Young Adults’ Contextualization of Environmental and Sustainability Issues: A Critical Issue for Environmental Education Intervention

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony KOLA-OLUSANYA

As soon as decision makers are expected to make differences towards sustainable future, young adults’ ability to make informed and sound decisions is considered essential towards securing our planet. This study provides an insight into young adults’ knowledge of key environment and sustainability issues. To answer the key research questions, data were obtained using a qualitative phenomenographic research approach and collected through 18 face-to-face in-depth interviews with research participants. The findings of this study suggest that young adults lived experiences that play a huge role in their level of awareness of topical environmental and sustainability issues critical to humanity’s future on earth. 

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason D Letwin ◽  
James Cuvilier ◽  
Tristan Donnelly ◽  
Jessicah Adeniken ◽  
Ghee Chana

  The Valley Zoo Development Society (VZDS) is a non-profit organization currently working with the Edmonton Valley Zoo in hopes to re-build and develop the zoo, and ultimately gain awareness from the Edmonton public. VZDS fundraises through seasonal events, in particular, The Festival Of Light. This is a ten-day event, which occurs annually in mid December and offers a variety of entertainment such as ice-skating and fire dancers on the zoo grounds. The current market VZDS is targeting consists primarily of families with young children. Although, this is a large segment, it is not currently creating enough revenue to sustain the Valley Zoo and the Valley Zoo Development Society. Therefore, the VZDS has inquired about reaching a new target demographic, specifically young adults aged 19-25. This group is a large and diverse segment and could be a very beneficial market to promote to. The Valley Zoo Development Society has questioned how one might go about reaching this demographic with a relatively inexpensive marketing campaign. With this in mind, initial exploratory research was conducted with a set of in-depth interviews with individuals within the age category. With the information gained from these interviews, along with literature review on their decision-making processes, a primary marketing problem was identified. This problem is largely based on the lack of information and awareness of this group about the activities of the Edmonton Valley Zoo. With the lack of marketing strategies directed to young adults; they remain vastly unaware of the events hosted by the zoo, or that the zoo is currently involved in major renovations. Therefore, the research conducted analyzes six key research questions involved in how the VZDS can gain this awareness, and what channels of media would yield the best result of reaching this segment. A questionnaire was developed regarding these six research questions to gain insight into how MacEwan students feel about the zoo, and how well informed these students are about the Valley Zoo. On top of this, questions also involved what avenues of media are most used within this sample (print media, social media, radio, television, etc.). Through data analysis it can be concluded that this age group would give a worthy contribution to the Valley Zoo if they were able to incorporate a social experience, such as a romantic outing. As well, these individuals can be reached with many media alternatives, however, through statistical analysis, it has been evaluated that radio advertising will have the greatest potential in reaching individuals who would be willing to attend the Edmonton Valley Zoo again.


2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
V. Ndlovu

The study explores how HIV-positive couples negotiate and make reproductive and sexually related decisions. The broader aim of the paper is to understand how men and women with HIV make decisions about contraception and reproduction and what those decisions indicate about the realities of HIV-positive relationships. In line with the study’s aim to explore meanings related to the decision making process, a qualitative research approach was adopted. In-depth interviews were conducted with 15 couples in which at least one of them was HIV-positive. A critical interpretive analysis of the data was adopted in order to gain insight into decision making among the HIV-positive couples. The results indicate that decisions made were usually a result of negotiation and compromise between partners. However, women’s fertility and sexual preferences were found to be a major factor in determining the outcome of the decision making process. Couples who intended to have a child were found to be active decision makers while those who only desired or did not desire to have a child were mainly passive decision makers. The study concludes that women exercise significant power over contraceptive and reproductive decisions among both active and passive decision makers.


2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 717-730 ◽  
Author(s):  
Veland Ramadani ◽  
Robert D. Hisrich ◽  
Leo-Paul Dana ◽  
Ramo Palalic ◽  
Laxman Panthi

Purpose Throughout Macedonia, beekeeping is becoming popular regardless of ethnicity. Studying ethnicity, the purpose of this paper is to determine what beekeepers in Macedonia thought in their own words about their beekeeping entrepreneurship. The objective is to identify whether motivations of ethnic Albanian beekeepers in Macedonia were the same or different compared to those of ethnic Macedonians in the same country, and if different, how. Design/methodology/approach To accomplish this objective, in-depth interviews were conducted with 40 beekeepers in Macedonia. A total of 29 interviews were conducted face-to-face and the other 11 by phone. The first set of interviews took place between December 2016 and February 2017, followed by more interviews in June 2017. In total, 27 respondents said they were ethnic Albanians, and 13 identified themselves as ethnic Macedonians. Also, ten respondents were women. While eight were full-time beekeepers, 32 were part-time beekeepers. Findings The results indicated that beekeeping businesses play a significant role in the transition economy of Macedonia. Beekeeping provides additional earnings that support rural families and keeps them financially stable. The majority of both Albanians and Macedonians understood that beekeeping on a part-time job basis provided a needed supplement to their income. Some part-time beekeepers are also working as auto-mechanics, locksmiths, medical doctors, restaurant/cafeteria owners, and tailors. A few in the sample were retired from their jobs or full-time beekeepers. An important difference between ethnic Albanian beekeepers and ethnic Macedonians in Macedonia is that the majority of ethnic Albanian participants see beekeeping as following in “my father’s footsteps”, while most Macedonians were motivated by the perceived opportunity of having a good business. Research limitations/implications Limitations of the research are twofold. First, financial data of family beekeeping are not available, which would be useful in determining the contribution made to economic development. It is common, especially in transition economies such as the western Balkans, that financial results are very sensitive to their owners. Second, unavailable databases for beekeepers make any quantitative approach difficult, if not impossible, resulting in most research using the qualitative research approach. Originality/value This paper is one of the first to treat beekeeping as a form of artisan entrepreneurship, which also contributes to the understanding of family business. As in other countries, the important and operation of the family business among family members in Macedonia is passed from generation to generation. The results of this research revealed the value of networking, which was found to be very important to income. For beekeepers to develop, grow, and be branded in the community, networking is an important ingredient.


2009 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 186-196 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margarita Bianco ◽  
Dorothy F. Garrison-Wade ◽  
Romie Tobin ◽  
Jean P. Lehmann

Abstract This qualitative study investigated parents' perceptions of the various roles they played in their adult children's lives during the post–high school years. Individual face-to-face interviews were conducted with 9 families of young adults with developmental disabilities. Findings indicated that families perceived the complexity of their roles as balancing between advocating for their adult children's needs while promoting independence and self-determination. The roles parents assumed as their children entered into adult life were those of collaborators, decision makers, and program evaluators, role models, trainers, mentors and instructors, and systems change agents. Parents often felt they were the safety net for their children and the back-up plan for service agencies. Parents' quotes illustrated the complexity of the roles they played as their young adult children with developmental disabilities entered adulthood.


2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (5) ◽  
pp. 942-953 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joke Dewilde

Aims and Objectives/Purpose/Research Questions: This article aims to understand how a young person develops as a translingual writer and which discursive strategies she identifies as important in this process. Neda (pseudonym) has never learnt to write in Turkmen, which is her home language, but is developing as a confident writer in Norwegian, which is the language of the school. Design/Methodology/Approach: Situated within a linguistic ethnographic framework, in-depth interviews with the young person were conducted as part of a year-long fieldwork. One interview focused on Neda’s writing experiences in general, and the other two examined how she experienced writing selected poems. Data and Analysis: The data for this article are three in-depth interviews with Neda produced over a month’s time, field notes taken in school across that same period, seven poems written at home, and two written in school. The analysis had a joint focus on linguistics and ethnography, identifying core themes. Findings/Conclusions: Neda drew on translation and translingual remixing strategies when writing poetry on her own initiative to develop her voice, which indicates a strong sense of agency. In line with a translingual orientation to communication and literacy, these discursive strategies transcend individual languages and involve diverse semiotic resources in situated meaning construction. Both strategies contribute to creating a deeper understanding of the Norwegian language resources in her repertoire and to finding her voice as a transnational young person. Originality: Few studies have offered detailed insight into how young people reflect upon their development as translingual writers in their spare time and which strategies they identify as important to do so. Significance/Implications: The study contributes to the debate of how teachers can create a space for translingual writing by acknowledging and further developing young people’s own discursive strategies, involving their entire linguistic repertoire.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 39-53
Author(s):  
Iza Gigauri ◽  
Kakhaber Djakeli

Abstract The lockdown regulations aiming at avoiding the spread of the new coronavirus COVID-19 have caused disruptions in organizations of all types or sizes. In order to survive and remain competitive, enterprises have moved online. In line with the dramatic changes around the globe triggered by the regulations as a part of preventive measures, social enterprises switched to working from home. As a result, entrepreneurs have to learn new digital skills to capture the potential of digitalization as it is considered to have an ability to accelerate economic recovery after the pandemic. Yet digitalization influences organizational processes and operations and requires changes in strategies. In light of these transformations, researching social enterprises from different angles is of particular importance when economies are facing the threat of recession, as social entrepreneurship addresses market failure and can tackle social problems. Social entrepreneurs can find innovative solutions to modern challenges and help society and economies to transform. Therefore, this paper aims to investigate the feasibility of remote working and digitalization in social enterprises. The paper outlines remote working concerns in social enterprises in the Republic of Georgia and analyses flextime opportunities for enterprise employees. The empirical study is based on a qualitative research approach. In-depth interviews were conducted with the seventeen Georgian social entrepreneurs to explore the research questions. The paper contributes to understanding remote working in social enterprises and offers suggestions for future study directions in this under-researched area.


Author(s):  
Eko Purwanti ◽  
Gitta Vania

The teaching and learning process should be conducted effectively so that students can obtain the learning objectives. In so doing, teachers should have the ability to deliver the teaching materials effectively by conducting good classroom management. In this case, as prospective teachers, pre-service teachers should manage the classroom well to maintain teaching effectively. However, handling classroom management is not easy, and therefore pre-service teachers should apply appropriate strategies in managing the classroom. This research aims to investigate the strategies that pre-service teachers use to overcome the problems in managing the classroom during their teaching practices in a private senior high school. A qualitative research approach was employed to answer the research questions, in which in-depth interviews were administered to collect the data. Besides, four pre-service teachers at an Islamic university in Yogyakarta volunteered as the participants in this study. This study’s results showed that the participants applied several strategies to respond to the problems emerging during their teaching practice. The strategies which these pre-service teachers applied to overcome the problems comprised 1) improving self-confidence, 2) preparing lessons carefully, 3) anticipating unpredictable situations, 4) responding to unpredictable questions wisely, and 5) handling with the students’ heterogeneity. Having various ways of handling classroom management, these pre-service teachers could deliver the lesson effectively. Therefore, this study is beneficial for those who are having teaching practice to keep the classroom run successfully.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca Leah Fitt-Ajewole

Statistics Canada has reported that intermarriage, which is defined as marriages that take place outside the boundaries of tradition, religion, caste, and geographical origins, is on the rise in Canada. While the economic integration of immigrants in Canada has been thoroughly researched, couple and family formation are less researched but fundamental aspects of the settlement and accommodation of immigrants in receiving countries. Using both assimilation theory and transnationalism, I will critically review the way in which intermarriage is interpreted in the literature and demonstrate a gap in regards to contemporary studies of intermarriage. In-depth interviews were conducted with three white, Canadian-born women and their racialized/immigrant husbands in Southern Ontario to gain insight into their everyday, lived experiences. Through the exploration of themes such as identity, culture, gender, and family relationships, the findings suggest that intermarried couples are continually negotiating transnational ideas, values, and practices.


2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 82-93 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy Kirby

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore volunteering opportunities for young adults with criminal records (“young ex-offenders”). Design/methodology/approach – The study was conducted primarily in one London borough. It involved mapping volunteering opportunities for young ex-offenders and conducting in-depth interviews with young ex-offenders and practitioners from volunteer-involving organisations (VIOs) and resettlement organisations. Findings – Several perceived benefits of volunteering for young ex-offenders were identified; particularly in relation to “softer” outcomes such as building confidence, learning new skills and developing a routine. Perceived challenges focused on whether or not organisations were able to provide volunteers with adequate levels of support; concerns about levels of engagement among volunteers and confusion over safeguarding procedures, particularly in relation to the obtaining of Disclosure and Barring Checks. Originality/value – This paper offers practical insight into the scope of volunteering for young ex-offenders which may be of use to VIOs and resettlement organisations interested in providing such opportunities to young ex-offenders.


2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 42-63
Author(s):  
Mariquit Almario-Gonzalez

Filipino journalists covering the graveyard shift were the first recorders of violence and brutality under Philippine President Duterte’s anti-illegal drugs campaign. The first phase in 2016, called Oplan Tokhang, was executed ruthlessly and relentlessly. This study aims to explore how graveyard-shift TV journalists experienced covering Oplan Tokhang. The intention is to get a deeper understanding of how the experience impacted on the way they reported on the Oplan Tokhang stories. To get the essence of the Oplan Tokhang coverage experience, the study used a phenomenological research approach. Four graveyard-shift TV journalists agreed to face-to-face in-depth interviews. The participants came from major TV networks in the Philippines. Analysis of the results was framed within the lens of symbolic interactionism and discussions of past literature. The study presented constructed realities of four television journalists who described their nightly struggles to perform their duties, surrounded by a climate of death and suffering, in the violent world of Oplan Tokhang. Four themes emerged describing the experience: a) A ‘horror fest’ of violence, brutality and suffering; b) A constrained and controlled coverage; c) Objectivity and the truth; and d) Post-mortem: Falling short of fulfilling journalistic duties. These themes revealed ethical dilemmas encountered by the television journalists. They faced realities of intimidation and threat, resorting to self-censorship. Repeated exposure to violence desensitised the television journalists. The rush to meet nightly deadlines resulted in simplified treatment of stories, missing the context of the issue. In reflection, the TV journalists realised they fell short in fulfilling the journalist’s obligation to search for the truth and to report it.


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