Sustainable Education Program Research Articles

Role of green finance and investment in sustainable resource development in China

This research employs the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) method to evaluate the effects of the size of the green finance market on the generation of wind power, solar power, and hydropower in China from 1990 to 2021. The empirical findings indicate that a 1% increase in the size of the green finance market is associated with a nearly 0.47% increase in wind power generation, a 0.36% increase in solar power generation, and a 0.15% increase in hydropower generation in China. Several control variables, including the Consumer Price Index (CPI), exhibit a negative impact on renewable energy sources in the short term, while China's Gross Domestic Product (GDP), small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and foreign direct investment (FDI) have positive effects. In the long run, the size of the green finance market remains crucial for the development of renewable energy, with wind power demonstrating a more significant influence. To promote green finance and sustainable energy in China, practical policies could involve the digitalization of green finance markets, the establishment of sustainable education programs to enhance public awareness of green initiatives, the improvement of regulations governing green FDI, and the utilization of technologies such as big data, artificial intelligence (AI), and financial technology (fintech) to enhance green investments.

지속가능발전지향 근면·자조·협동 기반의 인성교육프로그램이 유아의 자기효능감과 공동체의식 증진에 미치는 효과

지속가능발전지향 근면·자조·협동 기반의 인성교육프로그램이 유아의 자기효능감과 공동체의식 증진에 미치는 효과

Development and Evaluation of Home Economics Dietary Education Programs for Improving the Sustainable Dietary Competencies of High School Students

This study aimed to develop, and evaluate the effectiveness of, a home economics dietary education program that could be used to improve high school students’ sustainable dietary competencies. To achieve this goal, learning objectives and elements were selected for the education program to improve the students’ sustainable dietary competency. The content validity of this program was verified with numerous experts. After implementing the new educational program, its effect on high school students' sustainable dietary competencies was assessed through pre- and post-tests. The results of this study are summarized as follows. First, through the textbook analysis, the necessity of developing an educational program that can cultivate the three areas that constitute a sustainable diet (environment, health, and consideration) was confirmed. Second, a total of nine teaching and learning plans for sustainable dietary education programs were developed. From there, content validity verification was conducted by experts, indicating that the developed educational program was highly applicable in the field. Third, after the implementation, a survey was conducted based on a questionnaire consisting of 20 items related to three areas of sustainable diet, while the pre- and post-test assessment indicated statistically significant differences in all three areas: environment (pre: 3.40, post: 4.46, p<.001), health (pre: 3.15, post: 4.32, p<.001), and consideration (pre: 3.46, post: 4.48, p<.001). It is expected that the educational program developed in this study will be used as a basis for dietary education that fosters food citizenship in high school home economics courses.

Leveraging the OECD Framework to Create Policies That Enable Eco-Innovation: A Case study of Neom

Amid escalating urbanization worldwide, cities confront the imperative to reconcile economic growth and environmental sustainability. This study employs a comparative analysis to evaluate the applicability of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD) seminal eco-innovation policy framework within Saudi Arabia’s emergent Neom City. The OECD framework delineates a robust policy ecosystem encompassing economic incentives, regulatory standards, market facilitation mechanisms, and knowledge exchange networks to catalyze eco-innovation. Initial benchmarking reveals lacunae within Neom’s extant sustainability planning, including limited financial incentives for green technology adoption and nascent sustainability education programs. Targeted integration of OECD prescriptions could potentiate Neom’s eco-innovation across multifaceted domains spanning renewable energy integration, energy efficiency, green infrastructure, and sustainable mobility. Urban policymakers can operationalize elements of the OECD’s model to align Neom’s development objectives with ecological sustainability, propelling its ambitions to manifest as an pioneering sustainable city. This research proffers strategic insights that can enable urban governance actors worldwide to leverage policy architectures to synergize economic growth and sustainability.

Perception of Women's Knowledge of and Attitudes towards Cervical Cancer and Papanicolaou Smear Screenings: A Qualitative Study in South Africa.

Cervical cancer is the most common form of cancer worldwide. Consequently, it is crucial that women are encouraged to undergo interventions early via Papanicolaou (Pap) smear screenings to improve their health. In light of this, this study explored the knowledge of and attitudes towards cervical cancer and Papanicolaou (Pap) smear screenings among women in the Caleb Motshabi district, South Africa. Four focus group discussions were carried out among 19 women. The interviews/discussion were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim and then analysed thematically. In this regard, seven main themes emerged that provided insight into the perceptions of the participants regarding their knowledge of and attitudes towards cervical cancer and Papanicolaou (Pap) smear screenings. While the majority of participants were aware of cervical cancer and Pap smears, they lacked more specific knowledge of what this cancer is or its related causes. Although some participants had had a Pap smear done, they neither knew how the procedure was done nor the reasons for it. In addition, most mentioned receiving information about this procedure from their peers rather than healthcare workers. Notably, those with previous experience indicated that they had regular screenings. Furthermore, they better understood exactly how it is done. The findings emphasised women's limited knowledge of cervical cancer and Pap smears. It further highlighted the need for sustainable education programmes and mobile clinics to encourage an awareness of and accessibility to this particular type of screening within South African communities. Therefore, intervention strategies that make people aware of this specific cancer and encourage the uptake of Papanicolaou (Pap) smear screenings are crucial, as is the continued advocacy for sustained educational programmes and accessible healthcare services.

EXPERIENCES AND STRATEGIES OF EDUCATION AND CONSERVATION WITHIN GEOPARKS: A BIBLIOMETRIC REVIEW

UNESCO Global Geoparks are characterized by their contribution to the conservation of natural, geological, and cultural resources of the regions where they are located. Geoparks also represent an important figure within the sustainable development of the regions, so strategies around economic growth, conservation, and promotion of education are a fundamental part of their raison d'être. This study aims to identify the main trends in educational and conservation processes in geoparks worldwide. The methodological approach is based on the review of 114 articles from a search equation in the Scopus database, analyzing the results through a series of quantity, quality, and structure indicators. The search period is between 2005 and 2023, so there are recent advances in implementing educational aspects in geoparks. Other results point to the participation of several Asian and European countries as the most predominant, as well as a trend in the implementation of educational processes focused on earth sciences, environmental sciences, and social sciences. Sustainable development and conservation education programs are major players in the findings of this study. In this way, geoparks work as centers for developing conservation dynamics, developing economic and social aspects driven by educational initiatives, and disseminating knowledge to the communities and visitors. The geoheritage tourism sector integrates educational practices into developing experiences to raise awareness among the community and visitors.

Prevalence of Sperm Abnormalities and Factors Associated with Male Infertility in Douala, Cameroon

Introduction: Sperm abnormalities are common causes of male infertility in Cameroon. The causes of these abnormalities are multifactional. We described the prevalence of sperm abnormalities and to assess its associated risk factors among infertile participants visiting four hospitals in Douala. This multicentre descriptive study was carried out from the January 1rst 2010 to the December 31rst 2020 in four hospitals in Douala. The study enrolled 94 infertile participants aged between 25 to 53 years. Information from each consented participant was collected using a structure questionnaire. Following clinical examination, participants were referred for three consecutive spermograms. Data on the results of spermogram, demographic and clinical variables were summarized as frequencies and percentages using SPSS version 20. The frequency and percentage of each variable were presented on tables. This study enrolled 94 participants aged between 25 to 53 years (mean 39.21±10 years). Concerning the sperm abnormalities, most participants had Severe Oligoasthenozoospermia (62.7%), followed by those having severe Oligoasthenozoospermia with necrozoospermia (13.8%). The majority (60.6%) of them had Chlamydia trachomatis (titre IgG > 128) followed by 12.7% of others who had a varicocele. Severe Oligoasthenozoospermia was the most prevalent sperm abnormality and Chlamydia trachomatis was the most prevalent infectious risk factor. In Cameroon, the rate of male infertility is increasing but can be prevented by sustainable health education programme targeting exposure to socio-behavioural risk factors favouring sperm abnormalities.

A Needs Assessment to Inform Research and Outreach Efforts for Sustainable Agricultural Practices and Food Production in the Western United States.

Increasing the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices can help maintain sufficient food production while reducing its environmental impact. To ensure this adoption, it is important to assess the research and training needs of those helping farmers and producers adopt sustainable agricultural practices. However, there is a gap in the literature related to the training needs of producers in the Western United States for sustainable agriculture. Needs assessments help organizations, such as the Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program and Cooperative Extension, to address the demonstrated needs of intended audiences. This study presents the results of a needs assessment with the objective of examining training needs and barriers to adoption to help direct extension programming for sustainable agricultural practices in the western region of the United States, to identify gaps, and to inform sustainable agriculture outreach programs. Using a modified Borich method with an inferential statistical method, the discrepancies between the level at which sustainable agricultural practice training competencies "should be addressed" and the level at which they were "currently being addressed" were examined. Competencies with the largest gaps included financial disparity, food waste, and policy/communicating with decision makers. The top three barriers to adopting sustainable agricultural practices included the potential for financial loss, perceived risk of adoption, and time investment associated with adoption. Results indicated that training needs varied and that these were not all on-farm training needs. The results imply that future funding from Western SARE and other groups looking to support sustainable agricultural food system efforts, may wish to focus on requesting proposals for programs that address these competency gaps and barriers in novel and supplementary ways in combination with existing programmatic efforts.

Health Risk Assessment of Informal Food Vendors: A Comparative Study in Johannesburg, South Africa.

According to the best of our knowledge, there are no critical studies to date about associations between the work environment and prevalence of respiratory diseases and their symptoms among urban informal vendors in South Africa. This study followed a risk assessment methodology to assess the risks associated with the occurrence of respiratory health problems among 617 indoor and outdoor market vendors in the inner city of Johannesburg, South Africa. A walkthrough survey using a checklist was conducted in 16 Markets for identification of respiratory risk factors and description of sanitary conditions. Face-to-face interviews were conducted amongst informal food vendors using a previously validated questionnaire to collect information on demographics and occupational and respiratory health. In addition, a single day area air pollution monitoring of PM2.5, SO2, NO2, CO, and CO2 was conducted in two stalls (indoor and outdoor). The Chi-squared test of association and frequency distribution were used to analyse data. Female vendors aged between 30 to 39 years dominated the trade. The results revealed that a majority of the vendors' work shifts are longer than the recommended eight hours per day (73%), six to seven days per week (90%), and most of them have been working for six to ten years (41%). Poor sanitary conditions were observed in 75% of the markets. The concentrations of air pollutants at the outdoor markets were much greater than those in the indoor markets. All air pollution concentrations were below the recommended national and international standards. The risk of outdoor vendors developing any symptoms were extremely greater than those of indoor vendors, especially cooking vendors. Upper respiratory symptoms were the highest amongst the vendors. The results demonstrated a significant association between work-related risk factors, such as type of work location, duration, type of cooking fuel or heat, vendor training, frequency of hand hygiene practice, and using of a mask, and the upper respiratory symptoms. Based on the findings, there is a need for formalization of the trade, improvement in infrastructure, respiratory health care assessments, and sustainable educational programs.

건강신념모델(HBM)을 적용한 유아교육기관의 구강건강교육 프로그램 개발 연구

Objectives In this study, the purpose of developing oral education programs for early childhood educational institutions applying the health belief model was to lay the foundation for continuous and systematic oral health education in early childhood education institutions.
 Methods Through the literature review stage, the necessity of oral education program development research and research plan are established, and the needs of early childhood teachers, principals, parents, and dental hygiene experts are surveyed, analyzed and reflected to provide continuous oral education in early childhood education institutions. The health belief model (HBM) was applied to the possible oral education objectives, educational goals, educational contents, and teaching and learning methods. The suitability was verified by early childhood education experts and dental hygiene experts, and qualitative and quantitative evaluation methods for teachers and infants were constructed in the evaluation method.
 Results This program consists of 17 sessions, by modifying and supplementing the health belief model appropriately for oral education, to have sensitivity to one's own oral health, to recognize the seriousness of the cause of dental caries, and to recognize the benefits arising from good oral health habits. The program consisted of procedures of recovering oral health obstacles, and acquiring a sense of self-efficacy.
 Conclusions Through this study, children in early childhood education institutions check their oral conditions and based on this, they can expand and change their awareness of healthy oral care to practice and maintain behaviors for healthy oral hygiene. The significance of this study can be found in that it has prepared a sustainable oral education program that allows.

Sustainable Education and Open Innovation for Small Industry Sustainability Post COVID-19 Pandemic in Indonesia

COVID-19 severely impacted small industries in Indonesia and many collapsed. Sustainable education is essential to help small industries recover post-pandemic through an open innovation design program to improve small industries’ economic, social, and environmental performance. This paper examined the impacts of the sustainable education program implemented and explored open innovations suitable for the sustainability of small industries in developing countries, such as Indonesia, after the pandemic. This research employed a Participatory Action Research (PAR) approach involving academics, government, the community, and four small industries in West Java, Indonesia. Our findings reveal that the sustainable education program through learning activities and direct practice provides valuable knowledge and experience for small industries in designing economic, social, and environmental innovations. Open innovations post-pandemic suitable for small industries in Indonesia include simple business digitalization for company economic growth, the recruitment of people losing their jobs due to the pandemic to achieve social benefits, and innovations in using environmentally friendly packaging and charcoal briquette fuel as an environmental awareness effort. This study recommends that the open innovation designed for small industries be right on target and done using a participatory method to achieve sustainability after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Development of Sustainable Fashion Design Education Program

Development of Sustainable Fashion Design Education Program

The RECHARGE-IPCRG ‘Teach the Teacher’ programme: building capacity for pulmonary rehabilitation in low- and middle-income countries

Introduction Chronic respiratory diseases are the most common causes of morbidity and mortality globally. Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) is a low-cost, high-impact intervention with patient education and exercise at its core. Although supported by a well-established evidence base, demand greatly exceeds capacity in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), including limited workforce training opportunities to support PR development and implementation. The International Primary Care Respiratory Group’s (IPCRG) Teach the Teacher (TtT) is an established education programme designed to build sustainable local clinical teaching and delivery capacity. Methods A collaboration between the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) funded Global RECHARGE Group for PR and IPCRG to deliver a ‘Teach the Teacher’ (TtT) programme for PR capacity building. Our Tier 1 TtT programme combined educational and PR service development concepts with core clinical content adapted for RECHARGE partners in India (Pune and Delhi), Sri Lanka, Kyrgyzstan and Uganda. Due to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS‑CoV‑2) pandemic, the programme was adapted to a digital environment using online platforms such as Zoom video conferencing and Google Classroom. We used an adapted framework to evaluate professional learning and its impact. Findings Fifteen Tier 1/local leader participants attended a sixteen-hour online programme in September-October 2021. Participants included nurses, physiotherapists, doctors and early career health professionals/researchers. As local leaders in PR, participants created a tiered teaching programme for developing a critical mass of PR expert teachers, contextualised to their local healthcare systems and cultures. Participants also explored how to engage and influence multiple professional groups and stakeholders to support the widespread sustainable implementation of PR. Conclusions The RECHARGE-IPCRG TtT programme provided a clear education and service development framework to support PR capacity development in LMIC. We address a lack of empirical evidence concerning capacity-building initiatives by being explicit about the programme’s learning design, management and evaluation. A whole system perspective to PR allowed consideration of health systems, culture, referral pathways and scalability. Sustainable national PR education programmes will require additional resources and a long-term strategy, potentially aligning with the TtT three-tier cascade model.

SIMBA and CoMICs - developing evidence-based, minimal cost, and sustainable medical education programmes

Searchable abstracts of presentations at key conferences in endocrinology ISSN 1470-3947 (print) | ISSN 1479-6848 (online)

Building a sustainable model of integrated stem education: investigating secondary school STEM classes after an integrated STEM project.

This study investigated the sustainability of an integrated STEM education program. Two US high school science teachers and an engineering technology teacher sustained implementation of an integrated STEM curriculum after the conclusion of the funded program, TRAILS. Class observations were conducted to examine how the teachers implemented the integrated STEM curriculum and how they maintained integrated STEM teaching in a science and engineering technology education (ETE) teacher pair using science and engineering technology shared practices. After the integrated STEM lesson, their students’ academic achievements were compared to those of the students who previously participated in the project. The results reveal that the students showed no difference from the previous TRAILS students in terms of academic achievements as measured by STEM knowledge test scores, which may indicate that the teachers successfully maintained consistency and effectiveness of the implementation. Additionally, a twenty-first century skills survey was newly conducted to examine students’ growth in confidence in twenty-first century skills after they were taught the integrated STEM lesson. The students showed increased confidence in critical thinking, which indicates that the students benefitted from the teachers’ instructions even after the conclusion of the funded program and the absence of support. Based on the findings from the teachers’ experiences of multiple years of integrated STEM teaching, the study discusses how to better support teachers for the successful implementation of an integrated STEM curriculum as a sustainable education program in secondary schools.

Sustainable interprofessional education programmes: What influences teachers to stay involved?

ABSTRACT Delivery of interprofessional education (IPE) initiatives for pre-licensure students is increasingly the norm in health and social care training programmes. This collaborative form of education relies on teachers from various disciplines joining together to facilitate IPE. When IPE programmes first start, goodwill often prevails and facilitators are keen to take part. But as time goes on, retaining the IPE facilitator workforce is challenging. Research was undertaken to explore the experience of IPE facilitators who were part of a New Zealand university-based ten year old IPE programme. The research used a qualitative survey approach. Responses were received from 29% of all those invited to participate. Closed questions were collated and free-text survey responses analyzed using Template Analysis. Three themes and one integrative theme were identified. Themes include facilitators who are recognized, facilitators who are confident, and facilitators who are inspired. Themes were mediated by macro, meso and micro level forces. The cross-cutting integrative theme showed IPE facilitators experienced individual tipping points, with the potential to influence their continued involvement. These tipping points need to be recognized and addressed by those in senior level positions (macro-governance and meso-management), to ensure IPE facilitators continue and IPE programmes remain sustainable.

Promoting Adaptation in Female Inmates to Reduce Risk of Opioid Overdose Post-Release Through HOPE.

The purpose of the project was to develop a sustainable pre-release education program to reduce the risk of opioid overdose post-release in female inmates in a rural county jail in Middle Tennessee. The project was supported and guided using Roy's adaptation model. Content analysis resulted in common themes (initiation, moral failure, ineffective strategies, supportive environment, new beginnings, and adaptive domains), identified within the pre- and post-implementation surveys. The implementation of a successful reentry program for the vulnerable female incarcerated population has the potential to reduce the risk of opioid overdose death and negative health outcomes post-release.

Determinants of the effectiveness of audit procedures in revealing fraud

Using Attribution Theory, this study aims to examine several predictor variables such as independence, objectivity, professional skepticism, and the ability and experience of investigative auditors that potentially affect the effectiveness of audit procedures in revealing fraud. This research involved a total of 120 auditors consisting of auditors of the Supreme Audit Agency of the Republic of Indonesia (BPK) and auditors of the Indonesian Financial and Development Supervisory Agency (BPKP) representatives of the Special Region of Yogyakarta Indonesia as the research sample. The regression analysis revealed that the professional skepticism, the ability, and the experience of the investigative auditors had a significantly positive effect on the effectiveness of audit procedures in revealing fraud. The results serve as a material consideration for government auditing agencies, such as the BPK and BPKP to increase their effectiveness in implementing audit procedures using various means, such as through sustainable training and education programs as well as by increasing professional skepticism in conducting audits.

Nursing students’ experience of community-linked nursing education program: A qualitative content analysis

Purpose: This study aimed to explore nursing students’ experience with community-linked nursing education programs.Methods: This study utilized a qualitative content analysis. Participants were 55 sophomore nursing students. The community-linked nursing education program was conducted for eight weeks using the Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, Evolution (ADDIE) model. Data were collected from 55 reflection records and five individual interviews and then analyzed through the three steps of qualitative content analysis, coding, condensing, and categorizing.Results: Twelve categories, 26 subcategories, and six topics emerged. The themes of impression and lesson from the community-linked nursing education programs were “recognizing the importance of professional competence in performing the role of nurse,” “recognizing the need for leadership and cooperation in nursing practice,” and “increased awareness of the role as a nursing professional for community residents.” The themes of the strategies used were “looking at the goal and moving forward,” and “aligning differences and working together with team/community members.” The theme of strategies for the advancement of community-linked nursing education programs was “establishing a sustainable student-participating community-linked education program.”Conclusion: The community-linked nursing education programs made students aware of the necessary competencies as professionals. In particular, they gave them hope for their role as professional nurses in the community. It could also be seen that they developed the ability to engage in team activities for community activities. Community-linked nursing education programs will need to be developed into continuous programs with community residents.

Traditional Aucan knowledge on fish and plants eaten by fish along the Tapanahoni River, Suriname

Suriname’s freshwater systems are home to a large diversity of (endemic) fish species, and communities of Suriname’s interior strongly depend on this diversity for their nutrient intake. However, studies on traditional knowledge of the country’s freshwater fish and fish-plant interactions are scarce. Here, we present our findings of a pilot study in the Aucan Maroon community of Diitabiki (Tapanahoni river). We report the species of freshwater fish caught for food, their corresponding Aucan names and plants eaten by fish and/or used for fishing by the local population. We held semi-structured interviews and performed participant observation with fishers and forest guides in August and September 2021. We recorded 14 fish species, of which 12 were identified to species level, and recorded 16 Aucan fish names, of which nine were previously undocumented. Furthermore, we reported 11 plant species that were used for fishing and one fish poison (Tephrosia sinapou (Buc’hoz) A.Chev.). Suriname’s riverine ecosystems are threatened by gold mining activities that endanger the health of local communities, as well as the fish populations and riverine forests on which both people and fish depend. Local knowledge on fish, their feeding behavior and the flooded forests is essential for the conservation of this important Amazonian ecosystem, for the development of sustainable management plans and health education programs on mercury levels in consumption fish.