Evaluating Transformational Adaptation in Smallholder Farming: Insights from an Evidence Review

The literature on smallholder farming and climate change adaptation (CCA) has predominantly investigated the barriers to and determinants of farmer uptake of adaptation interventions. Although useful, this evidence fails to highlight the changes or persistence of adaptation responses over time. Studies usually adopt a narrow focus on incremental actions that provide limited insights into transformative adaptation pathways and how fundamental shifts in policy can address the root causes of vulnerability across different sectors and dimensions. Drawing on an evidence synthesis commissioned by the International Fund for Agricultural Development’s Independent Office of Evaluation, this chapter outlines how lessons from CCA interventions can be transferred via three learning domains that are essential for transformational change: scaling-up (in its multiple forms), knowledge management, and the human-environment nexus. We discuss the implications of our findings on monitoring, evaluation, and learning, highlighting the challenges that evaluators may face in capturing (a) the persistence or durability of transformational pathways, (b) the complexity of “super-wicked” problems, and (c) the relevance of context-dependent dynamics, within a landscape setting. We also address the contribution of evidence reviews to contemporary debates around development policy linked to climate change and agriculture, and the implications and value of such reviews to provide independent scientific rigor and robustness to conventional programmatic evaluations.

Learning in and through classroom interaction: On the convergence of language and content learning opportunities in subject-matter learning

This study uses an interdisciplinary approach to explore the interplay of linguistic and subject-matter learning. Drawing on previous linguistic work on discourse and genre acquisition, subject-matter teaching as well as the convergence of linguistic and content learning in multilingual classrooms, the study seeks to examine the following questions: (1) How can patterns of classroom talk support or hinder the acquisition of academic discourse competence and subject-matter learning? (2) How are these two learning domains related? The analyses of 120 video-recorded mathematics and German lessons in five classes (n=149 students, 10 teachers) in different German school types revealed two patterns of teacher-student-interaction, which differ in the participatory roles and the (language) learning opportunities they assign to the students. Two larger excerpts from mathematics-lessons are analyzed to illustrate the ways in which linguistic and content learning merge in the two patterns.

Computer Simulation Integration in Secondary Physics

This paper explored the teaching experiences of physics teachers in integrating computer simulations in their pedagogy to promote a constructivist learning environment. Its objectives are to determine how physics teachers describe computer simulations based on how they are used, how these are embedded in the teaching-learning process, their impact on the teaching-learning process, and the challenges of integrating these into physics teaching. Using the phenomenological design, two themes emerged for the first objectives, which are process-based and system-based. First, the teacher-manipulated with sub-themes of engaging, demonstrating, elaborating, and evaluating, and student-manipulated emerged on how the simulations are used. Second, the impact to teaching generated knowledge-based, skill-based, and value-based learning-based primarily on the three learning domains. Also, respondents emphasized that the integrations of computer simulations are convenience, efficacy, and heterogeneity. Finally, the challenges in the integration process are classified as teacher and school-related. The results showed that teachers are integrating computer simulations differently depending on their resources and the TPACK knowledge.

Does Schooling Decrease Socioeconomic Inequality in Early Achievement? A Differential Exposure Approach

Does schooling affect socioeconomic inequality in educational achievement? Earlier studies based on seasonal comparisons suggest schooling can equalize social gaps in learning. Yet recent replication studies have given rise to skepticism about the validity of older findings. We shed new light on the debate by estimating the causal effect of 1st-grade schooling on achievement inequality by socioeconomic family background in Germany. We elaborate a differential exposure approach that estimates the effect of exposure to 1st-grade schooling by exploiting (conditionally) random variation in test dates and birth dates for children who entered school on the same calendar day. We use recent data from the German NEPS to test school-exposure effects for a series of learning domains. Findings clearly indicate that 1st-grade schooling increases children’s learning in all domains. However, we do not find any evidence that these schooling effects differ by children’s socioeconomic background. We conclude that, although all children gain from schooling, schooling has no consequences for social inequality in learning. We discuss the relevance of our findings for sociological knowledge on the role of schooling in the process of stratification and highlight how our approach complements seasonal comparison studies.

Medical Students’ Opinions of Anatomy Teaching Resources and Their Role in Achieving Learning Outcomes

Several teaching resources are used to enhance the learning of anatomy. The purpose of this study was to examine the preference of medical students on the use of various resources to learn anatomy and their link to 12 learning outcomes. A selected response item questionnaire was administered that asked students to rank six laboratory teaching resources from most to least preferred, and rate how useful these six resources were towards achieving 12 learning outcomes. These learning outcomes covered many of the learning domains such as demonstrating an understanding of anatomy, visualizing structures, appreciating clinical correlations, and understanding anatomical variations. Medical students ranked cadaveric prosections paired with an active learning clinical tutorial as the highest rank and most useful resource for learning anatomy, followed by dissection videos, electronic resources, and printed material, followed by plastinated specimens and plastic models. Overall, cadaveric prosections were also rated as the most helpful teaching resource in achieving various learning outcomes. In conclusion, anatomy teachers should provide prosections coupled with clinical tutorials as well as electronic resources as students prefer these and think they help them learn anatomy. Future studies will investigate the impact of using these resources on students’ performance.

Suicidology Post Graduate Curriculum: Priority Topics and Delivery Mechanisms for Suicide Prevention Education

Background: There has been limited attention to the development and delivery of tertiary suicide prevention curricula. The aim of this work was to describe the status of postgraduate suicide prevention education, with specific attention on examining the needs of the suicide prevention sector in Australia. Method: An online survey was completed by 76 stakeholders in Australia. Current curriculum learning outcomes from Griffith University’s postgraduate suicidology programs guided the development of the survey. Results: Four key learning domains were rated highest in importance by stakeholders. According to most stakeholders, skills-based qualifications were the most relevant type of qualification, and online modulized education was the most preferred delivery mode. Half of stakeholders supported suicide prevention professional development through a combination of financial support and study leave. Conclusions: The survey provided invaluable feedback regarding the priorities of Australia’s suicide prevention sector for content domains and delivery mechanisms for tertiary suicidology education. The findings showed the preferred type of organizational (employer) support that may be provided for employees to undertake such education. These findings will inform the future developments of Griffith University’s suicidology programs and may motivate other universities to consider offering same or a similar type of education to support the suicide prevention sector toward saving lives.

The Pedagogy of Rehabilitation Counseling: Perceptions of Rehabilitation Educators

The purpose of this study was to incorporate Bloom’s cognitive levels (Remembering/ Knowledge, Understanding/Comprehension, Applying/Application, Evaluating, and Creating/Synthesis) of understanding for rehabilitation counselor training programs. Forty rehabilitation counselor educators completed an online survey rating how important, how confident, and how frequently each participant incorporated the six learning domains of Bloom’s taxonomy within the classroom. The results indicate that rehabilitation counseling educators stated that they felt confident and that it is important to implement all the learning domains of Bloom’s taxonomy. Rehabilitation counseling educators indicated that application learning domain has the most impact on student learning. This study also provides implications and future directions to help discussion among rehabilitation counselor educators.

O2A: One-Shot Observational Learning with Action Vectors

We present O2A, a novel method for learning to perform robotic manipulation tasks from a single (one-shot) third-person demonstration video. To our knowledge, it is the first time this has been done for a single demonstration. The key novelty lies in pre-training a feature extractor for creating a perceptual representation for actions that we call “action vectors”. The action vectors are extracted using a 3D-CNN model pre-trained as an action classifier on a generic action dataset. The distance between the action vectors from the observed third-person demonstration and trial robot executions is used as a reward for reinforcement learning of the demonstrated task. We report on experiments in simulation and on a real robot, with changes in viewpoint of observation, properties of the objects involved, scene background and morphology of the manipulator between the demonstration and the learning domains. O2A outperforms baseline approaches under different domain shifts and has comparable performance with an Oracle (that uses an ideal reward function). Videos of the results, including demonstrations, can be found in our: project-website.

A curriculum guide model to the next normal in developing construction supervisory training programmes

PurposeThis study aims to develop a curriculum guide model to upgrade the construction supervision practices, considering evolving challenges and thereby the next normal of the industry.Design/methodology/approachBoth qualitative and quantitative research designs were adopted to identify productivity-related challenges that can be addressed through effective supervision in construction. Meetings, discussions, workshops and surveys were conducted among construction experts to systematically develop the competencies of construction supervision. The necessary mapping models were used to identify the level of outcomes for each competency element along with the learning domains and programme outcomes.FindingsA curriculum guide model consisting of 64 competency elements has been introduced with corresponding assessment weightages and mapping outcomes. Using this model, a new training programme has been designed and tested with weightage percentages on learning domains.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough the scope of the study is limited to Sri Lanka, the findings can be interpreted for critical learning in other developing countries too.Practical implicationsThe study outcomes are expected to make a high impact on improving the standards of vocational training education in the country, thereby upgrading the current industry practices.Originality/valueThe developed guide model is expected to be a valuable tool for training providers/organisations in upgrading their programmes/practices with the scope of productivity improvement. The obtained mapping outcomes are significant for the evolving next normal situations in teaching, learning and assessment methods with regard to construction supervision practices.

The Effectiveness of the Science Experimental Guidebook on the Conceptual Understanding of Students with Learning Disabilities

This study aimed to develop a science experiments guidebook (based on discussion method and enriched worksheet) for fourth grade mainstreamed students with learning disabilities and to investigate its effect on their conceptual understanding of the "Matter and its Nature", "Living Things and Life", "Physical Events" and "Earth and The Universe" learning domains. Furthermore, mixtures, sieving, filtration, magnetism (Matter and its Nature), recycling (Living Things and Life), simple electrical circuit (Physical Events), and fossil (Earth and The Universe) concepts/issues were determined. Since the aim is to investigate the conceptual understanding of five 4th grade students with learning disabilities, the case study method was used. Conceptual understanding tests, drawing tests, and semi-structured interviews were used as data collection tools. The science experiments guidebook was presented to the students in worksheet format. Besides, worksheets were enriched with avatar images, mobile applications (QR codes), hands-on experiments, and active learning techniques (brainstorming, buzz 22, aquarium, and snowball). As a result of the research, it can be said that the science experiments guidebook had a positive effect on the conceptual understanding of students with learning disabilities.