Interpretive Approach Research Articles

Cross-cultural perceptions and tourist satisfaction in the Middle Eastern context: a case study of Abu Dhabi’s destination image

Purpose This study aims to examines the cross-cultural perceptions and satisfaction of international tourists visiting Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, focusing on how cultural backgrounds influence destination image and tourist experiences. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative, interpretivist approach was adopted, with semi-structured interviews conducted with 20 international tourists between November 2021 and March 2022. A non-probability purposive sampling was used to select participants who had previously visited key attractions in Abu Dhabi. Thematic analysis was applied to extract key insights. Findings The findings underscore the pivotal role of Schwartz’s universal values and cultural beliefs in shaping tourist perceptions and satisfaction. Distinct differences emerged among cultural groups: Asian tourists demonstrated a greater awareness of Abu Dhabi’s attributes, while Western tourists often held preconceived notions influenced by comparisons with Dubai. Tourists reported overall satisfaction with Abu Dhabi’s cultural and environmental offerings, but also highlighted gaps in marketing and infrastructure that could enhance destination appeal. Originality/value This study contributes novel insights to the relatively underexplored domain of cross-cultural tourism in the Middle East. By exploring the dynamic interplay between cultural values and tourist perceptions, it offers actionable recommendations to enhance Abu Dhabi’s position as a global tourism hub, bridging gaps between academic literature and industry practices.

The transformational journey of YouTube entrepreneurs: a few strands of evidence from an emerging economy

Purpose Ubiquitous penetration of the internet fuelled by the interactive nature of digital media has created a new genre of entrepreneurs who leverage social media to propel their businesses. This study aims to explore the transformation of one such digital entrepreneurial cohort: Food YouTubers (YTs), who have metamorphosed from being mere content creators to entrepreneurs in the context of an emerging economy. Design/methodology/approach The authors invoke a qualitative interpretive phenomenological approach to unravel the entrepreneurial transition process. A combination of personal interviews and open-ended surveys is used to collect relevant data from 14 digital entrepreneurs. The transcripts are analysed to extract meaningful codes and themes. Findings The study shows that these entrepreneurs’ innovativeness and readiness to meet the real-time demands of their customers made their ventures a runaway success. This is the first study to target food YTs in India, an emerging economy. While the study is exploratory in nature, it provides basic insights into the transition of a novel group of influencers into entrepreneurs. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study of its kind to analyse the transition of YouTube influencers into entrepreneurs in emerging economies, as it relies more on entrepreneurial activities for their economic and social well-being.

Integrating digital technologies into teaching embodied knowledge in the context of physical examination.

There is a growing presence of digital technologies in clinical learning environments. However, there is little research into how such technologies shape embodied teaching and learning for health professional students. This study aims to explore current teaching practices in health disciplines to illuminate how digital technologies are used to facilitate the development of embodied knowledge during student learning of physical examination. A qualitative interpretive approach was undertaken, sensitised by body pedagogics as a theoretical frame. In-depth interviews with 18 clinical educators across the disciplines of medicine, physiotherapy, midwifery and nursing were held. These interviews explored their current practices for teaching physical examination. The data was analysed using reflexive thematic analysis combined with a 'thinking with theory' approach, in which the theoretical framework of body pedagogics was central to guiding the reflexive and interpretative process. We interpreted a framework of five approaches where digital technologies are used to develop bodily knowledge: for sensate knowing; for modelling; for rehearsing; for guiding practice and for providing feedback information. Findings suggest that in current teaching practices, digital technology may be used to facilitate multiple essential elements of physical examination instruction. We conceptualised a framework that extends body pedagogics, where we recognise the multiple roles of digital technology for developing bodily knowledge in the context of physical examination.

Ring penetrometer for interface shear testing on sand under low-stress conditions

Accurate characterisation of near-surface soils is essential for the design of subsea cables, pipelines, and shallow foundations. Conventional laboratory testing equipment is not well adapted to these applications where the operative stress levels are typically <10 kPa. This paper presents and interprets a comprehensive test campaign using a novel flat ring penetrometer. This device measures interface friction at stress levels as low as 1 kPa. Drained friction parameters for a range of sands obtained from the ring penetrometer are compared to other friction measurements from centrifuge sled and interface shear box tests. The results demonstrate the repeatability of the ring penetrometer, and the benefit of the simple but rigorous interpretation approach. The residual friction measured in the ring and centrifuge sled tests shows no dependency on stress level, which contrasts with the interface shear box results. It is shown that the apparent stress-dependency could be an artefact of system friction in the shear box. A correlation between friction coefficient and device settlement rate is identified, with the maximum friction mobilised as the settlement rate approaches zero, consistent with the combined bearing-sliding failure mechanism. These findings highlight the value of the ring device for interface friction measurement.

Building Professional Relationships and Student Confidence through Early Childhood Graduate Practitioner Competencies

This paper reports on how Early Childhood Graduate Practitioner Competencies (ECGPCs) impact on professional relationships and develop bidirectional confidence in the practical abilities of Early Childhood Studies (ECS) students in England. The study adopted an interpretive approach, seeking views through questionnaires (n=38) which were administered, through purposeful sampling, to students, mentors and academics from three universities in England offering Early Childhood Studies (ECS) degrees with ECGPCs. Findings suggest that the ECGPCs enabled focused placement students, with stakeholders recognising the potential for confidence and increased professionalism through the direction that the ECGPCs provide. In contexts of rapid change in Early Childhood policy this article argues the importance of the ECGPCs and of placement to support the graduate professional identity of the early childhood workforce. Interlinking and evidencing knowledge from research and practice enable graduates to articulate and have competencies in; ‘what they do’, ‘how they do ‘it’’ and essentially ‘why they do ‘it’’’. This is essential in promoting graduate relational/collegial professionals and advocating for stronger societal recognition and valuing of young children and the professionals working with them. With the ECGPCs being a new initiative within the United Kingdom, this study is unique in that it begins the research conversation around the success and challenges that this new initiative brings to the suite of Early Childhood (EC) qualifications.

Weakly supervised learning in thymoma histopathology classification: an interpretable approach

IntroductionThymoma classification is challenging due to its diverse morphology. Accurate classification is crucial for diagnosis, but current methods often struggle with complex tumor subtypes. This study presents an AI-assisted diagnostic model that combines weakly supervised learning with a divide-and-conquer multi-instance learning (MIL) approach to improve classification accuracy and interpretability.MethodsWe applied the model to 222 thymoma slides, simplifying the five-class classification into binary and ternary steps. The model features an attention-based mechanism that generates heatmaps, enabling visual interpretation of decisions. These heatmaps align with clinically validated morphological differences between thymoma subtypes. Additionally, we embedded domain-specific pathological knowledge into the interpretability framework.ResultsThe model achieved a classification AUC of 0.9172. The generated heatmaps accurately reflected the morphological distinctions among thymoma subtypes, as confirmed by pathologists. The model's transparency allows pathologists to visually verify AI decisions, enhancing diagnostic reliability.DiscussionThis model offers a significant advancement in thymoma classification, combining high accuracy with interpretability. By integrating weakly supervised learning, MIL, and attention mechanisms, it provides an interpretable AI framework that is applicable in clinical settings. The model reduces the diagnostic burden on pathologists and has the potential to improve patient outcomes by making AI tools more transparent and clinically relevant.

Daily Engine Performance Trending Using Common Flight Regime Identification

Abstract Accurate flight regime identification is critical for enhancing aircraft efficiency and safety. Traditionally, predictive models for aircraft operation have relied on complex, black-box machine learning techniques that lack transparency. This study introduces a more interpretable approach by leveraging the New Comprehensive Modular Aero-Propulsion System Simulation (N-CMAPSS) dataset and combining expanding window classification, voting schemes, and spectral clustering to detect distinct flight regimes. The method applies elastic registration to align time-shifted patterns and functional principal component analysis (FPCA) to reduce dimensionality, capturing core dynamics across flight regimes. These transformed features are fed into a genetic algorithm (GA)-assisted orthogonal matching pursuit (OMP) for sparse feature selection. Through evolutionary selection, crossover, and mutation, the most informative features are identified, enabling accurate predictions while maintaining transparency. This method outperforms more complex models in certain test cases, offering a balance between accuracy and interpretability that is essential for predictive maintenance and safety applications.

An inquiry into factors influencing non-clinical healthcare professionals’ feedback-seeking behavior

Purpose This study aimed to explore factors that influence non-clinical staff’s feedback seeking from peers and supervisors. Design/methodology/approach The authors used a qualitative, interpretive approach to data collection and analysis. The authors conducted in-depth interviews with 15 non-clinical staff regarding their experiences with feedback seeking at work. To identify themes and patterns of meaning, the authors followed the guidelines for reflexive thematic analysis. Findings The authors find that non-clinical staff’s feedback-seeking behavior was shaped by task-, motivation-, source- and context-related factors. The study’s findings also point to the critical role of peer feedback among non-clinical staff. The authors find that, regarding their daily tasks, non-clinical staff seek feedback from their peers more often than from supervisors. Research limitations/implications The authors encourage scholars to examine the role of trust and expertise in peer feedback-seeking behavior and to explore the use of artificial intelligence as a feedback source for staff performing administrative and clerical roles. The authors also underscore the value of the resource-seeking perspective in advancing research on feedback seeking and creating supportive feedback environments in the workplace. Practical implications The authors recommend non-clinical staff be intentional and proactive with feedback seeking. The authors also recommend healthcare leaders be clear about the expertise available within and outside their departments and create psychologically safe work environments for feedback seeking from peers and supervisors. Originality/value The study contributes to the limited scholarship on non-clinical healthcare professionals and sheds light on non-clinical staff’s feedback-seeking behavior from peers and supervisors.

Understanding the Essence of the Prophet Muhammad's Prayer in the Perspective of the Qur'an: A Study of Thematic Interpretation

This study aims to explore the essence of the prayer of the Prophet Muhammad sallallahu'alaihi wa sallam in the Qur'an by analyzing various interpretations from scholars of related verses. This research is a qualitative study that uses a library research approach, also known as literature review. The thematic interpretation method (Maudu'i) with the Science of interpretation approach is used as a foundation for analyzing. Data were collected through direct recitation and study of Qur'anic verses as well as secondary literature relevant to the research topic. Data analysis is carried out descriptively to provide a clear picture of the object of research based on the collected data. The findings of this study show that the Prophet Muhammad's prayers in the Qur'an reflect a sincere form of worship to Allah as well as an expression of his total obedience to all His commandments, both to ask for His protection and to seek His pleasure. The Prophet's prayer begins with praise to God, is done without despair, with patience and firm hope, and is based on a deep sense of devotion to Him. His purpose was to be a noble servant before God.

Special Olympics athletes’ experiences of mental health and help-seeking

Existing research has identified the prevalence, as well as protective factors related to athlete mental health. This study expanded the research on athlete mental health by exploring Special Olympics athletes’ mental health experiences. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven female and five male Special Olympics athletes (13–58 years old). Data were analyzed with an interpretive description approach. The results revealed that Special Olympics provided contexts where athletes felt competent and socially connected, which enhanced their mental health. Athletes considered help-seeking as helpful and sought help mostly from informal sources that they could trust (e.g., caregivers, Special Olympics coaches). Healthcare providers (e.g., counselors) were viewed as experts, but were difficult to access. Some athletes reported fear of others’ negative reactions to help-seeking. As mental health disparities persist against individuals with intellectual disability, continued work is necessary to promote equitable access to healthcare and the mental health of individuals with intellectual disability.

"The Semantic and Linguistic Methodology of the Nasafis in the Interpreting Surah Al-Mulk: A Comparative Study."

Quranic interpretation has been a significant subject of scholarly debate throughout Islamic history, as we find that many interpreters, scholars, and enthusiasts have hurried to provide interpretations of the Quranic text. Among these prominent scholars who have greatly contributed to this field are Abu al-Barakat al-Nasafi and Abu Hafs al-Nasafi. Both scholars adopted distinctive methods in interpreting the Holy Quran, providing valuable insights into their understanding of the Quran's message, values, beliefs, and legislation. Both emphasized rationality and logic in their interpretations, specifically of Surah Al-Mulk, aiming to reconcile religious teachings with philosophical ideas, using a special and organized approach that distinguishes each from the other: they may share methodological and stylistic points, yet in many aspects, their interpretative approaches differ, whether methodological or explanatory, all with the aim of reconciling the apparent contradictions within the religious text in their Nasafi style. This research addresses the following key topics: An introductory overview of "Abu al-Barakat al-Nasafi" and "Abu Hafs al-Nasafi", The methodologies of Abu al-Barakat al-Nasafi and Abu Hafs al-Nasafi in interpreting Surah Al-Mulk., Comparative analysis: similarities and differences in the interpretations of Surah Al-Mulk by Abu al-Barakat and Abu Hafs.

Critical Points of Risk in Registered Nurses' Use of a National Early Warning Score-Perceptions and Challenges.

To explore Registered Nurses' experiences and perceptions of using the National Early Warning Score in the U.K. as part of the recognition and management of acute adult patient deterioration. Hermeneutic Phenomenological design. Sixteen Registered Nurses from a U.K. NHS hospital were interviewed using an interpretative phenomenological approach (2019-2020). Registered Nurses' use of NEWS highlighted 3 risk areas: delegation of vital sign monitoring to unregistered staff leading to uncertainty and delayed escalation, junior nurses' over-reliance on NEWS and deference to expertise, and senior nurses' self-management of deteriorating patients. The workplace culture revealed frequent compromises and limited learning opportunities. When using NEWS, failure to recognise associated risks threatens patient safety. Wrong decisions at the three 'pinch points' may lead to missed chances in preventing deterioration. Incorrect judgements may lead to unrecognised patient deterioration or inappropriate management leading to preventable adverse events. The way in which NEWS is used by healthcare professionals brings inherent patient safety risks. Addressing education gaps and fostering a supportive culture in nursing, valuing and enhancing nurses' clinical judgement, is crucial for mitigating these risks and ensuring patient safety. The study deepens understanding of nurses' use of NEWS and identifies components affecting the recognition of patient deterioration. Adherence to the EQUATOR guidelines SRQR confirmed. Service user involvement was included within the design of the study and ethical approval.

On The Representation of ‘Worst Case Scenarios’ in Kafka’s Short Stories “Metamorphosis” And “A Hunger artist’’

On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Franz Kafka's death, this document presents some reasons why this author is still one of the most fascinating writers in the German-speaking world. The document examines the general principles of Franz Kafka's literary work together with some fundamental questions such as the relationship between literary representation and reality in two of his most-read stories, “Metamorphosis” and “A Hunger Artist”. Some important aspects of literary reception are considered and the theoretical approach is complemented by a more historical and descriptive section, in which Kafka's biography and his works (literary history) are presented. The focus is on the evaluation and interpretative approaches to the two works selected for our analysis, in particular on the progressive description of catastrophes (literary criticism). The sequence of negative events for the protagonists described in Kafka's stories are systematically recorded and processed to provide additional arguments that characterize Kafka today, one hundred years after his death, as an important modern author.

Intergenerational transmission of combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder: The offspring's lived experience.

The literature points to a wide spectrum of potential symptoms in different life dimensions caused by intergenerational transmission of war trauma. However, qualitative research on intergenerational transmission of combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from the perspective of adult offspring is scarce. The aim of the present study was to examine Israeli adults' lived experience of growing up with a father coping with combat-related PTSD, including relationship characteristics and consequences. Thirty Israeli adult offspring (19 females and 11 males) of combat-related PTSD fathers participated in the study. Data were collected via semistructured interviews and analyzed according to the interpretative phenomenological analysis approach. Analysis yielded five themes: (a) Intergenerational transmission of combat-related PTSD symptoms relates to posttraumatic symptoms reported by participants in connection with their fathers' combat-related PTSD; (b) emotional instability in father-offspring relationship relates to participants' caution around their father and fear of his reactions; (c) parent-child role reversal describes excessive responsibility taken by offspring toward their father, leading to overdependence on the father's part; (d) threat to family integrity relates to participants' sense of financial insecurity and the disintegrative effect of their parents' marital problems on their own family; (e) personal development indicates posttraumatic growth experienced by the participants. Interventions should address the emotional instability in father-offspring relationship, the possibility of a parent-child role reversal, and family disintegration. Interventions should also encourage secondary posttraumatic growth among offspring. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

What is reflexivity? A scoping review of reflexivity and related concepts in Religious Education

ABSTRACT Reflexivity has become a key concept in RE. It plays a vital role in the interpretive approach and the broader contexts of hermeneutics, anthropology, and research methodology. Moreover, reflexivity is closely related to other terms like self-awareness and self-reflection. How can we conceptualise reflexivity and these related concepts? What are the possible purposes of reflexivity in RE, and how is it facilitated? To answer these questions, we have conducted a thorough scoping review of 62 peer-reviewed articles in English. We identified literature from a broad range of contexts through a comprehensive search. The result is a nuanced classification of the conceptualisations, purposes, and practices we identified in a rich and highly heterogeneous body of literature. We have made this result available in Supplementary material to support future research. Our mapping indicates the need for conceptual clarity and consistent use of reflexivity and related concepts.

Multimodal Explainability Using Class Activation Maps and Canonical Correlation for MI-EEG Deep Learning Classification

Brain–computer interfaces (BCIs) are essential in advancing medical diagnosis and treatment by providing non-invasive tools to assess neurological states. Among these, motor imagery (MI), in which patients mentally simulate motor tasks without physical movement, has proven to be an effective paradigm for diagnosing and monitoring neurological conditions. Electroencephalography (EEG) is widely used for MI data collection due to its high temporal resolution, cost-effectiveness, and portability. However, EEG signals can be noisy from a number of sources, including physiological artifacts and electromagnetic interference. They can also vary from person to person, which makes it harder to extract features and understand the signals. Additionally, this variability, influenced by genetic and cognitive factors, presents challenges for developing subject-independent solutions. To address these limitations, this paper presents a Multimodal and Explainable Deep Learning (MEDL) approach for MI-EEG classification and physiological interpretability. Our approach involves the following: (i) evaluating different deep learning (DL) models for subject-dependent MI-EEG discrimination; (ii) employing class activation mapping (CAM) to visualize relevant MI-EEG features; and (iii) utilizing a questionnaire–MI performance canonical correlation analysis (QMIP-CCA) to provide multidomain interpretability. On the GIGAScience MI dataset, experiments show that shallow neural networks are good at classifying MI-EEG data, while the CAM-based method finds spatio-frequency patterns. Moreover, the QMIP-CCA framework successfully correlates physiological data with MI-EEG performance, offering an enhanced, interpretable solution for BCIs.

Dimensions of Poverty and the Internal Relationship of Its Components with an Interpretive Structural Approach in the Imam Khomeini Relief Committee of Tabriz Metropolis

Dimensions of Poverty and the Internal Relationship of Its Components with an Interpretive Structural Approach in the Imam Khomeini Relief Committee of Tabriz Metropolis

Process of Inclusion of Students From Ethnic Communities In Conventional University Education

This study aimed to analyze the inclusion process for students from the Awajún and Wampis ethnic communities within conventional university education in Peru. A case study design with an interpretative qualitative approach was employed. Data were collected using semi-structured, in-depth interviews with five students—three from the Awajún community and two from the Wampis community—selected through convenience sampling. Additionally, two life histories were documented to provide deeper insight into the students' experiences. The findings indicated that the inclusion process for Awajún and Wampis students is influenced by significant economic, linguistic, and cultural challenges. However, some supportive factors were identified, such as peer feedback, solidarity among students, and financial assistance from the State through the Beca 18 scholarship program. This program, established in 2013, aims to provide financial support to low-income students from rural areas to facilitate access to higher education. Despite these supportive mechanisms, the study concluded that a genuine and comprehensive inclusion process for students from ethnic communities remains lacking. This gap is attributed to the inability of conventional universities to foster dialogic communication that equally values diverse cultural knowledge. The main limitation of this study was the language barrier and communication differences, which may have impacted the depth of understanding of the students' expressions. Future research should involve interviewers proficient in native languages to ensure richer data collection. This study contributes to the limited body of research on the inclusion of students from ethnic communities in conventional universities, offering unique insights from the students’ perspectives.

A new interpretable behavior prediction method based on belief rule base with rule reliability measurement

The realization of interpretable system behavior prediction is crucial for improving the credibility of prediction results and ensuring the reliability of complex systems. As an interpretable modeling approach, the application of belief rule base (BRB) in interpretable behavior prediction still faces two challenges: (1) The stochastic nature of the optimization process tends to undermine the interpretability of the model, which in turn reduces the reliability of the prediction results. (2) Different rules have different reliabilities due to the limitation of expert knowledge reliability. The parameters of different rules should be treated differently in the optimization process. Therefore, this paper proposes a new behavior prediction method based on interpretable BRB with rule reliability measurement (BRB-IR). First, interpretability criteria for the behavior prediction method are proposed to regulate the interpretability of the whole modeling process. Second, expert knowledge reliability is quantified, and on this basis, rule reliability before and after optimization are quantified to guide an interpretable optimization process and analyze the effectiveness of the optimization. Third, on the basis of quantified rule reliability, three interpretability constraint strategies are proposed to enhance the interpretability and reliability of the model. The BRB-IR validity is verified via diesel engine and lithium-ion battery experiments.

"There's a Lifestyle, an Appreciation, a Beauty": An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of Masters Rowers.

Masters rowing has seen a measurable increase in participation, with masters rowers engaged in the sport for competition, health, and recreation reasons. Unlike other masters sports, masters rowing has a unique high level of synchronous, cooperative, and interdependent elements. To better understand the benefits and challenges of participation in competitive masters rowing, the purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of competitive masters rowers. Twelve competitive masters rowers were recruited and interviewed. Utilizing an interpretative phenomenological analysis approach to guide data collection, analysis, and interpretation, the analysis revealed four major themes: navigating community relationships, finding a reason to row, growing opportunities, and seeking considerate coaches. Utilizing self-determination theory as a framework for interpreting the findings, the identified themes illustrate the varying motivations, needs, and preferences of competitive masters rowers, as well as how their experiences are influenced by their coaches and peers. Efforts should be made by masters rowing coaches and administrators to better understand the needs of their athletes to ensure the maximum benefits of participation, commitment, and enjoyment of the sport.