Problem-solving Initiatives Research Articles

IMPROVING MECHANISMS FOR MANAGING COMMUNICATIVE CREATIVITY OF HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTION LEADERSHIP PERSONNEL

This study explores the critical role of communicative creativity among leadership personnel in higher education institutions and proposes mechanisms for its enhancement. In an era of rapid change and complex challenges in the education sector, effective and innovative communication from institutional leaders is paramount. Through a comprehensive survey of students across various higher education institutions, this research identifies key issues in leadership communication, including limited visibility of leaders, inconsistent engagement with students, and challenges in conflict resolution. The study reveals a gap between student expectations and current leadership communication practices, highlighting the need for more adaptive and student-centered approaches. Drawing on these findings and existing literature, the article proposes a set of ten mechanisms to improve communicative creativity in highereducation leadership. These mechanisms include leadership visibility programs, communication skills training, feedback loops, regular open forums, and creative problem-solving initiatives. The proposed framework aims to foster a more responsive, transparent, and collaborative educational environment. This research contributes to the growing body of literature on higher education leadership by offering practical, implementable strategies to enhance communicative creativity. The findings have significant implications for leadership development in higher education and suggest directions for future research in assessing the long-term impact of these communication enhancement mechanisms.

“Public Sphere” and the Constructing of Strong Communities

Background and Aims: The term 'Öffentlichkeit' or 'Public Sphere' is a German concept used to elucidate the societal development of public consciousness. However, an examination of successful community problem-solving initiatives in Thailand reveals that the 'public sphere' plays a critical and dynamic role in fostering the success of community problem-solving. It serves as a crucial arena for pursuing consensus through deliberative democracy, facilitating the process of reaching agreements that contribute to resolving community challenges. This article presents the results of a research study on 'Public Sphere' stemming from a spatial readiness analysis. Methodology: The action plan involves organizing a forum to explain the research project, holding group discussions, conducting in-depth interviews with individuals involved or playing significant roles in driving community-strengthening processes, and meeting with provincial subgroups to advance provincial development. Results: Structured around four key topics, the article discusses: 1. The Construction of Strong Communities as a Foundation of Thai Democracy Development; 2. Utilizing the 'Public Sphere' as a Tool and Mechanism to Establish the Foundation of Thai Democracy; 3. Self-management practices in Successful Strong Communities across Various Regions; 4. Guidelines for Constructing the 'Public Sphere' to Cultivate Strong Communities. Each of these topics will be elaborated upon in the following sections." Conclusion: The article's main goal appears to be to examine how strengthening communities and creating a vibrant "Public Sphere" are essential to the advancement of Thai democracy. The text underscores the importance of community self-management practices and guides fostering an inclusive 'Public Sphere' to fortify Thai society's democratic foundation.

Global Digital Compact: A Mechanism for the Governance of Online Discriminatory and Misleading Content Generation

With the continuous development of artificial intelligence (AI), algorithmic discrimination and discriminatory and misleading content (DMC) generated by AI have given rise to many negative effects in cyberspace, such as racial and gender discrimination, misinformation, and so on. The growing concern in society over AI governance urgently necessitates the establishment of an effective mechanism to supervise and govern AI-generated DMC. In this article, the discriminatory and misleading contents of AIGC (Artificial Intelligence Generated Content) were extracted according to Text Classification Model and then classified by Naive Bayesian algorithm. The results showed that under the Global Digital Compact (GDC), countries differed in their degrees of discrimination related to race, gender, religion, and age. The racial discrimination accounted for the highest proportion in the United States, with a score of 0.15; that in Britain and France took up a share of 0.06 and 0.07, respectively; and merely 0.03 in Germany. Discriminatory content of racial discrimination (M1) and gender discrimination (M2) in science and technology industry was relatively low, accounting for 0.05 and 0.08, respectively. Analyzing data within the Global Digital Compact (GDC) illuminates the disparities and trends in DMC generation across various countries, cities, industries, and individual users. This analysis provides valuable references for subsequent research and problem-solving initiatives under the compact. Furthermore, GDC plays a pivotal role in addressing issues related to AI-generated DMC, contributing significantly to the creation of a secure, reliable, and equitable cyberspace.

EMPOWERING STUDENTS AS COMMUNITY CATALYSTS: A DIVE INTO SYNERGIZED ACADEMIC ACTIVITIES AT THE DEPARTMENT OF ARABIC LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE

This paper explores the transformative potential of synergized academic activities in nurturing students to become solution-providers for community challenges. With an ever-increasing emphasis on social responsibility and community engagement in higher education, this paper introduces a novel pedagogical framework that integrates and aligns academic activities—such as coursework, research projects, and service-learning—with community-based problem-solving initiatives. The paper begins with a thorough examination of the existing literature on community engagement, service-learning, and experiential education, arguing for the need for a more unified and purpose-driven approach. In response to this need, we propose the Synergized Academic-Community Engagement Model (SACE Model). This model is designed to scaffold students’ progression from theoretical understanding to the practical application of knowledge and skills in real-world community contexts. It does so by intertwining traditional academic activities with targeted, sustainable community service projects that are co-designed with community partners. The central part of the paper presents a series of case studies that demonstrate the successful application of the SACE Model across various disciplines and institutional contexts. These cases illustrate how synergized academic activities can enable students to apply their skills and knowledge directly towards addressing pressing community issues. The case studies highlight not only the benefits accrued to the community but also the profound learning outcomes and personal growth experienced by the students. The findings reveal significant enhancements in students’ critical thinking, problem-solving abilities, civic engagement, and sense of social responsibility. Additionally, our analysis shows that community partners perceive the students’ contributions as valuable and that the projects lead to meaningful, sustainable change. In conclusion, this paper argues that synergized academic activities, designed with a focus on community engagement and problem-solving, offer a powerful strategy for preparing students to become active, solution-oriented members of society. We contend that this approach represents not just an educational strategy but a profound shift in the purpose and practice of higher education towards a model of mutual benefit between institutions of learning and the communities they serve. The paper ends with practical recommendations for educators, administrators, and community partners interested in adopting the SACE Model and contributing to its ongoing refinement and dissemination. This paper contributes significantly to the growing body of literature advocating for the deeper integration of community engagement within the fabric of higher education, and it provides a replicable and scalable model for achieving this integration effectively and sustainably.

A systematic review of the literature on change laboratory interventions: Lessons from Africa

Change laboratories (CLs) are formative problem-solving initiatives that have been used extensively in Europe but have only recently been applied in African contexts. This review thus offers an original insight into their use and value in African contexts. The laboratories are classified into partial, classic, or augmented varieties-all of which are shown to assist participants learning to work with pressing local problems. Some CLs have expanded their remit to addressing grand societal challenges, such as sustainable practices and responses to climate change, which are particularly pressing issues on the continent. Our findings suggest that CL work in Africa, besides contributing overall to understanding the efficacy of the CL methodology, may also be taking a leading role in addressing some of the grand challenges affecting societies, globally.

Towards a design science research (DSR) methodology for operational excellence (OPEX) initiatives

PurposeDesign science research (DSR) is a structured approach for solving complex ill-structured problems in organizations through the development of an artefact followed by its validation. This paper aims to evaluate existing DSR methodology and propose specific accents to promote DSR for environmental, social and governance (ESG)-oriented operational excellence (OPEX) initiatives within organizations.Design/methodology/approachThis commentary paper is based on an abductive reasoning approach to evaluate and understand DSR and assess its effectiveness for developing solutions to typical ESG-oriented OPEX-based problems within organizations.FindingsExisting literature on DSR is reviewed, after which it is evaluated on its ability to contribute to the implementation of sustainable solutions for ESG-oriented OPEX-based problems. Based on the review, specific DSR methodological accents are proposed for the development of ESG-oriented OPEX-based solutions in organizations.Research limitations/implicationsThis conceptual paper contributes to the conceptual understanding of the applicability, limitations and contextual preconditions for applying DSR. This paper proposes an explicit and, in some ways, alternative view on DSR research for OPEX researchers to apply and further the body of knowledge on matters of sustainability (ESG) in operations management.Practical implicationsCurrently, there is limited understanding and application of the DSR methodology for OPEX-based problem-solving initiatives, as appears in the scant literature on DSR applied for the implementation of OPEX based initiatives for ESG purposes. This paper aims to challenge and provide accents for DSR applied to OPEX-related problems by means of a DSR framework and thereby promotes intervention-based studies among researchers.Originality/valueThe proposed step-by-step methodology contains novel elements and is expected to be of help for OPEX-oriented academicians and practitioners in implementing DSR methodology for practical related problems which need research interventions from academics from Higher Education Institutions.

The Implementation of Inquiry-Based Learning Activities in an Introductory Animal Science Course

Inquiry-based learning (IBL), a student-centered teaching technique, prompts students’ initiative in self-guided learning and problem-solving. IBL promotes engagement through higher-order thinking, collaboration, and creativity. This study examines the impact of IBL levels on students’ interest, motivation, and engagement. Three levels of IBL (traditional, structured, and guided) were implemented in an introductory animal science laboratory session at three time points during the Fall 2021 semester. Students were divided among five laboratory sessions and then randomly divided into six groups using a Latin square arrangement. During each time point, students completed 20-minute case scenario activities utilizing one of three IBL levels. Inquiry levels were differentiated by the instruction, information, and supplies provided to students. At each time point, students self-reported their situational interest, motivation, and engagement on a Likert scale. Across all IBL levels, students experienced high levels of attention demand, identified regulation, and personal effort and no differences were seen between IBL levels. Although limited to one course, our findings suggest that IBL activities promote interest, engagement, and motivation, which could generate long-term student engagement and investment in course content. Future research should juxtapose inquiry-based learning and traditional teaching methods to further examine the impacts in additional formats and subjects.

The Role of Psychological Safety in Team Communication: Implications for Human Resource Practices

In the fast-paced environment of contemporary workplaces, characterized by a focus on innovation and collaboration, effective team communication stands out as a critical factor for organizational success. At the heart of such communication dynamics lies the concept of psychological safety—a shared belief within teams that encourages individuals to express themselves without fear of negative consequences. Recognized as a fundamental element for high-performing teams, psychological safety is now undergoing a paradigm shift in human resource (HR) practices, which traditionally concentrated on recruitment, training, and performance management. As organizations navigate the complexities of the global market, understanding and fostering psychological safety within teams have become imperative. This paper explores the multifaceted dimensions of psychological safety in team communication and its implications for contemporary HR practices. The groundwork for psychological safety was laid by Edgar Schein, whose seminal research emphasized the importance of trust and mutual respect in organizational settings. Drawing from social psychology theories, Schein highlighted psychological safety as a facilitator for authentic expression and constructive dialogue. Amy Edmondson's subsequent research further underscored the pivotal role of psychological safety, particularly in fostering open communication, learning, and innovation within teams. Psychological safety, defined as the perceived safety of interpersonal interaction, influences team communication and performance significantly. Various factors such as role-based characteristics, organizational trust, and empowering leadership contribute to its establishment. Trust moderates the relationship between work locus of control and psychological safety. Training interventions and individualized attention from managers have also been identified as means to enhance psychological safety, especially in interprofessional teams where it is crucial for effective communication and decision-making. Within psychologically safe teams, members feel empowered to voice opinions, share ideas, and challenge norms without fear of reprisal. This openness fosters a culture of constructive feedback and continuous improvement, driving innovation and problem-solving initiatives. Vulnerability, as advocated by Brené Brown, plays a crucial role in this context, facilitating authentic engagement and deeper relationships among team members. With the rise of remote work and virtual collaboration, the importance of psychological safety becomes even more pronounced. HR practices must adapt to foster psychological safety in virtual teams, leveraging technology to promote inclusivity and mitigate communication barriers.

Diverse Insights Revealing Nuances of the Culture-High Ability Nexus: An Interdisciplinary Search

Discovering the cultural dimensions of high ability is analogous to a large-scale creative problem-solving initiative. Just as the early phases of the creative-problem-solving process require broad-scope searches through diverse data sources, understanding the culture-giftedness nexus requires broad-scope excursions through interdisciplinary scholarly sources that can enable deeper understanding of culture. Here, we engage in such an excursion and borrow insights from leading thinkers in cultural anthropology, English studies, political science, ethical philosophy, and history, and use these insights to generate new ways of thinking about the cultural aspects of giftedness. The foreign concepts analyzed include anti-anti-relativism, mythological archetypes, the artificial reification of culture, distant proximities that influence personal identity, ethnocentrism and particularist morality, differing views of nature, and the influence of critical communities and motley coalitions in a globalized world.

Seeking Justice, Seeking Hope

This article focuses on place-based pedagogy developed in partnership with Every Campus A Refuge (ECAR) at Guilford College, which is the first initiative of its kind to mobilize college and university campus resources to provide housing and other forms of assistance to refugees seeking resettlement in the institution’s local area (within and beyond the institution’s physical borders). ECAR is transforming refugee resettlement in the United States as it also transforms our understanding and teaching about the issues faced by these communities, and the role of post-secondary educational institutions. Through ECAR’s commitment to “compassionate hospitality and radical accountability” (Every Campus A Refuge, n.d.), campuses undergo transformations that blur the boundaries between campus and community and redefine the notion of “place” for students and community members. This paper outlines the main place-based curricular components of the ECAR and Principled Problem Solving initiative at Guilford College. We present an analysis of survey data collected from students who participated in the curriculum, and analyze their responses. This data indicate that the academic program’s place-based pedagogy 1) provides students opportunities to learn about what forced displacement is and why it happens; 2) centralizes the voice, agency, and perspectives of the individuals who experience forced migration and resettlement; 3) emphasizes how we can collectively organize and advocate to address the problems of forced displacement and resettlement. In this way, the minor is helping students engage in the work of principled problem-solving in refugee resettlement through specialized course offerings and place-based pedagogy. The paper concludes with challenges and opportunities for campuses interested in adopting this place-based campus refugee resettlement program for their colleges/universities, as well as discuss pathways for further research and pedagogical innovation.

Awareness on Plastic Bottle Waste Management Amongst Vocational College Students in Malaysia

The management of solid waste, particularly plastic bottle waste, is becoming increasingly important. The carelessness with which solid waste is managed will have a negative impact on human life. A study was conducted to assess the effectiveness of vocational college students in addressing the problem of discarded plastic bottles. The study was conducted online, with vocational students in Malaysia receiving a link containing animation videos and open-ended questions. The students are then asked for their thoughts on how to solve the problem presented in the video. This study enlisted the participation of 197 vocational college students. The students’ feedback was analyzed using thematic coding analysis in Atlas.ti version 22. According to the findings, this study can be divided into two categories which are initiatives to address the issue of plastic bottle waste dumping and the importance of good plastic bottle waste management and planning. Students’ perspectives on problem-solving initiatives were categorized into seven categories: reuse, awareness, recycling, reducing use, disposal, waste segregation, and enforcement. Furthermore, environmental concerns and health issues are two categories that emphasize the significance of proper plastic bottle waste management. In general, vocational college students are aware of the actions needed to address the real issue of plastic bottle waste. Students are also capable of proposing solutions that are appropriate and in line with government efforts such as the 3R, 5R, and waste segregation at source. Furthermore, students can connect the importance of solid waste management to environmental stewardship and public health.

The Contribution of Integrated Polytechnic Regional College (IPRC) Musanze in Creating Valuable Uses to Tomato Crop Farm-Leftovers

The study was carried out to identify potential value addition to tomato crop farm-leftovers and investigate their existing end-uses to suggest a collaboration model between tomato farmers in Nkotsi Sector and IPRC Musanze. The findings confirmed that the tomato crop stems are the main type of tomato crop farm-leftovers found on the farm, leaves and roots are also present in minor quantities. Those farm-leftovers are mainly used for compost making, some remain unused at farm level, and few are used for feeding animals. For whatever destination, the tomato crop farm-leftovers do not generate any cash to farmers, and unfortunately, 91% of farmers are not aware of crop farm-leftovers negative effects. All respondents know the IPRC Musanze, and 59% of them recognize its community outreach activities. However, 97% of farmers do not have any previous collaboration with the college even though they show willingness for future collaboration. 62% of interviewed IPRC Musanze TVET trainers revealed limited advanced tomatoes farming activities in the area, and crop farm-leftovers negative effects. A collaboration model between farmers and the college is designed as a new way of working to boost tomato farming in the area as well as improving the quality of TVET training offered by the college. The stable relations, trust, shared problem, resources, planned joint activities and their execution are the elements of the proposed model. Therefore, technical training, joint applied research and innovation activities, joint problem-solving initiatives were suggested as the starting point for the proposed model. Keywords: Tomato crop, farm-leftover, TVET, collaboration DOI: 10.7176/JEP/12-3-01 Publication date: January 31 st 2021

Systematic Case Review Strategies: An Application for Jail Population Reduction

Jails are a critical part of the criminal justice system but, until recently, have been omitted from discussions of reform. The goal of the current study is to describe and evaluate a collaborative, problem-solving initiative designed to reduce the jail population in St. Louis County, Missouri. The initiative was implemented as part of a research-practitioner partnership and is designed around a case review model, deemed the Population Review Team (PRT) commonly used in epidemiological analysis and problem-solving policing models. The outcome analysis suggests that the implementation of the PRT was associated with a significant decline in the total jail population, the number of individuals held on non-violent felonies, and those held for over 100 days. The collaborative project provides one model for criminal justice systems reform and a tool for decarceration.

팀 기반 교양체육 참여자의 자기주도학습능력, 팀 효능감, 문제해결의 적극성 간의 구조적 관계

팀 기반 교양체육 참여자의 자기주도학습능력, 팀 효능감, 문제해결의 적극성 간의 구조적 관계

Implementation of a problem-solving training initiative to reduce self-harm in prisons: a qualitative perspective of prison staff, field researchers and prisoners at risk of self-harm

BackgroundSocial problem-solving is one technique used to help reduce incidence of self-harm. Our study evaluated the feasibility and acceptability of the adaptation and implementation of a brief Problem-Solving Training (PST) intervention to reduce self-harm in prisons.MethodsThe process involved i) adaptation of the training materials using focus groups with prison staff and prisoners, ii) training frontline prison staff to use the skills, and iii) implementation of the skills with prisoners at risk of self-harm. Qualitative interviews were conducted with prison staff, prisoners and field researchers and were analysed using a thematic framework to produce a model of the barriers and facilitators to the process.ResultsWe conducted 43 interviews across three prison sites. The interviews included 19 prison staff, 18 prisoners and six field researcher meetings. The adaptation to the training and intervention materials were well received. The findings identified the need to support training using a collaborative and flexible approach. Prisoner engagement was affected by their own personal circumstances and by a range of contextual issues relating to the prison environment. Implementation of the skills by prison staff were hindered by resource constraints, the prison environment and staff attitudes.ConclusionsWe found that it was feasible to adapt an existing intervention and contextualise it within the prison environment. Although we could train large numbers of staff it was deemed unfeasible for staff to implement the problem-solving skills to prisoners at risk of self-harm. Prisoners who engaged with the intervention reported a range of benefits. Alternative implementation mechanisms to tackle the contextual barriers proposed by staff and prisoners included delivery of the intervention using an educational setting and/or use of a prisoner peer-led scheme.

Problem-Solving Initiatives in Administrative and Criminal Law in the Netherlands

In this contribution we describe how efforts to solve the problems of litigants, suspects and victims are organized in the Dutch administrative and criminal justice systems. Contrary to the problem-solving courts that we know from the United States and Australia, problem-solving justice in the Netherlands is for a large part in the hands of administrative authorities and a variety of agencies in the criminal justice organisation. The possibilities for judges to actually solve litigants’ problems are few, at least in administrative and criminal law. This is related to a lack of expertise and training, but also to time pressure and a lack of involvement of non-judicial expertise in the courts. With regard to the criminal justice system, there is a resistance to a more extensive intervention of the judges in problem-solving initiatives, as this would be at odds with their impartiality and independence. The results of several empirical studies show that the Dutch approach can be quite successful if it comes to ‘keeping cases out of court’. To a certain extent, this approach helps solve concrete problems of parties and of persons situated in a criminal law context. On the negative side, the position of interested parties in administrative decision-making is quite weak, and the same is true for suspects in the criminal justice domain.

The Effect of Action Learning-Based Teaching and Learning Strategies on Metacognitive, Problem Solving, Interpersonal Relationship and Team Efficacy of Nursing Students

The study is a single-group experiment design for the operation and measurement of nursing management practice training by applying action learning-based teaching-learning design. The study performed a total convenience sampling of 105 senior nusing students of N University in G Metropolitan City who applied for nursing management practice curriculum. The nursing management practice was implemented from Aug. 4 to Sept. 26, 2014. Each team consists of 4-8 subjects who participated in the practice for two weeks, for a total eight weeks. Prior to practice, pre-survey was carried out and post-survey upon the completion of the practice. A skill survey tool of metacognitive tools developed by Printrich & Groot(MSLQ) edited by Woo, and Marshall(2003), and modified by Kwon (2010) was used as a a tool to measure initiative in problem solving, understanding of interpersonal relationships, and team efficacy. The study result showed a statistically significant difference in subjects in Metacognitive (t=-5.124, p<.001), initiative of problem solving (t=-5.817, .000), understanding of interpersonal relationships (t=-4.947, .000), and team efficacy (t=-3.483, .001) after participating in action learning-based team project activities.

Effects of Students Suspension on their Psychological well Being in Boarding Secondary Schools in Nakuru County, Kenya

Effects of Students Suspension on their Psychological well Being in Boarding Secondary Schools in Nakuru County, Kenya Dr. Briston E. E. Omulema, Esther Wanjiku Maina, Lucy W. Mureithi Abstract When corporal punishment and caning as a method of disciplining students was banned in Kenyan schools, it was replaced with guidance and counseling. Since many schools lacked professional counselors, some opted to use suspensions for minor and major cases of indiscipline. This decision did not consider the effect of students’ suspension on the psychological well being of the students. This study therefore sought to investigate the effects of students’ suspension on their psychological well being in boarding secondary schools in Nakuru county. The descriptive survey research design was employed in the study. A sample of 145 suspended students from seven schools was used. Data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics with the aid of a computer based statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 20.0 for windows. The findings of the study revealed that suspensions had great effect on students’ psychological wellbeing. From the findings, it is recommended that students need to be part of decision making and problem solving initiatives in order to reduce suspensions. Full Text: PDF DOI: 10.15640/jpbs.v3n1a13

Creating the Responsible Consumer: Moralistic Governance Regimes and Consumer Subjectivity

Responsible consumption conventionally stems from an increased awareness of the impact of consumption decisions on the environment, on consumer health, and on society in general. We theorize the influence of moralistic governance regimes on consumer subjectivity to make the opposite case: responsible consumption requires the active creation and management of consumers as moral subjects. Building on the sociology of governmentality, we introduce four processes of consumer responsibilization that, together, comprise the P.A.C.T. routine (personalization, authorization, capabilization, and transformation). After that, we draw on a longitudinal analysis of problem-solving initiatives at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, to explore the role of P.A.C.T. in the creation of four, now commonplace, responsible consumer subjects: the bottom-of-the-pyramid consumer, the green consumer, the health-conscious consumer, and the financially literate consumer. Our analysis informs extant macro-level theorizations of market and consumption systems. We also contribute to prior accounts of responsibilization, marketplace mythologies, consumer subjectivity, and transformative consumer research.

A Systemic Framework for Evaluating Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning—Mathematical Problem-solving (CSCL-MPS) Initiatives: Insights from a Colombian Case

In general terms, computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) is a new educational paradigm that includes the use of technology to support learning activities. These CSCL environments can be used in a number of subjects (e.g. science, mathematics, language). As CSCL not only involves the implementation of technology or the design of online educational content, researchers have proposed inclusive models which highlight different dimensions of CSCL as a process. These models can then guide CSCL educators and designers improve the design, the experience, the management, and the evaluation of CSCL. However, the use of these models still needs to enable different CSCL stakeholders reflect on the values, purposes and impacts of their efforts. This paper presents a systemic framework that facilitates exploration of the inter-connections between the different aspects of CSCL, and enables a preliminary evaluation of its impacts in a particular context of application. The framework is then used to evaluate a Colombian CSCL project in the area of mathematical problem-solving (MPS). We report on the achievements of this project and in future possibilities to improve CSCL efforts in Colombia and elsewhere. These suggestions can help educators and other CSCL stakeholders to be sensitive and to respond to particular contextual conditions which can contribute to the success of CSCL initiatives.