and track political preferences. In the present paper we apply a method recently proposed by other social scientists to three different scenarios, by analyzing on one side the online popularity of Italian political leaders throughout 2011, and on the other the voting intention of French Internet users in both the 2012 presidential ballot and the subsequent legislative election. While Internet users are not necessarily representative of the whole population of a country’s citizens, our analysis shows a remarkable ability for social media to forecast electoral results, as well as a noteworthy correlation between social media and the results of traditional mass surveys. We also illustrate that the predictive ability of social media analysis strengthens as the number of citizens expressing their opinion online increases, provided that the citizens act consistently on these opinions.