Search Results (519)

Nature-Based Solutions (NBSs) are increasingly recognized as strategic tools for climate adaptation and urban regeneration, yet their implementation requires balancing environmental performance, territorial identity, and governance feasibility. This article investigates the application of the euPOLIS H2020 methodology in Palermo, Italy, focusing on the proposed transformation of Villa Turrisi—a residual peri-urban agricultural area representing one of the last remnants of the historical Conca d’Oro landscape—into a new public green infrastructure within the framework of the new Municipal Development Plan (PRG/PUG). This study examines how a structured co-design process involving municipal actors, citizens, and local associations can be coupled with ecosystem service assessments. Rather than selecting a single optimal design, the analysis evaluates two alternative vision scenarios—a multifunctional framework aligned with euPOLIS principles and an intensive urban forest model—to generate quantitative and qualitative baseline data. Environmental indicators (carbon sequestration, microclimatic regulation, and hydrological resilience) are used not as deterministic selection criteria but as theoretical decision-support evidence within a predominantly qualitative, value-driven local planning process. The core contribution of this work lies in demonstrating the operational transferability of the euPOLIS framework from front-runner to follower cities within a Mediterranean planning context. The Palermo case shows how quantitative environmental simulations can effectively inform—rather than dictate—participatory governance, heritage preservation, and regulatory feasibility. Ultimately, this article offers a transferable planning and policy framework that bridges European NBS research with municipal decision-making, providing actionable insights for integrating climate-resilient green infrastructure into local urban plans. Full article

Robotics serves as a key enabler in disability support by offering new pathways to augment social work practice and enhance autonomy, safety, and inclusion for persons with disabilities (PWDs). In this study, an interdisciplinary team executed a socio-technical investigation that integrated robotics engineering, artificial intelligence, rehabilitation sciences, and social work. It was examined how assistive and socially interactive robots, including mobility robots, cognitive-assistive systems, exoskeletons, telepresence units, and socially assistive humanoids, must be embedded within disability services to improve functional independence, strengthen care continuity, and address increasing workforce demands. A comprehensive research design was adopted by combining a systematic literature review and technical benchmarking of robot capabilities with qualitative inputs gathered from co-codesign workshops involving PWDs, caregivers, and social workers. To test these applications, the team evaluated three pilot domains: home-based independent living support, community-based rehabilitation, and social-work-led remote engagement utilizing telepresence robotics. The results demonstrate that these robotic interventions improved independent task completion by 22–41% and reduced caregiver burden by 18–34%. Furthermore, the data revealed significant gains in communication and emotional engagement for individuals with cognitive or speech impairments. While robotics cannot replace social workers, these technologies meaningfully complement care delivery when practitioners develop them through ethical, participatory, and contextually sensitive frameworks. Ultimately, this paper highlights clear pathways toward scalable, inclusive robotic support systems that align engineering innovation with person-centered social work values. Full article

Heritage education has undergone substantial conceptual, pedagogical, and technological transformations over the last decade, driven by the expansion of digital technologies, participatory pedagogies, and arts-based approaches to learning. Although research in this field has grown considerably, existing studies remain fragmented across educational contexts, disciplinary traditions, and methodological perspectives. This systematic review aims to synthesise international research published between 2015 and 2026 on the relationships among heritage education, arts-based learning, museum education, digital transformation, sustainability, and teacher education. The review followed the PRISMA 2020 Statement and the PRISMA-S reporting recommendations. Searches conducted in the Web of Science Core Collection and Scopus identified 525 records, of which 53 studies met the predefined eligibility criteria and were included in the qualitative synthesis. The findings reveal a marked expansion of museum-based and digitally mediated heritage learning, the growing adoption of arts-based pedagogies, and an increasing emphasis on teacher education and community participation. While digital technologies have become firmly established within heritage education, artificial intelligence remains an emerging area of inquiry with limited empirical evidence. The review also identifies persistent challenges, including the underrepresentation of rural and non-Western perspectives, limited longitudinal research, and the need for more robust methodological designs. Building on the synthesis of the reviewed literature, the article proposes the Arts-Based Heritage Learning Ecosystem as an integrative framework for understanding the interplay among cultural memory, artistic mediation, museum participation, digital innovation, sustainability, and teacher education. The study contributes to current debates by providing an updated synthesis of international research and by offering a conceptual basis to inform future research, curriculum development, and educational practice. Full article

In recent years, concerns about youth mental health, school disengagement and territorial inequalities have renewed interest in arts-based, participatory educational practices, including participatory video (PV) and youth-led filmmaking. This scoping review, conducted and reported in accordance with the PRISMA-ScR guidelines, maps empirical studies employing PV or youth-led filmmaking with adolescents and young people (approximately 9–24 years) in school, after-school and community-based programmes, focusing on engagement, belonging, psychological well-being, agency, empowerment and socio-emotional skills. A structured search was conducted in four electronic databases (Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, PsycInfo) and complemented by manual screening of reference lists, yielding nineteen peer-reviewed articles in English using qualitative, quantitative or mixed-methods designs in which PV was a central component. Narrative thematic synthesis suggests that PV can create “third spaces” for expression and co-authorship, support participation and voice, strengthen trust, self-efficacy and relational competences, and foster school connectedness. At the same time, the literature points to limitations linked to structural constraints, power hierarchies and partial institutional recognition of youth-produced narratives. Overall, the review indicates that participatory video is a promising but context-dependent approach for supporting protective factors associated with school disengagement and early school leaving and outlines implications for integrated school–community interventions and future research on longer-term impacts. Full article

Environmental interpretation (EI) in protective forests remains an underexplored field, despite its demonstrated potential for fostering emotional place attachment and conservation attitudes. This study aims to design and evaluate in situ the “Magical Portal of Biodiversity and Culture” self-guided interpretive trail at the “Los Arrayanes” Protective Forest (16 ha, Montúfar Canton, Carchi Province, Ecuador), a native arrayan forest (Myrcianthes hallii) deeply rooted in the ancestral territory of the Pasto-Tuza people, and to formulate educommunicational strategies. The trail design is grounded in Tilden’s interpretive principles, Morales’s topic–theme structure, and Ham’s TORE model, and it formulates Environmental Education and Communication Strategies. A qualitative, multimethod design was employed, with in situ field observation, participatory action research (PAR) workshops with the de Monteverde community, and in-depth interviews with seven key informants (March–April 2026); data were analyzed through the hermeneutic interpretive method and validated through categories, method, and theory triangulation, member checking, and researcher reflexivity. The analysis yielded five emergent categories: (1) vital and heritage place attachment; (2) psychological restoration and sensory reconnection; (3) environmental curiosity and empathy; (4) situated conservation learning; and (5) community governance and intergenerational education. Additionally, it identified six educommunicational strategies: (1) sensory learning; (2) storytelling; (3) participatory interaction; (4) guided self-learning; (5) situated learning; and (6) the biocultural approach. These findings provide empirical evidence that biocultural interpretation promotes conservation attitudes and community participation. In practical terms, this research offers protected-area managers, community organizations, and interpretation planners a model replicable for designing self-guided interpretive trails in biodiverse territories where living biocultural heritage is at risk. Full article

Urban Digital Twins excel at modeling physical infrastructure but remain structurally limited in capturing the qualitative, experiential dimensions of urban life—particularly sense of place, which empirical research links to civic stewardship and long-term sustainability. This study investigates whether generative AI can serve as a participatory elicitation interface for surfacing these missing human data layers. Through a mixed-methods experimental design, 24 residents of Austin, Texas, each selected a personally meaningful public urban space and created visual representations using both hand-drawn sketching and iterative co-creation with the text-to-image model DALL-E. Pre- and post-experiment surveys and semi-structured interviews captured participants’ perceptions of the outputs and self-reported shifts in place awareness. The findings reveal a dialectical tension: DALL-E consistently defaulted to generic visual archetypes, overriding participants’ localized descriptions. However, this algorithmic homogenization paradoxically deepened participants’ sense of place through a process we term ‘validation by contrast’—residents utilized the AI’s inaccurate outputs as a foil to consciously articulate what made their environments authentically meaningful. These findings suggest that for human-centric Digital Twins, the actionable data lies not in the AI-generated image itself, but in the negotiation process through which residents defend and crystallize their authentic spatial identity. Full empirical validation of this pattern, including systematic comparison across representation modalities, is reserved for future work. Full article

Chemistry teaching in youth and adult education has faced challenges related to students’ disengagement, interrupted educational trajectories, and difficulty in connecting scientific concepts with learners’ everyday and professional experiences. In Brazil, Professional and Technological Secondary Education Integrated with Youth and Adult Education (PROEJA) aims to address its challenges by combining basic education with vocational training. This study investigated how a contextualized pedagogical intervention based on the production of aromatic candles contributed to students’ engagement, contextualized conceptual learning and vocational reflection in a technical administration course offered at the Brazilian Federal Institute (IFMS-CG), Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. A qualitative participatory action research design was adopted, and qualitative data were generated through participatory observations, classroom interactions, students’ written reflections, photographic records, and reflective discussions. Data were interpreted by Reflexive Thematic Analysis. Throughout the intervention, students explored Organic Chemistry concepts related to hydrocarbons, n-paraffins, physicochemical properties, volatility, combustion, formulation and laboratory safety while simultaneously discussing entrepreneurship, branding, product development and income generation. The qualitative findings demonstrated students’ active participation, collaborative teacher–student interactions, contextualized conceptual learning and a broader perception of Chemistry as a socially and professionally relevant discipline connected to everyday life, vocational education and entrepreneurial practice. Students’ written reflections further revealed that scientific knowledge was increasingly associated with technological innovation, product quality, professional opportunities and income generation. These findings suggest that contextualized, interdisciplinary and humanized pedagogical practices may promote meaningful scientific learning while strengthening vocational reflection and reinforcing the relevance of Chemistry within youth and adult professional and technological education. Full article

Background: Health security among structurally vulnerable populations depends not only on healthcare access but also on livelihood stability, caregiving capacity, and social participation. Evidence on how community-engaged participatory interventions address social determinants of health in low- and middle-income settings remains limited, particularly regarding how such interventions are implemented, documented, and evaluated in practice. Methods: This qualitative implementation study examined a participatory livelihood and caregiving intervention in a rural Thai setting. Over a nine-month period, 50 core participants from structurally vulnerable households engaged in integrated livelihood and caregiving activities. Data were collected through field observations, participatory reflection meetings, implementation records, LINE-group communication archives, and voluntary household financial logs, and were analysed using inductive thematic analysis. Results: Findings revealed perceived improvements across four interconnected dimensions of well-being: caregiving capacity, social connectedness, livelihood flexibility, and household economic buffering. Participants more consistently described household stabilization achieved through reduced expenditure, resource sharing, and livelihood diversification than rapid income growth. Sustained group participation was associated with strengthened peer support networks and greater self-reported confidence in managing caregiving and household challenges; however, these findings rest on self-reported and predominantly qualitative evidence, with financial documentation available for only a small, non-random subset of participants. Conclusions: These exploratory findings suggest that community-engaged livelihood and caregiving interventions may strengthen multidimensional health security by supporting stabilization processes rather than delivering immediate economic gains. Relational support, adaptive implementation, and community participation emerged as candidate mechanisms linking policy intentions to community health responsiveness. Health policy frameworks in comparable low- and middle-income settings may benefit from incorporating structural and relational social determinants alongside income-based metrics, although confirmatory research with comparison groups is needed before these implementation-level insights can inform generalizable policy guidance. Full article

Background: Malnutrition is prevalent among older adults (OAs), ≥65 years, receiving home care services. Despite recommendations for early detection and multifactorial interventions, a gap remains between routine practice and evidence. We therefore developed a complex intervention for early detection of malnutrition risk in a Danish home care setting, comprising an implementation strategy with staff learning activities and a screening procedure with a start-up conversation and follow-up screenings. This article outlines the feasibility test and process evaluation of the intervention. Methods: Guided by the Medical Research Council (MRC/NIHR) framework for complex interventions and MRC process evaluation guidance, the evaluation was conducted in two parts. Part 1 focused on case-level feasibility, while Part 2 examined implementation feasibility within routine home care practice. Qualitative data were collected through participant observations, informal interviews, semi-structured individual interviews, focus group interviews, and a participatory workshop. Quantitative data were extracted from the electronic patient record (NEXUS, Systematic A/S, Aarhus, Denmark). Qualitative data were analysed using qualitative content analysis, and quantitative data using descriptive statistics. Results: All eligible OAs (12/12) received a start-up conversation in Part 1 compared with 5/16 (31%) in Part 2, while follow-up screenings declined from 61/71 (86%) to 37/50 (74%). Overall, staff perceived the learning activities as useful and were able to deliver the screening procedure. However, delivery and implementation were influenced by time constraints, leadership support, workplace culture, and organisational infrastructures. OAs showed willingness to participate, yet their prerequisites for engagement were more limited than anticipated. Conclusion: The intervention could be delivered in a real-world home care setting, but delivery, implementation, and activation of proposed mechanisms were constrained by resource limitations, competing priorities, workplace culture, and organisational infrastructures. To improve uptake, intervention adaptations and a stepwise implementation approach are recommended. Full article

This study aimed to explore the key factors to consider when developing and sharing open-source assistive technology (AAT). To this end, the sip-and-puff mouse was selected from development requests submitted to the Korean Assistive Technology Open Platform. In this study, the sip-and-puff mouse was developed, applied, and shared as an open-source AAT for individuals with disabilities. The research was conducted based on usability feedback collected from five participants through three usability evaluations. During the usability evaluations, task performance scores and time taken were measured, and questionnaires were completed. Following the second usability evaluation, a diary study on long-term usage was conducted. Descriptive statistics, frequency analysis, and paired t-tests were performed using SPSS 22.0. Thematic analysis was conducted using ATLAS.ti. Based on the integrated qualitative and quantitative findings, practical design directions for user-centered open-source assistive technology were identified, including user and environmental matching, customization, durability, supporting documentation, use-error management, and participatory development. The results of this study are expected to contribute to improving the usability of customized open-source assistive technology (AAT) through a participatory design approach. Highly usable open-source AATs will help to make AATs more widely utilized in the daily living activities of the elderly and people with disabilities. Full article

In increasingly multicultural societies, preparing teachers to engage effectively with human diversity and to foster inclusive, equitable, and democratic learning environments has become a central priority for teacher education. This study examines (1) how a human diversity perspective contributes to the conceptualisation and development of intercultural and democratic competences in teacher education, and (2) how non-formal, participatory, dialogical, experiential, and heritage-based pedagogies support the development of these competences among pre-service and in-service teachers through participation in the IMAGINE programme. Moving beyond approaches that primarily frame diversity in terms of cultural difference, minority status, or racialised identities, the study conceptualises human diversity as an inherent condition of contemporary democratic societies and explores its potential as both a conceptual framework and a pedagogical resource for competence development. Drawing on established international frameworks, particularly Deardorff’s model of intercultural competence and the Council of Europe’s Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture (RFCDC), the study adopts a qualitative longitudinal case study design to examine IMAGINE, an annual residential teacher education seminar implemented since 2021. The analysis explores participants’ understandings of human diversity and examines how participatory, dialogical, experiential, and heritage-based pedagogies create the conditions that support intercultural and democratic competence development across successive editions of the programme. The findings highlight the relevance of a human diversity perspective for teacher education and identify a set of interconnected pedagogical conditions that support competence development. These include engagement with minority narratives and lived experiences, dialogical and collaborative learning, emotional and experiential engagement, critical reflection, the creation of safe spaces for dialogue, and heritage-based educational experiences. Rather than operating independently, these conditions appear to reinforce one another by enabling participants to encounter different perspectives, critically examine assumptions, engage emotionally with experiences of diversity, and negotiate meaning collaboratively. The study contributes to research on intercultural and democratic teacher education in two main respects. First, it provides empirical insights into the potential of human diversity as a broader conceptual lens through which diversity may be understood as constitutive of democratic societies, thereby opening discussion on the possibility of moving beyond predominantly culture-centred understandings of diversity towards a more encompassing human diversity perspective. Second, it provides empirical insights into the pedagogical conditions through which intercultural and democratic competences can be fostered, demonstrating the potential of dialogical, experiential, collaborative, and heritage-based learning environments for the professional development of both pre-service and in-service teachers. Full article

Infrastructure systems play a critical role in shaping environmental performance, economic investment, and social well-being. Infrastructure systems are responsible for nearly 60% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Pavement construction and maintenance alone consume over 350 million tons of asphalt annually and account for 30% of public infrastructure expenditure. While sustainability frameworks increasingly emphasize the integration of environmental, economic, and social dimensions commonly conceptualized as the Triple Bottom Line (TBL), their application in pavement engineering remains uneven. This study investigates the extent and nature of TBL integration in pavement sustainability research through a combined scientometric and qualitative content analysis of 529 peer-reviewed publications indexed in Scopus between 2015 and 2025. Using a PRISMA-guided review protocol, the study maps publication trends, geographic distribution, and thematic evolution, and systematically classifies each study according to its level of sustainability integration. The results reveal a pronounced imbalance across sustainability dimensions. Only 7.4% of studies achieve full TBL integration, while 45.2% address a single dimension and 29.1% remain primarily technical with limited sustainability framing. Environmental and economic dimensions are consistently operationalized through standardized methodologies such as Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Life Cycle Costing (LCC), whereas social sustainability appears in less than 10% of studies and is typically represented through simplified or proxy-based indicators. The findings suggest that this imbalance is not solely a result of data or awareness limitations but is associated with prevailing methodological preferences that favour quantifiable and optimization compatible indicators. These tendencies create systematic challenges for integrating context-dependent and participatory social considerations into engineering decision-making frameworks. By highlighting these structural patterns, the study contributes to ongoing discussions on sustainability governance and calls for more inclusive, methodological plural approaches to infrastructure assessment. The paper concludes by outlining pathways for advancing TBL integration through standardized social indicators, participatory assessment methods, and alignment with emerging ESG reporting requirements. Full article

Indigenous youth are increasingly recognized as important agents of sustainability; however, how environmental learning shapes pro-environmental intentions and behaviors remains insufficiently understood. This exploratory mixed-methods study integrates Experiential Learning Theory (ELT), the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM), and the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) to examine behavioral transformation among indigenous youth participating in community-based environmental learning activities in northern Thailand. Twenty-five indigenous student participants engaged in a structured environmental learning program developed through Citizen Science, Critical Participatory Action Research, and Living Lab approaches. Quantitative data from 250 activity-level questionnaire responses and qualitative data from 200 reflective responses collected from 25 participants through eight reflection prompts were analyzed using PLS-SEM, mediation analysis, permutation-based MGA, and the Gioia methodology. The model explained 50.0% of the variance in pro-environmental behavioral intention. Communication quality significantly enhanced attention (β = 0.452, p < 0.001), and participation strongly predicted practical experience (β = 0.660, p < 0.001). Practical experience contributed to perceived value of information, which enhanced perceived behavioral control (β = 0.691, p < 0.001), a key mechanism influencing behavioral intention. Peripheral information processing showed a stronger effect than central processing, and MGA revealed differentiated learning pathways across activity categories. Qualitative findings indicated a progression from environmental practices to advocacy and environmental identity, supported by indigenous ecological knowledge and intergenerational learning. This study provides an exploratory framework for understanding culturally grounded environmental learning and offers implications for designing sustainability education programs with indigenous communities. Full article

Indigenous languages in Southern Thailand are increasingly affected by modernization, digital communication, and language contact, yet the relationship between kinship terminology, social organization, and linguistic sustainability among Indigenous Austroasiatic-speaking communities remains insufficiently explored. This study addresses three research questions: (1) how Tan’ean and Jaahaai kinship systems differ in their semantic structures and classificatory patterns; (2) how kinship terms reflect cultural worldviews, social organization, and relational values of the Manni and Mueng’ra communities; and (3) what challenges influence the transmission and sustainability of kinship-related linguistic knowledge. This study aims to comparatively analyze consanguineal and affinal kinship terminology in the Tan’ean language of the Manni ethnic group and the Jaahaai language of the Mueng’ra ethnic group, focusing on how kinship systems encode cultural worldviews, social relations, and adaptive strategies under contemporary change. Guided by Componential Analysis and Ethnolinguistic Vitality Theory, this study employed a qualitative ethnolinguistic approach. Data were collected through genealogical elicitation, in-depth interviews, and participant observation with 40 key informants from Trang, Phatthalung, Satun, Songkhla, Yala, and Narathiwat provinces. The data were analyzed through semantic feature identification and comparative interpretation of kinship structures. The findings demonstrate that, despite shared Austroasiatic heritage, Tan’ean and Jaahaai exhibit distinct kinship systems reflecting different cultural logics. In response to the first research question, the findings reveal that the Manni system resembles the Hawaiian type, emphasizing egalitarian relations, generational categories, and inclusive incorporation of affinal relatives, whereas the Mueng’ra system shows Crow–Omaha characteristics, including generational skewing, gender-specific markers, hierarchical classification, and stronger influence from dominant regional languages. Regarding the second research question, the findings demonstrate that kinship terminology functions as a cultural mechanism for organizing social relationships, identity, and intergenerational obligations, reflecting different models of Indigenous social organization. For the third research question, the study identifies language contact, changing social conditions, and reduced intergenerational transmission as challenges affecting the continuity of Indigenous kinship knowledge. Therefore, the study recommends community-based orthographies, participatory digital learning platforms, and policies supporting Indigenous linguistic rights to strengthen language revitalization, cultural continuity, and Indigenous communities’ capacity to adapt to social transformation. Full article

The aim of this study is to examine the potential role of inclusive leadership in disadvantaged neighbourhoods. A qualitative research method and case study were employed in the study. The study group consists of 53 participants. A semi-structured interview form was used, and the findings were analyzed through content analysis. In the study, 5 themes, 20 codes, and 34 sub-codes were created. According to the findings, first, inclusive leadership was predominantly conceptualised through the principles of equality, fairness, and participation, with stakeholders emphasising equal treatment, inclusion of all individuals in school processes, and participatory decision-making. While school administrators tended to view inclusion from a structural and managerial perspective, teachers emphasised its relational, emotional, and communicative dimensions. Second, the cultural structure of disadvantaged neighbourhoods was characterised primarily by low socioeconomic conditions, strong traditional values, and cultural diversity, creating both challenges and opportunities for inclusive leadership practices. Third, school administrators’ inclusive leadership practices were largely perceived positively and reflected instructional leadership, open communication, stakeholder participation, attention to individual differences, collaboration, and fairness, although weaknesses related to empathy and engagement with external stakeholders were also identified. Fourth, inclusive leadership was perceived to contribute to academic achievement indirectly through enhanced student motivation, school belonging, organisational trust, positive school climate, cooperation, and respect for individual differences. Finally, participants identified family disengagement, economic hardship, inadequate physical resources, and limited community support as major barriers to inclusive leadership, while recommending stronger family-school collaboration, increased community involvement, leadership training, and structural improvements as key strategies for enhancing both inclusion and academic success. Overall, the findings suggest that the influence of inclusive leadership on academic achievement in disadvantaged contexts operates through both structural and relational mechanisms and is strongly shaped by broader socioeconomic and community conditions. Full article