From multiple perspectives to shared understanding

The aim of this study was to explore how learners operating in a small group reach shared understanding as they work out joint research questions and build a theoretical framework and to identify the resources and tools they used in the process. The learners’ own interpretations of their group activities and learning were also taken into account. The data, consisting of group discussions and the documents produced by the group, were subjected to a qualitative content analysis. The group members employed a variety of resources and tools to exchange their individual perspectives and achieve shared understanding. Summaries of relevant literature laid a foundation for the group’s theoretical discussions. Reflective comparisons between their book knowledge and their personal experiences of online interaction and collaboration were frequent, suggesting that such juxtapositions may have enhanced their learning by intertwining the content to be mastered and the activities entailed by this particular content

Descriptions of euthanasia as social representations: comparing the views of Finnish physicians and religious professionals

In many western societies health professionals play a powerful role in people's experiences of dying. Religious professionals, such as pastors, are also confronted with the issues surrounding death and dying in their work. It is therefore reasonable to assume that the ways in which death-related topics, such as euthanasia, are constructed in a given culture are affected by the views of these professionals. This qualitative study addresses the ways in which Finnish physicians and religious professionals perceive and describe euthanasia and conceptualises these descriptions and views as social representations. Almost all the physicians interviewed saw that euthanasia does not fit the role of a physician and anchored it to different kinds of risks such as the slippery slope. Most of the religious and world-view professionals also rejected euthanasia. In this group, euthanasia was rejected on the basis of a religious moral code that forbids killing. Only one of the religious professionals - the freethinker with an atheist world-view - accepted euthanasia and described it as a personal choice, as did the one physician interviewed who accepted it. The article shows how the social representations of euthanasia are used to protect professional identities and to justify their expert knowledge of death and dying

Concept of Saara with special reference to Twaksaara

Saara is considered to be an important concept of Ayurveda. It helps in assessing Bala and Sthiramsha of an individual. Saara Pareeksha comes under Dashavidha Pareeksha which is performed to understand the Bala of an individual. Saara is the purest form of Dhatus. The purest form of Rasa Dhatu is Rasasaara, which is known as Twaksaara. As Rasa is assessed through Twak, this Saara is considerd as Twaksaara. The physical features of Twaksaara like Snigdha, Shlakshna, Mrudu, Prasanna Sookshma, Alpa, Gambheera Loma, Saprabha of Twak, will help to analyze the present status of Rasasaara in individual.The knowledge of Saarata of a person will therefore help in understanding physiology, psychology and susceptibility to diseases of an individual. The concept of Saara is a good mirror to assess properties and function of Dhatu

Translatory sequences as collaborative achievements in bilingual workshops for primary school children

Peer reviewe

Teacher discourse constructing different social positions of pupils in Finnish separative and integrative religious education

This article examines social practices within classroom discourse in two different Finnish religious educational contexts. The article critically observes the construction of certain positions and identities as part of the school discourse and the inclusive vs exclusive practices of language. The research material consists of classroom observations and staff interviews from two separate studies. The first study investigates two cases in separative religious education (RE), Islamic and Lutheran. The second study deals with integrative practices of RE. In this study, discourse analysis as a methodological tool is used to examine discursive practices in RE lessons. The study will explore the following question: What kinds of subjectivities are constructed through teachers' discursive practices in separative and integrative RE? The study will demonstrate that teachers use scientific language to underline the objective nature of RE and use the language of belonging to engage their pupils on a personal level. The former ends up silencing the religious stance, while the latter often excludes those who do not share those specific experiences. The findings reveal some challenges in developing inclusive teaching.Peer reviewe

Researching Teachers’ Agentic Orientations to Educational Change in Finnish Schools

Peer reviewe

A Community-Engaged Research Approach to the Development of an Assessment Tool for Historical Data Collection of SAARA Client Population

Through collaboration between the Substance Abuse and Addiction Recovery Alliance (SAARA) and several community partners, a need was identified for a new measurement tool to gather comprehensive client histories for program evaluation and development. The purpose of this study was to (1) develop a culturally relevant and organizationally appropriate mechanism for the collection of comprehensive client histories and (2) to provide the opportunity for staff to engage in a new process of developing and implementing data collection strategies. As a result of the use of a community-based participatory approach, (1) a missed opportunity for program evaluation and development was identified, (2) a community-based research study was developed, (3) staff were invested in development of the tool, and (4) staff engaged in a capacity-building exercise in which they were provided the skills and tools needed to replicate this process independently in the future

Service modularity and architecture – an overview and research agenda

Purpose Services are highly important in a world economy which has increasingly become service driven. There is a growing need to better understand the possibilities for, and requirements of, designing modular service architectures. The purpose of this paper is to elaborate on the roots of the emerging research stream on service modularity, provide a concise overview of existing work on the subject, and outline an agenda for future research on service modularity and architecture. The articles in the special issue offer four diverse sets of research on service modularity and architecture. Design/methodology/approach The paper is built on a literature review mapping the current body of literature on the topic and developing future research directions in service modularity and architecture. Findings The growing focus on services has triggered needs to investigate the suitability and implementation of physical-product-focused modularity principles and theories in service contexts, and to search for principles/theories that enhance services. The expanding research stream has explored various aspects of service modularity in empirical contexts. Future research should focus on service-specific modularity theories and principles, platform-based and mass-customized service business models, comparative research designs, customer perspectives and service experience, performance in context of modular services, empirical evidence of benefits and challenges, architectural innovation in services, modularization in multi-provider contexts, and modularity in hybrid offerings combining service and tangible product modules. Originality/value Nine areas are recommended for further research on service modularity and architecture. The introductory piece also discusses the roots of service modularity and provides an overview of current contributions

Recognizing readiness in manufacturing firms

This article presents a framework for manufacturers to assess their readiness for taking a service design approach to the development of product-service systems (PSS). The framework is developed from the results of interviews with three manufacturing firms that have begun the servitization journey. The selected companies have traditionally been involved in goods production, and have recently started engaging with services in different ways. The readiness framework attempts to bridge the previous studies and models offering companies a self-assessment tool based on the service implementation readiness measured along nine dimensions that apply to manufacturing firms to adopt a more customer-centric approach that fits into their company and suits their needs