Meaningful Opportunities Research Articles

S11-4: Reaching people with a disability in a small town–a practice perspective

Abstract Purpose It is well documented that people living with a disability often have restricted opportunities to participate in physical activity and may face significant barriers. This presentation provides a practice perspective on reaching, and providing inclusive, meaningful physical activity opportunities for children and adults living with disability in Ireland. Project or policy description While significant efforts have been made in Ireland and elsewhere to facilitate access, this presentation will provide insights from a Sports Inclusion Development Officer, working in a town in Ireland, on how providing facilitators (funding streams and a varied programme of activities) does not necessarily remove barriers for people with disability to access physical activity and participate. Conclusions There are problems in areas with low population density – small numbers of people with specific disabilities leading to no specific activities for specific disabilities. Clubs are providing options, in some instances, but they are often not easy to implement as the volunteer base has declined and many sports clubs focus on performance rather than participation. Sometimes they are difficult for those with disabilities to access and participate. Often, the policy and willingness for change is there at organisational level but at intervention level there are difficulties in implementation.

“Everyone has a weight complex”: Experiences of participation in physical activity in regional, rural and remote Australia

ABSTRACT There are many complex and interrelated personal and structural benefits and constraints to being physically active. In this research, we invited people living in regional, rural and remote (RRR) environments of Australia to share their experiences of being active both currently and historically via an in-depth open-ended online survey. This study focuses on the perspectives of 139 participants, 92 of whom identified as female, 43 identified as male and 2 identified as gender fluid. Our participants were aged 18–76 years. By using an interpretivist lens and applying the feminist, weight inclusive Well Now approach (Aphramor, 2018) as a framework to understand these experiences, we identified that this group of people enjoyed the benefits of being active that included physical, mental, and emotional health benefits, as well as social benefits. Participants also shared stories about exclusion, discrimination, and reluctance to participate in various forms of physical activity. Our findings may help inform the work of practitioners who seek to use a weight inclusive approach in RRR areas and highlight the need to support individuals to find safe spaces and meaningful opportunities to be active.

Developing and Gathering Validity Evidence for an Instrument to Measure How High School Students Identify as Researchers

AbstractThe authentic research experience, which provides students with meaningful collaborative research opportunities designed to promote discovery and innovation under the guidance of mentors, is increasing as a way to attract and engage students in STEM fields. However, despite the increase in authentic research experiences offered to students, there has been little research, particularly at the high school level, investigating students’ attitudes about themselves as researchers. To address this need, we developed a theory (or construct) for how high school age students self-identify as researchers and a companion survey to measure their identity. After three iterative development cycles, 823 high school students from diverse backgrounds were administered the 12-item survey, the Researcher Identity Survey—Form G (RISG). The partial credit Rasch model (1960/1980) was used to analyze the survey data. The results indicate that the survey identifies and locates high school age students as researchers validly and reliably along an easy to use and interpret scale. The survey holds promise as an important element for use in programs designed to broaden the entryway for students into the STEM disciplines.

Standing tall: A continuing education program and participatory study offered to arts therapists working in the israeli education system

This article is based on an arts-based participatory action research study conducted as an integral part of the Standing Tall continuing education program. Focusing on arts therapists within the Israeli education system, the research investigated their perceptions of the state of creative arts therapies in the system, their experiences, and their suggestions for enhancing their work environment. Finally, it explored co-researchers’ perceptions of the meaningfulness of their involvement in the program and participatory research initiative. The 20 arts therapists-co-researchers who participated in this program conducted interviews with 142 colleagues to learn about their job experiences and then analyzed these interviews. The lead researchers thematically analyzed the written and artistic materials collected during the program. The research findings showed the participants, both co-researchers, and interviewees, perceived the integration of arts therapy into the educational system as significant and potentially beneficial. The co-researchers aspired to play an active role in enhancing this integration while acknowledging the challenges involved. They saw the program as a meaningful opportunity for arts-based self-exploration. The findings suggest that while decision-makers play a crucial role in shaping the working conditions of arts therapists, the therapists themselves can catalyze change in the educational system and perhaps in other public systems as well.

Disrupting Durabilities of Colonial Logics in the Field of Special Education: Toward Abolitionist Futures

Background: The field of special education (SPED) has struggled with persistent equity problems in providing meaningful learning opportunities for students of color. These inequities are experienced by students who are navigating the intersection of race and disability, marginalizing and harming them. Critical scholars urge SPED to carefully consider its epistemic investments when attempting to address these injustices. Purpose: This article demonstrates the connections between persistent equity issues in SPED and the colonial logics of placement and sorting. By drawing parallels between the epistemes that organize SPED and colonial logics, this article argues that addressing equity issues in SPED, the field must seriously consider its entanglements with colonial durabilities. Research Design: This is an essay. Recommendations: This article urges the SPED field to consider abolitionist praxis as a way of disrupting the persistent inequities faced by multiply marginalized students of color. Abolitionist praxis provides the necessary tools to dismantle the durability of colonial logics.

The Lifetime Fitness Program: Structured Physical Activity for Older Adults and Meaningful Experiential Learning for Kinesiology Students

Physical activity is associated with improvements in both health and longevity and is highly recommended for older adults. Public health and nonprofit organizations have invested considerable efforts to promote physical activity among this population. The present manuscript describes the specifics of the first university-based adult fitness program (Lifetime Fitness Program) and how this program promotes healthy aging through physical activity while serving as an important venue for experiential learning among students. Thus, the goal of this paper is to provide a “road map” to guide strategies and methods to promote physical activity and healthy aging in an academic setting and provide students with meaningful experiential learning opportunities.

The Influence of Social Media on Improving the Pragmatic Skills of EFL Saudi University Students

Social media platforms can be a gateway through which English as a foreign language (EFL) students gain access to the world of the target language, communicate with native speakers, and learn more about their culture. Against this background, the present study aims to investigate whether EFL students’ use of social media has impacted the development of their pragmatic competence and conversational skills. Sixty Saudi EFL students, aged 17 or older, studying in the English Language and Translation Department at the Saudi Electronic University participated in the study. Data were collected through an online questionnaire that assessed the participants’ perceptions of using social media networks to practice their English conversation skills. The results showed that social media use had a positive impact on the students’ pragmatic and conversational skills. Specifically, a significant proportion of the participants reported an awareness of conversational and pragmatic improvements resulting from social media use that may not be available in traditional classroom settings. These findings suggest that technology-assisted language learning, particularly learning using social media, should be incorporated into language instruction to improve EFL students’ pragmatic and conversational knowledge. In this regard, social media networks are especially valuable in providing authentic and meaningful language and interaction opportunities. Future research could examine other forms of technology-assisted language learning beyond social media and employ a mixed-methods approach to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the impact of mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) on EFL learners’ pragmatic and conversational proficiency.

Hierarchical Needs Status and Work Opportunities towards Organizational Commitment of Elementary School Teachers

The study aimed to determine the current hierarchical needs status and work opportunities relative to the level of organizational commitment of school teachers. The study used descriptive method where questionnaire was the primary data gathering instrument. One hundred sixty (160) teachers from Sariaya West District Division of Quezon, contributed to the study. Frequency, percent count, mean, SD and Pearson r were used in the statistical analysis of data. The study revealed as perceived by the Teacher-respondents on their hierarchical needs status were on a high level. Effect of work opportunities in terms of trainings and development, promotion and salary was observed. Maslow’s stages of motivational theory in terms of survival needs, stability needs, enjoyment needs, and esteem needs were related to the teacher’s organizational commitment. Teachers who feel secure in their survival needs, have stable employment, derive enjoyment from their work, and possess a healthy self-esteem are more likely to exhibit higher levels of commitment to their organization. Recognizing and catering to these needs can thus serve as a powerful tool for educational institutions seeking to foster a dedicated and engaged teaching workforce. It was revealed that work opportunities and how they were committed in the organization show that there is significant relationship work opportunities and that of organizational commitment of teachers. This findings emphasizes the role of perceived career prospects and financial rewards as motivators for teachers, highlighting their influence on organizational commitment. Recognizing and investing in these aspects of work opportunities can thus serve as effective strategies for educational institutions to cultivate a committed and engaged teaching workforce. It appears that age and years in service do not moderate the relationship between hierarchical needs status and organizational commitment of the teachers. Age and years in service are not related to work opportunities and organizational commitment of the teachers. This implies that regardless of tenure and age, the impact of perceived work opportunities and hierarchical needs status on organizational commitment remains consistent. Understanding these dynamics can inform organizational strategies aimed at enhancing teacher commitment by emphasizing the importance of psychological fulfillment and job satisfaction, meaningful career development opportunities alongside age and tenure-based considerations. With these, educational institutions can foster a more engaged and committed teaching workforce.

Social Media Programs for Outreach and Recruitment Supporting Aging and Alzheimer Disease and Related Dementias Research: Longitudinal Descriptive Study.

Social media may be a useful method for research centers to deliver health messages, increase their visibility in the local community, and recruit study participants. Sharing examples of social media-based community outreach and educational programs, and evaluating their outcomes in this setting, is important for understanding whether these efforts have a measurable impact. The aim of this study is to describe one center's social media activities for community education on topics related to aging, memory loss, and Alzheimer disease and related dementias, and provide metrics related to recruitment into clinical research studies. Several social media platforms were used, including Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and YouTube. Objective assessments quantified monthly, based on each platform's native dashboard, included the number of followers, number of posts, post reach and engagement, post impressions, and video views. The number of participants volunteering for research during this period was additionally tracked using a secure database. Educational material posted to social media most frequently included content developed by center staff, content from partner organizations, and news articles or resources featuring center researchers. Multiple educational programs were developed, including social media series, web-based talks, Twitter chats, and webinars. In more recent years, Facebook content was occasionally boosted to increase visibility in the local geographical region. Up to 4 years of page metrics demonstrated continuing growth in reaching social media audiences, as indicated by increases over time in the numbers of likes or followers on Facebook and X/Twitter and views of YouTube videos (growth trajectories). While Facebook reach and X/Twitter impression rates were reasonable, Facebook engagement rates were more modest. Months that included boosted Facebook posts resulted in a greater change in page followers and page likes, and higher reach and engagement rates (all P≤.002). Recruitment of participants into center-affiliated research studies increased during this time frame, particularly in response to boosted Facebook posts. These data demonstrate that social media activities can provide meaningful community educational opportunities focused on Alzheimer disease and related dementias and have a measurable impact on the recruitment of participants into research studies. Additionally, this study highlights the importance of tracking outreach program outcomes for evaluating return on investment.

Creating Accessible Spaces for Experiential Learning in an Online Environment

The switch to online learning required a creative solution to allow for the experiential learning outcomes of the program to be satisfied when access to physical spaces and equipment was restricted. This paper describes a collaborative process between technical and support staff as well as research and teaching faculty that led to the creation of meaningful experiential learning opportunities for over one thousand stakeholders. The implemented solutions included the development of hardware and software, the creation of documentation and training procedures for teaching assistants and designing a support system for the students.

Artificial intelligence in dermatology: Bridging the gap in patient care and education

The application of artificial intelligence (AI) in education and clinical medicine has shown tremendous growth. The primary explanation for this application is AI's ability to integrate efficient and tailored methods for screening, using diagnostics, and enhancement of patient and medical education. AI's wide scope of utility can be seen through its ability to improve efficiency in clinical settings through scheduling, charting, diagnostics, and screening tools, ultimately allowing physicians to spend more focused time on patient care. AI has also had a tangible impact on promoting patient education through its ability to provide patients with preliminary information regarding their diagnoses before followup and to further discussion with their physician. AI's application in medical education is promising due to its ability to provide immediate and interactive feedback to the learner, which allows for meaningful reinforcement of knowledge. AI can therefore be recognized as a tool that can provide incredible enhancement in the areas of clinical medicine and education, with meaningful opportunities for integration and application.

Integrating Digital Tools to Enhance Access to Learning Opportunities in Project-based Science Instruction

Digital technologies and the instructional contexts in which they are embedded can increase students’ access to meaningful learning opportunities. Although there is a tradition of designing and integrating digital tools in secondary-grades project-based science instruction to enhance learners’ access to disciplinary learning, the elementary grades have received less attention. This has left classroom teachers with limited guidance for leveraging affordances of digital tools in project-based learning (PBL) with younger learners. In this article, we describe the design and integration of digital tools in Multiple Literacies in Project-based Learning, a recent elementary-grade project-based science curriculum that integrates literacy and mathematics. We use the principles of Universal Design for Learning to characterize the affordances of these digital tools, with attention to how the interplay of the tools and the PBL environment in which they were embedded enhanced access to learning opportunities for all students.

A Systematic Review of the Role of Multimodal Resources for Inclusive STEM Engagement in Early-Childhood Education

This paper presents the findings from a systematic review of 29 websites and 13 frameworks that provide STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) educational resources for parents, educators, and children (birth–8 years of age). Our theoretical approach is rooted within a social semiotic perspective that has indicated that multimodality enables children to use different types of expression to communicate a message or share an idea. Using the PRISMA methodology and the narrative document analysis approach, the themes that emerged included how the content and resources available on the websites addressed whether multimodality supported STEM engagement in an inclusive manner. The findings revealed that there were scarce multimodal resources that engaged children with fun, interactive, and meaningful opportunities to be autonomous learners (e.g., children had agency) (n = 11 out of 29), moving between the digital and hands-on physical spaces (n = 8 out of 29), employing gamification for deep learning (n = 4 out of 29), and piquing children’s imagination, inquiry, and creativity, and links to everyday STEM scenarios were hardly present (n = 10 out of 29). The implications lie in addressing early STEM engagement by considering children’s learning abilities and agency, bearing in mind parents/educators’ sociocultural backgrounds, confidence in STEM awareness, and multimodal avenues for communicating STEM learning and inquiry.

Older Adults' Engagement in Advisory Councils and Committees: The case of Manitoba, Canada

AbstractWhile older adults and family carers have important contributions to make to social and civic life in Canada, meaningful opportunities for engaging in democratic governance are often limited. Using the province of Manitoba as a case study, we ask how relevant advisory councils and committees have been designed and constituted; how have they operated in practice; and what explains their span of influence and effectiveness. Interviews with older adults and family carers show that they want to be involved, that they believe that advisory committees/councils can be effective mechanisms for engagement, and that they think these entities can impact decision‐makers, especially in the health sector.

Implementation of an Interprofessional Diabetes Management Clinic in the Rural Primary Care Setting.

Background: Access to a primary care provider is not guaranteed for many living in rural settings. Notably, rural populations experience a higher degree of burden from chronic diseases compared to urban-dwellers. For example, diabetes can go undiagnosed and undertreated with lack of primary care. To address these care gaps at a large, rural family medicine practice in western North Carolina, a multidisciplinary pharmacist-led diabetes clinic was developed. Objectives: This article describes the implementation, evolution, and impact of the diabetes management clinic and explores future directions for improving the experience of patients and health care providers. Practice Description and Innovation: The diabetes management clinic at Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC) is a pharmacy resident-led interdisciplinary clinic incorporating nutrition and pharmacy learners to provide patient care in both telehealth and in-office settings. Since its inception in 2018, the clinic has facilitated meaningful learning opportunities for students and residents and helped patients manage their diabetes in a multifaceted approach. Evaluation Methods: A retrospective, cross-sectional study evaluated diabetes-related outcomes for 80 patients seen in the diabetes management clinic during twelve months of appointments. The primary outcome measure was change in A1c from baseline. Results: Among patients with a follow-up A1c during the study (n=64), there was a mean reduction in A1c by 0.79% from baseline. Additionally, among those with a second follow-up A1c available (n=32), there was a mean reduction from baseline in A1c of 1.42%. Conclusion: The utilization of pharmacy residents as part of an interdisciplinary diabetes management clinic can extend access to care for underserved patients. The clinic also serves as a structured teaching clinic for interdisciplinary learners, and it has contributed to positive clinical outcomes, strong interprofessional collaboration, and expansion of experiential education opportunities since its inception in 2018.

Not for all: Barriers to universal accessibility in nature-based tourism and recreation spaces across British Columbia, Canada

The health and well-being benefits of nature contact are inequitably distributed. Among other communities, persons with a disability have fewer opportunities to engage in nature contact in a self-determining way due to the presence of interlocking physical, informational, service, policy, and attitudinal barriers. The purpose of this project was to utilize accepted accessibility standards to document the state of accessibility in nature based tourism and recreation spaces across British Columbia. Following community-based research practices, a team of academic researchers and experts working in accessibility practice collected over 6,700 unique measurements documenting potential barriers across 124 outdoor tourism and recreation sites. Of the 974 infrastructure elements and features assessed, fewer than five percent met all required standards. This paper shares evidence about the categories of infrastructure that are most problematic from an access and inclusion perspective, as well as those that are comparable brightspots. Results demonstrate a considerable gap between Canada's policy goal to become barrier free by 2040 and the present state of accessibility in outdoor spaces across the nature continuum. Management ImplicationsOrganizations managing outdoor tourism and recreation spaces across the nature continuum in British Columbia, Canada are not meeting interrelated moral, legislative, and social demands for equitable access to nature. Management agencies should invest in data collection completed in partnership with the disability community to reveal the full suite of barriers that prevent access across the province. New capital investment programs are required to upgrade legacy infrastructure and realize new features and amenities that provide meaningful opportunities to all. To ensure accessibility does not diminish over time, changes in management practices like incorporating accessibility requirements into operational contracting, hiring for lived experience, and building accessibility monitoring into maintenance planning and operations are needed.

Creating a win-win: A novel layered learning approach for assessing first-year pharmacy students' communication skills

Background and purposeIndividualized assessment of students in skills-based courses is essential for practice readiness, however recruiting evaluators is challenging. Our school of pharmacy offers a teaching certificate program for postgraduate year one pharmacy residents (PGY1 residents; PGY1s) which requires completion of a teaching experience. The longitudinal layered learning assessment experience (LLLAE) was designed to meet instructional needs for individualized assessment of first-year pharmacy students' communication skills and provide a meaningful teaching opportunity for PGY1s. This manuscript describes the implementation and evaluates the impact of the LLLAE. Educational activity and settingPGY1s were invited to participate in the yearlong LLLAE. Faculty developed PGY1s' skills through training sessions, direct observation, and debrief sessions. PGY1s evaluated students and provided feedback using pre-defined criteria during 3 summative assessments (capstones). Capstones were common pharmacy practice scenarios in which students interact with an actor serving as a standardized patient or provider. PGY1s completed an end-of-year survey to self-rate their improvement in evaluating students, providing feedback, and confidence. FindingsTwenty-two PGY1s participated in the LLLAE over 2 years. They evaluated 73.2% of total capstone interactions. The end-of-year survey was completed by 20 PGY1s (90.9% response rate). All respondents indicated improvement in their skills to evaluate students, ability to provide feedback, and confidence. Scores were 4 or 5 (scale of 1 to 5) across all measures. Key contributors fostering improvement were the training and debrief sessions, faculty feedback, pre-defined criteria, and multiple practice opportunities. SummaryThis novel layered learning approach was a win-win for faculty and PGY1s. The approach improved feasibility for faculty to continue individualized student assessment while mentoring early career pharmacists. PGY1s gained an opportunity to contribute to student growth, learn from experienced faculty, and develop skills for practice. Additionally, students benefited from individualized feedback.

Organizational ethical climate: influence on employee meaning and well-being

PurposeThe organizational environment can influence how employees experience meaningfulness. This study examines the mediating role of meaningful work between organizational ethical climates and the affective well-being of employees. We also test for the moderating role of self-regulatory traits in this relationship.Design/methodology/approachPartial least squares – structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was employed to test the hypothesized model using responses from 430 working professionals. Recommended robustness checks were conducted before model assessment and hypotheses testing.FindingsThe findings suggest that a caring ethical climate is positively related to affective well-being. Meaningful work dimensions, i.e. unity with others, inspiration and balancing tensions partially mediate the relationship between the caring climate and affective well-being. Integrity with self and balancing tensions fully mediate the negative effect of an instrumental climate on affective well-being. Positive mediation of unity with others and negative mediation of reality were observed between a law and code climate and affective well-being. Moderating effects of self- and other-orientation and self-monitoring were also observed.Research limitations/implicationsThe study presents significant insights, however, a few limitations must be discussed. The study has relied on cross-sectional data which may be addressed in future studies.Practical implicationsIn times when organizations are spending in large amounts in ensuring meaningful work and employee well-being, this study suggests internal mechanisms that can bring positive impact in employees' work life. Leaders should assess how employees perceive the ethical climate of the organization in order to provide better meaningful work opportunities to the workforce.Social implicationsHaving meaningful work and experiencing affective well-being are significant for a collective betterment of society. Meaningful work encourages individuals in identifying how their work if affecting the society. A affectively happy workforce is essential in building a mentally healthy society.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the investigation of organizational factors that help employees find meaning in their work. Based on ethical climate theory, this study highlights how organizations can redesign and modify their ethical climates to provide opportunities for employees to experience meaningful work and improve their affective well-being.

Enhancing employability through university-industry linkages: Omani engineering students’ perspectives of the Eidaad internship programme

Like many Middle East and North Africa countries, one of the main socio-economic challenges facing Oman is the creation of meaningful graduate employment opportunities. A combination of factors that include the gap between the expertise and skills acquired in higher education and workforce requirements means many students struggle to find suitable jobs upon graduation. Consequently, providing quality education and developing national talents are key objectives of the country’s Vision 2040 development roadmap. Higher levels of cooperation between tertiary institutions and industry within the framework of government policy are necessary to achieve these outcomes. This study explores undergraduate engineering student perceptions of one example of this collaboration – the Eidaad internship programme. To better understand interns’ perceptions of the programme’s personal and professional benefit across targeted areas and means for further improvement, a three-part on-line questionnaire was administered to current and former programme participants. Results indicate overwhelmingly positive perceptions of the programme, including in terms of enhancing interns’ teamwork skills, workplace participation, communication skills, clarity of career plans and objectives, and so on. Participant suggestions for improvement include the creation of concrete employment pathways and the provision of further on-the-job training opportunities. Implications for the Eidaad and similar internship programmes are discussed.

Planning and Pedagogical Considerations for Teaching Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder in Physical Education

Around the world, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a prevalent neurodevelopmental condition. It is linked to a wide range of deficiencies across multiple domains, including restrictive and repetitive behaviors that impair interaction or engagement with others. School-aged children with ASD face challenges that make physical activity more difficult. To address challenges associated with ASD, physical education interventions need to be tailored to the child’s needs and abilities. Despite advances in research on children with ASD in physical education, adopting contemporary approaches is yet to be the norm. This review aimed to examine the literature on intervention models to improve the physical activity skills of children with ASD and to suggest practical considerations for delivering an effective physical education program and lessons. The recommendations provided in this review support teachers in applying strategies that maximize meaningful learning opportunities for children with ASD and use effective pedagogies that meet their needs.