Multidisciplinary Approaches to Art and Creativity: Fostering Artistic Exploration in Formal and Informal Settings, Karen Knutson, Takeshi Okada and Kevin Crowley (Eds) (2020)

Review of: Multidisciplinary Approaches to Art and Creativity: Fostering Artistic Exploration in Formal and Informal Settings, Karen Knutson, Takeshi Okada and Kevin Crowley (Eds) (2020) New York: Routledge, 296 pp., ISBN 978-0-81536-188-6, e-book, £33.29

A Missed Opportunity for Community Engagement and Data Collection

This research is a case study that explores the dissemination and learnings of information which takes place in a diaspora organization in Toronto, the Kutchi Cultural Association. As a community of first-generation immigrants in Canada, the informal settings and learnings within this organization play an important role in their settlement process and build a sense of shared efficacy. The diaspora gatherings become the quintessential point of community engagement where knowledge is transferred and shared. This exploratory research discovers how information and learnings flow both within the organization as well as with mainstream institutions such as the libraries, archives, and museums. It highlights a missed opportunity for mainstream institutions of engaging such diaspora organizations that play a significant role in the sharing and gathering of information, albeit veiled and unaccounted for through official means and calls for more extensive research on the subject.

‘Broken English’, ‘dialect’ or ‘Bahamianese’?

The study investigates language attitudes in The Bahamas, addressing the current status of the local creole in society as well as attitudinal indicators of endonormative reorientation and stabilization. At the heart of the study is a verbal guise test which investigates covert language attitudes among educated Bahamians, mostly current and former university students; this was supplemented by a selection of acceptance rating scales and other direct question formats. The research instrument was specifically designed to look into the complex relationships between Bahamian Creole and local as well as non-local accents of standard English and to test associated solidarity and status effects in informal settings. The results show that the situation in The Bahamas mirrors what is found for other creole-speaking Caribbean countries in that the local vernacular continues to be ‘the language of solidarity, national identity, emotion and humour, and Standard the language of education, religion, and officialdom’ (Youssef 2004: 44). Notably, the study also finds that standard Bahamian English outranks the other metropolitan standards with regard to status traits, suggesting an increase in endonormativity.

Hepatitis E outbreak in Namibia

Hepatitis E is a deadly infectious disease that can easily spread in a community that has poor sanitary conditions. Cases of hepatitis E infection has been reported in the informal settings of Windhoek, Namibia and the City Council swoop in to improve the sanitary conditions in these areas. The current study sought to know the knowledge of residents of the city concerning issues surrounding hepatis E infection.

Stumbling into a Larger World

Yuan-tsung reunited with Phyllis Wu at her salon in Chongqing and started to learn social skills by helping her entertain guests. In this way, Yuan-tsung came into close social contact with some of the country’s leading politicians and intellectuals, getting to know them not so much in their official capacities as in more informal settings, when they relaxed over tea or wine. Among them was Zhou Enlai, then the Communist representative to China’s “United Front,” the tense, shaky arrangement whereby the Communists and the Nationalists supposedly worked together to defeat the Japanese invaders. At parties and dinners she heard them talk about the role of the Third Force, and “Vinegar Joe” Stilwell, and watched as Zhou Enlai cultivated these US-educated intellectuals so as to gain access to influential Americans.

Goal-Setting among Biology Undergraduates during a Free-Choice Learning Experience at a Regional Zoo

Free-choice learning occurs when individuals have autonomy in what and how they learn, and often takes place in informal settings such as zoos. To describe goal-setting and -achievement of biology undergraduates at a regional zoo, we primarily asked: (1) What types of learning goals do students set for themselves for a trip to the zoo?; and (2) What activities do students intend to engage in on a zoo trip? Participating students completed the first portion of a goal-setting assessment prior to entering the zoo, which asked students to develop learning and activity goals for themselves. At the conclusion of the zoo trip, students completed the second portion of this survey, which asked whether students achieved their goals, and if not, why. We found that most students devised learning goals related to gaining knowledge and identified passive interactions with animals as activities they hoped to engage in during their trip.

Designs for Learning: A Research Approach

<p style="text-align: justify;">In this article, we present some core ideas underpinning research that takes a Designs for Learning (DFL) approach guided by theoretical considerations and choices, as well as by practitioners’ challenges and inquiries. These choices shape, and are shaped by, DFL’s research goals and motives, theoretical orientation, research objectives, questions, and practitioners’ participation and ethical considerations. Further, we present and discuss how DFL as a research approach compares to other design-oriented research strategies. Even if a DFL research approach shares several similarities with other approaches of inquiry, we argue that it remains primarily oriented towards knowledge areas that relate to understanding and developing learning and teaching – both in formal education and in informal settings such as museums.</p>

ECSA Special Issue

Over 500 delegates took part in the third international ECSA conference in September 2020. Across 30 sessions, as well as keynote talks, e-poster presentations and more informal settings, they discussed and debated a diverse range of subjects related to citizen science. This special edition of ‘JCOM’ brings together some of the central themes that were under the spotlight at ECSA 2020. Since ECSA 2020 has been one of the first examples of a conference that moved completely online, and it has been considered a big success, we also include the Conference Report, as supplementary material with this editorial.

Informal Digital Learning of English Vocabulary: Saudi EFL Learners’ Attitudes and Practices

Because of the widespread use of digital technology, many EFL students access various types of technologies that help them acquire English vocabulary beyond formal classroom learning. This paper aims to explore Saudi EFL learners’ attitudes towards informal digital learning of English vocabulary (IDLEV) outside the academic requirements as well as their practices of IDLEV beyond the classroom. To answer the research questions of the study, the researchers recruited 80 Saudi EFL students from the University of Bisha, Saudi Arabia, to respond to a self-reported questionnaire. The study found that Saudi EFL students have positive attitudes towards informal digital learning of English in improving their vocabulary. Results also reveal that the participants tend to use different technologies to learn English vocabulary in informal settings. The study found that receptive activities are more commonly used than the productive activities. The study found a significant correlation between learners’ attitudes and practices. The implications of the study and recommendations were presented accordingly.