Environmental Education: Enhancing Learning and Awareness Through Assessment

Environmental issues are rapidly gaining momentum globally as humans try to find sustainable solutions to the effects of climate change, carbon emissions, and the actions of human-kind (see Olver, Blacklist those who ‘greenwash’. Companies must walk the talk regarding climate. The Times, 2011a; The weather warriors’ war. Real change will come when a few good men and women say ‘enough is enough’. The Times, 2011b). To enhance learning and awareness of environmental issues among Environmental Education students and the community at large, this study situated assessments within communities of practice around the university. Using action engagement within action research students had to work with insiders from the community to identify, formulate action or intervention plans and find solutions to problem situations in the community. Using action engagement within action research in this study definitely enhanced student’s knowledge of their community’s problems. Their personal involvement and the cyclical approach adopted, enhanced students’ emotional understanding and gave them an insider perspective into the situations and problems that required intervention; and trust was built between the students and members of the community as they worked together to accomplish a common goal.     

The Application of Critical Systems Thinking to Enhance the Effectiveness of a University Information System

Faced with the common problem of dissatisfaction with the outcome of investments in information systems (IS), the IS community has long sought ways to improve information systems development (ISD). This paper reports on action research (AR) that sought to improve the effectiveness a UK university’s student record system (SRS), which had exhibited persistent problems. Critical systems thinking (CST) is seen to have value for ISD and was used to guide the AR. In the first stage of this research, the issues with the initial design of the SRS were identified to have largely resulted from insufficient elicitation of the underlying assumptions about, and perspectives on, complex organisational issues. The second stage centred on examining the situation from an “ought” perspective analysing what should be done and how, in order to develop creative solutions to the problems uncovered. The third stage involved recommending solutions to address the problems identified in order to improve the effectiveness of the SRS. Overall, the AR indicates that CST enables those involved to view the design and implementation of the SRS as a holistic system, critically reflect upon broad and complex human, technological and organisational issues from different perspectives, and thereby identify creative solutions. The main contribution of this research is in generating support for an ISD intervention guided by CST. The results of, and the understanding developed from, this intervention are likely to be relevant to the problems that frequently occur in similar situations.     

Action Research as a Bridge Between Two Worlds: Helping The NGOs and Humanitarian Agencies Adapt Technology to Their Needs

This paper reflects upon the process of introducing social media systems into supported employment programs for peoples with severe mental illness in Taipei. Such intervention represents the encounter of two different worlds that are often-unknown to each other, i.e. IT student engineers and job coaches in NGOs. With the participatory and cyclic feature of action research approach, the process can be divided into three stages: technology-led stage, mutual infusion stage, and service-led stage. The focus of this research is to illustrate how action research provides a site for the infusion of two different horizons, that is technology experts in academia and social service providers in NGOs. The existing problems in the use of IT within NGOs were studied and changes through co-inquiry and interventions were implemented towards better utilization of IT and higher levels of service qualities. The researchers utilized an action research approach to investigate the problems, plan the actions, intervene, assess the effectiveness resulting from the actions, and specify learning outcomes.     

‘Who’s in the Network?’ When Stakeholders Influence Data Analysis

Environmental applications of social network analysis (SNA) are just beginning to emerge, and so far have focussed on understanding the characteristics of social networks that increase the likelihood of collective action and successful natural resource management. We move beyond this discussion to demonstrate how knowledge gained from analysing the social networks of stakeholders can be harnessed for selecting stakeholders, and further, how these analyses can be influenced by the expressed wishes and concerns of stakeholders. Although we began our SNA using concepts derived from the resource-management literature, stakeholder involvement in the interpretation of the results led to the use of SNA techniques that had not previously been applied in the context of resource management. We thus re-analysed our data and modified our selection of research participants. Re-analysis led to the selection of research participants who (1) had unique positions in the network, thus occupying non-redundant communication roles in the network, (2) came from different stakeholder categories and (3) were relatively well-connected to others and tended to broker across different segments of the network. By combining insights from researchers and stakeholders in this way, it was possible to use SNA in an innovative and sensitive way to better meet the needs of the stakeholders and the research project.

Critical Systemic Praxis for Social and Environmental Justice: A Case Study of Management,Governance, and Policy

Internationally, globalization has been paradoxically translated into colonization, economic rationalist development, nationalism, and closure born of a fear of the implications of globalization and global markets for the least powerful countries, regions, and interest groups. Social problems in terms of the economic rationalist approach are increasingly individualized and citizenship models emphasize the responsibility of individuals and families. Many current human service and social policy models in Australia (as elsewhere) are nonsystemic (psychological, medical, education, crime prevention, and economic). The paper reflects on an experience of undertaking a study of the life chances of citizens in a remote region of Australia. This is a paper about doing systemic thinking and practice in Alice Springs (Mpwartwe, or caterpillar dreaming) as a social policy researcher attempting to use and advocating a participatory action research approach to social policy development based on a multisite, multimethod research design of perceived, expressed, and normative needs.     

基于游客环境属性意愿支付的游憩承载力评价研究

游憩承载力是衡量国家森林公园利用限度的一个重要指标.然而,游憩承载力的内涵和度量方法在学术界尚未形成一个统一的认知.已有的研究多以社会承载力和工程方法测算单位时间内景区允许进入游客的数量.这种做法虽然在管理上具有一定的可操作性,但却不能准确反映承载力概念的科学内涵.文章从旅游效用最大化视角出发,构建基于景区环境属性水平的游憩承载力理论框架,并估计各种属性的承载力阈值.研究过程运用选择实验法进行问卷设计和条件logit模型进行参数估计.模型结果表明,植被覆盖率承载力阈值为78%,垃圾数量承载力阈值为3件/20 m,游客密度承载力阈值为14人/200 m~2,水的能见度承载力阈值为1.45 m.     

“It was Hard to Come to Mutual Understanding …”—The Multidimensionality of Social Learning Processes Concerned with Sustainable Natural Resource Use in India, Africa and Latin America

Sustainable natural resource use requires that multiple actors reassess their situation in a systemic perspective. This can be conceptualised as a social learning process between actors from rural communities and the experts from outside organisations. A specifically designed workshop oriented towards a systemic view of natural resource use and the enhancement of mutual learning between local and external actors, provided the background for evaluating the potentials and constraints of intensified social learning processes. Case studies in rural communities in India, Bolivia, Peru and Mali showed that changes in the narratives of the participants of the workshop followed a similar temporal sequence relatively independently from their specific contexts. Social learning processes were found to be more likely to be successful if they 1) opened new space for communicative action, allowing for an intersubjective re-definition of the present situation, 2) contributed to rebalance the relationships between social capital and social, emotional and cognitive competencies within and between local and external actors.     

有偿奖励对医生在线健康社区中贡献行为的影响

如何激励用户自愿贡献知识是保持在线社区活跃度的关键。近年来, 学者开始探讨有偿激励对在线社区自愿贡献的影响。然而, 较少有研究分析多边平台下的有偿激励的溢出效应。借助于自然实验的设计, 考虑一种服务主导型在线社区———在线健康社区中, 服务提供者(即医生) 开通有偿服务(电话咨询) 渠道对其知识贡献行为的影响。研究发现：开通有偿服务后,医生会在原来的免费文本咨询服务上也花费更多努力, 提供更多、更及时和详实的医疗建议。同时, 有偿服务对医生知识贡献的激励作用因医生社交互动程度而不同。相对于社交互动多的医生, 社交互动少的医生开通电话咨询后, 文本咨询努力程度的增加更明显。以往有关有偿激励对在线社区自愿贡献的影响多基于单边平台中产品主导型激励, 该研究将有偿激励拓展至服务主导型的双边平台场景中。采用自然实验的设计, 探索有偿激励对自愿贡献的因果关系及异质性, 为平台设计和治理提供参考。     

Awareness of Residents Regarding the Construction of a Sustainable Urban Community: A Case Study of Action Research in Taiwan

Chung-Sheng Community in Taoyuan City, Taiwan is a typical urban community. By adopting participatory action research, this study examines resident awareness regarding the feasibility of transforming Chung-Sheng Community into a sustainable community. Action research can help avoid constant “trial and error” in constructing sustainable communities and enhance process efficiency. Meanwhile, an active research approach can help communities better achieve sustainable development. Constructing a sustainable urban community requires energy, effective frameworks, and professional assistance. Achieving these requires a continuous and participatory action research process, and careful exploration of the awareness of community residents, which is the focus of this investigation.     

The Forced Growth of Social Production System by Technology and the Realization

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Feminist Systems Theory: Learning by Praxis

Feminist Systems Theory (FST) is an emerging theory grounded in cultural ecofeminism and critical systems theory. FST’s contribution is in a set of principles that contain implications for community development and social research. FST brings to the fore the importance of valuing and considering the voices of people at the margins of social research and community development projects and is an effort towards a new ontology and language of person and nature to adequately address environmental marginalization. The ‘systems’ theory contribution to FST enriches our repertoires of methods and tools with an emphasis on systems thinking characterised by the use of boundary analysis. FST is ideally situated to enhance systemic intervention practice, an application of action research and participatory research practices. This paper will examine ‘process philosophy’ necessary to understand the nature of boundary analysis and the implications for FST and praxis with relevant examples drawn from case studies of current applications of FST in action research settings; (1) economic analysis and transition pathways; (2) policy analysis of the Close the Gap strategy for Indigenous equality and equity in Australia; (3) a community food distribution system; and, (4) a community health and diabetes prevention program.     

Learning by Action Research: A Policy for School Development

In this article I define a project organization as action research. Thus defined, the approach presents a method for experiential learning among educators who develop as learners in an educational setting. Second, the approach describes a method for focusing on research related to change in classroom didactics brought about by the mediating instruments educators discover and use so as to overcome their own learning anxiety. Third, action research and academic investigation are described as a method for integrating theory with practice. Finally, action research is outlined as an effort for social justice—the way knowledge usually develops by social construction.     

Application and transformation of action research in educational research and practice

This paper examines research and theory in the area Kurt Lewin called action research. Action research is collaborative, driven by a partnership between theorist/researchers and practitioners. It focuses on both theoretical and practical implications of issues. When viewed in the context of other work by Lewin, action research is seen as focusing on the social context of behaviors and on the dynamics of situations in which behaviors occur. Action research provides a versatile, potentially powerful approach for use in applied research on groups and group settings. Principles of action research, a tracing of the development of action research, and variations of action research approaches that have emerged in education are presented. Finally, two ongoing studies that exemplify action research are described.     

An Action Design Research Approach within Enterprise Engineering

Enterprise engineering (EE) is emerging as a new discipline that is multi-disciplinary in nature. As highlighted by researchers within the EE discipline, the current status of EE endeavours as taken by several universities is unclear, which led to several initiatives and publications to develop a research agenda within the enterprise engineering research community. This article builds upon existing work aimed at establishing EE as a discipline, also accepting the epistemological stance of idealism, pragmatism and existential phenomenology as argued by Hoogervorst as an appropriate stance for EE research, prior to suggesting action design research (ADR) as an appropriate research method for EE research. More so, the article presents an Action Design Research within Enterprise Engineering (ADR-in-EE) approach as the main contribution to guide prospective EE researchers towards research within the EE discipline. The ADR-in-EE approach is based on ADR, but provides additional guidance by incorporating the use of an Enterprise Evolution Contextualisation Model, as well as creativity facilitation in the form of Univation’s brainstorming method. As a second contribution, we experiment with the ADR-in-EE approach and use a survey to extract feedback on the usefulness of the approach. The research findings are mostly positive, with qualitative feedback on further improving ADR-in-EE approach.     

Community Work Research through Co-Operative Inquiry in Timor-Leste,Australia and Peru: Insights into Process

Co-operative inquiry is an under-explored method in community-based research. Its democratic approach involves a group of “co-researchers” collaboratively inquiring into a mutually-agreed research topic through systematic cycles of reflection and action. This article shares the process, outcomes, and methodological reflections of three co-operative inquiries that were conducted as part of an international study regarding love in community work. Groups of up to 10 community workers in rural villages in Timor-Leste, Australia, and Peru engaged in co-operative inquiry to collaboratively develop new knowledge to inform practice. The article analyses data regarding co-inquirer experiences of the methodology, and identifies the strengths and challenges of the co-operative inquiry method to support the collective generation of new knowledge. The article concludes that co-operative inquiry involves shared power, participation, action, and contextual reflexivity, and is a useful method for community workers to collaboratively develop innovative approaches to community work practice through cycles of reflection and action.     

基于SD方法的水资源有偿使用制度生态经济效应仿真研究——以浙江省为例

文章引入SD方法,以水资源有偿使用制度为例,构建了水资源制度的生态经济效应仿真模型.模型分为五大子系统:人口子系统、经济子系统、水资源自然子系统、水生态环境子系统、水资源制度子系统,包括60多个变量和30多个系统方程.以浙江省2009年为启动年份,模拟了2009到2013的结果,进行了模型验证,然后设置了现状方案及水资源有偿使用三种方案,进行了水资源有偿使用制度仿真模拟研究;结果发现生活用水量、工业用水量、污水排放量、工业万元GDP用水量、工业单方水产出等生态经济效应指标都随着方案的不同有所变化,农村和农业征收水资源费将会推进农村生活用水减少和农业节水,第三产业和工业增加水资源费将会提高水资源经济效应,同时在相同产值情况下会减少污水排放量.     

塔里木河流域生态环境现状、存在问题及治理对策

塔里木河流域深居内陆,气候干旱、降水稀少、蒸发强烈、水资源匮乏,生态环境极其脆弱。随着人口增加和社会经济的发展,水资源过度无序开发和低效利用,致使源流向干流输水量逐年减少,干流枯水季节水质不断恶化,下游河道断流、湖泊干涸,大片天然胡杨林死亡。土质沙化、盐渍化加重,生态环境日趋恶化,已成为制约社会经济和生态环境可持续发展的主要因素。针对塔里木河流域生态环境的现状、存在的问题,提出了针对性的治理对策;以期为流域资源的综合开发利用、水土保持、生态环境保护等提供科学依据。参12。     

Using Critical Social Heuristics and Project-Based Learning to Enhance Data Warehousing Education

The aim of this paper is to demonstrate how project-based learning can be used from a critical systems perspective in data warehousing education. Data warehousing is a discipline in information technology focusing on providing data-driven decision support systems for strategic decision making. In this study we used action research from a critical (emancipative) perspective to reflect on our current instructional design of the data warehousing module before redesigning it to better serve the needs of the involved and affected. We used critical systems heuristics and project-based learning as frameworks of understanding to guide our intervention. Project-based learning is a learning/teaching approach aimed at organising the learning experience in terms of a project. We used written interpretive interviews in the diagnosis and evaluation of success phases of our action research cycle. Our reflection is according to the action research model of Checkland reflecting on our success in the area of application (data warehousing instruction) as well as our methodology (action research from a critical social theory perspective) and our framework of ideas (project-based learning and critical social heuristics).     

Current Debates in Action Research

Some of the academic debates pertaining to action research have been identified and specified in this paper. These have been traced through the history of development of alternative (action-oriented) research thinking in a number of research areas, namely, the study of human relations, social and organizational studies, educational change, policy studies, psychology, geography, and physics. A number of prevailing approaches to what is generally referred to as action research have been described in a variety of application domains to identify the present home of the current debates in action research as well as the participants in these debates. This excursion has yielded a number of insights pertaining to the problems that constitute the core of the current debates in action research. Some of the proposed solutions available in these debates have been critically examined. A number of open issues have been identified. A speculative section relates the possible futures of action research to possible ways of dealing with these open issues.     

A Systemic Framework to Develop Sustainable Engineering Solutions in Rural Communities in Colombia

In several rural areas in Colombia there is a serious lack of water quality supply. Thereby the problematic situation is understood as complex one that involves stakeholders with pluralistic interests, multiple variables and requires the development of sustainable and suitable solutions. In order to address this issue, this paper proposes an integration of engineering design framework (CDIO) with a systemic approach. Particularly the approach emphasizes on systemic elements such as autonomy, systems within systems, cooperation between stakeholders and cause effect relations; it also proposes a previous observing phase for engineering design framework. Thus the proposed systemic framework aims to generate projects that improve living conditions in rural communities and promote the production of knowledge between the stakeholders to ensure sustainability in the long term. To illustrate the proposal, this work contains a case study that discusses a project carried out by a research team—Ingenieros Sin Fronteras Colombia—in a rural district near to Colombia’s capital. The experience, which involved and benefited 16 families in the community, provided strong evidence to support the proposed framework. The paper concludes with a discussion about the replication of this proposal in other contexts.