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The purpose of this paper is to examine how participants in diverse schools newly implement the Sanford Harmony social and emotional learning (SEL) program and perceive its benefits for students and overall school climate.

The current study employed a convergent parallel mixed-methods design with a sample of five elementary schools in the western USA. Measures included classroom observations, administrator interviews, teacher interviews and focus groups, student focus groups, and a teacher questionnaire.

Findings indicated expected variation in implementation across schools, although all participants reacted favorably to the program and, importantly, would recommend the program to others. Administrators, teachers and students all saw the value of the program, particularly in terms of student relationship building and improved school climate. Implementation challenges experienced by schools were consistent with research on diffusion of innovations.

The present study demonstrates the importance of effective professional development, continued support, collective decision making and intentional integration of the SEL program throughout a school to support robust implementation and ultimately achieve intended outcomes.

Researchers have yet to examine in-depth implementation of the Sanford Harmony program and how best to support scale-up and more intentional implementation in schools. As implementation fidelity is a key component of a program achieving intended outcomes, the findings from the present study contribute to the knowledge base of supporting SEL program implementation.

This study synthesises the self-determination theory (SDT), expectation-confirmation model (ECM), and protection motivation theory (PMT) to formulate an integrated theoretical framework that elucidates the process of shaping the intention to continue using facial recognition payment (FRP) under the conditional impact of perceived technology security.

Data from 667 Beijing Winter Olympics visitors with FRP experience were collected through an online survey and analysed using variance based-structural equation modelling (VB-SEM).

This study reveals that the intention to continue using FRP evolves through three key stages. Initially, in the expectation stage, the multidimensional concept of artificial autonomy (sensing, thought, and action), which is underpinned by self-determination, is pivotal, strongly influencing perceptions of service enhancement and fostering trust in FRP. Subsequently, the confirmation stage underscores the importance of perceived service enhancement and trust as vital drivers in maintaining FRP usage, while also contributing to subjective well-being. Crucially, perceived technology security emerges as a key moderating factor, enhancing positive perceptions and intentions towards FRP, thus influencing its sustained adoption.

This study stands out by revealing the nuanced interplay between artificial autonomy and user perceptions, particularly concerning service enhancement, technology security, and trust, as they influence well-being and the continued adoption of FRP. Robustly grounded in the integrated theoretical framework of SDT, ECM, and PMT, the study’s findings are critical for comprehending the core elements and specific drivers that promote sustained FRP use, especially as we consider its potential widespread implementation. Therefore, this study not only advances theoretical understanding but also offers practical guidance for optimising FRP deployment strategies in a rapidly evolving technological landscape.

The disparities of COVID-19 vaccination rates between the rural and urban areas have become apparent during this pandemic. There is a need to understand the root causes of vaccine hesitancy demonstrated by the rural population to increase coverage and to contain the disease spread throughout the United States. This study aimed to explore other factors influencing vaccine hesitancy among rural dwellers besides the geography-related barriers such as poor health care access and individuals having no or suboptimal insurance coverage.

By reviewing existing data and literature about vaccination, health literacy, and behaviors, and prevailing ideologies, we discuss the potential causes of vaccine hesitancy in rural areas that could create barriers for successful public health efforts related to vaccine coverage and provide suggestions to ameliorate the situation.

Geography-related barriers, health literacy, and preconceived notions are key determinants of adopting healthy behaviors and complying with public health authorities' recommendations among rural individuals during a public-health crisis. We argue that ideology, which is much deeper than preconception or misconception on vaccination, should be incorporated as a key factor to redefine the term “vulnerable populations” in public health research.

The limitation of our study is that we have not found an effective way to encourage the populations who hold conservative religious and political ideologies to join the efforts for public health. Even though geography-related barriers may strongly impact the rural dwellers in achieving optimal health, the various forms of ideologies they have toward certain health behaviors cannot be discounted to understand and address vaccine-related disparities in rural areas. There is a need to redefine the term “vulnerable population” particularly as it relates to rural areas in the United States. During large-scale public health disasters, scholars and public health authorities should consider the ideologies of individuals, in addition to other factors such as race/ethnicity, area of residence (rural vs. urban), and socioeconomic factors influencing the existing vulnerabilities and health disparities.

Although employee race has been an actively investigated area of scientific inquiry for decades, a thorough and informed understanding of the role of race in the organizational sciences has eluded us for a number of reasons. The relationship of race and stress in organizations is a prime example of this neglect and deficiency in our knowledge base, as little work has been done in this area. We attempt to address this limitation in the literature by proposing an inductively derived, review-centric framework that attempts to articulate the multiple intermediate linkages that explain the process dynamics taking place in the relationship between employee race and health and well-being in organizations. We argue that socialization processes, social networks, information and resource access, and mentoring contribute to distance and differences between racial minorities and nonminorities concerning control, reputation, performance, and political understanding and skill, which in turn, creates barriers to success, and increased stress and strain for racial minorities. The implications of this framework along with directions for future theory and research are discussed in this chapter.

A critical resource for inclusive education is ensuring that an effective curriculum is in place for preparing teachers. Reviewing an existing curriculum and revising it to meet this need is an important aspect of every teacher training institution. The purpose of this chapter is to investigate the effect of a revised Post-Graduate Diploma in Education programme on teachers' pedagogical practice and knowledge transfer for inclusive education. Following completion of the programme, this was investigated from the perspective of teachers' implementation of knowledge transfer to their teaching through various pedagogical strategies, classroom management and perceived personal awareness of student needs. In addition, teachers responded regarding the programme design. While strong support was found for the programme, significant differences were found, however, between teachers working in Chinese and English medium of instruction schools, age and teaching experience following participation in the programme. Implications are discussed within the context of responding to the new curriculum framework for formal education in Macao Special Administration Region, which promotes more inclusive schools.