Action Learning Research Articles

Striosomes Target Nigral Dopamine-Containing Neurons via Direct-D1 and Indirect-D2 Pathways Paralleling Classic Direct-Indirect Basal Ganglia Systems.

Direct S-D1 and Indirect S-D2 striosomal pathways target SNpc dopamine cellsThe S-D2 indirect pathway targets a distinct central external pallidal zone (cGPe)Stimulation of S-D2 increases, of S-D1 decreases, striatal dopamine and movementS-D1 SPNs activity brackets task, inverse to a mid-task peak of dopamine release.

Personalized learning in action: Utilizing AI-powered tutors to bridge the gap in mathematics

Personalized learning in action: Utilizing AI-powered tutors to bridge the gap in mathematics

Seeing the bigger picture: an investigation into the impact of process mapping on the management of change in a university library

ABSTRACT This paper examines the impact of process mapping on the management of change in an academic library in a UK higher education institution. Book ordering has been highlighted by a group of subject librarians as being time-consuming and inefficient, detracting from their ability to respond to new challenges and opportunities. An action research approach is used to bring the subject librarians together to draw book ordering process maps, identify on the maps where perceived problem areas lie and discuss potential solutions. Analysis of the empirical data suggests that process maps used in an action learning setting are impactful in terms of demonstrating readiness for change, showing where change is needed and creating a vision for change. The value of investigating the impact of process mapping through the lenses of different change models is discussed and the applicability of this approach to other professional services settings in higher education is explored.

Learning for collaborative action: learning domains and processes in place-based climate adaptation workshops

Communities facing complex social and environmental challenges may benefit from opportunities for collaborative learning. Place-based climate adaptation workshops, which help stakeholders to incorporate climate projections into site-specific adaptation strategies, are one space where learning can occur. We studied learning in eight facilitated climate adaptation workshops held in-person (n = 2) and online (n = 6) in the United States between 2021 and 2023. Workshops averaged 24 participants and included state and local government employees, representatives from non-governmental organizations, interested citizens, academics, and others. We examined declarative, procedural, and relational learning and the processes through which knowledge was created and shared. We found evidence for learning across domains. Participants linked learning to a range of workshop elements, including collaborative workbooks, plenary presentations, and handouts. We found no meaningful differences between online and in-person workshops, suggesting that a range of workshop formats support meaningful learning. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications for understanding and fostering learning.

Spatially organized striatum-wide acetylcholine dynamics for the learning and extinction of Pavlovian cues and actions.

Striatal acetylcholine (ACh) has been linked to behavioral flexibility. A key component of flexibility is down-regulating responding as valued cues and actions become decoupled from positive outcomes. We used array fiber photometry in mice to investigate how ACh release across the striatum evolves during learning and extinction of Pavlovian associations. Changes in multi-phasic release to cues and consummatory actions were bi-directional and region-specific. Following extinction, increases in cue-evoked ACh release emerged in the anterior dorsal striatum (aDS) which preceded a down-regulation of anticipatory behavior. Silencing ACh release from cholinergic interneurons in the aDS blocked behavioral extinction. Dopamine release dipped below baseline for down-shifted cues, but glutamate input onto cholinergic interneurons did not change, suggesting an intrastriatal mechanism for the emergence of ACh increases. Our large-scale mapping of striatal ACh dynamics during learning pinpoints region-specific elevations in ACh release positioned to down-regulate behavior during extinction, a central feature of flexible behavior.

Leading through the COVID-19 pandemic: Experiences of UK Executive Nurse Directors.

To explore the challenges experienced by Executive Nurse Directors during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to inform future nursing leadership strategies. A qualitative research project involving interviews with 21 Executive Nurse Directors from England and Wales. Participants were purposively sampled and recruited through Chief Nursing Officers and nursing leadership networks. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and recorded online via Teams. Braun and Clarke's approach to thematic reflexive analysis was applied to data analysis. Executive Nurse Directors played a critical role during the COVID-19 pandemic. Six themes are explored: tensions, and adaptive response to personal leadership styles; uncertainty and support at the board level; responding to national political decision-making; the personal and emotional impact of the role and the sources of effective support; the voice and public profile of nursing; lessons learnt and strategies for future leadership development. Enablers of decision-making included effective multidisciplinary working, freedom from normal organizational constraints, support for innovation, and the development of stronger bonds with colleagues. Barriers to decision-making included limited knowledge of the virus and its impact and lack of guidance, particularly at a national level. Priorities, strategies and actions for recovery include recognizing the emotional impact of being in a high-level decision-making role, protecting staff from burnout and understanding the long-term implications of pandemic work for nurse leaders. Future strategies for nursing leadership during public health, national and global emergencies are recommended. This study contributes to the literature exploring the Executive Nurse Director role and their experiences of leading through the COVID-19 pandemic, and identifies priorities, strategies and actions for recovery and learning for the future of senior leadership. The study adhered to the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research. No patient or public contribution.

A collaborative approach among teachers to support the teaching of learners with visual impairment in the Foundation Phase

In this article, we explore how collaboration between Foundation Phase teachers could address and support the teaching of Foundation Phase learners with visual impairments (VI). By actively involving teachers in the research process, teachers contributed to changes that promoted the inclusion and success of FP learners with VI. This qualitative study implemented participatory action learning and action research (PALAR) as the research design of choice. Participants were recruited using purposive sampling, and the action learning set (ALS) comprised seven Foundation Phase teachers. Data generation entailed three cycles. Cycle One was relationship building, i.e. forming a shared vision for our study, negotiating an ethical agreement, and then determining the specific challenges Foundation Phase teachers have to face. During Cycle Two, we determined how we could address and support the educational needs of Foundation Phase learners with VI. During Cycle Three, we determined the strategies and guidelines that Foundation Phase teachers may use to enhance the teaching of learners with VI. Data generation encompassed ALS discussions, photovoice and reflective journal entries conducted throughout the three cycles. However, this article exclusively focuses on the ALS discussions. Data were analysed using thematic content analysis to design action plans collaboratively by means of which to assist Foundation Phase teachers working with learners with VI. The North-West University (NWU) and the Department of Education of the Western Cape (RSA) granted ethical clearance. The two themes derived from the findings highlighted the crucial importance of collaboration among parents, caregivers, teachers, and stakeholders in addressing the educational needs of FP learners affected by VI effectively, while also highlighting the importance of working together in designing strategies and guidelines for teaching FP learners with VI.

Impact of School Learning Action Cell Program on Teachers’ Instructional Competence in Misamis Oriental: Basis for Professional Development Plan

Impact of School Learning Action Cell Program on Teachers’ Instructional Competence in Misamis Oriental: Basis for Professional Development Plan

Using Enquiry Action Learning to help students understand their decision-making

ABSTRACT An Enquiry Action Learning sequence was undertaken by MSc social work students at a Scottish University as part of a decision-making module, to assist them to work together in gathering information to present to a case conference. Drawing on the taught sessions on ethics, legislation, policy and human rights, the students plan their research, explore community resources and prepare a case report. Through this research, the students gained understanding of multi-agency roles and perspectives and built their knowledge throughout the activity. This paper analyses what the students learnt from Enquiry Action Learning, with particular emphasis on how it will impact on their decision-making practice in the future, and evaluates the EAL activity using the Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy (RBT). The benefits of Enquiry Action Learning are multiple, and the findings show that the students developed group work skills and acquired knowledge of multi-agency decision-making processes in practice. They learned how to evidence their decision-making, applying theoretical knowledge to practice situations. They were able to relate and contextualize their classroom-based learning in practice situations, developing a deeper understanding of the social work role.

Knowledge uptake from lived experience regarding sustainable groundwater management: complementing scientific knowledge in urban policymaking

Urbanization can pose water management challenges in cities while overlooking the possibilities of residents’ lived experience and collaborative action learning. We show how the conceptual model of the Lived Experience of Sustainable Urban Groundwater Level identifies several aspects of local knowledge development through an ex-post case study in Rotterdam’s Flower Neighbourhood (The Netherlands), where too low groundwater levels threaten house foundations. Three types of local knowledge development emerged: (i) performing and monitoring well measurements by residents, (ii) environment-specific insights collected by residents and shared with civil servants, and (iii) collaboration on groundwater management experiments, resulting in empirical groundwater data. Overcoming communication barriers, trust issues, and power dynamics are crucial for effectively retrieving and integrating lived experience into collective learning for urban sustainable development.

Older adults and use of video games

Digital technologies are having a profound impact on all aspects of our lives and are driving major societal changes. The use of information and communication technologies in education is one of the fastest developing areas of research, but there is still a digital divide and a need for action in lifelong learning to empower older adults. Our aim was to understand the profile of older adults who use videogames and to identify the factors behind their use and their relationship with certain aspects of health and well-being (self-perceived health status, cognitive and physical functioning, psychological and social well-being). With this aim, we assessed the use and acceptance of different types of technology and how these might be influenced by different factors, such as older adults' age, gender and level of education. Results obtained suggest that there are significant differences between the frequency of video game use and age, gender, educational level and previous experience with digital technology, but no significant differences by gender were found in overall technology use. In conclusion, this study could contribute to the design of lifelong learning approaches for older people that can take advantage of the benefits offered by video games and other technologies to leave no one behind.

The mediating effect of entrepreneurial action learning on the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and entrepreneurial performance: A case study based on Chinese SMEs

Entrepreneurial Orientation (EO) emphasizes the identification and exploitation of business opportunities, while entrepreneurial action learning (EAL) underscores the acquisition of knowledge through practical experience and continuous improvement. Breakthroughs in both aspects contribute to maintaining flexibility, adapting to changes, and enabling success in competitive markets. The key to the development of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) lies in a clear Entrepreneurial Orientation, a focus on Entrepreneurial Action Learning, and the cultivation of innovation spirit through continuous practice and experience accumulation, thereby enhancing entrepreneurial performance (EP). This study aims to explore the impact of Entrepreneurial Orientation on the Entrepreneurial Performance of SMEs, clarify the mediating role of Entrepreneurial Action Learning between Entrepreneurial Orientation and Entrepreneurial Performance, and investigate the variability of Entrepreneurial Performance among different industries. By means of data collection from 598 SMEs, data analysis was conducted using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). The analysis results indicate that entrepreneurial orientation has a positive impact on entrepreneurial action learning and entrepreneurial performance, and entrepreneurial action learning has a positive impact on entrepreneurial performance. The study also found that entrepreneurial action learning partially mediates the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and entrepreneurial performance. There are certain differences in entrepreneurial performance among different industries. This study enriches the relevant literature in the field of entrepreneurship. Additionally, research on entrepreneurial orientation, entrepreneurial action learning, and entrepreneurial performance in specific regional contexts is very limited, making this study valuable for subsequent research in related areas.

Action learning in public administration education: learning (evidence) from an action research case study

PurposeThis study aims to explore the effectiveness of action learning (AL) in PA education through the action research (AR). Public administration (PA) requires training paths for its officials aimed at developing managerial skills. Training designers must construct pathways that identify goals and results to be obtained. Most importantly, they should adopt techniques that engage all stakeholders and measure training performance. This study uses the action research (AR) method to explore the effectiveness of action learning (AL) in PA education. It shows how a training project for officials of the PA can be designed and managed in a participatory and engaging manner.Design/methodology/approachThe AR approach is particularly suited to long-term training interventions in PA because it offers a means of taking shared responsibility. AR aids in building a bridge between academia and practice and solving real problems with stakeholders, students and end-clients through cyclical interactions of construction, intervention and evaluation. It focuses on AL as an innovative educational tool that links knowledge and action and theory and practice.FindingsThe involvement of different stakeholders, such as teachers, students, administrators and politicians, in the design, management and evaluation process facilitates the identification of educational objectives and monitoring of outcomes in a changing public organizational context. AL is effective because it involves students as individuals and as a team, often as an organization, while trying to solve real problems.Originality/valueAL through the AR approach has not been widely used in education, especially in PA, where teaching legal and administrative content combines traditional teaching methods. The case study shows the innovative potential of AL in a traditional context such as the PA.

The Status of Teaching with Digital Devices: The Case of Pre-Service Performing Arts Teachers of St. Ambrose College of Education in Ghana

This study examines how teaching and learning of Performing Arts incorporate digital devices in lesson preparation, lesson delivery, and reflection at the pre-tertiary level. Using a case study, the research examines how Performing Arts pre-service teachers of St. Ambrose College of Education who are on attachment (teaching practice) use technology to support and enhance teaching and learning. Respondents sampled from the population were observed while they taught in the classroom and interviewed. Findings indicate that the use and choice of digital devices is dependent on action learning and adult learning principles and incorporating digital devices in instruction enhances teaching. However, both conclusions are dependent on the accessibility and availability of digital devices to both teachers and learners. Consequently, the lack of access to and availability of digital devices negatively impacts the use of digital devices and vice versa. This study recommends that teachers are exposed to practical application of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) during their time at the College of Education and that stakeholders ensure that teachers and learners have access to digital devices.

Improving lung point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) training and accreditation - a multidisciplinary, multi-centre and multi-pronged approach to development and delivery using the action learning process

BackgroundPoint-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS) consists of a range of increasingly important imaging modalities across a variety of specialties. Despite a variety of accreditation pathways available in the UK, lung POCUS training remains difficult to deliver and accreditation rates remain suboptimal. We describe a multidisciplinary, multi-centre, and multi-pronged approach to lung POCUS education within a region.MethodsA survey was conducted in a region. From these results, bottlenecks were identified for improvement. We utilised key stages in an established accreditation pathway, and the Action Learning process. Analysing participant feedback, consensus amongst the team, regional educational needs, and leveraging the expertise within the faculty, we implemented several solutions which were multidisciplinary, multi-centre, and multi-pronged. We also set up a database across several accreditation pathways to facilitate supervision and assessment of rotational trainees.ResultsUtilising the Action Learning process, we implemented several improvements at elements of the lung ultrasound accreditation pathways. An initial regional survey identified key barriers to accreditation: lack of courses (52%), lack of mentors (93%), and difficulty arranging directly supervised scans (73%). A multidisciplinary team of trainers was assembled. Regular courses were organised and altered based on feedback and anecdotal educational needs within the region. Courses were set up to also facilitate continuing professional development and exchange of knowledge and ideas amongst trainers. The barrier of supervision was removed through the organisation of regular supervision sessions, facilitating up to fifty scans per half day per trainer. We collected feedback from courses and optimised them. Remote mentoring platforms were utilised to encourage asynchronous supervision. A database of trainers was collated to facilitate triggered assessments. These approaches promoted a conducive environment and a commitment to learning. Repeat survey results support this.ConclusionLung ultrasound accreditation remains a complex educational training pathway. Utilising an education framework, recruiting a multidisciplinary team, ensuring a multi-pronged approach, and fostering a commitment to learning can improve accreditation success.

Multi-Task Learning of Object States and State-Modifying Actions From Web Videos.

We aim to learn to temporally localize object state changes and the corresponding state-modifying actions by observing people interacting with objects in long uncurated web videos. We introduce three principal contributions. First, we develop a self-supervised model for jointly learning state-modifying actions together with the corresponding object states from an uncurated set of videos from the Internet. The model is self-supervised by the causal ordering signal, i.e., initial object state → manipulating action → end state. Second, we explore alternative multi-task network architectures and identify a model that enables efficient joint learning of multiple object states and actions, such as pouring water and pouring coffee, together. Third, we collect a new dataset, named ChangeIt, with more than 2600 hours of video and 34 thousand changes of object states. We report results on an existing instructional video dataset COIN as well as our new large-scale ChangeIt dataset containing tens of thousands of long uncurated web videos depicting various interactions such as hole drilling, cream whisking, or paper plane folding. We show that our multi-task model achieves a relative improvement of 40% over the prior methods and significantly outperforms both image-based and video-based zero-shot models for this problem.

Learners' Spontaneous Gesture Before a Math Lesson Predicts the Efficacy of Seeing Versus Doing Gesture During the Lesson.

Gestures-hand movements that accompany speech and express ideas-can help children learn how to solve problems, flexibly generalize learning to novel problem-solving contexts, and retain what they have learned. But does it matter who is doing the gesturing? We know that producing gesture leads to better comprehension of a message than watching someone else produce gesture. But we do not know how producing versus observing gesture impacts deeper learning outcomes such as generalization and retention across time. Moreover, not all children benefit equally from gesture instruction, suggesting that there are individual differences that may play a role in who learns from gesture. Here, we consider two factors that might impact whether gesture leads to learning, generalization, and retention after mathematical instruction: (1) whether children see gesture or do gesture and (2) whether a child spontaneously gestures before instruction when explaining their problem-solving reasoning. For children who spontaneously gestured before instruction, both doing and seeing gesture led to better generalization and retention of the knowledge gained than a comparison manipulative action. For children who did not spontaneously gesture before instruction, doing gesture was less effective than the comparison action for learning, generalization, and retention. Importantly, this learning deficit was specific to gesture, as these children did benefit from doing the comparison manipulative action. Our findings are the first evidence that a child's use of a particular representational format for communication (gesture) directly predicts that child's propensity to learn from using the same representational format.

Weakly-Supervised Action Learning in Procedural Task Videos via Process Knowledge Decomposition

Weakly-Supervised Action Learning in Procedural Task Videos via Process Knowledge Decomposition

액션러닝 기반 종교교육의 설계 방향: 원광대학교 교양과목을 중심으로

[Objective] The purpose of this study is to explore the a design guideline of Action learningbased religious education. As a poetic study for teaching-learning design that can interact with learners in the era of de-religionization, it proposes a way for ‘Religion and Won Buddhism’, an essential liberal arts course at Wonkwang University, to achieve educational effects such as active participation of learners while conforming to the doctrinal basis and educational ideology of Won Buddhism. [Contents] This study explores the fundamental ideologies that should be referenced for the design of teaching-learning and establishing the tasks of religious education of Won Buddhism, focusing on ‘Il-Won (一圓)’, ‘Fourfold Grace (四恩)’, and ‘Four Essentials(四要)’ in this study. And based on this, the direction of operation of Action learning-based ‘Religion and Won Buddhism’ is explored. [Conclusions] Through action learning-based religious education, this study discussed the learner’s subjectivity as a ‘Il-Won’, the network of ‘Grace’ between educational members, and the role establishment of instructors and learners based on the ‘The Wise Mas First’. In particular, practical methods such as small group activities using Action learning were explored, and an educational direction was suggested to pursue religious knowledge through the daily life of learners.

Guiando el aprendizaje a través de simulación en salud: el papel transformador del docente

The parameters to define what “a general teaching role” should be have varied in the history of higher education. The existing evidence in favor of generating spaces for controversy, questions, active and greater participation of students, guiding learning and not directing it, is overwhelming. Although the clinical simulation teacher does not escape this definition, there are still controversies as to whether there are true differences in their role compared to other areas of health teaching. In this article we intend to break down some issues that differentiate the teachers in charge of the facilitation process, such as clinical simulation, which stimulates autonomous learning, meaningful learning, vicarious learning, cooperative and reflective learning, learning in action and experiential learning.