In the last 5 years, the literature on animal-assisted intervention (AAI) for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has doubled in size from 42 studies prior to 2015 to 85 studies (cumulative total assessed in 2020). Horses remain the most commonly researched animal for AAI, followed by dogs. The most commonly researched outcome was social interaction,…

People living alone are often depicted as prone to social isolation and poor well-being. Since previous research largely focused on comparisons between the living arrangements of older adults, evidence on differences within middle-aged adults living alone remains sparse. The present study used a person-centered approach to allow for a…

Despite the growing body of research on social media and its effects on employees, few studies have sought to explain the aims of social media users in firms and the mechanisms that link these to employee creativity. From the perspective of social networks, this study argues that using social media for work and social purposes in an enterprise…

Student motivation is frequently an issue in general music classrooms, and many long-standing theories designed to increase motivation have the opposite effect. This article introduces Self-Determination Theory, first developed by Edward Deci and Richard Ryan, as a theory of human motivation. A key element of Self-Determination Theory is the…

This paper aims to foreground the persistent ethical conundrums within the process of engaging children labeled with intellectual disabilities in the research process. I consider what happens when researchers are embedded within and committed to sustaining relationships with disabled children? I explore the possibilities of the enactment of…

The purpose of the present experiments was to systematically replicate Step it UP! Game interventions with adults with disabilities. Participants were divided into two competing teams, and the team with the highest step count participated in a prize drawing. Experiment 1 (N = 9) evaluated the efficacy of an extended version of the Step it UP! Game…

Institutional ethnography is often seen as a useful tool in the study of organizations and bureaucracy. However, many adaptations of the approach ignore the explicitly historical materialist project embodied in Smith's conceptualization of 'ontological shift' and her assertion that institutional ethnography is a 'reinterpretation' of Marx's…

Inspired to guide students toward more ethical relationships with the living world, this article looks at maps as a common tool used in outdoor environmental education. I argue that maps are tools laden with European Enlightenment ideologies and reinforce a type of human being who has lost their way within an ecological web. To balance these…

Social media has been recognized as a promising online communication environment that supports self-directed informal learning activities outside educational institutions. Development of metacognition is necessary for self-directed learning. Nevertheless, most studies have focused on the use of social media for formal learning. To fill this gap,…

Mentoring is highly valued to support teachers' professional growth. Yet little is known about mentors' experiences and roles in supporting early childhood education teachers in Aotearoa New Zealand. This study sought to fill that gap by asking mentors how they foster teachers' capacity, as well as the barriers and enablers they have experienced…

Friendship is an essential component of quality of life. The ongoing lifestyle changes and strain typically experienced by care partners of people with aphasia (PWA) can impact their social network, with friendships being particularly vulnerable to change. This study aimed to understand the impact of caregiving on care partners' friendships over…

This case study explored how teachers perceive instructional quality, relationships, obstacles to mindfulness, and other personal changes after implementing mindfulness for four weeks. Findings prove consistent with existing educational research showing a perceived change in perceived stress, emotional regulation, interpersonal relationships,…

Background: Collaborative learning can effectively promote the development of higher-order competencies, where learners collaborate via social interactions to explore and solve complex problems. It has been found that the effective occurrence of collaborative learning requires appropriate external guidance and support. In particular, collaborative…

This qualitative, phenomenological study explored the challenges faculty have experienced in mentoring Black women faculty and whether mentors receive adequate support from their colleges and universities to assist their mentees. Although there are several mentoring theories, the theoretical foundation used for this study is the relational…

Multiple technological aids have been proposed to support the social interactions of people with autism. The literature is extensive, but in many of the works there is a lack of clear processes focused on improving social skills. In this paper, we analyse a selection of 57 technological supports from the last 10 years, whose main characteristic is…