The UK National Youth Work Curriculum - Democratic Challenges from Finland

This paper compares the only two countries - the UK and Finland - that have systematically applied the concept of curriculum to youth work on the national level. It begins by charting the development of a curriculum in youth work in England which has culminated in the production of the new UK government’s Department for Culture Media & Sport funded 'National Curriculum for Youth Work' produced by the NYA in 2020. Whilst this entails a shift for youth work in England and removes an element of democracy for local youth workers to agree and establish their own priorities, it does provide a clear policy direction for a beleaguered youth sector. The paper then discusses the published findings of a 10-year action research project led by the Finnish Youth Research Society which has worked with local youth workers and managers in a variety of municipal youth work organisations (N= 6) to establish local youth work curricula. The model has been utilised in 26 municipalities since. The Finnish experience provides a marked contrast to UK youth work curriculum, as they argue their approach is a more authentic method of establishing a youth work curriculum. The documents produced are a clear representations of youth work practice and they contrast with the top-down national curriculum framework. Whilst the UK model may be a positive response to the policy challenges facing youth workers in the UK – the Finnish experience raises questions of the currency within, and ownership by the field of any youth work curriculum

Immigrant Entrepreneurship, Religion, and Ethnicity Cases from Europe, Africa, and Asia

International migration is a growing phenomenon in the 21st century and is increasingly seen as a high-priority public policy issue by many governments, politicians, and the broader public throughout the world. Its importance to economic prosperity, human development, and safety and security ensures that it will remain a top priority for the foreseeable future. This book highlights the importance of ensuring that we remain focused on the successes of migration as well as the challenges. At the end of the 20th century, more importance was given to immigrant and ethnic minority entrepreneurship due to its positive impact on local economic growth and overall economic development in the hosting nations. In the 21st century, the imperative of the United Nations 2030 agenda involves a deeper understanding of the complex challenges for the achievement of sustainable goals. One of these challenges is to understand how migrant-entrepreneurs may or may not identify with their ethnic community, therefore dissociating themselves from their ethnic group. In this sense, religion and ethnicity are differentiating factors between social groups, and the relationships allow preserving their culture and establishing relationships and integration in the community at all levels. This edited volume brings together impactful contributions that will interest multidisciplinary academic areas and aims to contribute to the enhancement of scientific knowledge on the intersection of entrepreneurship, migration, ethnicity, and religion, a gap in the existing literature that has the potential to provide a deeper understanding of factors that influence migrant populations’ contribution to socio-economic development in their communities. This book will be an invaluable resource to researchers and scholars in the fields of immigration, immigrant entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial culture, and economic development

Innovations and Challenges in Transforming Reflective Practice within Sports Therapy Programmes: A Critical Examination

Reflective practice plays a vital role in higher education, especially within sports therapy programmes, as it enhances both student learning and professional growth. However, there is limited research on its integration into sports therapy curricula. This paper explores the challenges and opportunities in embedding reflective practice in sports therapy degrees. Key challenges include traditional assessment methods, student engagement, and staff training. Opportunities exist in developing alternative assessments that promote deeper reflection and integrating reflective practice into accreditation standards. By reviewing existing literature, this paper critiques current assessment approaches that may inhibit authentic reflective thinking and proposes new methods to encourage more meaningful reflection. It also emphasises the need for staff training to effectively support and assess reflective practices. Incorporating reflective practice into accreditation criteria can help ensure it remains a core element in the education and professional development of sports therapy students

Opinions and Experiences of Economics Graduates on the Integration of Simulation Tools in Greek Higher Education Towards Sustainable Entrepreneurship

The current study has confirmed the strategic role and impact simulation tools play within higher education. Specifically, it does so from the students' perspective. The aim of this work was to primarily obtain valuable insight into students' experiences through the active use of simulation tools during their studies, and how this use has enabled university graduates to apply their acquired knowledge at the workplace. Considering the impact of technology and simulation tools on businesses' sustainable development, this empirical study strives to further contribute to the existing knowledge in this area. In total, 12 university graduates from economic schools in Greece participated in in-depth interviews on the basis of a qualitative research method. The research has highlighted, among others, the need for adjusting the university curricula in order to match the current and future trends related to university education in economic schools, and the technological advancements, in which simulation tools play an increasingly important role

Entrepreneurship in Tourism

This timely and innovative book is a theoretically underpinned yet accessible introduction to entrepreneurship in tourism. The volume takes an intuitive step-by-step approach through entrepreneurship in tourism: it begins with a review of key concepts in entrepreneurship and applies these to tourism; it then tackles the practical elements of the entrepreneurial process in tourism as well as firm growth with a specific focus on entrepreneurial marketing. The final chapters of the book take a more macro perspective at reviewing the place of entrepreneurship in society and how context shapes entrepreneurship in tourism. This second edition has been fully updated to include: A wider restructure of the original text, including the addition of chapters on the context of tourism, the addition of sustainable tourism entrepreneurship in a chapter on social and sustainable tourism entrepreneurship, alongside a chapter on the role of tourism in offering a pathway to empowerment New content covering key developments in entrepreneurship, including important topics that are only beginning to find their way into tourism literature. This includes themes such as: business models and business model innovation, crowdfunding in tourism, the role of AI and digitalisation in tourism marketing, sustainable tourism entrepreneurship, tourism entrepreneurial ecosystems, and the role of tourism entrepreneurship in supporting empowerment and poverty alleviation. These novel themes co-exist alongside material from the first edition that remains under-researched such as how tourism firms may maintain an entrepreneurial orientation and innovations in tourism employment Updated global case studies and examples from industry and academia throughout Each chapter offers an abstract, learning outcomes and a series of questions to stimulate critical engagement with the material covered. As such, the text offers an invaluable resource to tutors and their students on both undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in tourism, as well as tourism scholars engaging with the dynamic phenomenon of entrepreneurship in tourism

The Development of the Senior Golfers Movement Assessment (SGMA) and Its Associated Intra- and Inter-Rater Reliability

Senior golfers are susceptible to declines in strength, flexibility, and coordination, which can impact performance and increase injury risk, making appropriate monitoring essential (Lindsay et al., 2000). This study introduces the Senior Golfers Movement Assessment (SGMA) and evaluates its intra- and inter-rater reliability. The SGMA consists of ten exercises for a 100-point composite score. Nineteen amateur senior golfers (age 67.16 ±6.44 years, handicap 20.3 ±6.4) were videoed performing the SGMA. Three raters independently assessed and scored each participant, with one rater reassessing after four weeks. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and standard error of measurement (SEM) values were calculated for composite scores, and weighted kappa values (Kw) were calculated for individual exercises. Reliability of the composite score was ICC=0.99, SEM=0.28 (intra-rater) and ICC=0.97, SEM=0.45 (inter-rater). Individual sub-test reliability ranged from Kw=0.02 to 0.78 (intra-rater) and Kw=-0.02 to 0.44 (inter-rater). While the SGMA demonstrates high reliability in the composite score, variation in reliability of individual exercise scores indicates that the criteria for these sub-tests require further refinement to enhance consistency across raters and reduce time to administer

Development of Entrepreneurial Identity and Intent in the early years of Higher Education

Preedy, Sarah Walmsley, Andreas Smith, Kelly McLuskie, Pete

Nature connections for the Anthropocene: a vital materialist exploration of human relationships with nonhuman natures

This thesis rests on the premise that Anthropogenic climate change and ecological damage present problems that require a fundamental shift in human relationships to nonhuman natures. Whilst not objecting to technology driven solutions to specific problems, I assert that any solutions must be guided by perceiving the nonhuman world as a more-than-human community. This is contrary to the dominant Western worldview since the enlightenment, from which humans have learnt to separate themselves from the rest of nature, which tends to be perceived as inert and passive (Merchant, 2005). Since the early 2000s, the Anthropocene concept troubles this separation by challenging a perception of nature as a domain separate from humans and human culture, and highlighting the interconnectedness of human and nonhuman natures (Arias-Maldonado, 2015). This perspective has prompted concerns among conservationists that support for habitat protection will diminish because of the deconstruction of human/nature dualism (Büscher & Fletcher, 2019; Wilson, 2016; Wuerthner, Crist & Butler, 2015). Seeking to resolve this tension, I explore the implications of human relationships with nonhuman natures in the Anthropocene through a qualitative study of people involved in the nature-connection and bonsai communities. The research is interdisciplinary, bridging environmental psychology, environmental ethics, and political ecology. I employ Clark et al.’s (2018) situational analysis as my method because of its cartographic approach to analysing material and discursive situations of more�than-human relationality. Drawing on in-depth interviews with people from the UK and across Europe, I examine the interplay between worldviews, environmental discourse, perceptions of nonhuman value, and material practices. My findings contribute to understanding the multi-paradigmatic contradictions within nature-connection, and the role of human culture in addressing ecological challenges in the Anthropocene. I propose a theoretical shift toward panpsychism – a worldview that acknowledges the intrinsic value of nonhuman natures and creates a rational premise for their moral consideration. I argue that a movement in Western cultures toward a panpsychist outlook could facilitate a profound transformation in human relationships to nonhuman natures and strengthen support for conservation endeavour