International Academic Affiliations: Destination or Journey? An Oman-Based Study of Policy, Practice and Potential

2021 ◽  
pp. 102831532110479
Author(s):  
Dr Susan Trevor-Roper
Keyword(s):  
Private Colleges ◽  
Social Practice ◽  
National Policy ◽  
Ecological Systems ◽  
Cultural Imperialism ◽  
Social Practice Theory ◽  
Academic Affiliation ◽  
Policy Practice ◽  
Local Actors ◽  
Ongoing Development

National policy requires private colleges in Oman to have an academic affiliation with a foreign university. How this policy is received and acted on was investigated through an interview-based study involving colleges with affiliates based in England, Scotland, India, Malaysia and Jordan. The study draws on social practice theory, Bourdieu's concept of capital and ecological systems theory and finds examples of affiliate partnerships that are evolving constructively in response to the ongoing development of the local institutions, the accumulation of capital and the agency of local actors, and the dynamics of the environment. These partnerships are perceived and experienced by local HE colleges as an ongoing journey. This evolution of partnerships, which is facilitated by historically loose policy requirements, offers a promising and contrasting narrative to that of relatively static transnational education (TNE) arrangements in which receiving nations and institutions are perceived as likely victims of educational and cultural imperialism.

scholarly journals Social practice theory and the study of how we drink

Addiction ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 113 (2) ◽  
pp. 217-219 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petra Meier ◽  
John Holmes ◽  
Alan Warde
Keyword(s):  
Social Practice ◽  
Practice Theory ◽  
Social Practice Theory

scholarly journals Every City a Food Growing City? What Food Growing Schools London Reveals about City Strategies for Food System Sustainability

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 2924 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannah Pitt ◽  
Mat Jones ◽  
Emma Weitkamp
Keyword(s):  
Success Factors ◽  
Food System ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
National Policy ◽  
Mixed Methods Case Study ◽  
Local Actors ◽  
Staged Approach ◽  
System Sustainability ◽  
High Level ◽  
The City

Cities have emerged as leaders in food system innovation and transformation, but their potential can be limited by the absence of supportive governance arrangements. This study examined the value of Food Growing Schools London (FGSL) as a programme seeking city-wide change through focusing on one dimension of the food system. Mixed methods case study research sought to identify high-level success factors and challenges. Findings demonstrate FGSL’s success in promoting food growing by connecting and amplifying formerly isolated activities. Schools valued the programme’s expertise and networking opportunities, whilst strategic engagement facilitated new partnerships linking food growing to other policy priorities. Challenges included food growing’s marginality amongst priorities that direct school and borough activity. Progress depended on support from individual local actors so varied across the city. London-wide progress was limited by the absence of policy levers at the city level. Experience from FGSL highlights how city food strategies remain constrained by national policy contexts, but suggests they may gain traction through focusing on well-delineated, straightforward activities that hold public appeal. Sustainability outcomes might then be extended through a staged approach using this as a platform from which to address other food issues.

scholarly journals Understanding ‘Successful Practice/s’ with Parents with Learning Difficulties when there are Concerns about Child Neglect: the Contribution of Social Practice Theory

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 387-409
Author(s):  
Beth Tarleton ◽  
Danielle Turney
Keyword(s):  
Child Protection ◽  
Social Practice ◽  
Child Neglect ◽  
Practice Theory ◽  
Learning Difficulties ◽  
Analytical Framework ◽  
Social Model ◽  
Social Practice Theory ◽  
Vulnerable Children ◽  
The Many

AbstractSocial practice theory (SPT) investigates how meanings (socially available understandings/attitudes) work together with competences and materials/resources to develop shared (social) practices. SPT was used as a theoretical and analytical framework in a study which investigated ‘successful’ professional practices when working with parents with learning difficulties where there are concerns about child neglect. The research took place in three local authorities (LAs) in England that were recommended as sites of ‘successful’ practice. With the parents’ agreement, 38 professionals who worked with the eight participating families were asked about their ideas about parents with learning difficulties and neglect, their understanding of ‘successful’ practice, their experience and knowledge of working with this group of parents, how they worked with the parent and other professionals involved with the parent, as well as the resources available to them. Detailed case studies of the support provided to eight mothers were developed. It was found that the professionals shared a range of attitudes and understandings, including awareness of the many barriers faced by this disadvantaged group of parents, and that the neglect was typically linked to lack of understanding/knowledge about the child’s needs which could in many cases be mitigated through provision of support. The meanings they shared promoted an empowering, relationship-based, multi-agency approach to parents which recognised their need for support while also focusing on the needs and welfare of the children. This positive approach accords with the call for longer-term/recurrent support to be available for parents with learning difficulties alongside the development of a social model of child protection that rethinks how best to safeguard vulnerable children.

scholarly journals Appreciating formal and informal knowledge transfer practices within creative festival organizations

2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 146-161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raphaela Stadler ◽  
Simone Fullagar
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Knowledge Transfer ◽  
Social Practice ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Social Practice Theory ◽  
Conceptual Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
For Profit ◽  
Informal Knowledge ◽  
Not For Profit

Purpose – Problem-solving approaches to research have dominated the not-for-profit festival management field. Little attention has been paid to how festival organizations successfully create cultures where knowledge transfer is practised within the high intensity of a festival life cycle. Drawing upon insights from social practice theory and appreciative inquiry (AI), the purpose of this paper is to offer a different conceptual approach to understanding how knowledge transfer “works” as an organizational practice to produce a collaborative festival culture. Design/methodology/approach – This paper draws upon an ethnographic case study with the highly acclaimed Queensland Music Festival organization in Australia. The research questions and methods were framed around an appreciative approach that identified formal and informal practices that " worked " rather than a conventional problem-focused analysis. Findings – This research focused on appreciating the cultural context that shaped the interrelationships between formal and informal knowledge transfer practices that enabled trust and collaboration. A range of knowledge transfer practices was identified that contributed to the creation of a shared festival ethos and the on-going sustainability of the festival vision. Practical implications – The not-for-profit sector brings numerous challenges for festival organizations, and there is a need to appreciate how collaborative and creative knowledge transfer can occur formally and informally. Festival organizers can benefit from understanding the relational and practice dimensions of knowledge management as they are performed within specific organizational contexts. Originality/value – An appreciative understanding of knowledge transfer practices has not yet been applied to not-for-profit festival organizations, where problem-solving approaches dominate the field.

scholarly journals Social Learning and Transdisciplinary Co-Production: A Social Practice Approach

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (18) ◽  
pp. 7511
Author(s):  
Kimberley Slater ◽  
John Robinson
Keyword(s):  
Social Learning ◽  
Social Practice ◽  
Analytical Framework ◽  
Transformative Change ◽  
Social Practice Theory ◽  
Social Actors ◽  
Climate Action ◽  
Practice Approach ◽  
Neighbourhood Scale ◽  
Constituent Elements

To address the challenge of achieving social learning in support of transformative change to sustainability, this paper develops an analytical framework that applies a social practice theory (SPT) lens to illuminate the constituent elements and dynamics of social learning in the context of transdisciplinary coproduction for sustainability transitions. Adopting an SPT approach affords a means of interpreting concrete practices at the local scale and exploring the potential for scaling them up. This framework is then applied to a real-world case at the urban neighbourhood scale in order to illustrate how social learning unfolded in a grassroots transdisciplinary coproduction process focused on climate action. We find that a social practice perspective illuminates the material and nonmaterial dimensions of the relationship between social learning and transdisciplinary coproduction. In decoupling these properties from individual human agency, the SPT perspective affords a means of tracing their emergence among social actors, generating a deeper understanding of how social learning arises and effects change, and sustainability can be reinforced.

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