scholarly journals Stakeholder Assessment of the Feasibility of Poplar as a Biomass Feedstock and Ecosystem Services Provider in Southwestern Washington, USA

Forests ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 655 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noelle Hart ◽  
Patricia Townsend ◽  
Amira Chowyuk ◽  
Rick Gustafson
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Land Use Planning ◽  
Qualitative Case Study ◽  
Economic Modelling ◽  
Floodplain Management ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Local Agriculture ◽  
Poplar Trees ◽  
Populus Spp

Advanced Hardwood Biofuels Northwest (AHB), a USDA NIFA-funded consortium of university and industry partners, identified southwestern Washington as a potential location for a regional bioproducts industry using poplar trees (Populus spp.) as the feedstock. In this qualitative case study, we present the results of an exploratory feasibility investigation based on conversations with agricultural and natural resources stakeholders. This research complements a techno-economic modelling of a hypothetical biorefinery near Centralia, WA, USA. Interviews and group discussions explored the feasibility of a poplar-based bioproducts industry in southwestern WA, especially as it relates to converting land to poplar farms and the potential for poplar to provide ecosystem services. Stakeholders revealed challenges to local agriculture, past failures to profit from poplar (for pulp/sawlogs), land-use planning efforts for flood mitigation and salmon conservation, questions about biorefinery operations, and a need for a new economic opportunity that “pencils out”. Overall, if the business model is convincing, participants see chances for win-win situations where landowners could profit growing poplar on otherwise low-value acreage and achieve ecosystem services for wastewater or floodplain management.

Assuring quality of school-based assessment: the perspectives of heads of department in moderating tourism tasks

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zanele Dube-Xaba ◽  
Malehlohonolo Precious Makae
Keyword(s):  
Quality Assessment ◽  
Qualitative Case Study ◽  
School Curriculum ◽  
Assessment Practices ◽  
Limited Sample ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
School Based ◽  
Secondary School Curriculum

Purpose The aim of quality assessment is to support the development of learners’ competencies as required in 21st century economies. This paper aims to analyse the role and understanding of heads of department (HoDs) regarding quality assessment and the moderation of school-based assessment (SBA) tasks in tourism, which is a subject in the secondary school curriculum. Design/methodology/approach To elicit valid findings in this interpretative study, focus group discussions were conducted with 16 participants. The HoDs who participated in this study were purposively sampled based on their role as managers of tourism in their respective schools. Findings Informed by the context, input, process and output theoretical model, this study identified various elements that impacted the enactment of HoDs’ role in the moderation of SBA tasks, with particular reference to tourism. Despite these HoDs’ understanding of the importance of moderation as a key aspect in assuring quality assessment practices, it was found that the moderation of tourism SBA tasks was generally not conducted meticulously and appropriately. Research limitations/implications The qualitative case study on which this paper is based used a limited sample within a restricted timeframe and the results may thus not be generalised. However, the methodology produced trustworthy results and may thus be replicated and extended to other subjects with a practical component for enhanced insights into SBA practices. Practical implications This paper highlights the necessity for schools to rely on knowledgeable and principled curriculum leaders, particularly HoDs, for the effective management of assessment and moderation strategies to ensure quality outcomes. The qualitative case study on which this paper is based used a limited sample within a restricted timeframe, and the results may thus not be generalised. However, the methodology produced trustworthy results and may thus be replicated and extended to other subjects with a practical component for enhanced insights into SBA practices. Originality/value This paper contributes to the discourse on quality assurance and SBA, with particular focus on how quality assessment can be enhanced in the moderation process of tourism. The insights that this paper share may contribute to improved policy decisions regarding the SBA process in tourism.

Engaging Regional Stakeholders in Scenario Planning for the Long-Term Preservation of Ecosystem Services in Northwestern Virginia

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iara Lacher ◽  
Thomas Akre ◽  
William J. McShea ◽  
Marissa McBride ◽  
Jonathan R. Thompson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Land Use Planning ◽  
Scenario Planning ◽  
Scenario Development ◽  
Change Models ◽  
Shenandoah Valley ◽  
The Future

This case study describes the application of a framework for developing stakeholder-driven scenarios of the future. The purpose of these scenarios is to inform land use planning toward the protection of ecosystems and derivable ecosystem services in Northwestern Virginia. We held two scenario development workshops with regional experts in conservation, agriculture, land use planning, policy, and economic development to create scenarios of land use in the northern Piedmont and northern Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. We structured the workshops around a framework that guided stakeholders through several steps eventually resulting in four unique scenarios describing the region in 50 years. Scenario narratives were defined by the intersection of highly influential and uncertain drivers of change relevant to land use planning and ecosystem services. Participants from the northern Shenandoah Valley region selected population growth and climate change adaptation as their scenario defining drivers, while participants from the northern Piedmont region selected planning strategy and climate change impact as their scenario defining drivers. Participants fleshed out scenarios into descriptive narratives that incorporated qualitative and quantitative measures of change. Details from the scenario narratives informed land use change models to further quantify tradeoffs between land use planning decisions and ecosystem services. Individuals interested in using scenario planning to guide research efforts, conservation, or land use planning, or even to broaden perspectives on how to view the future, will find value in this case study.

Exploring female Students’ perceptions of the influence of gender stereotypes on the choice of Mathematics at a Secondary School in Zimbabwe.

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 312-320
Author(s):  
Starlin Musingarabwi
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Gender Stereotypes ◽  
Qualitative Case Study ◽  
Female Students ◽  
Tertiary Level ◽  
Focus Group Discussions ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Advanced Level ◽  
Purposive Sample

This study sought to explore the perceptions of female students of a secondary school regarding the infuence of gender stereotypes on their choice of mathematics and on prospects of pursuing it at tertiary level after they have successfully completed it at Advanced level. Involving a purposive sample of twenty students (11 Lower Sixth  and 9 Upper Sixth) this qualitative case study employed slight quantitave data analysis. Questionnares, focus group discussions and Interviews were used to collect data. The study established that the majority of students were aware of common stereotypical conceptions that society ascribed to the learning of mathematics by girls. Gender had little impact on the decision to learn mathematics at Advanced and tertiary levels. Although some participants perceived mathematics as being more appropriate for boys than girls most participants indicated that the choice of mathematics at Advanced level and prospects of studying it at tertiary level were not so much about gender as they were about several factors.  Recommendations for disabusing  students’ stereotypical conceptions of the choice of mathematics choice are made from the findings of the study.

scholarly journals Safety, advocacy, and the teacher’s role: Pre-service teachers and school shooting policies

2020 ◽  
Vol 28 ◽  
pp. 31
Author(s):  
May Hara
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Case Study ◽  
School Shootings ◽  
School Shooting ◽  
Pedagogical Practice ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Individual Interviews ◽  
The Core ◽  
Teachers Experiences ◽  
Teacher Policy

In this qualitative case study, I examine pre-service teachers’ experiences with school shooting policy.  Analysis of individual interviews, group discussions and reflective memos with pre-service teachers (n=7) in seven Massachusetts districts shows that pre-service teachers, while deeply concerned about the possibility of school shootings, viewed existing policies as ineffective, damaging to their pedagogical practice and relationships with students, and out of step with teachers’ concerns. Further, they interpreted proposed policies as undermining the value of teachers in contemporary society and threatening the core tenets of teachers’ work. Constrained by limited professional development around policy involvement, pre-service teachers expressed significant doubts about their ability to effect meaningful policy change. This research has implications for educational policy and teacher policy involvement.

scholarly journals Constructing Family from a Social Work Perspective in Child Welfare

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Randy Johner ◽  
Douglas Durst
Keyword(s):  
Child Welfare ◽  
Urban Communities ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Family Life ◽  
Qualitative Case Study ◽  
Best Interest ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Child Welfare Agencies ◽  
Welfare Agencies

The transformative reality of diverse Canadian families is outpacing national and provincial statutes and policies. Social workers in child welfare agencies are faced with the complex task of making decisions about families while working within the confines of national/provincial statutes and social policies, as well as within agency structures. They attempt to balance the rights of diverse Canadian families and still protect children at risk of harm with the principle of the ‘best interest of the child’. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the construction of ‘family’ and decisions about family life in protection services from the perspective of professional social workers in the prairie region of Canada. Social workers from several urban communities were invited to participate in focus groups. During the focus group discussions, themes of social worker’s nuanced and somewhat fluid understandings of family did not always converge with current legal and professional notions of families. Study findings suggest that social workers’ construction of family and the decisions they make about family life involve three primary themes: ‘acceptance of diverse understandings of family’; ‘safety and the best interest of the child’, and ‘professional discretionary decisions’

scholarly journals Students’ Critical Meta-Awareness in a Figured World of Achievement: Toward a Culturally Sustaining Stance in Curriculum, Pedagogy, and Research

2016 ◽  
Vol 52 (5) ◽  
pp. 585-609 ◽  
Author(s):  
Limarys Caraballo
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Focus Group ◽  
Narrative Analysis ◽  
Qualitative Case Study ◽  
Multiple Identities ◽  
Academic Experiences ◽  
Focus Group Discussions ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Urban Middle School

Students’ academic experiences are often shaped by normalized conceptions of literacy that do not honor the interrelatedness of multiple identities, languages, and literacies. This qualitative case study in an urban middle school highlights students’ critical meta-awareness of their identities-in-practice in the figured world of their classroom via a narrative analysis of students’ writing, interviews, and focus group discussions. The author focuses on students’ internalization and/or resistance of the curriculum as a basis for developing culturally sustaining stances toward curriculum, pedagogy, and research that actively disrupt cultural, ethnic, racial, and epistemological hierarchies of power in academic contexts and beyond.

Risk management for optimal land use planning integrating ecosystem services values: A case study in Changsha, Middle China

2017 ◽  
Vol 579 ◽  
pp. 1675-1682 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jie Liang ◽  
Minzhou Zhong ◽  
Guangming Zeng ◽  
Gaojie Chen ◽  
Shanshan Hua ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Risk Management ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Land Use Planning
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