Background: Adults with Down syndrome have demonstrated lower rates of community participation, which is known to reflect a poorer quality of life. This cross-sectional study used survey data completed by 27 care partners of adults with Down syndrome to understand if lower community participation was associated with a recent decreased independence…

Children with disabilities are at an increased risk of being less likely to participate when compared to their typically developing peers. The objective of this study was to determine whether there is a difference in the frequency of participation in the home, preschool and community setting between typically developing children and children with…

While research abounds on the outcomes of out-of-school time programs for youth, most studies focus on programs with similar profiles or within the same program category, leaving a notable gap in examining youth experiences across programs with different delivery modes. The current research investigated the perceived experiences of youth in two…

Exploring the experiences of refugee arrivals who have participated in community-based programming in multiple cities across the United States, this dissertation considers the role of such programming in refugee integration and implications for engaged scholarship. Through collaborative partnerships, IHE and USRAP offices offer both students and…

During the course of a program evaluation for Footprints Dance Project Society of Alberta, we uncovered a discrepancy between children and parents regarding both motivation for program participation and expected outcomes. At Footprints Dance Project, we work with a diverse group of children, primarily from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Despite…

This dissertation discovers a hybrid collaborative curation and creation exhibition project at the Florida State University's Museum of Fine Arts. This research serves as a tangible application to integrate the third place theory (Oldenburg, 1997) and constructivist museum practices (Hein, 1998) under the umbrella of participatory action research.…

Extra-curricular activities, such as playing sport and participating in mentoring programmes, have physical and mental health benefits for individuals. For adolescents particularly, nurturing these interests has the potential for positive outcomes in academic attainment and personal development, an increase to self-esteem, and positive development…

Institutionalised forms of adult learning and education (ALE) such as community learning centres (CLCs) and related models are found in most parts of the world. These are spaces offering opportunities for literacy and skills training, health and citizenship, general, liberal and vocational education, in line with fuller recognition of the meaning…

Person-centred planning (PCP) puts individuals with an intellectual disability at the centre of service and support planning, identifying how individuals wish to live their lives and what is needed to make that possible. PCP has been identified as having the potential to facilitate improved social inclusion and community participation. A…

Parenting an autistic child can reduce the time parents have to participate in their own interests, but the impact this has on caregiver quality of life is not well understood. The aim in undertaking this scoping review was to examine and describe current research about occupational participation and quality of life among parents of autistic…

The quality of the extension services provided determines how effective extension systems are in accomplishing a sustainable development strategy. Hence, this research was carried out to ascertain the impact of extension services of the College of Teacher Education (CTE) of Nueva Vizcaya State University (NVSU), Philippines. The descriptive survey…

The Green Spaces, Learning Places (GSLP) environmental education initiative runs schools-based and community-based sessions to create opportunities for children and young people to engage with green outdoor environments in London, England (including parks, heaths, and forests). Bespoke evaluation resources were developed by researchers in…

Context: Rural populations experience both a higher prevalence of and risk for premature death from chronic conditions than do their urban counterparts. Yet barriers to implement community-based chronic disease self-management programs persist. Program: The Living Well program, a multi-sector collaboration between a rural health care system and a…

Higher education-community projects to support food security and food justice can improve health outcomes and increase community cohesion, but university funding may lead to power inequities that perpetuate marginalizing narratives. For this project, a regional state university, a local high school, and a nonprofit focused on building school…

A common rationale for the continued existence and support of music education in schools has been the development of skills and attitudes leading to a lifetime of music-making for all students. Therefore, the purpose of this review of literature was to examine previous research on adult participation in large ensemble (i.e., band, choir, or…