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School-law enforcement partnerships benefit from well-written memorandums of understandings (MOUs) that have been collaboratively developed with input from school law enforcement agencies and school divisions. While many school-law enforcement partnerships report having MOUs, little is known about what information the MOUs provide. We conducted a content analysis of 73 MOUs from school-law enforcement partnerships in Virginia. We coded the MOUs to obtain information about MOU structure and format and the coverage of three topic areas: school resource officer (SRO) roles, SRO training, and SRO role in school discipline. Our analysis revealed most MOUs cover the three topic areas, but what the MOUs said about these topics varied tremendously. The findings suggest all those involved in MOU development might benefit from easily accessible, streamlined resources that outline what specific issues need to be addressed when creating MOUs and how to navigate nuanced discussions about the roles and training of SROs.

Civic engagement is recognized as a critical process to address environmental and other societal issues. To examine the intersection between environmental education and civic engagement, as reported in the peer-reviewed literature, we undertook a systematic mixed studies review to identify environmental education program outcomes related to civic engagement. The environmental education programs included in the final sample (n = 56) occurred in a range of settings, involved diverse audiences, and were generally longer than a month in duration. All 56 studies reported some level of positive findings, with 19 reporting civic-related outcomes at the community level, such as community learning, community resilience, partnership building, and increased social capital. Fifty studies reported civic-related outcomes at the individual level, with civic attitudes being the most frequent. Increased civic skills and civic knowledge were also commonly reported. Analysis revealed five themes related to environmental education practices and implementation that appear to support development of civic engagement: (1) focusing on the local community; (2) actively engaging learners through participatory and experiential approaches; (3) including action-taking as an integral part of the education program; (4) emphasizing development of lifelong cognitive skills; and (5) providing ongoing opportunities for participants to engage in meaningful social interaction.

Although research on the effectiveness of school resource officers (SROs) remains mixed, the number of SROs in the U.S. continues to grow. We interviewed 18 SROs, SRO supervisors, and school leaders from exemplar programs to explore SRO role perceptions. Analysis revealed three themes: (1) SROs support a safe learning environment via multiple roles; (2) common SRO roles are law enforcer, educator, community liaison, and emergency manager; and (3) additional roles are site-specific. Our findings suggest a need to articulate expected SRO roles and recognize SROs often play multiple, overlapping roles to support a safe environment for student learning.

Objectives: This research brief explores the literature addressing quality in undergraduate education to identify what previous research has said about quality and to offer future directions for research on quality in undergraduate education. Method: We conducted a scoping review to provide a broad overview of existing research. Using targeted search terms in academic databases, we identified and reviewed relevant academic literature to develop emergent themes and implications for future research. Results: The exploratory review of the literature revealed a range of thoughtful discussions and empirical studies attempting to define quality in undergraduate education. Many publications highlighted the importance of including different stakeholder perspectives and presented some of the varying perceptions of quality among different stakeholders. Conclusions: While a number of researchers have explored and written about how to define quality in undergraduate education, there is not a general consensus regarding a definition of quality in undergraduate education. Past research offers a range of insights, models, and data to inform future research. Implication for Theory and/or Practice: We provide four recommendations for future research to contribute to a high quality undergraduate educational experience. We suggest more comprehensive systematic reviews of the literature as a next step.

As systematic reviews (SRs) of research increase in number, the methods used to conduct the analyses are becoming more diversified. While named in the methodological literature as an analytical approach, grounded theory (GT) is not frequently used as an approach in SRs; when it is, reviewers typically emphasize the use of GT coding and constant comparative methods while ignoring other key components of GT. In this article, we describe an SR of environmental education research that incorporated GT methodology to produce a theoretical model. To contribute to emerging discussions about methodological integrity when combining distinct methods like SRs and GT, we outline how our review methods aligned with core principles of GT and discuss implications of using GT when conducting an SR.

Our world faces a range of environmental problems directly linked to or exacerbated by human actions and choices. Environmental education (EE) is one tool that can create a more environmentally literate citizenry. EE research contains numerous studies examining whether or not EE programs are achieving certain outcomes, yet research on the identification of important program factors remains unclear. The purpose of this grounded theory systematic review was initial exploration into what makes EE effective with secondary students. This research was designed to develop a grounded theory model that synthesizes the strategies and outcomes associated with EE for this specific context. A systematic search identified 39 studies published between 2011 and 2018 that examined EE for secondary students in the US. Grounded theory coding and theoretical sampling informed the development of the Implementation of Authentic Environmental Education Programs (IAEEP) model, which posits program authenticity as the core category underlying the process of EE with secondary students in the US. The resultant grounded theory model can help guide secondary school educators and EE practitioners in the development and implementation of EE for secondary students.

A long history of theory exists to underpin our understanding of how to engage individuals and communities in more effective environmental conservation and sustainability practices. Yet rarely do we delve deeply into sociocultural theories of learning, which help demonstrate how learning and action are fundamentally intertwined in our interactions, our societies, and the world around us. To our detriment we ignore this compelling, well-grounded, and robust body of empirical and theoretical evidence. As climate change, biodiversity loss, and other pressing social-ecological issues intensify, the key to stemming and solving the greatest challenges of our time requires engaging individuals and communities. In this theoretical paper, we attend to the history and underpinnings of sociocultural theories of learning and their implications for environmental literacy, in particular, collective environmental literacy. We also discuss how such underpinnings are important to understand when pursuing carefully designed, actionable, and effective sustainability solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Brain tumours are the most common and fatal of all solid tumours for children and adolescents. The effects of the tumour and treatment (chemotherapy, radiation, and/or surgery) results in significant disruptions to childhood development and large amounts of missed schooling. Among other challenges for families, this produces obstacles for children and adolescents to achieve and maintain academic performance and experience positive schooling encounters. Aims: We thus aimed to systematically identify and synthesize qualitative evidence on how families experience paediatric brain tumour from diagnosis and beyond with regards to their schooling and education to identify gaps in service delivery, research, and policy. Methods: A protocol for this review was registered with PROSPERO (ID: CRD42020177165). Searches were conducted in Medline, CINAHL, PsycInfo, Embase, and Web of Science, and yielded 22 eligible papers (representing 17 studies). Data were extracted into NVivo12 and analysed by qualitative description. Results: We formed the following domain summaries: academic (perceived failure to keep up with peers and finding success where one could, the importance of encouragement for diagnosed children), social (the importance of friendships and the harm of bullying), and support (the defining factor in overall return-to-school experience, often not enough received from educational professionals and clinicians). Our review highlights the need for more comprehensive, individualized, and integrated support for diagnosed children to return to educational institutions, and for the need to address their social experiences, particularly with regards to bullying, potentially through a school-wide social and emotional learning approach. Conclusion: Funding support, evidence-based guidelines, staff skill development, and clear communication structures across families, health care facilities, schools, and educational departments are essential to achieving this.

Increased interest in climate change education and the growing recognition of the challenges inherent to addressing this issue create an opportunity to conduct a systematic review to understand what research can contribute to our ideas about effective climate change education. An academic database, EBSCO"host," was used to identify 959 unique citation records addressing climate change education. Of these, 49 sources met the criteria of focusing on assessment of climate change education interventions. Analysis of these sources examined the intervention purpose, assessment methodology, and identified strategies that might result in effective interventions. Two themes were identified that are common to most environmental education: (1) focusing on personally relevant and meaningful information and (2) using active and engaging teaching methods. Four themes specific to issues such as climate change were also generated: (1) engaging in deliberative discussions, (2) interacting with scientists, (3) addressing misconceptions, and (4) implementing school or community projects. Suggestions for addressing controversial topics like climate change are offered.

Many practitioners and researchers describe academic and environmental benefits of environmental education for kindergarten through twelfth grade (K-12) students. To consider the empirical underpinnings of those program descriptions, we systematically analyzed the peer-reviewed literature (1994-2013), focusing on outcomes of environmental education programs with K-12 students. In the resulting sample of 119 articles, we identified 121 unique outcomes, finding that most articles reported positive findings from the programs under study. Reflections stemming from the review highlight the versatility of environmental education, while also suggesting opportunities for bolder and more diversified approaches in research design and thinking.

Simple Summary: Supportive care is an essential component of excellent cancer care. It refers to the optimization of outcomes through supportive practices such as infection prevention, nutritional improvements, survivorship, early integration of palliative care, and addressing the psychological effects of cancer therapy. This perspective highlights the future directions and efforts necessary to advance supportive care in order to improve outcomes, survival, and quality of life for pediatric cancer patients. Herein, the authors summarize critical accomplishments and highlight important opportunities to expand research in this field to ensure optimal outcomes for children with cancer and survivors of childhood cancer. The optimization of outcomes for pediatric cancer patients relies on the successful advancement of supportive care to ease the treatment burden and mitigate the long-term impacts of cancer therapy. Advancing pediatric supportive care requires research prioritization as well as the development and implementation of innovations. Like the prevailing theme throughout pediatric oncology, there is a clear need for personalized or precision approaches that are consistent, evidence-based, and guided by clinical practice guidelines. By incorporating technology and datasets, we can address questions which may not be feasible to explore in clinical trials. Now is the time to listen to patients' voices by using patient-reported outcomes (PROs) to ensure that their contributions and experiences inform clinical care plans. Furthermore, while the extrapolation of knowledge and approaches from adult populations may suffice in the absence of pediatric-specific evidence, there is a critical need to specifically understand and implement elements of general and developmental pediatrics like growth, nutrition, development, and physical activity into care. Increased research funding for pediatric supportive care is critical to address resource availability, equity, and disparities across the globe. Our patients deserve to enjoy healthy, productive lives with optimized and enriched supportive care that spans the spectrum from diagnosis to survivorship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Despite the widespread use of medical cannabis, little is known regarding the safety, efficacy, and dosing of cannabis products in children with cancer. The objective of this study was to systematically appraise the existing published literature for the use of cannabis products in children with cancer. Methods: This systematic review, registered with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (CRD42020187433), searched four databases: MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, and the Cochrane Library. Abstracts and full texts were screened in duplicate. Data on types of cannabis products, doses, formulations, frequencies, routes of administration, indications, and clinical and demographic details as well as reported efficacy outcomes were extracted. Data on cannabinoid‐related adverse events were also summarized. Results: Out of 34,611 identified citations, 19 unique studies with a total of 1927 participants with cancer were included: eight retrospective chart reviews, seven randomized controlled trials, two open‐label studies, and two case reports. The included studies reported the use of various cannabis products for the management of symptoms. Cannabinoids were commonly used for the management of chemotherapy‐induced nausea and vomiting (11 of 19 [58%]). In controlled studies, somnolence, dizziness, dry mouth, and withdrawal due to adverse events were more commonly associated with the use of cannabinoids. Across all included studies, no serious cannabis‐related adverse events were reported. Conclusions: Although there is evidence to support the use of cannabis for symptom management, in children with cancer, there is a lack of rigorous evidence to inform the dosing, safety, and efficacy of cannabinoids. Because of the increasing interest in using cannabis, there is an urgent need for more research on medical cannabis in children with cancer. In the last 10 years, there has been an increase in the use of cannabis‐based products (both natural and synthetic cannabinoids) to help children with cancer‐related symptoms. This systematic review summarizes 19 studies related to the use of cannabinoids for the management of cancer‐related symptoms in children. The most common indication for the use of cannabinoids in the included studies was chemotherapy‐induced nausea and vomiting. A variety of cannabinoids were used: nabilone, Δ‐9‐tetrahydrocannabinol, dronabinol, and cannabidiol. The most common route of administration was oral with capsules as a formulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although research on the effectiveness of school resource officers (SROs) remains mixed, the number of SROs in the U.S. continues to grow. We interviewed 18 SROs, SRO supervisors, and school leaders from exemplar programs to explore SRO role perceptions. Analysis revealed three themes: (1) SROs support a safe learning environment via multiple roles; (2) common SRO roles are law enforcer, educator, community liaison, and emergency manager; and (3) additional roles are site-specific. Our findings suggest a need to articulate expected SRO roles and recognize SROs often play multiple, overlapping roles to support a safe environment for student learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses data linkage for research and it highlights the complexities and practical aspects. It reports the variations in data linkage methods across regions like Scandinavia, the U.K., and Australia and the impact of unique identifiers on accuracy. It emphasizes the benefits of data linkage in providing insights into health journeys, social determinants, health service planning, and understanding complex relationships between variables.

Background: Understanding patterns of health care use in the last year of life is critical in health services planning. Aim: To describe hospital-based service and palliative care use in hospital in the year preceding death for patients who died of heart failure or cardiomyopathy in Queensland from 2008 to 2018 and had at least one hospitalisation in the year preceding death. Design: A retrospective data linkage study was conducted using administrative health data relating to hospitalisations, emergency department visits and deaths. Participants and setting: Participants included were those aged ⩾60 years, had a hospitalisation in their last year of life and died of heart failure or cardiomyopathy in Queensland, Australia. Results: Of the 4697 participants, there were 25,583 hospital admissions. Three quarters (n = 3420, 73%) of participants were aged ⩾80 years and over half died in hospital (n = 2886, 61%). The median number of hospital admissions in the last year of life was 3 (interquartile range [IQR] 2–5). The care type was recorded as 'acute' for 89% (n = 22,729) of hospital admissions, and few (n = 853, 3%) hospital admissions had a care type recorded as 'palliative.' Of the 4697 participants, 3458 had emergency department visit(s), presenting 10,330 times collectively. Conclusion: In this study, patients who died of heart failure or cardiomyopathy were predominantly aged ⩾80 years and over half died in hospital. These patients experienced repeat acute hospitalisations in the year preceding death. Improving timely access to palliative care services in the outpatient or community setting is needed for patients with heart failure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite public support, environmental education (EE) is rarely a priority for funders, even those interested in the environment or education. We examined reasons behind the paucity of EE funding, focusing on U.S. foundations, which are one of the largest sources of support for environmental efforts. We analyzed historical giving data and interviewed a dozen funders. Over the 2003 to 2007 period, we found EE funding represented approximately 5% of overall environment funding in the United States. Reasons for the low level of EE support included definitional complexity, uncertainty about efficacy, and inclusion of EE funding within issue-specific grants, such as those focused on climate change. (Contains 3 notes, 4 tables, and 2 figures.)

Civic engagement is recognized as a critical process to address environmental and other societal issues. To examine the intersection between environmental education and civic engagement, as reported in the peer-reviewed literature, we undertook a systematic mixed studies review to identify environmental education program outcomes related to civic engagement. The environmental education programs included in the final sample (n = 56) occurred in a range of settings, involved diverse audiences, and were generally longer than a month in duration. All 56 studies reported some level of positive findings, with 19 reporting civic-related outcomes at the community level, such as community learning, community resilience, partnership building, and increased social capital. Fifty studies reported civic-related outcomes at the individual level, with civic attitudes being the most frequent. Increased civic skills and civic knowledge were also commonly reported. Analysis revealed five themes related to environmental education practices and implementation that appear to support development of civic engagement: (1) focusing on the local community; (2) actively engaging learners through participatory and experiential approaches; (3) including action-taking as an integral part of the education program; (4) emphasizing development of lifelong cognitive skills; and (5) providing ongoing opportunities for participants to engage in meaningful social interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With a shared focus on resiliency, agency, and pro-sociality, environmental education and positive youth development (PYD) have numerous intersections. Recognizing and supporting this synergy can help both fields achieve their goals, namely increased pro-environmental action and improved youth outcomes. To better understand this convergence, we undertook a systematic review to explore what environmental education outcomes reported in the peer-reviewed literature support PYD. We searched empirical research and identified 60 relevant studies. Qualitative coding revealed environmental educators are supporting PYD with a range of audiences and in varied settings via documented outcomes from all categories of the 5Cs model of PYD: competence, confidence, connection, character, and caring. Analysis revealed eight programme strategies and approaches that support PYD outcome development, including incorporating meaningful daily-life connections; emphasizing student-centred activities; and building in opportunities for teamwork, environmental action, and experiential learning. We conclude with research and practice implications for PYD and environmental education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

School-law enforcement partnerships benefit from well-written memorandums of understandings (MOUs) that have been collaboratively developed with input from school law enforcement agencies and school divisions. While many school-law enforcement partnerships report having MOUs, little is known about what information the MOUs provide. We conducted a content analysis of 73 MOUs from school-law enforcement partnerships in Virginia. We coded the MOUs to obtain information about MOU structure and format and the coverage of three topic areas: school resource officer (SRO) roles, SRO training, and SRO role in school discipline. Our analysis revealed most MOUs cover the three topic areas, but what the MOUs said about these topics varied tremendously. The findings suggest all those involved in MOU development might benefit from easily accessible, streamlined resources that outline what specific issues need to be addressed when creating MOUs and how to navigate nuanced discussions about the roles and training of SROs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Brain tumours are the most common and fatal of all solid tumours for children and adolescents. The effects of the tumour and treatment (chemotherapy, radiation, and/or surgery) results in significant disruptions to childhood development and large amounts of missed schooling. Among other challenges for families, this produces obstacles for children and adolescents to achieve and maintain academic performance and experience positive schooling encounters. Aims: We thus aimed to systematically identify and synthesize qualitative evidence on how families experience paediatric brain tumour from diagnosis and beyond with regards to their schooling and education to identify gaps in service delivery, research, and policy. Methods: A protocol for this review was registered with PROSPERO (ID: CRD42020177165). Searches were conducted in Medline, CINAHL, PsycInfo, Embase, and Web of Science, and yielded 22 eligible papers (representing 17 studies). Data were extracted into NVivo12 and analysed by qualitative description. Results: We formed the following domain summaries: academic (perceived failure to keep up with peers and finding success where one could, the importance of encouragement for diagnosed children), social (the importance of friendships and the harm of bullying), and support (the defining factor in overall return‐to‐school experience, often not enough received from educational professionals and clinicians). Our review highlights the need for more comprehensive, individualized, and integrated support for diagnosed children to return to educational institutions, and for the need to address their social experiences, particularly with regards to bullying, potentially through a school‐wide social and emotional learning approach. Conclusion: Funding support, evidence‐based guidelines, staff skill development, and clear communication structures across families, health care facilities, schools, and educational departments are essential to achieving this. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are a critical part of the marine resource management community's toolbox in seeking a sustainable and vibrant global ocean system. The processes of community engagement with MPAs, however, are rooted in pre-existing power dynamics inherent in environmental governance systems and influenced by historical contexts of colonialism. Marine governance has historically operated in a top-down manner, imposing exclusionary forms of conservation on local communities without affording them equitable power in the process. Meaningful engagement of community members in MPAs has been suggested as one of the key enabling conditions that drive successful marine protection. Specifically, participatory science methods have the potential to engage local communities, elevate local voices and expertise, and strengthen both local communities and scientific learning. This systematic scoping review assesses the peer-reviewed literature to understand the quality and nature of participatory science methods that have been used to engage communities in MPAs. The review highlights that, while participatory science methods are not uncommon in MPAs, they seldom challenge existing power dynamics. The results of this review show that power in MPA processes related to participatory science is generally retained by conventional researchers and MPA managers. Based on these findings, the authors provide recommendations to marine resource management researchers and practitioners to help the ocean governance community support greater power sharing with local communities through equitable and locally appropriate participatory science methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Following the establishment of paediatric palliative care services over recent decades, this study sought to identify information to inform future policy and practice.Methods: A rapid review using thematic synthesis was conducted to synthesise existing information about improving paediatric palliative care. Information was extracted in relation to key areas for investment and change: quality, access, advance care planning, skills, research, collaboration and community awareness.Results: A total of 2228 literature sources were screened, with 369 included. Synthesised information identified clear ways to improve quality of care, access to care, advance care planning, and research and data collection. The synthesis identified knowledge gaps in understanding how to improve skills in paediatric palliative care, collaboration across Australian jurisdictions and community awareness.Conclusions: The findings of this review bring together information from a vast range of sources to provide action-oriented information to target investment and change in paediatric palliative care over the coming decades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As systematic reviews (SRs) of research increase in number, the methods used to conduct the analyses are becoming more diversified. While named in the methodological literature as an analytical approach, grounded theory (GT) is not frequently used as an approach in SRs; when it is, reviewers typically emphasize the use of GT coding and constant comparative methods while ignoring other key components of GT. In this article, we describe an SR of environmental education research that incorporated GT methodology to produce a theoretical model. To contribute to emerging discussions about methodological integrity when combining distinct methods like SRs and GT, we outline how our review methods aligned with core principles of GT and discuss implications of using GT when conducting an SR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Brain tumors are the most common and fatal of all solid tumors for children and adolescents; those who survive live with long‐term physical and emotional consequences, as do their families. We aimed to synthesize relevant qualitative evidence on families' experiences and psychosocial service needs across the lifespan to identify gaps in care delivery and research. Methods: Searches were conducted in Medline, CINAHL, PsycInfo, Embase, and Web of Science. Identified papers were assessed with the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Tool. Data were extracted into NVivo12 and analyzed by qualitative description and, where appropriate, thematic analysis. Results: The search yielded 628 papers, of which 40 (33 studies) were eligible (6%). Although the methodological quality of the papers was low, we identified concerns that were consistently reported over time and from different perspectives. Individual family members had varying psychosocial needs to be addressed within healthcare, schooling, and public policy. These include for survivor's mental health (particularly for body image), and to the disproportionate biopsychosocial burden faced by mother‐caregivers. Conclusions: Addressing the biological aspects of brain tumor cannot be our only focus. We have an obligation to provide services that meet the needs of families across diagnosis, treatment, survivorship, palliative care, and bereavement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our world faces a range of environmental problems directly linked to or exacerbated by human actions and choices. Environmental education (EE) is one tool that can create a more environmentally literate citizenry. EE research contains numerous studies examining whether or not EE programs are achieving certain outcomes, yet research on the identification of important program factors remains unclear. The purpose of this grounded theory systematic review was initial exploration into what makes EE effective with secondary students. This research was designed to develop a grounded theory model that synthesizes the strategies and outcomes associated with EE for this specific context. A systematic search identified 39 studies published between 2011 and 2018 that examined EE for secondary students in the US. Grounded theory coding and theoretical sampling informed the development of the Implementation of Authentic Environmental Education Programs (IAEEP) model, which posits program authenticity as the core category underlying the process of EE with secondary students in the US. The resultant grounded theory model can help guide secondary school educators and EE practitioners in the development and implementation of EE for secondary students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A survey of 45 extension agents and 59 state forestry agency staff 1 year after inservice training on developing public education programs on wildland fire received 71 responses. Three primary barriers to program implementation were identified: educational, logistical, and attitudinal. Providing a toolkit of materials and resources reduced logistical and educational barriers. (Contains 14 references.) (SK)

Objective: The prevalence of life-limiting conditions in children in Australia is unknown; such data are needed to inform health service planning for paediatric palliative care. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of life-limiting conditions for children and young people aged 0–21 years living in Queensland, Australia. Methods: An observational study using linked administrative health data from the 2011 and 2016 calendar years was performed for all individuals with an International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems 10th Revision Australian Modification code relating to a life-limiting condition eligible for palliative care recorded against an admission to a public or private hospital and health service provider in Queensland or against a cause or underlying cause of death in the Queensland Registrar General Deaths. Results: The overall prevalence of life-limiting conditions per 10 000 population increased from 35.2 (95% confidence interval (CI) 34.2–36.2) in 2011 to 43.2 (95% CI 42.1–44.4) in 2016. This increase in prevalence was greatest for children <1 year of age and for those who identified as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander. Conclusion: This study has estimated the prevalence of life-limiting conditions for children and young people aged 0–21 years living in Queensland. Estimation of the number of children and young people with life-limiting conditions can inform health service planning for paediatric palliative care in Queensland. Future research is needed to identify the number of children and young people with life-limiting conditions who do not have an admitted episode. What is known about the topic?: Data from the UK indicate that the prevalence of life-limiting conditions among children and young people is increasing. However, such data are not available for the Australian population. Because prevalence data can be affected by population characteristics, it is important to establish country-specific epidemiological data rather than extrapolating data from other countries. Country-specific data can inform health planners and policy makers of the scale of the problem within a geographical and demographic context. This is essential for Australia given the diverse geographical and demographic characteristics and specific needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. What does this paper add?: This study is the first to provide an estimate of the prevalence of life-limiting conditions in children and young people aged 0–21 years in Queensland. Estimates include the prevalence of life-limiting conditions in children and young people who identify as being of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander descent. What are the implications for practitioners?: The prevalence of life-limiting conditions in Queensland is greater than previously thought. There is a need to grow both a generalist and specialist paediatric palliative care workforce in response to this increasing prevalence. The estimates of prevalence proportions from this study provide the foundation on which future health service activities can be built because they provide country-specific clinical and demographic characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increased interest in climate change education and the growing recognition of the challenges inherent to addressing this issue create an opportunity to conduct a systematic review to understand what research can contribute to our ideas about effective climate change education. An academic database, EBSCOhost, was used to identify 959 unique citation records addressing climate change education. Of these, 49 sources met the criteria of focusing on assessment of climate change education interventions. Analysis of these sources examined the intervention purpose, assessment methodology, and identified strategies that might result in effective interventions. Two themes were identified that are common to most environmental education: (1) focusing on personally relevant and meaningful information and (2) using active and engaging teaching methods. Four themes specific to issues such as climate change were also generated: (1) engaging in deliberative discussions, (2) interacting with scientists, (3) addressing misconceptions, and (4) implementing school or community projects. Suggestions for addressing controversial topics like climate change are offered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many practitioners and researchers describe academic and environmental benefits of environmental education for kindergarten through twelfth grade (K-12) students. To consider the empirical underpinnings of those program descriptions, we systematically analyzed the peer-reviewed literature (1994–2013), focusing on outcomes of environmental education programs with K-12 students. In the resulting sample of 119 articles, we identified 121 unique outcomes, finding that most articles reported positive findings from the programs under study. Reflections stemming from the review highlight the versatility of environmental education, while also suggesting opportunities for bolder and more diversified approaches in research design and thinking. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Climate change is often avoided in educational programming due to its perceived polarizing nature. Identifying areas of agreement may help educators introduce climate change topics and help audiences begin to listen. As part of a survey of Extension professionals in the southeastern US, respondents shared their thoughts about climate change. Based on methods used by Maibach, Leiserowitz, Roser-Renouf, and Mertz [(2011). Identifying like-minded audiences for global warming public engagement campaigns: An audience segmentation analysis and tool development. PLoS ONE, 6(3), e17571], we categorized respondents using the Six Americas segments. Qualitative data analysis techniques were applied to identify common themes. Five themes emerged as common across most segments: (1) confusion and mistrust abound, (2) educators face barriers to climate change education, (3) economic aspects of climate change are important, (4) we should be good stewards of Earth, and (5) adaptation is an agreeable strategy. By identifying climate change message frames with which people may agree, regardless of how they feel about climate change, educators may be able to better communicate with broader audiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although nature-based tourism is often promoted as benefiting local destinations through income generation, employment, and direct conservation support, it is also believed to influence tourists’ environmentally friendly attitudes, knowledge, and ultimately their behavior. Yet, few studies have empirically documented these outcomes, and those that do are inconsistent in the variables measured and the time frame analyzed. This paper examines the empirical research on nature-based tourism's ability to foster long-term stewardship behavior among travelers by conducting a systematic review of peer-reviewed tourism research published between 1995 and 2013. This search, focused on literature addressing changes in tourists’ environmentally related knowledge, attitudes, intentions, and actual behaviors, yielded just 30 empirical studies. Outcomes related to new environmental knowledge were commonly reported in these studies, but findings related to environmental attitudes and behaviors were inconsistent. Few studies measured environmental behavior directly, and fewer still include longitudinal assessments of persistent changes in attitudes or behaviors. We suggest potential future areas for research as well as programmatic strategies that may facilitate favorable outcomes from nature-based tourism, particularly those related to tourists’ knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors. Key areas include understanding visitors’ prior experiences and background, designing and delivering more effective interpretive messages, and using social media. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A needs assessment was conducted by graduate students in the Environmental Education Program Development course (FOR 6934), at the University of Florida to serve two purposes: (1) to provide guidance for program improvement to the Crown Region Environmental Education Service Project (RSP), and (2) to provide students with experience in developing tools and designing strategies to conduct program evaluations. After establishing an appropriate framework, the students conducted five focus groups and mailed 500 surveys to a random sample of school contacts. The return rate was 25%; a follow-up survey to non-respondents indicates there is no significant difference between respondents and nonrespondents. The survey indicates that teachers hold positive attitudes toward environmental education (EE), include elements of citizenship and action taking in their definition of EE, but have relatively little contact with the RSP. Teachers' perspectives on EE also differed widely as a function of the school administration and educational philosophy. Recommendations are offered to improve RSP's publicity and to enhance future classes that undertake similar projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This is an updated version of a Cochrane review published in Issue 11, 2013 in the Cochrane Library. In many clinical areas, integrated care pathways are utilised as structured multidisciplinary care plans that detail essential steps in caring for patients with specific clinical problems. In particular, care pathways for the dying have been developed as a model to improve care of patients who are in the last days of life. The care pathways were designed with an aim of ensuring that the most appropriate management occurs at the most appropriate time, and that it is provided by the most appropriate health professional. Since the last update, there have been sustained concerns about the safety of implementing end-of-life care pathways, particularly in the United Kingdom (UK). Therefore, there is a significant need for clinicians and policy makers to be informed about the effects of end-of-life care pathways via a systematic review., Objectives: To assess the effects of end-of-life care pathways, compared with usual care (no pathway) or with care guided by another end-of-life care pathway across all healthcare settings (e.g. hospitals, residential aged care facilities, community).In particular, we aimed to assess the effects on symptom severity and quality of life of people who are dying, or those related to the care, such as families, carers and health professionals, or a combination of these., Search Methods: We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL; Cochrane Library; 2015, Issue 6), MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, review articles, trial registries and reference lists of relevant articles. We conducted the original search in September 2009, and the second updated search in July 2015., Selection Criteria: All randomised controlled trials (RCTs), quasi-randomised trials or high quality controlled before-and-after studies comparing use versus non-use of an end-of-life care pathway in caring for the dying., Data Collection and Analysis: Two review authors independently assessed the results of the searches against the predetermined criteria for inclusion, assessed risk of bias, and extracted data. We used standard methodological procedures expected by Cochrane., Main Results: We screened 3028 titles, and included one Italian cluster RCT with 16 general medicine wards (inpatient units in hospitals) and 232 carers of cancer patients in this updated review. We judged the study to be at a high risk of bias overall, mainly due to a lack of blinding and rates of attrition. Only 34% of the participants (range 14% to 75% on individual wards) were cared for in accordance with the care pathway as planned. However, these issues were to be expected due to the nature of the intervention and condition. The study population was all cancer patients in their last days of life. Participants were allocated to care using the Liverpool Care Pathway (LCP-I, Italian version of a continuous quality improvement programme of end-of-life care) or to standard care. The primary outcomes of this review were physical symptom severity, psychological symptom severity, quality of life, and any adverse effects. Physical symptom severity was assessed as overall control of pain, breathlessness, and nausea and vomiting. There was very low quality evidence of a difference in overall control of breathlessness that favoured the Liverpool Care Pathway group compared to usual care: the study reported an odds ratio (OR) of 2.0 with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) 1.1 to 3.8. Very low quality evidence of no difference was found for pain (OR 1.3, 95% CI 0.7 to 2.6, P = 0.461) and nausea and vomiting (OR 1.5, 95% CI 0.7 to 3.2, P = 0.252). None of the other primary outcomes were assessed by the study. Limited data on advance care planning were collected by the study authors, making results for this secondary outcome unreliable. None of our other secondary outcomes were assessed by the study., Authors' Conclusions: There is limited available evidence concerning the clinical, physical, psychological or emotional effectiveness of end-of-life care pathways.