A Theory of Inquiry for Educational Development: An Application of the Critical Theory of Jurgen Habermas

There is a fundamental incompatibility between a developmental orientation to education and instrumental and scientistic conceptions of rationality that dominate educational inquiry. An expanded conception of rationality is provided in the critical theory of Jurgen Habermas. This study draws on Habermas' work to present a theory of inquiry that is consistent with a developmental perspective. I distinguish three interdependent realms of experience--the objective world of nature, the intersubjective world of society and the subjective world of each individual. Then, I argue that current conceptions of rationality tend to reduce personal and interpersonal experience to the objective material realm. Under prevailing conceptions, human action is rational when it pursues valued ends guided by knowledge about the world and effective means-ends relationships. Both theories of knowledge and theories of value in these conceptions are inadequate for a developmental orientation. First, knowledge is defined as justified true belief. Theories of truth are based on the correspondence of beliefs with an external world; theories of justification are based on perceptual certainty. These conceptions objectify experience by making experience an object of natural science and instrumental action separate from and external to the person. Such conceptions reduce experience to the objective material dimension and cannot adequately account for the personal and interpersonal dimensions of human experience and understanding. Second, because value claims are not capable of justification by these standards, they are considered ultimately irrational and treated as subjectively held empirical properties of individuals. The only standard of rationality is efficiency and economy in the selection of means. Ethics is reduced to empirical science. But the removal of practical questions from public discourse divests action of ethical significance. With its strict separation of descriptive and normative domains, empirical-analytic inquiry can neither acknowledge its standard of instrumental efficiency nor reach into the practical arena to guide the selection of values and ends that orient and gude human action. Practical questions that cannot be framed in terms of technical problems cannot be taken seriously. Whereas these conceptions of rationality are generally derived from theories of experienced based on individual consciousness, Habermas looks to language for a more adequate account of the intersubjective nature of experience. This account provides an expanded conception of rationality with theories for justifying beliefs and actions that incorporate the personal and interpersonal dimensions of experience so critical to a developmental perspective. Through an analysis of the universal pragmatic structure of language directed to the resolution of problematic truth claims and moral claims, this study presents a consensus theory of truth (for a more adequate theory of knowledge) and a communicative theory of ethics (based on a more adequate theory of human values). The concept of truth refers to a universal pragmatic convention of the unforced agreement of an ideal community of inquirers. Ethical conduct is guided by norms that reflect a rational general will and that regulate genuine human needs. Problematic truth claims and moral claims are discursively justified by the force of the better argument under the conditions of an anticipated "ideal speech situation" inherent in the very structure of communication. Furthermore, a theory of inquiry is developed in which inquiry processes are represented as historically evolved extensions of developmental process in the three realms of experience. Three interrelated forms of inquiry are derived--empirical-analytic, hermeneutic and critical. I derive each from its respective experiential realm, and indicate the logic of inquiry, object domain, and kind of knowledge gained from each. An exploration of the relationship between inquiry and development provides a foundation for a developmental orientation to education. Finally, the theory is contrasted with prevailing inquiry approaches in education and illustrated with an application to a particular educational problem

Application of satellite radar interferometry (PSInSAR) in analysis of secondary surface deformations in mining areas. Case studies from Czech Republic and Poland

Secondary deformations are ground movements occurring in areas of ceased underground mining. These are associated with delayed readjustment of rock mass resulting in subsidence, discontinuous deformations (sinks, cracks, etc.) due to destruction of underground, usually shallow, workings, and elevation of ground surface in response of rock mass to rising groundwater levels following the end of mine water drainage. Comparative analysis of secondary deformations in two former mining areas in the first period after cessation of underground hard coal mining is the subject of this study. We used ERS-1/2 and Envisat satellite radar interferometry data processed with PSInSAR technique and GIS to map vertical (in satellite's line of sight, LOS) movements of the surface and analyse them in relation to location of coal fields and underground water table rise. In the study, two areas have been compared, the Ostrava city in the Czech part of the Upper Silesian Basin and the Walbrzych Coal Basin in Poland. The results of analyses based on the results of PSInSAR processing between 1995 and 2000 for the Walbrzych site indicate uplift (up to +12 mm/year) in closed parts of coal fields and subsidence (up to nun/year) in areas of declining mining. Results of PSInSAR analysis over the Ostrava site indicate decaying subsidence after mine closures in the rate of up to -6 mm/year during 1995-2000. Residual subsidence and gentle uplift have been partly identified at surroundings of closed mines in Ostrava from 2003-2010 Envisat data. In Walbrzych gentle elevation has been determined from 2002 to 2009 in areas previously subsiding.Web of Science15218517

Emotional Geographies of Home: Place Identities Among Senior Women Residing in a Long-Term Care Facility

This research aimed to document the meanings and identities attached to the concept of ‘home’ among older women residing in long-term care. The study is based upon semi-structured, open-ended interviews with eleven senior women who reside in a long-term care home in The City of London, Ontario. This study contributes towards theoretical and methodological debates by combining critical humanism, feminism and the newly developing body of work called ‘emotional geographies’ in its approach. Along with the interview, the novel method of using the body as an ‘instrument of research’ is utilized (Longhurst, 2008). The methodology allows for ‘emotional spaces’ occupied by the participants to be revealed and documented. Findings problematize and provide nuance to previous studies about ‘home’. In particular, my findings demonstrate that spatialities, temporalities, boundaries, tension, and paradox need to be considered when theorizing, and more importantly, legislating ‘home’ into public policy. The landscape of the long-term care ‘home’ is identified to be located simultaneously and paradoxically ‘elsewhere’ – it is displaces from the ‘concrete’ wall of the long-term care institution – while being closely tied to the concept of a changing and fluid body and boundary zones that the body questions. The findings contribute to social theory about the experience of place, while having practical implications for policymakers, managers of long-term care facilities and senior citizens

The retrosplenial cortex and long-term spatial memory: from the cell to the network

In this review we briefly outline how lesion studies, temporary inactivation and neural activity assays have helped update functional models of the retrosplenial cortex, a region critical for episodic and spatial memory. We advocate for the continued importance of appropriately designed behavioural studies in the context of novel experimental methods, such as optogenetic and chemogenetic manipulations. At the same time, we caution against the overreliance on any given level of analysis or experimental technique. Complementary, multimodal strategies are required for understanding how the retrosplenial cortex contributes to the formation and storage of memories both at a structural and systems-level

How do Farmers interact with Input Suppliers: Some Evidence from the Dairy Sector in Poland

The extensive and growing literature on food supply chain has been mainly focused on relations between farmers, processing and retail sectors. Various studies have investigated for example the determinants of supply chain relationships (e.g. Dries et al., 2014) and a situation of small-scale producers in the face of rapid supply chain restructuring (e.g. Briones, 2015; Vorley et al., 2007). However, a systematic understanding of how farmers interact with input suppliers is very scarce. In response to this, the paper aims at improving our knowledge about farmers’ relations with input suppliers.The specific example that we examine comes from the Polish dairy sector, which seems to be particularly well suited for investigating relationships within the food value chain. On the one hand, fragmented structure of local farms, and poor income situation of small agricultural holdings are frequently emphasised (Milczarek-Andrzejewska, 2014). On the other hand, Polish dairy and feed sectors have undergone a thorough modernisation (Dries et al., 2011; Piwowar 2013). Rising farmer demand (due to production technology change being necessitated by milk productivity improvement) and increased competition in the feed sector have led to new vertical relations between the farm and feed production segments. Vertical coordination took many forms, including contracting, advisory programs, financial support etc. However, the existing theoretical and empitical literature on vertical spillovers through backward linkages (i.e. from buyers to suppliers) is scarce and focused on manufacturing (Kuijpers, Swinnen, 2016; Jarzębowski, 2013).A study on the relationship between dairy farmers and feed producers means that we examine also the relations between two agri-food chains. These two – dairy and feed – supply chains are vertically connected. The feed supply chain ends at the farm level where the feed is finally used in the milk production process, and where the dairy supply chain starts. Our study allows then to characterize the “boundary” segments of supply chains

Wpływ różnego udziału pasz białkowych w mieszankach oraz czasu przechowywania w warunkach chłodniczych na cechy fizyczne mięsa kurcząt brojlerów

The study aimed at evaluating the effect of feeding broiler chickens with diets containing faba bean and cold storage time on the physical properties of m. pectoralis major. The study material comprised 24 muscles from chickens split into 3 feeding groups. Birds from the control group (I) were fed with compound feeds containing soybean meal as the only highprotein component, whereas the starter/grower diets administered to experimental chickens contained faba bean in the proportion 8/15% - group II and 16/22% - group III, as a partial substitute for soybean meal. No effect of the feeding method on acidity and water absorption capacity of the muscle was observed. Muscles of chickens fed with mixes with a higher share of faba bean were characterised by higher yellow saturation, colour intensity and hue in comparison to other groups. The storage time had no effect on their physical properties; a decrease was only recorded in pH24 of the evaluated muscles, which testifies to the correct course of glycolytic transformations. To sum up, it must be stated that a higher share of faba bean in chicken diets modifies muscle colour only, but cold storage time has no impact on the evaluated physical characteristics of muscles.Celem przeprowadzonych badań było określenie wpływu żywienia kurcząt brojlerów mieszankami zawierającymi śrutę bobikową oraz czasu przechowywania w warunkach chłodniczych na cechy fizyczne m. pectoralis major. Materiał badawczy stanowiły 24 mięśnie pochodzące od kurcząt rzeźnych z 3 grup żywieniowych. Kurczęta grupy kontrolnej (I) żywiono mieszankami, w których jedynym surowcem wysokobiałkowym była poekstrakcyjna śruta sojowa, natomiast do mieszanek starter/grower kurcząt doświadczalnych w miejsce części śruty poekstrakcyjnej sojowej wprowadzono śrutę z bobiku w udziale 8/15% - grupa II lub 16/22% - grupa III. Nie stwierdzono wpływu zastosowanego żywienia na kwasowość i wodochłonność mięśni. Większym nasyceniem barwy żółtej, intensywnością i odcieniem cechowały się mięśnie kurcząt żywionych mieszankami z wyższym udziałem bobiku w porównaniu do pozostałych grup. Czas przechowywania mięśni w warunkach chłodniczych nie miał wpływu na ich właściwości fizyczne, odnotowano jedynie spadek pH24 ocenianych mięśni, co świadczy o prawidłowym przebiegu przemian glikolitycznych. Reasumując, stwierdzić należy, że wprowadzenie wyższego udziału bobiku do mieszanek dla kurcząt modyfikuje jedynie barwę mięśni, natomiast czas przechowywania w warunkach chłodniczych pozostaje bez wpływu na oceniane cechy fizyczne mięśni

Labirynt możliwości – czyli jak skutecznie dotrzeć do celu. Kreowanie myślenia matematycznego w praktyce

Artykuł z czasopisma internetowego TRENDY nr 4/201