ArticleLiterature Review

A Guide to Understanding Social Science Research for Natural Scientists

Wiley
Conservation Biology
Authors:
To read the full-text of this research, you can request a copy directly from the authors.

Abstract

Natural scientists are increasingly interested in social research because they recognize that conservation problems are commonly social problems. Interpreting social research, however, requires at least a basic understanding of the philosophical principles and theoretical assumptions of the discipline, which are embedded in the design of social research. Natural scientists who engage in social science but are unfamiliar with these principles and assumptions can misinterpret their results. We developed a guide to assist natural scientists in understanding the philosophical basis of social science to support the meaningful interpretation of social research outcomes. The 3 fundamental elements of research are ontology, what exists in the human world that researchers can acquire knowledge about; epistemology, how knowledge is created; and philosophical perspective, the philosophical orientation of the researcher that guides her or his action. Many elements of the guide also apply to the natural sciences. Natural scientists can use the guide to assist them in interpreting social science research to determine how the ontological position of the researcher can influence the nature of the research; how the epistemological position can be used to support the legitimacy of different types of knowledge; and how philosophical perspective can shape the researcher's choice of methods and affect interpretation, communication, and application of results. The use of this guide can also support and promote the effective integration of the natural and social sciences to generate more insightful and relevant conservation research outcomes. Una Guía para Entender la Investigación de Ciencias Sociales para las Ciencias Naturales Katie Moon

No full-text available

Request Full-text Paper PDF

To read the full-text of this research,
you can request a copy directly from the authors.

... 134 Different currents of scientific realism exist, with different degree of certainty: from the naïve to structural and critical realism (Moon & Blackman, 2014). 135 Currents of scientific relativism include bounded and non-bounded relativism (Moon & Blackman, 2014), and critical relativism (Anderson, 1986). ...
... 134 Different currents of scientific realism exist, with different degree of certainty: from the naïve to structural and critical realism (Moon & Blackman, 2014). 135 Currents of scientific relativism include bounded and non-bounded relativism (Moon & Blackman, 2014), and critical relativism (Anderson, 1986). 136 If economists strongly rely on the close relationship between science and experiments, and lacks, at least partially, the 'ground under his feet', this is not the case in the natural sciences (Mirante & Baranzini, 2013, p. 27, author's translation). ...
... Different epistemological traditions answer these questions in different ways. If 'objectivist' currents of thought see the objects of analysis as existing independently of the subject who inquiries into them, 'subjectivists' believe that meanings either exist within the subject, who imposes them on the object itself (Moon & Blackman, 2014), or are created via the interplay between the subject and the object. ...
Thesis
Economics is typically a quantitative science, which exclusively relies on mathematical techniques, statistical analysis, experimental work, and neglects qualitative evidence, data, and research methods. Although economic methodology scholars have outlined this unbalance, and a few studies pursued qualitative economic research in the past, these are rather the exception to the rule. However, most social sciences and adjacent disciplines do adopt qualitative methodologies when tackling economic phenomena, issues, and topics. Drawing upon the history of economic thought and the philosophy of the social sciences, this dissertation asks why economists do not rely on qualitative inquiry, how they could implement qualitative research, and in what subject domains. In doing so, it indeed (1) unveils the potential contribution of qualitative methods to both economic theory and policy, (2) highlights the role of sociocultural factors over behavioural elements in economic analysis, and (3) suggests the need for an ontological, epistemological, and axiological shift towards ‘qualitative economics’.
... However, realism and relativism are often used as a dichotomy to illustrate these different perspectives. As Moon and Blackman (2014) observe, realist ontology posits that one single objective reality exists that can be studied, understood, and experienced as "truth". ...
... Relativist ontology, on the other hand, holds that reality is constructed within the human mind, such that no one true reality exists; instead, reality is perceived as relative to each individual's subjective experience within a particular time and place (Moon & Blackman, 2014). ...
... The degree of confidence in defining the nature of reality differs within broad ontological positions. Moving from the realist ontology to the relativist ontology, it can be seen that the realist ontologies become more accommodating of the notion that, although a single reality exists, its nature is not static and can change as human understanding evolves (Moon and Blackman, 2014). Relativists, on the other hand, argue that reality exists within the mind, with each individual creating their own version. ...
Article
Full-text available
As a research-based field, Translation Studies inevitably carries assumptions that are determined by its ontological, epistemological, and methodological positions towards the object of research, and thus shape its fundamental beliefs about the nature of translation and its methods of study. This article aims to identify these underlying assumptions in Translation Studies within the two dominant nodal discourses of "equivalence" and "norms" and emphasize the significance of a shift in the field's ontological, epistemological, and methodological perspectives, which led to a greater focus on cultural aspects. After briefly exploring the ontological and epistemological positions, this article delves into the key concepts within equivalence-dominated discourse and norm-dominated discourse in Translation Studies, specifically examining meaning, text, and translation, to uncover the fundamental theoretical assumptions associated with these discourses.
... To answer the research questions of this study, an interpretivist paradigm [76] and an embedded design was used, where a supplementary quantitative research component was embedded within the main qualitative research design [77] to achieve methodological trian- gulation [78,79]. Quantitative data collected using five-point scales on paper questionnaires during the focus groups were used to explain the qualitative findings. ...
... To answer the research questions of this study, an interpretivist paradigm [76] and an embedded design was used, where a supplementary quantitative research component was embedded within the main qualitative research design [77] to achieve methodological triangulation [78,79]. Quantitative data collected using five-point scales on paper questionnaires during the focus groups were used to explain the qualitative findings. ...
Article
Full-text available
While insect-based foods could contribute towards sustainable protein consumption and production, their successful adoption relies largely on consumer acceptance. This case study aims to explore factors affecting acceptance and to identify the insect-based foods that participants would like to be developed and introduced to the market. Three focus groups incorporating optional tasting sessions of insect-based foods were conducted in Ireland, a country where these foods were unavailable at the time of the study. Findings showed that before the tasting sessions, public opinion, portion size comparisons (insects vs. meat), and witnessing entomophagy-related disturbing experiences through television were some of the factors that negatively influenced acceptance. Lack of availability in Ireland was the main factor that hindered consumption among participants willing to consume these foods. Participants’ usual food choice motives, sensory attributes, and inclusion percentages of insects in food were some factors which affected acceptance following the tasting sessions. A variety of insect-based foods was suggested for product development, which were mostly components of a main meal. The findings of this study could give an initial indication of product ideas that could be explored further for product development in regions where insect-based foods are not readily available on the market. These findings could contribute to future studies that would aim to build quantitative tools.
... -Perspectives vs awareness An interdisciplinary research study emphasizes the value of comprehending various philosophical stances and how they might influence research design and results in ways that go beyond simple subject knowledge. In an educational context, awareness could entail, for example, knowing about different educational resources, whereas perspectives would comprise how these resources are viewed and valued by diverse stakeholders [20,21]. ...
... -Understanding and perspectives The first seven questions in Table 3, adapted from Moon et al. [20], were designed to explore what students have acknowledged of argumentative writing. The overall mean score of this subsection of the three groups was 4.05 (SD = .816) ...
Article
Society is changing rapidly in modern times, causing people to attempt to keep up with the latest information, while argumentative writing requires students who are learning English as a foreign language (EFL) to clearly state their ideas about a social problem using a wide range of knowledge and critical thinking. This study aims to find out these students’ awareness of primary social issues, figure out their perspectives on argumentative writing, and examine the correlation between their awareness of primary social issues and perspectives on argumentative writing. Mixed approaches with questionnaires and interviews were used to collect data from 150 English majors at Tra Vinh University. The findings indicate that students’ concern about social issues can diversify their viewpoints on argumentative writing through general input, lexical enrichment, and critical thinking processes. Based on the findings, the authors suggest several methods for students to absorb information about rising problems in society and recommend students how to apply them to their argumentative writing.
... This study adopts a relativist ontology, viewing reality as a subjective construct (Moon & Blackman, 2014), and a social constructivist epistemology, where knowledge is shaped through social interaction and is dynamic (Adams, 2006;Kim, 2001). This approach facilitates the exploration of lived experiences in Indian sports, accounting for both cognitive aspects of body image and the Sociocultural Theory of Body Image, which emphasises social influences on body ideals. ...
... Context dependence distinguishes, on the one hand, "generalizable" values that have an existence independent of individual perceptions and a stable definition across situations from, on the other hand, "contextual" values dependent upon individual and collective perceptions and experiences that emerge from a social and environmental context. Contextual definitions focus more on the process by which values are elicited than on their ontology (Himes and Muraca 2018;Moon and Blackman 2014). These typologies are better at representing the interdisciplinary nature of risk assessments, where different understandings of value at risk cross the intrinsic-instrumental (-relational) divide when mobilized by a various array of practitioners. ...
Article
Full-text available
Risk assessment is a critical aspect of coping with environmental changes. The identification of values at risk-entities, attributes, and ideas that are important to a community-is a key component of a popu-lation's ability to resist or adapt to hazards. In colonial contexts, risk assessment must take into account the distinct relationality to the land of Indigenous and non-Indigenous groups and the historicized power relations. Most risk assessment frameworks ignore or oversimplify the cultural heterogeneity of human-environment relationships by using generalized value concepts. The few context-dependent frameworks that have been proposed do not account for different sociocultural groups living on the same land. We propose a spatial-based risk assessment approach inspired by the concept of riskscape, acknowledging diverse perceptions of risk and landscape among different sociocultural groups. We present a risk assessment method eliciting values for different sociocultural groups in their specific contexts using separate valuation methods, and then aggregating them into a joint geospatial interface to highlight convergent and competing interests. Illustrated with the boreal region of northwestern Quebec (Canada), we discuss how the riskscape framework balances Indigenous and non-Indigenous perspectives in a non-hierarchical assessment of values at risk.
... This inductive, qualitative research references a constructivist paradigm, believing that reality is not waiting to be discovered but is constructed by and within individuals and groups (Moon & Blackman, 2014;Smedslund, 2016). Acknowledging the relational, interactive and contingent nature of communication, and recognising researcher contribution and engagement with participants, Constructivist Grounded Theory guided the collection and analysis of data (Charmaz, 2014). ...
Article
Emotion Coaching (EC) is a universal, relational approach focussed on promoting emotional wellbeing through attuned relationships. Adults coregulate children to understand different emotions they experience, why they occur and how to manage them. EC was introduced into UK educational settings in 2010 to promote children's social and emotional learning (SEL) and build resiliency. With evidence of child and practitioner benefit, it is an adaptable 'technique' to manage dysregulated children and emotional situations. This paper, reports on educational practitioners' EC experience. An inductive study, using semi-structured interviews, captured experiences and perceptions of 21, EC trained practitioners. Using constructivist grounded theory, analysis identified the fundamental role of the practitioner's emotional identity and emotional awareness; recognised practice integration was influenced by practice opportunity and reflection with colleagues and acknowledged the need for managerial support to normalise and sustain EC in settings. With use, ARTICLE HISTORY
... Increasing recognition of the importance of social processes in conservation is reflected in a growing body of research that incorporates social sciences as a key component (Bennett et al. 2017a;Teel et al. 2018). Recent debates about the relationship between social sciences and conservation have focused on the epistemological and methodological challenges of incorporating the social sciences into conservation (Mascia et al. 2003;Campbell 2005a; Moon & Blackman 2014;Rust et al. 2017;Moon et al. 2019), and on the description and role of the various conservation social sciences (e.g. Sandbrook et al. 2013;Bennett et al. 2017aBennett et al. , 2017b. ...
Thesis
Full-text available
This PhD explores the politics of pewen tree (Araucaria araucana) conservation in Chile and how these are shaped by different understandings of nature and human-nature relations. Embedded within the political ecology of conservation and informed by relational approaches from environmental humanities and ontological politics, the thesis explores these debates through an in-depth example from a less widely researched field, namely tree conservation. Pewen is an iconic tree in Chile, with the highest level of legal protection. It is present in the temperate rain forest of Southern Chile and Argentina, and it can reach 50 meters high and more than 1000 years old. For Pewenche indigenous peoples, pewen is a sacred tree and a basic means of subsistence, mainly, but not only, because of its nutritious seeds (i.e. piñones). The research is based on qualitative methods: interviews with government officials, ecologists, geneticists, and Pewenche; participatory observation in workshops and meetings; field visits to pewen forests with relevant actors; and a review of policy documents, public letters and newspapers. Fieldwork was conducted between 2017 and 2018, when two key events took place: the national reclassification of pewen conservation status and the start of the Pewen National Conservation Plan. The analysis unfolds through three sections. First, it explores the politics of pewen reclassification demonstrating how the process was shaped by cultural and political meanings ascribed to species status in the assessments. Second, it explores the relationships between Pewenche and pewen as a process of becoming-with, showing how a local pewen ontology is enacted from the interaction between Pewenche and pewen in ways that challenges dominant conservation dichotomies. Third, it develops an analysis of the ways in which different human-nature relations shape pewen conservation, comparing three approaches to this (ecologists, geneticists and Pewenche) and examining how these are embedded in unequal power relations.
... As such, epistemology played an important part in the framing of this study. An objectivist epistemology assumes that reality exists outside an individual's mind (Levers, 2013), and is noted for providing reliable and consistent results based on valid data (Moon & Blackman, 2014). The epistemological perspective of this study is based on critical realism (McEvoy & Richards, 2003). ...
Thesis
Full-text available
The study assessed the quality and effectiveness of Integrated or Regular School, Gifted School, and Dedicated Classroom approaches in Saudi Arabia. By gathering survey data from 300 gifted secondary students in grades 10-12 and their parents, the study assessed and compared the quality and effectiveness of Integrated or Regular School, Gifted School, and Dedicated Classroom approaches in Saudi Arabia. The research questions explored stakeholder views regarding the provision of gifted education and perceptions of gifted teachers across these approaches. The data were analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Additionally, a content analysis was conducted on open-ended responses from the participants to gain deeper insights into their perceptions and suggestions for improvement regarding gifted education in Saudi Arabia. The findings suggest that full-time gifted programs, such as those implemented through gifted schools, may be most effective in meeting the needs of these students. Furthermore, the study identifies the social and emotional needs of gifted students as an area requiring greater attention in gifted education programs across Saudi Arabia. The participants provided improvement suggestions that varied by approach. Students in gifted schools emphasised the need for improved instructional strategies and extracurricular activities, those in dedicated classes called for a better school environment and more academic enrichment opportunities, and students in regular schools believed that teachers needed more training. The study also found that personal characteristics were more highly valued by gifted students across the three approaches, which may relate to the students’ perceived unmet social and emotional needs. The study highlights the importance of tailoring gifted education to the 3 | Page unique needs of students and their families and provides insights into effective approaches to support their academic, social, and emotional growth.
... Relevant researchers' positioning includes personal characteristics, such as gender, race, affiliation, age, sexual orientation, immigration status, personal experiences, linguistic tradition, beliefs, biases, preferences, theoretical, political, and ideological stances, and emotional responses to participants 70 . Based on best practice, we provide a positionality and reflexive statement 71,72 . ...
Article
Full-text available
Interdisciplinary marine research is pivotal for addressing ocean sustainability challenges but may exclude diverse socio-economic, cultural, or identity groups. Drawing on perspectives of marine Early Career Researchers, we highlight the importance of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in advancing interdisciplinary marine science and present ten recommendations to enhance DEI. As our ocean faces increasing threats, fostering DEI within this domain is not merely an aspirational goal but an ethical imperative.
... The ontological position of critical realism was selected because it provides practical guidance for a mixed-methods approach (Mingers 2004;Venkatesh, Brown & Bala 2013) by offering internal and external validity between variables in the quantitative data and extending descriptive validity to the behaviour observed in the qualitative data (Zachariadis, Scott & Barrett 2013). Paired with the epistemological positions of pragmatism and post-positivism, both of which advocate the use of multiple methods to identify and interpret research results (Moon & Blackman 2014), the abductive approach to inquiry provides a conduit between the theoretical perspectives and the data (Morgan 2007). Including the theoretical and conceptual background in the depiction of the conceptual framework creates awareness of the philosophical orientation of the researchers that guide the research process. ...
... Document analysis provides the researcher with scope to uncover meaning, develop understanding and discover insights relevant to the research problem (Bowen, 2009). A constructionist epistemological position was adopted, whereby knowledge was constructed through engagement with and interpretation of document content (Moon et al., 2014). Reporting of results was guided by the Checklist for Assessment and Reporting of Document Analysis (Cleland et al., 2023). ...
Article
Full-text available
Sport science practitioners utilise findings from peer reviewed research to inform practice. Fewer studies are conducted with high performance athletes, however, than those involving recreationally active participants. Noting that research findings from recreational athletes may not be generalisable to the elite, there is a need to engage the latter cohort in research with better potential to influence health and performance. This study identified methods used to engage and recruit highly trained, elite and world class athletes as research participants. A document analysis was conducted using a purposive sample of peer‐reviewed sport science literature. All articles published in 2022 from 18 highly ranked sport science journals were screened for inclusion. Studies investigating athletes ranked as highly trained/national level or above were included. All details related to participant recruitment were extracted from included articles, with the content being coded and thematically analysed using an interpretivist approach. A total of 439 studies from the 2356 screened were included in the analysis. Five primary themes of recruitment strategies were identified, beneath an overarching strategy of purposeful, convenience sampling. Recruitment themes related to the use of a gatekeeper, the research environment providing convenient access to athletes, promoting the study electronically, utilising professional networks and recruiting at training or competition. Engaging athletes through a gatekeeper is a prominent strategy to involve elite athletes in research. It is suggested that researchers work collaboratively with team or organisation personnel to promote recruitment, creating co‐designed approaches that address issues most relevant to athletes and staff.
... The purpose of this curriculum concept is to assist students in comprehending and honing their scientific knowledge and skills. The science curriculum offers a solid basis for comprehending the fundamental ideas of the natural sciences at the elementary school level (Moon & Blackman, 2014). However, as students advance to the middle school level, the emphasis changes to a more in-depth and sophisticated comprehension of concepts. ...
Article
Full-text available
This study aims to compare STEM education in higher education institutions in Indonesia and Singapore. This research is a systematic literature review with a PRISMA approach. Document searches were conducted using the PoP application in the Google Scholar database. Documents were analyzed from 2020-2024, resulting in 500 documents from the Google Scholar database. Further analysis based on research focus yielded 40 relevant documents. The analysis results show that STEM education in higher education institutions in Indonesia and Singapore has similarities and differences in terms of objectives, aspects, and implementation. The goal of STEM education is directed towards enhancing individual skills to face challenges and meet the demands of the workforce related to 21st-century skills. STEM education in Singapore and Indonesia includes similar aspects, such as support from government and non-government institutions, teaching aspects related to the integration of teaching with other learning models/techniques, efficacy aspects in terms of educators' confidence in their ability to implement STEM, and material aspects concerning the availability of facilities that support learning. The implementation of STEM education in Singapore and Indonesia has been optimally carried out by educators and students through clear learning frameworks and the integration of courses with STEM
... Other theorists suggest five paradigms; for example, Guba and Lincoln (2005, p. 195) suggest positivist, post-positivist, critical theory, constructivist, and participatory. These are alternatively described as positivist, post-positivist, structuralist, social-constructivist, and interpretivist by Moon and Blackman (2014); and as positivist, constructivist/interpretive, pragmatist, subjectivist and critical by Patel (2015). Major paradigms therefore would include positivist and post-positivist, constructivist/interpretivist/subjectivist, and critical-participatory. ...
... Validity, described as the truth or credibility of findings, can be achieved using a combination of procedures. 9 These include the application of underlying theoretical principles (e.g., ontology or epistemology), 10 appropriate sampling and methodological approach, triangulating or cross-checking findings between different stakeholders and research, 6 using existing frameworks 4 and documenting methodology (e.g., including details of sampling frameworks and quotes from interviews). 11 Reliability describes the consistency of a measure and can be achieved by using a structured and repeated process of coding and analysis. ...
... To illustrate, upon hearing a frog, a person might walk towards it and take a photo or record that individual frog on a citizen science app, making an 'objective observation' (Figure 1.). This objective data, collected in a verifiable way, can then be added to the relevant citizen science database to create a picture of reality (i.e. the world 'out there') (see Moon & Blackman, 2014). ...
Article
Full-text available
Most citizen science research inherently separates the observer (citizen science participant) from the observation (e.g. data point), placing artificial boundaries around what matters and how it comes to matter. We apply three elements of the philosophical framework of agential realism to reveal a more complex picture of how data arise within citizen science programmes, and its meaning to both the practice of science and the citizen science participant: ‘intra‐action’ (all entities have agency and are entangled with one another); ‘material becoming’ (what comes to matter); and ‘responsibility’ (accountability for what comes to matter and what is excluded from mattering). We draw on a case study of FrogID—an Australia‐wide citizen science program focused on calling frogs, with over 42,000 participants and over 1 million frog records. We conducted semi‐structured interviews with 30 FrogID users, completing two rounds of thematic and relational coding. Our findings reveal that as a consequence of their recording behaviours, FrogID participants become increasingly entangled with the nocturnal environment, with sound and with their own self. Expanding and reciprocal relationships and experiences shape the nature and frequency of their recordings. Second, meaning influences what comes to matter (i.e. what is recorded and submitted) for FrogID participants. We reveal meaning related to feedback (recognition and thus reciprocity), others (social networks and participation with family and friends) and the self (physical and mental well‐being and identity formation/becoming). These different forms of meaning influenced engagement with app use. Third, participants communicated responsibilities related to their involvement in citizen science, including responsibilities to create knowledge (e.g. longitudinal data collection), to conserve (e.g. actively conserving frog, formally committing areas to conservation) and to educate self and others (e.g. skills and competencies required for environmental action). Synthesis and applications: By recognizing a more comprehensive set of intra‐actions, beyond the observer and the observation, agential realism can reveal when, why and how citizen science observations are made; what observations come to matter and why; and how people can create a more just world. Agential realism can shape how citizen science participation, retention and biodiversity data generation are founded. We propose three opportunities for citizen science programs based on these findings. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.
... 22 A constructivist entomological approach was used to work with participants to construct the desired understanding. 23 A constructivist paradigm was used to aid in the construction of an understanding purely from participants' experience. 24 The primary study goal was to achieve an understanding of the impact of mentorship on moral distress in oncology trainees. ...
Article
Full-text available
Background: Moral distress is an intrinsic part of healthcare, particularly prevalent in oncology practitioners. Previous studies have suggested mentorship may play a role in combatting moral distress; however, there is a lack of good evidence aimed at understanding trainees’ experience with either mentorship or moral distress, including the intersection between the two. Methods: We conducted a single-centre study in the hermeneutic phenomenological approach at a Canadian academic cancer centre. Six semi-structured interviews with senior oncology trainees were conducted and analysed according to the interpretive profiles hermeneutic phenomenological approach. Findings/results: Key findings include the idea that trainees do find mentorship valuable and helpful in navigating moral distress, which is described as common and inevitable, with a number of triggers and factors identified. However, a mentorship relationship must involve mutual respect, understanding, and honesty in order to be valuable. Additionally, engaging in open, honest discussions with mentors, particularly more senior individuals, is seen as a risk–benefit balance by trainees; vertical mentors bring more wisdom and experience, but may also have a greater impact on a trainee’s future. Conclusion: This thought-provoking study highlights mentorship as a potential method to combat the troubling phenomenon of moral distress in oncology trainees.
... A epistemologia concerne à relação com aquilo que é cognoscível, i.e., diz respeito à relação entre o/a investigador e as pessoas e grupos que consentem ser investigados (Moon & Blackman, 2014 ...
Research Proposal
Full-text available
A World Health Organization (WHO) estima que globalmente 1000 milhões de pessoas se encontrem na situação de migrante ou refugiado. As razões têm vindo a diversificar-se (e.g., alterações climáticas), mas os desafios permanecem (e.g., barreiras no acesso aos direitos humanos). Posto isto, a designada “crise de migrações” na União Europeia (UE) revela-se um fenómeno relevante a ser questionado/escrutinado numa perspetiva decolonial e sob a égide da interseção entre Saúde Global e Ciências da Educação, visto que expõe a sistemática fragilização e ameaça aos direitos humanos das pessoas migrantes e refugiadas, com enfoque particular no direito à saúde. Neste sentido, investigar a partir das Ciências da Educação, com recurso ao aporte decolonial, contribui para desocultar os conhecimentos e práticas dos lugares colonizados cuja invisibilidade se tem vindo a traduzir em disparidades em torno da etnia, género e nacionalidade, que se traduzem nas formas de governação (inter)nacional, onde a Saúde Global apresenta um papel central de produção de conhecimentos e práticas. Numa perspetiva ampla, a academia é impelida a pensar estes desafios, sendo objetivos desta pesquisa produzir conhecimentos em torno da relação entre Saúde Global e o direito à saúde de pessoas migrantes e refugiadas a partir de um aporte decolonial, bem como apontar caminhos para decolonizar normativos europeus em torno do direito à saúde destas pessoas. Para tal, o desenho da investigação envolve (i) a construção de uma grelha de análise capaz de orientar uma leitura decolonial de normativos europeus no âmbito do direito à saúde de pessoas migrantes e refugiadas, informando entrevistas a estas pessoas inseridas em organizações não governamentais (ONG) da UE e a decisores políticos do parlamento europeu da área das migrações humanas, (ii) um inquérito por questionário a ONG europeias para mapear as práticas de PPES, (iii) e o desenvolvimento colaborativo de recomendações acerca de práticas profissionais nesta área e policy briefs com recomendações políticas a partir dos resultados do projeto. Em suma, o desenvolvimento desta pesquisa contribui para refletir sobre desafios prementes à vida na UE a partir de perspetivas emergentes no campo das Ciências da Educação. Palavras-chave: Direito à Saúde; Migrações Humanas; Saúde Global; Práticas de Prevenção, Promoção e Educação em Saúde; Decolonialidade; Ativismo Académico.
... As described earlier, for this research I adopted a theoretical positioning at the interface between a structuralist and new materialist stance (Moon & Blackman, 2014). This means that I might have missed insights that could have been gathered using other perspectives, such as from adopting more feminist angles. ...
Article
Full-text available
While wolves are often described as 'ecological engineers', this article reframes the image of this predator as a socioecological engineer. Adopting a more-than-human political ecology perspective, I highlight the imbrication of wolf agency with the political economy of farming in co-shaping processes of agrarian change in Tuscany, Italy. A multispecies ethnography elucidates how wolves are simultaneously contributing to and undermining a modernization of sheep husbandry practices in the region. This entanglement of wolf agency in processes of de- and re-peasantization is politically relevant, affecting human-wolf relations and local levels of conflict. Through their return, wolves are necessitating shifts in farming practices and affecting the topology of agricultural landscapes, favoring either an intensification of husbandry regimes (i.e., more sheep raised indoors) or a greater competitiveness of family-led free-ranging farms with a high availability of family labor. Emphasizing this aspect is important to politicize current discussions surrounding coexistence, and supports the rise of practices that are considered to be most socially, culturally, and ecologically valuable. A focus on wolf agency in this case entails 'thinking with' wolves in co-designing alternative (co)existences, providing a more nuanced understanding of socioecological change and human-wolf relations. This article informs critical scholarship on the value of moving beyond dualist lenses while still maintaining a focus on structural processes. These are an important though not unidirectional force of change. Reframing wolves as socioecological engineers calls for further research exploring such entanglements of human and non-human agencies in the coproduction of agrarian change and human-wildlife relations.
... Ontology concerns the existence of reality. It helps researchers to affirm that reality exists and can be known, studied and experienced (Moon & Blackman, 2014). Knowing that reality exists prompts and heightens the researcher's zeal to look for ways to know something about it. ...
Thesis
Full-text available
Background: Witchcraft accusations have occurred in Ghanaian society and elsewhere in Sahara, Africa, for many decades. Witchcraft accusations commonly reveal a cultural predisposition to apportion blame for mishaps in the community, such as a disability or misconceptions surrounding ageing and dementia. Such labelling severely curtails the lives of the women, who are banished to live in the “witches” camps with resultant social isolation and accompanying stressors impacting their well-being. Yet, little is known specifically about these women’s mental health and emotional well-being. This research aimed to understand the factors influencing older women’s mental and emotional well-being in the witches’ camps in northern Ghana. Methodology: A two-phase exploratory sequential mixed methods design was employed, using the socio-ecological model, Kleinman's explanatory model, and the social determinants of health as framing lenses. In phase one, an interpretive descriptive approach was used, drawing on purposive sampling to recruit and interview 15 women from one of the "witches' camps" in northern Ghana, along with three allied stakeholders. Additionally, observational photos of the camp's facilities were taken to provide further triangulated data to supplement the interviews. The precise ages of the women were unavailable due to their unknown birth dates. The participants stayed in the camp for a period ranging from 8 to 30 years. Phase two aimed to investigate anxiety and depression symptoms among a cohort of women from the camps and validate the Dagbani Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). A cross-sectional descriptive method was applied, utilizing the cross-culturally translated HADS. A total of 168 women were recruited through random sampling from the witches' camps, and 100 women from the general population completed the Dagbani version of the HADS. Findings: Thematic analysis of phase one data identified nine broad themes: ‘the presence of physical health problems impacting general health and well-being’, ‘anxiety, nervousness, and suicidal ideation’, ‘forgetfulness’, and ‘loneliness, sadness from family disconnection’. Other themes included ‘stigma – self and others’, ‘lack of resources for basic needs and social facilities’, ‘health access barriers affecting general and mental healthcare’, ‘enabling factors for improving social connections’, and ‘recommendations for improving mental health and general well-being’. These themes, in turn, were contextualised by the subthemes of ‘poor housing conditions’, ‘lack of healthcare facilities’, ‘lack of potable water’ and ‘psychological support’ and ‘problems with sleep or difficulty sleeping at night’, ‘frailty and loss of independence’, ‘feeling restless’ or ‘can’t sit still’, ‘worried and scared’, ‘expressing thoughts of suicide and anger’, ‘difficulty concentrating’, ‘confusion’, ‘being sad and alone’, ‘worries associated with separation and lack of family support in the camp’, ‘loss of respect and dignity (“Dariza”)’, ‘feelings of helplessness, unhappiness and despair’, ‘feelings of shame, hopelessness, and isolation’. Data from phase two revealed that anxiety and depression were more prevalent in women in the camps than in the general population of women. A breakdown of the mean scores by group demonstrated higher scores for both anxiety (mean 14.73, SD 1.46) and depression (mean 17.85, SD 1.55) for women in the camp when compared with women from the general population (mean 4.18, SD 2.43, and mean 6.18, SD 3.00, respectively). Conclusion: The triangulation of the two phases provides a contextualized response to the research aim. Common mental health concerns were identified, including anxiety and depressive symptoms among women in the camps and women from the general population. Recommendations are provided for addressing mental health and general well-being, focusing on culturally targeted health and social care provision. These include providing critical and basic social and health care resources and amenities, such as good housing, food, safe drinking water, healthcare facilities, and insurance coverage. In addition, resilience training through counselling and linking the women with psychological support is highlighted. Importantly, this study constituted the first time the Dagbani HADS has been translated and validated. Further recommendations are made for the long-term reintegration of these women safely back into their communities.
... Among these methods, stakeholder or context observation, focus groups, surveys using micro-narratives, go-along interviews, and media analysis can be cited (Bergeron et al. 2014, Macpherson 2016, Teff-Seker et al. 2022. Different methods may provide diverse outputs and outcomes, provide inclusive results, or their results may speak to different audiences in different ways and to different stages of decision making (Moon and Blackman 2014, Jacobs et al. 2016). According to Chan et al. (2012, p. 746) the 'appropriate characterization of a service or value (including valuation) is dependent on appropriate methods, and no method is universally applicable'. ...
Article
Full-text available
This article presents our recent experience studying public perceptions, discourses, and social values in Park Beverin, a Regional Nature Park in Switzerland. We applied four social research methods (news media analysis, survey with micro‐narratives, go‐along interviews, and focus groups), and delved into the subject of wolf Canis lupus adapting a triangulation protocol and systematic process from the health sciences. We observed the recurring perceptions of ‘wolf' throughout three of the four methods; however, depictions, values, prominence, and presence varied by method. Social values of the wolf were mostly silent when compared to other topics, and ‘wolf amplification' and ‘wolf fatigue' point to the need to rethink the social aspects in wolf management, conservation, and policy. The findings also show the need for diverse research methods for revealing social values and perceptions on sensitive topics that otherwise the use of one method may be masking or amplifying.
... Various epistemological and ontological viewpoints, including critical realism, offer avenues for examining concepts of knowledge and reality (Moon & Blackman, 2014). These perspectives range from naïve realism, advocating a singular objective reality, to relativism, acknowledging multiple realities. ...
... The epistemological perspective of the study encompassed the context, the kind of evidence that was being searched for and how it was interpreted which, in the present situation, were clearly diverse. As far as the ontological assumptions of the present investigation are concerned, the study adopted a realistic ontology (Moon and Blackman 2014) and adhered to relativist ontology. The whole study was driven by the exploratory scientific research method with mainly an inductive reasoning with emphasis laid on collecting data then generalisations. ...
Article
Full-text available
This paper aims primarily to report the findings of the research project which attempted to explore the extent to which Emotional Intelligence (EI) influences the attainment of Quality Education (QE) within the public secondary educational setting in Mauritius. This paper is motivated by the fact that reason and emotions need to be aligned with a view of cultivating the integrated development of the powers of both the mind and the heart to ensure a sustainable education pathway. This study espoused an iterative approach to research design, subscribing to a mixed method while targeting a large population sample for generalisation of results. The perception of QE and EI were assessed through quantitative and qualitative data which were collected through survey questionnaires for educators and school leaders and discourses from regional directors following semi-structured interviews conducted. Analysis of results gathered from educators, school leaders and zone directors related to state-owned secondary schools indicated a positive impact of EI on QE in contemporary times. ABSTRAK Makalah ini bertujuan terutama untuk melaporkan temuan proyek penelitian yang mencoba mengeksplorasi sejauh mana Kecerdasan Emosional (EI) mempengaruhi pencapaian Pendidikan Berkualitas (QE) dalam lingkungan pendidikan menengah negeri di Mauritius. Makalah ini dilatarbelakangi oleh fakta bahwa akal dan emosi perlu diselaraskan dengan pandangan untuk mengembangkan pengembangan terpadu kekuatan pikiran dan hati untuk
... In striving to fully understand the impact of a complex SBE intervention, this study takes a critical realist stance. Critical realism accepts that there is a reality to uncover, but acknowledges that our knowledge of this reality is inevitably our construction and cannot be truly objective [16,17]. Critical realism focusses on understanding the mechanisms that drive social reality and offers explanatory power [18] which is key in our improvement efforts for SBE. ...
Article
Full-text available
Background Evaluating the impact of simulation-based education (SBE) has prioritised demonstrating a causal link to improved patient outcomes. Recent calls herald a move away from looking for causation to understanding ‘what else happened’. Inspired by Shorrock’s varieties of human work from patient safety literature, this study draws on the concept of work-as-done versus work-as-imagined. Applying this to SBE recognises that some training impacts will be unexpected, and the realities of training will never be quite as imagined. This study takes a critical realist stance to explore the experience and consequences, intended and unintended, of the internal medicine training (IMT) simulation programme in Scotland, to better understand ‘training-as-done’. Methods Critical realism accepts that there is a reality to uncover but acknowledges that our knowledge of reality is inevitably our construction and cannot be truly objective. The IMT simulation programme involves three courses over a 3-year period: a 3-day boot camp, a skills day and a 2-day registrar-ready course. Following ethical approval, interviews were conducted with trainees who had completed all courses, as well as faculty and stakeholders both immersed in and distant from course delivery. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using critical realist analysis, influenced by Shorrock’s proxies for work-as-done. Results Between July and December 2023, 24 interviews were conducted with ten trainees, eight faculty members and six stakeholders. Data described proxies for training-as-done within three broad categories: design, experience and impact. Proxies for training design included training-as-prescribed, training-as-desired and training-as-prioritised which compete to produce training-as-standardised. Experience included training-as-anticipated with pre-simulation anxiety and training-as-unintended with the valued opportunity for social comparison as well as a sense of identity and social cohesion. The impact reached beyond the individual trainee with faculty development and inspiration for other training ventures. Conclusion Our findings highlight unintended consequences of SBE such as social comparison and feeling ‘valued as a trainee, valued as a person’. It sheds light on the fear of simulation, reinforcing the importance of psychological safety. A critical realist approach illuminated the ‘bigger picture’, revealing insights and underlying mechanisms that allow this study to present a new framework for conceptualising training evaluation.
... The philosophical principles and theoretical assumptions of scientists can affect the design, execution and interpretation of research and therefore should be reported (Moon et al., 2019). We used Moon and Blackman's (2014) guide to understand these social science principles. Our research ontology was structural realism in which we posit one reality exists but how it is defined and measured makes it elusive. ...
Article
Research-implementation gaps pervade conservation practice. However, reconceptualising these gaps as productive learning spaces for stakeholder engagement can yield solutions. The first step in this process is to identify the stakeholders to engage in this research-implementation space and understand their relationships. An important research-implementation gap arose when research showed that fishing gear, set on South Africa's east coast to protect bathers from sharks, was a threat to endangered dolphins that were caught incidentally. It became apparent that it was necessary to improve our understanding of the social aspects of the human-wildlife conflict involving bathers and sharks. In this study, we aimed to (i) identify stakeholders in this bather-shark conflict and their involvement and (ii) describe the dynamics among these stakeholders. We interviewed 29 stakeholders whose work intersects with the conflict, assessed perceptions of their influence and interest, and the structure of their communication network. We found that governance is top-down and the communication network is small with limited information flow about non-lethal alternatives to the current fishing method. Since power dynamics impact conservation initiatives, articulating the relative decision-making positions may aid future negotiations for conservation. In small networks, such as this one, improving connectivity and thus information flow can transform the system. Forming a Working Group composed of interested and affected stakeholders who contribute knowledge and diverse perspectives could make governance more inclusive and improve network connectivity. Our research simultaneously identified who to work with in this research-implementation space and began the process of learning together to improve the flow of information.
... The framework for this research study lies between critical realist and bounded relativist ontology and has been written using a pragmatic theoretical perspective. 10 The pragmatic theoretical approach attempts to explain what the speaker means and, therefore, considers the meaning and sentiments behind the words in data collection and analysis. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and analysed using thematic analysis. ...
Article
Full-text available
Background The survival of horses diagnosed with critical colic (requiring referral or euthanasia) relies on rapid and effective decision‐making by the owner and veterinary practitioner. Objectives To explore UK horse owners' and veterinary practitioners' experiences of decision‐making for critical cases of equine colic. Study design Qualitative study using a phenomenological approach. Methods Individual, semi‐structured telephone interviews were conducted with 14 horse owners and 13 veterinary practitioners (vets) who had experienced a critical decision (referral or euthanasia) for a horse with colic. A purposive, convenience sample of participants was recruited. Sessions explored participant's experience of colic, including recognition, help‐seeking behaviour, and challenges. Thematic analysis was performed on collected data. Results Four over‐arching themes were identified; ‘head’, ‘heart’, ‘practicalities’ and ‘impact’. Owners acknowledged responsibility for their horse's welfare but had different perspectives than vets on the importance of finance (‘head’). Both vets and owners described how the horse–human relationship (‘heart’) often led to conflict during decision‐making. The vet–client relationship was influential on decision‐making for both owners and vets; involving other people in decision‐making was described both positively and negatively by participants (‘heart’). ‘Practicalities’, such as lack of preparedness, transport issues and adverse weather conditions, were identified by both owners and vets as barriers. Owners described a ‘rollercoaster’ of emotions after a critical decision, with profound impacts on their mental wellbeing, feelings of guilt, and long‐term changes in behaviour (‘impact’), and a lack of support to manage these feelings. Main limitations Small sample size. Conclusions This study describes stakeholder decision‐making during critical cases of equine colic. Factors that commonly influenced decisions included an owner's previous knowledge and beliefs, social pressures, logistics and the relationship between the owner and vet. The study highlighted long‐term impacts on the owner, including their management and decisions for subsequent horses. These factors should be considered in shared decision‐making.
... The interpretive stance of this paper recognizes the inherent subjectivity in the investigation of reality. 32 However, strategies were used throughout the research process to contribute to the credibility and trustworthiness of the findings. ...
Article
Full-text available
Transformational leadership in sports is generally associated with positive athlete outcomes. The Transformational Coaching Workshop was developed as a person-oriented workshop to enhance youth sport experiences. However, evidence of participants’ perceptions of the workshop and how it may be improved is lacking. This study investigated coaches' perceptions of the Transformational Coaching Workshop, its outcomes and applications, and areas for improvement. Youth handball coaches were interviewed immediately (n = 10) and 6 months (n = 5) after participating in the Transformational Coaching Workshop, and the club's sporting director was interviewed 6 months following the workshop. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim, and data were analysed using a reflexive thematic analysis. Overall, the workshop was well received by the coaches, highlighting the importance of a coach development program on the interpersonal aspect of coaching, and pinpointing relevant and practical examples and interactive learning experiences as effective components of the workshop. Furthermore, the workshop made the coaches more confident in their approach to leadership and provided tools and ideas for implementing transformational leadership in their daily coaching practices. It was also perceived to lead to actual behaviour changes, including challenging the players to take more responsibilities and fostering more frequent informal interactions and counselling with them. However, to ensure the long-term sustainability of the Transformational Coaching Workshop, additional follow-up activities such as seminars, colleague observations, and club involvement were recommended. In conclusion, this study contributes to the existing literature on the potential efficacy of the Transformational Coaching Workshop while identifying areas for further improvement.
... The qualitative data were analyzed using inductive codebook thematic analyses through a constructivist epistemology bound in a relativist ontology (Moon & Blackman, 2014), meaning as researchers, we can only interpret the responses through the lens of our own experiences, biases, and understanding. We also interpreted the responses with the mind-set that the participants are the experts in their own lives, and thus, their words are seen as truth. ...
Article
Despite the well-known benefits of comprehensive sexual health education, the majority of school sexual health education curricula in the United States (U.S.) is non-comprehensive and excludes LGBTQ+ students. This exclusion may contribute to poor health outcomes in LGBTQ+ youth, with some research beginning to document these experiences and provide recommendations for curricula changes. Using a sample of LGBTQ+ youth across the U.S. (ages 13-17; N = 809), this study characterizes youths' sexual health education experiences and provides curricula recommendations using a mixed methods approach. Quantitative analyses revealed that LGBTQ+ content is often excluded from sexual health education, particularly topics surrounding sexual orientation and gender identity, which youth wanted to learn more about. Furthermore, participants identified several extracurricular sources of sexual health education, including online spaces, friends, and personal experiences, which were often preferred. Qualitative analyses suggested that LGBTQ+ youth described their sexual health education as exclusive of LGBTQ+ content, often being based in abstinence, religious principles, or described as oppressive (e.g. hearing LGBTQ+ negative remarks) or suppressive (e.g. skipping required LGBTQ+ content). LGBTQ+ youth also provided recommendations for future curricula. Findings can inform curricula development and implementation, as well as policy change, to ascertain that all youth have access to inclusive and comprehensive sexual health education.
... Various epistemological and ontological viewpoints, including critical realism, offer avenues 126 for examining concepts of knowledge and reality (Moon and Blackman, 2014). These 127 perspectives range from naïve realism, advocating a singular objective reality, to relativism, 128 acknowledging multiple realities. ...
Preprint
Full-text available
With the popularity of co-creation research in public health and other fields, there is a need to strengthen its evidence-base by developing a framework based on meta-theoretical principles. The lack of applying meta-theoretical principles in co-creation research impedes the theory- and evidence building. Critical realism seems a promising candidate for providing meta-theoretical principles to enrich the evidence base of co-creation research in public health. To this purpose we searched for relevant papers on critical realism methodological principles, clarified and subsequently applied such principles to a co-creation public health case study. We provide explanatory steps to apply five principles; 1) focusing on understanding an event, like childhood overweight, 2) exploring the broader structure and context surrounding the event, 3) constructing hypotheses about the underlying mechanism(s) of an event, 4) empirical testing to corroborate those hypotheses, and 5) using multiple methods and triangulation. Further, this study shows that critical realism can enrich co-creation research in public health by iteratively building theory and evidence following the five proposed principles.
Article
Full-text available
Active travel offers many societal benefits, including improving people’s mental and physical health and minimising our impacts on the environment. Increasing active travel is particularly important amongst children and young people (CYP), who are building habits which they will carry into adulthood. Studies on active travel amongst CYP are limited, however, with most research focusing on adult participants or on adult perceptions of children. This study sought to understand CYP’s interactions with the built and natural environment–and therefore their access to active travel–through the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation, Behaviour (COM-B) model. With a stakeholder group representing local government, youth organisations and active travel organisations, we co-created two bilingual questionnaires–one for young people aged 12–16 years living in Wales and the other for parents of young people aged 12–16 years living in Wales. Both questionnaires collected information on behaviour and perceived capability, opportunity and motivation of CYP to engage with their natural and built environments. The questionnaires included a discrete choice experiment (DCE), which proposed a series of binary choice questions indicating preferences based on landscape, journey time and type of travel. A total of 124 questionnaires (38 young people and 86 parents) were returned for analysis. These data indicate that CYP’s time spent outdoors is not dependent upon geography (rural/urban/suburban), season, or school holidays. There was a significant difference in capability, opportunity and motivation between parents and CYP, with parents over-estimating the psychological capability of CYP to engage outdoors. The preference data indicate that active travel is the favoured mode of transport, with both CYP and parents stating that they would increase travel time in order to travel actively. While this response is not consistent with respondent’s day-to-day travel choices, it suggests that the limitations to active travel may be psychological capability and automatic motivation, rather than a lack of opportunity.
Article
Full-text available
In a hyperconnected world, framing and managing biological invasions poses complex and contentious challenges, affecting socioeconomic and environmental sectors. This complexity distinguishes the field and fuels polarized debates. In the present article, we synthesize four contentious issues in invasion science that are rarely addressed together: vocabulary usage, the potential benefits of nonnative species, perceptions shifting because of global change, and rewilding practices and biological invasions. Researchers have predominantly focused on single issues; few have addressed multiple components of the debate within or across disciplinary boundaries. Ignoring the interconnected nature of these issues risks overlooking crucial cross-links. We advocate for interdisciplinary approaches that better integrate social and natural sciences. Although they are challenging, interdisciplinary collaborations offer hope to overcome polarization issues in invasion science. These may bridge disagreements, facilitate knowledge exchange, and reshape invasion science narratives. Finally, we present a contemporary agenda to advance future research, management, and constructive dialogue.
Article
Purpose This study aims to explore service modularity in the context of digital technology and environmental sustainability, particularly considering the transformative impacts of the post-pandemic world. It aims to shed light on how service modularity can adapt to and thrive in these evolving circumstances. Design/methodology/approach Using a comprehensive analytical approach, this paper addresses the critical concerns and limitations inherent in traditional service modularity concepts. It proposes novel perspectives on service modularity, enriched by recent technological advancements and sustainability imperatives. Findings The research reveals new dimensions of service modularity, emphasising its significance in the era of digital transformation and heightened environmental awareness. It provides empirical insights into how service modularity can be effectively reimagined and implemented in response to the challenges and opportunities arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. Practical implications The findings offer valuable guidance for organisations seeking to enhance their service delivery through modularity. The study underscores the importance of integrating digital innovation and sustainability principles into service design and execution in the post-pandemic era. Originality/value This paper makes a novel contribution to the field of service modularity by intertwining it with the realms of digital technology and environmental sustainability. It offers a unique perspective on adapting service modularity to contemporary challenges, thereby enriching the existing body of literature and providing a foundation for future research in this area.
Article
Innovative ways of working are emerging in health care to meet the complex needs of people living with multiple long-term conditions. While these initiatives are often measured for their health and economic outcomes, few studies prioritize the patient experience. This qualitative descriptive study is one of a few studies exploring the patient experience of attending a dedicated long-term conditions annual review clinic in a primary care setting in England. The service model aims to provide a person-centered, holistic approach to the management and support of people living with multiple long-term conditions. The study presents findings from in-depth interviews with 12 participants. Data analyzed through framework analysis revealed four themes relating to the patient experience: the clinic as a place, continuity, staying healthy, and partnership opportunities. Results highlight the challenges to providing personalized care. We found that attendance at the clinic prompted self-care behaviors, however, patients wanted a more holistic, integrated, and consistent service that provided continuity of therapeutic relationships that involved them in decision-making and care planning. We conclude that the experience of patients in this study suggests this service model can enable patients to manage their health and improve well-being, however, while a person-centered philosophy may underpin service models, our research shows that ensuring this philosophy is born out in service delivery and recognized by patients is problematic. Therefore, service providers need to recognize the values and perspectives of patients, aligning these with the design and delivery of services.
Article
Full-text available
As the world around us changes, so too do the bonds that people have with their environment. These environmental bonds, or Senses of Place (SoP), are a key component of social-ecological systems (SESs). SoP has social, psychological and economic value, it impacts how people use and behave in an environment and how they respond to changes such as those caused by anthropogenic pressures. Despite this connection, the consideration and application of SoP in the management of SESs remains relatively under explored. This study takes the first step in addressing that gap by investigating the perceptions of researchers in the field. We achieve this by interviewing SoP researchers from around the globe to elucidate whether they see SoP as valuable for the management of SES. We also identify their perspectives on the barriers to, and enablers of, incorporating SoP into policy and management. Results show while researchers do see the value in incorporating SoP into policy, there are a range of barriers that impact this, most notably, the intangible nature of the phenomena and shortcomings of current governance systems. Results also identify a range of enablers that could improve the incorporation of SoP into policy–particularly through improved engagement and communication between stakeholders. These findings represent a first step in the formal inclusion of this social value into the management of SES.
Chapter
Full-text available
Ringkasan dari bagian "Hasil Penelitian dan Pembahasan" ini menjelaskan langkah-langkah yang harus diambil oleh peneliti sebelum memulai penulisan Bab Empat, termasuk merevisi Bab Tiga dan memastikan data telah diorganisir dan dianalisis. Bab ini memfokuskan pada penyusunan data, analisis data kuantitatif dan kualitatif, serta interpretasi hasil. Peneliti disarankan menggunakan perangkat lunak statistik untuk mempermudah analisis data kuantitatif, seperti SPSS atau AMOS, dan perangkat lunak untuk pengkodean data kualitatif, seperti NVIVO dan Atlas ti. Deskripsi data meliputi penjelasan detail tentang data yang dikumpulkan, termasuk karakteristik, sumber data, dan teknik analisis. Analisis data dilakukan secara sistematis untuk memastikan validitas dan reliabilitas hasil penelitian, dengan menggunakan statistik deskriptif dan inferensial untuk data kuantitatif, serta pengkodean dan identifikasi tema untuk data kualitatif. Pembahasan hasil mencakup pengaitan temuan dengan literatur, interpretasi temuan, identifikasi implikasi praktis dan teoretis, serta pengakuan terhadap keterbatasan penelitian. Rekomendasi untuk penelitian selanjutnya juga diberikan, termasuk saran metodologis atau arah penelitian baru. Bagian ini menekankan pentingnya validitas dan transparansi dalam proses analisis data untuk memastikan kredibilitas dan kontribusi signifikan dari temuan penelitian.
Article
Between 1966 and 1991, George Bornoff and his associates published two primary periodicals, the Bornoff String Bulletin (BSB) and String Education Quarterly (SEQ), each of which document aspects of Bornoff Approach to string class instruction. Given that all three periodicals remain largely inaccessible to the public, the purpose of this qualitative content analysis was to provide summative descriptions of the BSB and SEQ that further inform our understanding of Bornoff’s Approach. Our study was guided by three research questions: (a) What was the purpose of the BSB, SEQ1, and SEQ2 publications? (b) What content was addressed in these publications? and (c) Which string instruments are featured more prominently in pedagogical content across periodicals? Through our analysis, we sought to provide a description of each set of periodicals. Analyses revealed four themes in the publications: (a) Promoting the Bornoff Approach, (b) Sharing String Pedagogy, (c) Clarifying Concepts and Procedures, and (d) Training Public School Teachers. Findings provide insights into Bornoff’s pedagogy, the influence of Gestalt philosophy and Bornoff’s efforts to advance string education.
Presentation
Full-text available
A World Health Organization (WHO) estima que globalmente 1000 milhões de pessoas se encontrem na situação de migrante ou refugiado. As razões têm vindo a diversificar-se (e.g., alterações climáticas), mas os desafios permanecem (e.g., barreiras no acesso aos direitos humanos). Posto isto, a designada “crise de migrações” na União Europeia (UE) revela-se um fenómeno relevante a ser questionado/escrutinado numa perspetiva decolonial e sob a égide da interseção entre Saúde Global e Ciências da Educação, visto que expõe a sistemática fragilização e ameaça aos direitos humanos das pessoas migrantes e refugiadas, com enfoque particular no direito à saúde. Neste sentido, investigar a partir das Ciências da Educação, com recurso ao aporte decolonial, contribui para desocultar os conhecimentos e práticas dos lugares colonizados cuja invisibilidade se tem vindo a traduzir em disparidades em torno da etnia, género e nacionalidade, que se traduzem nas formas de governação (inter)nacional, onde a Saúde Global apresenta um papel central de produção de conhecimentos e práticas. Numa perspetiva ampla, a academia é impelida a pensar estes desafios, sendo objetivos desta pesquisa produzir conhecimentos em torno da relação entre Saúde Global e o direito à saúde de pessoas migrantes e refugiadas a partir de um aporte decolonial, bem como apontar caminhos para decolonizar normativos europeus em torno do direito à saúde destas pessoas. Para tal, o desenho da investigação envolve (i) a construção de uma grelha de análise capaz de orientar uma leitura decolonial de normativos europeus no âmbito do direito à saúde de pessoas migrantes e refugiadas, informando entrevistas a estas pessoas inseridas em organizações não governamentais (ONG) da UE e a decisores políticos do parlamento europeu da área das migrações humanas, (ii) um inquérito por questionário a ONG europeias para mapear as práticas de PPES, (iii) e o desenvolvimento colaborativo de recomendações acerca de práticas profissionais nesta área e policy briefs com recomendações políticas a partir dos resultados do projeto. Em suma, o desenvolvimento desta pesquisa contribui para refletir sobre desafios prementes à vida na UE a partir de perspetivas emergentes no campo das Ciências da Educação. Palavras-chave: Direito à Saúde; Migrações Humanas; Saúde Global; Práticas de Prevenção, Promoção e Educação em Saúde; Decolonialidade; Ativismo Académico.
Thesis
Full-text available
Tourism is a complex industry with extensive value chains and is frequently engaged as a tool to increase economic growth and development in the Pacific. With the ability to leverage exposure to international markets and facilitate opportunities to increase domestic income while showcasing the unique cultural and social environments of developing communities, tourism offers a progressive foundation for growth. However, how benefits are generated, for whom and in what respects remain highly debated. Limitations to existing evaluation methods have resulted in uncertainties about benefits to developing communities with current academic debates suggesting more sophisticated and context-specific approaches which can adapt to changing environments, capture stakeholders’ views and incorporate methods such as the realist evaluation methodology are required. The research question analysed in this thesis was “What are the advantages of using the realist evaluation methodology when assessing benefits to developing communities through tourism?”. To answer the question, three components of the realist evaluation methodology were applied to examine benefits from tourism in the Solomon Islands. Several pre-existing challenges to benefit developing communities through tourism interventions were identified in a review of literature, confirming limitations to current evaluation methods used to assess development interventions. Subsequently, three subquestions were developed: 1. Are evaluation methods used to support tourism interventions in the Solomon Islands? 2. What are the considerations for developing an evaluation tool to increase benefits to developing communities through tourism interventions in the Solomon Islands? 3. How can using the realist evaluation methodology to evaluate tourism interventions increase benefits to developing communities? Through a mixed methods approach using inductive research methods over two stages, this research examined the advantages of using the realist evaluation methodology to assess tourism as an intervention in a developing country. To capture the contextual layers of stakeholders working in and servicing tourism in the Solomon Islands, survey and focus group participants were recruited using stratified sampling. The Context, Mechanism and Outcome configuration was used to assess the context in which benefits were being generated through tourism and the expected outcomes by stakeholders about the benefits and beneficiaries of tourism interventions. Furthermore, this research has demonstrated how a holistic understanding to increase the effectiveness of tourism interventions can be delivered by evaluating what works, for whom, how and in what circumstances and respects? Realism is a philosophy which sits between positivism, a thing that exists in the real world which can be directly observed and facts can be derived from, and constructivism, referred to as being formed from observations and scrutinised through human senses and the human brain (Pawson, 2006). To the researcher’s knowledge, the realist evaluation methodology which derives from realism, has not previously been used in the Pacific to evaluate tourism interventions. Applying a realist lens, this research has examined the interrelationships between benefits, beneficiaries and impacts from tourism in a developing country. As a sophisticated method, the realist evaluation methodology can overcome some of the existing limitations experienced with frequently applied models including the logical framework, participatory evaluation and impact assessment. These difficulties include applying results and effecting changes in policy and programs, inflexible approaches with predetermined outcomes, a lack of focus on beneficiaries and high costs resulting in reduced benefits. Using a realist approach demonstrated the methodology provided the ability to apply results and develop evidence to inform changes in policy and programs. Furthermore, the flexible approach enabled the researcher to capture all outcomes during the evaluation process which provided a holistic focus on benefits and beneficiaries of tourism in a developing country. Lastly, the methodology was also cost effective and easy to use where stakeholders identified that most, if not all outcomes could be applied to increase local benefits through tourism. With a paucity of research to inform policymakers of likely attitudes amongst stakeholders, varied perceptions about how local people could benefit from tourism interventions existed prior to this research. The research findings demonstrated that rigorous, transparent, and inclusive approaches could assist to identify the underlying causal mechanisms of interventions to sustainably increase benefits to communities. As a small and fragile industry, which can permanently impact local people and the environment, tourism stakeholders have called for sophisticated and systematic evaluation approaches with the capability to strengthen institutional frameworks. The research found that holistic approaches could aid communities to better manage cultural and physical environments to increase local benefits. Building on this knowledge, a conceptual model to evaluate tourism interventions using a realist approach was developed to explain how benefits could be increased through evaluation processes. The model suggests the methodology is implemented through three focus areas (purpose, approach and outcomes), over four phases to examine what works, for whom, how, in what circumstances and respects.
Chapter
Full-text available
The never-ending improvements in artificial intelligence models have been astonishing in each sphere of life, especially the business segments and academic research. Even though the involvement of AI in social and business environments has already raised many key concerns, academia and business world experts recommend safely deploying this next digital revolution. Several key aspects of AI can bring forth marvelous results. In this chapter, the authors advocate a safety model of AI which can not only speed up the research tools and technique but also open the broader window to achieve the research objectives with more depth and explanatory answers. This chapter's major contribution is exploring viable and secure solutions to use powerful AI models to improve and faster the social science research approaches.
Article
Full-text available
Artificial intelligence (AI) is widely used in social sciences and continues to evolve. Deep learning (DL) has emerged as a powerful AI tool transforming social sciences with valuable insights across many areas. Employing DL for modelling social sciences’ big data has led to significant discoveries and transformations. This study aims to systematically review and evaluate DL methods in social sciences. Following PRISMA guideline, this study identifies fundamntal DL methods applied to social science applications. We evaluated DL models using reported metrics and calculated a normalized reliability score for uniform assessment. Employing relief feature selection, we identified influential parameters affecting DL techniques’ reliability. Findings suggest evaluation criteria significantly impact DL model effectiveness, while database and application type influence moderately. Identified limitations include inadequate reporting of evaluation criteria and model structure details hindering comprehensive assessment and informed policy development. In conclusion, this review underscores DL methods’ transformative role in social sciences, emphasising the importance of explainability and responsibility.
Article
Full-text available
Background Health crises have been linked with the exacerbation of pre-existing difficulties and the emergence of unique challenges, as evidenced by the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on health caregivers worldwide. Baseline data allow for reflection and preparation for any future health emergencies therefore giving impetus to phenomenological enquiries among the experiencers. Aim This study aimed to explore the lived experiences of the eThekwini district frontline radiology caregivers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Setting The study was conducted in public and private radiology departments in the eThekwini district of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Methods A qualitative, interpretative phenomenological analysis methodology was adopted in a multi-method data-collection context comprising semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions (FGDs) among 24 radiologists, radiographers, and radiology nurses obtained by non-probability sampling. Data were transcribed verbatim and analysed using an interpretative phenomenological approach. Results Three superordinate themes emerged, namely: (1) duties and roles during the COVID-19 pandemic, (2) work-related challenges, (3) personal challenges. Conclusion Frontline radiology caregivers experienced increased workload, staff shortages, salary cuts, personal protective equipment (PPE) shortages, non-recognition, poor managerial support, disrupted social relations, and poor work–life balance. This necessitates the need for the radiology departments to address staffing, infection prevention and control deficits, and invest in support interventions to assist frontline radiology caregivers during health crises. Contribution The findings comprise baseline information that can be used for reflection and guiding radiology departments in preparing for any future health crises.
Article
Teachers need to engage in effective professional learning, and Exploratory Action Research (EAR) supports Continuing Professional Development (CPD) in building teachers’ knowledge and skills, even in low-resourced environments. This paper first explores mentored EAR for CPD, its affordances, and challenges. Asking EAR to serve too many functions can frustrate efforts if teachers view research as taxing, or academics undervalue teachers’ outputs. One way of optimising CPD is to shift the focus onto particular concepts of research quality to help teachers and academics develop professionally. This paper next conceptually examines the conjunction of EAR with Qualitative Research Synthesis (QRS), a secondary research method that synthesises and offers new perspectives on aggregated qualitative research outputs. A critical exploration of a published study applying QRS methods in a related field, Technology-Mediated Task Based Language Teaching, is given. The analysis suggests that a novel research orientation be adopted- that of ‘synthesisability’. The contribution to the field is amelioration of the researcher-practitioner relationship, and the pedagogical implications are that teachers can show the thoroughness and value of their impactful work.
Article
Full-text available
Book
Full-text available
Conducting Research in Conservation is the first textbook on social science research methods written specifically for use in the expanding and increasingly multidisciplinary field of environmental conservation. The first section on planning a research project includes chapters on the need for social science research in conservation, defining a research topic, methodology, and sampling. Section two focuses on practical issues in carrying out fieldwork with local communities, from fieldwork preparation and data collection to the relationships between the researcher and the study community. Section three provides an in-depth focus on a range of social science methods including standard qualitative and quantitative methods such as participant observation, interviewing and questionnaires, and more advanced methods, such as ethnobiological methods for documenting local environmental knowledge and change, and participatory methods such as the 'PRA' toolbox. Section four then demonstrates how to analyze social science data qualitatively and quantitatively; and the final section outlines the writing-up process and what should happen after the end of the formal research project. This book is a comprehensive and accessible guide to social science research methods for students of conservation related subjects and practitioners trained in the natural sciences. It features practical worldwide examples of conservation-related research in different ecosystems such as forests; grasslands; marine and riverine systems; and farmland. Boxes provide definitions of key terms, practical tips, and brief narratives from students and practitioners describe the practical issues that they have faced in the field. © 2011 Helen Newing, C.M. Eagle, R.K. Puri and C.W. Watson. All rights reserved.
Article
Full-text available
We explore the reaction of two resource dependent communities, west Texas ranchers and Gulf Coast oyster fishers, to scientific resource management. We examine the criteria these two social groups use to judge scientific claims, and by extension, scientific resource management. Although scientists rely on factors internal to the scientific enterprise (e.g., methodological rigor), natural resource dependent communities such as ranchers and fishers may rely on factors external to the scientific process. Such factors include the historical relationship the community has had with the managing agency, the extent to which scientific explanations match local experience, the conceptual fit between managers' and communities' views of the appropriate relationship between humans and nature, and the resources available to the community to argue against regulation. We conclude that (1) agencies should explore the possibility of including the experiential knowledge of natural resource users where applicable and (2) agencies should recognize that communication skills can be as important as scientific skills in reaching management goals.
Chapter
Full-text available
The ethnographic experience is an indelible venture that continuously redefines one's life. Bringing together important cross-currents in the national debate on education, this book introduces the student or practitioner to the challenges, resources, and skills informing ethnographic research today. From the first chapter describing the cultural foundations of ethnographic research, by George Spindler, the book traces both traditional and new approaches to the study of schools and their communities.
Article
Full-text available
When stripped to the bare bone, there are only 11 foundational paradigms in social sciences. These foundational paradigms are like flashlights that can be utilized to shed light on different aspects of human society, but each of them can only shed light on a limited area of human society. Different schools in social science result from different but often incomplete combinations of these foundational paradigms. To adequately understand human society and its history, we need to deploy all 11 foundational paradigms, although more limited combinations of them may be adequate for understanding more specific social facts.
Article
Full-text available
The relationship between social sciences and natural sciences in the natural resource area is explored. Five barriers to joint involvement of the social and natural sciences include the weakness of the social sciences, a perceived illegitimacy of the social sciences, the punishments associated with interdisciplinary research, the lack of disciplinary support structures, and conflicts over power and control.Progress toward bringing research together in these two clusters of disciplines might be enhanced by institutional and administrative support to develop specific research structures for interdisciplinary natural resource related research; the physical, social, and organizational integration necessary to improve the image of interdisciplinary research and to increase rewards for individual scientists; and efforts to improve the science by specific funding for interdisciplinary natural resource research.
Article
Full-text available
This article examines several methodological issues associated with combining qualitative and quantitative methods by comparing the increasing interest in this topic with the earlier renewal of interest in qualitative research during the 1980s. The first section argues for the value of Kuhn’s concept of paradigm shifts as a tool for examining changes in research fields such as social science research methodology. The next two sections consider the initial rise of the “metaphysical paradigm” that justified the renewed interest in qualitative research and the subsequent problems that have encouraged efforts to replace that paradigm. The final section of the paper advocates a “pragmatic approach” as a new guiding paradigm in social science research methods, both as a basis for supporting work that combines qualitative and quantitative methods and as a way to redirect our attention to methodological rather than metaphysical concerns.
Article
Full-text available
A trade ban limits supply, therefore raising prices and driving black market poaching.
Article
Full-text available
examine interpretivism, beginning with a general sketch of some critical issues in social science epistemology that shape this family of persuasions / single out several particular interpretivist approaches for a close look at how each defines the purpose of human inquiry / these include Clifford Geertz's view of interpretive anthropology, the Herbert Blumer-G. H. Mead version of symbolic interactionism, and Norman Denzin's reformulation of interpretive interactionism introduce constructivist thinking through the work of Nelson Goodman [on cognition] / discuss Ernst von Glasersfeld's radical constructivism, Kenneth Gergen's social constructionism, feminist standpoint epistemologies, Egon Guba and Yvonna Lincoln's constructivist paradigm, and Elliot Eisner's aesthetic approach to educational inquiry as illustrations of constructivist thinking / conclude . . . with an overview of several kinds of criticisms often made of both constructivist and interpretivist approaches (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Article
Full-text available
Boat collisions with manatees ( Trichechus manatus latirostris ) account for about one-quarter of manatee deaths annually in Florida. This emphasizes the need to influence boaters' behavior through an understanding of their knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, and behavioral intentions toward manatees and their conservation. We conducted a telephone survey of a random sample of boat users whose boats were observed in Tampa Bay, Florida. Five hundred and four boaters completed the survey, a cooperation rate of 55%. Respondents had a mean score of 6.2 on a 10-question knowledge scale, and supported manatee conservation efforts with a mean score of 3.84 on a 5-point support scale based on seven statements. Boaters indicated more support for increased public education than for stringent regulations such as speed and wake limits in sea grass areas, no-entry areas, or increased patrols. Greater knowledge about manatees was positively correlated with support for manatee conservation. To understand boating behaviors, we used the sociopsychological theory of reasoned action to analyze boaters' disregard for speed zones. Results indicate a strong normative influence on boaters' behavioral intention to follow speed zones, with respondents highly motivated to comply with law enforcement. The survey results provide a basis for recommendations about public communication interventions.
Article
Full-text available
Climate change is a threat to human health and life, both now and in the future. Despite this, studies show that the public typically do not consider the issue a priority concern or a direct, personal threat. Furthermore, few are taking any preventive or protective action. Previous studies identify direct experience as a major influence on risk perception, learning and action. Drawing on such evidence, this paper focuses on the intangibility of climate change as a key impediment to personal engagement and explores whether relevant experiences of flooding and air pollution influence individuals' knowledge, attitudes, risk perception and behavioural responses to climate change. Perhaps surprisingly, interviews and a survey conducted in the south of England indicate flood victims differ very little from other participants in their understanding of and responses to climate change, but that experience of air pollution does significantly affect perceptions of and behavioural responses to climate change. Air pollution victims are no more likely to cite pollution as a cause of climate change than non?victims; but they do have higher pro?environmental values. Respondents with these values are significantly more likely to consider climate change a salient risk and to take action in response to it. Therefore the relationship between air pollution experience and responses to climate change may be indirect and mediated by environmental values. The paper concludes by highlighting implications of this research for developing climate change policies and strategies for public engagement.
Article
Full-text available
Despite abundant evidence that both the environmental damage and the financial costs of logging can be reduced substantially by training workers, pre-planning skid trails, practicing directional felling, and carrying out a variety of other well-known forestry practices, destructive logging is still common in the tropics. Based on our collective experience with loggers in tropical forests, we discuss seven possible reasons for this seemingly irrational behavior. The principal reason poor logging practices persist is apparently that the widely heralded cost savings associated with reduced-impact logging relative to unplanned logging by untrained crews may not be realized under some conditions. In particular, where compliance with logging guidelines restricts access to steep slopes or prohibits ground-based timber yarding on wet ground, reduced-impact logging may be synonymous with reduced-income logging. Given that under such conditions loggers may not adopt reduced-impact logging methods out of self-interest, fiscal mechanisms for promoting sustainable forest management may be needed.
Book
Over the past thirty years Paul Feyerabend has developed an extremely distinctive and influentical approach to problems in the philosophy of science. The most important and seminal of his published essays are collected here in two volumes, with new introductions to provide an overview and historical perspective on the discussions of each part. Volume 1 presents papers on the interpretation of scientific theories, together with papers applying the views developed to particular problems in philosophy and physics. The essays in volume 2 examine the origin and history of an abstract rationalism, as well as its consequences for the philosophy of science and methods of scientific research. Professor Feyerabend argues with great force and imagination for a comprehensive and opportunistic pluralism. In doing so he draws on extensive knowledge of scientific history and practice, and he is alert always to the wider philosophical, practical and political implications of conflicting views. These two volumes fully display the variety of his ideas, and confirm the originality and significance of his work.
Article
Preface PART 1: TWO NATURAL KINDS 1. Approaching the Literary 2. Two Modes of Thought 3. Possible Castles PART 2: LANGUAGE AND REALITY 4. The Transactional Self 5. The Inspiration of Vygotsky 6. Psychological Reality 7. Nelson Goodman's Worlds 8. Thought and Emotion PART 3: ACTING IN CONSTRUCTED WORLDS 9. The Language of Education 10. Developmental Theory as Culture Afterword Appendix: A Reader's Retelling of "Clay" by James Joyce Notes Credits Index
Article
This book outlines how to conduct a complete environmental risk assessment. The first part documents the psychology and philosophy of risk perception and assessment, introducing a taxonomy of uncertainty and the importance of context. It provides a critical examination of the use and abuse of expert judgement and goes on to outline approaches to hazard identification and subjective ranking that account for uncertainty and context. The second part of the book describes technical tools that can assist risk assessments to be transparent and internally consistent. These include interval arithmetic, ecotoxicological methods, logic trees and Monte Carlo simulation. These methods have an established place in risk assessments in many disciplines and their strengths and weaknesses are explored. The last part of the book outlines some new approaches, including p-bounds and information-gap theory, and describes how quantitative and subjective assessments can be used to make transparent decisions.
Article
In media and communication studies, a number of social science and humanistic perspectives converge. As a multidisciplinary field, however, it tends to borrow methods from diverse disciplines and theoretical schools quite eclectically, without taking into consideration the fact that they may be based on various basic implicit assumptions. Underlying the methods, there are quite different suppositions about the nature of reality, and about the nature of knowledge and how to gain knowledge. We rarely make that explicit when using specific methods or combinations of methods. The aim of this article is to discuss qualitative research and focus on ontological assumptions behind our methodological arguments and choices. Generalization, often seen as the Achilles heel of qualitative research, is also discussed and its relation to ontological positions clarified. Qualitative audience research is used to substantiate the discussion, but the problems discussed are of a more general nature and valid for qualitative research in general.
Article
Research into farmers’ attitudes and motivations in the past has tended to be subjective and theoretically rather imprecise. This paper presents findings from research based on the structured social-psychology model, the Theory of Planned Behaviour, into farmers’ conservation-related behaviour. Responses from a survey of 100 Bedfordshire farmers were analysed to identify the underlying determinants of behaviour and to comprehend farmers’ attitudes. Farmers with greater environmental awareness, members of the Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group, are more influenced by conservation-related concerns and less by farm management concerns than other farmers. They appear also to be more influenced by farming and conservation referent groups, grants and conservation advice.
Article
The purpose of this article is to revision Morgan and Smircich's typology, taking into account the changes in organization and management theory over the intervening 30 years. Developments in metatheoretical perspectives, organization theory, research methods, and ways of theorizing mean our choices about qualitative research have become more complex. In addition, the 1980 typology was based on a now contested subject–object distinction. I replace this continuum with three problematics—intersubjectivism, subjectivism, and objectivism—and examine the ontological, epistemological, and methodological assumptions of each. I offer examples and resources for qualitative researchers, arguing that considering our metatheoretical positioning provides a basis for building crafted, persuasive, consistent, and credible research accounts.
Article
Introduction Biological Explanation Life and its Origin Explaining Design Darwinism Macro-Evolution Classification Human Nature Biological Metaphors Environmental Ethics God and Biology Further Reading.
Article
In our chapter in the first edition of this Handbook (see record 1994-98625-005), we presented two tables that summarized our positions, first, on the axiomatic nature of paradigms (the paradigms we considered at that time were positivism, postpositivism, critical theory, and constructivism, p. 109, Table 6.1); and second, on the issues we believed were most fundamental to differentiating the four paradigms (p. 112, Table 6.2). These tables are reproduced here as a way of reminding our readers of our previous statements. The axioms defined the ontological, epistemological, and methodological bases for both established and emergent paradigms. The issues most often in contention that we examined were inquiry aim, nature of knowledge, the way knowledge is accumulated, goodness (rigor and validity) or quality criteria, values, ethics, voice, training, accommodation, and hegemony. An examination of these two tables will reacquaint the reader with our original Handbook treatment. Since publication of that chapter, at least one set of authors, J. Heron and P. Reason, have elaborated on our tables to include the participatory/cooperative paradigm (Heron, 1996; Heron & Reason, 1997, pp. 289-290). Thus, in addition to the paradigms of positivism, postpositivism, critical theory, and constructivism, we add the participatory paradigm in the present chapter (this is an excellent example, we might add, of the hermeneutic elaboration so embedded in our own view, constructivism). Our aim here is to extend the analysis further by building on Heron and Reason's additions and by rearranging the issues to reflect current thought. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Article
Social constructivists argue that what we call “nature” isfar less universal and extrahuman than generally assumed. Yet this argument has been vigorously attacked by some natural scientists and other scholars due to what they perceive as its dangerous flirtation with relativism. I introduce this debate by reference to a recent controversy over the concept of wilderness, an important icon of nature in North America. I then define several forms of relativism, and compare two contemporary bodies of thought that are in broad agreement with social constructivism, yet do not promote strong forms of relativism: critical realism and pragmatism. For its part, critical realism is marked by a qualified, though vigorous, rejection of strong forms of relativism in understanding nature, whereas pragmatism involves more of an agnostic response, a sense that the so-called problem of relativism is not as serious as critics of the social-construction-of-nature argument would believe. Taken together, the two approaches offer more than either one alone, as they both suggest important truths about nature, albeit generally at different scales. Ultimately, pragmatists and critical realists alike admit that allknowledges are partial and a certain degree of relativism is thus unavoidable; yet they both, in a sort of tense complementarity, point to ways that geographers and others whose business and concern it is to represent nature can indeed have something to say.
Article
Efforts to suppress wildfires have become increasingly problematic in recent years as costs have risen, threats to firefighter safety have escalated, and detrimental impacts to ecosystems have multiplied. Wildfires that escape initial suppression often expand into large, high-intensity summer blazes. Lost is the legacy of smaller fires that likely burned outside extreme weather and fuel conditions and resulted in less severe impacts. Despite the recognized need for modifications to existing policies and practices, resource agencies have been slow to respond. The spread of exotic species, climate change, and increasing human development in wildlands further complicates the issue. New policies are needed that integrate social and ecological needs across administrative boundaries and broad landscapes. These policies should promote a continuum of treatments with active management and reduction of fuel hazard in wildland-urban interface zones and reintroduction of fire in wildlands. Management goals should focus on restoration of the long-term ecological health of the land. Projects that reduce fuel loads but compromise the integrity of soil, water supplies, or watersheds will do more harm than good in the long run. Despite significant ecological concerns, learning to live with fire remains primarily a social issue that will require greater political leadership, agency innovation, public involvement, and community responsibility.
Article
Many commentators attest to a paradigm shift in biodiversity conservation, away from exclusive protected areas towards more people-centred or community-based conservation. This has been referred to as ‘new conservation’. However, new conservation could be thought of as an attempt to re-label and re-package conservation and to ‘get people on board’ existing strategies. According to its critics even so-called new conservation policy, practice and institutions remain expert-driven, undemocratic and autocratic. I argue that for new conservation to become reality, then more fundamental changes in priority-setting, decision-making and organization are required. This paper presents three challenges for a real people-centred conservation: a more pluralist approach to understanding knowledge and values of different actors, greater deliberation and inclusion in decision-making, and a remodelling of institutions to support conservation.