A Reflective Essay of a Conceptual Model for Self-Directed Learning for the Adult Learner

Of the many factors affecting our lives today, the ever-changing landscape of education is at the forefront. Learning is a complex behavior which involves cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains. While pedagogy is the art and science of teaching children, andragogy is the art and science of teaching adults. The term pedagogy came into use in the seventh century. It wasn't until the 19th and 20th centuries that what we know as traditional learning theories—behaviorism, humanism, cognitivism, social cognitivism, and constructivism—were recognized. They were derived from the investigative tools of theorists—Pavlov, Skinner, Piaget, Freud, Maslow, Rogers, and Thorndike—to understand the nature of learning. In 1970, Malcolm Knowles promoted andragogy as a model of assumption that serves as a basis for an emergent theory. Today, the way of differentiating adult learners from children learners is through the process of andragogy.

Adjusting the family’s life: A grounded theory of caring for children with special healthcare needs in rural areas, Thailand

This study aims to understand the experiences of families of children with special healthcare needs in rural areas in Thailand. Grounded theory (GT) was employed to understand families’ experiences when caring for children with special healthcare needs (CSHCN) in rural areas. Forty-three family members from thirty-four families with CSHCN participated in in-depth interviews. Interviews were recorded and transcribed. The constant comparative method was used for data analysis and coding analysis. Adjusting family’s life was the emergent theory which included experiencing negative effects, managing in home environment, integrating care into a community health system, and maintaining family normalization. This study describes the process that families undergo in trying to care for CSHCN while managing their lives to maintain a sense of normalcy. This theory provides some intervention opportunities for health care professionals when dealing with the complexities in their homes, communities and other ambulatory settings throughout the disease trajectory, and also indicates the importance of taking into consideration the family’s cultural background.

In dialogue with emergence

The following report outlines the conjectural basis for an examination of the existing system of architectural production, and the imminent changes that are becoming more evident with the increasing saturation of digital technologies. Emergence and complexity theory have set the stage for a future of integrated system design. With many of our current modes of production already being heavily influenced by digital design and automated fabrication, the question for the building industry becomes not if, but how shall these systems be integrated in the production of architecture? Through the execution of an urban design project located at the Alexandra Park housing co-operative, this thesis establishes a commentary based in emergent theory that grounds the speculation of future possibilities in an historical understanding of current changes in contemporary architectural discourse. The exploration of difference as a generator of urban renewal is central to the proposals ability to induce positive change through dynamic emergent behavior.

In dialogue with emergence

The following report outlines the conjectural basis for an examination of the existing system of architectural production, and the imminent changes that are becoming more evident with the increasing saturation of digital technologies. Emergence and complexity theory have set the stage for a future of integrated system design. With many of our current modes of production already being heavily influenced by digital design and automated fabrication, the question for the building industry becomes not if, but how shall these systems be integrated in the production of architecture? Through the execution of an urban design project located at the Alexandra Park housing co-operative, this thesis establishes a commentary based in emergent theory that grounds the speculation of future possibilities in an historical understanding of current changes in contemporary architectural discourse. The exploration of difference as a generator of urban renewal is central to the proposals ability to induce positive change through dynamic emergent behavior.

Collaborative Learning in Makerspaces: A Grounded Theory of the Role of Collaborative Learning in Makerspaces

Makerspaces are a relatively new phenomenon that seem to create an innovative environment for individuals to work on projects and learn about technology. This article presents a grounded theory study, which investigates the impact that makerspaces have on innovation. Strauss and Corbin’s grounded theory methodology is used to research this exploratory topic. The data sample consists of 16 interviews of members of a makerspace in Shanghai, China. Data analysis was conducted abiding by Strauss and Corbin’s coding framework, entailing open coding, axial coding, and selective coding as well as coding tools, such as the coding paradigm and the conditional matrix. Collaborative learning was identified as the core phenomenon of this research, and The Collaborative Learning and its Outcomes Theory was created. The emergent theory contributes to the understanding of how makerspaces impact outcomes, such as innovation and venture creation, as well as explain how collaborative learning in conjunction with other modes of learning can facilitate learning at various complexities. As such, this study’s contributions are in developing the theoretical understanding of makerspaces as well as collaborative learning. It offers managerial and pedagogical implications that can help create learning environments where collaborative learning is fostered.

Emergent gravity from hidden sectors and TT deformations

We investigate emergent gravity extending the paradigm of the AdS/CFT correspondence. The emergent graviton is associated to the (dynamical) expectation value of the energy-momentum tensor. We derive the general effective description of such dynamics, and apply it to the case where a hidden theory generates gravity that is coupled to the Standard Model. In the linearized description, generically, such gravity is massive with the presence of an extra scalar degree of freedom. The propagators of both the spin-two and spin-zero modes are positive and well defined. The associated emergent gravitational theory is a bi-gravity theory, as is (secretly) the case in holography. The background metric on which the QFTs are defined, plays the role of dark energy and the emergent theory has always as a solution the original background metric. In the case where the hidden theory is holographic, the overall description yields a higher-dimensional bulk theory coupled to a brane. The effective graviton on the brane has four-dimensional characteristics both in the UV and IR and is always massive.

Thinking outside the governance box to the board of the future: Exploring “fit-for-future-purpose” governance operating models

The research aim was to explore whether the dominant style of board model used in Australia was reaching its use-by-date and if so, what more future-ready model/s or features could be considered. This paper represents original thinking and research to generate a new set of “working hypotheses”. We have followed a “grounded research” (an inductive methodology) to produce an emergent theory. We have used semi-structured and qualitative interviewing techniques. The research has generated an initial “theory” and point of view that is directional (not empirical). The focus of the study was on board operating models of the future — taking a much longer-term perspective, more specifically to identify and postulate what “fit-for-purpose” board operating models could look like in 2030 and beyond. By examining possible solutions through an operating model lens, the study has taken a system’s view of boards, going well beyond the constraints of current siloed, domain-specific research. The findings clearly point to a model that for larger and/or more complicated enterprises is under considerable strain. It is fast approaching its use-by-date, especially in the light of 1) a shift toward stakeholder capitalism and 2) the need to operate effectively in faster-moving, less predictable, and significantly more complicated environments than the existing board models were designed for. Having set the context for future governance, the recommendations focus on six elements of board operating models, board structures, key governance processes, management systems, and frameworks, e.g., board charters, technology/systems, participants and skills, and ways of working. The relevance of the paper is that at a time when directors are doubling down on what needs to be done, there is a general absence of consideration of 1) what “fit-for-purpose” governance should be and 2) whether the governance system as we know it in Australia is approaching a breaking point for some major enterprises (not all companies).

From goods-dominant logic to service-dominant logic? Service, service capitalism and service socialism

Vargo and Lusch (V&L) have claimed that there was a movement from a goods-dominant logic to service-dominant logic in marketing. We problematise this narrative via attention to multiple strands of service discourse from the late 19th to mid-20th century. Our focus begins with the promotion of service in the economics literature. A close reading of a publication important to V&L’s account reveals the politics associated with the rise of service discourse. This is elided in their work. Our genealogy subsequently engages with the publications of A. F. Sheldon. His views are unpacked and links to the Rotary Club explicated. The evidence indicates that service discourse was relational in orientation and ethically driven, with the intertwined themes in Sheldon and Rotary’s publications generalised into an emergent ‘theory of society’ that had applicability around the world. We term this discursive formation ‘service capitalism’. This perspective was contested by a ‘counter manoeuvre’ labelled ‘service socialism’. Service socialism differed fundamentally from Sheldon’s axiology, Rotary’s service capitalism or the midpoint view detailed by Edward Filene due to its focus on the deleterious impact of the profit motive, the significance of ‘use value’, the reorientation from ownership to access-based consumption and attention to human welfare and economic security. Service socialism, we conclude, generates insights that require engagement today.