Decolonizing Action Research through Two-Eyed Seeing: The Indigenous Quality Assurance Project

Action Research (AR) has been widely utilized in Indigenous contexts because of its emphasis on social transformation and synergies with Indigenous research approaches. Yet, while AR is seen as an attractive option for working in Indigenous research contexts, additional efforts are needed to ensure that AR adequately interrogates collaborations between Western and Indigenous knowledge systems. The application of the principle of two-eyed seeing (TES), which refers to the process of seeing from the strengths of Indigenous ways of knowing with one eye while using the other eye to see with the strengths of Western ways of knowing (Bartlett, Marshall, & Marshall, 2012), can center decolonial goals, addressing the shortcomings of AR. This article describes the operationalization of TES through the Indigenous Quality Assurance Project, focusing on the four key essentials of TES: co-learning, knowledge scrutinization, knowledge validation, and knowledge gardening (Bartlett, 2017).

Cross-Culture Online Knowledge Validation and the Exclusive Practice of Stem Cell Therapy

Increasingly, people are turning to the internet to access health information despite reports that sites vary in terms of their quality, especially when the health practice is emerging or exclusive, such as stem cell and umbilical cord blood therapy. Given the controversy, patients have to depend on available sources to validate their knowledge prior to going for these practices as treatments. This study explores how the internet supports the spread of stem cell therapy practices, viewing it from a knowledge validation theoretical perspective. The study posits hypotheses differentiating digital and human sources, trust in the media source, and exploratory and verification sources on knowledge validation for exclusive practices. Primary survey data was collected from the US and Kuwait. Key findings suggest that knowledge verification and trust in the internet influences knowledge conversion and the practice decision of patients for less practice-oriented knowledge, and this effect is higher for Kuwait than USA, and more so for stem cell than umbilical cord blood practice.

Empirically Derived Test Specifications for the Certified Rehabilitation Counselor Examination: Revisiting the Essential Competencies of Rehabilitation Counselors

The purpose of this article is to examine the results of the certified rehabilitation counselor (CRC) knowledge validation study conducted in collaboration with the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification (CRCC). The research design for the present study includes both descriptive and ex post facto approaches. Three hundred ninety-four CRCs completed the Knowledge Validation Inventory–Revised (KVI-R) survey. Factor analysis results revealed six knowledge domains: (a) rehabilitation and mental health counseling, (b) employer engagement and job placement, (c) case management, (d) medical and psychosocial aspects of chronic illness and disability, (e) research methodology and evidence-based practice, and (f) group and family counseling. The findings of this study provide important information for CRCC to examine and develop test and item specifications that will guide future versions of the CRC examination. The findings also inform the description of the knowledge base underlying the practice of rehabilitation counseling and contribute further empirical evidence regarding the knowledge domains identified in this replication and extension of the previous study completed in 2012.

How to scope configuration projects and manage the knowledge they require

Purpose This paper aims to explore the use of the knowledge management (KM) perspective for configuration projects. Configuration projects implement configurators as information technology systems that help companies manage the specification process of customised products. An effective method of retrieving and formalising knowledge for configurators is essential, because it can reduce the risk of unsuccessful implementation and the time and effort required for development. Unfortunately, no standard KM frameworks are available specifically for configuration projects. This study identifies the knowledge necessary for different phases of a configuration project (which knowledge, for what purpose and from what sources), examines how it is transformed during a configuration project (what KM activities and tools are used) and establishes how the knowledge can be documented for future maintenance and updates. Design/methodology/approach This paper proposes a four-step framework for making the KM process more efficient in configuration projects. The framework is based on the literature, developed in collaboration with industrial partners and tested on four configuration projects in two engineering companies. The framework is a structured KM approach designed to save time for both domain experts and the configuration team. The authors have used a qualitative exploratory design based on multiple data sources: documentation, workshops and participant observation. Findings The proposed framework comprises four steps: determination of the system’s scope, to establish the project’s goal based on stakeholders’ requirements and prioritise the required products and processes; knowledge acquisition, to classify the knowledge according to the desired output and identify different knowledge sources; modelling and knowledge validation; and documentation and maintenance, to ensure that the KM system can be maintained and updated in the future. Research limitations/implications Because the framework is tested on a limited number of cases, its generalisability may be limited. However, focusing on a few case applications allows us to assess the effectiveness of the framework in detail and in depth to identify the practical challenges of applying it. The results of the tests support the framework’s validity. Although the framework is designed mainly for engineering companies, other industries could benefit from using it as well. Practical implications The individual steps of the framework create a structured approach for the KM process. Thus, the approach can save both time and resources for companies, without the need for additional investment. Originality/value A standard framework is lacking in the literature on KM for configuration projects. This study fills that gap by developing a KM framework for configuration projects, based on KM frameworks developed for IT projects, and KM tools.

#Sippingtea: Two Black Female Literacy Scholars Sharing Counter-Stories to Redefine Our Roles in the Academy

Through this piece, we draw upon critical race theory and Collins’s Afrocentric feminist epistemology to highlight the importance of storytelling as a knowledge validation system in Black women’s language. We illuminate and analyze a dialogic performance of two Black female literacy scholars in a coffee house “sipping tea,” sharing stories about their joint triumphs and challenges with teaching through equity-based pedagogies. The article takes its political and poetical inspiration from this dialogic performance placed in the center of the article. The dialogue is meant to enliven and represent the Afrocentric feminist discourse patterns that undergird our relationships with one another as Black sister scholars as well as our relationships to our classroom teaching and research. We offer discussions of literacy research and theory, personal experience/ethos, linguistic knowledge, and critique of racism. Our article has implications for strengthening the academy’s understanding of Black female bodies/language in White university spaces still hell-bent on not welcoming/employing either.