The U.S. is comprised of many different cultural and linguistic groups, and this diversity is reflected in every state and local school district. However, the ongoing underachievement and high dropout rate of some racial/ethnic groups is still of major concern. This paper focuses on a discussion of three powerful factors related to the schooling…

The present study aimed to describe and evaluate a transformative, embodied, emergent learning approach to acquiring ecological literacy through higher education. A class of teacher candidates in a bachelor of education program filled out a survey, which had them rate their level of agreement with 15 items related to ecological macro-models.…

This paper conceptualizes the theoretical framework of modeling learning spaces for self-directed learning at university courses. It binds together two ideas: (a) self-directed learners' common learning spaces may be characterized as abstract niches, (b) niche characteristics are collectively determined through individually perceived affordances.…

Human resource development (HRD) is recognized as an interdisciplinary field covering the breadth of behavioral and social sciences. However, since its inception, instructional systems design (ISD), a methodology widely used in the HRD field, has been based on a narrow range of behavioral science. Grounded in general system's theory, the ISD…

Participation in outdoor education is underpinned by a learner's ability to acquire skills in activities such as canoeing, bushwalking and skiing and consequently the outdoor leader is often required to facilitate skill acquisition and motor learning. As such, outdoor leaders might benefit from an appropriate and tested model on how the learner…

This study will introduce some of the fundamentals and rationale for the Psychology of Media Education based on Developmental Psychology. It is an important area of study of a modern teacher profession and teacher education and a new field of multi-, inter- and trans-disciplinary knowledge and research. We argue that without a doubt the different…

The New Environmental Paradigm (NEP) Scale, published in "The Journal of Environmental Education" by R. E. Dunlap and K. D. Van Liere (1978), has become the most widely used measure of environmental concern in the world and been employed in hundreds of studies in dozens of nations. This article tells the story of the NEP Scale, beginning…

In this article, the authors present the framework of a model that integrates strategic product development decisions with the product's impact on future conditions of resources and the environment. The impact of a product on stocks of nonrenewable sources and sinks is linked in a feedback loop to the cost of manufacturing and using the product…

Sustainable consumption is gaining in currency as a new environmental policy objective. This paper presents new research findings from a mixed-method empirical study of a local organic food network to interrogate the theories of both sustainable consumption and ecological citizenship. It describes a mainstream policy model of sustainable…

Disturbance-generated biomass results from endogenous and exogenous natural and cultural disturbances that affect the health and productivity of forest ecosystems. These disturbances can create large quantities of plant biomass on predictable cycles. A systems analysis model has been developed to quantify aspects of system capacities (harvest,…

Demonstrates the relevance of ecology to sociological research and discusses some of the theoretical perspectives embodied in ecology. Examines ecology's emphasis upon the population rather than the individual as the unit of observation and on organizations as products of the interaction of population and environment. (DB)

Contends that ecosystemic model represents counter-cultural movement in mental health field. Contends it is worldview that does not fit narrative story, politics, economics, normal science, or traditional therapeutic practice in Western culture. Discusses implications of ecosystemic perspective for practice of mental health counseling as…

Ecological modeling is a holistic systems level approach to situational analysis which can be used in planning activities for lifelong learning in an urban setting. It is the purpose of this essay to present a discussion of ecological modeling in its pure or conceptual sense and concomitantly to translate this analysis into an effective and…

Interesting discussion on medical versus ecological view of survival, with specific issues raised for analysis. Presents comments by other writers, leaves reader with eternal question: should man conform to nature, or should nature be made to conform to needs of man? (CJ)

This article offers a developmental ecological approach as a useful model for addressing the complexities of emotional disturbances in children. It sees the systems of care movement in children's mental health as congruent with the developmental ecological perspective and as providing a mechanism for responding to the multidimensional aspects of…