Process Of Co-construction Research Articles

Community Co-creation through knowledge (Co)Production: The engagement of universities in promoting rural revitalization in China

The global discourse on the role of universities in rural revitalization has gained significant attention. The proposition is to leverage university expertise and resources to support rural development, including knowledge (co)production, community co-creation, and volunteerism – a practice that essentially bridges local actors and their knowledge with external actors and their knowledge. As advocated by UN Habitat III, the collaboration between universities and rural communities is an initiative exemplified by China's “Jointly Create a Beautiful Environment and a Happy Life” to enhance the built environment. This study aims to comprehensively investigate the implementation and outcomes of the “Rural Four Small Gardens” projects, which serve as a vital community development initiative within the Hongtang Village in Fengqing County, Yunnan Province, China. The research discusses those processes, observing opportunities for knowledge (co)production across diverse stakeholders in line with neo-endogenous rural development thinking. By exploring the co-creation approach employed in these projects, we seek to unravel how academia and local communities collaborate to address multifaceted challenges in rural areas. We argue that: 1) The engagement of rural communities through collaborative planning workshops serves as the fundamental cornerstone for university paired-up assistance; 2) the co-creation model for improving rural settlement necessitates the collective efforts of multiple stakeholders; 3) university faculty and students play pivotal roles during the process of service learning, practice research, and knowledge (co)production with villagers; and 4) Knowledge (co)production entails a dynamic process of co-construction, co-governance, and resource sharing, exemplified by co-creation initiatives of home development, farmyard enhancement, and infrastructure projects. The research offers insights for global universities seeking to engage in similar paired-up assistance initiatives, underscores the significance of co-creation in rural development, and enlightens planning education in practice and service.

Let's innovate! but for what value(s)? Towards an economic geography of valuation in markets and society

In an endeavor to comprehend the socio-economic origins of the value added created within and between territories, economic geography has tended to overlook how value is itself socio-economically constructed in space. I claim, in line with economic sociology and pragmatist market theories, that the socio-economic construction of value should be at the core of our contemporary understanding of innovation to address not merely the economic issues of globalization, but also the grand societal challenges we face today. Value creation should not be regarded as a consequential output of production and innovation organized across space, but as an ongoing process of social, economic and technical co-construction that is contingent on both time and space. This is not to say that one should abandon research on innovation in economic geography, but rather that it should be approached as a question of valuation. In this approach, value creation is not the consequence of innovation, but the process and the result of socially undertaken changes that are co-existential with innovation around two interdependent issues: innovation as relational and transactional valuation in markets and as institutional and political valuation in society. This research should also be future-oriented and should reposition materiality at its center.

Co-Construction of a Dance Class Adapted for Adolescents with Cerebral Palsy

Aim To co-construct a dance class adapted for adolescents with cerebral palsy (CP). Method A three phase co-construction process with study collaborators was used to (1) define the objectives and the obstacles and opportunities related to offering a dance class in the community through three focus groups with adolescents, their parents and study partners; (2) co-create the dance class based on the results of step 1, the expertise of the research team and the logic model of the dance class; and (3) test the dance class to evaluate its effects in relation to the defined objectives. Results Three objectives were identified: to have fun, promote movement, and social interaction. A weekly dance class (60 min./10 wk) was continuously tested on the adolescents and adapted by the dance facilitators. Conclusion To improve practices and support the implementation of dance classes for young people with CP, eight recommendations are proposed relating to the creation of adapted classes and the evaluation of their desired effects.

The role of individual preparation before collaboration: An exploratory study on students’ computer-supported collaborative argumentation in a primary classroom

ABSTRACT Background Collaborative learning is widely applied in real-world classrooms while young learners still have challenges engaging in high-quality knowledge co-construction processes. Researchers suggested an individual preparation activity before collaboration. However, there remains a limited understanding of the role of individual preparation on students’ collaborative learning. Method Conducted in a fifth-grade English language class in a Singapore primary school, this study explored students’ collaborative learning outcome and process under two conditions: individual preparation before collaboration (With-IP) and immediate collaboration (Without-IP) conditions. Student groups’ collaborative argumentation artifacts were collected and coded. Process analysis was conducted to reveal the distribution and transitional pattern of students’ verbal discussions and online collaboration behaviors. Findings This study reveals that individual preparation (With-IP) significantly enhanced the quality of collaborative argumentation compared to no preparation (Without-IP), by fostering more idea elaboration, deeper engagement with content knowledge, and higher quality of arguments. However, the students were also found to make more coordination and regulation efforts in the With-IP condition than Without-IP condition. Contribution This research underscores the role of individual preparation on collaborative learning processes and outcomes. This insight is pivotal for educators and practitioners in tailoring collaboration scripts to the objectives of classroom teaching and learning.

Rethinking entrepreneurship and management education for engineering students: The appropriateness of design thinking

The study argues that the educational needs of engineering students for entrepreneurship and managerial education are specific and evolving over time toward a set of skills and knowledge needed in digital and dynamic world. Existing research largely ignored the distinct and evolving nature of these educational needs and their implications for entrepreneurship and managerial education of engineering students. Using design thinking and teaching model literature, we proposed teaching model framework and derived propositions from conceptual arguments to address these educational needs effectively. The proposed conceptual teaching model framework elaborates on the incorporation of cognitive acts of design in various aspects at ontological, didactical, and contextual levels. The framework views education as a process of co-construction, centered on students, where the role of the teacher is similar to that of a coach. Students work in teams and practice the cognitive acts of design that lead to the development of interpersonal, entrepreneurial, and managerial skills. For this purpose, open-ended questioning, real-life customer problems, design thinking methodology, and lean methodology are proposed as effective content and pedagogies to promote the entrepreneurial behaviors required in the current industrial scenario.

Developing an evaluation framework for an online midwifery programme: a practical participatory approach

PurposeThis paper aims to generate knowledge about relevant evaluation topics that align with and represent the unique character of the midwifery programme for students living in the rural and remote areas of Scotland.Design/methodology/approachThe first two central concepts of Practical Participatory Evaluation (P-PE) framed the research design: the data production process and (2) the knowledge co-construction process. The data were collected using a semi-structured approach via online discussions, dialogues and email-based consultation among programme stakeholders. A structural analysis was performed: the units of meaning (what was said) were extracted, listed and quantified in units of significance (what the texts were talking about), from which the key topics for evaluation emerged.FindingsA community of 36 stakeholdersengaged in the discussions, dialogues and consultations. The stakeholders identified 58 units of significance. Fifteen subthemes were constructed in five main themes: student profile, student well-being, E-pedagogy, student journey/transition from being a nurse to becoming a midwife and learning in (an online) geographically remote and isolated area. The themes, or topics of evaluation, are dynamic functions and underlying mechanisms of the commonly used evaluation measures student progress and student evaluation.Research limitations/implicationsThis P-PE is a single-site study, focusing on a unique programme consisting of a specific group of students living and studying a specific geographic area, affecting the transferability of the findings.Originality/valueIn collaboration with stakeholders, parameters to evaluate the uniqueness of the programme in addition to higher education institution routinely collected data on student progress and satisfaction were systematically identified. The themes highlight that if student progress and satisfaction were the only evaluation parameters, knowledge and understanding of the contributing factors to (un)successfulness of this unique online midwifery programme could be missed.

A participatory approach to move towards a One Health surveillance system for anthrax in Burkina Faso.

The One Health approach calls for collaboration across various sectors and different scales to improve understanding of complex health issues. Regarding epidemiological surveillance, this implies the development of integrated systems that link several surveillance components operating in different domains (human, domestic animals, environment) and involving several actor networks. However, surveillance continues to operate in a very compartmentalized way, with little interaction between sectoral institutions and with the community for the governance and operation of surveillance activities. This is partly explained by the insufficient consideration of the local context and the late involvement of national stakeholders when developing programmes that aimed at strengthening the integration of surveillance. In low- and middle-income countries in particular, there is a strong influence of external partners on the development of intersectoral programmes, including surveillance systems. In this context, we developed and implemented a participatory planning process to support stakeholders of the surveillance system of anthrax in Burkina Faso, in the definition of the One Health surveillance system they wish for and of the pathway to reach it. The workshop produced an action plan that reflects the views and perspectives of representatives of the different categories of stakeholders and beneficiaries of surveillance. In addition, the participation of stakeholders in this participatory co-construction process has also improved their knowledge and mutual understanding, fostering a climate of trust conducive to further collaboration for surveillance activities. However, the quality of the participation raises some questions over the results, and contextual factors may have influenced the process. This underlines the need to include a monitoring and evaluation plan in the process to assess its implementation and ability to produce One Health surveillance modalities that are appropriate, accepted and applied over the long term.

Who Predicts? Scientific Authority and User Expertise in Dutch Storm Warnings 1860-1920

This paper shows that expert authority can be the result of a process of co-construction by scientists and users, using the case of the Netherlands’ storm warnings system. I analyze the changing “culture of prediction” of the Netherlands’ storm warnings system between 1860 and about 1920, focusing on the changing relation between scientific experts and users with experience-based expertise. When started, the storm warnings relied on users taking an active role. The new storm warning system, introduced by Buys Ballot in 1860 following the introduction of telegraph networks, explicitly tried to mobilize sailors’ weather wisdom. Following complaints from the maritime community and controversies about criteria for accuracy or reliability around 1900, storm forecasting authority became the exclusive domain of scientists. Interestingly, the authority of experts was not challenged during this controversy. Rather, the debates focused on mutual expectations of expertise and on whether the storm warning system was primarily a scientific or a practical system. This paper is based on historical documentation from the archives of the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute, which includes the perspectives of users.

EMI programmes in Vietnamese higher education: a case study of translanguaging practices for inclusive education

Abstract Previous studies have discussed stakeholders’ perceptions of using first language in English-medium instruction (EMI), but only a few have examined classroom practices in Vietnam. Against this backdrop, this article focuses on lecturers’ translanguaging practices in an EMI programme where all the lecturers and students were Vietnamese. More specifically, it employs the conceptual framework of ROAD-MAPPING, proposed by Dafouz and Smit (“The ROAD-MAPPING framework: Taking stock and paving future directions for English-medium research”, in Emma Dafouz and Ute Smit (eds.), Researching English-medium higher education: Diverse applications and critical evaluations of the ROAD-MAPPING framework, 1–19. London: Routledge, 2016), to see if there was substantial evidence of a constructive co-existence between English and Vietnamese – the first language – in this EMI programme. The findings suggest that under the lecturers’ and students’ agency, the two languages were distributed across various domains of classroom practices to benefit students’ learning of content knowledge. In teacher talk, English and Vietnamese have different functions to support the process of knowledge co-construction. The study implies that the current monolingual orientation promoted in many top-down EMI policies should be reconsidered, given the linguistic diversity of higher education settings. In other words, EMI should be promoted as an educational environment where students can access their linguistic repertoires and develop their academic knowledge bi/multilingually. Translanguaging, therefore, should be acknowledged as an inclusive pedagogical practice.

Towards attentive, playful arts-based methodology with children

This paper shares methodological insights from our research which sought to centre children in the production of knowledge during the 2020 global pandemic to consider how this can inform research with children beyond the crisis. Drawing on our longitudinal participatory arts-based research with 30 children aged 9–12 during 2020–22, the paper illustrates our response to the shifting research landscape which included navigating social restrictions to develop child-centred ways of working with socially distanced arts-based methods and technologies. The paper sets out key principles focused on foregrounding children’s ways of knowing and attentive seeing which underpinned our reframing of the research encounter from one in which adults are intent on extracting children’s ready-made thoughts to a space in which knowledge generation is recognised as a process of co-construction and engagement with children. Central to this process is our commitment to feminist care ethics and the application of principles from early childhood research and pedagogy which prioritise attentiveness to younger children’s rhythms and pace. Our aim, in setting out an approach which makes a space for playfulness with older children, is to elaborate the potential of slower, attentive methods and to offer a methodological framework to address to wider questions about what arts-based methods do.

Organizational democracy at work. Shaping participation through strategic planning in university

This article discusses whether and how strategic planning can promote the development and dissemination of organizational democracy in knowledge-intensive organizations. This research is inspired by the theoretical approach known as strategy-as-practice, in which strategic planning is considered a process of co-construction of meanings and actions involving multiple actors engaged in negotiation dynamics, through situational interactions in daily practice. Adopting a strategic ethnography approach from a methodological point of view, we examine the participatory strategic planning process conducted from January 2022 to April 2023 at the University of Bergamo. By analyzing ethnographic reports, formal documents, and working drafts, four strategic practices (Collective decision making, Platform and process alignment, Emotional coordination, and Organizational diplomacy) are identified as connected to two key enabling factors (synergic approach and consensus on organizational change) that can support and facilitate the spread of work environments more sensitive to the principles of organizational democracy. Implications for both theory and practice are discussed.

The Connectedness with Nature of Chinese Adolescent Tourists: A Q Method Approach

ABSTRACT A systematic understanding of Chinese adolescent tourists’ connectedness with nature is helpful to illustrate the coming cultural turn in self-nature relationship. However, the existing research is almost based on the Western cultural context and follow the Western approach. Employing the Q method, this study aims to investigate the diverse patterns of CWN from the perspective of 36 adolescent tourists in Xi’an and Shenzhen, China. Our initial findings show four distinct patterns are relevant in the participants’ CWN, including individuals’ ecological self, subjective feelings about nature, positive experiences with nature, and cognitive beliefs about nature. In addition, a theoretical framework of four underlying continuums is developed to clarify how a complex process of co-construction reveals patterns of CWN. This study offers suggestions for destination management and environmental education.

Creation of an instrument for pediatric mental health in indigenous people: A participatory design

Indigenous communities represent a population group with multiple vulnerabilities that are exacerbated in low- and middle-income countries. The group of children and youths faces exposure to adverse living conditions that add to the complexity of the values and meanings they give to life, well-being, and health, especially mental health. In this sense, it is essential to find culturally sensitive approaches for the recognition of such meanings from mental health and its aspects of affectation. Therefore, we sought to describe a methodological process of co-construction and cultural approach with indigenous communities of an early detection instrument for mental disorders and spiritual disharmonies in childhood and youth. This study corresponded to the qualitative phase of a sequential, contextual mixed methods design, based on moments from the implementation of a Participatory Action Research methodology. It was found that collaborative processes of cultural approach in research allow for more precise knowledge of special importance for the recognition of alterations in mental health, which is also reflected in better processes of understanding needs, desires, and possibilities in mental health and that in turn allows for the development of timely actions of recognition and accompaniment. It is necessary to continue with the development processes of culturally appropriate methodologies for mental health research in indigenous communities.

PartnerREC network: Result from a process of coconstruction with patient partners and researchers

The PartnerREC network at the Geneva University Hospitals aims to facilitate the collaboration between researchers and patient partners in any type of clinical research, mainly those led at the HUG. It is the result of a coconstruction process initiated in 2019 by physicians, research professionals, cantonal research ethics committee members, a lawyer, and patient partners. The network implemented four initiatives: a) a website providing information to researchers and patients participating to research projects; b) personalized counseling for researchers to explore partnership opportunities in their own research projects; c) a training program related to patient partnership in research developed together with different partners in French-speaking Switzerland and d) its own research program on partnership in clinical research.

A mixed-methodsstudy of the quality of parental support during adolescents'information-related Internet use as a co-construction process.

In Europe, most Internet searches for school-related tasks are situated at home, where parents can support adolescents. Although the frequency (quantity) of parental support has already been analyzed, a research gap exists concerning the quality of parental support in adolescents'information-related Internet use. The quality of parental support in the field of homework involvement is known to be a predictor of adolescents'learning motivation and academic achievement, often discussed with regard to self-determination theory (SDT) in terms of autonomy support, structure, emotional support, and control. These categories were adapted in this study to analyze parents'support in adolescents'Internet searching activities. Using a mixed-methodsapproach, we combined quantitative questionnaires and qualitative observations to analyze joint information-related Internet uses. Therefore, 243 parent-adolescent dyads were surveyed and six parent-adolescent dyads were observed by videography in 2019/2020 in Germany. The adolescents were 11 years old, on average. The parents rated all qualities higher than the adolescents. Emotional support was rated highest by both groups, whereas structure was rated lowest. Adolescents'and parents'view on parental support differ. The qualitative study revealed parents'often interfering behavior, whereas emotional support was low. Further, the active role of adolescents was highlighted in both quantitative and qualitative data. By combining quantitative and qualitative approaches, we demonstrated a fruitful application of SDT in analyzing the quality of parental support during adolescents'Internet searches at home and shed light on the co-construction of joint Internet searches.

Investigating the Knowledge Co-Construction Process in Homogeneous Ability Groups during Computational Lab Activities in Financial Mathematics

Inclusive computational practices are increasingly being employed to enrich knowledge and facilitate sensemaking in STEM education. Embedding computational activities in Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning environments can enhance students’ experiences. This study aimed to investigate the knowledge co-construction process within tailored student-led computational lab activities designed for a Computational Finance module. In particular, this study focused on the analysis of the effects of different lab practices and of group composition on knowledge co-construction. The groups designed for the lab activities were internally homogenous in terms of student ability. The sample consisted of 396 answers to a weekly survey filled out by all 50 of the undergraduate students who attended the module during the AY 2020/2021. The qualitative analysis relied on an adapted version of the Interaction Analysis Model designed by Gunawardena and colleagues for collaborative knowledge construction. Quantitative analyses were then conducted to study how the different lab practices and the composition of the groups affected the interaction. The findings revealed that, although the lower phases were the most prevalent, significant negotiations of meaning and discussions were activated, especially in tasks guiding towards sensemaking. Furthermore, the groups composed of lower-achieving students were the most engaged in negotiating and improving understanding as a result of the group interaction.

Catalyst for co-construction: the role of AI-directed speech recognition technology in the self-organization of knowledge

The purpose of this study was to analyze knowledge co-construction as a self-organization process and the role of technology as its catalyst. Novel AI-directed speech recognition technology and the artifacts it generates were deployed to scaffold the knowledge co-construction process in two groups of pre-service teachers in a science education context. Throughout the lesson, the focus of the learning tasks was on pedagogical content knowledge and students' preconceptions. Analysis was conducted through the key characteristics of the social system's self-organization theory. The process of self-organization refers to the system's capacity to diverge from familiar structures, perspectives, and operations. Through the lenses of system theories, the active role of artifacts in co-construction was grasped and the role of technology in the self-organization of knowledge was analyzed. The pedagogical design of knowledge co-construction followed the principles of student-engaging learning. The technology used in co-construction was novel speech recognition AI software, which produced visual and editable word cloud artifacts from oral discussions on the large-format screen to edit. The data included videos and audio recordings. In this qualitative study, a content analysis and interaction analysis were used with descriptive analysis. The results showed that when technology became visible, as an active component of the system, artifacts triggered key signs of the social system's self-organization in co-construction. Exchange of information, “entropy levels,” were rapidly increased, and different viewpoints were expressed. Also, “chaos zones,” far-from-equilibrium states, were reached in both groups. Editable artifacts on the screen represented bifurcation spaces where groups' discussions were crystallized for the first time. Information was further categorized and evaluated through artifacts and this demonstrated how the groups processed communication into learning insights. Based on the results, the role played by this kind of technology was significant in the self-organization of knowledge. Materialized artifacts pushed the groups from small group conversation phases, comfort zones, toward uncertainty and confusion, which are central in self-organization. Technology in the system is seen not only as an interactor but also as an active agent that can facilitate epistemic emotions and support the group in the self-organization of knowledge.

Implementing rubric co-construction in ESL writing teaching

Abstract Rubrics are often used as scoring tools in evaluating student writing performance. Although there is a considerable amount of research on the use of rubrics in ESL writing instruction, little attention has been paid to studies of engaging students in rubric co-construction in the ELT context. This study investigates the implementation of teacher-student rubric co-construction as an alternative formative assessment in an ESL university writing course. Through analyzing the data collected from student interviews and teacher reflection, this study focuses on elucidating the rubric co-construction process and providing insights of students and the teacher who have engaged in rubric co-construction in ESL writing teaching and learning.

Tackling land’s ‘stubborn materiality’: the interplay of imaginaries, data and digital technologies within farmland assetization

The nature of farming is – still – an essentially biological, and thus volatile, system, which poses substantial challenges to its integration into financialized capitalism. Financial investors often seek stability and predictability of returns that are hardly compatible with agriculture – but which are increasingly seen as achievable through data and digital farming technologies. This paper investigates how farmland investment brokers engage with, perceive, and produce farming data for their investors within a co-constructive process. Tackling land’s ‘stubborn materiality’ for investment, I argue, has material and immaterial components: it includes the re-imagination of farming as a financial asset that delivers reliable income streams for investors; and the re-engineering of farmland’s concrete materialities with digital farming technologies. Farmland investment brokers develop investor-suitable farmland imaginaries, underpinned by storytelling as well as the calculative ‘evidence’ of (digital) data. At the same time, digital technologies have become a key tool for transforming farms into ‘investment grade assets’ endowed with the rich data on farm performance and financial returns requested by investors. I conclude that the assetization and digitization of farmland need to be seen as closely intertwined and mutually reinforcing processes and identify key areas for future research on this intersection.

Reality checked? Conceptualising the relationship between work experience, abroad experience and university students' work value preferences

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to explore the degree of variance in work value preferences espoused by university students based on whether the students are in possession of work experience and experience abroad. Vocational identity development (VID) was used as a theoretical lens to explore the extent to which being in possession of experience in these two areas shapes vocational identity.Design/methodology/approachA questionnaire (n = 1,188) was employed to measure the relative salience for 8 latent work values constructs and 25 individual-level work values. Respondents were classified into two groups based on work experience and abroad experience, and the differences in work value preferences between these groups were explored.FindingsThe authors' comparison of sample groups revealed that respondents without experience abroad attached significantly greater importance to specific work values (e.g. stability, extrinsic motivation and leisure) than those with sojourner experience. The relative salience of specific work values (e.g. altruistic and extrinsic motivation) was found to be significantly greater for respondents without work experience than those with such experience, however, not to the extent of abroad experience. VID as a theoretical framework was found to be valuable in conceptualising how work value preferences appear to be the outcome of a process of co-construction between an individual and his environment.Research limitations/implicationsThe reasons as to how and why changes in work value salience occur cannot be conclusively established due to the exploratory nature and conceptual design of the present study.Practical implicationsThe findings suggest work and abroad experience play a pivotal role in shaping respondents' work values and, more generally, the VID. This reinforces the need for cooperation between higher education and industry to provide experiential learning opportunities and career guidance to enhance graduate employability and contribute to long-term engagement of talent in tight labour markets.Originality/valueThe value of these findings is that the findings contribute to greater conceptual understanding of the relationship between work experience, abroad experience and work value preferences. This is particularly relevant to academic staff and curriculum developers at a tertiary level in preparing and guiding university students in their interactions with professional practice.