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In school-based research, isolating the potential effects of a single variable while attempting to maintain typical classroom routines is always a challenge. Unfortunately, the challenges and methodological approaches to overcoming them are often only shallowly reported, perhaps due to word limits or assumptions that those details are irrelevant to the findings. Thus, future research is unnecessarily impeded, destined to repeat the same mistakes. In this article, we reflect on the design and methodological strengths of our study of nature-based instruction (NBI) and how some strengths also created challenges with implications for interpreting the findings of our study (published in a companion paper, Faber Taylor, Butts-Wilmsmeyer, and Jordan 2022). In that study, we attempted to isolate the potential effects of NBI compared to classroom-based instruction on science learning and to test for potential mechanisms and moderating variables. We share insights in hopes of supporting others' research design and nature-based educational practice.

Science lessons in nature are appealing and potentially supportive of children's learning, but little is known about how and for whom they are effective. A within-subjects, experimental, mixed methods design was employed with 92 4th-graders to determine if, why and for whom science learning is better through outdoor, nature-based instruction (NBI) compared to indoor, classroom-based instruction (CBI). Moderating variables, including student socioeconomic status, gender, English Learner status and connectedness to nature and mechanistic variables of perceived stress, engagement in learning, attention, and impulsivity were evaluated. Though the physical conditions for NBI were less optimal, NBI supported science learning as well as CBI, and for a broader range of students. With CBI, child demographics had a significant impact on science scores. In contrast, with NBI, all students performed similarly, suggesting NBI is a supportive strategy for a broad range of students.

Background: The transition from primary to secondary school is a pivotal period in young people's lives and can significantly impact their mental health. However, the experiences of young people from ethnically diverse groups during this crucial period of physical, social and emotional development are under-researched, limiting the evidence base for meaningful support. Objectives: This study explored the experiences of young people from ethnically diverse groups during primary-secondary school transition and co-designed ideas for culturally sensitive support. It explicitly focused on the intersection between ethnic and cultural identity, primary-secondary transition and mental health. Methods: The study employed participatory design to collaborate with seven young people from ethnically diverse groups and a peer researcher. Four online workshops mapped participant experiences and ideas concerning the primary-secondary transition, identity and mental health. These were developed into implications for practice, policy and research. Results: Participants highlighted feeling unprepared for the transition, with some experiencing poor mental health and difficulty navigating their ethnic and cultural identity during this time. Participants' ideas for future transition experiences included: supporting a longer transition period, schools promoting diversity among students and staff, enabling education on ethnicity and culture, breaking stereotypes, enabling mutual learning among staff and students and enabling an open and caring environment to support mental health. Conclusions: The study provides an in-depth understanding of experiences of young people from ethnically diverse groups during primary-secondary transition and suggests ways of supporting multi-faceted transitions and mental health, with a key focus on ethnic and cultural identity formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

American Association of Physical Anthropologists (AAPA) membership surveys from 1996 and 1998 revealed significant gender disparities in academic status. A 2014 follow-up survey showed that gender equality had improved, particularly with respect to the number of women in tenure-stream positions. However, although women comprised 70% of AAPA membership at that time, the percentage of women full professors remained low. Here, we continue to consider the status of women in biological anthropology by examining the representation of women through a quantitative analysis of their participation in annual meetings of the AAPA during the past 20 years. We also review the programmatic goals of the AAPA Committee on Diversity Women's Initiative (COD-WIN) and provide survey results of women who participated in COD-WIN professional development workshops. Finally, we examine the diversity of women's career paths through the personal narratives of 14 women biological anthropologists spanning all ranks from graduate student to Professor Emeritus. We find that over the past 20 years, the percentage of women first authors of invited symposia talks has increased, particularly in the sub-disciplines of bioarchaeology, genetics, and paleoanthropology. The percentage of women first authors on contributed talks and posters has also increased. However, these observed increases are still lower than expected given the percentage of graduate student women and women at the rank of assistant and associate professor. The personal narratives highlight first-hand the impact of mentoring on career trajectory, the challenges of achieving work-life satisfaction, and resilience in the face of the unexpected. We end with some suggestions for how to continue to improve equality and equity for women in biological anthropology.

Meteorological services are increasingly moving away from issuing weather warnings based on the exceedance of meteorological thresholds (e.g., windspeed), toward risk‐based (or "impact‐based") approaches. The UK Met Office's National Severe Weather Warning Service has been a pioneer of this approach, issuing yellow, amber, and red warnings based on an integrated evaluation of information about the likelihood of occurrence and potential impact severity. However, although this approach is inherently probabilistic, probabilistic information does not currently accompany public weather warning communications. In this study, we explored whether providing information about the likelihood and impact severity of forecast weather affected subjective judgments of likelihood, severity, concern, trust in forecast, and intention to take protective action. In a mixed‐factorial online experiment, 550 UK residents from 2 regions with different weather profiles were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 Warning Format conditions (Color‐only, Text, Risk Matrix) and presented with 3 warnings: high‐probability/moderate‐impact (amber HPMI); low‐probability/high‐impact (amber); high‐probability/high‐impact (red). Amongst those presented with information about probability and impact severity, red high‐likelihood/high‐impact warnings elicited the strongest ratings on all dependent variables, followed by amber HPMI warnings. Amber low‐likelihood/high‐impact warnings elicited the lowest perceived likelihood, severity, concern, trust, and intention to take protective responses. Taken together, this indicates that UK residents are sensitive to probabilistic information for amber warnings, and that communicating that severe events are unlikely to occur reduces perceived risk, trust in the warning, and behavioral intention, even though potential impacts could be severe. We discuss the practical implications of this for weather warning communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]