Use of consumer insights to inform behavior change interventions aimed at illegal pet turtle trade in China.

Illegal poaching and overexploitation for the international pet trade are among the greatest threats to freshwater turtles in Southeast Asia. Expanding consumer research in China is crucial to filling knowledge gaps about the scale and structure of illegal trade and developing audience-targeted and relevant interventions that may reduce demand for illegal turtles as pets. We applied mixed methods to provide a detailed understanding of the consumer side of the illegal pet turtle trade in China. We conducted 30 interviews with key stakeholders and online surveys (n = 2456) of turtle keepers via community forums. From these, we identified 3 core consumer groups based on their prior turtle-keeping experience, species exposure, and potential for future purchases. We conducted a thematic qualitative analysis of concepts related to the capability, opportunity, motivation, and behavior (COM-B) model to determine the factors influencing the illegal pet turtle trade and to identify barriers to illegal purchases. Specifically, we identified purchasers' capabilities, opportunities, and motivations in the context of legality, enforcement risk, captive breeding, and impacts on wild population. We developed consumer journey maps (i.e., visual representations of customer's experiences throughout their buying journey) for core consumer groups. These maps illustrate the sequential behaviors and processes that consumers undertake when purchasing turtles, from initial exposure to sourcing, keeping, and providing a new home. Key factors influencing illegal purchases included convenient purchase channels, misguided cognition and motivations for pet keeping, and weak law enforcement. Effective interventions included messages focusing on shifting cognition and beliefs, increasing legal risk perception, and emphasizing stringent law enforcement, primarily delivered through online channels. Our results underscore the necessity for adaptable, audience-tailored interventions to reduce consumer demand for illegal wildlife products. The mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative and qualitative data, provided a comprehensive understanding of the target behavior and can inform the development of effective intervention strategies.

Uso de las percepciones del consumidor para guiar las intervenciones de cambio conductual enfocadas en el mercado ilegal de tortugas en China Resumen La caza furtiva y la sobreexplotación por el comercio internacional de mascotas son algunas de las mayores amenazas para las tortugas de agua dulce del sudeste asiático. Es esencial conocer más sobre los consumidores en China para llenar los vacíos en el conocimiento sobre la escala y la estructura del comercio ilegal y desarrollar intervenciones pertinentes y dirigidas al público que puedan reducir la demanda de tortugas como mascotas ilegales. Aplicamos métodos mixtos para conocer en detalle la percepción del consumidor del comercio ilegal de tortugas como mascotas en China. Realizamos 30 entrevistas a actores clave y encuestas en línea (n=2456) a cuidadores de tortugas a través de foros comunitarios. A partir de ellas, identificamos tres grupos principales de consumidores en función de su experiencia previa en la cría de tortugas, su exposición a las especies y su potencial para futuras compras. Realizamos un análisis cualitativo temático de conceptos relacionados con el modelo de capacidad, oportunidad, motivación y comportamiento (COM­B) para determinar los factores que influyen en el comercio ilegal de tortugas e identificar las barreras para las compras ilegales. En concreto, identificamos las capacidades, oportunidades y motivaciones de los compradores en el contexto de la legalidad, el riesgo de aplicación de la ley, la cría en cautiverio y el impacto sobre la población silvestre. Elaboramos mapas de viaje del consumidor (representaciones visuales de las experiencias del cliente a lo largo de su compra) para los principales grupos de consumidores. Estos mapas ilustran los comportamientos y procesos secuenciales que llevan a cabo los consumidores cuando compran tortugas, desde la exposición inicial hasta la adquisición, el mantenimiento y la asignación de un nuevo hogar. Entre los factores clave que influyen en las compras ilegales se encuentran la conveniencia de los canales de compra, los conocimientos y motivaciones erróneos para mantener mascotas y la debilidad de la aplicación de la ley. Las intervenciones eficaces incluyeron mensajes centrados en cambiar los conocimientos y las creencias, aumentar la percepción del riesgo legal y hacer hincapié en la aplicación rigurosa de la ley, principalmente a través de canales virtuales. Nuestros resultados destacan la necesidad de intervenciones adaptables y adaptadas al público para reducir la demanda de productos ilegales de fauna silvestre por parte de los consumidores. El enfoque de métodos mixtos, que combina datos cuantitativos y cualitativos, proporcionó una comprensión exhaustiva del comportamiento objetivo y puede servir de base para el desarrollo de estrategias de intervención eficaces.

Changing diets and the transformation of the global food system.

An aspirational global food system is one that delivers across a suite of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including universal access to healthy diets, which can also codeliver on climate and environment SDGs. The literature has downplayed the relative contribution of dietary change to sustainable food systems. In this perspective article, we argue that the potential for positive transformational change in diets should not be underestimated, for two sets of reasons. First, the dynamism of diets over long-term and, especially, recent history shows the potential for rapid and widespread change, including toward more diverse and healthier diets. Second, contemporary behavioral research demonstrates promising tactics to influence consumers' dietary choices. Since the entire food system creates the circumstances of those choices, the most effective strategies to shift diets will involve multiple approaches that deliberately aim not just to influence consumers themselves but also to incentivize all actors in the food systems, taking into account multiple agendas and values. The effectiveness of actions will depend on the political economy at local, national, and global levels. Overall, there are reasons to be hopeful about the potential for accelerated global dietary change, given both historic trends and the growing suite of tools and approaches available.

Exploring Institutional Change in the Context of a Statewide Developmental Education Reform in Florida.

We explore institutional change and organizational learning in higher education in the context of a large-scale reform of developmental education in Florida. We use statewide survey data to examine administrators' perceptions of the use and effectiveness of accountability metrics, methods to identify solutions to improve student outcomes, and challenges responding to data. We find that institutions most commonly use accountability data to track their own performance, but find it less effective for making comparisons across colleges. Institutions use a variety of methods to identify solutions for improvement; with the most common method being presentations at professional association conferences. The greatest challenges in reviewing and responding to data are finding resources to implement solutions and understanding underlying problems affecting student outcomes. We conclude with implications for policymakers and state agency staff designing large-scale reforms in order to encourage organizational learning and promote meaningful change.

Reading, Writing, and English Course Pathways when Developmental Education is Optional: Course Enrollment and Success for Underprepared First-time-in-College Students.

Academic underpreparedness is an issue for many first-time-in-college students, particularly those entering community colleges. Whereas many underprepared students enroll in developmental education, research has indicated that traditional remediation may not increase students' chances for success. Therefore, states and colleges have begun to implement new course placement strategies to increase the accuracy of initial course placement and new instructional approaches to better serve their developmental students. Specifically, in 2013, the state of Florida passed Senate Bill 1720 which redesigned developmental coursework and placement policies across the Florida College System. The reform lifted developmental education placement exam testing and course enrollment requirements for certain exempt students, irrespective of prior academic preparation or achievement. The current study focuses on these exempt students-those who had the option to bypass developmental education-who were also underprepared, and their initial course selection and subsequent success in their gateway (introductory college-level) English course. Using statewide student-level data and logistic regression techniques, the results indicated that level of preparation was related to students' course enrollment and gateway English course success. Students slightly underprepared in reading or writing were more likely than severely underprepared students to enroll in the gateway English class, relative to a developmental reading or writing course. In reading and writing, slightly underprepared students were more likely to pass English, relative to severely underprepared students. The authors consider the findings in light of recent national changes to developmental education and offer recommendations for policy and practice.

What Happens to Underprepared First-Time-in-College Students When Developmental Education is Optional? The Case of Developmental Math and Intermediate Algebra in the First Semester.

In 2014, developmental education became optional for many college students in Florida, regardless of prior academic preparation. This study investigated first-semester math course enrollment patterns for underprepared first-time-in-college (FTIC) students who would have previously been required to take developmental math and the passing rates for the students electing to take Intermediate Algebra (the most common gateway math course in Florida). We found that roughly a 3rd of underprepared students enrolled in developmental math, a 3rd enrolled in Intermediate Algebra, and roughly a 3rd enrolled in no math course whatsoever, with preparation level being related to enrollment pathways. Among those who enrolled in Intermediate Algebra, a small percentage also enrolled in developmental math in the same semester, either through a compressed or corequisite course, and FTIC students who received same-semester developmental support were more likely to pass Intermediate Algebra compared with similar underprepared students who took Intermediate Algebra without developmental support.

Scaffolding Mathematics Remediation for Academically At-Risk Students Following Developmental Education Reform in Florida.

The purpose of this qualitative study is to understand how educational scaffolding may explain changing patterns of student success in mathematics in the era of developmental education (DE or remediation) reform in Florida College System (FCS) institutions. Specifically, we apply the concept of scaffolding to underprepared FCS students who are at risk of dropping out or failing gateway courses (the first credit-bearing college-level class in a course sequence) because they lack the academic skills necessary to succeed in college-level coursework, particularly in mathematics. We present data from focus groups conducted at 10 FCS institutions, suggesting that a reduction of scaffolding in math remediation occurred in the areas of course sequencing, instruction, and coordination with academic support services following state-level policy changes. In light of these findings, we offer a discussion of practical recommendations for college administrators related to academic advising, instructional strategies in DE courses, coordination between developmental and college-level instructors, student success courses, and the integration of DE instruction with academic support. We also suggest directions for continued research on the effects of policy changes in the FCS and DE reform efforts across the country.