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In the first part of the paper, I analyzed the content of the scientific-methodical paper for obtaining the first teaching degree with the title " The Touristic Potential of the Gersa Valley and Its Exploitation" and the presentation of pedagogical research which involved the students. The research described was conducted in the school year 2013-2014 at the "Iacob and Ioachim Mureșanu" Secondary School in Rebrișoara, Bistrița-Năsăud County, Romania. A practical quantitative pedagogical research, with an observation and an experimental phase was organized. The research paradigm was constructivism. The research strategy was action- research.

In the first part of the paper, I analyzed the content of the scientific-methodical paper for obtaining the first teaching degree with the title "The Touristic Potential of the Gersa Valley and Its Exploitation" and the presentation of pedadogical research which involved the students. The research described was conducted in the school year 2013-2014 at the "Iacob and Iochim Murşanu" Secondary School in Rebrişoara, Bistriţa-Năsăud County, Romania. A practical, quantitative pedagogical research, with an observation and an experimental phase was organized. The research paradigm was constructivism. The research strategy was action-research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Etnográfica: Revista do Centro de Estudos de Antropologia Social is the property of Centro em Rede de Investigacao em Antropologia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Gender & Development is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Using the case of the 'Grandangolo' project in Turin, funded by the European Union (EU) through the 4th call on urban security of the Urban Innovative Actions (UIA) programme, the paper discusses the role of the university and the relationship between the latter and local actors in enabling social innovation ecosystems through public funds. In a complex system where greater engagement of neighbourhoods is increasingly required in order to find solutions to local issues, university action-research laboratories can help achieve this task. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What happens when affection and the awareness of affectivity, in the sense of 'love' or 'tenderness', become the objects of training and evaluation in pre-service teacher education? Our theoretical framework describes the link between positive emotional arousal and learning, the role played by the emotional dimension in the construction of a professional teaching identity, and the relevance of a teacher's historical-emotional background for the cognitive construction of heuristics. We developed a teaching program designed to energize the experience of pre-service teachers in the university classroom. Through positive emotional arousal, we aimed to provoke a series of creative reflection processes regarding the teaching profession. Our research goal was to describe and interpret the program's potential effects on the learning process and the construction of these pre-service teachers' professional identity. The method applied in this paper was action-research carried out during three academic years of fieldwork with a total of 365 students. We coded the students' narratives regarding their learning process and teaching identity into several conceptual nodes representing their insights and feelings concerning those topics. Our results and discussion highlight the importance of affective teacher education as a means of enhancing pre-service teachers' learning, contributing toward the growth of their professional identity, and cultivating a culture of care and love in the classroom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Psychosocial Intervention is the property of Colegio Oficial de Psicologos de Madrid and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Adolescent and young women face grave nutrition challenges, but limited evidence exists on solutions to improve their diets. Action‐research was done over 3 years (2020–2022) in secondary cities of Colombia (Medellin) and Vietnam (Thai Nguyen) to identify nutrient deficits in adolescent and young women diets; elaborate food‐based recommendations to improve their nutritional status using Optifood linear programming; and engage respondents in incorporating suggested recommendations to their diet using a Social Innovation Challenge approach. A total of 1001 respondents were interviewed in Vietnam, 793 in Colombia. The probability of nutrient inadequacy in both locations was highest for iron and calcium, followed by the risk of deficiency for several other vitamins and minerals. Social Innovation Challenge teams (11 in Vietnam, 9 in Colombia) were created and supported in developing solutions to improve diets and tackle those deficiencies. Awards and resources were transferred to the most promising solutions to enable their implementation. Pre/post measurements of the interventions' impact using the Global Diet Quality Score as outcome metric showed significant improvement in the diets of Challenge participants. After introducing a series of companion articles that offer detailed results on those various steps, this paper draws strategic lessons from an action‐research perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The "Companion Modeling" community is a French association that gathers dozens of researchers in ecology, computer science and social sciences from France and the Global South. Its objective is to propose tools, such as debates, simulations and games, to administrations and local populations in order to deescalate conflictual situations involving the management of natural commons. ComMod's treatment of futures in the context of committed action-research is distinct. Existing taxonomies seem to neglect the specificity of their practices, whose main objective is pedagogic and empowering, not anticipatory nor predictive. ComMod anticipates the collapse of natural resources through very simple scenario-building, in order to raise awareness within a given community and push people to change their behaviors. The main contribution of this paper is to propose a novel term to describe this specific relationship to futures--"committed scenario-building"--which ComMod can be seen as a prototype of. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Dialogia is the property of Editorial Revista Dialogia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Purpose In collaborative settings, such as research and development projects, obtaining the maximum benefit from knowledge management systems depends on the ability of the different partners to understand the conceptualisation underlying the system’s knowledge organisation. This paper aims to show how information/knowledge organisation in a multi-organisation project can be made more effective if the domain experts are involved in the specification of the systems semantic structure. A particular aspect is further studied: the role of conceptual relations in the process of collaborative development of such structures.Design/methodology/approach An action-research approach was adopted, framed by a socio-semantic stance. A collaborative conceptual modelling platform was used to support the members of a research and development project in the process of developing a lightweight ontology aiming at reorganising all the project information in a wiki system. Data collection was carried out by means of participant observation, interviews and a questionnaire.Findings The approach to solve the content organisation problem revealed to be effective both in the result and the process. It resulted in a better-organised system, enabling more efficient project information retrieval. The collaborative development of the lightweight ontology embodied, in fact, a learning process, leading to a shared conceptualisation. The research results point to the importance of the elicitation of conceptual relations for structuring the project’s knowledge. These results are important for the design of methods and tools to support the collaborative development of conceptual models.Originality/value This paper studies the social process leading to a shared conceptualisation, a subject that has not been sufficiently researched. This case study provides evidence about the importance of the early phases of the construction of ontologies, mainly if domain experts are deeply involved, supported by appropriated tools and guided by well-structured processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on the authors' personal experience in the Edible Public Space project (Leeds, UK), this paper explores the “spheres of influence” and contradictions that shaped the project's trajectory. We identify and analyse the dynamics and contradictions at play in the formation of an urban gardening group grown out of a coming together of scholarly and committed action ambitions and aim to capture learning elements for scholarly activism, political gardening and radical urbanism. We explore the action research intervention with a focus on the role of spatial interventions in fostering social innovation in the public food and land agenda. We structure our discussion in a threefold conceptual framework: (i) a discussion on shifting planning arenas and their understanding in social innovation; (ii) an overview of the role of political gardening practices, in particular of food commons/food sovereignty initiatives, in envisioning and implementing alternative urbanism and (iii) a discussion on the action research nexus, through a thick case study description in which we also unpack our own engagement and positionality. Doing so, we aim to contribute to the creation of an active memory of political gardening. The paper will speak in particular to a rising number of researcher–gardeners–environmentalists, and aims to problematise the links between research-informed strategic thinking and actions, and the vocation of critical urban theory to provide and make visible alternatives for social change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Zeitschrift für Öffentliche und Gemeinwirtschaftliche Unternehmen (ZÖgU) / Journal for Public & Nonprofit Services is the property of Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: In French Guiana, gold miners working illegally represents a major reservoir of malaria. This mobile population, mainly of Brazilian descent, enters the French Guianese forest from neighbouring countries, Suriname and Brazil. A complex and innovative intervention was piloted as a cooperation with the three involved countries involved to control malaria in this specific population. The principle was that health workers called "facilitators" provide the participants with a self-diagnosis and self-treatment kit along with adequate training and material to rapidly manage an episode of malaria symptoms on their own, when they find themselves isolated from health care services. Methods: This paper describes the design, development, content of the intervention and players' organization of this multi-country project, the opportunities and constraints encountered, and the lessons learnt at this stage. Results: The choice not to implement the usual "Test and Treat" approach within the community is mainly driven by regulatory reasons. The content of medical messages tends to balance the tension between thoroughness, accuracy and efficacy. The wide range of tools developed through a participatory approach was intended to cope with the challenges of the literacy level of the target population. Despite the difficulties encountered due to language, regulation differences and distance between partners, cooperation was fruitful, due to the complementary of stakeholders, their involvement at all important stages and regular face-to-face meetings. Discussion and conclusion: This experience shows the feasibility of an ambitious project of action-research in a border malaria context, involving several countries and with a mobile and undocumented population. It reveals some factors of success which may be transferable in analogous settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Pedagogy is the property of Institute of Educational Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The COVID-19 pandemic affected education communities by turning students and teachers abruptly to online teaching. This imposition of digital education is being investigated by various researchers all over the world since it has changed the way we conceive of the use of technology in classrooms and in our lives in general. Nevertheless, the students' voice is being neglected and not taken seriously into account. In this paper an action research is presented with the teacher acting as researcher and the students as co-researchers. This action research took place during the first wave of the pandemic (March 2020-May 2020) in Crete, Greece. The students, after investigating the online education in general and after various discussions, in their final accounts reflected upon a. the changes in their role as students, b. the changes in the role of the teacher, c. they proposed the role that a teacher should have today. The teacher-researcher analyzed these three categories with Critical Discourse Analysis to identify the discourses the students promoted or silenced. The findings showed that online education is not a success story as promoted by researchers, policymakers, and other stakeholders; rather it lacks human elements like humor, psychological support, and instant interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to describe how the Corona virus pandemic moved our institution from a traditional teacher-centred, one-size-fitsall teaching institution to an online mode of learning. The research question posed is: how did the Corona virus pandemic effect move the traditional teacher-centred approach to online mode of learning in a private institution of higher education in South Africa? A combination of Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework and inter pretiveaction research were employed to explain what the faculty did in response to the effects of Corona virus and national lockdown in our institution. We found that the poorest students were the most affected, especially with regards to internet access and online learning resources. We also found that private-public university partnerships could enable access to laptops and Internet for all our students. We recommend that small, private institutions of higher education such as ours, should not be complacent with one mode of curriculum delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of PARC Pesquisa em Arquitetura e Construção is the property of Universidade Estadual de Campinas - Portal de Periodicos Eletronicos Cientificos and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This special issue on community-based interdisciplinary research grew out of the work of the SCRA Interdisciplinary Task Force and an Interdisciplinary Working Conference held at Vanderbilt University in May, 2004. In this introduction to the special issue, the historical context for interdisciplinary underpinnings for community psychology theory, research, action and training is first depicted. This is followed by a brief description of the mission and work of the recent SCRA Interdisciplinary Task Force and the Interdisciplinary Working Conference. The introduction concludes with a brief summary of the papers in the two main sections of the special issue, Prospects and Perspectives (four scholarly papers and three commentaries) and Community-Based Interdisciplinary Action-Research (four interdisciplinary action-research projects). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Pretexto is the property of Revista Pretexto and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of ESTOA: Revista de la Facultad de Arquitectura y Urbanismo de la Universidad de Cuenca is the property of ESTOA Revista de la Facultad de Arquitectura y Urbanismo de la Universidad de Cuenca and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Domínios de Lingu@gem is the property of Dominios de Lingu@gem and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

We describe an action-research project whose objective was to help stakeholders at different organisational levels achieve sustainable land management by developing mediation models and tools. We chose to test a specific approach called companion modelling in the framework of a multidisciplinary research partnership and a formal local partnership (a ‘users committee’) involving an array of stakeholders at different organisational levels. The study area covers 10,000 km2 of agro-pastoral land around Lake Guiers in northern Senegal. We conducted studies to update the knowledge base of the area and organised six field workshops that clearly revealed three important tool functions to support decision-making on land use at different scales, i.e. understanding maps, monitoring and evaluating land tenure, and foreseeing changes in land use. We found that a toolbox approach was the best way to implement the three functions and overcome the constraints faced by the research team and those linked to the timing of the project. Therefore, we produced five simple complementary tools aimed at various users: a farm-level optimisation model (for researchers and technical services), a database for land allocations and a discussion tool to assess the impact of land allocation decisions (for the rural council), a paper atlas (for local players) and a regional land use change simulation model (for regional and national planners). Participants were able to work with paper maps, to interpret computer-generated simulations of land use change and understand the strengths and limitations of each. Self-assessment of the research process emphasised the importance of the context and the critical role played by social capital at both the research and the field level, which, in turn, emphasised the need for major improvements in the design and implementation of a quality process for participatory modelling. It turns out that action-research may be an effective way to undertake sustainability science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is a practice-based paper, which will look at developments in Creative Writing PhD supervision at Lancaster University (UK) that have united aspects of face-to-face supervision with a newly designed virtual learning environment. The paper will examine some of the assumptions underlying actuality in learning and how they are challenged by the virtual learning environment and (in Iser's terms) the capacity of creating writing itself to imply authors and readers. The components of the distance-learning process - learning journals, creative work and tutorial reports - will be considered in the context of blended learning supervision. The dual nature of the tutorial report as a critical-literary text engaging with the creative work and contributing to the discourse around it will be central to the discussion. We will discuss research-as-practice in terms of action-research, the structure of the Creative Writing PhD, and the role of different forms and registers of writing in supervision; we will demonstrate the role of actual and virtual learning environments and how students and supervisors can modulate between them to create understanding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Community-based research often brings investigators from different disciplinary backgrounds together with community representatives to conduct research on topics of mutual concern. This paper describes a case example that illustrates an interdisciplinary/intersectoral study of depression and barriers to mental health care among older adults and illustrate the factors central to implementing a successful research partnership. It will address the following conditions that facilitate and challenge interdisciplinary/intersectoral research: (1) achieving commonality of purpose in study design and research and referral approaches; (2) ensuring the ability to develop, field-test and implement psychometrically rigorous and culturally and qualitatively appropriate instruments; (3) building effective management structures for interdisciplinary/intersectoral research partnerships; and (4) identifying, training and supporting qualified researchers to carry out a mental health study with older ethnically diverse adults. The paper concludes with strengths and limitations of the approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At the end of their product life cycle, tires require special handling and treatment in order to avoid damaging the environment and society. Reverse Logistics (RL) is necessary to manage this type of solid waste. In Brazilian cities, collection is one of the bottlenecks. One of the main difficulties in this process is enabling joint-action between the main stakeholders: Final consumers, the government and private companies. The main objective of this paper is to identify e implement opportunities for improvement in the collection phase of end-of-life tires through action-research, involving simultaneous participation between public and private organizations. The motive for this is that the knowledge generated can serve as a basis of information and references which aid in decision-making for public authorities who need to start similar programs or improve existing ones. The Action-Research occurred in a Brazilian city with less than 100,000 inhabitants, which fits the profile of 94.91% of the country's municipalities. Final results proved the efficiency of the action-research proposal; after implementing the changes, the monthly collections grew by 50% (action), and the Action-Research team was able to generate and document knowledge which can now help other cities to improve their own processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Dimensión Empresarial is the property of Universidad Autonoma del Caribe, Departamento del Atlantico and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Commons. Revista de Comunicación y Ciudadanía Digital is the property of Universidad de Cadiz and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

What happens when affection and the awareness of affectivity, in the sense of ‘love’ or ‘tenderness’, become the objects of training and evaluation in pre-service teacher education? Our theoretical framework describes the link between positive emotional arousal and learning, the role played by the emotional dimension in the construction of a professional teaching identity, and the relevance of a teacher’s historical-emotional background for the cognitive construction of heuristics. We developed a teaching program designed to energize the experience of pre-service teachers in the university classroom. Through positive emotional arousal, we aimed to provoke a series of creative reflection processes regarding the teaching profession. Our research goal was to describe and interpret the program’s potential effects on the learning process and the construction of these pre-service teachers’ professional identity. The method applied in this paper was action-research carried out during three academic years of fieldwork with a total of 365 students. We coded the students’ narratives regarding their learning process and teaching identity into several conceptual nodes representing their insights and feelings concerning those topics. Our results and discussion highlight the importance of affective teacher education as a means of enhancing pre-service teachers’ learning, contributing toward the growth of their professional identity, and cultivating a culture of care and love in the classroom.

Copyright of Retos: Nuevas Perspectivas de Educación Física, Deporte y Recreación is the property of Federacion Espanola de Asociaciones de Docentes de Educacion Fisica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista de Administração is the property of Instituto de Administracao da FEA-USP and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In this protocol we complete the first three stages of action research to analyze possibilities for continuous improvement of processes in public universities. We define the problem or area of improvement in the organization; we identify the relevance of the topic to generate an academic contribution and propose an action plan or work protocol. Although we have focused on a public higher education organization, this protocol can be applicable without requiring too many adaptations, to any public service (at least in the Spanish context). [Protocolo: plan de acción para investigación-acción sobre mejora continua en servicios públicos. Aplicación a educación universitaria Resumen En este protocolo completamos las tres primeras etapas de la investigación acción para analizar posibilidades de mejora continua de procesos en universidades públicas. Definimos el problema o área de mejora en la organización; identificamos la relevancia del tema para generar una contribución académica y proponemos un plan de acción o protocolo de trabajo. Aunque nos hayamos centrado en una organización de educación superior pública, este protocolo puede ser aplicable sin precisar demasiadas adaptaciones, a cualquier servicio público (al menos en el contexto español). Palabras clave: Investigación-acción; mejora continua; universidad; mejora procesos; servicios públicos]

This study proposes a conceptual framework that explains the significance of collaborative learning in increasing the collective knowledge required to incorporate sustainability into an organization's culture with the objective of creating long-term value. The research was conducted with a mixed-method approach in two phases. First, the researcher studied a progressive Pakistani textile manufacturer to showcase the dimensions of its sustainability culture through a sustainability culture and leadership assessment survey. Subsequently, an action-research intervention was performed with the same organization to introduce collaborative learning as a contemporary learning practice to facilitate the implementation of sustainability factors. The proposed framework introduced in this study highlights the dimensions of a sustainability culture as an important driving force in an organization's attempt to embrace sustainability. The paper also describes how a collaborative learning practice induces a relational space among employees. Such a space generates collective knowledge and the potential for future collaborations in strengthening a sustainability culture and addressing the long-term social, environmental, and economic concerns of corporate sustainability. Moreover, the study establishes a foundation for further empirical research to determine the impacts of collaborative learning practices and sustainability culture in implementing corporate sustainability practices and supporting global sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This action-research work aims to highlight the impact of collaborative learning on initiating and facilitating future collaborations among employees of an organization. The collaborative learning incorporated learning-history as a key facilitating tool for highlighting notable results and developing those into a shared future. The collaborative learning was co-designed with the OD department of a large Pakistani corporation and involved an all-day interactive workshop for middle level managers, the first of its kind with this employee population. The workshop helped reduce the relational barriers among employees and resulted in collective knowledge generation focused on conserving energy. The post-workshop feedback revealed the significance of collaborative learning in the form of more relational space, trust, openness and cooperation to support sustainability. The paper describes this intervention through different epistemological perspectives of action-research involving first, second and third-person research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An essential task of participatory action-research is to help close the policy implementation gap that leads to large discrepancies between policy frameworks and local practices. Too often, official regulations, laws and decrees fail to translate into concrete action on the ground. Loose institutional linkages between research, extension and local communities are often blamed as the main culprits for this gap. In turn, many stakeholders call for enhanced participation as a way to bring together scientists, development practitioners and local communities in negotiating competing claims for natural resources and designing realistic pathways towards sustainable development. Despite such general consensus about the value of participation, the latter cannot be decreed nor imposed. Participation is an emerging quality of collective-action and social-learning processes. In this paper, the experience of participatory land-use planning conducted in Laos serves to illustrate a model of the science-practice-policy interface that was developed to facilitate the interactions between three groups of stakeholders, i.e. scientists, planners and villagers, in designing future landscapes. Emphasis was put on developing an approach that is generic and adaptive enough to be applied nationally while engaging local communities in context-sensitive negotiations. The set of tools and methods developed through action-research contributed to enhanced communication and participation from initial consultation and cooperation stages towards collective decision-making and action. Both the activity of landscape design and the resulting patterns can be improved by incorporating landscape science in strategic multi-stakeholder negotiations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes an action-research experience carried out with second year students at the School of Engineering of the National University of Entre Ríos, Argentina. Vector calculus students played an active role in their own learning process. They were required to present weekly reports, in both oral and written forms, on the topics studied, instead of merely sitting and watching as the teacher solved problems on the blackboard. The students were also asked to perform computer assignments, and their learning process was continuously monitored. Among many benefits, this methodology has allowed students and teachers to identify errors and misconceptions that might have gone unnoticed under a more passive approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Healthcare user fees present an important barrier for accessing services for the poorest (indigents) in Burkina Faso and selective removal of fees has been incorporated in national healthcare planning. However, establishing fair, effective and sustainable mechanisms for the removal of user fees presents important challenges. A participatory action-research project was conducted in Ouargaye, Burkina Faso, to test mechanisms for identifying those who are indigents, and funding and implementing user fee removal. In this paper, we explore stakeholder perceptions of ethical considerations relating to participation and partnership arising in the action-research. Methods We conducted 39 in-depth interviews to examine ethical issues associated with the actionresearch. Respondents included 14 individuals identified as indigent through the community selection process, seven members of village selection committees, six local healthcare professionals, five members of the management committees of local health clinics, five members of the research team, and four regional or national policy-makers. Using constant comparative techniques, we carried out an inductive thematic analysis of the collected data. Results The Ouargaye project involved a participatory model, included both implementation and research components, and focused on a vulnerable group within small, rural communities. Stakeholder perceptions and experiences relating to the participatory approach and reliance on multiple partnerships in the project were associated with a range of ethical considerations related to 1) seeking common ground through communication and collaboration, 2) community participation and risk of stigmatization, 3) impacts of local funding of the user fee removal, 4) efforts to promote fairness in the selection of the indigents, and 5) power relations and the development of partnerships. Conclusions This investigation of the Ouargaye project serves to illuminate the distinctive ethical terrain of a participatory public health action-research project. In carrying out such projects, careful attention and effort is needed to establish and maintain respectful relationships amongst those involved, acknowledge and address differences of power and position, and evaluate burdens and risks for individuals and groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Zeitschrift für Öffentliche und Gemeinwirtschaftliche Unternehmen (ZÖgU) / Journal for Public & Nonprofit Services is the property of Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Synergies Portugal is the property of GERFLINT (Groupe d'Etudes et de Recherches pour le Francais Langue Internationale) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Investigações em Ensino de Ciências is the property of Instituto de Fisica-UFRGS and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Although action-research is a well-known research methodology in the field of education, in the case of Greece there are few actions-researches carried out by early childhood teachers. The absence of action-research in early childhood education settings is related to the way many early childhood teachers shape their professional role as well as the curriculum of their initial education and in-service training. This paper describes the case study of three Greek early childhood teachers who do action-research for the first time. According to the three teachers, fear of educational research, the children’s age, time pressure, parents’ demands, and colleagues’ reactions are among the main obstacles in doing action-research in early childhood education. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

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