Exploring Hybrid Third Spaces in the Place Mappings of Malawian Youth

This article is based on a study of Malawian youths’ understandings of place in relation to knowledge and practice and considers some implications for education. The study was conducted at Chinduzi Junior Farmer Field and Life Skills School in Machinga district in Malawi from September 2010 through January 2011. Data collection methods included place mapping and associated focus group discussions. The data were analysed following Collier and Collier’s (1986) method for analysing photographs. Youth mappings of their favourite places suggested aspects of both hope and despair. From the youths’ discussions, a sense of belonging was evident in the social relationships associated with the activities performed in their favourite places. The drawings also exhibited gendered features. Overall, the drawings and associated discussions revealed that the youth are largely rooted in their socio-cultural interactions within their community, but also influenced by globalisation – hence they  operate within what Homi Bhabha (1994) calls ‘hybrid third spaces’. In these spaces, they use their imagination to create optimistic futures. These findings have implications for environment-related education. People are part of and shaped by place; at the same time, they shape place through everyday social practices. Thus, studies on environment-related education in a particular local context need to take into account variations in experience based on learners’ diverse backgrounds. Pedagogical engagements should consider the socio-cultural experiences of learners in particular contexts.

Re-Learning our Roots: Youth Participatory Research, Indigenous Knowledge, and Sustainability through Agriculture

There has been an increasing realization of the significance of Indigenous knowledge (IK) in achieving sustainability. Education is also considered a primary agent in moving toward sustainability. However, research that explores education focused on sustainability in Malawi is sparse, especially where the roles of IK and youth perspectives have been considered. This research draws on the concepts of uMunthu, Sankofa, and postcolonial theory to enable a “third space” (Bhabha, 1994) centred on culturally appropriate Malawian ways of knowing working in tandem with non-Indigenous knowledge and practice. Three main questions guide the study: (1) How do participants understand place and environmental sustainability in relation to knowledge and practice (both Indigenous and non-Indigenous)?; (2) Within the context of Chinduzi village, the Junior Farmer Field and Life Skills School (JFFLS) program, and its engagement with issues of environmental sustainability, what forms of knowledge and practice are evident (both Indigenous and non-Indigenous)?; and (3) What are participants’ views on how environmental sustainability should be further engaged in the JFFLS program in relation to knowledge and practice (both Indigenous and non-Indigenous)? Data collection methods included focus groups, place mapping, individual conversations, observations, and archival documents review. The data were coded using inductive analysis and the research employed aspects of participatory research and Indigenous research methodologies. The research findings reveal that while there is general consensus among the participants supporting youth learning IK in school, others are not supportive because they consider IK to be inferior. In considering place and environmental sustainability, the findings revealed that participating Elders describe their sense of place in terms of historical agriculture-related knowledge and practice. On the other hand, participating youth express their sense of place in drawings of their favourite places. The drawings revealed that youth are largely rooted in their social-cultural interactions within their community, but also influenced by global culture. The study results show that the JFFLS curriculum includes both Indigenous and non-Indigenous knowledge and practice in both agriculture-related and life skills lessons. To achieve environmental sustainability in the community, participants recommend all youth in the community learn local Indigenous knowledge and practices for protecting the environment

Graduate students lend their voices : reflections on the 10th seminar in health and environmental education research

Graduate students were invited by their faculty advisors to attend the 10th Seminar in Health and Environmental Education Research. Afterward, they were encouraged to comment on their experiences, involvement, and positioning. Two main authors developed survey questions and retrieved, analyzed, and synthesized the responses of four other graduate students. The overall experience of attending an invitational research seminar evoked various ideas about graduate students’ present and future roles in research communities

Effect of cytomegalovirus infection on breastfeeding transmission of HIV and on the health of infants born to HIV-infected mothers

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection can be acquired in utero or postnatally through horizontal transmission and breastfeeding. The effect of postnatal CMV infection on postnatal HIV transmission is unknown

Plasma Micronutrient Concentrations Are Altered by Antiretroviral Therapy and Lipid-Based Nutrient Supplements in Lactating HIV-Infected Malawian Women

Background: Little is known about the influence of antiretroviral therapy with or without micronutrient supplementation on the micronutrient concentrations of HIV-infected lactating women in resource-constrained settings

Evaluating Nurses' Implementation of an Infant-Feeding Counseling Protocol for HIV-Infected Mothers: The Ban Study in Lilongwe, Malawi

A process evaluation of nurses’ implementation of an infant-feeding counseling protocol was conducted for the Breastfeeding, Antiretroviral and Nutrition (BAN) Study, a prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV clinical trial in Lilongwe, Malawi. Six trained nurses counseled HIV-infected mothers to exclusively breastfeed for 24 weeks postpartum and to stop breastfeeding within an additional four weeks. Implementation data were collected via direct observations of 123 infant feeding counseling sessions (30 antenatal and 93 postnatal) and interviews with each nurse. Analysis included calculating a percent adherence to checklists and conducting a content analysis for the observation and interview data. Nurses were implementing the protocol at an average adherence level of 90% or above. Although not detailed in the protocol, nurses appropriately counseled mothers on their actual or intended formula milk usage after weaning. Results indicate that nurses implemented the protocol as designed. Results will help to interpret the BAN Study’s outcomes

Adherence to extended postpartum antiretrovirals is associated with decreased breast milk HIV-1 transmission

Estimate association between postpartum antiretroviral adherence and breastmilk HIV-1 transmissio