621 results on '"PARTICIPANT observation"'
Search Results
2. Toward a multimodal pragmatics analysis of ambulant vending on a Buenos Aires trainline.
- Author
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Márquez Reiter, Rosina, Manrique, Elizabeth, and Cantarutti, Marina
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PRAGMATICS , *BODY marking , *PRODUCT attributes , *WORK environment , *MOTION capture (Human mechanics) , *PARTICIPANT observation - Abstract
This article examines the occupational practices of four ambulant vendors (AVs) over a 20-day period, as they board, occupy, and alight trains to make a living in the popular economy. It captures for the first time some of the multimodal communicative practices they deploy to present an engaging sales pitch, attempt to convert passengers into prospects and sustain their livelihoods on the move. A multimodal pragmatics analysis of their sales pitch as video-recorded by the AVs reveals three clear stages marked by body motion in alignment with other bodily and verbal activities to capture the audience as they zero in on the product attributes. The article highlights the dexterity and professionalism of these workers in combining different modalities to augment their presence and chances of securing sales as they navigate the challenges of the unequal working conditions they inhabit as captured from a novel first-person perspective. • Multimodal pragmatics analysis of ambulant vendors' sales pitches on a trainline. • Combines language in use and action coordination to outline the sales pitch. • 263 videos recorded by ambulant vendors as part of a participatory research project. • Multimodal practices were found to be product- and space-contingent. • Shows vendors' professionalism and adroitness under unequal working conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2023
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3. What happens when you are not on social networks? A survey among middle-school teens in Switzerland.
- Author
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Surís, J.-C., Stadelmann, S., Chok, L., and Barrense-Dias, Y.
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ONLINE social networks , *MIDDLE school students , *SURVEYS , *PARTICIPANT observation - Abstract
The aim of the study was to describe the differences between users and non-users of social networks controlling for explanatory factors. Data were drawn from a survey on media and Internet use carried out among 2893 10th graders in Switzerland. Participants were asked whether they were active in 10 different social networks and divided into two groups: Not active (answering no to the 10 networks; n = 176) and Active (answering positively to at least one; n = 2717). The groups were compared on sociodemographic, health, and screen-related variables. All variables significant in the bivariate analysis were included in a backward logistic regression. The backward logistic regression revealed that inactive participants were more likely to be males, younger, to live in an intact family, and to assess their screen time as below average, and less likely to practice extracurricular sport, to spend ≥4 h of screen time per day, to be around their smartphone at all times, to have parental rules about Internet content, or to discuss Internet use with parents. Most young adolescents use social networks. However, this activity does not seem to be associated with academic problems. Therefore, the use of social networks should not be demonized but considered part of their social life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2023
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4. Sounding for others: Vocal resources for embodied togetherness.
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Keevallik, Leelo and Hofstetter, Emily
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COMMUNICATION , *INDIVIDUALITY , *PARTICIPANT observation , *THEORY of knowledge , *DIALOGISM (Literary analysis) - Abstract
Standard models of language and communication depart from the assumption that speakers encode and receive messages individually, while interaction research has shown that utterances are composed jointly (C. Goodwin, 2018), dialogically designed with and for others (Linell, 2009). Furthermore, utterances only achieve their full semantic potential in concrete interactional contexts. This SI investigates various practices of human sounding that achieve their meaning through self and others' ongoing bodily actions. One person may vocalize to enact someone else's ongoing bodily experience, to coordinate with another body, or to convey embodied knowledge about something that is ostensibly only accessible to another's individual body. This illustrates the centrality of distributed action and collaborative agency in communication. • Sounding for others is an analytic umbrella term for vocalizing on another's behalf or for their benefit, particularly in voicing their bodily events • Sounding for others demonstrates that vocal behavior is not a system of linear communication but an embodied, multisensory and collaborative resource of meaning making in interaction • Papers in this special issue investigate vocalizing others' bodies, focusing on events that have a strong sensorial and/or emotional component • Participants maximally highlight co-presence and dissolve territories of agency and individuality [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2023
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5. Voice matters: Social categorization and stereotyping of speakers based on sexual orientation and nationality categories.
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Fasoli, Fabio, Dragojevic, Marko, Rakić, Tamara, and Johnson, Susie
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STEREOTYPES , *SEXUAL orientation , *HETEROSEXUALS , *PARTICIPANT observation , *STRESS (Linguistics) - Abstract
This research examined how listeners categorize and stereotype speakers belonging to intersecting social categories (nationality; sexual orientation) based on voice alone. In Study 1, British heterosexuals categorized the nationality and sexual orientation of British and Italian speakers who self-identified as gay or heterosexual. Participants correctly categorized British speakers as co-nationals and Italian speakers as foreigners. Categorization accuracy of gay speakers' sexual orientation was poor. Italian gay speakers were perceived as most likely to be gay and non-native speakers. Study 2 examined stereotyping of speakers who sounded either native or foreign, and sounded either gay or heterosexual. Foreign-accented (vs. native-accented) speakers were rated as less competent, and gay-sounding (vs. heterosexual-sounding) speakers as less gender typical. Foreign-accented gay speakers were perceived as the least competent and gender typical. • Categorization of speakers as nationals/foreigners was accurate. • Categorization of speakers' sexual orientation was poor. • Foreign-accented (vs. native-accented) speakers were rated as less competent. • Gay-sounding (vs. heterosexual-sounding) speakers were rated as less gender typical. • Foreign-accented gay speakers were perceived as least competent and gender typical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2023
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6. Lexical repetitions during time critical moments in boxing.
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Okada, Misao
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BOXING , *LEXICON , *PHONOLOGY , *PARTICIPANT observation , *BOXERS (Sports) - Abstract
This paper analyzes how a boxing coach co-constructs, or in some cases, co-experiences 'not-postponable' or 'time critical' (Mondada, 2014b : 270) moments with the boxer. It examines a coach's uses of some phonological features of self-repetition of lexical forms, e.g. nouns, or imperatives, in her instruction toward the boxer. The analysis shows how these phonological features relate to the specificities of the rapidly moving bodies of the boxer, the opponent, or the coach, across different types of training sessions. Thus, these features help the coach accomplish ' sensing the world' together (Mondada, 2019 : 47) and/or co-constructing it with the instructed boxer. • This paper examines a coach's uses of some phonological features of self-repetition of lexical forms in her instruction. • It shows how these phonological features relate to the specificities of the rapidly moving bodies of the participants. • These features help the coach accomplish ' sensing the world' together (Mondada 2019) or co-constructing it with the instructed boxer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2023
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7. The living environment and intravillage activity-travel: A conceptual framework based on participant observation in Guangdong, China.
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Liu, Qiyang, Liu, Zhengying, Yu, Zhao, and Zhao, Pengjun
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PARTICIPANT observation ,BUILT environment ,SOCIAL impact ,QUALITY of life ,SOCIAL context - Abstract
We propose a conceptual framework for understanding the complex nature of the correlation between the living environment and intravillage activity-travel. Based on participant observations of 146 villages (2317 rural residents) in Guangdong, China, we find that the rural built environment is predominantly organised by the gemeinschaft cultural environment in which people locate their homes near ancestral halls to maintain the bonds with those who are identified as the Us and to separate themselves from the Other. Together with the impact of the social environment which brings about a dispersed distribution of household farmlands, the phenomenon of home-farmland separation is pervasive. Several transport-related issues are engendered from the rural living environment: (a) distorted time-space for other activities that improve rural residents' quality of life; (b) land abandonment due to unwillingness to travel; and (c) extreme social exclusivity in relation to the Other. • Participant observation of 2317 rural residents in 146 villages in Guangdong. • The rural built environment spatially embodies and shapes the gemeinschaft. • Homes are located to maintain the ties with the Us and exclude the Other. • Home-farmland separation leads to long-time travel. • The rural living environment is more socially exclusive than the urban one. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2023
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8. Teachers' anti-black biases in disciplinary decisions: The role of mindfulness.
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Ash, Tory L., Helminen, Emily C., Yamashita, Shiharu, and Felver, Joshua C.
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MINDFULNESS , *BLACK children , *TEACHERS , *RACISM , *PARTICIPANT observation - Abstract
Research suggests that disparities in exclusionary discipline can be explained, in part, by teachers' anti-Black biases in disciplinary decision-making. An emerging body of literature also speaks to the benefits of cultivating mindfulness for bias reduction. The present study adds to the literature by assessing whether mindfulness is associated with differences in teachers' responses to student disciplinary infractions as a function of student signaled race, which was manipulated as a between-subjects factor. We predicted that teachers with lower levels of mindfulness, as measured via self-report, would demonstrate greater anti-Black bias in response to students' disciplinary files than teachers with higher levels of mindfulness. Teachers (N = 179) completed the study via an online research participant platform. Consistent with hypothesis, we found that participants' self-reported mindfulness in teaching moderated their responses to a disciplinary file as a function of student signaled race, b = −1.05, F (1, 175) = 4.50, p = 0.035, η p 2 = 0.03, 95% CI [−2.03, −0.07]. Specifically, participants with lower levels of mindfulness rated the disciplinary infraction as more severe if it was enacted by a Black boy compared to a White boy. At higher levels of mindfulness, however, the opposite pattern emerged; participants demonstrated more leniency if the infraction was perpetrated by a Black boy, relative to a White boy. Our research adds to the literature and suggests that improving teachers' ability to remain present in the classroom may improve their ability to make more equitable decisions in managing students' misbehavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2023
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9. A collaborative and multidisciplinary approach to knowledge-based rural development: 25 years of the PSDR program in France.
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Torre, André, Wallet, Frédéric, and Huang, Jiao
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RURAL development ,KNOWLEDGE management ,CIRCULAR economy ,PARTICIPANT observation ,WELL-being ,COMMUNITIES ,INFORMATION economy - Abstract
The uneven rural development and the investigation of the place of rural areas in the modern knowledge-based economy raise an important question. How can we foster knowledge emergence and dissemination in peripheral areas that are often considered less innovative due to their remoteness and weak technological creativity? This paper aims to present the contributions of the French PSDR program to rural knowledge creation and dissemination in France based on a comprehensive and synthetic analysis of its participatory research projects. We identify five key components of the knowledge-related PSDR approaches which have significantly contributed to rural innovation in France linked to (1) the governance of agricultural lands, (2) the territorial attractiveness and well-being, (3) the agroecological transition in the territories, (4) the territorialized food systems, as well as (5) the bioeconomy and circular economy. We emphasize the need to combine technological, organizational, and territorial innovation and involve local partners in the design and elaboration of research programs. Rural areas can thus produce new knowledge beneficial to local communities and transferable to other sectors or territories. Finally, we suggest a comprehensive territorial vision for knowledge-based rural development and discuss the importance of a national multidisciplinary and participatory research program. • Collaborative and multidisciplinary approach to knowledge-based rural development. • An overview and synthesis of the experiences from a national program for 25 years. • Participatory research projects across different territories in ten French regions. • Five key components of knowledge-based approaches in rural development identified. • Development of rural innovation in France linked to five primary issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2023
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10. No matter what you do, travel is travel in visual foraging.
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Hong, Injae, Yan, Grace, and Wolfe, Jeremy M.
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VISUAL perception , *DECISION making , *FORAGING behavior , *PARTICIPANT observation , *TRAVEL - Abstract
In visual foraging, foragers collect multiple items from a series of visual displays (or "patches"). When the goal is to maximize the total or the rate of collection of target items, foragers must decide when to leave a depleted patch given that "traveling" from one patch to another incurs a temporal cost. In three experiments, we investigated whether the interposition of a secondary task during travel between patches in visual foraging altered patch-leaving behavior. Over the course of 10- or 30-minute experiments, participants foraged in simulated "berry patches" and traveled to the next patch at will. While they traveled, they either actively performed a secondary task or simply observed passing visual stimuli. Travel time was varied across conditions. The addition of a secondary task, regardless of its relevance to visual foraging, to traveling, or to both, did not impact patch-leaving times in the primary visual foraging task. In Experiment 1 and more weakly in Experiment 2, the patch-leaving decision was based on how long the travel took as predicted by the Marginal Value Theorem (MVT). In Experiment 3, however, patch-leaving did not depend on travel time. Participants 'overharvested' in a manner that suggests that they may have adopted rules different from those of MVT. Across all three experiments, patch-leaving did not depend on the nature of the travel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
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11. Appreciating international scholarships' potential impact in Palestine's extreme context.
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N. Almassri, Anas
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SCHOLARSHIPS , *EXPERIENTIAL learning , *GLOBAL studies , *CAREER development , *PARTICIPANT observation - Abstract
The article presents original findings of career gains perceived by 32 Palestinian alumnae and alumni of 12 master's scholarship programs. I draw on these original findings in responding to one key research question: How do scholarships work, or not, as a pathway of development in Palestine? I argue that scholarships evidently work well as such because of key mechanisms underlying their perceived career impact: Expanded access to career resources, experiential (global) learning, key skills cultivation, specialized knowledge advancement, and enhanced employers' appreciation. However, I outline limits of this argument by reflecting on the difficulty of recreating the efficacy of these mechanisms and scaling up their perceived impact in Palestine's currently extreme context. I finally extend a call for increased, serious reflection on ways to defy this difficulty. • Palestinian students report making key career gains of international scholarships. • Individuality of scholarships impact should not discourage more investment in them. • "Our politics don't work that way..." – participant. • Serious reflection is needed to start steering scholarships impact in Palestine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2024
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12. Water in the West: Analyzing the disconnect between farmers' and policymakers' perceptions of Colorado River Basin shortages in Arizona.
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Wahal, Anya, Mendenhall, Emily, and Giordano, Mark
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WATER shortages ,WATERSHEDS ,EMOTIONAL experience ,WATER supply ,PARTICIPANT observation - Abstract
The Colorado River Basin is facing a record-breaking megadrought that is depleting water resources and threatening farmers' livelihoods. This article investigates Arizona's water crisis to convey how farmers' worries, perceptions, and experiences about water align and depart from policymakers'. We conducted an ethnography among farmers and policymakers, involving participant observation and interviews, and used iterative qualitative coding to interpret themes. Farmers expressed deeply emotional experiences with water, remarking on the idea that water is central to life in Arizona. In response to constituent concerns, policymakers were willing to go to great lengths to improve the water crisis, but their viewpoints often echoed an "us versus them" and "all is well" mentality that could hinder progress. While farmers tended to prioritize preserving agriculture, policymakers tended to emphasize the importance of investing in development. Ultimately, this study reveals that there remain disconnects between farmers' and policymakers' viewpoints, experiences, and proposed policies. • This study contributes to the literature on the Colorado River Basin by adopting an ethnographic approach. • It elucidates the disconnects between policy and practice through an analysis of interviews with policymakers and farmers. • The results highlight that farmers' emphasis on the severity of the water shortage was far greater than policymakers.' • This research also finds that policymakers prioritized development more than farmers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2024
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13. 163 Study participant and research coordinator experiences with remote clinical trials using home spirometry: the OUTREACH Study.
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Reid, N., Sawicki, G., Greenberg, J., Fogarty, B., Midamba, N., Chapdu, C., Berlinski, A., Rosenfeld, M., and Hartzler, A.
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PARTICIPANT observation , *CLINICAL trials , *SPIROMETRY - Published
- 2024
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14. Shifting sands: Indigenous conceptions of health and place in fragile times.
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Clapham, Kathleen, Senior, Kate, Longbottom, Marlene, Bessarab, Dawn, Fredericks, Bronwyn, Harwood, Valerie, Sheppeard, Fiona, Haynes, Bronte, Wellington, Kaitlen, and Kelly, Peter
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INDIGENOUS peoples , *SOCIAL services , *PARTICIPANT observation , *WILDFIRES , *WELL-being - Abstract
Place and health are deeply interconnected for Indigenous people, and place-based services have been established to better meet people's needs. The meaning of place, however, remains difficult to define, an issue compounded by non-Indigenous settler attempts to erase people's association with place. This paper argues that we must understand place as something more than a geographical locality, and consider the histories, experiences and feelings that connect people to place in the south coast of New South Wales (NSW), Australia. The paper focuses on the role of Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCOs) as place-based entities which deliver a range of health and social services to local Aboriginal communities across Australia. This study was undertaken during a period of crisis when places and people's capacity to remain connected to them was perilous due to the 2019/20 bushfires, named in the media as the Black Summer Bushfires. The experience of living through this disastrous period elevated the importance of ACCOs and their unique and deep engagement with the communities they serve. • There is an unresolved tension between Indigenous understandings of place which are encapsulated by Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCOs) and those embedded in policy. • We used community based participatory research methods to explore meanings attached to place by Aboriginal people in southeastern NSW, Australia. • Place and health are deeply interconnected for Indigenous people. • ACCOs deliver place-based services that address the complex social health and wellbeing needs of Indigenous people; this is starkly demonstrated in times of crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2024
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15. Responsibility toward society: A review and prospect of Savolainen's everyday information practice.
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Wang, Xinyue, Yan, Pu, and Liu, Chang
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INFORMATION-seeking behavior , *RESEARCH questions , *SOCIAL facts , *PARTICIPANT observation , *EVERYDAY life - Abstract
The emphasis on social phenomena that defines the Everyday Information Practice (EIP) domain sets it apart from information behavior fields. This study highlights the importance of researching everyday information practices in contemporary social-cultural contexts by using Savolainen's EIP-related models as examples. A synopsis of the characteristics of earlier studies in terms of research contexts, participants, research questions, and research methods was created by evaluating the pertinent studies using EIP-related models. A trend of social responsibility-focused EIP research was presented, along with recommendations for future research in the field of EIP from the perspectives of participants and research methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2024
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16. High-life in a high-rise: Governing urban marginality during COVID-19 in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
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Fernando, Avanka Mahikanthi
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COVID-19 pandemic , *INVOLUNTARY relocation , *WORKING class , *CITY dwellers , *PARTICIPANT observation - Abstract
This research study discusses urban regeneration projects and the impact of COVID-19 in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The study population constitutes urban watta communities relocated to government owned, high-rise housing projects. This study investigates the state response during COVID-19 and the governance of marginality. The research methodology includes participant observation, a household survey, in-depth interviews, and community based participatory methods carried out between September 2019 to January 2021. The study examines formation and perpetuation of discourses regarding urban working-classes who are perceived as 'urban underclasses'. Despite relocation in high-rise housing projects and attempts to create modern, and upgraded living, the residents in high-rise housing projects constantly experienced marginality. Marginality stemmed from socio-historical, structural factors such as dehumanising discourses, the impact of urban development projects, differential determinants that characterised communities and methods of state control. This study uses difference as an important perspective through which urban subaltern communities and everyday life can be studied. Whereas this study demonstrates that the state exerts excessive control in governing subaltern classes, they were not passive victims resigning themselves to a marginal status. They also exerted agency and engaged in resistance against the state within the post-relocation setting. • Impact of urban regeneration projects on subaltern communities in Sri Lanka • State response during COVID-19 and marginality governance • Everyday life in a high-rise in Colombo • Resistance and agency among urban subaltern communities [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2024
- Full Text
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17. Understanding and Optimizing Rest and Rejuvenation for Family Caregivers of Children with Medical Complexity (RP224).
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Porter, Amy S.
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CAREGIVERS , *TASK shifting , *RESPITE care , *PEDIATRIC therapy , *PARTICIPANT observation , *PEDIATRICIANS - Abstract
1. Participants will be able to define and summarize the major themes characterizing CMC family caregivers' experiences of rest, rejuvenation, and respite and then illustrate examples of those themes from family caregivers' stories. 2. Participants will be able to analyze the contribution of themes to family caregiver rest, rejuvenation, and respite; justify inclusion of those themes in a conceptual model for reimagined respite care; and then develop a list of key components of a possible respite care intervention. Qualitative investigation of Massachusetts-based CMC family caregivers' rest, rejuvenation, and respite use illuminates the creative ways families find rest and rejuvenation and the limitations of the existing CMC respite care system. Even as children with medical complexity (CMC) [1,2] receive more palliative care services than any other group, their caregiving demands remain relentless and complex [3–5]. Intended to offer relief from the constancy of caregiving [6,7], respite care is rarely available and often not used, suggesting that it does not meet family caregivers' needs for rest and rejuvenation [8–15]. Few studies have explored CMC family caregiver experiences of respite care, and no research has focused on their need for and experiences of rest and rejuvenation [14,16,17]. The 2-phase RECHARge study (Rest and Rejuvenation Experiences among family caregivers of children with medical complexity to determine How to Augment Respite care) aims to reimagine respite for and with CMC family caregivers, using experience-near qualitative methods and experience-based co-design (EBCD) principles to advance the science of caregiver support. The objective of this first phase is to characterize CMC family caregiver experiences of, needs for, and recommendations for enhancing rest and rejuvenation from the perspectives of (a) CMC family caregivers and (b) home-based pediatric palliative care (PPC) clinicians. Purposive sampling was used to select Massachusetts-based CMC family caregivers and home-based, multidisciplinary pediatric palliative care clinicians. Semi-structured interviews focused on 8 domains of inquiry (caregiver role/responsibilities, task shifting, fatigue, sleep, rest, rejuvenation, respite experiences, COVID impact) were conducted, recorded, and transcribed. Participant observation was conducted with purposefully sampled households during 36-48 hours home stays (one per household), each with a follow-up interview with the household's family caregiver. Content analysis of interview recordings/transcripts and ethnographic field notes was performed using rapid qualitative analysis. Twenty-five family caregivers and 15 home-based clinicians were interviewed. Three households engaged in participant observation. We identified major themes characterizing CMC family caregiver rest and rejuvenation and collected recommendations for (a) respite care intervention development and (b) measurement of effectiveness of rest and rejuvenation support. CMC family caregivers and home-based PPC clinicians offer clear recommendations for supporting rest and rejuvenation for families of children with CMC and for how to reimagine the respite care system. Both CMC family caregivers and home-based clinicians should be incorporated into future experience-based co-design (EBCD) of novel, family-centered respite interventions to support rest and rejuvenation for family caregivers. Family caregivers/Pediatrics [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2024
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18. Deepening Clinician Understanding of Family Caregivers' Lived Experiences Caring for Medically Complex Children.
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Porter, Amy S., McCarthy, Sarah, Bogetz, Jori, and Snaman, Jennifer M.
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CAREGIVERS , *CHILD death , *PARENTS , *MEDICAL personnel , *PARTICIPANT observation , *CHILDREN with autism spectrum disorders , *PEDIATRICIANS - Abstract
1. Participants will self-report the ability to summarize elements of CMC family caregivers' four "unseen" experiences and justify the need for innovative methods to capture them. 2. Participants will self-report the ability to describe the four qualitative methods capturing parent experiences presented in this talk and justify the importance of partnering with parents as members of the research team. Clinicians lack insight into the lived experiences of family caregivers of children with medical complexity. Integrating parent partners into the research team can illuminate family caregivers' "unseen" experiences to both improve clinician-parent rapport and better inform family caregiver support interventions. Clinicians do not witness outside-the-hospital experiences of family caregivers of children with medical complexity (CMC). Parents' "unseen" experiences include: (1) the gradual process of becoming CMC caregivers, (2) providing direct medical and care needs (e.g., the work of care), (3) attempting to find rest and rejuvenation while caregiving, and (4) grieving the death of a child. Parents are therefore necessary partners in helping clinicians better understand these experiences. By partnering with parents as members of the study team, researchers can more effectively illuminate caregivers' "unseen" experiences with the dual aim of improving clinician-parent rapport and informing parent support interventions. Further, integrating parent partners into the research team generates research focused on the issues that matter most to those directly affected and empowers parents to contribute to the science of caregiver support. In this talk, we share our perspectives and experiences as clinician-scientists, one a bereaved parent of a child with medical complexity. We first summarize the four "unseen" parent experiences laid out above. We then explain why innovative methodologies are needed to capture them and describe four qualitative methods we have used for representing such experiences: (1) photo elicitation, (2) ethnography and participant observation, (3) integration of bereaved parents into research planning and conduct, (4) experience-based co-design for development of interventions. Finally, we assert that prioritizing methods that elevate the "unseen" is an important challenge for pediatric palliative care research. Scientific Research / Communication [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2024
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19. Digital technologies and ILK in the Arctic: In search of epistemological pluralism.
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Roturier, Samuel and Beau, Rémi
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DIGITAL technology ,TRADITIONAL knowledge ,ENVIRONMENTAL ethics ,PLURALISM ,VIRTUAL communities ,PARTICIPANT observation - Abstract
The digital revolution is profoundly challenging to Indigenous societies in their relationships with non-humans. To guide research that involves Indigenous communities and digital technology, we analysed the impacts of such technologies on Indigenous knowledge systems from the perspective of environmental ethics and anthropology. Using the example of Sámi reindeer husbandry in Sweden, we found that digital technologies, rather than relying on sensitive ways of understanding and experiencing nature, potentially reinforce a Western worldview of reindeer husbandry, instead of valuing a Sámi ontology. Therefore, they have the potential to compete with Indigenous ways of interacting with humans and non-humans. Our analysis also underlines that research with Indigenous people using digital technology in participatory research projects may contribute to this competition rather than empower the Indigenous knowledge system. Based on these findings, we distinguish two ethical directions – co-construction and strong epistemological pluralism – that can be followed to address concerns about the effects of the development of digital technologies on the diversity of knowledge systems in the Arctic, and elsewhere. • Indigenous knowledge systems rely on a sensitive engagement with their environment. • Digital solutions compete with in-the-field knowledge and indigenous transmission experience. • Participatory research projects using digital technologies may contribute to this competition rather than empower ILK holders. • Epistemological pluralism could better address the challenges for sustainability than digital revolution promises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
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20. Application of the Validated Social Assessment Instrument for Liver Transplantation Candidates.
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de Almeida Serrano, Luzia Cristina, Pereira, Vinícius Araújo, de Jesus, Giovanni Amadeu, Virches, Adriano, da Silva, Renato Ferreira, Duca, William José, da Silva, Rita De Cássia Martins Alves, Júnior, Paulo César Arroyo, Sciarra, Adília Maria Pires, Rondina, Ana Maria Ferreira, Lemes, Jemima Domingos, Bento, Giuliano Ancelmo, and Myazaki, Eliane Tiemi
- Subjects
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LIVER transplantation , *CAREGIVERS , *SOCIAL security , *PARTICIPANT observation , *SEXUAL dimorphism - Abstract
The use of appropriate instruments for social assessment in health aims at both the participation of the subject and effectiveness in resolving demands. The objective of this study was to characterize the population assessed by the Validated Social Assessment Instrument and its implications; a descriptive, documental study with participant and dialectical observation. The data survey were taken from the social assessments applied from July 2020 to June 2021 in a transplant center in northwestern São Paulo state in Brazil. Descriptive statistics were performed. The 65 social evaluations of candidates for liver transplantation (LTx) have presented the following sociodemographic characteristics: male sex (n = 47; 72.3%); mean age of 55.05 years (range: 24-75 years old); with a partner (n = 50; 76.9%); low education level (n = 30; 46.2%); and coming from the state of São Paulo (n = 54; 83.1). Of those evaluated, 48 candidates (74%) were professionally inactive and 37 (56.9%) received assistance or social security benefits; 62 (95.4%) had a family caregiver; 61 (93.9%) had a resolutive compliance family response; 57 (87.7%) had facilitated accessibility; 59 (90.8%) met satisfactory housing standards; and 60 (92.3%) had full acceptance for LTx. The 65 candidates' (100%) social opinions were favorable, and 21 (32.3%) had some limitations and required further assistance. All of them received basic and specific social orientations, and 25 (38.5%) required social referrals. The variables have allowed a view at the totality of the social being in addition to widening the subject's participation in order to identify the real demands and facilitate the monitoring of actions, thus contributing for favorable conditions for treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
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21. Remote usability testing carried out during the COVID-19 pandemic on the example of Primo VE implementation in an Academic Library.
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Marzec, Paweł and Piotrowski, Dominik Mirosław
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COVID-19 pandemic , *ACADEMIC libraries , *TEACHING aids , *LIBRARY records , *PARTICIPANT observation - Abstract
The article presents usability tests of Primo VE carried out as part of the implementation of the Alma library services platform at the Nicolaus Copernicus University Library. Remote usability tests were carried out during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of the tests was to assess the ease of use of selected system functionalities and the ease of learning how to use them by users. The method of remote usability testing using the Office365 application package, including MS Teams, was used. The tests allowed for the preparation of a report that took into account the identified problems and became the basis for introducing modifications to the configuration of the system's functionality and some elements of its interface, as well as for the preparation of instructional materials. The results indicate a fairly high level of intuitiveness of the interface and the analyzed functionalities. Test participants had no major problems with using Primo, apart from handling facets and full record services. • The research aim was to evaluate the ease of use of the Primo VE features. • The usability tests were conducted remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. • Some problems were identified with handling Facets and Full Record Services. • Participants had problems with searching and ordering the selected publications. • The identified problems were used to make changes to some Primo VE features. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
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22. Author perceptions of positive and negative behaviors among library and information science journal editors.
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Hollister, Christopher V., Hosier, Allison, and Williams, Jacqulyn Ann
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INFORMATION science periodicals , *PERIODICAL editors , *PARTICIPANT observation , *BEHAVIOR modification , *LIBRARY science - Abstract
This study was conducted to explore author perceptions of positive and negative behaviors among LIS journal editors. The researchers solicited input from authors regarding their understanding of editors' roles, the importance they attribute to specific editor behaviors, the frequency with which they encounter them, and the impact of specific behaviors. Study participants also reported changes they wish to see in editor behaviors. The findings suggest that authors encounter what they perceive to be positive editor behaviors far more often than negative ones. However, the data also suggests room for improvement. Behaviors relative to the consideration of authors and to editorial intervention appear to be the categories most in need of attention. The researchers introduce the ethics of care as a potential framework for addressing behavioral changes that study participants wish to see, and more generally, as a guiding principle for editorial practice. Study results might help to form the basis of a typology of LIS journal editor behaviors, which in turn might inform the development of prescriptive guidelines for training new editors or for improving the performance of those who already serve in that capacity. Future research directions are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
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23. The transformative potential of local stakeholder engagement in the reintroduction of a contested species.
- Author
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Marino, Filippo, Crowley, Sarah L., Williams Foley, Nell A., McDonald, Robbie A., and Hodgson, Dave J.
- Subjects
- *
CIRCUS cyaneus , *WILDLIFE conservation , *STAKEHOLDER analysis , *BIODIVERSITY conservation , *PARTICIPANT observation - Abstract
Wildlife translocations for conservation purposes are carried out in complex socio-political environments where diverse stakeholders are key to shaping outcomes. Nevertheless, social feasibility and participatory processes are often not fully integrated into the delivery of legitimate and effective conservation actions. We investigated how stakeholder engagement can be delivered in practice and how this delivery is linked to the transformative potential of conservation translocations. We studied the proposed reintroduction of hen harriers Circus cyaneus to southern England in the context of chronic conflicts surrounding the conservation of this species in the UK. We aimed to (a) identify the perspectives of key local stakeholders, focusing on project desirability and drivers, and (b) examine how social engagement processes during project development and implementation could shape reintroduction success. We adopted a qualitative approach comprising participant observation and sixteen semi-structured stakeholder interviews, which we analysed thematically using the Framework Method. Perspectives on the translocation project were overall positive, especially regarding the potential return of hen harriers. However, there were also tensions between the perceived suitability of the local context for reintroduction, and the unsuitability of the national context, due to chronic disagreement among conservationists over hen harrier management. Engagement activities, timing, team composition and the project's open, on-the-ground approach fostered stakeholder engagement and initiated collaborative processes, holding socio-ecological transformative potential for hen harrier management and possibly broader biodiversity conservation. Even within challenging national contexts, therefore, honest stakeholder engagement could enable the alignment of interests, challenging entrenched conservation conflicts at different scales through a bottom-up dynamic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
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24. Repeated exposure to virtual reality decreases reliance on visual inputs for balance control in healthy adults.
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Barbanchon, Christophe, Mouraux, Dominique, and Baudry, Stéphane
- Subjects
- *
VIRTUAL reality , *POSTURAL balance , *ADULTS , *PARTICIPANT observation , *DISPLACEMENT (Mechanics) - Abstract
Postural control may encounter acute challenges when individuals are immersed in a virtual reality (VR) environment, making VR a potential pertinent tool for enhancing balance capacity. Nonetheless, the effects of repeated exposure to VR on balance control remain to be fully elucidated. Fifty-five healthy participants stood upright for six bouts of 90 s each in an immersive virtual reality (VR) environment using a head-mounted display (repeated VR exposure). During these bouts, participants experienced simulated forward and backward displacements. Before and after the repeated VR exposure, the center of pressure mean velocity (VEL COP) was measured in response to simulated forward and backward displacement in VR, as well as during quiet upright standing with eyes open (EO) and closed (EC) in the real environment. The results revealed a significant decrease in VEL COP for forward and backward simulated displacements in both antero-posterior and medio-lateral directions (p < 0.01) after compared to before repeated VR exposure. Furthermore, VEL COP significantly decreased when participants stood upright in EC (−5%; p = 0.004), but not EO (+3%; p > 0.05) in the real environment after repeated VR exposure. The Romberg ratio (EC/EO) was reduced in both antero-posterior and medio-lateral directions (p < 0.05) after VR exposure. This study indicates that repeated exposure to VR induces changes in balance control in both virtual and real environments. These changes may be attributed, in part, to a reduction in the weighting of visual inputs in the multisensory integration process occurring during upright standing. Accordingly, these findings highlight VR as a potentially effective tool for balance rehabilitation. This study indicates that repeated exposure to VR induces changes in balance control in both virtual and real environments that can rely, in part, on a reduction in the weighting of visual inputs in the multisensory integration process occurring during upright standing. [Display omitted] • Do repeated simulated displacements in virtual reality (VR) influence upright stance? • Postural response to simulated displacement in virtual reality decreased. • Postural stability increased when standing eyes closed while Romberg ratio decreased. • Repeated exposure to VR could reduce the reliance of balance control on visual inputs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
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25. Through the looking-glass: Mirror feedback modulates temporal and spatial aspects of bimanual coordination.
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Kim, J., Yeo, S.-H., and Punt, T.D.
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- *
MIRROR therapy , *PROPRIOCEPTION , *HUMAN mechanics , *PERCEPTUAL illusions , *PARTICIPANT observation - Abstract
Mirror therapy has become an effective and recommended intervention for a range of conditions affecting the upper limb (e.g. hemiparesis following stroke). However, little is known about how mirror feedback affects the control of bimanual movements (as performed during mirror therapy). In this study, in preparation for future clinical investigations, we examined the kinematics of bimanual circle drawing in unimpaired participants both with (Experiment 1) and without (Experiment 2) a visual template to guide movement. In both experiments, 15 unimpaired right-handed participants performed self-paced continuous bimanual circle-drawing movements with a mirror/symmetrical coordination pattern. For the mirror condition, vision was directed towards the mirror in order to monitor the reflected limb. In the no mirror condition, the direction of vision was unchanged, but the mirror was replaced with an opaque screen. Movements of both hands were recorded using motion capture apparatus. In both experiments, the most striking feature of movements was that the hand behind the mirror drifted spatially during the course of individual trials. Participants appeared to be largely unaware of this marked positional change of their unseen hand, which was most pronounced when a template to guide movement was visible (Experiment 1). Temporal asynchrony between the limbs was also affected by mirror feedback in both experiments; in the mirror condition, illusory vision of the unseen hand led to a relative phase lead for that limb. Our data highlight the remarkable impact that the introduction of a simple mirror can have on bimanual coordination. Modulation of spatial and temporal features is consistent with the mirror inducing a rapid and powerful visual illusion, the latter appearing to override proprioceptive signals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
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26. A coactivation strategy in anticipatory postural adjustments during voluntary unilateral arm movement while standing in individuals with bilateral spastic cerebral palsy.
- Author
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Kawaguchi, Daisuke, Tomita, Hidehito, Fukaya, Yoshiki, and Kanai, Akira
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- *
CEREBRAL palsy , *POSTURAL balance , *ELECTROMYOGRAPHY , *HUMAN mechanics , *PARTICIPANT observation - Abstract
Individuals with bilateral spastic cerebral palsy (BSCP) reportedly has problems with anticipatory postural adjustments (APAs) while standing. However, the use of coactivation strategy in APAs in individuals with BSCP has conflicting evidence. Hence, this study aimed to investigate postural muscle activities in BSCP during unilateral arm flexion task in which postural perturbations occur in the sagittal, frontal, and horizontal planes. We included 10 individuals with BSCP with level II on the Gross Motor Function Classification System (BSCP group) and 10 individuals without disability (control group). The participants stood on a force platform and rapidly flexed a shoulder from 0° to 90° at their own timing. Surface electromyograms were recorded from the rectus femoris, medial hamstring, tibialis anterior, and medial gastrocnemius. The control group showed a mixture of anticipatory activation and inhibition of postural muscles, whereas the BSCP group predominantly exhibited anticipatory activation with slight anticipatory inhibition. Compared with the control group, the BSCP group tended to activate the ipsilateral and contralateral postural muscles and the agonist–antagonist muscle pairs. The BSCP group had a larger disturbance in postural equilibrium, quantified by the peak displacement of center of pressure during the unilateral arm flexion, than those without disability. Individuals with BSCP may use coactivation strategy, mainly the anticipatory activation of postural muscle activity, during a task that requires a selective postural muscle activity to maintain stable posture. • Postural muscle activities during unilateral arm flexion task were examined. • Individuals with and without bilateral spastic cerebral palsy (BSCP) participated. • Control group showed anticipatory activation and inhibition of postural muscles. • BSCP group predominantly exhibited anticipatory activation with slight inhibition. • BSCP group may not use selective muscle activity and adopt coactivation strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
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27. Differential performance on a motor task according to the preference for task-irrelevant elements that are chosen or assigned: A randomized controlled study.
- Author
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Arbinaga, Félix, Fernández-Ozcorta, Eduardo José, Checa, Irene, García-Robles, Ana, and Godoy-Izquierdo, Débora
- Subjects
- *
MOTOR ability , *CHOICE (Psychology) , *LIKES & dislikes , *PARTICIPANT observation , *RANDOMIZED controlled trials - Abstract
This study explored the impact of choice and preference for what is chosen or assigned on performance on a motor task. Using an experimental design with a dart-throwing task, 90 novice participants were randomized into four groups: Choice-Like condition, Choice-Dislike condition, Assigned-Like condition, and Assigned-Dislike condition, resulting of the manipulation of choice (vs. assignation) of a task-irrelevant element and preference (irrelevant element: darts color and design). The study found that participants who were given the opportunity to choose their own dart for a throwing task performed better than those who were not given the choice. Participants who threw a dart they preferred also had better scores than those who threw a dart they did not like. However, the interactive effects of choice and preference on performance were inconclusive, and whereas being assigned with a disliked element was the worst condition for performance, and being allowed to choose preferred elements the most facilitatory one, nothing else can be concluded on the impact of both conditions alone or in combination. These results suggest that both choice and preference can positively impact performance in closed motor learning tasks and have practical applications for training and execution in athletic performance. Further investigations are warranted to delve into the interplay of choice and preference in diverse contexts and populations. • Choosing seemingly irrelevant items like dart color/design improved dart-throwing performance. • Participants with higher scores used preferred darts, showing personal preferences impact performance. • Interaction effects between choice and preference on performance were ambiguous; no significant differences in performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
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28. Online reach adjustments induced by real-time movement sonification.
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Barkasi, Michael, Bansal, Ambika, Jörges, Björn, and Harris, Laurence R.
- Subjects
- *
MOTOR ability , *MOVEMENT disorders , *PARTICIPANT observation , *FEEDBACK control systems , *HUMAN mechanics - Abstract
Movement sonification can improve motor control in both healthy subjects (e.g., learning or refining a sport skill) and those with sensorimotor deficits (e.g., stroke patients and deafferented individuals). It is not known whether improved motor control and learning from movement sonification are driven by feedback-based real-time ("online") trajectory adjustments, adjustments to internal models over multiple trials, or both. We searched for evidence of online trajectory adjustments (muscle twitches) in response to movement sonification feedback by comparing the kinematics and error of reaches made with online (i.e., real-time) and terminal sonification feedback. We found that reaches made with online feedback were significantly more jerky than reaches made with terminal feedback, indicating increased muscle twitching (i.e., online trajectory adjustment). Using a between-subject design, we found that online feedback was associated with improved motor learning of a reach path and target over terminal feedback; however, using a within-subjects design, we found that switching participants who had learned with online sonification feedback to terminal feedback was associated with a decrease in error. Thus, our results suggest that, with our task and sonification, movement sonification leads to online trajectory adjustments which improve internal models over multiple trials, but which themselves are not helpful online corrections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
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29. The medium modulates the medusa effect: Perceived mind in analogue and digital images.
- Author
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Edwards, Salina, Jenkins, Rob, Jacobs, Oliver, and Kingstone, Alan
- Subjects
- *
PERCEIVED quality , *PARTICIPANT observation , *DIGITAL images , *DIGITAL media - Abstract
We effortlessly attribute mental states to other people. We also attribute minds to people depicted in pictures, albeit at a reduced strength. Intriguingly, this reduction in intensity continues for images of people within a photograph itself—a phenomenon known as the Medusa effect. The present study replicates the Medusa effect for images shown digitally and on paper. Crucially, we demonstrate that we can reduce the magnitude of the Medusa effect by depicting people digitally within a computer screen (e.g., as if one were interacting with a person on a Zoom call). As well as modulating the quantity of the Medusa effect, changes in pictorial medium can affect the quality of the perceived mind. Specifically, the dimension of Experience —what a depicted person can feel—reflected participants' observations that they could interact with an onscreen person embedded in a digital image. This combination of a robust Medusa effect and the ability to control it both quantitatively and qualitatively opens many avenues for its future application, such as manipulating and measuring mind in immersive media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
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30. Telling stories as preparation for learning: A Bayesian analysis of transfer performance and investigation of learning mechanisms.
- Author
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Tobler, Samuel, Sinha, Tanmay, Köhler, Katja, and Kapur, Manu
- Subjects
- *
NATURAL history education , *BAYESIAN analysis , *TEXTBOOKS , *PARTICIPANT observation , *HIGHER education - Abstract
Textbooks are essential for natural science university education. However, recent evidence indicates that their design may not be ideal for learning, whereas narratives might overcome the associated limitations. This study compares transfer performance and involved learning mechanisms upon learning scientific concepts either provided in an expository text alone, embedded in a historical narrative, or as expository text prefaced with the historical background. Participants were 163 undergraduate natural science students. We randomly assigned students to one of the three conditions and used a Bayesian modeling approach to compare the prior knowledge-dependent transfer performance upon instruction. Additionally, we investigated the impact of the different conditions on affective and cognitive mechanisms. Results indicate that students with lower prior knowledge benefit most from narrative-embedded content. Students with higher prior knowledge profited if narratives were used as preparation for follow-up expository instruction. Self-efficacy and cognitive load measures were positively related to the narrative conditions and partly mediated learning from narrative instruction. The study conceptualized and offers support for using narratives as preparation for future learning for enhancing transfer performance in university natural science education, additionally highlighting when and why narratives might support learning. [Display omitted] • Prior knowledge influences which instruction is most effective for learning. • Historical narratives aid transfer performance most for low-knowledge students. • Narrative prior to expository instruction benefits knowledgeable students most. • Learning with a narrative positively impacted self-efficacy and cognitive load. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
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31. It counts in every single lesson: Between- and within-person associations of teaching quality and student self-regulation.
- Author
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Blume, Friederike and Schmiedek, Florian
- Subjects
- *
EFFECTIVE teaching , *SELF regulation , *CLASSROOM management , *PARTICIPANT observation , *COGNITIVE ability - Abstract
The significant influence that classroom interactions have on the development of students' self-regulation has been acknowledged for a long time. Nonetheless, past research has emphasised their impact on differences in self-regulation amongst students, without considering intra-individual variations. We examined whether there is a link between average and lesson-level student-perceived teaching quality, which includes student support, classroom management and cognitive activation, and student self-regulation in individual lessons. Moreover, we investigated whether the magnitude of the associations depended on students' dispositional self-regulation. We analysed data collected from 61 students (recruited sample N = 64 students; M age = 11.71, SD age = 0.93). Participants completed a baseline questionnaire (demographics, dispositional self-regulation) as well as 15 daily diaries in which they reported on their own self-regulation and the perceived quality of teaching in the last lesson of the day. The findings revealed positive associations between student support and classroom management, both at the average and lesson level, and student self-regulation in individual lessons. No associations were found between the average and lesson level cognitive activation and students' self-regulation in individual lessons. The aforementioned associations were not moderated by students' dispositional self-regulation. The findings emphasise the importance of student-perceived teaching quality at both the average and lesson-level for student self-regulation in individual lessons. • Student-perceived teaching quality linked to students' self-regulation. • Lesson-level self-regulation positively linked to student support. • Lesson-level self-regulation positively linked to classroom management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
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32. Living labs in agrifood studies: An opportunity to revisit fundamental questions about participatory research?
- Author
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Aare, Ane Kirstine and Hansen, Stine Rosenlund
- Subjects
- *
PARTICIPANT observation , *RESEARCH personnel - Abstract
The use of the term 'living lab' is now widespread, and in agrifood studies has been incorporated into research funding requirements. However, the methodological skills and prerequisites for successful living labs are not particularly well articulated. Based on our experience (five national and EU research projects) and our research backgrounds in (interdisciplinary) social science and participatory research, we highlight several risks associated with the use of living labs in agrifood studies without having the resources, reflectivity or skills required. These risks include: 1) imposing predefined agendas that are masked as participatory processes, 2) placing an overemphasis on confidentiality or knowledge sharing, and 3) getting lost in researcher roles. We argue that there is a need to discuss and improve understanding of these risks in order to produce successful living labs in agrifood studies, as well as avoid conceptual dilution or confusion. • The use of living labs in agrifood studies is increasing. • The tradition of participatory research provides important insights into researching through living labs. • Introducing living labs in agrifood studies without the ressources and skills needed inludes several risks. • Researchers embarking in living labs need to reflect on the ambitions, requirements and effects of doing so. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
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33. Interpreting Chinese concepts of authenticity: A constructivist epistemology.
- Author
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Cheng, Denian, Fountain, Joanna, Rosin, Christopher, and Lucock, Xiaomeng
- Subjects
CONSTRUCTIVISM (Education) ,SEMI-structured interviews ,PARTICIPANT observation ,UNIVERSITY research ,CHINA studies ,FOOD tourism ,DOCUMENTARY film production - Abstract
Authenticity is one of the central components of the tourist experience and has been the subject of substantial academic research. Despite this attention, debate on the notion is ongoing. This paper aims to enhance the analytic potential of the largely Western-centric notion of authenticity by examining the value and meaning of Suzhou food authenticity, from the perspective of producers and suppliers of food and food tourism experiences. Using semi-structured interviews, participant observation and documentary analysis, this study finds that the broad notion of authenticity has considerable relevance to supply-side stakeholders' perceptions of food tourism experiences in Suzhou, however in describing certain foods, local stakeholders do not use a term that directly translates to "authentic", and instead rely on many other Chinese concepts and expressions to authenticate food attractions and experiences. This study confirms the significance of authenticity to food tourism experiences from the producer and supplier perspective but also suggests that authenticity is a culturally specific notion and, fundamentally, there is great utility in applying a constructivist epistemology to study the Chinese concepts of authenticity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
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34. Sex reconfigured: DIY hormone therapy and vernacular endocrinology in transfeminine communities in China.
- Author
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Wang, Thelma
- Subjects
- *
ENDOCRINOLOGY , *GENDER transition , *PARTICIPANT observation , *INTERVIEWING , *COMMUNITIES , *EXPERIENCE , *HORMONE therapy , *RESEARCH , *RESEARCH methodology , *TRANS women - Abstract
Faced with a restrictive institutional medical landscape, trans people in China turn to DIY (Do-It-Yourself) hormone therapy. While existing health literature has studied the risks and impacts of informal hormone therapy, little is known about the practical strategies and the embedded meaning-making processes around hormone-taking on the ground. Building on digital and in-person participant observation conducted in two cities in China and semi-structured interviews with eight transfeminine individuals between 2021 and 2022, this article examines the embodied practices and community knowledge of tinkering with hormones. Specifically, I examine the ways that conventional biomedical notions of efficacy and risk are both enrolled and contested to understand bodily becoming in the community space. Closely engaging with biomedical structures, ideas, and knowledge, trans people challenge and reformulate dominant notions of efficacy, risk, and toxicity. A form of DIY hormone literacy is taking shape in the community, informed by the hands-on engagement with medicine, an affinity with pharmaceuticals, and people's temporal narratives of transition. Throughout these processes, DIY practitioners multiply the materials and imaginations of medicine. They reshape the narrowly-defined biomedical model of sex and enable an alternative onto-epistemology of hormonal sex-gender that is amenable to modification and constantly in flux. Drawing from medical anthropology, science and technology studies (STS), and feminist, queer, and trans studies, this article contributes to the conversation on the politics and poetics of sex-gender and embodied knowledge production in the community space. • Transgender people turn to DIY hormone therapies within the gate-keeping medical regime in China. • Trans communities develop practical strategies to access hormones and monitor their effects. • DIY hormone therapy complicates commonly held ideas about risks and side effects in biomedicine. • Trans people's experiences of hormones should be understood within their specific community networks, sensory perceptions, and temporal narratives of gender transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
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35. Facilitators' specific discourse strategies to construct socio-emotional dynamics promoting collaboration and dialogue in teachers' professional development.
- Author
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Onrubia, Javier, Minguela, Marta, and Roca, Begoña
- Subjects
- *
TEACHER development , *EQUALITY , *PARTICIPANT observation , *DISCOURSE , *TRUST - Abstract
Collaboration among teachers and a dialogical orientation are key features of effective professional development (PD). For this orientation to appear, safe socio-emotional dynamics need to be built. An observational study, using a descriptive system of data analysis, was carried out to identify the specific discourse strategies that an expert facilitator used to promote socio-emotional dynamics during a one-year PD process. We identified nine facilitator's specific discourse strategies intended to promote mutual trust and egalitarian inclusion among the participants. We also found that the facilitator's use of these strategies varied in different moments of the PD process. • Safe socio-emotional dynamics are key for collaborative professional development. • We identified nine facilitator's discourse strategies to promote these dynamics. • The use of these strategies varied across the professional development process. • At the beginning of the process, the strategies focused on building mutual trust. • Subsequently, the facilitator incorporated strategies aimed to egalitarian inclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
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36. Participatory research in complex marine conservation settings: A review of recent trends and lessons for the future.
- Author
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Ison, Sierra, Cvitanovic, Christopher, Pecl, Gretta, Hobday, Alistair J., and van Putten, Ingrid
- Subjects
MARINE resources conservation ,PARTICIPANT observation ,ECONOMIC uncertainty ,SOCIAL learning ,RESEARCH personnel ,INDIGENOUS children ,MARINE ecology - Abstract
The conservation of marine ecosystems and species is inherently complex, plagued by social, political, economic and ecological uncertainty. Navigating these challenges to sustain marine systems requires the understanding, consideration and uptake of multiple knowledge systems within decision-making processes. Participatory research approaches, such as knowledge co-production, are advocated given their potential to generate knowledge with those who are most affected by the issue at hand and, based on that knowledge, develop and implement meaningful conservation practices collaboratively. In doing so participatory research is positioned to make marine research more democratic and impactful, and as such, has been a field of growing research enquiry. The aim of this study, therefore, is to synthesise (via a systematic scoping review) the existing literature to generate guidance that can help researchers and practitioners plan and apply participatory research approaches in a complex marine context. Results from systematically identifying and analyzing 337 articles show that the implementation of participatory research approaches are most common in the global north. Participatory research approaches most frequently included representatives from government, industry and civil society (e.g. community groups), while indigenous groups and communities were rarely included. A diversity of participatory research approaches have been used in relation to marine conservation in different settings and at various stages of the participatory process, each with their own challenges and benefits, that can lead to either positive outcomes for actors (e.g. social learning) or negative outcomes (e.g. disempowerment). We draw on our findings to provide guidance for improving the implementation of participatory research approaches in marine conservation such as taking the time to understand context before commencing participatory research approaches, and ensuring transparency with all actors throughout the process. We highlight key implications for researcher and practitioners implementing participatory research approaches including the importance of a diversity of approaches and methods to ensure access, supporting two way communication, addressing power imbalances, and the need to recognise, report on and address pre-existing barriers. Many of these require greater investment in terms of money or personnel, and new funding models are needed with a focus on longevity and sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
37. The video window: How video consultation technology reveals and redefines the art of medicine in Danish specialist practice.
- Author
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Borsch, Anne Sofie, Jensen, Anja M.B., Vange, Sif Sofie, and Jervelund, Signe Smith
- Subjects
- *
DIGITAL technology , *SENSES , *PROMPTS (Psychology) , *ART , *QUALITATIVE research , *PARTICIPANT observation , *INTERVIEWING , *NEGOTIATION , *INTERNET , *HOME environment , *FAMILY roles , *METAPHOR , *TELEMEDICINE , *MEDICAL consultation , *BODY language , *PHYSICIAN-patient relations , *PHYSICIANS , *PHENOMENOLOGY , *CLINICS , *MEDICINE , *MEDICAL practice - Abstract
In the contemporary landscape of technologically mediated healthcare, video consultations introduce a dynamic interplay of challenges and opportunities. Taking the notion of 'the art of medicine' as an analytical frame, and drawing on interviews with medical specialists as well as participant observation of video consultations with patients (carried out between February 2022 and January 2023), this article investigates how video consultation technology changes the practices of medical specialists in the Danish healthcare system. Informed by post-phenomenology, we approach video consultations metaphorically as 'windows' between medical specialists and patients, unveiling three pivotal dimensions characterizing these changes. First, the shift from a physical to a virtual consultation room requires a reevaluation of the authoritative nature of the clinic, emphasizing the need for negotiating and staging the clinical space online. Second, while video consultations limit doctors' ability to rely on traditional non-verbal cues such as body language, they offer glimpses into patients' home environments, exposing the influence of social preconceptions on medical evaluations. Third, the adoption of video consultations introduces new conditions for doctors' use of senses, accentuating the importance of reflecting on the roles of different sensory impressions in the art of medicine. Our study illuminates how video consultation technology simultaneously expands and constrains the engagement between medical specialists and patients. Despite their inherent limitations, video consultations bring medical specialists closer to some of the intricacies of patients' lives. This proximity offers new insights and renders visible the roles of caregivers and relatives in the patient's care. The metaphor of 'the video window' encapsulates this tension between distance and closeness in video consultations, portraying the patient as both fragmented and socially situated. Our study extends beyond traditional patient and provider satisfaction evaluations, providing nuanced insights into how video consultations reconfigure the art of medicine. • Qualitative study of video consultations in Danish medical specialist practice. • Video consultations reconfigure unspoken, intersubjective aspects of medicine. • Uses the metaphor the video window to show tensions between distance and closeness. • Calls for attention to the subtleties of clinical work in remote healthcare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
38. The reproductive journeys of French women over 40 seeking assisted reproductive technology treatments in Spain.
- Author
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Desy, Alexandra and Marre, Diana
- Subjects
- *
HUMAN reproductive technology laws , *INFERTILITY treatment , *HEALTH services accessibility , *FRENCH people , *CONSUMER attitudes , *ETHNOLOGY research , *INTERVIEWING , *PARTICIPANT observation , *PSYCHOLOGY of women , *MEDICAL tourism , *MOTHERHOOD , *ADULTS , *MIDDLE age - Abstract
Fertility decline is a complex phenomenon resulting from converging social and cultural changes that are governed through politics. As it has been discussed in many studies, the European's low fertility rate goes hand in hand with the trend of maternity postponement. Although in many European countries over the last decades reproduction is envisaged as an individual choice that can be made at older ages, having a child after a certain age can be impossible -either "naturally" or using assisted reproductive technology-depending on the medical and legislative possibilities and limits of the country in which people live. In the extremely diverse European reproscape, reproductive legislations have forced but also allowed many people to seek reproductive treatments outside their home countries. Spain is a leading destination in Europe for cross border reproductive travel and, of the foreigners it receives, the French are the largest group. Despite having a history of strong pro-natalist policies, France has been one of the strictest European countries regarding access to medically assisted procreation. Until 2022, only heterosexual couples in which women were under 43 years of age could access treatments. Despite the recent opening of access to "all women", including single women and same-sex female couples, women over 43 years of age were once again excluded from the new legal framework and therefore remain condemned to travel abroad to access reproductive treatments. In this article, we analyze the experience of French women over 40 who cross the Spanish border to access reproductive treatments in order to fulfill their desire to have children. Through ethnographic data emerging from six years of participant observation and in-depth interviews with 15 women, we explore why they remain excluded from the French system of reproductive governance and the obstacles they face during their reproductive journey. • "Late" mothers remain excluded from French society. • Spain is the first destination for French reproductive travellers. • Reproductive travellers face physical, mental, cultural, and emotional displacement. • Motherhood postponement is at the root of the use of assisted reproductive technologies. • Motherhood postponement can be linked to women waithood until meeting the good condition for welcoming a child. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
39. The effect of age and sex on peak oxygen uptake during upper and lower body exercise: A systematic review.
- Author
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Price, M.J., Smith, P.M., Bottoms, L.M., and Hill, M.W.
- Subjects
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AEROBIC capacity , *EXERCISE , *ERGOMETRY , *ACTIVITIES of daily living , *PARTICIPANT observation - Abstract
Large scale population norms for peak oxygen uptake (VO 2peak) during cycle ergometry (CE) have been published for men and women across a wide range of ages. Although upper body functional capacity has an important role in activities of daily living far less is known regarding the effect of age and sex on upper body functional capacity (i.e. arm crank ergometry; ACE). The aim of this review was to determine the effect of age and sex on VO 2peak obtained during ACE and CE in the same participants. The review was pre-registered with PROSEPERO (Ref: CRD42022349566). A database search using Academic Search Complete including CINAHL complete, CINHAL Ultimate, Medline, PubMed, SPORTDiscus was undertaken. The initial search yielded 460 articles which was reduced to 243 articles following removal of duplicates. Twenty-five articles were subsequently excluded based on title resulting in 218 articles considered for retrieval. Following review of the abstracts, 78 further articles were excluded leaving 140 to be assessed for eligibility. Eighty-five articles were subsequently excluded, resulting in 55 articles being included. The decrease in VO 2peak with age during CE was consistent with previous studies. Decreases in VO 2peak during ACE with age, although paralleling those of CE, appeared to be of greater functional importance. When changes in VO 2peak were considered below the age of 50 years little change was observed for absolute VO 2peak during ACE and CE. In contrast, relative VO 2peak demonstrated decreases in VO 2peak for both ACE and CE likely reflecting increases in body mass and body fat percentage with age. After 50 years of age absolute and relative VO 2peak demonstrated more similar and subtle responses. Heterogeneity across studies for both absolute and relative VO 2peak between ACE and CE was large. Although strict inclusion criteria were applied, the inter-individual variation in sample populations was likely the main source of heterogeneity. There was a considerable lack data sets available for ages above 40 years of age. These responses suggest that upper body VO 2peak decreases in line with that of the lower body but, due to the lower peak values achieved during ACE, decreases in VO 2peak may have more profound functional impact compared to that for the lower body. Using absolute and relative measures of VO 2peak results in different age-related profiles when considered below 50 years of age. To further our understanding of whole body ageing more data is required for participants in mid and later life. The association between VO 2peak and underlying physiological factors with age needs to be studied further, particularly in conjunction with activities of daily living and independent living. • Decreases in peak oxygen uptake with age differed between upper body exercise and lower body exercise. • Decreases in upper body peak oxygen uptake across younger age categories were greater for males. • Decreases in upper and lower body peak oxygen uptake with age were greater for females. • There was a considerable lack of data sets available for ages above 40 years old. • Strategies to improve whole body aerobic capacity should consider middle-age groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2024
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40. Reconceptualising transport-related social exclusion in rural China.
- Author
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Liu, Qiyang, Ma, Tianyu, and Liu, Zhengying
- Subjects
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SOCIAL marginality , *INTERPERSONAL relations , *SOCIAL norms , *INFRASTRUCTURE (Economics) , *PARTICIPANT observation - Abstract
In this paper, we propose a conceptual framework to elucidate transport-related social exclusion (TRSE) in rural China. Drawing from participant observations across 146 villages in Guangdong (2643 rural residents), we illuminate the multifaceted nature of TRSE in Chinese villages. In term of interregional transport challenges, rural residents are socially excluded due to inadequate transport infrastructure and services. In contrast, within the microcosm of intravillage transport, residents adeptly harness available transport resources to craft exclusionary strategies. This emergent form of TRSE, distinct from previous paradigms, sees villagers deploying transport as an instrument to deliberately exclude the Other based on the depth and nuances of their interpersonal relationships. This exclusion manifests through unique characteristics: the nebulous contours of marginalised groups, mutual exclusion between rural residents, ethical ambivalence, and its profound resonance with traditional cultural norms. Given the intricate layers that seem to eclipse the phenomena observed in urban contexts, we underscore the imperative for a more nuanced exploration of TRSE in rural landscapes. • Participant observation of 2643 rural residents in 146 villages in Guangdong • A novel form of exclusion based on the depth and nuances of interpersonal relationships • Villagers deploying transport as an instrument to deliberately exclude others • Transport-related social exclusion in rural China manifests through 4 unique characteristics • The nebulous contours of marginalised groups, mutual exclusion, ethical ambivalence, and resonance with traditional norms • Transport-related social exclusion in rural China is rooted in the bedrock of traditional Chinese culture [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2024
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41. Multi-system interactions and institutional work: Actor interactions at the interface of residential storage systems and electric vehicles in Germany.
- Author
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Käsbohrer, Andrea, Hansen, Teis, and Zademach, Hans-Martin
- Subjects
AUTOMOBILE industry ,ENERGY industries ,ELECTRICITY markets ,PARTICIPANT observation - Abstract
• This article contributes to the debate on multi-system interactions. • Focusing on sector-specific institutional work activities along with enabling conditions helps to explain the reconfiguration of system boundaries. • We conceptualize four main forms of the reconfiguration of system boundaries. • Particularly within-system incumbents from both systems leverage their resources and engage in cross-sectoral institutional work in order to create institutional couplings. • Cross-sectoral networks as well as intellectual and physical-material resources are found to be important features for strong agency. Multi-system interactions are receiving increasing attention within transition research. However, understanding the consequences of increasing couplings between adjacent systems for transitions requires further research. In response, this paper applies the concept of institutional work to understand the role of actors creating institutional couplings for the reconfiguration of multiple systems. We further elaborate on enabling conditions for institutional work from a sector-sensitive perspective. In-depth interviews with energy and automobile sector experts and participant observation at industry association events show that cross-sectoral networks and advocacy are important mechanisms for creating regulative couplings. However, particularly actors in the automotive industry are able to advance into the electricity market due to increasing access to political institutions and enhanced intellectual and physical-material resources. Thus, we show how within-system incumbents leverage their resources and engage in cross-sectoral institutional work in order to gain knowledge and integrate new technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2024
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42. Multi-level finance impacts on participation, inclusion, and equity: Bricolage and Fuzziness in NextGenerationEU-funded renaturing projects.
- Author
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Neidig, Julia, Anguelovski, Isabelle, Albaina, Aitor, and Pascual, Unai
- Subjects
PARTICIPATION ,CLIMATE change mitigation ,SOCIAL goals ,PARTICIPANT observation ,URBAN climatology - Abstract
We analyze a multi-level ad-hoc emergency fund (MAEF) – the European NextGenerationEU program – as an opportunity to advance ambitious municipal climate action. Presently, MAEF follow a vertical complex governance structure, including strict timelines, evaluations, and competencies spread across policy scales, which condition local aspirations for transformative governance in terms of participation, inclusion, and equity. Drawing on qualitative data (interviews with key actors, participant observations, and primary policy and planning documents), we examine the implementation of NextGenerationEU-funded naturalization projects in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain, 2012 European Green Capital. We offer an empirical analysis of how MAEF requirements challenge locally formulated values of governance meant to advance civic participation, inclusion, and equity. Findings indicate that the municipal dependence on multi-level financing schemes represents a trade-off with local democratic governance, whereby the need for slow-er and finance-detached civic engagement processes clashes with EU requirements for rapid project execution. Here, civic contestation against the projects' processes reveals some of the core emergency funds governance weaknesses: a) a bricolage approach at the expenses of democratic governance, to ensure successful applications for climate finance projects and b) a fuzzy process without transparent communication of project selection and implementation. However, findings also reveal that the municipality failed to build up participation, inclusion, and consideration of social equity goals upstream, before and outside the context of MAEF. This reality calls for local decision-makers to develop more transparent governance models that help build up civic support when projects are in their early conception stage. • Municipalities depend on multi-level climate finance to materialize climate action. • Local planners deploy bricolage approach to attract funds. • NextGenerationEU pose risk on governance prioritizing civic participation, inclusion, equity. • Planners must operate with transparent project communication and justification to assure civic support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2024
- Full Text
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43. A case study unpacking the collaborative research process: Eight essential components.
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Wine, Osnat, Spiers, Jude, Kovacs Burns, Katharina, van Manen, Michael, and Osornio Vargas, A.
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ENVIRONMENTAL health ,PARTICIPANT observation ,THEMATIC analysis ,FOCUS groups ,INTERDISCIPLINARY research - Abstract
Addressing complex environmental and health questions requires research collaborations. Such collaborations harness diverse expertise and perspectives from various researchers, practitioners, stakeholders, and knowledge-users to ground and enhance the depth and breadth of research and promote translational efforts towards policymaking. There is growing interest and need to understand what shapes these partnerships. Thus, our objective was to empirically identify the essential components of a collaborative research process. This qualitative case study followed a complex interdisciplinary research project over five years of operation. The project utilized an Integrated Knowledge Translation approach (IKT), a research partnership between researchers and knowledge-users. Data were generated through experiential interview/focus groups, surveys, and participant observation analyzed using inductive thematic analysis procedures. We identified eight essential components. The partnership evolved by building relationships , advancing individual growth , and building team capacity. These require the alignment of progress, knowledge, and expectations, establishing trust in each other, procedures, and outcomes, and developing shared ownership. Furthermore, operative elements and individual attitudes fostered the collaborative climate evolution. All components contributed directly and indirectly through complex interactions to shaping and maintaining the collaborative process and ultimately to growth, performance, co-production, and translational initiatives. At different times, the attainment or absence of these components facilitated or hindered the project's progression. This study provides an empiric in-depth description of the evolution of individual and collaborative team processes in which interdisciplinarity and IKT fostered co-production and knowledge translation. The evidence can serve as focal points to guide future planning and operation of research partnerships in different contexts. [Display omitted] • A qualitative case study exploring team processes in collaborative research. • Eight components were essential for a successful research collaboration process. • The components included dynamic team processes and enabling conditions. • All components jointly evolved to reach optimal performance and productivity. • Our empiric findings could serve as focal points for other research collaborations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
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44. Grower influence during a participatory project with farmworkers.
- Author
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Erwin, Anna
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AGRICULTURAL laborers ,IMMIGRANTS ,SEMI-structured interviews ,PARTICIPANT observation ,BASIC needs - Abstract
Scholars argue that growers occupy a special place in the US imagination, which grants them and their priorities power in policy spaces and disrupts efforts at addressing injustices that farmworkers experience. While farmworkers have successfully organized and made structural changes on their own behalf, there is a critical need to find new spaces where farmworkers can address claims for justice. Organizations that serve and advocate for farmworkers implement participatory projects to increase opportunities for farmworkers to discuss and address injustices. However, little research interrogates how growers could influence organizational capacity to support meaningful participation, processes that foster agency and provide avenues for tying grievances to action, for farmworkers. This paper begins to address this gap. Results draw on five months of ethnographic fieldwork (semi-structured interviews, participant observations, and document review) with the Valle Vista Farmworker Ministry, an organization that serves farmworkers in the rural southeastern US. Valle Vista was implementing a participatory project with the farmworkers. In addition to creating leadership opportunities for farmworkers, stakeholders aspired to create a direct relationship with growers and enhance organizational capacity to advocate on behalf of farmworkers. Results show that fears and risks of upsetting growers hindered Valle Vista's efforts towards fully creating meaningful participation with farmworkers. Given these findings, this study posits that in addition to having power in policy spaces and the US imagination, growers also hold this influence in participatory spaces created by organizations. The study concludes with recommendations for scholars and organizations that would like to implement participatory projects with migrant farmworker populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2022
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45. Improving participant representation in the era of digital clinical studies.
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Ramos, Edward, Baca-Motes, Katie, Pandit, Jay A., and Ajayi, Toluwalase A.
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RACE , *ETHNICITY , *COMMUNITIES , *MEDICAL research , *PARTICIPANT observation , *HUMAN research subjects - Abstract
Traditional clinical research relies on conventional strategies to invite and enroll research participants. However, these strategies often fail to reach potential participants from marginalized communities or that reflect the diversity of the nation, such as race, ethnicity, or geography. As we discuss here, the digital clinical study model sets the stage for improved and equitable participation in biomedical research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
46. Assessing data in the informal e-waste sector: The Agbogbloshie Scrapyard.
- Author
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Owusu-Sekyere, Karoline, Batteiger, Alexander, Afoblikame, Richard, Hafner, Gerold, and Kranert, Martin
- Subjects
- *
ELECTRONIC waste management , *ELECTRONIC waste , *INFORMAL sector , *PERSISTENT pollutants , *SCRAP metals , *POLLUTION - Abstract
• Describes a methodology to assess data in the informal e-waste sector in Ghana. • A method for rapid data assessment is provided. • Annual e-waste mass flows at Agbogbloshie Scrapyard range between 13,090 and 17,094 t/a. • Roughly 39% of the Ghanaian e-waste generation is treated at Agbogbloshie Scrapyard. The Old-Fadama-Scrapyard, better known as Agbogbloshie, is located in Accra, Ghana. Over the last 20 years, the area has developed into a large scrapyard, where the informal sector processes mainly electronic waste (e-waste) and scrap metals. However, unsafe treatment methods, such as the open burning of cables and foams, and the spilling of hazardous liquids onto the ground, cause environmental pollution and create health risks by releasing persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and heavy metals. There is a recognized lack in literature of data on e-waste mass and material flows due to the lack of applicable methods to measure e-waste quantities in an informally managed treatment system. However, to establish sustainable e-waste management, e-waste mass and material flow data are crucial prerequisites. Therefore, the material flow analysis (MFA) methodology is proposed as a means for data collection within a limited time frame in the informal e-waste recycling context. In this case study, mass and material flows of e-waste processed at Agbogbloshie were estimated using two different approaches: Firstly, the kind, measures, constitution of load and number of loaded entering and exiting vehicles was observed and documented, and second, to validate the data collected, the mass and material flow of e-waste treatment processes on site were observed and documented. The resulting annual mass flows range between 13,090 t/a and 17,094 t/a of e-waste. Based on the data for Ghana from the Global E-waste Monitor, an average of 15,092 t/a (approximately 39% of the Ghanaian e-waste generation) is treated in Agbogbloshie. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
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47. "Because you've lived in different places all your life" – How mobility trajectories create cross-border entrepreneurial opportunities for migrants in Switzerland.
- Author
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Mittmasser, Christina
- Subjects
IMMIGRANTS ,INSTITUTIONAL environment ,PARTICIPANT observation ,DIASPORA ,HUMAN research subjects - Abstract
• Migrant entrepreneurs in Switzerland often use resources in multiple countries. • This is related to their complex biographies transcending the classic home-host-country-trajectory. • This paper uses a time-geographic and biographic approach. • It depicts the complex evolution of cross-border resources throughout the history of migration. • It also captures the constraints experienced by different groups of migrants over time. The activities of migrant entrepreneurs increasingly extend beyond national borders as they travel and move goods between countries. Yet, research still portrays a static and homogeneous picture of the phenomenon which disregards complex biographies, evolving along multiple places over time, and cross-border activities beyond the origin and destination country. In response, this article uses a time-geographic and biographic approach which allows for a more dynamic investigation of the different localities involved in migrants' entrepreneurial projects and the evolution of cross-border resources throughout their history of migration. The presented study is based on ethnographic observations and biographic interviews, including trajectories traced on geographic maps, of 34 migrants with diverse backgrounds in Zurich, Switzerland. Because most research participants have multiple migration experiences and are female, it provides insights into understudied groups within the field. The article introduces a typology of three different kinds of cross-border migrant entrepreneurship. In contrast to the classic literature, it highlights that the cross-border engagement of migrants often transcends the origin–destination binary. Knowledge of economic and institutional environments, professional and intimate contacts, as well as other competences that interviewees have developed within different localities and episodes of their mobile biographies, become important resources in this regard. Moreover, the study offers a nuanced view on the constraints experienced and strategies employed by different groups of migrants according to their position in society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
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48. The contributions of transboundary networks to environmental governance: The legacy of the MAP initiative.
- Author
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Perz, Stephen, Rioja Ballivián, Guillermo, Foster Brown, I., Frias, Miroslava, Mendoza, Elsa, Muñante, Armando, Perales, Mercedes, Reis, Vera, and Reyes, Juan Fernando
- Subjects
NETWORK governance ,TRANSBOUNDARY waters ,HISTORICAL source material ,PARTICIPANT observation ,INFORMATION sharing - Abstract
Because many environmental threats span national boundaries, transboundary networks have emerged as a form of multi-stakeholder platform to support environmental governance (EG). There are transboundary networks in various ecologically important regions of the world such as the Amazon. However, there remains a need for systematic analyses to adequately evaluate the contributions of transboundary networks to EG. This paper takes up the case of the "MAP Initiative", a transboundary network in the tri-national frontier of the southwestern Amazon that sought to support EG. We examine three key questions: 1) how do transboundary networks motivate participants to engage in collaboration across boundaries for EG, 2) how do transboundary networks evolve structurally as well as strategically to increase their impact on EG, and 3) can transboundary networks generate outcomes beyond information sharing for EG? The analysis draws on historical documents, participant observation, and key informant interviews about the MAP Initiative. The findings confirm that transboundary networks motivate cross-border exchanges in multiple ways, they evolve structurally in multiple ways that increase their capacity, and that evolution supports multiple forms of activities and outcomes that support EG. We conclude with a discussion of the contributions and challenges of transboundary networks regarding EG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
49. Understanding barriers to collaborative governance for the food-energy-water nexus: The case of Phoenix, Arizona.
- Author
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Jones, J. Leah and White, Dave D.
- Subjects
SOCIAL network analysis ,METROPOLITAN areas ,PARTICIPANT observation - Abstract
Food-energy-water (FEW) nexus governance includes the communication and collaboration among multi-level stakeholders across sectoral boundaries of the resources for decision-making. It can increase resource security and decrease unintended consequences, as compared to single-sector governance approaches. Despite these benefits, in practice, many decisions continue to be made separately from one another without cross-sector collaboration. This research integrates the theory of collaborative governance with the concept of the FEW nexus to identify and understand the barriers to this collaboration and to provide recommendations for increased collaborative FEW nexus governance. Focusing on the Phoenix, Arizona metropolitan area, a water-scarce region with a growing population, we conduct a comprehensive case study with social network analysis, participant observation, and interviews. We present the results of our analysis in three sections. First, we identify the key barriers to collaborative FEW nexus governance within four identified themes: structural asymmetries, process asymmetries, communication and coordination, and external influences. Second, we unpack how stakeholders in our study case experience these barriers. Finally, from our case study, we provide recommendations for overcoming barriers and implementing collaborative FEW nexus governance in practice, such as building trust and finding mutual benefit. We conclude that "sector mismatch," similar to scale mismatch, is the main cause of the identified barriers and that approaches to collaborative FEW nexus governance must address this mismatch for successful engagement. • Differences in structures and processes are barriers to nexus governance. • Food, energy, and water stakeholders all experience barriers differently. • These barriers and differences are caused by mismatches between sectors. • Overcoming barriers requires establishing a strong foundation for collaboration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
50. Ethnography and its potential for studying the social in social pharmacy: An example of autonomy and pharmaceuticals in eldercare.
- Author
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Lau, Sofie Rosenlund, Kaae, Susanne, and Sporrong, Sofia Kälvemark
- Abstract
Studying the social aspects of pharmaceuticals is an inherent part of the field of social pharmacy. Ethnography as a methodology provides a lens to guide researchers on this endeavor by offering richer insights into "real world practices" of professionals, patients and relatives compared to other methods. With a focus on meaning making, ethnography goes beyond descriptions and promotes theory-informed interpretations. Therefore, this methodology can lead to new understandings of medicine use in practice and in policy making. This article provides a brief introduction to ethnography, especially in relation to doing participant observation and fieldwork. An example from an ethnographic fieldwork on Danish home care for frail elderly is used to illustrate how ethnography can be applied, while focusing on three key features of ethnographic analysis: Thick descriptions, analytical generalizability and reflexivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
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