Toward a Rural Philosophy of Education

This essay calls for the development of a rural philosophy of education and outlines considerations toward that end. Questioning the applicability of current school reform initiatives to rural education, the essay draws on the work of rural philosopher Wendell Berry, educational historian Paul Theobald, and other rural scholars to outline considerations for the development of such an education philosophy. Education policy issues, rural history, and current economic, political, and cultural challenges are presented. Differences, strengths, and needs of rural education are highlighted as considerations that must be addressed in the formation of a philosophy of rural education.

Towards Language Sensitivity and Diversity in the Digital Humanities

English Recent years have seen a growing focus on diversity in the digital humanities, and yet there has been rather less work on geolinguistic diversity, and the research which has been carried out often focuses on the structures of geographic representation in the field or has viewed ‘language’ as a technical or linguistic problem to solve. This article takes a different view, namely that we need to consider this diversity through multiple ‘frames’ of digitally-mediated language and culture, and that this is not just a question of epistemic justice or community manners, but that the digital humanities also need to address more actively challenges around global dynamics of digital multilingualism, transcultural exchange and geodiversity in its research agenda. This paper explores these questions through the prism of ‘language indifference’ in digital studies and, responding to Galina’s call for better data on the state of geolinguistic diversity in DH (2014), it articulates possible frameworks for addressing this diversity in a strategic, programmatic and research-led manner. We conclude by exploring the role of a greater multilingual focus in what Liu calls ‘the techne of diversity’ in digital humanities (2020), and contend that the digital humanities has much to gain, and much to offer, in engaging more fully with the languages-related cultural challenges of our era. RésuméCes dernières années l’accent a été mis de plus en plus sur la diversité dans les sciences humaines numériques, et pourtant il y a plutôt eu moins de travaux sur la diversité geo linguistique, et les recherches qui ont été menées portent souvent sur les structures de la représentation géographique sur le terrain, ou estiment le ‘langage’ comme un problème technique ou linguistique à résoudre. Cet article adopte un point différent, à savoir que nous devons considérer cette diversité à travers plusieurs ‘cadres’ de culture et de language à médiation numérique, cela n’étant pas uniquement une question de justice ou de savoir-faire communautaire, mais que, dans son programme de recherches, les sciences humaines numériques doivent également relever plus activement les défis à la dynamique mondiale du multilinguisme numérique, aux échanges transculturels et à la geo diversité. Ce document explore ces questions à travers le prisme de ‘l’indifférence linguistique’ dans les études numériques et, en réponse à l’appel de Galina pour de meilleures données sur l’état de la diversité geo linguistique dans DH (2014), il définit des systèmes possibles pour faire face à cette diversité de manière stratégique, programmatique et axée sur la recherche. Nous en concluons qu’en explorant le rôle d’une meilleure focalisation sur le multilinguisme dans les humanités numériques de ce que Liu appelle ‘la tech de la diversité’ (2020) et nous soutenons que les sciences humaines numériques ont beaucoup à gagner en s’engageant pleinement dans les défis culturels liés aux langues de notre époque.Mots-clés: Humanités numériques multilingues, Diversité linguistique et culturelle, Langues modernes numériques, Indifférence linguistique, Perturber le monolinguisme numérique

Japanese children’s experiences in New Zealand early childhood education settings

Early childhood education (ECE) settings in Aotearoa New Zealand are becoming increasingly ethnically superdiverse. This article draws on a research project that examined the cultural challenges that Japanese children sometimes encounter in New Zealand ECE contexts which was undertaken for my Doctor of Education. Data were analysed using a conceptual framework developed from five key notions that apply to third-culture individuals (TCI). The experiences of one child in this project and the tensions he experienced negotiating his self-identity as a Japanese child are described and their impact on his sense of belonging to the group of children at the centre is considered. The findings revealed that, despite the good intentions of teachers, the child’s Japanese cultural identity, and his attempts to share it, were frequently challenged by his teachers’ lack of cultural knowledge about Japan. I argue that these experiences resulted in complex situations for both the Japanese child and his teachers.

Exploring Female Students’ Quest for Leadership and their Experiential Realities in the University of Education, Winneba

The study explored female students’ quest for leadership and experiential leadership realities in higher educational institutions in Ghana. In Ghana, female enrolment in higher educational institutions has increased due to population increases and campaign for girl-child education. However, despite the opportunities and access to higher education, female students’ quest for leadership positions in their educational institutions is often thwarted and largely insignificant compared to their male counterparts. However, there is evidence in Ghana that national leadership, especially in politics, is usually linked to leadership at tertiary institutions, especially, in the universities. Using female students’ leadership in governance at the University of Education (UEW) as a study focus, and employing the liberal feminist theory, we hypothesised that female students’ desire for leadership positions in higher education would not differ significantly from reality due to some systemic cultural challenges. The study revealed that certain leadership positions are preserved of males, and females who vie for such positions generally encounter some cultural setbacks . The study concludes that female students are motivated to take leadership positions due to their desire to lead and serve the people, but society uses gender to set limit for women when they vie for leadership positions. The study recommends that teachers and parents should encourage both males and females to take up equal leadership roles early in life to arouse in them the drive for future leadership positions.

Social work practices and enabling the integration of students from war and conflict zones

Until recently, few studies have examined international students’ social issues and well-being from war and conflict zones. A significant proportion of international students in Turkey have arrived from countries actively engaged in conflict; however, it is unclear how social work procedures have effectively addressed students’ needs and ability to cope after migrating. This quantitative study aimed to identify the challenges and well-being issues of 63 Syrian students who have recently integrated into Turkey. The investigation took place at Ankara Yildirim Beyazit University in Turkey, during the 2017–2018 academic year. The research is based on two measurement scales and a questionnaire. Results were analyzed using independent t-test samples and found that social workers faced challenges in integrating the students. A lack of participation in social activities and cultural challenges are common problems faced by these students. Traditional support methods were effective strategies for overcoming new social environments. The effectiveness of social work intervention is reviewed further.

Experience Design Studio for Social Connection of Older Adults

Social isolation and loneliness are pressing health concerns in older adults, likely exacerbated by social distancing guidelines enacted during COVID-19. Creating effective interventions to address health issues is challenging. Design is an alternative approach to create innovative interventions and to test their preliminary potential. In the present case study, we describe the processes and outcomes of a four-week project in a graduate design studio. Students were asked to develop a prototype for an intervention using digital technologies to increase social connectedness among older adults. This was an interdisciplinary process guided by faculty with expertise in design (Mejía), healthcare redesign (Doebbeling), and gerontology (Der Ananian). In the first week, the faculty helped the students understand the design goals, the implications of social isolation and loneliness, and technology use in older adults. In the second week, students conducted user interviews. In the third week, students set the problem by defining a specific potential audience and context. They also prototyped two preliminary concepts using storyboards and received feedback from the faculty. In the last week, students presented refined prototypes with storyboards, user flows, and interface mockups. Student design ideas included an audio story-sharing app that facilitates conversations and new friendships, an assistance digital service for immigrant older adults that need support with language or cultural challenges, and an art and crafts subscription service with a sharing platform to connect older adults with similar interests. The students' design projects provided innovative technological approaches for improving social connections and could be used in future R&D.

Exploring senior managers’ perceptions of the COVID-19 Crisis in Iran: a qualitative content analysis study

Background Identification of the experience of senior managers in tackling biological crises can be a roadmap for future crisis management planning. The aim of the present study was to investigate the experiences of senior managers during the COVID-19 crisis. Methods This is a descriptive qualitative research. Data were collected using in-depth and semi-structured individual interviews. Accordingly, 20 senior managers of medical universities with experience in managing the COVID-19 crisis were enrolled in the study using purposive sampling. Data were collected from February 2020 to May 2021. For data analysis, qualitative content analytical approach was used. Results According to the results, 4 main themes and 10 sub-themes were obtained; they included dealing with issues and challenges in the face of COVID-19 disease (Structural challenges, Cultural challenges, Educational challenges, COVID-19 complexity); individual and managerial competencies (Individual competencies, Managerial competencies); comprehensive, accountable, and efficient management (Comprehensive and accountable management, efficient management); and professional and organizational self-efficacy (Professional self-efficacy, organizational self-efficacy) were obtained. Conclusions In the present study, a number of senior managers’ experiences in the COVID-19 crisis management were identified. Managers and policymakers of the health system are suggested to use the results of the present study to effectively manage the crisis and improve crisis management in various health-related areas by providing an effective cultural and organizational context.

A mobile education and social support group intervention for improving postpartum health in northern India: Development and Usability Study (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Structural and cultural barriers limit Indian women’s access to adequate postnatal care and support despite its importance for maternal and neonatal health. Targeted postnatal education and support through an mHealth intervention may improve postnatal recovery, neonatal care practices, nutritional status, knowledge and care seeking, and mental health. OBJECTIVE We sought to understand feasibility and acceptability of our first pilot phase, a flexible six-week postnatal mHealth intervention delivered to three groups of women in Punjab, India, and integrate these findings into the intervention for our next pilot phase which will formally assess intervention feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effectiveness. METHODS Our intervention prototype was designed to deliver culturally tailored educational programming via a provider-moderated, voice and text-based, group approach to connect new mothers with a virtual social support group of other new mothers, increase their health-related communication with providers, and refer them as needed. We targeted deployment for feature phones to include diverse socioeconomic participants. We held moderated group calls weekly, disseminated educational audios, and created mobile text groups. We varied content delivery, group discussion participation, and text chat moderation. Three groups of postpartum women from Punjab, India were recruited for the 6-week pilot through community health workers. Sociodemographic data were collected at baseline. Intervention feasibility and acceptability were assessed through weekly participant check-ins (n=29), weekly moderator reports, structured endline in-depth interviews (IDIs) among some participants (n=15), and backend data from the technologies used. RESULTS Our 29 participants were 24-28 years and 1-3 months postpartum with parity 0-1. Half had their own phone. Half of participants attended 3 or more of the 6 calls; main barriers were childcare and household responsibilities, and network or phone issues. Most participants were very satisfied with the intervention and found the educational content and group discussion beneficial. Participants utilized the text chat, particularly where facilitator-moderated. Sustaining participation and fostering group interactions was limited by technological and socio-cultural challenges. CONCLUSIONS The intervention was considered generally feasible and acceptable, and protocol adjustments were identified to improve intervention delivery and engagement. To address technological issues, we engaged a cloud-based service provider for group calls and an interactive voice response service provider for educational recordings, and developed a smartphone application for participants. We seek to overcome socio-cultural challenges through new strategies for increasing group engagement, including targeting mid-level female Community health Officers as moderators. Our second pilot will assess intervention feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effectiveness at six months. Ultimately, we seek to support the health and wellbeing of postpartum women and their infants in South Asia and beyond through the development of efficient, acceptable, and effective intervention strategies. CLINICALTRIAL NCT04636398

Nunavut Urban Futures: Vernaculars, Informality and Tactics (Research Note)

The Canadian Arctic, and Nunavut in particular, is one of the fastest-growing regions per capita in the country, raising the question as to what might constitute an emerging Arctic Indigenous urbanism. One of the cultural challenges of urbanizing Canadian North is that for most Indigenous peoples, permanent settlement, and its imposed spatial, temporal, economic, and institutional structures, has been antithetical to traditional ways of life and culture, which are deeply tied to the land and to seasons. For the past seventy-five years, architecture, infrastructure, and settlement form have been imported models serving as spatial tools of cultural colonization that have intentionally erased local culture and ignored geographic specificities. As communities in Nunavut continue to grow at a rapid rate, new planning frameworks are urgently needed. This paper outlines three approaches that could constitute the beginning of more culturally reflexive planning practices for Nunavut: (1) redefining the northern urban vernacular and its role in design; (2) challenging the current top-down masterplan by embracing strategies of informal urbanism; and (3) encouraging planning approaches that embrace territorial strategies and are more responsive to geography, landscape, and seasonality.