Villager Participation in the Relocation of El Gourna, Egypt

ABSTRACT In 2005, approximately 850 families from the historic village of El Gourna, Egypt were relocated to a new village. The relocation was part of a government initiative to protect ancient records and artifacts from Egypt\u27s Middle Kingdom contained in the Tombs of the Nobles that lay beneath the houses of the village. A special feature of the relocation was an effort made the local authorities to involve of local village leaders and residents in the process. In the 1990s, about 8 to 10 million people per year were involuntary relocated due to large development projects, or about 100 million people for the decade, a number far greater than those displaced by wars, famines, and natural disasters. Recent estimates are still between between 6 to 8 million people per year. Involuntary relocation involves significant long term risks and traumatic changes for displaced populations. They suffer the loss of lands, property, income, occupations, lifelong memories, and community structures that provided social and economic support systems. These upheavals result in permanent, irreversible changes, long term poverty in most cases, and a deep sense of loss and grief. And, it is typically a process over which the relocatees have little or no control. This study focuses on villager participation in the relocation of El Gourna. It identifies unique characteristics of the village, important events and consequences of the relocation, and primary forms of local communication and participation. Information for the study was gathered from interviews, documents, artifacts, and participant observation, and inductive analysis was used to develop interpretive themes and explanatory concepts. The study concludes that relocation should be re-conceptualized as a multifaceted process consisting of at least two interdependent undertakings, i.e., relocation and resettlement, and involving two or more unique entities with different goals, capabilities and resources, rather that as a single government project. By implication, participation must also be re-conceptualized as cooperation and collaboration between joint partners, not as consultation with local residents. When viewed as a single government project with participation as an adjunct, relocation often falls short of achieving hoped for goals. The study also recommends that the unique characteristics and communicative structures of local communities, and the specific conditions and goals of the project itself, be carefully studied prior to relocation as background for the formulation of relocation plans and participatory techniques and procedures

Incorporating Neighborhood Social Patterns into Neighborhood Planning Models

ABSTRACT Neighborhood models and patterns are used by developers, planners, and urban designers to plan new neighborhoods and guide the revitalization of older ones. Models are typically based on theories about ideal communities and frequently include significant social objectives. Comparing neighborhood models with studies of neighborhood life, reveals that neighborhood social and behavioral patterns do not always fit the plan or social objectives of the proposed neighborhood models. There is a gap between the objectives and vision of the models and the patterns of life in the neighborhood. Social patterns such as neighboring, urban cognition, travel preferences and personal meaning showed that residents had a substantially different understand of neighborhood than planning theorists and urban designers. They often made use of the neighborhood differently than the designers intended. A change in the understanding of neighborhood occurred with the acceptance of Clarence Perry\u27s neighborhood unit concept as a general pattern for neighborhood development. The neighborhood became, in theory, a self-contained unit in a cellular city and detached from its traditional town base. In the traditional city, a neighborhood was a subset or section of an entire urban system. It was not possible to think of neighborhood without thinking of city. This study will identify important neighborhood social patterns and compare these with the typical neighborhood models, reconsider the definition of neighborhood and its relationship with community, and suggest ways that neighborhood plans might better accommodate critical neighborhood social patterns. Studies of neighborhood patterns have shown that specific built forms are associated with these patterns, sometime helping sometimes hindering their expression. This suggests that design guidelines can be developed using physical features that are part of the environmental setting in which these patterns occur. Developing graphic samples to illustrate how guidelines might be used in the design of neighborhoods would be a further step in this process. This study, however, will be limited to developing design guidelines and will leave graphic illustration for a further project

Examining the Influence of Argument Driven Inquiry Instructional Approach on Female Students of Color in Sixth Grade Science: Its Impact on Classroom Experience, Interest, And Self-Efficacy in Science, Written Argumentation Skills, and Scientific Voice

Four of the eight Engineering Standards in the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS, 2013) focus on authentic science communication: “asking questions (science) and defining problems (engineering), analyzing and interpreting data, constructing explanations (for science) and designing solutions (for engineering), engaging in argument from evidence, obtaining, evaluating and communicating information” (Sampson et al., 2010, p. 218). Authentic science communication is supported in NGSS through cross-cutting concepts (Driver et al., 2000) that integrate the structure and function of science concepts together with communication strategies that include reading, writing, and peer critique. These cross-cutting concepts include reading strategies that focus on reading informational text such as cause and effect relationships, reading captions and challenge text. These skills are used in all science and engineering fields. Mastery in both science concepts and authentic scientific communication is critical to success in the STEM fields which require collaboration among scientists and independent contribution. Argument Driven Inquiry (ADI) is an instructional practice that integrates reading, writing, and peer critique that is grounded in authentic scientific practices (Driver et al., 2000). As such, ADI is an instructional approach that supports students in learning these NGSS standards. Further, ADI is a culturally-relevant pedagogical (CRP) instructional approach that is grounded in raising students’ critical consciousness (learning 21st century critical thinking skills, such as evaluation, and questioning subject matter text). It is well-known that in the literature that students’ interest in STEM declines in middle school grades, especially around sixth grade, even for students who demonstrate high academic achievement in science. Thus, ADI has been hypothesized as an instructional approach that can impact student engagement which has the potential to increase and sustain their interest in STEM at a critical point at which has been found to decline. While the correlation between high science performance and decreasing interest is well-documented for students, in general, and a few studies have examined this relationship in females, studies have not yet examined this correlation for the intersectionality of two of the highest under-represented populations in STEM based on race/ethnicity and gender: African American and Latina females. This study utilized qualitative methods to address two research questions: Research Question 1: In what ways did implementing and scaffolding the ADI instructional approach influence the classroom experiences, interest, and self-confidence for female students of color (i.e., non-White) in middle school (sixth grade) science? Research Question 2: In what ways did using the ADI instructional approach impact female students of color (i.e., non-White) written argumentation skills (including peer review) and scientific voice in middle school (sixth grade) science? Participants were four female students in sixth grade science classes representing African American and Latina females with low socio-economic status ranging in ages from 11-12 years of age. These students received ADI science instruction within the same school. The study took place during the first quarter of the fall semester of sixth grade. I was the researcher and also the classroom science teacher. I taught using the ADI instructional approach, and I collected the data from the students that was used for this study. Specifically, I took field notes while observing the students during their interactive labs, and I conducted semi-structured individual interviews three times during this study with each student and two focus groups that included all four participants at the end of this study. Several data sources were used to form the basis of the interviews: participants’ ratings on science interest and self-efficacy questionnaires completed at the beginning of the school year as a regular part of classroom procedures, as well as their academic performance as measured by their repeated-measure teacher team-completed ADI Rubric for each individual student for each lab and their written lab reports. Two independent coders and I coded the transcribed data, and an inductive analysis approach was used to analyze the data. Because I was the researcher and also the students’ classroom teacher, precautions were taken to protect against bias. Namely, the ADI rubric was scored by a collective group of teachers in the science department rather than me as the primary teacher alone (note that this practice of multiple teachers scoring the ADI rubrics is standard procedure at this school and was not implemented differently for this study), independent coders were used in addition to my coding transcripts, and other triangulation of various data sources (e.g., written work through peer-reviewed and teacher team-scored lab reports, focus group interview, individual interviews and questionnaires) were used to assist me in making valid inferences. Findings from this study have the potential to impact decisions made about selecting instructional approaches in science for underrepresented middle school students, specifically females who are African American or Latina

When is better really better? Individuals' experiences of treatment for OAB with anticholinergic medication

Overactive bladder (OAB) has been found to have a number of psychological consequences, including anxiety, depression and shame. However, there is little research on how drug treatment, which has been found to be effective at reducing physical symptoms, impacts on these psychological effects. This study aimed to examine patients’ experiences of anticholinergic treatment for OAB, and the impact of both OAB and its treatment on psychological well-being. A cross-sectional, qualitative interview design with a secondary care outpatient sample was used. The approach was idiographic and sought to understand the detailed complexities and nuances of patient experiences. This small-scale qualitative study found that, even where there had been symptom reduction, patients did not feel ‘better’, and found it difficult to let go of worries and fears around OAB. These findings suggest that a person with OAB may need support even after a ‘successful’ treatment, as OAB continues to be at the centre of patients’ lives

Prospectus, January 22, 2003

https://spark.parkland.edu/prospectus_2003/1000/thumbnail.jp

Implementing administrative evidence based practices: Lessons from the field in six local health departments across the United States

BACKGROUND: Administrative evidence based practices (A-EBPs) are agency level structures and activities positively associated with performance measures (e.g., achieving core public health functions, carrying out evidence-based interventions). The objectives of this study were to examine the contextual conditions and explore differences in local health department (LHD) characteristics that influence the implementation of A-EBPs. METHODS: Qualitative case studies were conducted based on data from 35 practitioners in six LHDs across the United States. The sample was chosen using an A-EBP score from our 2012 national survey and was linked to secondary data from the National Public Health Performance Standards Program. Three LHDs that scored high and three LHDs that scored low on both measures were selected as case study sites. The 37-question interview guide explored LHD use of an evidence based decision making process, including A-EBPs and evidence-based programs and policies. Each interview took 30–60 min. Standard qualitative methodology was used for data coding and analysis using NVivo software. RESULTS: As might be expected, high-capacity LHDs were more likely to have strong leadership, partnerships, financial flexibility, workforce development activities, and an organizational culture supportive of evidence based decision making and implementation of A-EBPs. They were also more likely to describe having strong or important relationships with universities and other educational resources, increasing their access to resources and allowing them to more easily share knowledge and expertise. CONCLUSIONS: Differences between high- and low-capacity LHDs in A-EBP domains highlight the importance of investments in these areas and the potential those investments have to contribute to overall efficiency and performance. Further research may identify avenues to enhance resources in these domains to create an organizational culture supportive of A-EBPs. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12913-015-0891-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

The Makings of an Evidence-Based Local Health Department: Identifying Administrative and Management Practices

There is a gap in knowledge about how to best organize and administer practice in local health departments to implement sustained evidence-based policies, programs, and interventions. This report identifies administrative and management evidence-based practices to inform ongoing initiatives in local public health system quality improvement, accreditation processes, and performance. The article presents administrative elements in workforce development, leadership, organizational climate and culture, relationships and partnerships, and financial processes that local health departments can address at modest cost within a few years or less. Local public health systems can further identify, implement and evaluate evidence-based administrative practices

Prospectus, March 12, 2003

https://spark.parkland.edu/prospectus_2003/1007/thumbnail.jp