holistic education case study

July 30, 2015

• January 4, 2024

Holistic Education Care: Nurturing Student Well-being in 2024

In the fast-paced world of education, the focus is shifting towards a more comprehensive approach that goes beyond traditional academic achievements. As we step into 2024, the importance of student well-being takes center stage, and schools are increasingly adopting holistic education practices. Let’s delve into the evolution, implementation, and impact of holistic education, exploring its various facets and the challenges and successes associated with this transformative approach.

Introduction

The landscape of education is undergoing a profound transformation, and one of the pivotal changes is the recognition of the critical role that student well-being plays in the learning process. This article aims to explore the concept of holistic education, its evolution, and the ways in which it is being implemented to nurture the well-being of students in 2024.

The Evolution of Holistic Education

Definition and principles of holistic education.

Holistic education is not a new concept. It is an approach that considers the development of the whole person, addressing not only academic aspects but also emotional, physical, and social dimensions. The core principles involve recognizing the interconnectedness of these dimensions and fostering a supportive environment for comprehensive growth.

Historical Context and Its Evolution Over Time

The roots of holistic education can be traced back to ancient educational philosophies. However, its modern evolution has been shaped by the changing needs of society and a deeper understanding of human psychology and development. From alternative education movements to the integration of holistic practices into mainstream curricula, the journey has been both diverse and dynamic.

Key Components of Holistic Education

Academic development.

Contrary to misconceptions, holistic education does not neglect academic excellence. Instead, it redefines success by emphasizing a deeper understanding of subjects, critical thinking, and a love for learning. Academic development in holistic education goes hand in hand with personal and social growth.

Emotional Intelligence

Recognizing and managing emotions is a crucial life skill. Holistic education places a strong emphasis on emotional intelligence, helping students understand and navigate their feelings. This not only contributes to better mental health but also enhances interpersonal relationships.

Physical Well-being

A healthy body supports a healthy mind. Physical well-being is integrated into holistic education through various means, including regular physical activities, nutritious diets, and a focus on overall fitness. This holistic approach aims to instill lifelong habits that contribute to a student’s well-being.

Social Skills

In an interconnected world, social skills are paramount. Holistic education fosters the development of effective communication, teamwork, and empathy. These skills are essential not only for personal relationships but also for success in the professional sphere.

Implementing Holistic Education in 2024

Technological advancements in education.

The digital age has revolutionized education, providing new opportunities for holistic approaches. From online resources for mental health to virtual classrooms fostering collaboration, technology is a powerful ally in implementing holistic education in 2024.

Role of Teachers and Parents

Implementing holistic education requires a collaborative effort. Teachers play a central role in creating a nurturing environment within the classroom, while parents contribute significantly to a child’s well-being outside of school hours. A strong partnership between educators and parents is crucial for the success of holistic education programs.

Integration of Holistic Approaches in the Curriculum

Holistic education is not a standalone module; it is seamlessly woven into the fabric of the curriculum. Subjects are interconnected, and lessons are designed to address multiple dimensions of a student’s development. This integration ensures that holistic principles are not an add-on but an intrinsic part of the learning experience.

The Impact of Holistic Education on Student Performance

Academic achievements.

Contrary to the belief that holistic education compromises academic success, numerous studies indicate that students in holistic programs often perform as well as, if not better than, their peers in traditional settings. The emphasis on understanding over memorization contributes to a deeper grasp of subjects.

Emotional Resilience

In a world filled with challenges, emotional resilience is a valuable asset. Holistic education equips students with the tools to cope with stress, setbacks, and the complexities of life. This emotional fortitude not only enhances well-being but also positively influences academic and personal achievements.

Long-Term Success

The impact of holistic education extends far beyond the school years. Students exposed to holistic approaches are better equipped for the challenges of higher education, the workforce, and life in general. The investment in their holistic development pays off in terms of long-term success and fulfillment.

Challenges in Implementing Holistic Education

Resistance to change.

Traditionally, education has been resistant to change. Implementing holistic approaches requires a paradigm shift, and this is met with resistance from various stakeholders, including educators, parents, and policymakers. Overcoming this resistance is a significant challenge.

Resource Constraints

Holistic education often demands resources beyond the conventional. From additional training for teachers to the incorporation of extracurricular activities, resource constraints pose a hurdle. Finding creative solutions and garnering support are essential in addressing this challenge.

Assessment Difficulties

Measuring the success of holistic education is not as straightforward as grading exams. Assessment methods need to capture the multifaceted growth of students, including their emotional intelligence, social skills, and physical well-being. Developing reliable assessment tools is an ongoing challenge.

Success Stories: Schools Embracing Holistic Education

Case studies of schools with successful holistic education programs.

Highlighting real-world examples of schools that have successfully embraced holistic education provides tangible evidence of its effectiveness. Case studies shed light on the transformative journeys of both students and institutions.

Positive Outcomes for Students and the School Community

Beyond academic achievements, successful holistic education programs contribute to a positive school culture. Improved student-teacher relationships, a sense of community, and a nurturing environment are among the many positive outcomes that ripple through the school community.

Building a Supportive Community in Educational Institutions

Importance of collaboration.

Creating a supportive community requires collaboration between teachers, parents, students, and administrators. When these stakeholders work together, they create an environment that fosters holistic growth.

Involvement of Stakeholders

Every member of the educational community plays a role in nurturing student well-being. From teachers incorporating holistic practices in the classroom to parents reinforcing these principles at home, the involvement of all stakeholders is crucial.

Community Engagement Initiatives

Beyond the school gates, community engagement initiatives enhance the impact of holistic education. Partnerships with local organizations, outreach programs, and community events contribute to a broader network that supports student well-being.

The Role of Technology in Student Well-being

Digital tools for mental health.

The integration of technology extends to mental health support. Digital tools, apps, and online platforms offer students resources for managing stress, anxiety, and other mental health challenges.

Virtual Resources for Holistic Development

Virtual resources, including online courses and interactive platforms, provide opportunities for students to explore diverse interests and talents. These resources contribute to a well-rounded education that goes beyond the limitations of traditional classrooms.

Balancing Screen Time for Students

While technology is a valuable asset, it’s essential to strike a balance. Holistic education acknowledges the importance of limiting screen time, promoting outdoor activities, and maintaining a healthy balance between the virtual and physical worlds.

Cultivating Emotional Intelligence in the Classroom

Emotional intelligence definition and importance.

Understanding and managing emotions are essential life skills. Holistic education emphasizes the cultivation of emotional intelligence, recognizing its significance in personal development and interpersonal relationships.

Strategies for Teachers to Foster Emotional Intelligence

Teachers play a pivotal role in fostering emotional intelligence. Strategies such as open communication, empathy, and creating a safe space for expression contribute to the emotional well-being of students.

Parental Involvement in Emotional Development

Emotional development is a collaborative effort. In addition to the role of teachers, parental involvement is crucial in reinforcing emotional intelligence principles at home. Workshops and communication channels facilitate this partnership.

Physical Well-being: Beyond the Classroom

Importance of physical activities.

Holistic education recognizes the intrinsic connection between physical and mental well-being. Incorporating regular physical activities into the curriculum promotes not only physical health but also enhances focus and cognitive abilities.

Encouraging Healthy Habits

Educating students about the importance of healthy habits is a lifelong investment. From nutrition education to promoting regular exercise, schools play a vital role in instilling habits that contribute to overall well-being.

Community Sports and Fitness Programs

Extending physical well-being beyond the classroom, community sports and fitness programs provide students with opportunities for social interaction, teamwork, and a sense of belonging.

Empowering Teachers in the Holistic Approach

Teacher training programs.

Empowering teachers to embrace holistic approaches requires comprehensive training programs. These programs equip educators with the tools and strategies to integrate holistic principles into their teaching methodologies.

Recognition and Support for Educators

Acknowledging the pivotal role teachers play in holistic education is essential. Recognition, support, and professional development opportunities contribute to their motivation and effectiveness in nurturing student well-being.

The Role of Mentorship in Teacher Well-being

Mentorship programs create a supportive network among teachers. Peer mentorship and guidance from experienced educators contribute to the well-being and professional growth of teachers in the holistic approach.

Parental Involvement: A Cornerstone of Holistic Education

The influence of parental support.

Parents are key partners in holistic education. Their support, involvement in school activities, and reinforcement of holistic principles at home significantly influence a child’s well-being and overall development.

Communication Between School and Parents

Open communication channels between schools and parents are crucial. Regular updates, parent-teacher conferences, and workshops ensure that parents are informed and actively engaged in their child’s holistic development.

Workshops and Seminars for Parents

Educating parents about holistic principles and strategies is vital. Workshops and seminars provide parents with insights and practical tips to reinforce holistic practices in the home environment.

Measuring Success: Beyond Grades and Scores

Alternative assessment methods.

Assessing the success of holistic education requires alternative methods. Portfolios, project-based assessments, and qualitative evaluations provide a more comprehensive view of a student’s growth.

Qualitative Indicators of Student Well-being

Beyond quantitative metrics, qualitative indicators such as self-confidence, resilience, and a positive attitude become essential measures of success in holistic education.

Tracking Long-Term Outcomes

Holistic education is a long-term investment. Tracking the outcomes of students as they progress through higher education and enter the workforce provides valuable insights into the lasting impact of holistic approaches.

Future Trends in Holistic Education

Predictions and emerging practices.

As we look to the future, the landscape of holistic education continues to evolve. Predictions and emerging practices offer a glimpse into the potential advancements that will further enhance student well-being and the effectiveness of holistic education.

The Ongoing Evolution of Holistic Education

Holistic education is not a static concept; it evolves in response to societal changes, technological advancements, and a deeper understanding of human development. The ongoing evolution ensures that holistic education remains relevant and effective in nurturing the well-being of students.

In conclusion, holistic education stands as a transformative approach to nurturing the well-being of students in 2024 and beyond. By addressing academic, emotional, physical, and social dimensions, holistic education creates a foundation for lifelong success and fulfillment. The challenges may be significant, but the successes and positive impacts on students and school communities underscore the importance of embracing this holistic approach.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Academia.edu no longer supports Internet Explorer.

To browse Academia.edu and the wider internet faster and more securely, please take a few seconds to  upgrade your browser .

Enter the email address you signed up with and we'll email you a reset link.

• We're Hiring!
• Help Center

Can Holistic Education Solve the World’s Problems: A Systematic Literature Review

Sustainability

UNESCO argues that having a holistic approach to education is essential to address global development challenges. However, what empirical evidence do we have about holistic education practices? This study aims to review empirical research on holistic education. The methodological design is a systematic review study following the PRISMA guidelines based on a search of the Scopus and Semantic Scholar databases carried out in December 2021. The selected studies were analysed through a qualitative three-stage screening process based on 218 subjects, 9 of which were included in the final sample. The following inclusion criteria were used: empirical studies or research in English; free access via the internet; and categories limited to “holistic/education/curriculum/pedagogy”. The qualitative analysis of the articles based on the interpretative paradigm and the open coding method was implemented in MAXQDA. The study shows a lack of large-scale quantitative and comparative research showing...

Related Papers

International Congress on Social Sciences - Humanities and Education Proceedings Book by Güven Plus Grup A.Ş. Yayınları, 15 December, 2022

Dr. Seyfullah Sahinoglu

The main purpose of education and even religious education is to raise high-qualified young generations by building values that will transform them into successful individuals. In this context, their sole mission should be to protect and maintain the social and cultural heritage shaped by the perfect blend of belief, thought, morality, value and identity. Today, it has become the common destiny of humanity to overcome the problems arising from the mechanical and reductionist educational thought and understanding of the Age of Enlightenment. Indeed, problems such as nuclear armament, biological wars, environmental pollution, hunger and drought, waste of resources, unrealized women's rights, irregular migration, increasing unemployment and income injustice have become more difficult and bigger than ever before in human history, threatening the world and humanity on a global scale. The holistic approach, which argues that human and everything that surrounds them, have a special value and dignity, offers correct and real solutions and formulas to those who seek an emergency way out in this context, in order to minimize vital damage and destruction due to global problems. It can achieve this with its original educational techniques and methods, as well as many deep-rooted philosophies and worldviews. From this point of view, holistic education is a real, comprehensive, balanced and dynamic alternative education system that can carry humanity to the 21st century education level by achieving these and similar goals, which are meaningful and respectable but very difficult to achieve.

Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences

Jelena Badjanova

Samuel Conyers

Burhan Akpınar

The aim of this study is to analyze the concept of “holistic” and to discuss the positive reflection of this concept to education. By documentation analysis method, related literature has been scanned. A conclusion has been put forward and some suggestions have been offered to improve our current education system which is based on positivist approach. The reference source of positivist, modern, idealistic, essentialist and traditional education is behaviorism. A parallelism can be drawn between the insight which aims to improve the individual in mostly mental aspect and materialistic worldview. Intelligence is in the forefront for this approach which handles the individual with only materialistic aspect. However, human being is a whole consisting of both matter and sense. The only way to achieve perfection in education is to balance the factors including body, mind, soul, feelings and thoughts equally.Keywords: holistic, holistic approach, holisticism in education

Fatih Mehmet Cigerci

Education, like all the other fields in society, is influenced by social, technological, political happenings. The catastrophic environmental crisis and nuclear destructions in the 1960s and 1970s and the increasing corruptions, the breakdowns in family life, moving away from traditional, social and religious values worried people. Besides all these undesired changes, people began to lead a more routine life and devote their lives to values of materialist world. A group of sensitive educators reacted against people's moving away from traditional values and losing their "spirit" and they insisted that education should nurture development of the whole person in terms of intellectual, emotional, physical, social, aesthetic and spiritual. In addition, they also believed that in educational process human values such as peace, honesty, equality, cooperation, love, and understanding should be taken into consideration. Emerging from such opinions, holistic education has gained importance among the educators in the world. This study is based on the historical roots, definitions, philosophies and principles of holistic education are explained.

Osee Lieberman

The individual in the modern technological society must be acquainted with an increasing amount of objective knowledge and so must be able to make responsible decisions for himself in order to survive and adapt to the demands of the society. Most of our individual problems and our collective human problems result from the lack of moral intelligence which derives from over emphasis on competition involving collaboration which is immoral, unintelligent, irresponsible and therefore destructive. Such lack of adaptive competition is characteristic of the egocentric level of human consciousness and its desire to protect its own self interests. Egocentric and immoral or 'unethical' competitiveness cannot be the way to resolve the problems which it created in the first place. The way to solve our collective human problems is through competition involving collaboration which is intelligent, responsible, creative and therefore adaptive because it is moral or 'ethical'. It is my opinion that ethical competition is characteristic of the moral or 'spiritual' level of human consciousness and its concern for the welfare of others (Lieberman, 2017). For this reason, our survival and continued evolution depends on the choice of philosophical paradigm which underlies the education which we offer to our children.

Sharon Lauricella

This study examines both if and why university students believe that increased exposure to holistic principles would have been beneficial to their success after finishing secondary education. The overwhelming majority—on average about 70%— of participants agreed that had they had more exposure to holistic principles (personal identity, meaning/purpose, connections to the community, connections to the natural world, and humanitarian values) while in the K-12 system, they would have been more successful in university. Students supporting such exposure reported that a holistic education would have helped them to better choose their course of study in university, to more fully understand their career opportunities after graduation, and to be more informed about the community, natural world, and citizens with whom they interacted. Students who did not support an increased exposure to holistic principles felt that this kind of education was not an academic pursuit, was best studied in their free time, or already felt as if they had sufficient exposure to these principles.

Lucila T Rudge

The holistic education movement emerged in the mid-1980s as a response to the then dominant worldview of mainstream education. It is an educational paradigm that integrates the idealistic ideas of humanistic education with spiritual philosophical ideas. Holistic education theorists propose an integration of what most progressive and democratic movements in education assume should be kept separate: spirituality and humanistic ideals. While these two paradigms may be combined philosophically, the author questions whether they can be jointly applied in a single approach to education. This book investigates this question by exploring the pedagogical application of the philosophical principles advocated by leading theorists in the field of holistic education in four selected school systems: Waldorf Schools, Montessori Schools, Reggio Emilia Schools, and Neohumanist Schools. The analysis and detailed description of the pedagogy in these school systems helps illuminate issues involved in the application of holistic education. This book will be especially useful to educators who are seeking to broaden their understanding of the theory and practice of holistic education.

Saminah Khan

T.L. Holdstock

RELATED PAPERS

roland mendoza

Progress in Community Health Partnerships

LeaVonne Pulley

Lawrence Kariuki

Gabriel Gandubert

Shipbuilding & marine infrastructure

EduHumaniora | Jurnal Pendidikan Dasar Kampus Cibiru

Auris Nasus Larynx

Paolo BONGIOANNI

Telmo Ramos

Journal of Mathematical Sciences

Giulio Starita

Asian Journal of Engineering and Applied Technology

Poonam Talmale

Revista Brasileira de Otorrinolaringologia

Helio H Caiaffa Filho

Pratt 毕业证书 普瑞特艺术学院 学位证

Revista Cubana de Investigaciones Biomédicas

Adrian Zelada Valdés

Médecine et maladies infectieuses

francois verriere

Revista Processos Químicos

Edson Roberto Vieira

Journal of the Acoustical Society of America

Butrus Khuri-Yakub

Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics

Elena Stoleru

The British Journal of Radiology

Gláucia Zanetti

Applied Physics Letters

gerard benassayag

Jurnal Berkala Epidemiologi

Atik Choirul Hidajah

RELATED TOPICS

•   We're Hiring!
•   Help Center
• Find new research papers in:
• Health Sciences
• Earth Sciences
• Cognitive Science
• Mathematics
• Computer Science
• Academia ©2024

Case Study Research Method in Psychology

Saul Mcleod, PhD

Editor-in-Chief for Simply Psychology

BSc (Hons) Psychology, MRes, PhD, University of Manchester

Saul Mcleod, PhD., is a qualified psychology teacher with over 18 years of experience in further and higher education. He has been published in peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Clinical Psychology.

Learn about our Editorial Process

Olivia Guy-Evans, MSc

Associate Editor for Simply Psychology

BSc (Hons) Psychology, MSc Psychology of Education

Olivia Guy-Evans is a writer and associate editor for Simply Psychology. She has previously worked in healthcare and educational sectors.

On This Page:

Case studies are in-depth investigations of a person, group, event, or community. Typically, data is gathered from various sources using several methods (e.g., observations & interviews).

The case study research method originated in clinical medicine (the case history, i.e., the patient’s personal history). In psychology, case studies are often confined to the study of a particular individual.

The information is mainly biographical and relates to events in the individual’s past (i.e., retrospective), as well as to significant events that are currently occurring in his or her everyday life.

The case study is not a research method, but researchers select methods of data collection and analysis that will generate material suitable for case studies.

Freud (1909a, 1909b) conducted very detailed investigations into the private lives of his patients in an attempt to both understand and help them overcome their illnesses.

This makes it clear that the case study is a method that should only be used by a psychologist, therapist, or psychiatrist, i.e., someone with a professional qualification.

There is an ethical issue of competence. Only someone qualified to diagnose and treat a person can conduct a formal case study relating to atypical (i.e., abnormal) behavior or atypical development.

 Famous Case Studies

• Anna O – One of the most famous case studies, documenting psychoanalyst Josef Breuer’s treatment of “Anna O” (real name Bertha Pappenheim) for hysteria in the late 1800s using early psychoanalytic theory.
• Little Hans – A child psychoanalysis case study published by Sigmund Freud in 1909 analyzing his five-year-old patient Herbert Graf’s house phobia as related to the Oedipus complex.
• Bruce/Brenda – Gender identity case of the boy (Bruce) whose botched circumcision led psychologist John Money to advise gender reassignment and raise him as a girl (Brenda) in the 1960s.
• Genie Wiley – Linguistics/psychological development case of the victim of extreme isolation abuse who was studied in 1970s California for effects of early language deprivation on acquiring speech later in life.
• Phineas Gage – One of the most famous neuropsychology case studies analyzes personality changes in railroad worker Phineas Gage after an 1848 brain injury involving a tamping iron piercing his skull.

Clinical Case Studies

• Studying the effectiveness of psychotherapy approaches with an individual patient
• Assessing and treating mental illnesses like depression, anxiety disorders, PTSD
• Neuropsychological cases investigating brain injuries or disorders

Child Psychology Case Studies

• Studying psychological development from birth through adolescence
• Cases of learning disabilities, autism spectrum disorders, ADHD
• Effects of trauma, abuse, deprivation on development

Types of Case Studies

• Explanatory case studies : Used to explore causation in order to find underlying principles. Helpful for doing qualitative analysis to explain presumed causal links.
• Exploratory case studies : Used to explore situations where an intervention being evaluated has no clear set of outcomes. It helps define questions and hypotheses for future research.
• Descriptive case studies : Describe an intervention or phenomenon and the real-life context in which it occurred. It is helpful for illustrating certain topics within an evaluation.
• Multiple-case studies : Used to explore differences between cases and replicate findings across cases. Helpful for comparing and contrasting specific cases.
• Intrinsic : Used to gain a better understanding of a particular case. Helpful for capturing the complexity of a single case.
• Collective : Used to explore a general phenomenon using multiple case studies. Helpful for jointly studying a group of cases in order to inquire into the phenomenon.

Where Do You Find Data for a Case Study?

There are several places to find data for a case study. The key is to gather data from multiple sources to get a complete picture of the case and corroborate facts or findings through triangulation of evidence. Most of this information is likely qualitative (i.e., verbal description rather than measurement), but the psychologist might also collect numerical data.

1. Primary sources

• Interviews – Interviewing key people related to the case to get their perspectives and insights. The interview is an extremely effective procedure for obtaining information about an individual, and it may be used to collect comments from the person’s friends, parents, employer, workmates, and others who have a good knowledge of the person, as well as to obtain facts from the person him or herself.
• Observations – Observing behaviors, interactions, processes, etc., related to the case as they unfold in real-time.
• Documents & Records – Reviewing private documents, diaries, public records, correspondence, meeting minutes, etc., relevant to the case.

2. Secondary sources

• News/Media – News coverage of events related to the case study.
• Academic articles – Journal articles, dissertations etc. that discuss the case.
• Government reports – Official data and records related to the case context.
• Books/films – Books, documentaries or films discussing the case.

3. Archival records

Searching historical archives, museum collections and databases to find relevant documents, visual/audio records related to the case history and context.

Public archives like newspapers, organizational records, photographic collections could all include potentially relevant pieces of information to shed light on attitudes, cultural perspectives, common practices and historical contexts related to psychology.

4. Organizational records

Organizational records offer the advantage of often having large datasets collected over time that can reveal or confirm psychological insights.

Of course, privacy and ethical concerns regarding confidential data must be navigated carefully.

However, with proper protocols, organizational records can provide invaluable context and empirical depth to qualitative case studies exploring the intersection of psychology and organizations.

• Organizational/industrial psychology research : Organizational records like employee surveys, turnover/retention data, policies, incident reports etc. may provide insight into topics like job satisfaction, workplace culture and dynamics, leadership issues, employee behaviors etc.
• Clinical psychology : Therapists/hospitals may grant access to anonymized medical records to study aspects like assessments, diagnoses, treatment plans etc. This could shed light on clinical practices.
• School psychology : Studies could utilize anonymized student records like test scores, grades, disciplinary issues, and counseling referrals to study child development, learning barriers, effectiveness of support programs, and more.

How do I Write a Case Study in Psychology?

Follow specified case study guidelines provided by a journal or your psychology tutor. General components of clinical case studies include: background, symptoms, assessments, diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes. Interpreting the information means the researcher decides what to include or leave out. A good case study should always clarify which information is the factual description and which is an inference or the researcher’s opinion.

1. Introduction

• Provide background on the case context and why it is of interest, presenting background information like demographics, relevant history, and presenting problem.
• Compare briefly to similar published cases if applicable. Clearly state the focus/importance of the case.

2. Case Presentation

• Describe the presenting problem in detail, including symptoms, duration,and impact on daily life.
• Include client demographics like age and gender, information about social relationships, and mental health history.
• Describe all physical, emotional, and/or sensory symptoms reported by the client.
• Use patient quotes to describe the initial complaint verbatim. Follow with full-sentence summaries of relevant history details gathered, including key components that led to a working diagnosis.
• Summarize clinical exam results, namely orthopedic/neurological tests, imaging, lab tests, etc. Note actual results rather than subjective conclusions. Provide images if clearly reproducible/anonymized.
• Clearly state the working diagnosis or clinical impression before transitioning to management.

3. Management and Outcome

• Indicate the total duration of care and number of treatments given over what timeframe. Use specific names/descriptions for any therapies/interventions applied.
• Present the results of the intervention,including any quantitative or qualitative data collected.
• For outcomes, utilize visual analog scales for pain, medication usage logs, etc., if possible. Include patient self-reports of improvement/worsening of symptoms. Note the reason for discharge/end of care.

4. Discussion

• Analyze the case, exploring contributing factors, limitations of the study, and connections to existing research.
• Analyze the effectiveness of the intervention,considering factors like participant adherence, limitations of the study, and potential alternative explanations for the results.
• Identify any questions raised in the case analysis and relate insights to established theories and current research if applicable. Avoid definitive claims about physiological explanations.
• Offer clinical implications, and suggest future research directions.

5. Additional Items

• Thank specific assistants for writing support only. No patient acknowledgments.
• References should directly support any key claims or quotes included.
• Use tables/figures/images only if substantially informative. Include permissions and legends/explanatory notes.
• Provides detailed (rich qualitative) information.
• Provides insight for further research.
• Permitting investigation of otherwise impractical (or unethical) situations.

Case studies allow a researcher to investigate a topic in far more detail than might be possible if they were trying to deal with a large number of research participants (nomothetic approach) with the aim of ‘averaging’.

Because of their in-depth, multi-sided approach, case studies often shed light on aspects of human thinking and behavior that would be unethical or impractical to study in other ways.

Research that only looks into the measurable aspects of human behavior is not likely to give us insights into the subjective dimension of experience, which is important to psychoanalytic and humanistic psychologists.

Case studies are often used in exploratory research. They can help us generate new ideas (that might be tested by other methods). They are an important way of illustrating theories and can help show how different aspects of a person’s life are related to each other.

The method is, therefore, important for psychologists who adopt a holistic point of view (i.e., humanistic psychologists ).

Limitations

• Lacking scientific rigor and providing little basis for generalization of results to the wider population.
• Researchers’ own subjective feelings may influence the case study (researcher bias).
• Difficult to replicate.
• Time-consuming and expensive.
• The volume of data, together with the time restrictions in place, impacted the depth of analysis that was possible within the available resources.

Because a case study deals with only one person/event/group, we can never be sure if the case study investigated is representative of the wider body of “similar” instances. This means the conclusions drawn from a particular case may not be transferable to other settings.

Because case studies are based on the analysis of qualitative (i.e., descriptive) data , a lot depends on the psychologist’s interpretation of the information she has acquired.

This means that there is a lot of scope for Anna O , and it could be that the subjective opinions of the psychologist intrude in the assessment of what the data means.

For example, Freud has been criticized for producing case studies in which the information was sometimes distorted to fit particular behavioral theories (e.g., Little Hans ).

This is also true of Money’s interpretation of the Bruce/Brenda case study (Diamond, 1997) when he ignored evidence that went against his theory.

Breuer, J., & Freud, S. (1895).  Studies on hysteria . Standard Edition 2: London.

Curtiss, S. (1981). Genie: The case of a modern wild child .

Diamond, M., & Sigmundson, K. (1997). Sex Reassignment at Birth: Long-term Review and Clinical Implications. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine , 151(3), 298-304

Freud, S. (1909a). Analysis of a phobia of a five year old boy. In The Pelican Freud Library (1977), Vol 8, Case Histories 1, pages 169-306

Freud, S. (1909b). Bemerkungen über einen Fall von Zwangsneurose (Der “Rattenmann”). Jb. psychoanal. psychopathol. Forsch ., I, p. 357-421; GW, VII, p. 379-463; Notes upon a case of obsessional neurosis, SE , 10: 151-318.

Harlow J. M. (1848). Passage of an iron rod through the head.  Boston Medical and Surgical Journal, 39 , 389–393.

Harlow, J. M. (1868).  Recovery from the Passage of an Iron Bar through the Head .  Publications of the Massachusetts Medical Society. 2  (3), 327-347.

Money, J., & Ehrhardt, A. A. (1972).  Man & Woman, Boy & Girl : The Differentiation and Dimorphism of Gender Identity from Conception to Maturity. Baltimore, Maryland: Johns Hopkins University Press.

Money, J., & Tucker, P. (1975). Sexual signatures: On being a man or a woman.

Further Information

• Case Study Approach
• Case Study Method
• Enhancing the Quality of Case Studies in Health Services Research
• “We do things together” A case study of “couplehood” in dementia
• Using mixed methods for evaluating an integrative approach to cancer care: a case study

Related Articles

Research Methodology

Qualitative Data Coding

What Is a Focus Group?

Cross-Cultural Research Methodology In Psychology

What Is Internal Validity In Research?

Research Methodology , Statistics

What Is Face Validity In Research? Importance & How To Measure

Criterion Validity: Definition & Examples

• Work & Careers
• Life & Arts
• Currently reading: Business school teaching case study: Unilever chief signals rethink on ESG
• Business school teaching case study: can green hydrogen’s potential be realised?
• Business school teaching case study: how electric vehicles pose tricky trade dilemmas
• Business school teaching case study: is private equity responsible for child labour violations?

Business school teaching case study: Unilever chief signals rethink on ESG

• Business school teaching case study: Unilever chief signals rethink on ESG on x (opens in a new window)
• Business school teaching case study: Unilever chief signals rethink on ESG on facebook (opens in a new window)
• Business school teaching case study: Unilever chief signals rethink on ESG on linkedin (opens in a new window)
• Business school teaching case study: Unilever chief signals rethink on ESG on whatsapp (opens in a new window)

Gabriela Salinas and Jeeva Somasundaram

Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.

In April this year, Hein Schumacher, chief executive of Unilever, announced that the company was entering a “new era for sustainability leadership”, and signalled a shift from the central priority promoted under his predecessor , Alan Jope.

While Jope saw lack of social purpose or environmental sustainability as the way to prune brands from the portfolio, Schumacher has adopted a more balanced approach between purpose and profit. He stresses that Unilever should deliver on both sustainability commitments and financial goals. This approach, which we dub “realistic sustainability”, aims to balance long- and short-term environmental goals, ambition, and delivery.

As a result, Unilever’s refreshed sustainability agenda focuses harder on fewer commitments that the company says remain “very stretching”. In practice, this entails extending deadlines for taking action as well as reducing the scale of its targets for environmental, social and governance measures.

Such backpedalling is becoming widespread — with many companies retracting their commitments to climate targets , for example. According to FactSet, a US financial data and software provider, the number of US companies in the S&P 500 index mentioning “ESG” on their earnings calls has declined sharply : from a peak of 155 in the fourth quarter 2021 to just 29 two years later. This trend towards playing down a company’s ESG efforts, from fear of greater scrutiny or of accusations of empty claims, even has a name: “greenhushing”.

Test yourself

This is the fourth in a series of monthly business school-style teaching case studies devoted to the responsible business dilemmas faced by organisations. Read the piece and FT articles suggested at the end before considering the questions raised.

About the authors: Gabriela Salinas is an adjunct professor of marketing at IE University; Jeeva Somasundaram is an assistant professor of decision sciences in operations and technology at IE University.

The series forms part of a wider collection of FT ‘instant teaching case studies ’, featured across our Business Education publications, that explore management challenges.

The change in approach is not limited to regulatory compliance and corporate reporting; it also affects consumer communications. While Jope believed that brands sold more when “guided by a purpose”, Schumacher argues that “we don’t want to force fit [purpose] on brands unnecessarily”.

His more nuanced view aligns with evidence that consumers’ responses to the sustainability and purpose communication attached to brand names depend on two key variables: the type of industry in which the brand operates; and the specific aspect of sustainability being communicated.

In terms of the sustainability message, research in the Journal of Business Ethics found consumers can be less interested when product functionality is key. Furthermore, a UK survey in 2022 found that about 15 per cent of consumers believed brands should support social causes, but nearly 60 per cent said they would rather see brand owners pay taxes and treat people fairly.

Among investors, too, “anti-purpose” and “anti-ESG” sentiment is growing. One (unnamed) leading bond fund manager even suggested to the FT that “ESG will be dead in five years”.

Media reports on the adverse impact of ESG controversies on investment are certainly now more frequent. For example, while Jope was still at the helm, the FT reported criticism of Unilever by influential fund manager Terry Smith for displaying sustainability credentials at the expense of managing the business.

Yet some executives feel under pressure to take a stand on environmental and social issues — in many cases believing they are morally obliged to do so or through a desire to improve their own reputations. This pressure may lead to a conflict with shareholders if sustainability becomes a promotional tool for managers, or for their personal social responsibility agenda, rather than creating business value .

Such opportunistic behaviours may lead to a perception that corporate sustainability policies are pursued only because of public image concerns.

Alison Taylor, at NYU Stern School of Business, recently described Unilever’s old materiality map — a visual representation of how companies assess which social and environmental factors matter most to them — to Sustainability magazine. She depicted it as an example of “baggy, vague, overambitious goals and self-aggrandising commitments that make little sense and falsely suggest a mayonnaise and soap company can solve intractable societal problems”.

In contrast, the “realism” approach of Schumacher is being promulgated as both more honest and more feasible. Former investment banker Alex Edmans, at London Business School, has coined the term “rational sustainability” to describe an approach that integrates financial principles into decision-making, and avoids using sustainability primarily for enhancing social image and reputation.

Such “rational sustainability” encompasses any business activity that creates long-term value — including product innovation, productivity enhancements, or corporate culture initiatives, regardless of whether they fall under the traditional ESG framework.

Similarly, Schumacher’s approach aims for fewer targets with greater impact, all while keeping financial objectives in sight.

Complex objectives, such as having a positive impact on the world, may be best achieved indirectly, as expounded by economist John Kay in his book, Obliquity . Schumacher’s “realistic sustainability” approach means focusing on long-term value creation, placing customers and investors to the fore. Saving the planet begins with meaningfully helping a company’s consumers and investors. Without their support, broader sustainability efforts risk failure.

Questions for discussion

Read: Unilever has ‘lost the plot’ by fixating on sustainability, says Terry Smith

Companies take step back from making climate target promises

The real impact of the ESG backlash

Unilever’s new chief says corporate purpose can be ‘unwelcome distraction ’

Unilever says new laxer environmental targets aim for ‘realism’

How should business executives incorporate ESG criteria in their commercial, investor, internal, and external communications? How can they strike a balance between purpose and profits?

How does purpose affect business and brand value? Under what circumstances or conditions can the impact of purpose be positive, neutral, or negative?

Are brands vehicles by which to drive social or environmental change? Is this the primary role of brands in the 21st century or do profits and clients’ needs come first?

Which categories or sectors might benefit most from strongly articulating and communicating a corporate purpose? Are there instances in which it might backfire?

In your opinion, is it necessary for brands to take a stance on social issues? Why or why not, and when?

Climate Capital

Where climate change meets business, markets and politics. Explore the FT’s coverage here .

Are you curious about the FT’s environmental sustainability commitments? Find out more about our science-based targets here

Promoted Content

Explore the series.

Follow the topics in this article

• Sustainability Add to myFT
• Impact investing Add to myFT
• Corporate governance Add to myFT
• Corporate social responsibility Add to myFT
• Business school case Add to myFT

International Edition

Evolution of environmental chemistry study program curricula in tertiary education: a case study and general implications

• Environmental Chemistry for A Pollution Free Society
• Open access
• Published: 01 June 2024

Cite this article

You have full access to this open access article

• Peter Šebej   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-0317-0630 1 &
• Jakub Urík 1  

Societal and scientific progress has led to the formation of new study programs, often with multidisciplinary curricula. Guarantors and teachers of such programs must be prepared to quickly adapt to the needs and demands of students, society, the job market, and the commercial sphere since many issues start surfacing during the first years of the programs’ life. Here we share our experience with such a process in the study program “Environment and Health” taught since 2019 at Masaryk University in Brno, Czech Republic. Feedback from students and alumni allows for improvement of the curriculum and organization of the program. We show feedback loops from three perspectives: Feedback from immediate short-term experience can be incorporated within a year, medium-term feedback loops can manifest after several years, and long-term ones even decades. While current students usually perceive only short- or medium-term issues, the philosophy and structure of the program must be built by predicting societal and commercial needs in the following decades. Such long-term aspects are often counterintuitive to students’ vision, but still have to be considered for the program to remain attractive to new applicants. Balancing the original vision, preparing and applying changes, and dealing with feedback on all levels are key managerial challenges of successful study programs.

Graphical Abstract

Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.

Introduction

Tertiary education is (typically) organized in large institutions (i.e., universities, colleges, professional and other schools, and here we will term all of them under a generic university ) that are also actively engaged in research and other societal activities such as outreach, applied and/or for-profit development, consulting, and policy development.

At contemporary institutions, the students usually choose one study program (SP) that offers a multitude of courses, constituting a curriculum with pre-defined learning and training outcomes and an alumnus profile. The particular courses follow a course syllabus. An accreditation body typically assures and controls the quality of education and decides on the accreditation of SPs and/or institutions. Advances in knowledge, scientific discoveries, and societal changes have usually been quickly transferred into tertiary education, leading to pressure on changes in curricula. Quantitative and semi-quantitative comparison of SPs across European universities is simple using The European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS)—a tool of the European Higher Education Area proposed by the Bologna declaration in 1999 (European Commission and Directorate-General for Education 2015 ).

Creation and design of new study programs

In many fields, SPs and their curricula seem to be relatively stable and do not change quickly. However, even in such fields, we can historically trace changes and creations of new SPs, often by branching existing ones, in the same way as we can trace the “creation” of new scientific fields. This process often follows the lifecycle of the scientific paradigm shift, as described by Kuhn (Kuhn and Hacking 2012 ). A good example could be sprung out in the chemical disciplines. Organic chemistry stemmed from (general) chemistry. Biochemistry stemmed from organic chemistry. Others resulted from interactions of two or more fields, e.g., molecular biology arose where chemistry was necessary to understand biological processes. Environmental chemistry arose where physical, organic, and other chemical disciplines were necessary to understand processes in nature, and analytical science became a tool. In both these scenarios leading to new SPs, their creation and curation require strategic planning, with considerations of the skills and knowledge of future alumni and their participation in the job market in the long term. For programs arising at interfaces of fields, building and balancing the interdisciplinarity of SPs are also very important.

To simplify the dynamics of SPs, we could divide the relevant processes into (1) the formation of SPs; and (2) changes, evolution, and interactions during the program life cycle. These processes might span decades or more. At European universities, more specialized SPs (including at the bachelor level) are typical; however, at US universities, rather general SPs prevail. Discussions about the scope, depth, syllabi, and details of a new SP are especially crucial for the more specialized SPs, as they possess a higher risk of increased dropout ratio, fueled by students who realize the particular specialization does not suit them only during the studies.

Why do we need feedback?

To keep potential students interested, actual students motivated, and alumni relevant for the job market, the curation of the SP curriculum is important. Inputs for curriculum management could come from feedback from all these groups, as well as from faculties, university management, and other stakeholders too (Benneworth and Jongbloed 2010 ; Jain et al. 2022 ). This idea is parallel to the fact that the success of for-profit companies depends on having working closed feedback loops, and such a strategy was also suggested to be implemented in governance (Whittle 2016 ). However, students’ feedback is primarily discussed within the context of a particular course or study unit (Malecka et al. 2022 ), but not so much in the context of SPs—higher hierarchy study units.

In this paper, we would like to shed light particularly on the evolution of SPs and feedback loops involved in this process and comment on the evolution of curricula of the study program Environment and Health (EH) at our institution as a case study and an example that allows us to suggest some generalizations. Our point of view is thus focused on programs in the sciences, especially those related to life, health, and environmental sciences.

Emerging study programs and environmental chemistry

Many tertiary education SPs have names that give a very clear idea about the curriculum content to the general audience, e.g., biology, chemistry, and mathematics, and many others, especially at technical, trade, or other specialized institutions, also imply a clear connection to a particular job, e.g., chemical engineering or medical genetics. With the exception of programs with a connection to a professional career pathway, these are almost always representations of traditional and established fields. On the other hand, many of the emerging or multidisciplinary curricula, despite being created with very good reasoning, job-market research, and SWOT analysis, could run into issues of communication, misleading names, general misunderstandings, or even miss the potential auditoria (prospective students, employees, etc.).

The origins of SPs focused on environmental chemistry trace back to research on the observable effects of pollution on humans (e.g., “The great London smog”) (Stone 2002 ) or ecosystems (e.g., of DDT on populations of eagles) (Carson 1962 ). These have often been very closely related to analytical and physical chemistry but have been expanded to other subdomains of chemistry. In a recent study, it was shown that there are inconsistencies, and significantly variable shares of time/credits are now allocated to courses covering various chemical disciplines (Lammel et al. 2014 ). At about the same time, the formation of SPs in toxicology, ecotoxicology, and other fields relevant to the environment was advancing. Over time, the relationship between chemicals, environment, and health became the key concept in environmental and related fields, and the concept of the exposome with all its roles is now discussed in detail (Gao 2021 ; Barouki et al. 2022 ; Price et al. 2022 ). The concept of One Health similarly interconnects human, animal, and environmental health (Schwabe 1984 ; Zinsstag et al. 2011 ; Destoumieux-Garzón et al. 2018 ; Gao 2021 ). The emergence of such interdisciplinary concepts, research topics, approaches, paradigms, and changes in the philosophy of particular fields is often followed by the development of the SPs. In environmental sciences, this has led to the appearance of integrative programs covering a wide range of topics in environmental sciences and health, including the one at Masaryk University.

Study program Environment and Health

Our SP Environment and Health (EH)—bachelor ( a ) and following master ( b )—were created with the philosophy of education in the fields related and important for understanding environment and health, which translated into key requirements of:

Solid chemical and biological background to build upon (mainly a )

Orientation in environmental and (eco)toxicological issues (basics in a , in-depth in b )

Interdisciplinary understanding and ability to interconnect knowledge (mainly b )

Understanding and hands-on experience in a wide array of laboratory and field skills (both a and b )

Presentation, teamwork, and other soft (transferable) skills (both a and b )

These programs started at Masaryk University in 2019 at the bachelor (3 years) and master (2 years) levels (see Supporting Information for details on organization of the tertiary education in the Czech Republic) and have been open for applications every year since. Typically, each year there are about 100–120 applicants and about 30 students starting the first year of bachelor SP.

Feedback loops

To learn more about students’ views on the programs and expectations and to get inputs for data-based decisions on program management, we are continuously investigating the motivation of students, their understanding of the SP, their views, and opinions, by questionnaires, interviews, offering counseling by designated faculty members from the Department, and specialized counselors or ombudspersons at the level of school or university. Additional feedback is facilitated by an SP board (see Supporting Information for more details). Across the entire university, students evaluate courses and teachers using an anonymous questionnaire at the end of each term. Altogether, these represent a wealth of pathways for getting feedback from students on various aspects of courses, curricula, etc.

We divided the feedback into three roughly defined feedback loops: (a) short-term, (b) medium-term, and (c) long-term (Fig.  1 ). The division is based on the feedback’s nature and content; potential implementation of changes, suggested responses, and actions; and the time necessary for implementation and observation of the effects. The simplest questions and suggestions are often regarding the quality of in-course teaching, course syllabi, course integration in the curriculum (incl., e.g., mandatory/voluntary course status, substantial changes in syllabus), and addition of a new course or a course withdrawal, which all could be gathered, processed, and analyzed very quickly. In many cases, the changes based on the feedback analysis could be implemented within the next academic year (i.e., typical reaction and implementation time is 1–2 years) and are considered here as short term. Medium feedback loops involve, e.g., job market situation, increase in or even newly appeared demand for particular skill sets, emerging new jobs or jobs ceasing to exist, and societal changes, particularly short term. These are sometimes expressed, e.g., by large funding schemes (such as EU’s Framework Programmes for Research and Technological Development, with Horizon Europe running now) (European Commission 2023 ). Other important inputs are the recently launched European Skills Agenda for Sustainable Competitiveness, Social Fairness and Resilience (European Commission 2020 ) and the already set global goals of sustainable development (United Nations 2015 ). Lastly, the long-term loops involve analysis and predictions of whole-career pathways, long-term society changes such as the role and function of tertiary education and philosophy of education. From this perspective, the whole concept of education looks very different, and this perspective is not the focus of this work.

Lifetime of the study programs and a simplified formal diagram of feedback loops of different timescales

During the 5 years of existence of our SP Environment and Health (both bachelor and master), while collecting feedback in all the abovementioned ways, we often heard students sharing the same view, paraphrased: “I never thought, that there will be so much chemistry in the environmental sciences.” On the contrary, professionals in research and development acknowledge the relevance of the concept of “Chemistry as a central science” (Balaban and Klein 2006 ; Brown et al. 2022 ) in environmental sciences. The understanding of the need for such a profound chemical background in the curriculum was also reported by our alumni. However, a share of students reported that they were interpreting the name of the SP as one focusing on environmentalism, not environmental chemistry, and on health outcomes of environmental issues, not mechanisms and risks. This was answered with several responses. The quick response was the introduction of a 2-h, full-term course (2 ETCS) on chemical calculations (with a dedicated instructor and small groups of students, not more than 20) and several seminars explaining the concepts of the SP, exposome, and overview of interrelationships of environment, health, and necessary basic fields and changes in communication of the program to potential students. The space devoted to inorganic chemistry was reported by students to be unnecessarily high, as the original concept contained courses evenly covering all basic chemical disciplines. We significantly cut it down and the freed space was reallocated to chemistry calculations—a technical transferable skill itself (all within the first year of study). The medium-term response was the introduction of two specializations—(a) environmental chemistry and toxicology and (b) environmental health, starting in 2023. These immediate simple responses, such as the introduction of the chemical calculations course, had a very quick effect of decreasing the dropout rate from the study (from ca. 40% before to ~ 20% after) and decreasing the rate of students leaving for another SP.

Students who advanced into later years of study and alumni generally provide positive feedback about practical courses (laboratory and field) in the curriculum. These are relatively evenly distributed throughout all years of EH SP in the bachelor level and first year of the master level, which is generally appreciated by students, as it helps keep their motivation high by offering a chance to acquire hands-on practical experience throughout the study. However, we observed students asking for courses more closely related to health and environment, as the first 2 years of the curriculum are mainly introductory to many basic biology and chemistry topics, including practical courses (see Supporting Information for details). To follow this demand and this motivation channel, a field course in the first year, as well as an expanded time for a general introductory seminar, was added to the curriculum. In the master’s SP, the situation is different; the practical and hands-on courses are already specialized, and a fair share of them is based on a problem-solving approach (Jansson et al. 2015 ) and is well accepted by students.

In line with the rapidly changing job market, emerging new skill sets and vanishing interest in others, and along a perspective of preparing alumni who will be pursuing their professional careers for about the next four decades, we put an emphasis on soft- and transferrable skills and bolster the will for and confidence in life-long learning as the key concept. To create space for their roles in the job market—both as a participant and as a creator—a series of mandatory seminars on transferrable skills (during the first 2 years of bachelor SP; 1 ETCS per term) was created and tailored to the anticipated needs of the EH SP. They cover areas such as (a) basic IT/software tools and knowledge, (b) basic scholarly skills, (c) scientific thinking, methods, and approaches to problems, and (d) presentation skills. On the basis of anonymous course feedback questionnaires and interviews with students, we found that they typically assess the courses and/or particular topics in the curricula through the lens of usefulness, especially in the short-term horizon (Fig.  2 ). We thought that this would lead, e.g., to understanding the usefulness of classes on skills such as primary and scientific literature search and writing. On the other hand, students often find the scientific thinking and research skills, shaping and falsifying hypotheses, a bit too little connected to their ongoing study, and perhaps welcome more general critical thinking. Thus, to paraphrase the students’ feedback (both anonymous and non-anonymous), teaching basic office software is useless because they know it well; scientific thinking is useless because they do not see a direct practical application; and presentation skills are very useful and should be allocated more hours. As a reaction, we substantially changed over half of the soft-skill seminar curriculum in the first term, decreased the timeshare allocated for general and office software packages, and allocated much more time for an introduction to specialized software tools (such as advanced graphs, basic data analysis, basic statistics, geographic information systems, infographics, biological and chemical objects, structures). However, we decided not to remove unpopular topics such as scientific thinking and instead focused on improving their attractiveness and communicating their usefulness.

Feedback as perceived by students and from a long-term perspective

Long-term outlook

The given examples of feedback and responses are illustrative of the fact that we view the SP(s) not as a permanent curriculum but rather as a process (Fig.  3 ). This is particularly important for emerging fields and fields undergoing rapid changes (such as environmental sciences and health). However, most of the students’ feedback (including the described examples) confronts, comments, or questions courses and topics with regard to short-term usefulness. The overall philosophy of the SP is considered very rarely. In addition, one of the very typical questions is “What will be my job?” The options start surfacing only during the last year of the bachelor SP or even during the following master’s program, which we found to be discouraging to students, and they often expect training for a job market from the first year.

Conceptual viewpoint on a study program as a process of improvement. Stakeholders of higher education usually have different views on the ideal SP and only one (an example) is shown for clarity. Personal interests may include anyone related to the SP, e.g., students, teachers, or administrators, and their interests do not fully overlap

This correlates well with the question of the role of education, as discussed by Liessmann (Liessmann 2008 ). Commercial and, unfortunately, often also societal demand for education is to be primarily training for a role (e.g., a job type), not for the life of alumnus and future of the society, or simply as a value in itself. Often one of the most important parameters of a program’s success is the number of alumni that managed to find a job “in their field.” In natural sciences, that usually means focusing on the quality of hard science and practical skills. Improving society by creating an intellectual elite capable of tackling future complex issues that combine scientific, social, philosophical, economic, or political aspects is not an easily quantifiable aim and thus practically not an aim at all. However, complex issues, such as those in the environment and health, need such a complex approach.

To wrap up, we see value in students’ feedback on the SP curriculum, courses, and teachers. From the point of view of SP management, it is one of the quickest types of feedback and allows testing of solutions to reported issues and creating short feedback loops. Feedback processes are often difficult to manage, and feedback literacy should be cultivated on both students’ and teachers’ sides (Carless and Winstone 2023 ). They are an important element of students’ learning (Clynes and Raftery 2008 ) and a transferrable skill by itself.

Conclusions and future remarks

Here we describe the formation and evolution of the curricula of the study programs Environment and Health. The role of feedback of various types and origins in these processes underlines the view of higher education study programs and curricula as a process. New specializations are now introduced in the discussed study programs, and they are partially based on the breadth of short- and medium-term feedback we have been obtaining. We will keep receiving and actively seeking feedback to keep the program alive and up to date.

Balaban AT, Klein DJ (2006) Is chemistry “TheCentral Science”? How are different sciences related? Co-citations, reductionism, emergence, and posets. Scientometrics 69:615–637. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-006-0173-2

Article   CAS   Google Scholar  

Barouki R, Audouze K, Becker C et al (2022) The exposome and toxicology: a win–win collaboration. Toxicol Sci 186:1–11. https://doi.org/10.1093/toxsci/kfab149

Benneworth P, Jongbloed BW (2010) Who matters to universities? A stakeholder perspective on humanities, arts and social sciences valorisation. High Educ 59:567–588. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-009-9265-2

Article   Google Scholar  

Brown TE, Bursten BE, Woodward P (2022) Chemistry: the central science, 15th edn. Pearson, London

Carless D, Winstone N (2023) Teacher feedback literacy and its interplay with student feedback literacy. Teach High Educ 28:150–163. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2020.1782372

Carson R (1962) Silent spring, special edition for consumer reports subscribers only. Houghton Mifflin, Boston

Clynes MP, Raftery SEC (2008) Feedback: an essential element of student learning in clinical practice. Nurse Educ Pract 8:405–411. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nepr.2008.02.003

Destoumieux-Garzón D, Mavingui P, Boetsch G et al (2018) The one health concept: 10 years old and a long road ahead. Front Vet Sci 5. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2018.00014

European Commission (2020) European Skills Agenda - employment, social affairs & inclusion - European Commission. https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=1223&langId=en . Accessed 3 Jan 2024

European Commission (2023) Horizon Europe - European Commission. https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/funding/funding-opportunities/funding-programmes-and-open-calls/horizon-europe_en . Accessed 3 Jan 2024

European Commission, Directorate-general for education Y sport and culture (2015) ECTS users’ guide 2015. Publications Office of the European Union. https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2766/87192

Gao P (2021) The exposome in the era of one health. Environ Sci Technol 55:2790–2799. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.0c07033

Jain V, Mogaji E, Sharma H, Babbili AS (2022) A multi-stakeholder perspective of relationship marketing in higher education institutions. J Mark Higher Educ 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/08841241.2022.2034201

Jansson S, Söderström H, Andersson PL, Nording ML (2015) Implementation of problem-based learning in environmental chemistry. J Chem Educ 92:2080–2086. https://doi.org/10.1021/ed500970y

Kuhn TS, Hacking I (2012) The structure of scientific revolutions: 50th anniversary edition, 4th edn. University of Chicago Press, Chicago

Book   Google Scholar  

Lammel G, Comas EJ, Ivancev-Tumbas I (2014) Higher education in environmental sciences with chemistry emphasis: bachelor and master programmes in Europe. Environ Sci Pollut Res 21:7211–7218. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-014-2737-7

Liessmann KP (2008) Theorie der Unbildung: Die Irrtümer der Wissensgesellschaft, 13th edn. Piper Taschenbuch, Munich

Malecka B, Boud D, Tai J, Ajjawi R (2022) Navigating feedback practices across learning contexts: implications for feedback literacy. Assess Eval High Educ 47:1330–1344. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2022.2041544

Price EJ, Vitale CM, Miller GW et al (2022) Merging the exposome into an integrated framework for “omics” sciences. iScience 25. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2022.103976

Schwabe CW (1984) Veterinary medicine and human health, subsequent. Williams & Wilkins, Baltimore

Google Scholar  

Stone R (2002) Counting the cost of London’s killer smog. Science 298:2106–2107. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.298.5601.2106b

United Nations (2015) A/RES/70/1 Transforming our world: the 2030 agenda for sustainable development. https://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/migration/generalassembly/docs/globalcompact/A_RES_70_1_E.pdf

Whittle DB (2016) How feedback loops can improve aid and governance. In: Thomas EA (ed) Broken pumps and promises: incentivizing impact in environmental health. Springer International Publishing, Cham, pp 31–45

Chapter   Google Scholar  

Zinsstag J, Schelling E, Waltner-Toews D, Tanner M (2011) From “one medicine” to “one health” and systemic approaches to health and well-being. Prev Vet Med 101:148–156. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2010.07.003

Download references

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank all people participating in pedagogical activities at RECETOX, teams preparing the curricula, guarantors, faculties and lecturers, the study programs board, and especially all active students and alumni who are helping to shape the program. We thank Lucie Janků for critical discussions on this concept.

Open access publishing supported by the National Technical Library in Prague. This study was supported by the EU Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program No. 857560. The authors thank the RECETOX Research Infrastructure (No LM2023069) financed by the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports for providing a supportive background.

Author information

Authors and affiliations.

RECETOX, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, 625 00, Brno, Czech Republic

Peter Šebej & Jakub Urík

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

Contributions

P.Š. conceptualized work with inputs from J.U. All authors participated in developing ideas, research, analysis, and writing and approved the final version of the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Peter Šebej .

Ethics declarations

Ethical approval.

Not applicable.

Consent to participate

Consent for publication, conflict of interest.

The authors declare no competing interests.

Additional information

Responsible Editor: Philippe Garrigues

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

This publication reflects only the authors’ views, and the European Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains.

Supplementary Information

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary file1 (DOCX 85 KB)

Rights and permissions.

Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ .

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Šebej, P., Urík, J. Evolution of environmental chemistry study program curricula in tertiary education: a case study and general implications. Environ Sci Pollut Res (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-024-33756-2

Download citation

Received : 08 February 2024

Accepted : 17 May 2024

Published : 01 June 2024

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-024-33756-2

Share this article

Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:

Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative

• Environmental chemistry
• University education
• Environment
• Find a journal
• Publish with us
• Track your research

Can music education boost grades, attendance? A new case study suggests it might

A new case study that included hundreds of Tennessee public schools suggests that music education may be tied to better math and reading scores, along with better attendance and positive social, emotional and behavioral effects.

The study, titled "Face the Music: A Case Study for Expanding Music and Arts in Schools," was the result of a joint effort between the CMA Foundation and the Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation. It examined the challenges and benefits stemming from music and arts education across 589 schools and 23 districts in Tennessee, and also included feedback from music and arts teachers, students and lifelong learners.

“Music and arts education are playing a key role in helping students catch up after the pandemic, from helping with math and reading proficiency to coping with stress and trauma. The research is clear: arts and music classes are a must-have, not a nice-to-have," CMA Foundation Executive Director Tiffany Kerns said in a news release.

The foundations behind the study hope it will serve as a model for other states to boost music and arts education at the state and district level, along with gaining support from nonprofit organizations and philanthropy.

Here are key takeaways from the study.

Related: TN high school band gets surprise invite to perform at CMA Fest as director wins award

A connection between music, arts, math and reading

Data from the majority of districts in the study showed that students enrolled in music and arts programs demonstrated significantly higher proficiency rates in math and literacy. The majority of districts also saw better attendance rates from music and arts students, compared to schoolwide averages. These outcomes align with a handful of other studies. However, the case study report did note an important caveat: Most studies on music and arts participation don't prove it's the cause of improved academics.

Here's a look at the proficiency and attendance numbers the study revealed:

• Roughly 1-in-4 school districts reported 47% of students enrolled in music and arts programs showed reading proficiency, compared to an overall school average of 36%.
• Roughly 7-in-10 school districts reported 46% of students enrolled in music and arts programs excelled in math, compared to an overall school average of 35%.
• Roughly 3-in-4 districts reported increased attendance rates for students enrolled in music and arts programs. The study noted that schools where music and arts students outpaced the school average for attendance saw an average attendance boost of 12%.

Systemic barriers to music and arts education

The case study also outlined factors that hamper access to music and arts education for students and schools. They largely align with trends reported in the most recent National Arts Education Status Report and historical data from the Tennessee Arts Education Data Project, the study said.

The barriers for students identified in the study are:

• Participation requirements, including after-school attendance and prerequisites or auditions
• Housing insecurity
• Transportation challenges
• Participation fees
• Equipment costs

The study also showed that curriculum scheduling is a primary issue facing schools. That can disrupt the ability to offer sequential music and arts classes in every grade, allowing students to explore a variety of options and build upon their skills each year.

Recommendations for action

The study mapped out a series of recommendations for how everyone from parents and students to educators and lawmakers can take action to bolster music and arts education in Tennessee.

For school community members like parents, students and educators, that can range from simply attending music and arts events to show support to advocating for more funding for programs. The study also calls on school and state leaders to partner to fund music and arts education, train teachers and develop partnerships that help sustain those programs in schools. It also challenges philanthropic organizations to fund grants, promote advocacy and awareness and take other steps to partner with and support schools.

"Each of us can support a system of change to enhance music and arts education for a more well-rounded education for our students," the study stated.

A look at the demographics and schools

The demographics of the schools that participated were similar to the state of Tennessee as a whole, but they differed slightly when it came to the population of public school students statewide. Students in the study were:

• 16% Black or African American
• 9% Hispanic or Latino
• 2% other racial identities
• 24% socioeconomically disadvantaged
• 13% engaged in special education services
• 9% English language learners
• 2% experiencing homelessness or in foster care
• 1% identified as migrants or refugees

According to 2022-23 academic year data from the Tennessee Department of Education, here's how Tennessee schools demographics broke down:

• 24% Black and African American
• 14% Hispanic
• 3% other racial identities
• 30% economically disadvantaged
• 14% students with disabilities
• 8% English learners
• Less than 1% in foster care
• 2% experiencing homelessness
• Less than 1% identified as migrants

Here's the full list of districts that participated in the case study:

• Arlington Community Schools
• Bartlett City Schools
• Benton County Schools
• Chester County School District
• Clarksville-Montgomery County School System
• Coffee County School District
• Germantown Municipal School District
• Giles County School System
• Greene County Schools
• Hamilton County Schools
• Jackson-Madison County School District
• Knox County Schools
• Lincoln County Schools
• Marion County Schools
• Maury County Public Schools
• Metro Nashville Public Schools
• Paris Special School District
• Robertson County Schools
• Rutherford County Schools
• Tullahoma City Schools
• Weakley County Schools
• Williamson County School 
• Wilson County Schools

The CMA Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the Country Music Association. More information, along with the foundation's extensive research and initiatives, can be found at cmafoundation.org . Learn more about the Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation at mhopus.org .