Psychology and Performance: Revisiting Rhoads’ “Performance Criticism: An Emerging Methodology in Second Temple Studies”

The study of methodology in Islamic studies has undergone a significant change from the traditional approach that focuses on textual and normative analysis to a more multidisciplinary and sophisticated paradigm. With the integration of epistemology, phenomenology, hermeneutics, and empirical techniques, the understanding of Islam as a religion now encompasses a broader social, cultural, and historical dimension. To achieve this goal, Systematic Literature Review (SLR) reviews are conducted using methodologies and tools that support systematic thinking, identification, feasibility testing, and meta-analysis through journal articles, books, research reports, and other sources published in the last 10 years. The Literature Selection and Quality Assessment consists of Inclusion Literature that discusses the Methodology of Islamic Studies: Islam as a Religion within the scope of Epistemology, Paradigm, and Methodology Perspectives from Google Scholar, Semantic Sholar, Eric, Crossref, and Science Direct databases. The results of the study found that the methodology of Islamic studies has shifted from a traditional approach to a more sophisticated and multidisciplinary paradigm. Epistemological shifts lead to contextual and interpretive perspectives, combining phenomenological, hermeneutical, historical, and empirical techniques. This approach allows for a more comprehensive understanding of Islam as a religion and a social phenomenon.

This article aims to contribute to the studies of research methodology. To this end, we seek to reflect on the experience of an engaged research that clearly shows the influence of the researcher’s existential trajectory on the choice of her object of study, as well as the methodological perspectives that favor the experience of intersubjectivity in the production of knowledge. The ultimate goal is to show that scientific research can be conducted based on a methodological paradigm that breaks with the subject-object dichotomy. As a reference to this discussion, we take an investigation that sought to understand how women constitute themselves as female subjects of theological knowledge and what power dynamics pervade the processes of entering and constructing a female faculty career in a place marked by hegemonic discourses and gender logics of a male social order. Therefore, we emphasize the hermeneutic perspective, as it allows to capture the meanings that female professors assign to their actions and experiences in the universe of theological knowledge. Hermeneutics as a research methodology favor the production of knowledge that is not intended as universal, but rather situated, subjective, and open to new interpretation perspectives. Such characteristics are central in the feminist epistemologies that seek to demystify the pure objectivity and universality of knowledge, showing that the subjects of knowledge are always immersed in a certain situation, position, and circumstance, and that, therefore, no knowledge is produced from nowhere.

This article analyzes the need for assessing the management potential of managerial personnel in the state civil service from a scientific and practical perspective. The tasks set out in the regulatory legal acts of Uzbekistan for assessing the management potential of managerial personnel are studied from a scientific and methodological perspective. A framework of the most important competencies has been developed based on the assessment of the management potential of managerial personnel. Practical proposals and recommendations have been developed for assessing the management potential of managerial personnel when appointing them to positions in the state civil service.

Rapid and deep changes in society, the economy and policy over the last decades are having an increasing impact on the delivery of social housing in North Western Europe. These changes are transforming the way in which social housing providers perform their task and are reshaping their relationships with the State, communities and with other market actors. The combination of continued State withdrawal from service provision, the deep and persistent effects of the global financial crisis that begun in 2008 and profound changes in the type of demand for social housing across North Western Europe call for a reflection on the implications of these phenomena for social housing providers. Several studies indicate that social housing providers in Europe have begun to adopt new (social) entrepreneurial strategies and are becoming more innovative as a response to these challenges. These strategies imply tackling the tensions between (at times) conflicting drivers, notably those arising from the State, the market and communities. However, research in this topic so far is fragmented, focussing on one country or on specific sub-areas such as asset management and non- housing activities and rarely connects with the relevant wider literature on the third sector and social enterprise. Within this context, this PhD research has sought to widen this discussion by providing new insights through a comparative study of the ways in which individual social housing providers are relating to (i.e. responding to and influencing) these contextual changes. More specifically, the research sought to better understand the complex process of decision-making these companies undergo to manage their responses to competing drivers. Companies operating in two countries (England and The Netherlands) were studied in-depth. In both countries, the social rental sector has played a prominent role in their respective welfare states for decades. While both are amongst countries with the highest share of social rental housing in Europe, each represents a different type of welfare state and of social housing provision - following Kemeny’s classification, a unitary system (the Netherlands) and a dualist system (England). The broad aim of this PhD was to deepen the understanding of the ways in which contextual drivers impact on the mission, values and activities of social housing organisations. Furthermore, the study sought to understand how these organisations are positioning themselves vis-à-vis the State, market and community. The above aims translate into three research questions: (1) How are contextual developments impacting on the missions, values and activities of social housing organisations? (2) How do these organisations position themselves vis-à-vis the State, the market and community? and (3) How are competing values enacted in the decision-making process exercised by these organisations vis-à-vis these contextual drivers? The universe for this PhD research consists of social purpose organisations, not owned by the State, which operate on a non-profit distribution basis. Together they are part of a wide range of ‘third sector’ actors providing social and affordable housing across most of North Western Europe. The PhD adopted a pluralistic epistemological approach with an interpretivist emphasis, with significant use of qualitative research methods. This approach was deemed useful to give a voice to the subject(s) of study. The research design included a mixed methods approach and a longitudinal, international and inter-organisational case study research design, involving two company-cases. The companies were studied over a four-year period, starting in March 2008. The research design and data analysis draws on elements of grounded theory, and on the work of Eisenhardt on ‘building theory from cases’. Following this approach, a series of ‘theoretical propositions’ were devised from the study’s findings in order to answer each of the three research questions. In relation to the first research question, the study found that contextual developments and the missions, values and activities of social housing organisations are in a two-way relationship. From an initial assumption of unidirectional causality, in the process of the research it became clear that the relationship between contextual developments and organisational change is more often than not one of mutual causality. We qualified this relationship through six propositions. First, we posited that market and State drivers have a relatively stronger impact on social housing organisations as compared to community drivers. Second, we postulated that both market and State drivers have a knock-on effect on community drivers. Third, we established that State drivers pose continuous exogenous shocks to social housing providers by means of constant policy changes. Our fourth proposition stated that in a context of economic crisis the relationship between market drivers and social housing organisations is marked by volatility. Our fifth proposition established that all three types of contextual drivers are reinforcing the long-term trend of deepening residualisation of the social housing sector. The sixth proposition emphasizes the long-term mutually shaping relationship between context and social housing organisations. Findings on the second research question led us to describe the positioning of social housing organisations vis-à-vis their environment as a ‘dynamic balancing act’. In order to understand the way(s) in which social housing organisations position themselves in relation to changes in their environment we drew on theories of social enterprise and hybridity to unpack three ideal-typical strategic orientations that may be at play in this process: State, market and community. We adopted a triangular model to illustrate these orientations and developed a classification model to understand the ‘strategic position’ that these organisations adopt vis-à-vis their environment. We looked at three different dimensions of this strategic position, namely mission, values and activities, each captured by a different type of variables in the classification: ‘descriptor’ (to capture the formal characteristics of the organisation), ‘motivator’ (as related to the organisation’s mission), and ‘behaviour’ (referring to the organisation’s activities). Upon applying this classification to our case studies, our findings resulted in three propositions. First, it became clear that while descriptor variables confirmed the hybrid formal characteristics of social housing organisations, they do not account on their own for their position in relation to State, market and community. Our second proposition stated that social housing organisations are constantly balancing pressures to (re)define their mission. Our study found that in this process, each company is faced with trade-offs when considering their organisational mission in relation to a changing mandate from the State domain, while at the same time weighing demands from the market and community domain. Third, we posited that social housing organisations exert different degrees of agency in their positioning vis-à-vis the State, market and community. We identified a continuum of actions that these organisations have put in place to respond to key contextual changes, ranging from ‘reactive’ to ‘proactive’ and ‘strategic’. Hence, social housing organisations would have the capacity to shape their environment and / or at least, their position in relation to this environment. On our third research question, we found that enacting competing values in social housing organisations implies multiple rationalities at play in decision-making. The PhD research used the study of a critical incident in each company to describe the ways in which competing values are enacted in the decision-making process of these organisations in relation to the three types of contextual drivers. In each case, a critical incident was chosen in conjunction with the companies to be studied over a prolonged period of time. Both incidents turned out to be of regulatory nature (i.e. State-driven); in the English case, it was the Comprehensive spending review (CSR) announced in October 2010 and a series of major welfare reforms implemented by the coalition government. In the Netherlands, the Dutch government ruling on the issue of State aid by housing associations implemented in January 2011. The companies’ responses to these critical incidents, respectively, were operationalised through a ‘strategic decision’ made by each of them vis-à-vis these events, defined as a decision recognised as having significant implications for the structure, direction or purpose of an organisation. The English company defined their strategic decision as the impact on the company’s vision, direction, strategy and financial capacity of the October CSR and the shake-up in the welfare benefit system. More specifically, the company’s bid to the HCA for the four-year development programme in the first half of 2011 formed the basis for the study of this critical incident. The strategic decision of the Dutch company was whether to follow the Dutch government’s ruling on income ceilings or not. Furthermore, the company had to decide how to re-organize its financing in order to comply with the required administrative split between activities classified as ‘Services of General Economic Interest’ (SGEI) and ‘non SGEI’. The study of these critical incidents looked at the decision-making process from both a formal and content perspective, distinguishing motivator and behaviour variables in the process. In terms of form, we found that different modes of decision-making co-exist in the process. Participants in each company use a variety of ‘political tactics’ to influence the decision-making process. Taken all together, the existence of these tactics confirms the presence of institutional entrepreneurial behaviour amongst company executives taking part in the process. Realizing that these tactics exist is important because it shows the ways in which different participants and their (departmental) agendas try to influence the outcome of the decision. In terms of content, a first proposition established that social housing organisations operate with multiple rationalities; non-rational factors such as politics, intuition and past experience played a key role alongside technical considerations. In our fourth proposition we identified a number of ‘dilemmas of hybridity’ that these organisations have to deal with to stay true to their mission while tackling pressures from different State, market and community. Second, we discussed the ambivalent relationship that social housing providers have with risk. A number of questions were raised on what (if any) risk attitude lies closer to third sector service providers in relation to what is expected from commercial enterprises or even from the State. This is relevant in particular given the more general trend to transfer risk from the State to third sector organisations in service provision overall in European societies. Last, our research found that social housing organisations are consistent with stated core values but are constantly making choices on how to enact these values. While contextual drivers may appear not to affect the mission and values of these social housing organisations, the former do impact on the companies’ strategies and activities. This means that there can be significant gaps between espoused and enacted values. Policy and practice implications emerging from the findings to all three research questions included: First, we raised the question as to whether the aggregate impact of the regulatory changes at sector level in each country - such as the ones portrayed by the respective critical incidents - would be the convergence of both countries’ housing association sectors in terms of their role and scope. Second, the study coincides with views in both countries pointing to the lack of a ‘single voice’ or unified strategic action fields. In addition, in both cases, although to different extents, the perceived ‘policy confusion’ – namely, the view that government was sending conflicting signals to social housing organisations - raised tensions between the redefined mandate and the organisational missions of the individual companies. Third, findings suggest a trend towards increasing differentiation within the housing association sector in each country as a result of growing tensions between mandate (social housing as a public service obligation as defined by the State) and mission (social housing as ‘core business’ as define by each organisation). Fourth, the question emerges as to whether the identity of a social housing provider operating along the wide spectrum between the two ‘pure’ types is defined by its activities (behaviour variables) or by their organisational form/legal status (descriptor variables). The concept of hybridity proved useful to gauge this complexity, as illustrated in the ‘dilemmas’ companies have to face when making strategic decisions. Fifth, findings showed that community drivers tend to stay constant or change slightly over the long term, except for those resulting from the combined impacts of the economic crisis and the resulting political and regulatory changes. This leads to the recommendation for social housing enterprises to consider longer-term political (and market) trends as well, to anticipate on going (neoliberal) trends and possibly fundamental changes in housing preferences. Sixth, while values tend to stay constant, mission is permanently redefined in relation to pressures from the environment (including changes in mandate) and activities change accordingly. In order to stay true to this identity, social housing providers ought to be able to anticipate conflicting logics and put mechanisms in place to adjust their policies and activities to respond to these challenges while keeping its core values intact. This PhD has contributed to science both from a theoretical and methodological perspective. Through a series of theoretical propositions, we have added to a developing body of knowledge, specifically on the nature of the relationship between contextual drivers and organisational changes in social housing organisations. Our classification of social enterprise in housing allows comparisons between organisations operating in diverse contexts, which share a similar core task. This can be useful for scientific, political and practical purposes. From a scientific perspective, it can be used as a basis for identifying similarities and differences between social housing organisations within and between countries at a much deeper level than traditional comparisons on the basis of tenure or other formal organisational characteristics. Policy makers can also use this information to understand the factors leading to different types of behaviours by social housing providers. For professionals, this model may be useful to assess to what extent their organisation is being consistent with regards to espoused vs. enacted values. From a societal perspective, findings of this PhD can help us reflect on the future role of social housing in the context of changing social contracts and social cohesion and welfare models in each country. Furthermore, the research helped participating practitioners to reflect about a number of organisational dilemmas they face, as illustrated in our findings.

This paper will elaborate deeply on the reality of learning and capacity-based fulfillment at Darul Ma'arif Islamic Boarding School in Jayapura City. Qualitative descriptive research type, conducted on primary and secondary data sources with a phenomenological approach from a methodological perspective, educational sociology and educational psychology from a scientific perspective using interview guidelines, observation sheets, and documentation tools as instruments to collect data that are processed and analyzed using reduction techniques. data, data presentation, and data conclusions, and validity is tested by triangulation techniques and observation extension. The results showed that learning is carried out classically using formal standard methods, in addition to takhassus learning that studies classical Islamic books that bring results to the ability to memorize the Koran, mastering Arabic and English, and mastery of reading books in limited quantities. The fulfillment of capacity at the Darul Ma'arif Islamic Boarding School in Jayapura City is illustrated, that the aspects of the kiai were not found in the three boarding schools, students from simple family backgrounds, education facilities and infrastructure built from natural materials with semi-permanent capacity. limited, and the same curriculum refers to the Ministry of Religion.

Social Housing Organisations in England and The Netherlands: Between the State, Market and Community

Social Housing Organisations in England and The Netherlands: Between the State, Market and Community

Social Housing Organisations in England and The Netherlands: Between the State, Market and Community

The increase in mental health problems among college students has become a global challenge, with anxiety and depression in particular becoming increasingly prevalent. Positive psychology has gained attention as an important psychological intervention that emphasizes improving mental health by promoting positive emotions and mindfulness. However, with the diversity of reading styles, however, there is a lack of systematic research on these effects. Therefore, this study aims to explore the specific effects of different reading styles on college students' mental health and quality of life based on positive psychology, with the aim of providing more effective interventions and recommendations for improving college students' mental health. This study used a two-round questionnaire to select students with mental health problems and divided them into four experimental groups with a control group. The study was conducted by distributing questionnaires and experimental interventions, and a total of 2860 valid questionnaires were collected. The study used the Self-Assessment Scale for Anxiety (SAS) and the Self-Depression Scale (SDS) to assess the participants' anxiety and depression levels. In addition, the study used the Physical Composite Score (PCS) and the Mental Composite Score (MCS) to assess the participants' quality of life. SPSS 26.0 was used for data statistics and repeated measures ANOVA was used. Paper text reading and audio reading methods were effective in reducing anxiety levels and improving sleep quality. However, the electronic text reading approach was less effective compared to paper text reading and audio reading, and the video reading approach was not effective in improving depression. In addition, the positive psychology literature reading intervention showed significant improvements in college students' quality of life scores. The results of this study suggest that paper text reading and audio reading modalities have a positive impact on the mental health and quality of life of college students, while e-text reading and video reading modalities are less effective. These findings provide suggestions for college students to choose appropriate reading styles and further demonstrate the effectiveness of positive psychology reading on mental health. These results have important academic and practical implications for promoting mental health and improving quality of life among college students.

Background. Although slow-wave EEG activity has traditionally been associated with either deep sleep or brain pathology, recent studies have revealed a relationship between this neuronal activity and cognitive functions. The present study explored the slow-wave EEG amplitude differences between resting and reading states in a group of 19 non-clinical young adults. Methods. EEG was recorded during an eyes-open resting baseline, and three different reading tasks selectively engaging the visual, phonetic, and semantic reading modalities. Frequency spectra between 1 and 8 Hz were analyzed in two frequency bands, 1-4 Hz (delta) and 4-8 Hz (theta). Results. Multiple t-test analyses comparing the three reading tasks with the baseline showed significant amplitude increases during reading mostly in the 1-4 Hz and some in the 4-8 Hz band. These changes were topographically different among the three reading tasks. During visual reading, amplitude increased at C3, C4, T3, T4, and T5 for the 1-4 Hz band, and at T5 and T6 for the 4-8 Hz band. During phonetic reading, amplitude increased at T3, T4, F3 and F7 for the 1-4 Hz band, and at T5 and FP1 for the 4-8 Hz band. During semantic reading, amplitude increased at T3, T4, C3, C4, F3, F7, F8, CZ and FZ for the 1-4 Hz band and at T5 for the 4-8 Hz band. Conclusions. Amplitude increases in slow-wave EEG are part of the normal reading process and it appears at scalp electrodes close to cortical areas expected to be involved according to different reading modalities. Implications for neurofeedback involve tentative models for cognitive processes.

Quarterly Journal of Experimental PhysiologyVolume 70, Issue 4 p. 643-644 ArticleFree Access Perspectives in Methodology for Studies of the Microcirculation. Edited by K. S Messmer, F. Hammersen and B. W. Zweifach. Pp. 160. (Karger, 1984.) Paperback S.Fr. 74, DM 89, $44.50 L. H. Smaje, L. H. SmajeSearch for more papers by this author L. H. Smaje, L. H. SmajeSearch for more papers by this author First published: 10 October 1985 https://doi.org/10.1113/expphysiol.1985.sp002953AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume70, Issue4October 10, 1985Pages 643-644 RelatedInformation

Cost-of-illness studies (COI) can identify and measure all the costs of a particular disease, including the direct, indirect and intangible dimensions. They are intended to provide estimates about the economic impact of costly disease. Alzheimer disease (AD) is a relevant example to review cost of illness studies because of its costliness.The aim of this study was to review relevant published cost studies of AD to analyze the method used and to identify which dimension had to be improved from a methodological perspective. First, we described the key points of cost study methodology. Secondly, cost studies relating to AD were systematically reviewed, focussing on an analysis of the different methods used. The methodological choices of the studies were analysed using an analytical grid which contains the main methodological items of COI studies. Seventeen articles were retained. Depending on the studies, annual total costs per patient vary from $2,935 to $52, 954. The methods, data sources, and estimated cost categories in each study varied widely. The review showed that cost studies adopted different approaches to estimate costs of AD, reflecting a lack of consensus on the methodology of cost studies. To increase its credibility, closer agreement among researchers on the methodological principles of cost studies would be desirable.

This review highlights the scientific and practical conference and meeting of business law section of the EMA held on November 25, 2015. This overview is of interest from both scientific and methodological perspectives.

Is it time to put rest to rest?

This article examines the notion of communicative grammar in its relations with the Ukrainian linguodidactics. This problem is related to the language competence, which serves as a component of communicative competence. The present stage of studying the numerous problems of linguistics is characterized by the fact that they are considered in a cognitive-communicative perspective. The fact of the establishment of a cognitive-communicative paradigm in modern linguistics leads to the foreground of the study, which uses the functional description of the language system and its constructive units. Application of the communicative-activity approach corresponds most closely to modern educational goals and psycho-pedagogical ideas of the present, as it creates the preconditions for the active formation of communicative competences among students, serving as the main goal of standardized language education at all levels. The communicative approach to the study of the linguistic system demonstrates the applicable nature, because it involves mastering the linguistic material as an action: acquisition of the lexical and grammatical system of language based on their communicative importance. The specificity of modern research in the field of grammar was the emergence of various types of grammar (generative grammar, communicative grammar, functional grammar). Communicative grammar is one of the areas of language learning, which combines the systematic representation of grammar and text analysis (as part of this, there is a broad term in grammar, it also includes the lexical semantics). Significant linguistic units were in the focus of the study of communicative grammar in connection with the communicative activity of the speaker. The main object of this science is the text, and its purpose is the justification of the specific text and each of its components, the creation of an explanatory model of the grammatical system (that is the definition of functional and semantic specificity of grammatical units, the identification of functional and semantic principles that underpin the organization of the grammatical system). In our opinion, the linguo-didactic elaboration of a range of issues that lie in the sphere of interest in communicative grammar is still rather small. The development of the theory of communicative grammar itself in Ukrainian linguistics, and its linguistic and pedagogical elaboration, is, in large part, a matter of scientific and methodological perspectives.