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Impact of open inquiry instructional strategy on secondary school students’ academic achievement and conceptual knowledge in Chemistry across genders in Osun state, Nigeria
No full textStudent performance in chemistry remains below expectations despite the subject’s importance in advancing fields such as medicine and technology. Traditional teaching methods have been criticised for limiting engagement and critical thinking. This study investigates the impact of the open inquiry instructional strategy on secondary school students’ academic achievement and conceptual knowledge in chemistry. A quasi-experimental design was adopted, involving 322 Senior Secondary School 1 science students drawn from intact classes of the selected schools. Students were divided into experimental and control groups and were taught using open inquiry and the traditional lecture method, respectively. Data were collected using the Chemistry Academic Achievement Test (CAAT) and Chemistry Conceptual Knowledge Test (CCKT), both of which were validated before use. Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was used to test the hypotheses. The findings revealed that students taught using open inquiry significantly outperformed those taught using the traditional lecture method in academic achievement (F(1, 317) = 29.083, p < .001) and conceptual knowledge (F(1, 317) = 60.574, p < .001). However, gender differences were not statistically significant for both academic achievement (F(1, 317) = 0.704, p = .402) and conceptual knowledge (F(1, 317) = 2.634, p = .106). The study concludes that open inquiry is a more effective instructional strategy for improving students’ learning outcomes in chemistry, regardless of gender. It recommends the integration of open inquiry into science curricula and teacher training programmes to enhance student engagement and conceptual understanding
Hiring Library Technicians in Academic Libraries: Revising, Rejecting, and Reclaiming the Process
No full textUsing métissage as a method of inquiry, this paper is the outcome of reflections of a Canadian academic library hiring committee that consists of both librarians and library technicians that disrupted local hiring practices in the effort to create a more human-centred, inclusive, and thoughtful process when hiring for two library technician vacancies. Through the writing and mixing of texts, three themes emerged that capture the shared experiences of the committee and serve as an example of how reflective practice can take shape among different types of employees in a busy academic library. This process helped to empower members of the hiring committee to question and contribute to the hiring process in new ways. Despite the limits of time, this project reveals that efforts can be made to create a space for a hiring committee, comprised of library employees with different levels of workplace power, to critique and modify practices to improve approaches to hiring. These improvements go beyond creating a welcoming environment for candidates and include changes to the way current employees feel about their contributions and their engagement in the work.  
Discrimination and Community Integration Experienced by 2SLGBTQ+ in Perth-Huron2SLGBTQ+
No full textThis research focuses on the experiences of 2SLGBTQ+ community members in Perth-Huron with specific attention to discrimination and community integration. The research will support service providers to effectively target their efforts to better support the 2SLGBTQ+ community, to create a better sense of belonging and reduced discrimination for 2SLGBTQ+ community members in Perth-Huron. This poster will present findings from the survey component of our research. This research is ongoing
Building Resilience Through Community Champions: The Role of Local Leaders for Rural Economic Development Capacity and Diversification
No full textLocal government reform has accelerated since the early 1980s, with local governments learning to adjust to changes in responsibilities as they cope with the socio-economic restructuring pressures that are challenging the viability and sustainability of small communities. Rural areas also have rich access to natural resources, which can provide an initial benefit to the local economy but can hinder economic diversification opportunities. The future resilience of rural local governments and their communities may depend upon entrepreneurial strategies to support independence, resilience, and new pathways to economic renewal. The purpose of this paper is to identify the role local leaders have for rural economic development capacity. Specifically, this paper highlights communities that have experienced economic transitions and have remained resilient. These findings help fulfill a research gap in rural local governments and path dependency and provide potential application for rural local governments. 
Visualizing Rural Research: Enhanced Knowledge Translation Pathways Between University of Guelph and Rural Ontario Communities
No full textDespite the wealth of rural research being conducted, a persistent gap exists between academic findings and their practical application in rural communities. This project showcases the University of Guelph\u27s innovative approach to bridging this divide through enhanced knowledge translation and transfer mechanisms. Our initiative transforms complex research findings into accessible, visual formats including plain language summaries, research videos, and infographics, specifically designed for diverse rural audiences across Ontario. By focusing on the interconnected domains of rural people, environments, and places, we create multiple entry points for stakeholder engagement with evidence-based solutions. Preliminary results demonstrate how visual knowledge translation tools strengthen the bidirectional flow of information between researchers and rural end-users, leading to more effective adoption of research findings in community practice. This work represents a significant step forward in making academic research more accessible and actionable for rural communities, businesses, and organizations facing complex, multidimensional challenges. Our findings emphasize the importance of collaborative knowledge mobilization in fostering resilient rural futures and offer a replicable model for other institutions engaged in rural research dissemination
The Community Citizen Scientist: Garden Stewards in First Nations Northern Ontario
No full textThis case study explores the challenges and opportunities Garden Stewards – Community Citizen Scientists - during the implementation and management of the Community Gardens by the Braiding Food Systems (BFS) Project in First nations communities in Northern Ontario. Northern Ontario Indigenous communities, deeply impacted by climate change and economic marginalization, face significant food insecurity due to imposed market-based food systems. The BFS project seeks to address these challenges by revitalizing Indigenous seed use and supporting local food production. Six Garden Stewards, acting as Community Citizen Scientists, collected data on local food production in Pic Mobert, Rocky Bay, and Red Rock during the 2023-2024 growing season. Using the Participatory Citizen Science framework, which includes Learning for Action, Learning in Action, and Learning from Action, the study progressed through three stages: problem framing, research implementation, and impact. Problem framing involved community seed selection, identifying plant adaptability and growing patterns in contextual and unique Northern climates. Research implementation focused on collecting data on watering frequency, pest and disease presence, growing, nutrient deficiencies, and harvest timing. To address challenges, coaching activities and knowledge-sharing workshops were conducted. During Learning in Action, the team collaborated on gardening activities, exchanging insights on cultural practices and plant management for crops such as tomatoes, potatoes, and peppers. Reflective activities during Learning from Action identified lessons for future growing seasons. In the communities, Garden Stewards act as knowledge keepers, bond the communities, contextualize external knowledge to improve plant resilience and foster land-based practices through storytelling and observation. This participatory approach strengthens cultural identity and social cohesion, promoting well-being and resilience within the communities
The Secret of Improvisation: A duoethnographical Journey of Improvisation in Music and Dance
No full textImprovisation can be perceived as a great secret of life itself, an unattainable artistic practice, or perhaps just as an easy way out when something goes wrong. But is there more? And how can improvisation also be a way in, for the artist, for the researcher, and a disposition for living? This article unfolds as a duoethnographic journey of improvisation in music and dance. In the dialogues between two researcher-artists—one coming from the subject of music and the other from dance—discussions arise about another that inspire the other\u27s history and lifts what their stories affect in art education, education, and research in general. In the article, we investigate how different framings of improvisational encounters might make space where space is not always obvious. We touch on different ways of understanding improvisation and how improvisation can connect with life in a broader sense, holding on to Fischlin et al\u27s statement that “improvisation matters” (243). Could it be that improvisation is something "more" than what we now give it credit for? Are we longing for an improvisation pedagogy for life itself? Through such questions, we offer thoughts on how pedagogy and life are entangled, and how longing for more improvisation might lead us in and out of teaching, artistic co-creation, and situations in life to provide space for inclusion
Splash Page with Music: “Liberdade e controle - Fragmento 3" by Orquestra Errante
No full textEvery issue of Critical Studies in Improvisation / Études critiques en improvisation opens with a short piece of music related to the issue.
For issue 16.1, we\u27re pleased to present the song “Liberdade e controle - Fragmento 3” by Orquestra Errante (used with permission). You can listen to the piece through the button above or via Bandcamp through this link
Recruiting Talent to PEI
No full textThe government of Prince Edward Island (PEI) has embarked on a strategy that links economic growth and prosperity to population growth, with immigration as a key component. Now the Department of Workforce and Advanced Learning wishes to target Islanders who have lived on PEI previously but now live elsewhere. In order to develop effective, evidence-based policy to encourage their repatriation, it is important to better understand why they moved away, and what they see as the opportunities and barriers to returning. In early 2018, the Institute of Island Studies (IIS) designed and administered a survey in partnership with the Department. Consisting of 26 questions, a link was sent electronically to alumni from PEI post-secondary institutions; posted to the WorkPEI Facebook page; and included in the IIS’s newsletter. A total of 683 respondees painted a picture of why they left and what it would take to come back, with results ranging from education and jobs to lifestyle and family. This research has implications for rural communities: how can the data be used to help build healthy and prosperous communities? This paper explores some of the findings and follow-up in developing evidence-based policy that supports repatriation as an economic development strategy
What Works in Business Incubation? Lessons and Best Practices for Rural
No full textBusiness incubation and acceleration have become widely used tools in economic and community development. Yet, there are a wide range of approaches to the design and delivery of business incubation and acceleration processes. Drawing on research and findings from a multi-year study of business incubation in North America funded by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, this presentation reviews emerging best practices and models in business incubation, highlighting the range of approaches being used to support start-ups and new venture creation in smaller places. Based on case studies of success and failure in rural communities, it draws together lessons for economic development practitioners and civic leaders in rural communities who are invested in the long term sustainability and prosperity of their communitie