My abiding concern with human and planetary wellbeing and an emerging interest in the potential of Participatory Action Research as a method of engaging with restorative, life-enhancing ways of being are central to the research reported here. Chomsky (2003), Kelsey (2002), Roddick (2001), and Stiglitz (2003) are amongst many authors who argue that the way in which we shape and are shaped by our relationships with one another has contributed to an intolerable, inhumane and unsustainable compromise of human and planetary wellbeing. Through a Participatory Action Research (PAR) project with staff from Te Ra, a community based on the holistic ideals of Rudolf Steiner, and thus an organisation explicitly committed to holistic wellbeing of people and planet, we sought to explore the challenges to such wellbeing. While our mutual attention was focused on enhancing staff wellbeing at their place of employment, my wider attention was also given to an investigation of the value of a critical analysis to the wider political and economic context in which this organisation works to meet the aspirations of this community. My deep attention has also focused on the potential for PAR to make a contribution to the transformational aspirations of critical theorists who are concerned to uncover and transform aspects of society that inhibit justice and wellbeing of people and planet. My metaphor of choice, to allow me the engagement in all three spheres simultaneously, is the metaphor of Dance. In my work with the staff of Te Ra, our intent was to 'dance with the Shadows', alluding to Jungian references to hidden aspects of ourselves and this community, to discover if un-wellness and disconnection from self and others could be transformed into flourishing relationships and wellbeing in the organisation. McNiff (2000) proposes that PAR has the potential to generate living theories that redefine the main purpose of organisation theory in terms of human wellbeing. Throughout this research project, principles of PAR are woven in with work of critical organisational theorists, psychologists and anthropologists. The already established ideas of reflection, observation, reflexivity, and action are choreographed with the less often considered ideas of those aspects of the research relationship that may inhibit mutuality. While this organisation is explicitly and deeply committed to underpinning all that is aspired to with a relational ethic, the impact that instrumental practices associated with an intensifying neo-liberal economic external environment have not left this organisation untouched. It took commitment, courage and resources to identify and engage with the Shadows masked by intrinsic and extrinsic pressures and processes that these research participants were experiencing. Engaging in PAR processes allowed us dance 'up close and personal' with their aspirations to begin transforming what was not well, while recognising and reinforcing the organisation's existing strong philosophical and spiritual foundations that emphasized individual freedom and collective responsibility for wellbeing of all. Based on the significant transformations achieved during this project we posit that PAR provides a collaborative opportunity for academics and practitioners to 'dance with the Shadows' of individuals and communities to make a significant contribution to the development of sustainable relationships in workplaces where human and planetary wellbeing is the priority.

This thesis is about exploring possibilities for improving the situation of a rural community in the Philippines. The philosophy. theories and assumptions underlying are discussed. This research which fulfilled its primary intent of fostering change through action also served as a verification of the value and usefulness of a Participatory Systemic Action Research. The role of participation in an emancipatory process is highlighted. The research process, following the methodological framework of Soft Systems Methodology, is described. Based upon the experience of a participative research, a critique of the Soft Systems Methodology is forwarded. The emergent outcomes of the research are also discussed / University of Western Sydney

The thesis investigates activism in the context of an empowering teaching of economics in two educational settings: TAFE and university. The chosen research methodology is critical action research and the thesis is framed as an emergent process, incorporating critical reflection on the researcher's own assumptions from the outset.The study showed that critical reflection requires a continual process of critical questioning to explore and undercover deeply held assumptions and beliefs. A key finding is the significance of relationship within an atmosphere of openness and trust in enhancing critical reflection. A significant finding was the emergent distinction between 'critical reflection' and 'critical reflexivity' and a significant implication from investigating the process of reflexivity is that an important role for activism may be that of the 'relexive inquirer', the person who assists the deeper reflection, with no agenda other than to explore, to understand and to reveal deeper meanings. Activism may well offer empowerment of a very different kind - the freedom to experience the world free of materialist desire, valuing the building of communities through connectedness with others and the environment / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

This Exegesis and the Portfolio document referred to herein report on the outcomes of my research towards a PhD in education (by Project) between mid 2001 and July 2005. The Portfolio contains a collection of ten papers written during the research and also a summary of the key tools and processes resulting from the research. This Exegesis contains the major theoretical arguments leading to the development of the research outcomes, the methodology employed and a description of the organisational context operating during the study. It also draws links between the various data sets as presented in the Portfolio. The research began with a consideration of a major change project at RMIT University: the Implementation of the Distributed Learning System (DLS). The problems associated with this project highlighted the need for holistic organisational approaches to change and the uncertain nature of radical change projects. This led into a consideration of broader questions to do with organisational change and managing uncertainty. The generalisability of the research findings was enhanced by the wide ranging literature review and data from a range of stakeholders. This ultimately led to the development of a

<p>Uncertainty is a well-known phenomenon that is recurring in biographies, imaginative literature and science, but is less studied in nursing science. The aim of this participatory action research project was to, in collaboration with nursing students; explore nursing activities for relieving patients’ uncertainty. A qualitative approach was chosen with focus groups and the text was content analyzed. The students studied their third semester on a nursing program. The findings showed two different kinds of uncertainty, existential uncertainty and care evoked uncertainty. Relieving uncertainty showed to be a process in three steps. The first step is to reach deeper understanding of what uncertainty is and how it affects patients. The second step is to develop sensibility for how to discover uncertainty and the third step is to use uncertainty relieving strategies. To do this requires courage and a wish to share power with the patient. The strategies for relieving existential and care evoked uncertainty differed.</p>

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Antioch University, 2006. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed April 11, 2007). Advisor: Jon F. Wergin . Keywords: service learning, community involvement, civic engagement, partnership, higher education, action research. Includes bibliographical references (p. 156-165).

Over the past several years, both government and the profession of pharmacy have acknowledged that pharmacists are not being used to their full potential in our health care system. In order to advance the profession of pharmacy in this area, guidance on how pharmacists can be integrated need to be investigated.<p>The purpose of this study was to identify how to integrate a pharmacist into an already established primary health care team, at the Student Health Centre at the University of Saskatchewan. The project was divided into three phases: defining the role of the pharmacist, implementing the proposed role and then evaluating and prioritizing the role. Using action research, an expert panel consisting of established primary health/ambulatory care pharmacists from across Canada helped to identify possible clinical activities for a Student Health Centre pharmacist. The results were presented to the primary health care team, who then collaborated with the pharmacist and researchers to define the role of the pharmacist. Once an agreement was reached, a pharmacist provided eight weeks of full-time clinical services. Upon completion, focus groups with the primary health care team members were used to evaluate the pharmacists clinical services.<p>The role of the pharmacist was tailored specifically for the student health care centre selected for the study. However, the process of integrating and evaluating the role of the pharmacist, will serve as a template for other pharmacists desiring to be involved in any primary health care team interested in expanding their multidisciplinary service.

This dissertation describes a research study that investigated cooperative inquiry as a strategy for professional learning of inner-city school principals in a large urban centre in Western Canada. The study attempted to identify the central issues of concern and means of redress for school leaders in high-poverty communities, many of which focused on educational leadership, school management, the context of their schools within impoverished communities, and the challenges of personal well-being. The findings suggest that cooperative inquiry was an effective strategy in that the approach was participatory, democratic, empowering, life-enhancing, and fostered community-building among participants. The findings also suggest that the approach was effective in that it was grounded in the action research cycle of planning, action, observation, and reflection. The study further examined the use of dialogue as a means of constructing knowledge regarding these issues, and identified the ways in which such knowledge impacts upon the professional practice of these principals. Findings suggest that participants gained knowledge from each other, offered knowledge from others, constructed knowledge together as a group, and developed deeper understandings of their own perspectives. Findings also suggest that meaning is lost when dialogic interactions are transcribed into print. Thus, dialogue is a form of communication in and of itself, one that cannot simply be transformed into the written word without losing part of that dialogic essence. Further, this study posits that dialogue has unique power to be both a process for meaning making, as well as an ontological means of clarifying one’s own sense of reality. / October 2008

No description available.

China currently produces the largest quantity of municipal solid waste (MSW) in the world at 190, 000, 000 metric tones (World Bank 2005). China faces the continuing challenge of increased waste generation due to population growth, increased income, and increased urbanization. As part of environmental protection initiatives, the central government has issued many policy commitments at the national level to address waste management. In concurrence with the national objectives of addressing the problem of waste management, Hainan province has developed an integrated waste management plan that it hopes to implement by 2020 (The Hainan City Environment and Sanitary Association, in association with Hua Zhong University of Science and Technology of Environmental Science and Engineering, 2005). Organic waste, which accounts for a significant proportion of the waste stream in China, poses both challenges and opportunities in terms of disposal and recovery. While the final disposal of organics may present significant challenges, recovery of organic waste through composting is one alternative. Composting is widely recognized as an effective method of turning organic waste into a useful product. Nevertheless, the implementation of composting as part of a Municipal Solid Waste Management (MSWM) strategy faces challenges. Broadly, these challenges include administrative/policy, human acceptance and participation, management, technological and logistical, and marketing as well as composting process, source separation, contamination, quality of the final product, appropriate composting technologies and final demand and distribution of the final product (Schubeler et al. 1996, Hoornweg et al. 1999). This thesis uses a case study approach in implementing a composting pilot project in cooperation with the local and provincial government in Baisha Hainan China. Labor intensive, low technological, windrow composting is used so as to assess the challenges and potential of implementing composting as part of a municipal solid waste management strategy in Baisha Hainan China. The research uses a participatory action research approach incorporating research methods such as participant observation, key informant interviews (n=122), and rapid rural appraisals. The research objectives are to understand the current waste management system, understand how implementing composting affects the waste management system entails, understand the barriers to implementation, understand the implications: impact of implementation, potential, and finally to propose recommendations on how to implement composting. The research identified seven necessary key factors that if not given sufficient attention could potentially jeopardize the successful implementation and operation of composting: governmental support must be present, funds must be made available since operating cost of the waste management system will increase, best practices for composting must be established, training for waste workers must be provided, a market (or end use) for the final product must be established, NIMBY needs to be addressed, source separation should be applied.