This paper presents key findings from a study that aimed to critically examine the practice of outdoor education in the Republic of Ireland. It consisted of 10 months of fieldwork across four public Outdoor Education and Training Centres (OETCs). Data were generated through participant observation, informal conversation, as well as centre…

Purpose: Agricultural advisory services are perceived by many actors involved in rural development as a key driver behind innovation processes in agriculture. However, changes in national and global contexts cause dramatic changes in the orientation of advisory services, their organisation and their methods of intervention. This article aims to…

In 2006, the administration of a state-run, secure juvenile correctional facility initiated an attempt to transform its institutional culture using a strength-based approach to assessment and case planning. This resulted in a rapid improvement in institutional climate. The current study revisits this setting several years later to see if those…

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems can represent one of the largest investments of human and financial resources by a higher education institution. They also bring a significant process reengineering aspect to the institution and the associated implementation project through the integration of compiled industry best practices into the…

Purpose: This article aims to discuss the contradiction between signing an agreement to work for sustainable universities and the lack of practical commitment in one case, namely at Aalborg University (AAU). Focus is placed both on the University's core processes such as education, research and outreach; on the necessary inputs and outputs related…

Background: Few empirical studies have compared quality and outcomes for residents with intellectual disability across intentional communities such as those organised by the Camphill communities in Ireland. Method: Using a multi-element research protocol developed for an earlier large study, data were gathered about the characteristics of N = 29…

There has recently been growing interest in the relationship between second language (L2) writing development and the institutional contexts in which this process is embedded. The present study examines this relationship by reporting on an eight-month qualitative investigation of international university students and their perspectives on the…

Examined the impact of a Family Reunion Program which allows inmates ineligible for furlough to have an extended family visit. Results suggested the program has a positive impact on encouraging inmates who were originally disapproved for participation due to disciplinary infractions to improve their institutional behavior. (JAC)

The 2007 Aaron Rosen Lecture was presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Social Work and Research, January 12, 2007, in San Francisco, CA. The lecture begins by describing the gap between what is known about efficacious treatments and other evidence-based practices on the one hand and the services that are provided in actual…

Describes a personal contact program utilized to attract and retain students at a college. The program includes personal contacts by telephone from staff and students, personal attention to student programs, and an institutional commitment to the value of personal attention in areas of campus life. Retention reports have been positive. (RC)

This survey of 331 institutions of higher education found that attributes of the postindustrial environment--scarcity of resources, competitiveness, and turbulence--are negatively associated with the effectiveness of four-year colleges and universities. Participative decision making, domain offense strategies, and political decision processes…

To examine the perception of instructors who teach in prison college programs, two studies were conducted, the first in 1993 and the second in 2003. Three areas of measurement were included in the survey instrument sent to professors working in the Ball State University's Prison Program, Muncie, IN. The first measurement was that of instructors'…

The effects on principals in South Australia of Human Achievement Skills training, aimed at developing interpersonal, human relations, and personnel management skills, were measured by conducting interviews with trainees and staff members 3 months after training and by obtaining responses to organizational climate questionnaires before and after…