The potential of game-based experiential workshops to complement focus groups in identifying drivers/barriers to environmentally sustainable food systems was explored. Sixty adults from an Italian bio-district answered to a questionnaire; among them, nineteen and twenty-one people participated in a game-based experiential workshop and in a focus…

Internet-mediated focus groups (FGs) have become a feature of qualitative research over the last decade; however, their use within social sciences has been adopted at a slower pace than other disciplines. This paper considers the advantages and disadvantages of internet-mediated FGs and reflects on their use for researching culturally sensitive…

Background: Adults with intellectual disabilities (ID) experience significant inequalities and tend to be more sedentary and less physically active than the wider population. Walking programmes are an effective way to increase physical activity (PA) but have not been used in studies involving adults with intellectual disabilities. Method: Nineteen…

This pilot study assessed how using electronic portfolios (ePortfolios) as a meta-high impact practice (meta-HIP) might influence student learning through reflective practice. Eleven undergraduates participating in a summer research program reflected weekly on their research experiences through building and using ePortfolios, and attended three…

Music has long been shown to have diverse benefits for all age groups. Music therapy has been used in a variety of situations involving both physical and mental health issues. A report of a United Kingdom study on the benefits of older people's participation in community music activities prompted an investigation of the benefits of a new…

Background: There is a growing focus in South Africa on teachers developing appropriate knowledge, skills and dispositions for teaching to support young learners' development and learning. One such teacher development programme is the Advanced Certificate in Teaching for Foundation Phase teachers, offered by the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN).…

The purpose of this study was to examine the existing practices and challenges of Integrated Functional Adult Literacy Program in eastern Ethiopia. To achieve this objective, the researchers used mixed research design. Questionnaires, interview and focus group discussions were used as viable instrument for data collection. The questionnaires were…

This article explores how universities and industry can work together to improve access to graduate opportunities for disadvantaged students. Focusing on an initiative which involved students from a "post-1992" UK university experiencing London's legal sector, the article analyses the factors that contributed to the students' perceptions…

The purpose of this study was to examine the Students Who Achieve Together (SWAT) peer tutoring program at Greystone High School (an Illinois suburban high school of approximately 1500 students), and to use the information gathered to evaluate the program's effectiveness and provide an analysis for future decision-making about the program. In…

This research aims to evaluate the implementation of the Program of Graduates Educating in the Frontier, Outermost, and Disadvantaged Regions (hereinafter called SM-3T) which has been implemented since 2010 in order to be reinforced for the future period. The scope of evaluation includes: (1) the effectiveness of the program in achieving its…

Does participation in a reflective teaching development program transform educators? In a three-year teaching development program, faculty met in small interdisciplinary groups with peer facilitators and used online resources to complement their learning activities. The first two cohorts of participants found that involvement in a teaching…

Research Findings: Using a structured qualitative case study method, this study examined one urban school readiness initiative's efforts to identify and engage family, friend, and neighbor (FFN) care providers to promote school readiness in underserved and immigrant communities. Interviews and focus groups were conducted with 23 FFN providers, 14…

This descriptive case study examined educators' perceptions of the effect of tiered instruction on the reading achievement of kindergarten students. The purpose was to explore and describe current cultural and structural conditions that support or inhibit effective school-level implementation of a Response to Intervention (RtI) model. This study…

This article presents findings from a 2013 qualitative study of social work continuing education (CE) in Massachusetts. Eleven focus groups were conducted with 75 participants from key stakeholder groups: practitioners, educators, licensing board members, and agency administrators. Although positive perspectives surfaced--such as diversity of CE…

With the primary objective of attracting and retaining students from underrepresented backgrounds in the sciences, evaluation of one institution's program has been ongoing over the past three years. Interviews with mentors in the program followed by focus groups conducted with mentees reveal key factors that shape undergraduate students' research…