Academic Work Research Articles

El trinomio compromiso, satisfacción y justicia organizacional en el binomio felicidad e intención de rotar

the aim of this study was to empirically analyze the relationships between the dimensions of organizational justice, job satisfaction, andorganizational commitment with work happiness and turnover intention among academic workers in Mexico. To this end, a sample of 393 higher education faculty members in Mexico was surveyed. The statistical technique of structural equation modeling (CB-SEM) was used to analyze the data. The study’s results show that, on the one hand, the variables of job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and organizational justice areinterrelated among these workers, and on the other hand, that these variables positively explain work happiness and negatively explain turnover intention. This information is relevant for university leaders to undertake a strategic direction oriented towards Happiness Management. This way, their human capital can perform their professional activities in an environment of positive emotions, creativity, joy, and subjective well-being.

Inconvenient academic workers? Collective (Re)humanisation through the dialogue of a Freirean Reading Circle

ABSTRACT We argue that academia's performative obsession is inherently dehumanising. We seek to rehumanise academia by sharing a method for collective research and writing. Through a fresh approach to Freirean Reading Circles (FRCs), we offer a series of images and conversations from our circle meetings to demonstrate aspects of humanity often erased in traditional academic writing. Although FRCs can be adapted to different cultural artefacts, our choice of the Japanese novel Convenience Store Woman is purposeful. We explore the novel's theme of what it means to be both human and worker, and challenge the patriarchal bias of ‘great’ literature. Grounded in Paulo Freire's ideas, we demonstrate how academia's dehumanising tendencies can be challenged from within. To humanise our writing, we celebrate the joy and messiness of collective processes, foregrounding the human selves often hidden in sanitised academic writing. We invite you, as readers, to resist dehumanisation by extending our emancipatory project.

Making the Invisible Visible: How Chronic Illness Changes Narrative and the Autoethnographic Perspective

ABSTRACT Autoethnography and narrative have long been used in health research, particularly as tools for understanding and exploring personal experiences with illness. As an autoethnographer, I employed this methodology in almost all of my previous academic work, and I thought I knew it well. However, when I approached narrating and investigating my rare, invisible, chronic illness, my understanding of the methodology was challenged; the emic and etic perspectives are complicated when sharing what is inside my own body.

Impact through engagement? A critical self-reflection on the engaged journalism exchange

Journalism studies scholars have increasingly focused on finding ways to improve the profession and practice they have dedicated their academic careers to better understanding. This critical self-reflection reviews the ways that we have attempted to make our own academic work impactful on journalistic practice. We discuss the challenges, opportunities, successes, and failures of our efforts to both increase the impact of our academic research among journalism professionals, as well as to build better connections with journalists and publics so that we can better inform our research questions and priorities. Our efforts have been difficult to maintain, and their impact has been all but impossible to assess. Our experiences suggest that journalists rarely have the time or resources to listen and act on assessments from academics, and academics rarely have the time, resources, incentives, or patience to find the best paths to sharing what they learn in ways that may lead to change in journalism practices'. In light of these circumstances, we argue that the questions and obstacles journalism scholars face when it comes to improving the impact of their work among media practitioners and community members eerily mirrors the questions and obstacles journalists face when it comes to improving the impact of their work among the public. We conclude by calling for more humility, honesty, and help when it comes to efforts to bridge the gap between journalism studies and practice.

Challenges in Intellectualizing Sesotho for Use in Academic Publications

This paper explores challenges in intellectualizing Sesotho for academic works beyond literary-based theses. It also overviews resources for the intellectualization of official Indigenous languages of South Africa, focusing on national translation projects for terminology development. Furthermore, it highlights efforts by the South African Centre for Digital Language Resources in creating and collecting corpora for all official languages, including Sesotho. Challenges in Sesotho lexicography, especially with corpus-based approaches, are discussed. Additionally, the paper reflects on the authors' experiences with publishing academic articles in Sesotho in South African journals. It discusses obstacles faced, and strategies employed, including dialogues with reviewers on creating new terms and choosing between Lesothan Sesotho and South African Sesotho orthographies. Finally, the essay addresses challenges posed by limited publication avenues for indigenous languages in southern Africa and academic pressures for citations and research impact. It aims to shed light on lesser-known Indigenous languages in Southern Africa by spotlighting challenges and solutions to academic publications in Sesotho. Overall, the paper concludes that efforts at intellectualizing Sesotho and other South African indigenous languages are evident. Even so, there is far less emphasis on using Sesotho and other indigenous languages for academic discourses.

“This inmate declined to make a last statement”: A Quantitative Exploration of the Determinants of Inmate Execution Final Statements in Texas, 1982-2022

The last two decades have witnessed a significant growth in the volume of academic work exploring the final statements of inmates executed in the United States of America. While this has done much to advance academic understanding of final statements, comparably little attention has been paid to the not-insignificant number of inmates who decline to speak prior to their execution. The article presents the results of a regression analysis of a 574-case data set covering all executions conducted in Texas between December 1982 and April 2022. Despite including a range of variables, analysis identified only a single significant result: the presence of victims' family and/or close friends. The significance of this finding for existing scholarship and practice is discussed, alongside possible directions for future research.

Developing Student Agency Towards Academic Integrity Through an Educative Approach: Exploring Students’ Experiences and Perspectives

AbstractThis research investigates whether academic integrity can be strengthened through a holistic educative approach that combines compulsory modules on academic integrity, pedagogy that challenges punitive approaches, and an embedded curriculum. We present quantitative and qualitative data from surveys and interview responses from students to investigate their experiences and perceptions of our approach. Qualitative data suggest students appreciate the educative approach and that it fosters agency in students. Most participants – even those who indicated they had been part of an academic integrity breach process and students who knew someone who had been involved in the process – expressed that the process itself led to a greater understanding of academic integrity generally and students felt they could address the issue for themselves and benefit into the future. Responses indicated students wanted to have a voice in the academic integrity process. This research indicates that a holistic educative approach promotes students’ agency in relation to their academic work and frames academic integrity as a positive and desirable aspect of students’ developing academic identities.

Holding ourselves to account: The precarity dividend and the ethics of researching academic precarity

This article uses critical reflexivity as a method to document and analyse the ethical dilemmas that emerge when researching academic precarity across the permanent/precarious divide. With our project on long-term academic precarity as a case study, and as people who experienced long-term academic precarity, we take as the starting point other researchers’ silences on their positionality and about who does the work in the production of research on academic precarity. Although our small, unfunded project was driven by feminist ethics and transformative feminist praxis, there were some ethical issues we did not foresee, nor could we resolve. We focus on three main ethical dilemmas that arose as moments of discomfort, triggering extensive reflection and discussion: (1) authenticity and subjectivity, (2) disclosure of employment status and (3) complicity in and benefit from the precarisation of academic work, or what we term the ‘precarity dividend’. The article seeks to push the boundaries around how researchers hold themselves to account in the process of knowledge production. We suggest that precarity and especially the precarity dividend must become an inherent ethical consideration in all social scientific research design. It is a call for social researchers to make explicit – in writing, in ethics reviews and in presentations of their work – the labour process and labour conditions of all those involved.

A Systematic Literature Review of Existing Methods and Tools for the Criticality Assessment of Raw Materials: A Focus on the Relations between the Concepts of Criticality and Environmental Sustainability

Critical raw materials have significant economic and social impacts across numerous sectors. Numerous artifacts have been developed to assess their criticality. However, there is no univocity around the factors determining criticality. A systematic literature review was conducted to consider all academic works and official reports on criticality assessment. The review aimed to classify these artifacts to provide a clear picture of the heterogenous literature, with a focus on the relationship between criticality and environmental sustainability. Works proposing or updating criticality assessment artifacts were included according to the eligibility criteria. Academic sources were drawn from the Scopus Database in 2023. Official reports included those considered seminal by academic literature. The risk of bias in the selection and classification of the 162 works was low, as the review sought to be comprehensive. The included artifacts are systematically classified. A mapping of the identified criticality assessment tools and methods has been developed. The review found that while environmental impacts are considered in several works, the theoretical connection between criticality and environmental sustainability is weak. Three perspectives on this relationship are identified and discussed. The main limitation of this study is the inability to analyze undisclosed artifacts. It was conducted under the Horizon Europe Programme (Grant Number 101091490).

Financial Inclusion and Financial Education - An Effective Tool for Poverty Reduction (Georgia's example)

Poverty is one of the main challenges of the contemporary world. The Covid-19 pandemic has worsened the already slow pace of poverty reduction around the world. Some countries have managed to avoid the further growth of poverty, while others failed to overcome the problem. The troubles caused by the pandemic were also added to those caused by Russia-Ukraine war. If this trend continues, millions of people will still live in poverty in the future. The governments of almost all the countries, including Georgia, are actively taking various steps to reduce poverty, inter alia, largely by strengthening financial inclusion and financial education. Lack of financial inclusion is a challenge for low- and middle-income countries, which leaves millions without access to formal financial services. Another important barrier to overcoming poverty is the lack of financial education, one of the most important life skills for everyone. Without understanding basic financial concepts, it is quite difficult to make correct decision. Differences in financial education may affect wealth, inequality and poverty. The presented paper studies the impact of financial education and inclusion on poverty in Georgia based on the processing and analysis of secondary data, academic works, and reports of various international and local organizations.

Incident factors in the use of ChatGPT and dishonest practices as a system of academic plagiarism: the creation of a PLS-SEM model

The objective of this study was to construct a causal model that explores the factors influencing university students’ behavioral intention to use ChatGPT as a learning resource, and to understand the reasons behind their engagement in dishonest practices when incorporating ChatGPT into their academic work. We gathered data through a survey, with the participation of 368 university students. Our analysis employed a causal model based on the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) approach. On one hand, we verified the hypotheses regarding factors contributing to the intention to use ChatGPT, such as the quality of information generated by the software, the credibility of this information, and student satisfaction with the responses provided. On the other hand, we found compelling evidence of significant factors affecting the intention to use ChatGPT inappropriately, including the absence of clear regulations on plagiarism and corresponding penalties in universities, the students’ insufficient research and academic skills (such as conducting research or writing in a scholarly manner), the adverse impact of teachers’ workload (excessive tasks or insufficient commitment to assessments), and the general lack of interest and motivation towards academic tasks. Collectively, these factors accounted for 53.20% of the variance in students’ behavioral intention to utilize ChatGPT. These findings affirm the effectiveness of this model in explaining the software’s role in text production and quality, as well as students’ tendencies toward dishonest use.

20대 학습자의 학업마음챙김척도 개발 및 타당화

Objectives The purpose of this study was to develop and validate the “Academic Mindfulness Scale(AMS)” to measure learners’ level of mindfulness regarding Learning Strategies, facing Emotional and Physical Frustration due to academic work, and the urge to overstriving for academic work. Methods To this end, we conducted EFA and an internal consistency assessment with a sample of 208 learners in their 20s. Subsequently, we evaluated the model fit by carrying out CFA on a validation sample consisting of 207 learners. Convergent validity, discriminant validity, and criterion validity were examined through correlational analysis between the AMS and relevant variables. Results A final 3-factor 14-item scale was derived from an estimation sample of 208 individuals. CFA results showed good fit indices with CFI of .932, TLI of .917, RMSEA of .073, and SRMR of .061. Based on the reliability analysis conducted on a validation sample of 207 individuals, the reliability analysis for each subscale showed that Mindfulness in Learning Strategies was .87, Mindfulness in Dealing with Emotional and Physical Frustration was .82, and Mindfulness against overstriving was .70. Correlation analysis with related variables showed that all the three factors showed positive correlations with trait mindfulness scales(CAMS-R, FFMQ, K-MAIA), dedication, vigour, absorption in academic enthusiasm scale, trait academic self-efficacy, state academic self-efficacy, regular and consistent practice, and perserverance and consistency in grit scale, confirming convergent and criterion validity. On the other hand, all the three factors showed negative correlations with Difficulty in emotional clarity and Difficulty in attention to feelings in Emotional Awreness Difficulty Scale, Emotional Exhaustion, Cynicism, Reduced Academic Efficacy in the academic burnout scale, trait academic procrastination, and state academic procrastination, confirming that this scale has discriminant validity. Conclusions The AMS thus appears to be a reliable and valid self-report measure with practical utility for diagnosing and providing intervention for cultivating learners’ academic mindfulness competency.

The ‘performative’ university: theoretical and personal reflections

ABSTRACT For centuries, universities have proliferated and flourished around the world, playing an important role in societal knowledge production and diffusion. However, in the past four decades, this old organizational form has been subjected to neoliberal, managerialist policy doctrines such as New Public Management. Following this, universities have tended to become more ‘business-like’ in their internal management and governance, with generally perceived adverse effects on the quality of academic education, research, and working conditions. These developments pose fundamental threats to academic freedom and free knowledge production and diffusion. Acknowledging various forms of academic resistance to, and coping with, these threats, the purpose of our paper is twofold. First, we adopt the concept of ‘performativity’ – hitherto researched mainly in primary and secondary schools in Anglo-Saxon contexts – to account for, and critique, neoliberal university policies, and practices in a variety of Global North settings. Second, through collaborative autoethnography, we add our own personal narratives to ‘talk back’ to managerialism.

“Not Offending Is Easy. The Double Life, the Secrets, the Loneliness Are the Hardest Parts I Needed Help with”: Understanding the Treatment Needs of People with Attractions to Children

People with sexual attractions to children are often subject to heavy stigmatization, and several studies have started to look at how this affects their mental health. This is likely due to a conflation with offending and sexual risk within society, which translates into academic work on the topic. In this context, little is known about how the experiences of non-offending individuals with attractions to children inform their treatment needs in non-forensic contexts. We conducted anonymous semi-structured interviews with large sample of 31 non-offending adult men who are attracted to children, recruited through online forums. The results focus on two superordinate themes central to interpersonal and intrapersonal experiences, and the effects of these on both everyday functioning (“Living with a sexual interest in children”), and perceived treatment needs (“Establishing treatment targets”). These findings hold significance for the effective design and delivery of both preventative and healthcare-related support services, particularly in relation to early intervention and assisting this population in living full lives with their sexual attractions.

Moving away from, moving towards and moving against others: An adaptive multi-strategy approach to defend and build resources in self-protection mode

In the face of extreme and enduring stressors, a self-protection coping mode can be entered to conserve resources (Conservation of Resources (COR) theory principle 4). Self-protection coping is underexplored in COR theory yet may offer insights about how people deal with the significant challenges posed by work today. We investigate this using a large-group collaborative auto-ethnography (CAE) with 15 academic workers during a period when resources were severely stretched or exhausted (the first four months of the Covid-19 lockdown). We identify three defensive coping strategies, applied in self-protection mode, that are akin to Karen Horney's neurotic trends of ‘moving away from’, ‘moving against’ and ‘moving towards’ others. We also identify that, even when in self-protection mode, workers engage in resource (re)investment activities, in an attempt to (re)gain control of, and (re)build resources. These multiple self-protection coping strategies are applied in a seemingly haphazard and interchangeable way but appear to serve an adaptive function for trying out how best to conserve resources, defend the self, and extend resources towards recovery. Our findings emphasize the need for organizations and society to provide support and resources at times of adversity, to help people rebuild their work, their lives and their well-being.

Doctoral Degree Programs and Soft Skills: Reflections by Faculty Members

Soft skills are people-oriented skills, and they, like technical (hard) skills, are essential for employees including faculty members. A qualitative pilot study was conducted with eight current and retired faculty members to learn how they acquired and/or honed soft skills during their doctoral program. The analysis of semi-structured interviews revealed that the participants explicitly and implicitly gained soft skills through formal and informal opportunities during their program of study. This study will contribute toliterature related to soft skills, particularly in the context of academic work. The study also aims to draw attention to the ways in which soft skills can be systematically and intentionally taught and nurtured during a doctoral student’s program of study.

Quality of education and mental health of pharmacy students in Poland.

Pharmacists in the healthcare system play an important role in providing safe, optimal pharmacotherapy and patient education. During their studies, in which they acquire the competencies to fulfill the pharmacist's future tasks, pharmacy students are exposed to significant stress and pressure. This study aims to demonstrate the extent to which the unique demands and obstacles of Polish pharmacy schools contribute to the deterioration of students' mental health and overall wellbeing. A cross-sectional study of 420 pharmacy students in Poland evaluates the quality of education at Polish universities and presents the impact of studying on students' mental health. The criteria for choosing the field of study, the particular major, the university itself, the quality of education, the academic work, and their impact on students' wellbeing were evaluated. The evaluation of the quality of education was influenced by mentoring and tutoring at the university. Pearson's ÷2 test and principal component analysis (PCA) were used in the statistical analyses. Unequal treatment of pharmacy students relative to students in other areas of medical study was marked by 90.2% of respondents, and opportunities for scientific development were indicated as good by 60.0% of pharmacy students. It was shown that 82.1% of the students rated studying as very stressful; the level of test difficulty and exams, as well as an inadequate level of knowledge imparted during classes contributed to this response. According to 75.2% of the respondents, the perceived stress had long-term effects in the form of anxiety and depression, with the need for pharmacotherapy. It was shown that studies contributed to the onset and/or exacerbation of depressive and anxiety symptoms. The results indicate the need to support psychological care and extend it to to pharmacy students.

Holding space for strangeness: in favor of critical utopianism in urban geography

Abstract. What could urban geographers continue to learn and unlearn from critical utopianism and emancipatory futurities? This contribution seeks to recover transformative academic practices and work towards didactics of speculative estrangement. Specifically, I propose to draw on science and speculative fiction literature to support the revision of established geographical imaginations and epistemologies in a higher-education context.

Between Delivery and Luck: Projectification of Academic Careers and Conflicting Notions of Worth at the Postdoc Level

AbstractThis paper investigates how early career academics interpret and respond to institutional demands structured by projectification. Developing a ‘frame analytic’ approach, it explores projectification as a process constituted at the level of meaning-making. Building on 35 in-depth interviews with fixed-term scholars in political science and history, the findings show that respondents jointly referred to competition and delivery in order to make sense of their current situation. Forming what I call the project frame, these interpretive orientations were legitimized by various organizational routines within the studied departments, feeding into a dominant regime of valuation and accumulation. However, while the content of the project frame is well-defined, attempts to align with it vary, indicating the importance of disciplines and academic age when navigating project-based careers. Furthermore, this way of framing academic work and careers provokes tensions and conflicts that junior scholars try to manage. To curb their competitive relationship and enable cooperation, respondents emphasized the outcome of project funding as ‘being lucky.’ They also drew on imagined futures to envision alternative scripts of success and worth. Both empirically and conceptually, the article contributes to an understanding of academic career-making as a kind of pragmatic problem-solving, centered on navigating multiple career pressures and individual aspirations.

AI-driven Business Model Innovation - Where Technology Meets Strategy

Business Model Innovation (BMI) involves redefining how organizations create, deliver, and capture value. With the advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI), businesses are increasingly leveraging these technologies to transform their models. The current research investigates the impact of AI on BMI using primary data collected from various industries. It employs statistical analyses to understand the extent of AI adoption, its effects on business model components and various key business metrics. The study identifies key trends in AI adoption across functions and industries. Key findings reveal significant correlations between AI usage and improvements in key business metrics such as operational efficiency, customer engagement, and revenue streams thus resulting in an organization’s competitive advantage. Businesses can make better-informed decisions, establish more effective workflows, and produce more powerful marketing campaigns as a result of AI adoption. It also provides a competitive edge and lays the framework for future growth. This academic work makes a substantial contribution to the discourse on AI for business model innovation, where technology is leveraged to optimize strategy.