Purpose: Meat processing companies have the potential to raise farm and sector productivity by directly working with farmers. This study assesses how commercial companies can undertake the roles of innovation intermediaries to increase productivity in New Zealand's sheep and beef sector. Design/methodology/approach: This study uses a case study…

Extending and challenging Arun Appadurai's anthropocentric "scapes," this article converses with feminist posthumanism, ecofeminism, and the political ecology of education to develop a more-than-human ecopedagogy in/for/with animalScapes. After outlining the article's theoretical framework, I briefly discuss the research cases informing…

Inquiry methods have been successful in improving science literacy in students of all ages. Model-Based Inquiry (MBI) is an instructional model that engages students in the practices of science through the collaborative development of scientific models to explain an anchoring phenomenon. Student ideas are tested through engagement in content-rich…

Inquiry-based science education (IBSE) is a pedagogic strategy that combines scientific experimentation, observation and sense-making through collaborative learning. This chapter reports on the use of live snails to explore the extent to which hosting living organisms in the classroom might provide a productive context for promoting IBSE. Even…

The use of service dogs within the United States is growing (Walther et al., 2017). At the same time, the functions performed by these dogs are expanding. Schools are microcosm of society. As a result, school personnel are often confronted with the task of determining the extent of access a service dog and handler have to school buildings in…

The role of higher education is not only to prepare students for a career: it should assist and support them as they begin an adult life, which includes contributing to society and a community, participating in a democracy, forming relationships, clarifying their values and beliefs, and finding meaning and direction in the world. However, as…

The serine protease inhibitor neuroserpin regulates the activity of tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA) in the nervous system. Neuroserpin expression is particularly prominent at late stages of neuronal development in most regions of the central nervous system (CNS), whereas it is restricted to regions related to learning and memory in the…

Researchers and pollsters still debate the acceptance of genetic engineering technology among U.S. adults, and continue to assess their knowledge as part of this research. While decision-making may not rely entirely on knowledge, querying opinions and perceptions rely on public understanding of genetic engineering terms. Experience with…

This study examines how third-graders' conceptions about the origin of species are affected by formal instruction and whether children can learn not only about evolution but also about natural selection. We interviewed the same group of third-grade children (8-9 years old) twice, before and after following a curriculum about these topics.…

This study examined the play of 4-year-old children with a forest diorama that included toy representations of plants and animals. To examine the potential role of culture and expertise in diorama play, children from 3 samples participated: rural Native American, urban Native American, and urban non-Native American. Children's playtime was divided…

In this article I discuss my experiences as an international PhD student conducting research in New Zealand. This reflexive paper will discuss the challenges and difficulties I faced as a novice researcher and as an 'outsider' who needed to understand and embrace the uniquely Kiwi-Maori culture that permeates New Zealand society. In particular,…

Existing research on human-animal interactions has established that engaging with an animal may reduce anxiety-like behaviors (Acheson et al., 2013; Sobota, Mihara, Forrest, Featherstone, & Siegel, 2015; Yates, 2012) and lower physiological response in stressful situations (Campo & Uchino, 2013). This quantitative research study expanded…

One of the overlapping curriculum designs indicates the mismatch of teaching materials with the cognitive level process and student development, impacting the unstructured qualification of mastery of the material. On the other hand, the breadth and depth of teaching materials in the curriculum must be following students' mental development and…

Many students currently in preservice agricultural education teacher education programs do not have traditional agricultural backgrounds. Many of those students are experiencing skills they will be required to teach or utilize upon employment for the first and sometimes only time in introductory course work within their teacher education programs.…

In this article, Tammy D. Lee and Jane L. Lubischer describe a classroom lesson designed to explore how animals use sound to communicate and how this communication affects their survival. Lee and Lubischer wanted to bring an awareness of how science is happening in students' own backyards. They developed a half-day 5E lesson integrating two…