Suchergebnisse

This study focuses on school rebuilding experiences in a distressed rural county in the wake of severe flooding. While considering scholarly literature, and making use of relevant public records and media coverage, the centerpiece of this qualitative study is an analysis of 391 public comments made in response to proposed rebuilding plans. The study focuses on how the schools rebuilding debate was socially constructed in response to the flood and in a time of growing awareness of climate change. The findings suggest that the debate was framed along lines familiar to rural school closure and consolidation controversies in general and in context of underlying political and social conditions specific to the county. Themes of power and powerlessness, fairness and justice, and community identity and viability were predominant. Specific discussion of climate change and associated themes was notably absent in the public comments. The findings suggest that existing sociopolitical context and policy domains may shape the consideration of new adaptation choices, whether forced by immediate events such as a natural disaster, or influenced by longer term concerns relating to climate change.

ObjectivesTo examine and assess sociocultural or socioeconomic inertia as an impediment to effective climate change policy response and practice.MethodsTwo core concepts to climate change policy response, "resilience" and "adaptation," are seen as critical in disaster recovery strategies and practice. As ideal types, these concepts are coalescing in theory and gaining acceptance in the professional community, but not necessarily in practice. These concepts are explored through a study of disaster recovery efforts following the West Virginia floods of 2016.ResultsDisaster recovery strategies based on ideal forms of resilience and adaptation face significant barriers to adoption and practice. Disjunction between theory and practice constitutes one form of inertia. Other contributing factors include individual and collective behavior that resists change through social justification and insular forms of social capital. Institutional drag, in the form of waning political will and limited administrative capacity, also impedes adoption and use.ConclusionSociocultural and socioeconomic inertia challenge the development of effective policies and practices to address climate change; social science can contribute to our understanding of these sources of constraint.

This article provides an overview of Extension's Military Families Learning Network. The network is an example of Extension's commitment to building virtual learning networks in the support of targeted professional and lay audiences. The network uses well-established and emergent pedagogical approaches focusing on adult-centered learning while employing state-of-the-art online learning technologies. We present a four-dimensional model of learning activities to illustrate how the network offers different options for and approaches to adult-centered learning and training. The Military Families Learning Network can serve as a model for broader adoption of such entities across the Extension community.