Search

Introduction Questionnaires as a tool to measure sociocultural factors related to COVID-19 infection has not been widely used by researchers. In Malaysia, there is no validated questionnaire for such purpose yet. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to develop and validate a questionnaire as a new tool to measure the sociocultural factors related to COVID-19 among the Orang Asli population in Malaysia. Methods A pilot study was conducted among 30 Orang Asli in Kuala Lipis, Pahang. The Content Validity Index (CVI) was used to test the content validity of the questionnaire, while the construct validity and reliability of the questionnaire were determined using Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient respectively. Results A set of questionnaires, which consisted of four constructs was developed into beliefs, traditional medicine, traditional culture, and social support. A total of 16 items were maintained in EFA with Cronbach’s Alpha of 0.617, 0.778, 0.773, and 0.779. Conclusions This newly developed questionnaire is successfully validated and can be used to measure sociocultural factors related to COVID-19 among the Orang Asli population. However, improvement will still be necessary from time to time to ensure its relevance especially if it is to be used by different populations or countries, considering different diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous lectures targeted at overseas Chinese children have mostly been offline in the form of youth camps sponsored by the Chinese governments before the COVID-19 pandemic and are now usually administered online in a single-topic format transnationally post-pandemic. This form of "one-to-many" singular online lectures comes along with discontinuity, mass audiences, chaos, and being less tailored to the individual needs and context, failing to meet the evaluation metrics in different evaluation levels. This paper proposes a model of transnational online livestreaming serial socio-cultural lectures for overseas Chinese children, which puts forward the synergy of lecturing staff from higher educational institutions (HEIs) in China and students at Chinese language schools (CLSs) worldwide as participants. Lecturing staff from needs and context HEIs can guarantee sufficient keynote speakers for "one-on-one" mode and cope with the above-mentioned problems. After the implementation of five sessions of these serial lectures, evaluation of this model shows that the pre-lecture, during-lecture, and post-lecture stages have are applicable. Furthermore, for sociocultural lectures, the audience may be more interested in literature classics than folk arts from a specific region. Correlation analysis reveals that younger children have a better evaluation of this model and an improved inclination to attend lectures, which sheds light on the improvement of sociocultural lectures as online lectures are preferred among overseas Chinese children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cross-sectional research suggests a small, inverse association between social media use and body satisfaction. However, less is known regarding prospective, bidirectional, or mediating effects. In line with sociocultural theory, this study used a three-wave design to examine direct and indirect effects between social media use and body satisfaction, via thin-ideal and muscular-ideal internalisation and social comparisons. Adolescents (n = 1911; M age = 14.27, SD = 1.08) were invited to complete three surveys over 1 year. Cross-lagged panel models indicated acceptable fit for two social media use operationalisations, with better fit statistics for the appearance-focused use rather than photo-based activities model. Despite largely no direct effects, indirect effects were found. Social comparisons mediated the relationships over time, whereby higher social media use predicted higher comparisons, which predicted lower body satisfaction. The reverse direction was also found. Gender invariance indicates that prevention aimed at reducing comparisons may be suitable for boys and girls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Student engagement in the process of transduction concomitantly affords them with opportunities to develop and express their critical and creative thinking competences. Reconfiguring or remaking knowledge or meaning in modes other than those of the original sources of information requires affective, imaginative and cognitive activity by sign‐makers. In this article, I present examples of elementary students' transduction work and discuss their semiotic meaning‐making with reference to the concepts of critical and creative thinking. During the study featured in this article, Grade 4 students engaged in the process of transduction when participating in activities about elements of visual art and design and conventions of the medium comics, when exploring picturebooks and graphic novels and when composing and explaining their own multimodal texts. The students' transmodal meaning‐making showed how, in the context of the research classrooms, the purposefully designed pedagogy and activities both required and nurtured students' critical and creative thinking, which simultaneously provided the students with opportunities to extend their knowledge and deepen their understandings of the concepts and curriculum content under study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Werner Greve argues for an abstract and integrative theory of development; to progress toward such a theory, he suggests that evolutionary psychology can provide concepts for a processual approach to adaptation. To complement this perspective, I propose to start where the author finishes: the need to further qualify change, and to account for information. Considering ruptures and sense-making as cornerstones of a developmental approach, I recall that open dynamic approaches offer a meta-theoretical frame for an integrative developmental psychology, and that cultural approaches already and always account for meaning-making to start with. Assuming these two givens, a variety of integrative propositions account for stability and change; I present an historical example, the work of Gordon Allport, and a current one, our work as sociocultural psychologists, to show how the theoretical and heuristic interest of this proposition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Alcohol expectancies (AE) during early adolescence predict early alcohol use initiation and problem drinking both cross-sectionally and prospectively well into adulthood. Yet, our understanding of the sociocultural factors associated with AE during this development period remains limited. This study examines associations between AE and sociocultural factors across various domains (i.e., individual, family, peer, school, community, and culture) in a demographically diverse sample of 10- to 14-year-old youth in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study (ABCD Study). Method: This cross-sectional study used 2-year follow-up data from the ABCD Release 3.0 for N = 5,322 early adolescents (Mage = 12 years [SD=0.6]; 47% male). Approximately 60% identified as non-Hispanic/Latinx White, 17% as Hispanic/Latinx, 11% as non-Hispanic/Latinx Black, 2% as non-Hispanic/Latinx Asian, and 11% as mixed/other race-ethnicity. Separate models for positive and negative AE outcomes were conducted using linear mixed-effect models while controlling for demographic covariates. Results: Positive AE were most strongly associated with familism, followed by other peer, school, community, and cultural level factors. Negative AE were most strongly associated with the peer-level factor of relational victimization and the individual-level factor of negative life events, followed by other peer, school, and community-level factors. Conclusion: The present findings reveal the potential constellation of sociocultural factors that may serve as targets for modifying AE during the middle school years. Study results also underscore the need for future research that integrates cultural factors into our understanding of alcohol use risk and resilience during early adolescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Dariyāft is the property of National University of Modern Languages and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Dariyāft is the property of National University of Modern Languages and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

With or without pandemics, successful knowledge transfers and instilment of critical thinking in learners are strategic to teaching delivery. To revolutionize teaching practice and profession, the specific needs of every group of learners (such as gifted and talented, depressed, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder students, minority ethnic pupils, and low attaining) must be met. Therefore, a new paradigm that employs the right teaching styles for the right student at the right time should be adopted. A plethora of research has shown that enhanced understanding, retention, and critical thinking are better promoted in active learning strategies as compared to conventional passive learning. On the other hand, students' critical thinking is most effectively enhanced by instructional approaches that incorporate constructivist, active-learning, and student-centered philosophies, in addition to other concepts like biosocial, psychological, psychosocial, emotional, motivational, and sociocultural perspectives. The execution of such a holistic perspective would inevitably require concerted efforts from all relevant key players and stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a sociocultural conceptual framework for researching pedagogy as the performance of teaching together with its attendant discourse. The framework, referred to as pedagogy-as-praxis, consists of two core elements that draw on, combine and adapt several different yet complimentary theoretical perspectives. First, Alexander's action-based framework (the what) and components of Bernstein's theory on educational transmission (the how) are combined to intricately and sensitively describe the performance of teaching. Second, by positioning the performance of teaching as the tool element within an adapted and extended activity system, the remaining activity theory elements – subject, object, rules, community and division of labour – are applied to understand the discourse that produces, structures and influences its modality (the why). When combined within the pedagogy-as-praxis framework, these theoretical perspectives enable an analysis of how socio-cultural-political factors shape and mediate educational practices. The article starts by considering the definition of pedagogy upon which the framework is based before outlining the theoretical perspectives it is underpinned by. The framework and its constituting elements are then applied and demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Academic Social Resources is the property of Journal of Academic Social Resources and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background and purpose. Various studies have investigated Fundamental Movement Skills (FMS) in children and factors that might improve them. However, studies examining FMS in children of indigenous tribes remain limited. Thus, this research aims to identify and analyze the relationship between sociocultural life, parenting, and level of education among indigenous tribe children who live on Mentawai Island. The research is also keen on comparing FMS between genders. Materials and methods. This research employed qualitative and quantitative methods. It was grounded by phenomenology and FMS tests. A total of 15 parents, 3 teachers, and 70 young children (aged 5-7 years) participated voluntarily. The children’s genders comprised boys (n=38) and girls (n=32). Data in this research were collected from observation, semi-structured interviews, and FMS tests (locomotor, non-locomotor and manipulative). Then, they were analyzed using a thematic method and t-test to compare the level of FMS among the children. Results. Based on the analysis, parents stated they involved their children in socio-cultural life. Also, children were educated to live independently and given freedom to play. However, the study did not find any relationship between parent’s educational level and FMS. This was evidenced by statistical analysis, in which the mean score of FMS among early childhood in Mentawai Island was 35.46 (good). Following that, boys had better FMS than girls (P33.53. Conclusions. Children need to be given the freedom to actively take part in physical activities in order to gain physical experiences and better FMS. This study recommends future research involving other factors and comparing FMS between children of indigenous tribes and those who live in urban areas.

Background: Although hair has been found to be a barrier to physical activity (PA) among adult black women, the research exploring this phenomenon among black adolescent girls is deficient. This presents a concern because physical inactivity can lead to obesity and a host of comorbidities. This qualitative study explores hair experiences of black adolescent girls and how they maintain their cultural hair practices in hopes of promoting PA among this at-risk population. Methods: Focus groups were conducted for 37 black adolescent girls attending a public high school in Newark, New Jersey. Results: The participants reported increasing hair knowledge via social media, sociocultural influences of family and culture, and the driving force of their peer group, a concept identified in the focus groups as Hair IQ (intelligence quotient). Hair IQ helped the participants learn how to maintain their hair practices before and after PA. These factors combined to develop a framework described as the "Mane"taining model. Conclusions: The findings suggest the "Mane"taining model may provide pathways for engaging in PA for this population and serve as an example for adult black women who face similar barriers to PA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) demonstrates effectiveness in decreasing new cases of HIV. However, few African Americans use PrEP, despite being disproportionately impacted by HIV. Understanding the influence of sociocultural and structural factors on PrEP use among multiple priority groups of African Americans, including but not limited to men who have sex with men, may improve PrEP engagement and uptake. The social ecological model (SEM) as a framework guided the understanding of how these factors operate on multiple levels to influence PrEP use among this population. Methods This study derived data from the Afya PrEP study consisting of eleven focus groups (N = 63) with 18-29-year-old African American sexual and gender minority and heterosexual individuals at heightened behavioral vulnerability to HIV. We employed constructivist grounded theory processes to inductively analyze the data. A pooled kappa score of 0.90 indicated excellent inter-rater agreement. Results Factors impacting PrEP engagement among African American young adults included: (1) Community/social network influences; (2) medical mistrust; (3) stigma; (4) PrEP availability and accessibility, which had two sub-categories: (a) cost and (b) where to obtain PrEP; and (5) PrEP engagement strategies, which had two sub-categories: (a) current AIDS service organizations’ PrEP engagement practices and (b) recommended future PrEP engagement strategies. Categories one through three represent sociocultural factors, and categories four and five represent structural factors that influence perceptions and attitudes of African American young adults regarding PrEP. Conclusion Our study highlights sociocultural and structural factors that act as barriers and facilitators to PrEP engagement. The SEM guided the understanding of how these factors operated on multiple levels. One of the sociocultural factors, community/social network influences operated at the interpersonal level of the SEM; the other two, stigma and medical mistrust, operated at the community level. The structural factors (PrEP availability, accessibility, and engagement strategies) operated at the institutional/organizational level. Thus, multi-level interventions are warranted to improve PrEP engagement among various African American young adult priority groups.

Abstract This paper looks at the role of English in Brunei and the sociocultural structure of Bahasa/language in Brunei Darussalam. The aim of this research is to critically analyse sociocultural theory from Vygotsky’s “peak psychology” approach and understand depth-knowledge of sociocultural theory from other scholars’ perspectives. The scholars’ views on education, language and sociocultural importance-related topics have been analysed by Barry, Goode, Jones, Haji-Othman, Sharbawi and Gardiner. These scholars’ ideas give a better understanding of the sociocultural importance of Bruneian’s individual development. For this research, a qualitative method applies and collected data is critically analysed in detail. This research has the potential to discuss the link between language evolution and Bruneian sociocultural development. The “Citizenship Acts 1961” is relevant to discuss the theoretical concepts like, ‘nationality’ and ‘ethnic identification’ from the Bruneian context. To put it in a nutshell, the ratification of “Melayu Islam Beraja” or “Malay Islamic Monarchy” and the impact of linguistic diversity in Brunei consist of a Bruneian identity. In bilingual education policy, Bahasa Melayu and English have a major role in the child development. Although a balance of regional languages and English is essential to maintain the “Bruneian” identity. Brunei is a small country but it is diverse, multilingual and multicultural.

Nyoman Anita Damayanti, Ratna Dwi Wulandari, Ilham Akhsanu Ridlo Department of Health Policy and Administration, Faculty of Public Health, Unversitas Airlangga, Surabaya, IndonesiaCorrespondence: Nyoman Anita Damayanti, Department of Health Policy and Administration, Faculty of Public Health, Unversitas Airlangga, St. Ir. Soekarno, Kampus C, Surabaya, East Java, 60115, Indonesia, Tel +62818518232, Fax +62315920948, Email nyoman.ad@fkm.unair.ac.idPurpose: Maternal mortality is one problem that still affects countries like Indonesia and others globally. The World Health Organization (WHO) notes that Southeast Asian countries have a high MMR. Indonesia’s maternal mortality ranks third highest in Southeast Asia, with a 177 maternal mortality rate per 100,000 live births in 2017. In 2018, the maternal mortality rate reached 91.45 per 100,000 live births. Pregnant women’s deaths can be caused inadequate medical care due to how frequently they seek treatment. This study intends to identify and analyze how knowledge, education, and myths affect pregnant women’s attitudes toward seeking health services.Materials and Methods: The study involved 175 pregnant and postpartum women who visited 10 health public centers in two cities in East Java by accidental sampling. Data regarding intrapersonal, interpersonal, and local wisdom were collected through surveys with structured instruments and in-depth interviews. Data statistics used pathway analysis with a p-value of > 0.05.Results: Intrapersonal, interpersonal, and local wisdom variables have a significant direct or indirect effect on utilizing health services. Knowledge was the variable with the greatest influence (t-value, 27.96).Conclusion: Myth and culture as local wisdom and intrapersonal factors significantly affect the pattern of utilizing health services.Keywords: healthcare utilization, maternal mortality, human and health, pregnancy, sociocultural

Currently, the curatorial approach is expanding its influence beyond the limitations of museums and art galleries, transforming the experiences and significance of our daily existence. That is embodied, for example, in the curatorial practices of music playlists. In making a music playlist there must be a sound curation process where the songs to listen to are selected and included in the music playlist. Accordingly, this study aims to describe how users of analog (mixtapes) and digital (Spotify playlist) music playlists conduct their music curation process and perceive the relationships behind them. The curation process is analyzed using curatorial and anthropological frameworks, which also attempt to provide a fascinating background on preference formation and the curation process. Qualitative data was collected from a virtual ethnographic approach, with observations and unstructured-semi-structured interviews—offline and online—of 19 informants aged 21–55 living in Yogyakarta and Bandung and a literature review. The data obtained through this study focuses on two outcomes. First, sociocultural circumstances provide the basis for preference formation in selecting, curating, and making music playlists. Second, the particulars of each user's music playlist are related to self-discovery and individual identity. As a result, sociocultural circumstances persuade music playlist users' habits that attach to the curation process.

Cultural Materialism theory is proposed by an American Anthropologist Marvin Harris. This theory has a scientific strategy to find the facts about human cultures. This theory suggests that in every sociocultural system, three major parts, infrastructure, structure, and superstructure, interact with each other. Infrastructure refers to material resources of the culture that man established to get energy and food from his physical environment. Structure refers to the laws and procedures of social institutions which regulate the distribution of food and power among the members of the society. Superstructure refers to the soft images of society like art, music, language, literature, and behaviors of individuals in a social setup. This theory provides a comprehensive analysis pattern of any literary text by finding the infrastructure in the base of structure and superstructure. In this article, it is tried to formulate theoretical bases and practical dimensions of cultural materialism۔

IntroductionGlobally, 600,000 mothers (15-49 years) die every year due to pregnancy and childbirth-related complications. Wide variations are seen in cultural practices and beliefs surrounding this period of a woman's life. The present study explores the cultural beliefs and practices of women and families during pregnancy and the postnatal period in order to understand what behavioral management strategies are required to improve maternal and infant outcomes during pregnancy and the postpartum period.MethodsThe study was conducted in a rural area of Punjab, from December 2019 to March 2021. A total of 20 women (up to 3 months postpartum, age >18 years, were interviewed.ResultsIn general, women described eating varied and fairly healthy diets during pregnancy, especially nutritious warm food, following traditional practices. Other cultural practices included restrictions on movement and mobile phone use and the use of unsafe home remedies to promote infant safety and wellbeing, such as using gripe water, applying black pencil to the baby's eyes, and feeding the baby honey. A few were not inclined to engage with these and other cultural expectations, preferring instead to follow contemporary practices influenced by social media. These practices included being accompanied by a family member during delivery, celebrating the baby's birth regardless of sex, and early bathing post-delivery.DiscussionIt can be concluded that while many traditional practices are still followed in India, there are new beliefs and behaviors arising from an intersection between culture and technology. Developing strategies that acknowledge older beliefs and modern approaches is essential to promoting better antenatal and postpartum care.

The research addresses the problem in the Ángel Mendol community related to environmental culture, which is of great significance taking into account the current demands, the limitations that still exist in our population and the existence of insufficiencies related to the behavior of the inhabitants on this topic. The study carried out is based on a diagnosis which revealed insufficiencies related to the environmental culture that the inhabitants of a community must express. To minimize these as required by the current moment in which we live, this research aims to develop sociocultural actions in order to raise the environmental culture of these inhabitants in order to achieve sustainable development in this area. Theoretical and empirical methods were used, which allowed for systematization, collection and processing of information, which allowed obtaining an adequate proposal. The results demonstrated that this constitutes an essential way, which favors the strengthening of environmental culture in the inhabitants of this community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Citizenship participation in the empowerment of local potential is a prerequisite for every development plan. Community-based ecotourism development (CBED) involves the resources and unique characteristics of the local community, including physical and nonphysical components (values, norms, customs, and traditions). The aims of this research are (1) to describe the role of Isy Karima Islamic Boarding School in developing religious ethics; (2) to describe a mechanism for developing citizenship participation; (3) to map the aspects of citizenship participation in sustainable ecotourism development; (4) to analyze the stages of citizenship participation in sustainable ecotourism development; and (5) to analyze the activities of stakeholders in building sustainability. The research method used was qualitative descriptive, with a sociological anthropological approach. Three surrounding villages in the District of Karangpandan were chosen through purposive sampling to characterize the participation of local citizens in CBED. The data obtained were then analyzed using a single case analysis. The results show that Isy Karima Boarding School holds various activities for the empowerment of MSMEs, one of which is the development of partnership networks. Citizenship participation in the community around Isy Karima Boarding School in sustainable tourism development has grown and developed through a mechanism of awareness, training, counselling and guidance, and execution. The activities of stakeholders in building sustainable ecotourism have an impact on economic, socio-cultural, and political aspects. This impact can provide a basic reference for an ecotourism development model that includes community participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Economía, Sociedad y Territorio is the property of El Colegio Mexiquense and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The translanguaging turn in language education offers a new perspective on multilingualism by positing that multilingual learners have one linguistic repertoire rather than two or more autonomous language systems (García, O. & L. Wei. 2014. Translanguaging: Language, bilingualism and education. Palgrave MacMillan). When learners engage in translanguaging, they draw on all the features from their repertoire in a flexible and integrated way (Otheguy, R., O. García & W Reid. 2015. Clarifying translanguaging and deconstructing named languages: A perspective from linguistics. Applied Linguistics Review 6(3). 281–307. DOI:10.1515/applirev-2015-0014). While much of the current literature on language teaching advocates teachers' use of pedagogical translanguaging, less research has focused on the pedagogical affordances of student-led translanguaging, especially in contexts with dominant monolingual norms. This paper presents the results of a case study exploring the affordances of translanguaging in two multilingual Grade 5 English language classrooms in Malaysia where English-only policies and practices were enforced by the teachers, but where translanguaging was used agentively by learners during their peer-to-peer interactions. The primary data sources for this six-month-long study included 100 30–90 min-long video recordings of 55 learners working together in small groups on various collaborative language learning activities, and member-checking interviews with the learners. The study was grounded in sociocultural theory and translanguaging, and employed a methodology of sociocultural discourse analysis. The results of the analysis revealed that in both classrooms, learners resisted the English-only policies and practices by using translanguaging widely and strategically throughout their collaborative peer-to-peer interactions. The use of translanguaging fulfilled 100 important cognitive-conceptual, planning-organizational, affective-social and linguistic-discursive functions that supported their individual and collective learning. The results of this study provide us with a view of translanguaging as collaborative and agentive, socioculturally situated and culturally responsive, and a resource for learning as well as a process of learning. The study makes recommendations for a language learning pedagogy that creates opportunities for learners to move language policies from the ground up through their collaborative use of translanguaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Social Sciences Studies is the property of Social Sciences Studies and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Approaching inequalities to achieve health equity requires joint action. Early childhood caries affects disadvantaged population groups. The objective of this study was to determine the relevance of sociocultural inequalities and parental origin with respect to oral health in preschool children in Lanzarote. A transversal epidemiological study was carried out. Sociocultural data and information about parental origin were collected via a questionnaire. The decayed and filled teeth (dft), decayed teeth (dt), filled teeth (ft), restorative index (RI), plaque index (PI) and gingival index (GI) were obtained via an investigator's examination. Statistical analysis of the data indicated that children of semi-skilled manual workers (28.15%) had the highest prevalence of caries (46.9%). Additionally 43.7 of the mothers had second grade and first cycle studies. When relating the medium and high level of education, there were statistically significant differences in relation to the cod index (p = 0.046). When the origin was foreign (48.4%), preschoolers presented 10.7% more active or untreated caries than Spaniards (p = 0.038). Low socioeconomic cultural level and foreign origin is associated with a more deficient state of oral health in preschoolers. Oral health programs are needed to minimize social inequalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study explores the unaddressed washback on the English-speaking test of the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination (HKDSE-English Language Paper 4). The HKDSE is a university entrance exam in Hong Kong which includes a group discussion speaking test known as English Language Paper 4. To identify ongoing washback effects, including sociocultural perspectives, the study analyses ongoing student washback of test-specific and non-specific preparation and how the mediating factors affect these preparations. One-hundred and ninety-nine secondary 4th to 6th grade students provided the questionnaire data in two rounds. Results from exploratory factor analysis indicate six major types of test preparation, which are categorised as two test specific, three non-specific, and one integrated type of preparation. Mediating factors comprise five categories of learner characteristics and stakeholders in and out of school. The cluster analyses identified four students' groups intertwined with the involvement of washback and the mediating factors. A strong relationship between extrinsic factors and explicit learning and intrinsic factors and implicit learning was found. The study concludes that students' washback is affected by mediating factors aside from the test; learning method choice by students (e.g. learning from entertainment content) has a strong relationship with specific mediating factors (e.g. interest in English). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and purpose. Various studies have investigated Fundamental Movement Skills (FMS) in children and factors that might improve them. However, studies examining FMS in children of indigenous tribes remain limited. Thus, this research aims to identify and analyze the relationship between sociocultural life, parenting, and level of education among indigenous tribe children who live on Mentawai Island. The research is also keen on comparing FMS between genders. Materials and methods. This research employed qualitative and quantitative methods. It was grounded by phenomenology and FMS tests. A total of 15 parents, 3 teachers, and 70 young children (aged 5-7 years) participated voluntarily. The children's genders comprised boys (n=38) and girls (n=32). Data in this research were collected from observation, semi-structured interviews, and FMS tests (locomotor, non-locomotor and manipulative). Then, they were analyzed using a thematic method and t-test to compare the level of FMS among the children. Results. Based on the analysis, parents stated they involved their children in socio-cultural life. Also, children were educated to live independently and given freedom to play. However, the study did not find any relationship between parent's educational level and FMS. This was evidenced by statistical analysis, in which the mean score of FMS among early childhood in Mentawai Island was 35.46 (good). Following that, boys had better FMS than girls (P<0,05), with a mean score of 37.08>33.53. Conclusions. Children need to be given the freedom to actively take part in physical activities in order to gain physical experiences and better FMS. This study recommends future research involving other factors and comparing FMS between children of indigenous tribes and those who live in urban areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many menstruators around the world have limited access to education about menstruation and to sanitary methods for managing menstruation. The use of sanitary products is influenced by economic status, proximity to resources, education, and cultural beliefs. Improper use of sanitary products or lack thereof can lead to major health issues. Plastic-based, commercial pads take decades to degrade and cause harm to the environment and pose health risks to menstruators. To combat the lack of education and accessibility to menstrual products, there is a need to develop inexpensive, environmentally friendly, and culturally acceptable menstrual hygiene pads. Organic sanitary pads have been developed with locally available materials, such as water hyacinth, banana stems, bamboo, papyrus, hemp, and cotton. These sanitary pads have the potential to create better health and economic outcomes for menstruators across the globe and reduce the environmental footprint. HIGHLIGHTS Proper MHM is an important factor in menstrual health.; Plastic-based menstrual pads can cause health and environmental problems.; More eco- and user-friendly, frugal alternatives can be organic, plant-based pads.;

En esta investigación se realizó, utilizando un Proceso Analítico Jerárquico, una valoración sociocultural de los servicios ecosistémicos (SE) que convergen en un sistema lagunar al norte del Caribe mexicano. El objetivo fue evaluar cuál ecosistema tiene más valor para las cooperativas turístico-pesqueras y para un grupo de especialistas. Los resultados obtenidos, en ambos grupos, muestran que el manglar es el ecosistema más valorado y el pasto marino el menos valorado. Las percepciones obtenidas coinciden y evidencian el potencial que tiene la valoración sociocultural en la identificación de elementos clave para trabajar en el manejo sostenible de zonas costeras.

Background: Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) demonstrates effectiveness in decreasing new cases of HIV. However, few African Americans use PrEP, despite being disproportionately impacted by HIV. Understanding the influence of sociocultural and structural factors on PrEP use among multiple priority groups of African Americans, including but not limited to men who have sex with men, may improve PrEP engagement and uptake. The social ecological model (SEM) as a framework guided the understanding of how these factors operate on multiple levels to influence PrEP use among this population. Methods: This study derived data from the Afya PrEP study consisting of eleven focus groups (N = 63) with 18-29-year-old African American sexual and gender minority and heterosexual individuals at heightened behavioral vulnerability to HIV. We employed constructivist grounded theory processes to inductively analyze the data. A pooled kappa score of 0.90 indicated excellent inter-rater agreement. Results: Factors impacting PrEP engagement among African American young adults included: (1) Community/social network influences; (2) medical mistrust; (3) stigma; (4) PrEP availability and accessibility, which had two sub-categories: (a) cost and (b) where to obtain PrEP; and (5) PrEP engagement strategies, which had two sub-categories: (a) current AIDS service organizations' PrEP engagement practices and (b) recommended future PrEP engagement strategies. Categories one through three represent sociocultural factors, and categories four and five represent structural factors that influence perceptions and attitudes of African American young adults regarding PrEP. Conclusion: Our study highlights sociocultural and structural factors that act as barriers and facilitators to PrEP engagement. The SEM guided the understanding of how these factors operated on multiple levels. One of the sociocultural factors, community/social network influences operated at the interpersonal level of the SEM; the other two, stigma and medical mistrust, operated at the community level. The structural factors (PrEP availability, accessibility, and engagement strategies) operated at the institutional/organizational level. Thus, multi-level interventions are warranted to improve PrEP engagement among various African American young adult priority groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this honest interview, Viktoria Symulyk shares her clinical experience of working with domestic violence, with the difficulties of residual trauma and changing public perception, especially with male-dominated audiences. She offers a grim but honest overview of the current situation in wartime, with the hope of increased awareness and empathy for those living with an abuser, especially now that her entire country is suffering traumatic abuse on a broad and horrifying scale. She also notes that her younger generation is much more accepting of the sociocultural problem of gender bias and violence against (mostly) women and families, and more willing to ask for help when needed, including young boys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the most important decisions a person makes is their career choice, which will shape their future. The investigation examined cultural factors' impact on Bwari Area Council students' career choices in Abuja, Nigeria. Two hypotheses guided the research. All Bwari Area Council senior secondary school students are studied. The study includes all SSII male and female seniors. The study selected 315 SSII students using simple random sampling. The study included 63 students from each of the five schools. The self-structured questionnaire Influence of Sociocultural Factors on the Career Choice of Students (ISCFCCCS) with subinstruments (Cultural and Socioeconomic Influences on Career Choice) and Career Choice Questionnaire (CCQ) with reliability coefficients of 0.88, 0.86, and 0.75 were used to collect data. Data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The study found that culture and parents' socioeconomic status strongly influence students' career choices. The study recommends that school leaders teach students about social factors that may influence their career choice. Parents should also stop pushing their kids into careers they don't fit into. Guardians should be cautious about pushing their children toward unrealistic careers. Parents should also work with school advising or professional guides to help their children choose smart careers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While many studies about special education needs (SEN) have discussed inclusive efforts in educational settings, more proximal research examining ways to support students with SEN in-process to achieve is needed. This study discussed proximal data, collected from eye trackers and lesson videos, showing how students with SEN transit between the state of presence, belonging, and engaged participation in an inclusive classroom. Using an eye tracking case study of an inclusive science classroom, with a focus on how science teachers support students with dyslexia to learn science, we unpacked how the teacher supported students through such a transformative experience. We characterised the transitions and examined how these transitions happen and found that the transitions were non-unidirectional and could be prematurely truncated due to a change in the teacher's eye gaze. Some students might not move to the state of engaged participation during a lesson. These transitions were facilitated by the teaching practices. Implications for teachers of inclusive classrooms and research in inclusive classrooms were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growth of settlement areas experienced a pattern of densification and was followed by physical spatial, residential, economic, and sociocultural transformations. Given the importance of conceptualizing development models and modeling the relationship between densification and transformation in peri-urban settlements, this study aims to analyze the factors that determine the densification and physical transformation of residential areas, the effect of transformation on densification, and the suburban development model. This study uses a quantitative survey method with 391 samples in the settlement community of Bumi Tamalanrea Permai and its surroundings. The data were analyzed simultaneously using a structural equation modeling (SEM) approach with the help of partial least squares (PLS) software. The results showed that spatial transformation and physical residential determined densification with an R² value of 0.466, or 46.6%, while spatial, economic, and sociocultural transformation determined physical residential with an R² value of 0.47.8, or 47.8%. The urban development model determines the spatial and physical transformation of housing that encourages an increase in residential units with designations for the middle and upper economic communities with the growth of affordable housing and luxury housing vertically and horizontally. The settlement transformation model determines the spatial and socioeconomic transformation process that encourages increased activity and interaction in new socioeconomic spaces. The results of this research will assist in formulating urban development sector policies for realizing suburban sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gender equality is recognized as crucial for firms' growth. This paper attempts to investigate how and why do certain sociocultural and structural factors influence sustained gender inequality in Fiji? And then, using Grounded Theory(GT)method, it attempts to conceptualise how are Fijian working mothers striving to promote equality and diversity in the workplace, society, and family-life? By employing Grounded theory (GT) method, semi-structured interviews(32) were used to collect data from high-ranked officers in private and public sectors and, the interview transcripts were analysed using GT techniques: iterative and recursive processes of oding, categorising, theoretical sampling and constant comparison. The core category,"enterprising mothers need comprehensive support for equal status,"emerged from Fijian executive mothers' efforts in:(1)securing a fair share for females in senior-management positions with the support of legal backing;(2)discouraging women's reticent attitudes towards sociocultural suppressions of gender equality;(3)challenging certain discriminatory structural factors and self-effacing allegations;and(4)balancing work-life and endeavouring career advancements. This study attempts, for the first time, to theorise these Fijian working mothers' efforts to conquer gender inequality and to expose how the Fijian sociocultural and structural system influences sustained gender inequality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper five members of the "Community Psychoanalytic Track and Consortium" (CPT&C) in San Francisco, California, each holding different positionalities and functioning in different roles, come together in dialog with the shared aim to bring themselves and their readers inside the CPT&C. This writing project recapitulates principles of the CPT&C's vision itself: to form polyvocal groups with the shared task of supporting each other in our various roles, and members of community mental health organizations in their work and lives. From that effort new forms of psychoanalytic learning and work are generated; in this instance the process translates into a new writing form. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to examine the complex relationships between educational policy and classroom practice. By employing a sociocultural perspective, we examine formulations inscribed in socio-material artifacts about what students should learn and how they should engage with knowledge. We explore how these formulations are mobilized in instructional work and the implications this activity has for student participation. To address this issue, we analyzed video data of how teachers invoke competence aims from the national curriculum in their instructional work in six classrooms. The analytical procedures were derived from interaction analysis. The analysis focuses on how such formulations explicitly mediate social interaction as it unfolds on a micro level. The findings show that competence aims gain different functions as they are mobilized in classroom practice; in other words, they serve different purposes in teachers' instructional work and anticipate different modes of student participation. In this study, the competence aims were (a) invoked as a source of authority, (b) translated into instructions, and (c) mobilized to obtain social order in the classroom. More rarely, the competence aims were used in meta-level discussions, where they functioned to reach agreements on how to pursue work toward joint goals. We discuss the implications of these ways of invoking competence aims for student participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The practice of grieving from a socio-cultural perspective is never an impersonal matter. The attachment to different organized values and habits prevents the individual from determining the attitudes and emotions that must be shown when grieving. This fact raises the question of the place of traditional mourning practices in society amidst the invasion of new technologies, i.e. social media. The study uses qualitative methods to analyze some Instagram content related to mourning the loss of several public figures in Indonesia. In the case studies examined, the contribution of big technology gives us autonomy, but it is only a phantasmagorical one. Ultimately, our identities will continue to control what we do in cyberspace and in the natural world. Social media is only an alternative space for the manifestation of correlated socio-cultural values, including the implementation of norms in mourning. Nevertheless, the freshness offered in the practice of mourning on social media is that people can now immerse themselves in a longer liminal period and preserve the communication and social status of the deceased with the available function of perpetual mourning. The results of the study should stimulate further research on how technology can shape society in the digital age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper looks at the role of English in Brunei and the sociocultural structure of Bahasa/language in Brunei Darussalam. The aim of this research is to critically analyse sociocultural theory from Vygotsky's "peak psychology" approach and understand depth-knowledge of sociocultural theory from other scholars' perspectives. The scholars' views on education, language and sociocultural importance-related topics have been analysed by Barry, Goode, Jones, Haji-Othman, Sharbawi and Gardiner. These scholars' ideas give a better understanding of the sociocultural importance of Bruneian's individual development. For this research, a qualitative method applies and collected data is critically analysed in detail. This research has the potential to discuss the link between language evolution and Bruneian sociocultural development. The "Citizenship Acts 1961" is relevant to discuss the theoretical concepts like, 'nationality' and 'ethnic identification' from the Bruneian context. To put it in a nutshell, the ratification of "Melayu Islam Beraja" or "Malay Islamic Monarchy" and the impact of linguistic diversity in Brunei consist of a Bruneian identity. In bilingual education policy, Bahasa Melayu and English have a major role in the child development. Although a balance of regional languages and English is essential to maintain the "Bruneian" identity. Brunei is a small country but it is diverse, multilingual and multicultural. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the demographic and sociocultural influences on the level of exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) practices in Enugu state. The major instrument for data collection was a uniform set of structured questionnaire and in-depth interviews with the husbands, grandmothers/mothers-in-law, health workers, women leaders, and traditional/community leaders. Data were analyzed using frequencies, percentages and chi-squared test. Qualitative data were analyzed with ATLAS.ti. The study established that the prevalence level of EBF practice was relatively low (27%) in all the local government areas in the state. The result also showed that several sociocultural factors affected EBF practice. Some of them were: influence of TBAs (91%); poor nutrition in family menu (82%); campaign/marketing of artificial feed (78.3%), unfavorable conditions in the work place (66.8%); belief that lack of water can kill a baby (64.6%) and influence of grandmothers/mothers-in-law (64.2%). The results further revealed that age, occupation, parity, and educational qualification of the mothers influences the level of EBF practice. The findings also revealed that majority of mothers practice mixed feeding in the name of EBF practice. It is suggested that more efforts are needed in giving proper and adequate education and skilled counseling on EBF practice and sociocultural factors associated with the practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, the authors analyze the ways literacy integration evolved in a multi‐year interdisciplinary after‐school program that supports youth through a focus on literacy, physical activity, and health. To deviate from the increasingly siloed assumptions around literacy education and attend to a more interdisciplinary, integrated perspective, the authors theorized literacy across multiple theoretical perspectives to examine 5 years of program implementation in three different sites (New York City, Los Angeles, and Paraguay) with culturally and linguistically diverse youth (ages 9–14), program leaders, and researchers. Drawing on assemblage theory to guide the analysis, the authors sought to identify the multidimensional (im)materialities that converged to produce evolutions of literacy integration in an after‐school program. Analyzing data for assemblaging factors that produced youths' literacy engagement differently throughout program years led to identifying three emergent assemblages that frame the findings: (1) Well‐intentioned literacy integration but more complex than expected, (2) Imprints of schooled literacy with sociocultural emergence, and (3) Community‐ and youth‐centered literacy integration. The authors conclude with implications for educators and after‐school leaders seeking to integrate literacy with interdisciplinary aims. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]