In the 21st century, characterized by the continual evolution of education and new educational needs being raised and demanded, teachers’ professional competence encounters a series of challenges. In ...the context of Latvian education, it is highly significant to enhance the professional competence of future teachers and adapt it according to real-world challenges and opportunities. The professional competence of future teachers encounters challenges ranging from adapting to technological advancements to fostering an inclusive learning environment for diverse groups of students. In this research mixed method approach is applied, quantitative data from the self-evaluation instrument developed through the project “Development and Implementation of the Education Quality Monitoring System” (2nd round) and qualitative data from focus group discussions with education stakeholders are employed to analyze the challenges and opportunities for the development of future teachers’ professional competence. Based on the analysis, challenges for the enhancement of future teachers’ professional competence were identified at both institutional and individual levels among those strengthening schools as learning organizations and fostering open mindset toward change. By shedding light on these challenges and opportunities, this study contributes to the broader discourse on teachers’ preparation and continuous development, ensuring their readiness to navigate the multifaceted landscape of modern education effectively.
Nowadays, great emphasis is placed on the relationship between forest and water because forests are considered as substantial sources of many water ecosystem services. The aim of this paper is to ...analyze the stakeholder opinions towards the relationship between forests and water and the potential development of water-related payments for ecosystem services (PES) schemes. The study is developed in the context of COST Action CA15206–PESFOR-W (Forests for Water) aimed at synthesizing current knowledge about the PES schemes across Europe. The stakeholder opinions were mapped out using a structured questionnaire consisting of 20 questions divided into four thematic sections. The data were collected through an online survey. The results showed opinions of 142 stakeholders from 23 countries, mainly from Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean Basin. In order to analyze the collected data, the stakeholders were grouped in buyers, sellers, intermediaries, and knowledge providers. The survey results indicated that the most important category of water ecosystem services according to our sample of stakeholders is regulating services followed by provisioning services. Further findings pointed out the highest importance that shared values and direct changes in land management can have when designing water-related PES schemes. The role of public authorities and collective collaboration of different stakeholders, with emphasis on local and expert knowledge, are also identified as of crucial importance. The results show that stakeholder opinions can serve as a starting point when designing PES schemes.
Background
The share of renewable energy feeding the European grid has been growing over the years, even though the intermittency of some renewable energy sources can induce electric grid ...instability. Energy storage has proven to be an effective way of reducing grid instability. Various solutions for large-scale energy storage are being researched nowadays. This study focusses on the innovative low-head pumped hydro storage (LH PHS) technology, a large-scale energy storage scheme suitable for shallow seas (5 – 30 m depth). Implementation of renewable energy technologies, such as wind farms in Europe, Asia and North America, has faced public opposition which has delayed or even cancelled the implementation of renewable energy projects. Literature about public perception of projects highlights the importance of involving stakeholders from the early stages of project planning. Considering this, the present study aims to collect stakeholder opinions (via an online survey) to determine what is necessary for a smooth implementation of LH PHS in the North Sea, both from technical and policy points of view.
Results
Stakeholders from commercial parties, government authorities and local groups recognized the potential of LH PHS as a means to increase the share of renewable energies within the European power grid. Economics, bureaucratic burden, and structural safety have emerged as primary aspects of concern respecting the implementation of LH PHS. The impression of the respondents is that a low-head pumped hydro station would not have negative effects on their organizations. Furthermore, most of the engineering firms participating in the study communicated that their knowledge and resources could be involved in the construction of such an energy storage facility.
Conclusion
As identified stakeholder concerns such as economics and structural safety are currently being researched, effective communication of the findings of this research is paramount to keep stakeholders informed of the ongoing progress. Two-way communication between researchers and stakeholders is recommended to enhance public acceptance of future technologies. Furthermore, is it advisable to undertake an examination of the available energy policies relevant to LH PHS.
Effective higher educational management in undergraduate nursing programs is animportant issue from the viewpoint of stakeholders. This qualitative research aimed toexamine the characteristics of ...nursing students and curriculum development ofundergraduate nursing education from the opinions of Boromarajonani College of NursingSaraburi, Thailand stakeholders. The population included 4 groups: 1) the alumni who havegraduated within the past 5 years and currently work in primary, secondary, and tertiarycare units, 2) the supervisors and colleagues of the alumni, 3) nursing lecturers, and 4) thecurrent nursing students. The respondents who are the alumni, nursing lecturers, andcurrent nursing student were selected using a purposive sampling, for the supervisors andcolleagues were selected using snowball techniques. Semi-structured interview questionswere used for data collection. Group discussions were conducted until saturation on 55 keyinformants. The qualitative data was analyzed using content analysis. Results showed theviewpoints of stakeholders on the characteristics of future nurse graduates werecomprised of four elements: knowledge that meets standards; essential skills for selfdevelopmentand lifelong learning process; good morals and professional ethics in providing nursing care; and nurse competencies in teamwork, communication, language, research, management, IT, life skills, and global literacy. The viewpoints on the development of the nursing curriculum focus on four elements: the learner, teaching andlearning, course content, and instructor tasks. For learners, the admission criteria shouldinclude a minimum not only of knowledge, but also positive attitude, science, and art skills,since the nursing profession is both a science and the art of caring. Teaching and learningelements should be authentic, including exposure to real situations, an integrated network,and activities that improve nursing care. Course content was comprised of an updatedcurriculum, humanized nursing care, student center, theory and practice with moralintegration, case-based study, critical thinking, multidisciplinary work, and love for thenursing profession. Instructor tasks are to elicit student ideas, provide opportunities tolearn, support infrastructure, support technology use, and extra-curricular activities todevelop the competencies of nursing students. Recommendations were that the curriculumadministration should review the selection process of student candidates and instructionalmanagement to achieve expected outcomes of nursing characteristics in the future. Thenurse lecturer should provide authentic and integrated instruction, decrease lecturing,cultivate a lifelong learning process, and sustain the nursing characteristics.
Effective higher educational management in undergraduate nursing programs is an important issue from the viewpoint of stakeholders. This qualitative research aimed to examine the characteristics of ...nursing students and curriculum development of undergraduate nursing education from the opinions of Boromarajonani College of Nursing Saraburi, Thailand stakeholders. The population included 4 groups: 1) the alumni who have graduated within the past 5 years and currently work in primary, secondary, and tertiary care units, 2) the supervisors and colleagues of the alumni, 3) nursing lecturers, and 4) the current nursing students. The respondents who are the alumni, nursing lecturers, and current nursing student were selected using a purposive sampling, for the supervisors and colleagues were selected using snowball techniques. Semi-structured interview questions were used for data collection. Group discussions were conducted until saturation on 55 key informants. The qualitative data was analyzed using content analysis. Results showed the viewpoints of stakeholders on the characteristics of future nurse graduates were comprised of four elements: knowledge that meets standards; essential skills for self-development and lifelong learning process; good morals and professional ethics in providing nursing care; and nurse competencies in teamwork, communication, language, research, management, IT, life skills, and global literacy. The viewpoints on the development of the nursing curriculum focus on four elements: the learner, teaching and learning, course content, and instructor tasks. For learners, the admission criteria should include a minimum not only of knowledge, but also positive attitude, science, and art skills, since the nursing profession is both a science and the art of caring. Teaching and learning elements should be authentic, including exposure to real situations, an integrated network, and activities that improve nursing care. Course content was comprised of an updated curriculum, humanized nursing care, student center, theory and practice with moral integration, case-based study, critical thinking, multidisciplinary work, and love for the nursing profession. Instructor tasks are to elicit student ideas, provide opportunities to learn, support infrastructure, support technology use, and extra-curricular activities to develop the competencies of nursing students. Recommendations were that the curriculum administration should review the selection process of student candidates and instructional management to achieve expected outcomes of nursing characteristics in the future. The nurse lecturer should provide authentic and integrated instruction, decrease lecturing, cultivate a lifelong learning process, and sustain the nursing characteristics. KCI Citation Count: 0
► Stakeholder opinions separate according to nationality. ► The separation is reflected in the intensive recreational management regime. ► Differences are most significant in relation to access and ...facility provision. ► The Scottish rather than the German model is more suitable in the Irish context.
Coastal dune systems are particularly susceptible to destabilisation through recreational pressure and because of this, conflicts frequently arise between those who want to use the dunes for recreational purposes and those who wish to see these fragile ecosystems protected. In addition, a range of approaches to resolving this conflict are being used in different countries with differing levels of success. To study this conflict, an approach based on the Q-method was applied to three European Union Member States, i.e. Ireland, Scotland and Germany to determine the degree to which there are differences in opinion regarding recreational management in coastal conservation areas and to assess whether there are examples of perceived best management practice that could be applied to some or all of these countries. The Q-method involved using semi-structured interviews of stakeholders (conservationists and non-conservationists, i.e. landowners, locals and landusers) to yield a set of statements relating to recreational and management impacts on protected coastal dune systems in each of the selected countries. Selected statements were then submitted to former interviewees for rating on a seven point scale from complete agreement to complete disagreement. Principle components analysis (PCA) of these ratings (Q-sorts) indicated that while there is much agreement overall (particularly relating to the protection of dune systems while still supporting recreation), stakeholder opinion can be separated according to country of origin. In general, this separation is reflected in the intensive recreational management regime (strict zonation and access restrictions) at the German sites compared to the Scottish (less recreational management) and Irish (absence of recreational management) sites. Significant differences in opinion are most apparent in the sections concerned with restricting access for recreation and the provision of facilities (less acceptable in Scotland and Ireland). We suggest that given Irish stakeholder opinions regarding the potential loss of naturalness through strict recreational management, the Scottish rather than the German model would be more suitable in the Irish context.
Equine insect bite hypersensitivity (IBH), commonly known as sweet itch or summer eczema, is a frustrating recurrent skin disease in the equine industry involving an immune reaction to the bites of
...spp. midges. To investigate the impact of IBH in the field, an exploratory pilot study was conducted with equine stakeholders in one region of central England. Nine semi-structured, face-to-face interviews were conducted with horse owners and an equine veterinarian. The aim was to gain an understanding of experiences with IBH, and to gauge opinions on the value of the various management strategies horse owners use to control IBH. Awareness of IBH was generally high, particularly in those individuals who had previous experience with the condition. Those with previous experience of IBH commented on the significant effect on daily routines, and the associated cost implications. Most participants supported an integrated approach to hypersensitivity management, and this most commonly involved a combination of physical barriers and chemical repellents, but sometimes included feed supplementation. Overall, attitudes towards IBH suggested that the condition is a notable welfare and economic concern for stakeholders, but veterinary involvement tended to only be in more severe cases. Further research is required in the future to improve understanding, management and potential treatment of this condition.
There is growing interest in simplifying recommendations to vaccinate Americans against influenza. The article discusses interviews with 35 stakeholders from the medical, public health, educational, ...insurance, and vaccine industry sectors to assess the potential for policy change, and discusses questions posed to the interviewees on current and future influenza vaccination policy and barriers to policy change. About 97% of respondents support the expansion of vaccination for all school-age children, and about 95% support universal vaccination, but there are reservations expressed by the respondents, despite the support for this policy change. Barriers to influenza vaccination recommendations include access, supply, confusing recommendations, and public perceptions. Barriers to universal vaccination include lack of infrastructure, cost, need for education, and vaccine supply. Issues concerning resources and education are challenges that impede policy change. The study findings can be useful to policy makers and practitioners for reviewing U.S. vaccination policy and changes to the policy.
Constraints imposed by economic rationalism on environmental policy-making of Western Australia's regional forest agreements (RFA) are explored - data from interviews with RFA stakeholders on ...perceptions of RFA processes and outcomes - extent of involvement of science and public RFA management analysed.
This study examines stakeholders’ perspective about nine major attribute sets which comprehensively define transit service quality. A novel linguistic Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) scale was ...used to form a judgement matrix based on experts’ opinion. Stakeholders were from different fields of expertise like academia, research, policy makers, service operators or providers, and industry professionals. A judgement matrix was arrived at through Fuzzy-AHP analysis while using disaggregated and aggregated opinions of the stakeholders. The stakeholders’ opinion was analyzed as: individual stakeholders’ groups; academicians vs non-academicians; and combined opinion. One-way ANOVA test was performed to examine the similarity in decision making across the stakeholders. Though no statistical significance was found across stakeholder level, however, the perceptions vary or sync across the groups based on attributes’ inherent value or characteristics. The matrix allowed the categorization of the attributes based on their importance as highly, moderately, and least important. Higher importance has gone to infrastructure (system infrastructure, and ease and convenience) and operational attributes (Customer service, comfort, and service frequency) whereas, lower importance has gone to functional attributes (safety, security, and travel time reliability). The analysis allows us to arrive at probable weights which shall be given to the different attributes while planning for the improvements in the transit services in a geographical region.
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