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Student-faculty interaction (SFI) is an important indicator of student engagement that positively associates with academic achievement and retention. Quantitative information regarding the impact of emergency remote teaching (ERT) during COVID-19 on SFI is limited. This retrospective, observational cohort study tests the hypothesis that COVID-19 ERT negatively affected SFI in a gender-dependent manner. Electronic records of office hour (OH) appointments, used to measure SFI, for first-year medical students across three time periods, before, during and after COVID, were obtained and analyzed. A concerning, marked decline in SFI during and after the COVID-19 pandemic is noted. Before COVID, significantly more women (75.20%) made at least one OH appointment compared with men (40.54%). During COVID, the proportion of women making an OH appointment (69.71%) was statistically indistinguishable from women before COVID-19. In contrast, significantly fewer men during COVID (10.34%) than before COVID made an OH appointment. On return to face-to-face teaching, no rebound effect was observed. Compared with before COVID gender-matched peers, fewer men and women after COVID made OH appointments. Discipline-based analyses show that for all three time periods physiology emerged as the content area in which students made most OH appointments. The reduction in SFI observed, combined with the consistency with which the participants in our study indicated a need for assistance with the physiology discipline, emphasizes the importance of active promotion of faculty support and deliberate efforts to reconnect with students in the post-COVID context.

Due to the novelty of the smart education phenomenon, a quantitative investigation of the variables that will influence the implementation of 'smart education' was needed. Therefore, based on a probability simple random survey of 349 Grenadian employees from tertiary institutions in the education industry, the influence of leadership and human resource capacities on smart education were investigated. Results produced from SPSS analysis software and Smart PLS revealed that leadership and human resources capacities have sufficient confidence to have a significant influence on smart education, producing a positive association with 'smart education.' However, this relationship is positively moderated by additional investments, such as infrastructural innovation. These findings enrich the current literature on smart education (SE) by increasing knowledge of the phenomenon through the lenses of the Actor-Network Theory and Technology Adoption Model. Accordingly, policymakers should bear these findings in mind when developing holistic strategies to guide SE's successful enactment.

Faculty Development programs aim to improve the knowledge, attitudes and behaviours of teaching faculty with the goal of enhancing the student learning environment. This article describes a two-year research project that explored the impact of a task-based faculty development certificate program. Attitudinal and behavioural changes were assessed by using both quantitative and qualitative measures. Participants' approaches to teaching were measured by administration of an established pre- and post-participation inventory to provide quantitative data; qualitative analysis was conducted in a review of the written post-session tasks and reflection papers. Results suggest that participation in this certificate contributed to attitudinal and behavioural change with a shift from teacher focused/content-based approaches towards student focused/learner centered approaches to teaching.

This article highlights the power of storytelling as a tool for professional learning for educators and educational leaders, particularly during this time of intense social isolation. Storytelling not only offers opportunities for healing, growth and community building, but also guides and supports educators in creating more equitable spaces for teaching and learning, in the midst of this pandemic and beyond. This article is connected to a virtual storytelling space through the Center for Research on Storytelling in Education, where readers are invited to share their stories of teaching, learning and leading throughout the COVID-19 crisis.

Mixed methods research in developing countries has been increasing since the turn of the century. Given this, there is need to consolidate insights for future researchers. This article contributes to the methodological literature by exploring how cultural factors and logistical challenges in developing contexts interplay with mixed methods research design and implementation. Insights are based on the author's research experience of using mixed methods in six projects across three African and three Caribbean countries. Three lessons are provided to aid researchers using mixed methods working in developing countries. First, cultural factors call for more reflexivity. Second, adopting a pragmatic research paradigm is necessary. And third, the research process should be iterative and adaptive.

Regional scholars in the Caribbean context have long advocated for quality early childhood education. The majority of their contributions however, focus primarily on curriculum, policy, and to a lesser extent, teaching practices. In this article, we broaden the scope of extant literature by conceptualizing a model for Caribbean early childhood education, one which draws on and supports an anti-colonial and decolonizing perspective. Specifically, we interrogate the enduring legacy of colonialism on teaching and learning practices--and illustrate how these manifest in contemporary schooling processes. Equally significant, we examine and critique underlying epistemologies that frame current regional approaches, and offer an alternative framework that accents cultural knowledges in curriculum, pedagogy and teacher education. In response, we foreground childhood decolonization as integral to the development of positive racial and cultural identity, and in such vein, offer curricula, pedagogical and institutional (i.e., teacher education) suggestions consonant with an anti-colonial and decolonizing approach to early childhood education in the English-speaking Caribbean.

With the exponential advancement of technology, global sharing, industrialization and economic development, national and global cultures are becoming more collective. More importantly, this fundamental paradigm shift is affecting national and global educational leadership cultures. Therefore, the power/distance index (PDI); individualism versus collectivism (IDV); uncertainty avoidance index (UAI); masculinity/femininity (MAS); and long-term orientation versus short-term orientation (LTO); are of interest when considering national and global cultures. These cultural dimensions can be exemplified in the responses of eight female educational leaders: three Canadians and one from Jamaica and Trinidad; two Grenadians and one Lebanese. This qualitative methodology in the form of a phenomenological study found that all respondents displayed varying degrees of each aspect of Hofstede's five cultural dimensions which can be charted along a continuum from high to low index factors. Each dimension is linked to different leadership styles. PDI is linked to servant leadership, IDV is linked to shared/participatory leadership, UAI is linked to transformational leadership and emergent leadership, and MAS is linked to people versus task-oriented leadership. In each case, the slight variances in responses reflect the microcosm of the macrocosm where each country's particular culture is mirrored. Recommendations are made for a more androgynous leadership style as well as more androgynous socialization processes if national and global educational leadership cultures are to become less gendered and more instrumental and functional based on the demands of the particular environment. It is expected that a focus could be placed on transcultural rather than intercultural studies in leadership and education.

The education system has been radically transformed by technological impetuses owed to the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4.0). Most recently, developing nations expedited smart education implementation to combat the negative effects COVID-19 has on education; thus, presenting managerial issues. A review of the literature on smart education shows that past studies focused primarily on the smart learning environment, substantially ignoring the importance of leadership and human resources capacity in the management of smart education. This study addresses the deficiency observed in the literature as it relates to the key factors that enable success in the management of smart education. The study applied a quantitative approach that derived data from a structured survey of probability simple random sampled Grenadian employees belonging to tertiary education. The Hayes multiple moderated mediation, Model 23, supported by SPSS-PROCESS Macro software was used to examine the study's model. Results showed that human resources capacity has a conditional indirect effect on smart education through the mediating variable of leadership capacity. Additionally, the moderating variables of additional investment in the '?' path and student demographics in the '?' path both displayed significant moderating effects. The findings of the study have provided several valuable insights into the theoretical and practical implications of the influence of leadership and human resources capacity in the implementation of smart education. Therefore, it is recommended, that the soft variables assessed in this paper need to be harnessed accordingly to achieve smart education.

Students find cardiovascular physiology challenging. Misunderstandings can be due to the nature of the subject, the way it is taught, and prior knowledge, which impede learning of new concepts. Some misunderstood concepts can be corrected with teaching (i.e., preconceptions), whereas others are resistant to instruction (i.e., misconceptions). A set of questions, specifically created by a panel of physiology experts to probe difficult cardiovascular concepts, was used to identify preconceptions, misconceptions, and the effect of education level on question performance. The introductory cardiovascular lecture used in this study was created based on these questions. In-class polling of medical students' (n = 736) performance was performed using the Turning-Point clicker response system during lecture instruction. Results were compared with published data from undergraduates (n = 1,076) who completed the same questions but without prior instruction. To our knowledge, there have been no studies directly comparing performance using the same instrument and large numbers of undergraduate and medical students. A higher education level was associated with increased performance (preconceptions), whereas several concepts resistant to instruction (misconceptions) were identified. Findings suggest that prior knowledge interfered with the acquisition of medical knowledge. Based on these results, potential causes for these misconceptions and remedial teaching suggestions are discussed.

This program profile describes an initiative to meet the college reading and writing requirement for undergraduate students in a premedical program at St. George's University (SGU) in Grenada, West Indies. Two courses were developed in response to concerns that the existing curriculum was not meeting the specific needs of premedical students. The existing courses were literature-based and provided minimal feedback or other opportunities for development. Additional concerns involved a varied range of abilities among students that was not being addressed, large class sizes, and lack of investment on the part of premedical students. Solutions include the incorporation of a task-based curriculum focused on the medical profession in order to increase engagement, division of students into small cohorts with small teacher/student ratios, integration of skill building into all activities, and implementation of process writing to allow for intensive feedback and student development.

The vast majority of the islands in the Anglophone Caribbean ratified the Convention of the Rights of the Child shortly after its adoption by the United Nations in 1989. In this piece, we examine how the articulation of the Convention of the Rights of the Child in the Caribbean has shaped early childhood care and education. We note that though significant strides have been made, approximately 30 years after the ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, many Anglo-Caribbean islands continue to struggle to fulsomely ensure children's access to all their fundamental rights. This conceptual article presents a historical overview of the implementation of specific Articles of the Convention of the Rights of the Child in the Caribbean. How these Articles have shaped the policies and practices guiding early education across the region is also explored. We conclude that though much has been achieved, as a region, more progress is needed to ensure that all children have equal opportunities to fulfil their rights.

Medical students have difficulty understanding the mechanisms underlying hyperkalemia-mediated local control of blood flow. Such control mechanisms are crucial in the brain, kidney, and skeletal muscle vasculature. We aimed to identify medical students' misconceptions via assessment of students' in-class knowledge and, subsequently, improve future teaching of this concept. In-class polling was performed with the TurningPoint clicker response system (n = 860) to gauge students' understanding of three physiological concepts related to hyperkalemia: membrane potential (V[subscript m]), conductance, and smooth muscle response. V[subscript m] includes the concepts of equilibrium potential (V[subscript eq]) for specific ions, as well as driving force (DF = V[subscript m] - V[subscript eq]). Students understood the concept of DF (~70% answered correctly), suggesting their understanding of V[subscript m]. However, students misunderstood that hyperkalemia results in depolarization (~52% answered correctly) and leads to an increase in potassium conductance (~31% answered correctly). Clarification of the type of smooth muscle as vascular increased the percentage of correct responses (~51 to 73%). The data indicate that students lacked knowledge of specific potassium conductance in various muscle types, resulting in divergent responses, such as the canonical depolarization in skeletal muscle versus hyperpolarization in smooth muscle cells during hyperkalemia. Misunderstanding of this crucial concept of conductance is directly related to the students' performance. Furthermore, we connected the paradoxical effect of hyperkalemia to pathological acute and chronic hyperkalemia clinical scenarios.

Technical efficiency is the ability of a firm to produce its maximum output using a set of inputs or to minimise the use of its inputs to produce a certain level of output. When a firm is operating at its most efficient, operating costs can be minimised, profits maximised and competitiveness improved. This study investigates the role of a firm's human capital in impacting its technical efficiency. It uses the Productivity, Technology, Innovation survey (PROTEqIN) conducted for a sample of 13 Caribbean countries in 2014 and comprises 1,966 firms. To account for differences in efficiency of firms, a Stochastic Frontier Analysis is used to estimate the production function as well as technical efficiency scores. The efficiency scores are then regressed against workforce characteristics and other firm-specific control variables using a Tobit estimator with robust standard errors. The results suggest that workforce characteristics, in particular workforce composition in terms of the proportion of managers to total workforce and graduate and post-graduate education play an important role in influencing firm efficiency, perhaps more so than other firm-specific variables. Lastly, government technical assistance programmes in the Caribbean also act to improve firm technical efficiency.

The Caribbean ranks second only to Africa as the region with the highest levels of skilled emigration, which is defined as the outward migration of people holding a bachelor's degree or extensive/equivalent experience in a given field. Based on the cost of educating their citizens, there are strong arguments supporting the view that skilled emigration comes at significant economic and social cost, especially to small island developing states of the Caribbean. This paper, therefore, explores how the emigration of skilled labor from the CARICOM Caribbean impacts education policy nationally and regionally. Drawing on data collected through questionnaires and document analysis, the research unearths four dominant educational policy responses to skilled emigration: "bonding and compulsory service at the national level; regional cooperation on the movement of skilled labor through CARICOM's Single Market and Economy (CSME); market based approaches to educating skilled professionals; and education funding policy." The paper also analyses the efficacy of each of these four policy responses and their implications. Ultimately, these policy responses coalesce to highlight the national and regional complexities of educational policy-making under globalization, and the limitations of Caribbean national and regional educational policies aimed at controlling skilled emigration in the context of globalization's market forces.

In post-revolution Grenada, explorations of identity often reveal a generational divide. This generational divide is frequently expressed through music (Sirek 2013, 2018). In this qualitative case study I use an ethnographic methodological approach to examine Grenadian calypso and soca music, analyzing data collected from observations and participant observations, interviews, investigation of media/social media; as well as calypso and soca music and lyrics. Drawing from Tönnies' (1887/2017) constructs of Gemeinschaft and Gesellschaft, I explore the ways in which calypso and soca musicking (Small 1998) and music education initiatives construct and articulate the generational divide in Grenada.

Why is it important to discuss writing instruction at the global level? When a refugee student enters the English classroom, it may be helpful to know the philosophy and practice of writing instruction in other parts of the world to help better understand this new student. To better understand the views of writing instructional practices across the globe, literacy leaders were invited to participate in a survey as leaders have the opportunity to inspire, to motivate, and to make a positive difference in the lives of teachers and adolescents. This article focuses on these international literacy leaders and their views of the teaching of writing.

In this article I explore the relationships between identities and musicking in Grenada, West Indies, taking into account the understandings of community and nationhood that foreground and inform identity discourse in the Grenadian context. Through the dual lenses of music education and ethnomusicology, I analyze musicking and music education initiatives intended to "rescue" Grenadian identity and Grenadian values as articulated by an older generation of Grenadians and by governmental agencies. I argue that musicking in Grenada is intertwined with identity in complex ways, and that there is a perceived lack of transmission of folk musicking practices whose consequences extend well beyond losing musical traditions. This article illuminates conflicts of identity, the deep sense of loss of "who we are" that has occurred in Grenadian society in recent times, and controversies of music transmission.

This qualitative study is grounded in phenomenology. Using 28 early childhood teachers from six Caribbean islands as research participants, the following study sought to elicit their perceptions of what it takes to be successful in the early childhood classroom and to understand how other early childhood teachers can achieve this. Thematic analysis highlights six areas: (1) strong home-school partnership, (2) targeted professional development, (3) mentorship and support, (4) strong pedagogical practices, (5) appreciation of diversities in the classroom, and (6) autonomy. These findings suggest that teachers' success is not solely dependent on the availability of resources or curriculum requirements. Rather the 'humanness' that comes with the profession is perceived to be more important. These findings highlight the need to draw on teachers as we aim to address issues of concern in education especially as it relates to the timely issue of improving their competence at the early childhood level.

Teachers' knowledge and use of developmentally appropriate strategies are vital for creating the enabling early learning environments that foster the development of the ideal Caribbean Community (CARICOM) citizen who is ready to face the challenges of living in the twenty-first century. Early childhood education in the Eastern Caribbean refers to pre-primary education [EDMU-OECS. (2012). The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Education Sector Strategy 2012-2021, Retrieved July 5, 2015, from http://www.oecs.org/edmu-resources/oecs-education-strategy; EDMU-OECS. (2014). "OECS education statistical digest" 2012/2013]. Thus five to seven year old children, during the first three years at the primary education level, are being denied their rights to developmentally appropriate learning since their teachers are seldom trained in early childhood philosophy. Teacher competence is needed to 'get things to happen on the ground level' [Fullan, M. (1996). Professional culture and educational change. "School Psychology Review," 25(4), 496-500, p. 496]. Thus, Quality Early Childhood Education in the Eastern Caribbean can be achieved if teachers of young children have knowledge of early childhood pedagogy.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to show how higher education institutions in the Caribbean may benefit from the quality assurance measures implemented by the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC). Design/methodology/approach: The paper uses an outcomes model of quality assurance to analyse the measures implemented by the CXC to assure quality in its examinations. It considers how higher education institutions in the Caribbean can benefit from the approach to quality assurance used by that organization. Findings: The paper suggests that there are several ways in which the quality assurance in higher education institutions may be improved by using an outcomes model which focuses on the centrality of the student experience by learning from the experiences of the CXC. Research limitations/implications: The research uses a methodology of theoretical analysis, that is the selection and discussion of theoretical material and descriptive material, in a particular context, and considers their applicability for improving practice, in this case, in higher education institutions in the Caribbean. It therefore does not engage the collection and analysis of quantitative or qualitative data. Practical implications: The paper suggests that quality assurance practices of higher education institutions in the Caribbean should take into account the lessons that may be learned from the quality assurance measures implemented by the CXC. Originality/value: The paper calls attention to the need for higher education institutions to make the shift away from a purely institutional approach to quality assurance by adopting a more student-centred approach.

This paper examines the utility of a feminist pedagogical framework in establishing and organising the Caribbean Institute in Gender and Development (CIGAD), which is a biennial intensive gender and development training programme that has taken place in Barbados since 1993. To highlight the major impact that CIGAD has had in educating and empowering Caribbean men and women, the authors will first discuss the importance of feminist pedagogies in teaching, learning and activism in this programme by locating them within an intersectional postcolonial/transnational framework. Secondly, the authors consider the ways in which feminist pedagogy and praxis have been central in training women and men in the Caribbean region in gender analysis, helping them recognise the important role gender plays in development planning and policy as well as how it can be integrated into their work to improve their communities. Finally, through a feminist dialogic, participatory and experiential approach, the authors assess the impact that the CIGAD has had on participants, and community development training will be discussed based on the monitoring and evaluation of the exercise completed in 2014.

Children's transition to primary school is affected by numerous factors. Many teachers, expect that children will have the academic and socioemotional competencies to negotiate and deal with new experiences they may encounter in a new learning environment. With an aim of contextualising our understanding of the transitory period from pre-primary to primary school, the following qualitative study, focusses on the socio-emotional skills teachers believe Caribbean children need to be successful in primary school. Seventeen Grade 1 teachers, from three Caribbean islands; Jamaica (n = 8), Grenada (n = 3) and Trinidad and Tobago (n = 6) were interviewed. Using Corbin and Strauss Grounded Theory [Corbin, J., & Strauss, A. (1998). "Basics of qualitative research: Techniques to developing grounded theory" (2nd ed.). Los Angeles, CA: Sage.], to analyse the data, three dominant themes emerged; strong resilience, the ability to deal with stress and self-regulation. These findings have implications for teacher training programmes, early childhood policies and initiatives, the increased awareness of Caribbean-centric perspective of child development and more importantly our parenting programmes.

The role of music in Grenada, West Indies has traditionally been to pass on knowledges, values, and ideals; and to provide a means of connecting to one another through expressing commonality of experience, ancestry, and nationhood. This paper explores how Eric Matthew Gairy, during his era of political leadership in Grenada (1951-1979), exploited the transmission and performance of music in very specific ways to further his career politically and exert power over Grenadian society. This historical case study of Grenada, where music was deliberately used as a method of supporting perceived social and political binaries, sheds light upon the power dynamics that are at play when we uplift certain musics in the classroom, and silence others. [This paper was presented at the 9th International Symposium on the Sociology of Music Education (2015).]

This paper seeks to explore the implementation of three of the critical elements required to improve performance in the education system: governance, accountability and management. The paper examines the education reform processes conducted by five Caribbean countries: Jamaica, Cayman Islands, Guyana, Belize, Trinidad and Tobago, along with those represented by the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States. The individual countries along with the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States have all embraced and implemented at some level the elements of governance, accountability and management as a part of their strategic planning arrangements between 1990 and 2010. The review shows that clear efforts were made by these countries to address the issue of governance, accountability and management although with varying levels of success. The most notable achievement was that the democratization and decentralization of the education process in these countries seemed to be a central strategy being used to strengthen governance, management and accountability. However, the implementation needs to be deepened so that stakeholders, especially at the school level, can have a greater say and make a more worthwhile and meaningful contribution to the process.

The author of this paper considers the influence of Paulo Freire's pedagogical philosophy on educational practice in three different geographical/political settings. She begins with reflections on her experience as a facilitator at Freire's seminar, held in Grenada in 1980 for teachers and community educators, on the integration of work and study. This case demonstrates how Freire's method of dialogic education achieved outcomes for the group of thoughtful collaboration leading to conscientisation in terms of deep reflection on their lives as teachers in Grenada and strategies for decolonising education and society. The second case under consideration is the arts-based pedagogy shaping the work of the Area Youth Foundation (AYF) in Kingston, Jamaica. Young participants, many of them from tough socio-economic backgrounds, are empowered by learning how to articulate their own experiences and relate these to social change. They express this conscientisation by creating stage performances, murals, photo-novella booklets and other artistic products. The third case study describes and evaluates the "Honey Ant Reader" project in Alice Springs, Australia. Aboriginal children, as well as the adults in their community, learn to read in their local language as well as Australian Standard English, using booklets created from Indigenous stories told by community Elders, featuring local customs and traditions. The author analyses how the "Freirean" pedagogy in all three cases exemplifies the process of encouraging the creation of knowledge for progressive social change, rather than teaching preconceived knowledge. This supports her discussion of the extent to which this is authentic to the spirit of the scholar/teacher Paulo Freire, who maintained that in our search for a better society, the world has to be made and remade. Her second, related aim is to raise questions about how education aligned with Freirean pedagogy can contribute to moving social change from the culture circle to the public sphere.

The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions, attitudes and frequency of use of formative assessment strategies of teachers in the Grenadian lower secondary school (Forms 1, 2 and 3). The study, which was quantitative in nature, involved 252 lower secondary school teachers. Overall the participants had positive perceptions and attitudes towards formative assessment. Significant differences in the perceptions of formative assessment held by trained and untrained teachers (p?

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe selected Caribbean extension officers' technology preferences and examine factors that may affect their technology preferences. Design/methodology/approach: The sample consisted of extension officers (N = 119) participating in professional development training sessions in Grenada, Belize and Saint Lucia. A 29-item instrument with a four-point scale was used to gather data on technology preferences. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the data. Findings: Extension officers used Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) for personal benefits and increased professional productivity but then would use traditional interaction methods with farmers. Education levels of extension officers played a part in technology acceptance; higher levels of education earned led to an increase in technology use. Practical Implications: An increase in awareness is important for the further adoption of ICTs for extension purposes. Organisations in both the public and private sector must work to increase knowledge of ICTs for the benefit of stakeholders. The use of ICTs can increase productivity for extensions officers and expand educational opportunities for learners. Originality/value: The use of information communication technologies (ICTs) by extension to disseminate educational materials around the world is widespread. While ICTs exist, extension officers' level of acceptance in using technology for their core job functions may prohibit the dissemination of ICTs to farmers. Increasing awareness and use of ICTs can lead to more productive relationships between extension officers and agricultural stakeholders.

In an era of increasing access to secondary education in the Caribbean, it becomes critical that we understand the effect that Universal Secondary Education (USE) has had on our education systems in order to inform current educational reform efforts and future educational planning. This study explores the experience of the country of Grenada with the policy of USE. The study embraces the use of mixed methodologies which included document analysis, surveys and interviews in eight secondary schools throughout the tri-island state. The study builds on previous works and contributes to a greater understanding of how policies, such as USE, can create challenges for secondary schooling if not effectively managed. The findings reveal that the implementation of USE in Grenada was challenged by literacy weaknesses and poor teacher support, and impacted school organisational practices, as well as risk factors to educational success, such as student retention, student dropout, and student discipline in schools. The findings also establish the need for further study into the practice of students' non-attendance of classes as being related to USE.

This paper focuses on the socialist underpinnings of education policies in three small (and micro) states: Guyana, Jamaica and Grenada. It explores the role of education underneath ideological pluralism in constructing socialist citizens through cooperative socialism in Guyana, democratic socialism in Jamaica and revolutionary socialism in Grenada. The successive disintegration of ideological pluralism in these three countries paved the way for post-socialist transformations regionally as CARICOM members found solace in regional integration and the creation of the Caribbean Single Market and Economy. With the demise of these socialist experiments, this paper considers how CARICOM, as a trans-regional regime, constructed the "Caribbean Educational Policy Space" premised upon the ideal Caribbean person to function within the Caribbean Single Market erected in 2006. (Contains 1 table and 6 notes.)

This article presents the findings of a case study examining the relationship between social capital and individual participation in collective action on a Caribbean island recovering from devastation inflicted by Hurricanes Ivan and Emily. Using data drawn from 114 residential surveys on the island of Carriacou, Grenada, over the summer of 2006, we empirically test social capital as a predictor of individual participation in both formal and informal civic events. In addition, we further the theoretical development of the concept of social capital by independently testing the relationships between its multiple dimensions, specifically social networks; interpersonal trust; and norms of reciprocity. We find that associational membership and age are the two strongest predictors, while interpersonal trust, gender, and marital status are also significant. Our path analysis reveals that there is not a significant direct effect between associational membership and interpersonal trust, suggesting that the two dimensions may have independent, yet complementary, influences. This study sheds light on factors influencing citizen participation in "civic" forms of collective action in a developing region of the world, while demonstrating the multidimensional nature of social capital.

Obesity, cardiovascular diseases, and diabetes are becoming leading causes of morbidity and mortality in the Eastern Caribbean countries of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Lucia, Grenada, and Dominica. To promote healthful diets and lifestyles and encourage behavioral changes, Food-Based Dietary Guidelines (FBDG) were developed for the general population in each of these countries. This paper reports on the comprehensive process of developing the guidelines through consensus building among stakeholders, technical assessments and priority setting, and use of qualitative methods to field test messages to ensure public understanding and motivation. Nutritionists in each country received training and support from the Food and Agriculture Organization and the Pan American Health Organization's nutritionists.

Reports on research conducted over a six-year period on the relationship between children's art and reading levels. Provides an overview of literature on children's development in and through their art, examining the reading-art connection. Presents findings from one study in Grenada primary schools and three in Ontario, Canada. (CMK)