Higher education institutions increasingly have gained momentum in integrating sustainability into university curricula. The purpose of this paper is to elucidate the approval…
Abstract
Purpose
Higher education institutions increasingly have gained momentum in integrating sustainability into university curricula. The purpose of this paper is to elucidate the approval, implementation and management process of the new university-wide, general education requirement in sustainability at the University of Vermont (UVM). The intent is to provide a case study to inform other institutions seeking to create similar university-wide sustainability requirements.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors applied a process framework focused on institutional dynamics and values to analyze UVM’s success in instituting a sustainability requirement across the curriculum. These two frameworks can provide a more general application of this case study to other institutional contexts.
Findings
The case study suggests that in the context of a diverse disciplinary and administrative environment at a university, the strategic unfolding, approval and implementation of UVM’s university-wide, general education sustainability requirement can provide a general model for other universities seeking to embed sustainability across the curriculum.
Originality/value
It is uncommon for research universities with multiple professional schools to offer a university-wide requirement in sustainability. This case study analyzes the creation of a sustainability requirement at UVM by using a process framework to organize the complex, multi-stakeholder activities and events that eventually resulted in a successful curricular change. Thus, it is potentially instructive for institutions seeking to integrate a learning outcomes-based sustainability requirement into a university curriculum because it is generalizable to other institutions and pushes forward our understanding of institutional change.
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Laura Hill, Louise Parker, Jenifer McGuire and Rayna Sage
Over the past 30 years, researchers have documented effective, theory‐based programmes and practices that improve the health and well‐being of children. In order to produce…
Abstract
Over the past 30 years, researchers have documented effective, theory‐based programmes and practices that improve the health and well‐being of children. In order to produce measurable improvements in public health, such practices must be institutionalised; however, there are a number of barriers to translating what we know from science to what we do in practice. In the present article, we discuss a number of those barriers, including: cultural differences between those who espouse a public health, prevention science approach versus those who espouse a strengths‐building, health promotion approach; practical difficulties in documenting the evidence base for existing or newly developed programmes and practices; and inflexibility of standardised programmes and resulting insensitivity to local contexts. We discuss common ground between prevention and promotion perspectives and highlight emerging methods that facilitate the adoption of science‐based practice into community‐based services.
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Angel Cantu, Laura Hill and Linda Becker
The aims of this study were to determine (1) the degree to which an evidence‐based intervention (EBI) delivered outside the context of a research trial remained faithful to the…
Abstract
The aims of this study were to determine (1) the degree to which an evidence‐based intervention (EBI) delivered outside the context of a research trial remained faithful to the content and design of the programme as intended and as reported in experimental trials of the same programme, and (2) whether implementation quality affected programme outcomes. We report results of an observational study of 11 sites involved in the statewide dissemination of a popular family‐focused prevention programme, the Strengthening Families Programme for Parents and Youth 10‐14. We found numerous differences between the community‐based implementations we observed and researcher‐driven implementations of the same programme, but variability in programme delivery and adherence to content were unrelated to programme outcomes. We conclude that short‐term outcomes of well‐designed EBIs delivered by well‐trained facilitators may be robust to minor changes in delivery and content. However, the effects of implementation quality on longer‐term outcomes are unknown.
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Laura G. Hill and Robert W. Owens
Most studies of adherence use a single global measure to examine the relation of adherence to outcomes. These studies inform us about effects of overall implementation but not…
Abstract
Purpose
Most studies of adherence use a single global measure to examine the relation of adherence to outcomes. These studies inform us about effects of overall implementation but not about importance of specific program elements. Previous research on the Strengthening Families Program 10‐14 has shown that outcomes were unrelated to global adherence. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether adherence to specific components of SFP was related to outcomes, even though global adherence was not.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors micro‐coded data from an observational study of 11 instances of SFP (N=47 facilitators, 151 participants) into specific process and content components. Using multilevel analysis, they examined the relation of each component to program outcomes, accounting for individual‐ and program‐level variables.
Findings
Most associations of adherence with outcome were negligible for European‐Americans but significant for minority participants.
Research limitations/implications
Global assessments of implementation are insufficient for complex, multi‐component prevention programs and may obscure relations of implementation to outcomes. Additionally, program components may function differently based on participant characteristics.
Practical implications
Facilitators would benefit from understanding the function of individual program components, particularly when programs are delivered to diverse audiences. Program developers should provide detailed logic models of program theory to guide facilitators’ decisions about adaptation.
Originality/value
This is one of only a few studies to examine the relation of adherence to specific intervention components to outcomes in a real‐world setting. Results show the utility of component analysis and the importance of considering individual characteristics for implementation assessment.
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Laura Hills and Alison Maitland
The purpose of this paper is to explore key determinants of knowledge utilization in a community sport initiative, with particular attention to key facets of social-organizational…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore key determinants of knowledge utilization in a community sport initiative, with particular attention to key facets of social-organizational approaches including: organizational context including perceived user needs, characteristics of the researcher-user relationship, and adaption of dissemination materials.
Design/methodology/approach
The case study applies established theoretical and conceptual understandings of knowledge utilization to a research evaluation of a national initiative to increase young women's participation in sport.
Findings
This case study illustrates that academics engaging in evaluation work with sports organizations are well-placed to develop relationships with organizations that will be conducive to the use of research. Qualities that facilitate the use of research include an organizational context that is positively disposed towards using research. This can entail developing a researcher-practitioner relationship that involves shared learning and appreciating each other's aims, values and priorities.
Research limitations/implications
The research initiates a discussion on the knowledge utilization in community sport evaluation; however, it is limited to a particular case which may not be representative of the spectrum of sports development initiatives.
Practical implications
This case study highlights some useful features of how researchers and practitioners can work together effectively and use research to improve delivery.
Originality/value
This case study contributes to new understandings of the immediate as well as long-term value of research in the evaluation of community sports initiatives.
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Stephanie Taché and Laura Hill‐Sakurai
Little attention has been given to the field of medical assisting in US health services to date. To explore the roles medical assistants (MAs) currently play in primary care…
Abstract
Purpose
Little attention has been given to the field of medical assisting in US health services to date. To explore the roles medical assistants (MAs) currently play in primary care settings, the paper aims to focus on the work scope and dynamics of these increasingly common healthcare personnel.
Design/methodology/approach
This is a multiple step, mixed methods study, combining a quantitative survey and qualitative semi‐structured interviews: eight experts in the field of medical assisting; 12 MAs from diverse primary care practice settings in Northern California.
Findings
Survey results revealed great variation in the breadth of tasks that MAs performed. Five overarching themes describe the experience of medical assistants in primary care settings: ensuring patient flow and acting as a patient liaison, “making a difference”; diversity within the occupation and work relationships.
Research implications/limitations
As the number of medical assistants working in primary care practices in the United States increases, more attention must be paid to how best to deploy this allied health workforce. This study suggests that MAs have an expertise in maintaining efficient clinic flow and promoting patient satisfaction. Future recommendations for changes in MA roles must address the diversity within this occupation in terms of workscope and quality assurance as well as MA relationships with other members of ambulatory care teams.
Originality/value
This is the first study to explore perspectives of medical assistants in the USA. As this is a largely unregulated and understudied field, a qualitative study allowed the exploration of major themes in medical assisting and the establishment of a framework from which further study can occur.
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Courtney L. McCluney, Laura Morgan Roberts and Lynn Perry Wooten
Amanda DiGioia and Charlotte Naylor Davis
This chapter focuses on the problematic relationship between heavy metal and gender politics. While metal may be deemed as being an ‘alternative’ subculture, metal still ‘uses’…
Abstract
This chapter focuses on the problematic relationship between heavy metal and gender politics. While metal may be deemed as being an ‘alternative’ subculture, metal still ‘uses’ women in the same way as ‘normal’ society. Despite the nature of metal as counterculture, women’s images and morality are often inverted but not subverted and it is this nuance that we wish to explore: for example, the use of Mary, Mother of God, in ‘Amen’ by black metal band Behemoth, where though her image is a challenge to convention, she is still ‘used’ as emblems for male political ideology. In the textuality of heavy metal music, women appear as mothers (both good and bad), fetishised whores, mother earth and sexualised virgins. Where modern open sexuality is ‘praised’, anything less so is mocked. Though this ‘praise’ may come across as positive, it is nevertheless still ascribing morality/immorality/virtue to women’s bodies in a way that is not done with men. In this discussion, we will use examples of texts from metal bands who reference women, imagery associated with band merchandise as well as comments from the performers themselves (such as Dee Snider’s approval of the lyrics of ‘We’re Not Gonna Take It’ being associated with the Women’s March on Washington) to investigate the place of the female body in this cultural representation. By using textual critical analysis, we show that women in metal are still having morality written on their bodies, bringing to light the debatable nature of metal being deemed as ‘alternative’ when it comes to gender.