Academic Diversity Research Articles

How the social dimension of ESG influences CEO compensation: Role of CEO and board characteristics

AbstractThis paper examines whether social disclosures impact CEO compensation considering various CEO and board controls. By categorizing CEO‐specific attributes into CEO duality, CEO academic diversity, and insider CEO, as well as including board size and board independence as board‐specific controls, the study tests their effects on CEO compensation. This research further explores whether board gender diversity moderates the association between social disclosures and CEO compensation. The paper uses a balanced panel dataset of 67 firms extracted from the NSE Nifty 100 ESG index and applies the panel‐corrected standard error (PCSE) model as a baseline methodology. The findings revealed that the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) disclosure score significantly impacted the CEO compensation, whereas social disclosure scores assessed independently failed to create a significant association with the same. Subsequent investigation also showed a significant positive relationship between the number of female directors on the board and CEO compensation. However, female directors on the board could not amplify the firm's social disclosure practices, leading to an insignificant impact on CEO compensation. While board independence, board size, ownership structure, and CEO duality significantly affected the above relationship, insider CEO status could not. Furthermore, robustness checks using the propensity score matching (PSM) and generalized method of moments (GMM) models were also conducted to test the validity of the above results. The findings of the work offer insights to help managers, organizations, and policy planners make decisions concerning women directors, social disclosures, and CEO compensation.

Development and Validation of Instructional Material in Nihongo

This study aimed to develop and create a module for teaching Japanese among university students of the Bataan Peninsula State University by taking into account the students’ proficiency level and the challenges they have encountered. In addition, the developed module has undergone expert validation. The study utilized a quantitative method, specifically the descriptive design, to assess instructional material development in Nihongo. The findings highlighted that the students indicated moderate competence in writing and speaking and lower proficiency in reading, listening, and grammar, particularly a weak grasp of grammatical aspects. Furthermore, the module evaluation highlighted high language clarity but identified a need for format improvement. Therefore, this study calls for tailored approaches addressing the challenges of demographic representation, academic diversity, and nuanced language learning in Japanese instruction. Although the developed module has revealed effective, refining each aspect is essential for the learning objectives, learning content, language, format, presentation, and usefulness.

한국 유상원조 사업의 공공외교적 효과 검토

Purpose: This paper investigates the efficacy of aid in support from recipient country citizens assuming that aid capable of winning their favor benefits donor countries. Originality: The public diplomacy impact of aid serves as a crucial intermediary step for donor countries in achieving anticipated political and economic outcomes. Despite this, prior research has neglected to explore how aid influences the perceptions of citizens in recipient countries. This study addresses this gap by examining the public diplomacy effects of aid through specific cases, contributing to academic diversity and offering policy insights. Methodology: A literature review analyzed previous research, while a survey assessed specific cases. The survey targeted 100 users of the Korea EDCF Vietnam Vam Cong Bridge and local residents, employing descriptive statistical and regression analyses. Result: Eighty percent of respondents displayed varying levels of awareness regarding Korea's contribution to the Vam cong Bridge construction, attributing it to significantly increasing awareness, likability, and interest in Korea. Regression analysis confirmed a positive correlation between recognition of Korea's contribution and changes in awareness, likability, and interest. Additionally, respondents who highly appreciated the bridge's economic benefits displayed greater likability, and interest in Korea. Conclusion and Implication: The Vam cong Bridge's construction demonstrated a relatively high public diplomacy effect. To enhance future aid initiatives, proactive dissemination of Korea's contributions is crucial. Moreover, providing effective economic benefits fosters goodwill and interest in Korea among recipient country residents. Therefore, winning the hearts of recipient country citizens through aid necessitates both transparent communication of donor contributions and the delivery of substantial economic benefits.

Exploring school leaders’ and parents’ attitudes toward implementing an organizational system for academic diversity and inclusion in international schools in Egypt

Egypt has recently undergone significant educational reforms, granting children with disabilities the right to inclusive education and well-being as stipulated in the Arab Republic of Egypt’s Constitution and Ministerial Degrees. This qualitative study aimed to capture the current situation of inclusion in Egypt’s educational landscape and gather insights from school leaders (n = 2) and parents (n = 4) regarding the services provided to children with intellectual disabilities (ID) in two international schools in Egypt. Through semi-structured interviews, this study aimed to assess recent changes and efforts made in education reform to support inclusive practices for ID in international schools in Egypt. The study employed ecological systems theory (EST) to incorporate the framework into the thematic analysis of qualitative data, categorizing the school leaders’ and parents’ responses into four societal layers. The results revealed several challenges facing ID in Egypt, including inclusive leadership, teachers’ qualifications, support systems, and a sense of solidarity. The findings suggest that tailored interventions should be implemented to improve the educational outcomes of children with disabilities in inclusive settings.

A phenome-wide association and Mendelian randomisation study of alcohol use variants in a diverse cohort comprising over 3 million individuals

Alcohol consumption is associated with numerous negative social and health outcomes. These associations may be direct consequences of drinking, or they may reflect common genetic factors that influence both alcohol consumption and other outcomes. We performed exploratory phenome-wide association studies (PheWAS) of three of the best studied protective single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in genes encoding ethanol metabolising enzymes (ADH1B: rs1229984-T, rs2066702-A; ADH1C: rs698-T) using up to 1109 health outcomes across 28 phenotypic categories (e.g., substance-use, mental health, sleep, immune, cardiovascular, metabolic) from a diverse 23andMe cohort, including European (N≤2,619,939), Latin American (N≤446,646) and African American (N≤146,776) populations to uncover new and perhaps unexpected associations. These SNPs have been consistently implicated by both candidate gene studies and genome-wide association studies of alcohol-related behaviours but have not been investigated in detail for other relevant phenotypes in a hypothesis-free approach in such a large cohort of multiple ancestries. To provide insight into potential causal effects of alcohol consumption on the outcomes significant in the PheWAS, we performed univariable two-sample and one-sample Mendelian randomisation (MR) analyses. The minor allele rs1229984-T, which is protective against alcohol behaviours, showed the highest number of PheWAS associations across the three cohorts (N=232, European; N=29, Latin American; N=7, African American). rs1229984-T influenced multiple domains of health. We replicated associations with alcohol-related behaviours, mental and sleep conditions, and cardio-metabolic health. We also found associations with understudied traits related to neurological (migraines, epilepsy), immune (allergies), musculoskeletal (fibromyalgia), and reproductive health (preeclampsia). MR analyses identified evidence of causal effects of alcohol consumption on liability for 35 of these outcomes in the European cohort. Our work demonstrates that polymorphisms in genes encoding alcohol metabolising enzymes affect multiple domains of health beyond alcohol-related behaviours. Understanding the underlying mechanisms of these effects could have implications for treatments and preventative medicine. MVJ, NCK, SBB, SSR and AAP were supported by T32IR5226 and 28IR-0070. SSR was also supported by NIDA DP1DA054394. NCK and RBC were also supported by R25MH081482. ASH was supported by funds from NIAAA K01AA030083. JLMO was supported by VA 1IK2CX002095. JLMO and JJMM were also supported by NIDA R21DA050160. JJMM was also supported by the Kavli Postdoctoral Award for Academic Diversity. EGA was supported by K01MH121659 from the NIMH/NIH, the Caroline Wiess Law Fund for Research in Molecular Medicine and the ARCO Foundation Young Teacher-Investigator Fund at Baylor College of Medicine. MSA was supported by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III and co-funded by the European Union Found: Fondo Social Europeo Plus (FSE+) (P19/01224, PI22/00464 and CP22/00128).

FROM FIXED TO FLEXIBLE: NEEDED CONDITIONS TO PROMOTE ELEMENTARY TEACHERS’ EQUITABLE USE OF WITHIN-CLASS ABILITY GROUPING

Within-class elementary grouping is a staple of modern elementary instruction, as it ideally provides a structure in which classroom teachers can better manage academic diversity. However, it is often implemented ineffectively and/or inequitably due to various structural, cultural, and political features of school systems and teacher training programs. In this essay, I seek to delineate solutions via flexible grouping that combat historical inequities associated with student ability grouping, ultimately to equip teachers to both manage academic diversity and ensure that all students receive appropriately challenging instruction each day. The arguments put forth are informed by my ten years of work as an educator, instructional coach, and researcher, in which I have witnessed a strong, practical need for elementary small group instruction but have also grappled with how ability grouping often inequitably sorts and fixes students into groups that fuel de facto tracking. This work will benefit school and district leaders and teacher preparation programs, as they seek to address systemic issues related to teachers’ ability grouping practices. Most importantly, it will provide tangible strategies and descriptions that equip elementary educators to leverage more flexible, equitable grouping practices in their classrooms. Keywords: Ability grouping; elementary teaching; differentiation; flexible grouping; small group instruction

Who watched pre/post-lecture tutorial videos? Does flipped learning help beginners in economics?

The modern-day classroom is characterized by academic diversity, with students from varied backgrounds and with different levels of prior knowledge. To cater to the diverse abilities of students, this paper explored the use of flipped learning as a teaching approach in an introductory economics course. We investigated the effectiveness of 40 pre-lecture videos covering basic concepts and 27 post-lecture tutorial videos focusing on practice in improving students' exam outcomes, especially for beginners in economics who may require more support from instructors than other students. We collected data about video engagement and students' grades in progress assessments. Surveys were conducted to gather students’ feedback regarding the usefulness of the videos on their learning. The findings showed that beginners engaged more with those videos, spent more time watching them compared to non-beginners. Furthermore, the study observed an improvement in beginners' exam performance, with their average grade increasing as a percentage of the average of non-beginners. These findings hold significance for instructors aiming to offer personalized assistance to students with varying levels of prior knowledge, thereby advancing educational practices in the field of economics.

Experiment commensurability does not necessitate research consolidation.

Integrative experiment design promises to foster cumulative knowledge by changing how we design experiments, build theories, and conduct research. I support the push to increase commensurability across experimental research but raise several reservations regarding results-driven and large-team-based research. I argue that it is vital to preserve academic diversity and adversarial debate via independent efforts.

Gender Variation, subject dispersion and citation impact in dental research: A bibliometric analysis of publications from 2009–2021

AimThis study probed into the gender variation, subject dispersion and citation impact of dental research with an objective to highlight the increasing influence of female authors in the field of dentistry. MethodologyThe research employed bibliometric techniques to highlight gender variation in dental research as demonstrated in the Saudi Dental Journal (SDJ), over a period of thirteen years, 2009–2021. The examination comprised SDJ publications indexed in PubMed, with citation data extracted from Google Scholar on July 2023. The analysis encompassed the progressive growth of papers, authors, and citations, the gender distribution of authors, the co-authorship structure, subject dispersion, and collaboration patterns based on affiliation, both national and international. Results625 SDJ publications were identified in the PubMed database from 2009 to 2021. There was a notable rise in the volume of papers and the number of authors per year. The citation impact analysis revealed that these 625 papers achieved an average of 26 citations each. Remarkably, the representation of female authors increased from 0.47 to 2.23 authors per paper during the study period. The authorship pattern largely showed single-authorship, closely followed by a three-author pattern. Almost half the papers (48%) were a collaboration between male and female authors, with female authors solely producing about 15% of papers.The topological classification of papers revealed that the most considerable number of papers were on Periodontics, with the least number focusing on Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. Female authors prominently contributed to Pediatric Dentistry and Periodontics papers. ConclusionThe study illustrates an encouraging trend of heightened female authorship in dental research over the years. Their increasing engagement not only enriches the academic diversity but also impacts the progressive evolution of dental science, contributing to a more inclusive and balanced society.

Crafting Connections: Creating Counterspaces to Academic Diversity Labour

In this piece we discuss the workspace precarities of women of colour academics in higher education in the United States between the early 2000s and early 2020s and share some thinking about how one might labour beyond institutional structures of diversity. In particular, we offer an argument for the importance of counterspaces to the institutions that employ them and the power of collective labour outside institutional structures (in this case, sewing and quilting) for weathering shifting institutional priorities and labour inequities. We offer insights into why it might be necessary for women of colour academics to cultivate a relationship to emotional labour that is productive when it is collective and crafted away from workplace policies. We explore how crafting provides such an opportunity for what we describe as Non-Professional Productive Labour.

Tuition Fees for International Students in Norway: A Policy-Debate

Abstract The provision of equitable chances for students from all socioeconomic backgrounds to pursue higher education is a fundamental principle in Norway’s egalitarian educational system. Providing free higher education to domestic and international students, has long been praised. In accordance with this, the Norwegian government has long sought to internationalize higher education, to enhance the quality of higher education. Statistics reveal a rapid increase in the number of international students enrolled during the past decade, indicating that international student mobility, both inbound and outbound, has expanded significantly in Norway. However, the Norwegian government announced the imposition of tuition fees for foreign students attending higher education outside of the European Economic Area (eea) and Switzerland from August 2023. The fundamental free principle in Norwegian higher education has been viewed as being broken by this action, along with the government’s own political platform and party platforms. In relation to international higher education literature and tuition fee policies in other Nordic contexts and beyond, this article addresses the government’s justifications for enacting tuition fees for foreign students in Norway. Additionally, it investigates internationalization of the Higher Education system in Norway by shedding light on the status of internationalization as well as how the Norwegian society has responded to the imposition of tuition fees for international students. By considering elements like revenue generation, academic diversity, global competitiveness, and social inclusion, the article further emphasizes the potential implications for the landscape of Norwegian higher education and its position in the worldwide arena. With this policy debate, we aim to contribute to the continuing discussion about international students’ tuition fees and offer insightful information to policymakers, practitioners, and scholars working in international higher education.

Displaced Scholars as a Contribution to Academic Diversity

Academic diversity has been an important consideration in hiring processes within academia since the late 2010s. The term diversity encompasses race, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation, geographical representation, and political beliefs. There are three significant considerations during the hiring process. To put it simply: “equity is the promotion of fairness and justice for each individual that considers historical, social, systemic, and structural issues that impact experience and individual needs; diversity is a measure of representation within a community or population that includes identity, background, lived experience, culture, and many more; and inclusion is the creation of an environment where everyone shares a sense of belonging, is treated with respect, and is able to fully participate.”1

The future of the U.S. safety & health workforce: Opportunities for academic diversity, equity, and inclusion through a leak-proof career pathway

Introduction: In this commentary, we explore safety and health career pathways in the U.S. and discuss the future of work through the lens of diversity, equity, and inclusion. We address occupational safety and health inequities, including underrepresentation of racial and ethnic groups in academic disciplines, which impacts workers' safety and the future of work. We introduce the Accessibility, Sustainability, and Knowledge-Generation (ASK) framework to broaden minority participation in occupational safety and health (OSH) education. Method: The ASK framework integrates insights from learned experiences, research literature, accreditation knowledge, and community feedback to identify strategies for dismantling barriers to workforce diversity and promoting equitable participation and access to opportunities in OSH education. We conducted a US based survey to gain insights into the minority experience and the role of students, faculty, and academia in mitigating disparities and creating pathways of opportunities. Results: The survey results highlight the need for pedagogic improvements in OSH academic programs to attract more minorities. The appreciation of cultural competence across universities and changes to current systemic funding mechanisms are identified as crucial factors. We acknowledge that existing interventions have been less effective due to a lack of tangible actions. However, we emphasize that solutions exist, and meaningful support is required to drive change. Conclusions: The study underscores the importance of addressing occupational safety and health inequities and the underrepresentation of minority groups in OSH education. The ASK framework provides a comprehensive approach to broaden minority participation and promote diversity in the field. Pedagogic improvements, cultural competence, and changes to funding mechanisms are necessary steps to attract and retain underrepresented minorities in OSH academic programs. Practical Applications: The findings of this study have practical implications for institutions and stakeholders involved in occupational safety and health education. It emphasizes the need for proactive strategies to attract and support underrepresented minority students and faculty. Promoting cultural competence and making changes to funding mechanisms can contribute to creating more equitable and inclusive pathways for diverse groups in OSH education. Tangible actions and meaningful support are essential for driving change and achieving workforce diversity and equity.

Self-Directed Learning Capacity by Differentiated Teaching – A Case Study of High School Students

Self-directed learning (SDL) capacity is one of the core common values of students, as defined in the Vietnam General Education Curriculum 2018 (VGEC). Because of the students’ variety in capacity and needs, educators are challenged to assist in the development of self-directed learning skills and to encourage learners to more freely use self- direction in their learning activities by personalization and differentiation in teaching practices. However, previous works on SDL in Informatics for Vietnamese students mainly focus on educators’ teaching without considering academic diversity. Our work introduces differentiated teaching and criteria to classify students in Informatics. On the basis of criteria, we designed a procedure to develop SDL capacity in Informatics for high school students. We also provide an implementation setting applying our method which uses the combination of cognitive capacity, personality classification and dependability criteria. The SDL capacity assessment can be used in addition to evaluate the improvement on students’ SDL capacity scores.

Theory-based evaluation of the impact of Master’s programmes in development studies: Insights from a mixed-methods and multicultural alumni action research project

To understand the impact of the international Master’s programmes offered at the Institute of Development Policy (University of Antwerp), a theory-based evaluation was undertaken. In the first phase, a Theory of Change (ToC) was elaborated, distinguishing between three levels of impact (individual, organisational and societal), four learning dimensions (knowledge, skills, attitudes and networks) and five implicit pathways (change agent, social network, widening access, academic diversity, international understanding). Given the multifaceted and vague nature of the ‘impact’ concept under study, we selected an international, gender-balanced, multi-sectoral team of alumni researchers who fostered inclusiveness of different perspectives, at the same time capitalising on their depth of understanding, having gone through the study experience themselves. A mixed-methods approach was adopted to validate the ToC, combining a Most Significant Change approach, categorisation and text analysis of 101 alumni impact stories. Our findings demonstrate the importance of the three levels of impact and four learning dimensions in capturing graduate impact. While the impact stories confirmed the dominant ‘change agent’ pathway, they also hinted at the importance of hybrid complementary configurations of pathways to fully grasp how impact materialises.

Diversity in German-speaking medical ethics and humanities

BackgroundBioethics can play an important role in addressing diversity both in and outside of academia, setting precedents for meaningful contributions to public discourse, research, teaching, training, and policy development. However, in order to do so, these conversations also need to reflect on the issue of diversity within the field of bioethics across the globe. This study aims to examine current gender representation and diversity at medical ethics and humanities institutes in Germany, the German-speaking areas of Switzerland, and Austria.MethodsA total of forty-nine medical ethics and humanities institutes from Germany (n=42), the German-speaking areas of Switzerland (n=5), and Austria (n=2) were included in the study. Institutes websites were reviewed in the first week of March 2021 and the details of each staff member listed on the website recorded.ResultsOverall, a total of 964 staff members were identified at the forty-nine German-speaking medical ethics and humanities institutes. Just over half (530/964; 55%) of all staff were female. There were significant differences between gender in some staff positions: 64.6 per cent (31/48) of directors were male (χ2(1)=4.1, P=.04); 62.7 per cent (84/134) of student assistants were female (χ2(1)=8.6, P=.003); and 83.7 per cent (77/92) of administrative staff were female (χ2(1)=41.8, P<.001). There were no significant differences between staff gender for researchers and lecturers, or associated researchers. In addition, 65.5 per cent (19/29) of researchers and lecturers who had a professor title were male, but the difference between genders was not found to be significant. However, significantly more of the researchers and lecturers who had completed a habilitation were male (75.8% (25/33); χ2(1)=8.8, P=.003). When comparing the institute director’s gender presentation with staff gender presentation, it was found that male-led institutes had 53.4 per cent (286/536) female staff overall but had 52.7 per cent (136/258) male researchers and lecturers. However, the difference between genders were not found to be significant. On the other hand, female-led institutes had significantly more female staff overall (59.9% (223/372); χ2(1)=14.7, P<.001) and also significantly more female researchers and lecturers (58.9% (119/202; χ2(1)=6.4, P=.01).ConclusionsThere has been a significant push to address gender diversity in German-speaking academia, and this study finds overall good gender parity in medical ethics and humanities institutes. However, there has not been a similar openness to discussing issues of systemic racism or how other forms of inequality affect academic diversity. Taking diversity seriously requires opening up conversations around intersectionality, including difficult conversations around race and cultural background that have long been taboo in German-speaking countries.

Colliding without crashing – how a collision of perspectives creates innovation

PurposeBefore the author became the Director of the Human Sciences Studio, the author was aware of many studies that established the value of diverse teams – especially for innovation. In 2020, Robyn Brennaman claimed in this very journal that “the business case has long since closed about the critical importance and value of diversity in the workplace”. Brennaman reasoned that homogeneity impedes innovation, that innovation is a precondition for business competitiveness, and therefore diversity has strategic value. And yet a truly diverse team – one that includes identity diversity, academic diversity and cognitive diversity – is too hard to find. The author explores three lessons learned from working with a team of people who think so differently to one another. The purpose of this article is to explore how a collision of perspectives can create innovation.Design/methodology/approachA viewpoint article based on the author’s experience in Innovation and position as Director | Human Sciences Studio at Accenture and winner of the Team Leader Award (Sponsored by Fujitsu) at the 2022 FDM everywoman in Technology Awards.FindingsThe author explores three lessons learned from working with a team of people who think so differently to one another. The deluge of information is a messy delight. Sharing knowledge alerts us to the our blind spots. Humility and vulnerability are vital.Originality/valueThis piece is entirely written by Jess Majekodunmi and is all the author’s own viewpoint.

Academic Success, Emotional Intelligence, Well-Being and Resilience of First-Year Forestry Students

Academic success is conceptualized as a multifactor model, achievement and persistence after the first year of study being considered the main learning outcomes. In this area, the findings are inconsistent, depending on the academic context, individual characteristics and diversity of psychological measures. Here, we conducted two related correlational studies to analyze variables of the emotional domain, as emotional intelligence (2017–2019), emotions, well-being and resilience (2018–2020), dropout intention, perceived barriers to completion at the beginning of first years of study in forestry, academic performance and real dropout at the end of the first year of study and several socio-demographic variables. The two studies focused on undergraduate students and included 367 and 227 participants, respectively. Forestry students with higher academic performance report higher accomplishment and engagement and feel weak negative emotions concerning aversive academic assessment compared with students with lower academic performance and students that abandoned their studies. Female students and students with full ECTS load at the end of the first year use their emotions more effectively, have reported lower dropout intention and lower perception of barriers to completion of study, and have higher GPA admission and expected GPA. Performance at the end of the first year is explained by GPA admission, relationships with high school teachers, expected GPA, gender, and academic resilience. Dropout intention is explained by barriers to completion of studies, general negative emotions and negative affect related to threatened assessment situations, and managing others’ emotions. Our findings may help develop intervention measures at the individual and organizational level.

Nonlinear Whole Ecology, Change of Entropy, Hypercycle, Talent Ecology and Chinese Cultural-Social Ecology

Ecology is closely related to the rise and fall of human society. First, we propose the nonlinear whole ecology and its four basic rules. Second, entropy plays an important role in ecological economics, and the cycle of resources and the general recycling economy cannot be a single increase process of entropy, we research possible entropy decrease. Third, in order to achieve sustainable development, society must realize the recycling economy. We study the applications of hypercycle in ecology, and corresponding equations of ecosystem. The key factor in the cycle is the conversion of waste. Fourth, we propose the talent ecology, which studies the relations among talent and circumstances (esp., the social circumstances), and search its three basic principles. The base of talent is education. The mechanism of the academic development is freedom. The aim is innovation. The talent ecology must encourage the academic diversity. Fifth, the structure-function-result mode of ecosystem is proposed. Sixth, we discuss the recycling ecosystem of traditional Chinese agriculture, and Chinese cultural-social ecology.

Using differentiated teaching to address academic diversity in higher education

University educators increasingly face groups or classes of students with diverse academic levels, challenging a ‘one size fits all’ approach to teaching. In this article, we examine whether and how differentiated teaching, especially the concept of student readiness, can be applied to assess and respond to academic diversity, exemplified by two different cases; a methods lecture series and a peer-evaluation seminar. Each case presents specific tools, activities and techniques inspired by differentiated teaching that may be replicated or used for inspiration in similar contexts. The results include better fulfilment of intended learning outcomes, teaching that is perceived to be meaningful by students and educators, and a more inclusive learning environment. The two cases demonstrate the utility of differentiated teaching in higher education, challenging the prevalent assumption that differentiated teaching does not apply well to a university setting.