Transforming Adult Learning Through Critical Design Inquiry

Marching toward the 21st century, there are not only drastic changes in global economic and political development, but also in technological advancement and ecological evolution. All of these are intertwined with one another to shape national and societal development in various areas. In the milieu of education, these changes exert great influence on the way we perceive learning and instruction, this in turn calls for a paradigm shift in the way we design learning and instruction. Consequently, calls to critically examine the way we have been designing our learning and instruction have gained more and more attention in the past decade. Since design could help in realizing our visionary ideals, and transforming these ideals into innumerable learning and working contexts, we need to probe into how our learning and instruction could be more creatively and powerfully designed. The author contends that most learners, through the process of critical envision and enaction, could learn to design their own learning, either independently or collectively, through the cultivation of design capacities. In this paper, the author first presents the historical analysis of the theoretical foundations of instructional design, and then takes a critical approach to examining the alternative possibilities of instructional design. Based on the critical perspectives of design, she develops the critical design inquiry by integrating the richness of contemporary critical thinking into that of systems thinking and design thinking. To make the critical design inquiry an educational praxis, rather than just another design theory, the author takes a participatory and collaborative approach to design with a group of adult students. The critical design approach aims at enlightening the adult learners’ inner systems revolution and enriching the outer learning environments through collaborative design engagement. In the final section, the author explicates how the confined roles of instructional designers could be conceptualized through the critical design inquiry.     

Creating Public Spaces and Practiced Places for Democracy,Discourse, and the Emergence of Civil Society

A question before us in the process of creating public spaces and practiced places for democracy and civil society concerns what democracy means for civil society and what civil society means for democratization of the national state in a globalizing world? In this article the author discusses the meaning of democracy and civil society, and the relation each shares. Following, the author examines the nature of space through the work of [Lefebvre H (1991) The production of space. (Trans. Donald Nicholson-Smith). Blackwell, Oxford, Cambridge, Mass] drawing on the work of the French theorist to construct a tripartite model of public space. As well, the author examines the notion of creating practiced places for democracy civil society, drawing on the work of [de Certeau M (1984) The practice of everyday life. University of California Press, Berkeley] to understand the interplay of discourse in reconfiguring space as a practiced place. The author also examines social space and power-geometry as it relates to creating public spaces and practiced places for democracy and civil society. In the final section, the author provides reflections on the work that lies ahead for democratization of the nation-state and the emergence of democratic civil society.     

系统论视域下的社会主义和谐社会构建

系统科学是一门重要的综合性横断科学,它从整体的、系统的、复杂的视角对事物的状态、结构及运动演化机制进行研究,探索系统演化的规律。从社会系统的整体性和层次性出发,构建社会主义和谐社会是一个系统工程。要正确处理经济建设、政治建设、文化建设、社会建设的关系。在现阶段,要把构建社会主义和谐社会作为各项工作中的重点,中国特色社会主义的新的战略指导思想。本文从社会系统论的角度,对理解和落实科学发展观、建设社会主义和谐社会的若干理论和方法论问题,进行一些研究和讨论。     

A Fresh Look at The Systems Approach and an Agenda for Action: Peeking Through the Lens of Churchman's Aphorisms

This paper critically examines some important topics of systemic thinking to understand how our perception of problems can be enhanced and how the chances of deception can be mitigated while dealing with real-world problems. To achieve this objective, an attempt is first made to scrutinize some of the key issues of systemic thinking by looking through the lens of Churchman's aphorisms at: (1) the illusion of completeness and closure, (2) the meaning of holism, and (3) the concept of ‘Interbeing’. A preliminary ‘agenda for action’ is then laid out suggesting ways for increasing our perception and for minimizing the chances of being deceived in dealing with systems problems in practice.     

Action Research: Its Foundations in Open Systems Thinking and Relationship to the Scientific Method

This paper considers those interpretations of action research that can be traced to Kurt Lewin at the Research Center for Group Dynamics at the University of Michigan, and the work in social ecology by Emery and Trist at the Tavistock Institute. It locates the logical basis of these interpretations in the philosophy of pragmatism, particularly as it relates to Peirce’s inferential logic and inquiry system. Drawing on this argument, and on the significant developments in approaches to systemic thinking over the past 40–50 years, a normative set of criteria is established for action research. The paper concludes that both positivist science (which relates to closed systems thinking) and action research (which relates to open systems thinking) are essential to any complete scientific approach.     

The Corporate Social Responsibility of Ukrainian Agroholdings: the Stakeholder Approach Revisited

The agricultural sector in Ukraine and other transitional and developing countries is distinguished by the prominence of agroholdings, i.e., large-scale industrialized corporations, that offer extensive support to their stakeholders through the corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives. The stakeholder approach as a part of business ethics scholarship explains stakeholder salience in terms of the turbulence of the business environment. Drawing on the Luhmannian theory of complex social systems, the present paper shows this turbulence to be a relative concept that makes sense primarily in relation to the limited ability of dominant formal institutions, such as the function systems, to process the complexity of the societal environment. In line with this argument, the Ukrainian agroholdings are shown to direct their CSR efforts to stakeholders whose salience arises out of the transition-specific institutional shortcomings, such as the imperfections of land and labor markets. Paradoxically, the Ukrainian institutional environment has been conducive not only to the rise of agroholdings but also to the emergence of societal expectations which the agroholdings must face. The broader business ethics implication of the argument is the functional equivalence of the discretionary CSR activities and the quality of the dominant formal institutions, such as the function systems.     

An Intelligent Design of Electron Lens System

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You are Seldom Born with a Drum Kit in Your Hands: Music Teachers’ Conceptualizations of Knowledge and Learning Within Music Education as an Assessment Practice

Due to an increased demand for evaluation and accountability, the focus on assessment in public education has become stronger. Already leading to teachers’ deprofessionalization, another risk is assessment leading to criteria compliance and becoming a tool for measuring teaching quality. Those whose learning is affected are thereby not only students, but also teachers. One major factor to restore professionalism and focus assessment on learning is to change practitioners’ ways of thinking and not only their behaviour. Therefore, a group of seven music teachers and a researcher in music education have carried out a research and development project using participatory action research as approach as well as method. This article explores and presents these upper secondary school music teachers’ conceptualizations of musical knowledge, learning and educational communication working with peers. Using Deweyan pragmatism as a lens to interpret the qualitative data, the results show that while a professional language does exist, the music teachers’ conceptualizations of musical knowledge and learning and educational approaches differ. A key aspect for the teachers to develop their professional language, concepts and assessment practices is the teachers’ opportunities to communicate—both factual as well as perceived.     

A Design View on Research in Social Sciences

Research in social sciences has not had the same impact as research in natural sciences and several authors are critical of social science research methods. In order to elucidate this problem, the author analyzes the purpose of research in general and in social sciences in particular. The author makes reference to various research methods that are suggested and used in social sciences. Social science research differs from research in natural sciences. It differs not only in being dependent on actions of human individuals but also because systems in social sciences are a complex mixture of Hard and Soft systems. The paper argues that research in Human Activity Systems should focus on design. This view changes the research perspective and the demands on the research methods to be used. The author suggests a method based on focusing decision settings combined with Action Research.     

Modeling Organizational Systems: Banathy's Three Lenses Revisited

The inherent complexity of organizational systems defies full understanding by inquirers. This condition often causes organizational inquirers to become mired in convoluted deliberations, unable to attain the consensus among the inquiring community that is needed to advance the research forward to a meaningful conclusion. Consequently, many practitioners and researchers employ models of organizations to aid in simplifying the system's complexity and to reach shared agreement. Because no single model can fully capture the complexity of an organization, Dr. Bela H. Banathy therefore proposed using three types of interrelated models to give a multidimensional view of a human system under study. Since Banathy first introduced his three lenses approach, the concept has been employed in many educational and organizational settings. This article examines the author's experience using Banathy's three lenses and integrates their usage with some other popular modeling techniques, providing a comprehensive view of how Banathy's three lenses can be effectively employed in contemporary organizational settings.     

Educational systems design: Making it more user friendly

Concerns about our current public education systems have given rise to a variety of reform efforts. During the past several years, efforts have begun to emphasize the importance of systems thinking and a “systemic” approach for bringing about fundamental educational reform. In spite of the promise of system design as a model for systemic change, it has been largely ignored by its intended clients, the educational leadership. This paper explores some of the reasons for this and proposes a number of actions that need to be taken if system design is to become a viable approach.     

识别和选择顾客价值的系统方法论研究

顾客价值作为一种社会活动,它的多样性和主观动态特征导致了企业管理者在识别和选择顾客价值过程中遇到了很大的困难,这个困难促使本文从社会理论和系统科学的视域来重新考察了顾客价值这个概念的社会特征。根据这个特征本文采用了社会理论研究领域的诠释主义和功能主义两种范式来探讨对顾客价值的理解并在此基础上用软系统方法论构建出识别和选择顾客价值的系统方法论     

Transforming Self and Society: A "Critical Appreciation" Model

This paper sets out to uncover some relationships between reflection, discourse and action. By challenging and synthesizing some polemical arguments concerning the creation, maintenance, and transformation of self and society, a model of self-society dynamics that operates through reflection, discourse, and action is developed. The model of self-society dynamics brings together aspects of self-reflection and ideology-critique (explored in the paper), which it is suggested are required for any intervention (transformative action) to be grounded in locally meaningful ways. By creating a dialog community in which self- and group assumptions can be subjected to validation through discourse, it is proposed that a dynamic balance between individual needs and broader societal aims may be achieved. If individuals can be open to such discourse (i.e., they can become critically self-reflective), then it is argued that possibilities for achieving sustainable change will be significantly enhanced.     

Competences for Citizen-Driven Innovation in Crisis Resolution

We argue that civic change processes must be based on a broad system understanding, strong values, and citizen participation. This article addresses how each citizen could become a responsible, self-reliant problem solver and troubleshooter by exploiting their own inherent innovation potential. We call for a society, which takes advantage of the collaborative capabilities and creativity of all its members as principal remediators of societal problems, instead of solely relying on governmental action, private sector management, and/or science, with all their oftentimes unwanted ancillary effects, including possibly even a curtailment of innovativeness. We use the C2P2S framework of problem solving competence as a model to describe five competence dimensions which we consider crucial for problem solvers, including citizens, in crisis resolution. Changes within governmental, political, and private sector management policies must accompany citizen participation in order to foster and support collaboration. Supportive measures should include educational tools to help citizen groups become proactive stakeholders and to develop the competence sets required to socially responsibly participate in innovation generation in order to meet society’s challenges.     

A Causality Analysis of Societal Risk Perception and Stock Market Volatility in China

Modern China is undergoing a variety of social conflicts as the arrival of new era with the transformation of the principal contradiction. Then monitoring the society stable is a huge workload. Online societal risk perception is acquired by mapping on-line public concerns respectively into societal risk events including national security, economy & finance, public morals, daily life, social stability, government management, and resources & environment, and then provides one kind of measurement toward the society state. Obviously, stable and harmonious social situations are the basic guarantee for the healthy development of the stock market. Thus we concern whether the variations of the societal risk are related to stock market volatility. We study their relationships by two steps, first the relationships between search trends and societal risk perception; next the relationships between societal risk perception and stock volatility. The weekend and holiday effects in China stock market are taken into consideration. Three different econometric methods are explored to observe the impacts of variations of societal risk on Shanghai Composite Index and Shenzhen Composite Index. 3 major findings are addressed. Firstly, there exist causal relations between Baidu Index and societal risk perception. Secondly, the perception of finance & economy, social stability, and government management has distinguishing effects on the volatility of both Shanghai Composite Index and Shenzhen Composite Index. Thirdly, the weekend and holiday effects of societal risk perception on the stock market are verified. The research demonstrates that capturing societal risk based on on-line public concerns is feasible and meaningful.     

Power in organizations: A contingent,relational view

The concept of power is central to social inquiry, yet it is highly varied and enigmatic. There is a wide-ranging and competing variety of subjectivist, objectivist, and relational conceptions of power. The first part of the paper examines this problem in an exegetical but critical manner. The aim is to develop a critical conception of this social phenomenon. The second part of the paper seeks to probe the nature of three types of systems approach in terms of their underwriting assumptions about power in society. The intent is twofold: to uncover the ideologically suppressed truths about the noxious forms of power and to develop a penetrative understanding of how the mystified “truths” in ideological conceptions of power contain hidden meanings that have the critical potential for educative enlightenment, empowerment, and emancipation for systems theory and practice.     

Enhancing Emancipatory Systems Methodologies for Sustainable Development

Our interest lies in applying the principles of critical systems thinking to human activity systems in developing countries in situations where issues of natural resource sustainability constrain the feasible set of long-term strategies. The concept of sustainable development provides an expanded domain for critical systems thinking. The fundamental values underpinning sustainable development are that both intragenerational and intergenerational equity are important. As a consequence, key stakeholders are often excluded from power-sharing within current social systems. Addressing these issues requires renewed focus on emancipatory commitment and methodologies. To date, Ulrich's critical systems heuristics is the only critical systems methodology that offers practicable tools for emancipation. A case study analysis in Tigray, northern Ethiopia, provides insights in relation to the application of critical system heuristics to issues of sustainable development and highlights the need to extend the use of critical systems heuristics beyond the design and monitoring of structured interventions.     

基于Smart Client教务管理系统的评价

本文介绍了模糊综合评价方法以及其构建模型的详细步骤,并针对基于smart Client的教务管理系统构建了系统评价指标因子,介绍了利用熵权法来确定评价因子权重的方法,然后,本文利用熵权法先对教务管理系统评价因子集确定了权重,然后运用多级模糊综合评价方法对教务管理系统的整体性能进行了评价,通过评价结果得知其系统整体性能处于良好,说明系统还有待改进。     

转基因食品社会评价的系统结构

转基因食品的社会评价是一个非常复杂的问题,包括转基因食品社会评价的理论基础、系统结构、基本原则、主要标准和基本方法等重要问题。转基因食品社会评价的系统结构是研究转基因食品社会评价问题的逻辑起点,它主要由转基因食品社会评价的主体系统、中介系统和客体系统所组成,三个子系统结构是相互影响和相互作用的统一整体,共同构成了转基因食品社会评价的系统结构。     

Social Entropy Theory: An overview

Social Entropy Theory (SET) is a very general macrosociological systems theory. The present paper is an overview which presents selected salient features of the larger model. Special attention is given to the specification of macrosociological variables which can serve as social indicators in a comparative framework of societal development. First, the goals of the SET model are stated. Then the basic model is sketched, and entropy is discussed as a measure of system state. Attention then turns to the specification of a holistic set of macrosociological systems variables. By seeking all correlates of the level (L), six salient global components are developed. These are population (P), information (I), spatial area (S), technology (T), organization (O), and level of living (L). This PISTOL (or PILOTS) model seems to be exhaustive and forms a comparative framework (when suitable indicators are specified for all components) for the analysis of social systems at all levels of development. A distinction is made among global, mutable, and immutable properties.