Sense Of Confidence Research Articles

A ‘Heinous Offence’: Rural Schoolmasters and Sexual Assault in Victorian Scotland

Through a close examination of two cases in which rural schoolmasters in Victorian Scotland were accused of sexually assaulting their pupils, this article explores the gendered social and power dynamics, attitudes towards teachers and the nature of schools as spaces and institutions in rural communities. The sense of authority that community members felt over schoolmasters made them subject to scrutiny and pressure from the community, especially the mothers of pupils, in ways that allowed the community to assert at least some authority over schoolmasters. However, both rural schoolmasters examined here were able to leverage their professional prestige, gender and the preference many communities had to handle potentially scandalous matters quietly and locally to mitigate substantially the consequences they faced.

Visual hallucinations in psychosis: What do people actually see?

AbstractBackgroundOne in three people with psychosis experience visions. However, little is known about what people see, and current treatments have limited benefits.ObjectivesTo improve the understanding and treatment of visions, this study explored the phenomenology of visions in people with psychosis.MethodsTwelve people with psychosis participated in semi‐structured interviews. Reflective thematic analysis was used.ResultsThree main themes were generated covering important aspects of phenomenology: ‘Content’, ‘Coherence’ and ‘Quality’. The first theme ‘Content: People see people’, demonstrated that the most distressing visions were of people. The second theme ‘Coherence: Visions of people who behave like people’, captured how visions were coherent with real human behaviour, often by being multimodal experiences that spoke to and touched the observer. The third theme, ‘Quality: They look too real’ highlighted the compelling sense of authenticity of the visions, making them indistinguishable from reality.ConclusionVisions represent what we expect to see in everyday life: people, who act and look real. This powerful combination provides insight into the absorbing and all‐encompassing nature of visions and their impact on participant's lives. The framework of ‘Content’, ‘Coherence’ and ‘Quality’ provides guidance to support clinicians and researchers to better explore the phenomenology of visions in psychosis.

Negotiating authenticity: experiences of student influencers on social media

ABSTRACT Research has shown that contemporary youth face a variety of challenges, ranging from social belonging to striving towards perfection in body image and personal achievements in all areas of life. Student life is expected to add further complexities, reflected in a need to negotiate new social connections, spatial environments and academic and future-oriented challenges. This project engaged with a unique and hard-to-reach group of students who define themselves and are defined by others as social media influencers. The objective was to explore the ways in which the participants’ experiences of the influencer marketing industry and its pressures for authenticity intersect with the experiences of being a student. The article draws on 13 in-depth interviews with UK-based student influencers with profiles on different platforms (including TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and the Little Red Book) and discusses how these students navigate the increasingly complex field of monetisation of their content, while maintaining a sense of authenticity and success as a student. It reveals the moments of transition encountered by students when constructing oneself as a successful student who produces content that has strong educational value, and the intricate processes entailed in preserving one’s brand on social media platforms.

VIDEO PODCAST (VODCAST) – PEDAGOGICAL IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CREATIVE STRATEGY “CREATING YOUR OWN DIGITAL CONTENT”

The study examines the use of videocasting as a specific form of the “learner-generated videos” pedagogical strategy and its impact on the three main areas of learning – knowledge, skills, and attitudes. The benefits for the knowledge and skills, and in general for the cognitive behavioral experience that the learners acquire through such contextualized and active actions, are proven by numerous studies and were naturally reconfirmed in the current video podcast creation process. Therefore, the present study focuses on the learners’ attitudes (without neglecting the first two – knowledge and skills), how they evaluate their experience, and the value of the specific pedagogical tool. In this activity, the teacher’s assumption was confirmed that the video podcast created by the students is an active, interesting, engaging, and motivating form for them to acquire and consolidate several valuable skills, which will give them practical experience in situ, a sense of meaningful learning, authenticity, autonomy, collaboration, and confidence in their subsequent professional realization.

Role of Cultural Heritage in Luxury Fashion Branding in South Africa

Purpose: The aim of the study was to analyze the role of cultural heritage in luxury fashion branding in South Africa. Methodology: This study adopted a desk methodology. A desk study research design is commonly known as secondary data collection. This is basically collecting data from existing resources preferably because of its low cost advantage as compared to a field research. Our current study looked into already published studies and reports as the data was easily accessed through online journals and libraries. Findings: The role of cultural heritage in luxury fashion branding in South Africa has become increasingly significant as brands seek to integrate local identity with global luxury standards. Cultural elements, such as traditional patterns, textiles, and craftsmanship, are being incorporated into luxury fashion, reflecting South Africa’s rich heritage and fostering a sense of authenticity and exclusivity. This approach not only strengthens brand identity but also appeals to both local and international consumers who value unique, culturally embedded products. However, challenges include ensuring respectful representation and avoiding cultural appropriation. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: Cultural capital theory, brand heritage theory, symbolic consumption theory may be used to anchor future studies on the role of cultural heritage in luxury fashion branding in South Africa. Fashion brands in South Africa can enhance their market positioning by leveraging unique cultural elements that resonate both locally and globally. Policymakers should create frameworks that ensure cultural elements are not exploited by global fashion brands without proper attribution and compensation to local communities.

Visualizing Authority: Rise of the Religious Influencers on the Instagram

Roles of various social media influencers—ranging from health and beauty to security—in our society have increasingly become essential topics in the study of social media. However, little is known about the rise of religious influencers in the Global South and the way they negotiate the idea of religious authority in today’s society. To address this gap, this study investigates the way in which religious influencers project their authority through the visual means of Instagram. This study collects Instagram posts ( n = 9,801) from three Islamic religious influencers in Indonesia—the largest Muslim-populated country and the third largest democracy in the world—with a combined follower count of 30 million people. Content analysis is then used to uncover the main strategies in which a sense of authority is visualized in their posts. The findings demonstrate that Indonesian religious influencers mainly used a close-up approach—friendly and informal appearance—to negotiate their visual authority as opposed to the rigid, more distant approach of traditional religious figures. However, to mitigate the risk of becoming too close and losing the respect and veneration of their followers, they adopt strategic distancing through the use of visual versus textual contrast, setting, and focus. The results extend scholarly discussion on religious influencers in the Islamic faith and their visual authority enactment on social media.

Consumerist discourses on social media and language teacher educator identity tensions

AbstractThis study investigates the impact of social media discourses, espoused by neoliberal and consumerist ideologies, on a language teacher educator's (LTE) identity negotiation. Through a collaborative case study, it examines Hassan's (the second author) experiences with social media in the Iranian English language teaching (ELT) context over three years. The data consist of extensive email discussions and four online meetings between the authors over one year. The analysis of Hassan's narratives reveals dominant social media discourses emphasizing sameness, omniscience, and commercialized luxurious lifestyles. These discourses often equate social media visibility with professional qualifications, pressuring Hassan to conform to trends that conflict with his sense of professionalism and authenticity. Hassan's emotional struggles and identity tensions led to critical reflection and ongoing negotiation of his professional identity. The findings underscore the need for professional development programs that support LTEs in navigating the pressures of self‐branding while maintaining their professionalism. Additionally, the study calls for further research into the long‐term effects of social media on professional identity and well‐being across diverse cultural and institutional contexts.

Agritourism: The Role of Farm-to-Table in Promoting Local Cuisine and Return Visits

This exploration probes into the captivating effect of agritourism, anchored in farm-to-table traditions, on the enrichment of local culinary adventures and the allure for patrons to return, employing Self-Determination Theory to scrutinize visitor interactions. The primary goal is to investigate the intricate dance between perceived autonomy, competence, and connectedness, and how they shape perceived authenticity and the tendency for return visits, highlighting the pivotal influence of perceived cost. Information was gathered via a survey involving 354 individuals, and the connections were explored through Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). Results reveal that the perception of competence exerts the most significant positive influence on the sense of authenticity and the likelihood of return visits. Nonetheless, the dynamic interaction between perceived financial burden and authenticity revealed a negative correlation with subsequent visits, indicating that increased expenditures may diminish the advantageous effects of genuine experiences. This research emphasizes the importance of aligning authentic experiences with economic viability in the realm of agritourism. Ventures, offering valuable perspectives for operators to elevate visitor engagement, thereby fostering satisfaction and loyalty. The implications of these findings extend into the realm of enhancing the design of agritourism experiences. Doi: 10.28991/HEF-2024-05-03-013 Full Text: PDF

Reflections on Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction: Warhol and Baudrillard in Dialogue

At the beginning of the 20th century, the Industrial Revolution promoted the invention and application of modern mechanical products. The rapid development of productivity led to a speedy improvement in the material standard of living and a surplus of material goods, but the problem of "depersonalisation" arose as individuals gradually lost their sense of satisfaction and individuality in the same mechanised work. The Pop artist Andy Warhol reflected on this era of mechanisation through the reproduction and imitation of forms, initiating his discourse and reflection on the industrial age. A century later, French philosopher Jean Baudrillard put forward the concept of "Simulacra", pointing out that in the information technology and consumer society, the media, such as television, advertisements and the Internet, create a large number of virtual images and information, blurring the boundaries between the reality and the fiction, so that people gradually lose their sense of authenticity and personality in the "Simulacra". This paper will analyse the roots of Warhol's ideological evolution from the individual to the times through the understanding of Warhol's self-description as well as the social activities and values of the time, and use Baudrillard's "Simulacra" and "Surrealism" to explain why Pop Art has transgenerational significance and the exploration of public values it opens up.

An Analysis of Self-Efficacy Towards Students’ Reading Skill: A Case Study at The Tenth Grade of Sman 1 Padangan

Reading is a requirement for success in the classroom today. Some problems that students face in learning English are they are not confident in answering questions and reading text. They show indications of low self-efficacy when learning English, especially in reading skills. Students' reading ability is influenced by various factors, including their self-efficacy. This research aims to explore what factors affect tenth-grade students’ self-efficacy and how self-efficacy affects students’ reading skills at SMAN 1 Padangan. This research was qualitative with a case study approach. The subject was tenth-grade students of X1 and X2. The data was collected by two instruments, interviews and reading tests. The interview was used to measure students’ self-efficacy and the reading test was used to measure students’ reading skills. This research shows that self-efficacy influences students' reading abilities. The findings in this research revealed that the majority of students answered in their interview with the researcher that the factors that influence student self-efficacy were interest, patience, a sense of self-confidence, character, motivation to learn, reward, and gender. Students who had a high sense of self-efficacy tended to be confident in working on questions so that their reading skills got a high score. It can be concluded that self-efficacy influences students' reading abilitiesKeywords: Self-Efficacy; Reading Skill; English Learning

Becoming a new type of teacher: The case of experienced British-trained educators transitioning to the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme abroad

This paper investigates the experiences of six British-trained teachers who moved from teaching GCSE in state-funded schools in England to teach in two separate English-speaking well-established traditional international schools in Northern Europe where they began to teach the International Baccalaureate’s Middle Years Programme (IBMYP). The nature of the IBMYP, with its student-centred focus and conceptual framework, deviates greatly from the dominant, typically prescriptive approach of the GCSE. The demands of the IBMYP, which are represented in the IB’s institutional pillars, exert significant influence over both new and experienced teachers to induce a change in identity as they gradually shift to becoming an ‘IBMYP Educator’. Using semi-structured interviews and thematic data analysis, this qualitative study examines teacher identity factors and seeks to understand the process of this identity shift. Using Goffman’s Frame Analysis, the themes are presented as metaphors, helping us to realise the experience of transition, as the teachers shifted from feeling temporarily de-skilled to re-skilled. A sense of authenticity and freedom was felt to be the eventual outcome after an initial phase of being ‘adrift’ and in unsettled ‘survival mode’.

“Me aviento el English y el Spanish”: Spanish-English code-switching in Texas conjunto artist Nick Villarreal

Aims and objectives: This study focuses on Nick Villarreal (1951–2017), a bilingual and bicultural conjunto musician from San Antonio. It ascertains the frequency, formal features, and socio-pragmatic functions of the Spanish/English code-switching found in his songs. Methodology: Quantitative and qualitative approaches are utilized to explore Nick Villarreal’s use of code-switching in song lyrics. Data and analysis: Nick Villarreal’s commercially available discography (178 non-repeated tracks) was classified by matrix language. All instances of code-switching were identified and classified by type, syntactic category, and function. Song themes were inductively analyzed. Findings: Most of Nick Villarreal’s lyrics are in Spanish (73%), while 22% contain code-switching. Lexical insertions are the most common type of switches (65%). Villarreal also employs other contact phenomena, such as fully nativized borrowings, and syntactic and semantic calques. His virtuosity is apparent in his humorous bilingualism, especially in the creative nominalizations of English clauses as nicknames (e.g., la I-didn’t-do-it). The main function performed by switches is poetic—that is, stylistic uses of language, such as rhyming, joking, and puns. He conveys authenticity through code-switching and other enregistered linguistic sources such as border slang, or caló, and working-class/rural Mexican Spanish. He shows loyalty toward a working-class rural Spanish-speaking audience of conjunto that shares his background, while simultaneously appealing to second-generation Mexican Americans through his use of English and references to Anglo culture. Originality: Only recently have scholars begun to describe the linguistic features of borderland styles. This study focuses on an artist who has never received scholarly attention before but who turned his music into a meaningful vehicle for linguistic and cultural anti-assimilatory subversion. Implications: Villarreal employs strategies common to other borderlands bilingual musicians while innovating creatively. He actively stylizes the local to evoke a sense of authenticity and is thus a meaningful example of the intersection between language representation, class allegiance, linguistic attitudes, and cultural stance.

Impact of Rera, 2016 on Homebuyers and Promoters

The Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 (RERA) was enacted to protect the interests of homebuyers and promote transparency in the Indian real estate sector. This paper examines the impact of RERA on homebuyers and promoters in India. RERA has brought about significant changes in the real estate industry, including the establishment of a robust regulatory framework, increased accountability of developers, and enhanced consumer protection. For homebuyers, RERA has provided a sense of security and confidence in the market. The act has ensured that developers register their projects with the relevant authorities, providing homebuyers with a sense of assurance about the legitimacy of the project. Moreover, RERA has enabled homebuyers to seek redressal of grievances through a fast-track dispute resolution mechanism. For promoters, RERA has brought about significant changes in the way they operate. The act has imposed stricter regulations on developers, including mandatory registration of projects, disclosure of project details, and adherence to timelines. This has led to an increase in transparency and accountability among developers, which in turn has reduced instances of delay and mismanagement.

Presence, absence, and spatial relations: An Interactional Ethnography of physical-virtual field-based learning through a sociomaterial lens

Field-based learning has been central to ecology education in supporting scientific inquiry and connecting learners with nature. However, pandemic-era campus closures have renewed debates regarding the role of virtual and immersive experiences. This Interactional Ethnography (IE) of a university-secondary school initiative in Hong Kong employs a sociomaterial lens to trace field-based learning interactions within and across physical and virtual spaces. Metaphors from social topology guided analysis of an ethnographic archive of classroom and field-based video records, learning artifacts, and interviews. Our analysis surfaces how and in what ways organisms act as agents in providing an essential anchor and recurring motif within and across interactions, contexts and settings in the enacted field-based design. While their ‘absence’ in the classroom and virtual environment constructs a sense of authenticity through the flickering metaphor of fire space, the material and semiotic resources in the field enable fluidity, opening possibilities for multiple, often serendipitous forms of relations, presences and dialogues that support diverse forms of knowledge and learning. By positioning field-based learning as varying sociomaterial assemblages centering on natural materials, we reconsider physical-virtual binaries and propose their designs as entangled human and non-human spatial relations that recognize and elevate the agency of natural materials.

Being in Charge: A Quest to Embrace the Role of Both Feminine and Masculine Energies in Leadership, Leaving Duality Behind

The author investigates the symbolism of feminine and masculine energies in leadership through an exploration of the Arthurian legend of Parzival and the Holy Grail and Temple’s functional fluency model. Drawing on her experience as an educator, she reflects on a program she delivered for an all-male group in which she became curious about the impact of her presence as a female on their work together. She describes how exploring the “being in charge” role in the functional fluency model gave her a language with which to understand not only her impact on the participants but also their impact on her as they challenged each other’s frames of reference about leadership. She also reflects on how an understanding of feminine and masculine energies enables leaders to draw more fully on both and so experience more wholeness and a greater sense of authenticity in their roles.

What happened to the subjects? Questions about mezcal

Mezcal is a Mexican agave spirit that has helped to create a sense of authenticity among global consumers, significantly increasing its presence on the world market. This has led to a great expansion of the production areas included in the Denomination of Origin, changing its artisanal forms of production and creating an ambiguous position for the subjects that produce this drink. The aim of this essay is to contribute a new theoretical perspective to the academic debate on the patrimonialisation of mezcal, incorporating analyses that focus on the issues behind the production of this emblematic beverage. It discusses the need to understand the productive dynamics of this predominantly rural beverage, based on an understanding of the relationships between subjects at different levels of the production chain. We have opted for a classical theoretical framework that dares to consider mezcal producers as peasants and that affirms the explanatory potential of revising the classics of peasant social theory in order to offer new insights into the problem of dispossession through the appropriation of the biocultural knowledge that underlies the production of mezcal.

Lifestyle Eco-Influencers Advertising: Is Engagement Driven by Content or Fandom?

This research examines the main common characteristics among the contents of five eco-influencer accounts from different Western countries. A quantitative content analysis was performed on 187 Instagram posts published by eco-influencers from the United Kingdom, United States, Belgium, Spain, and Peru. The topics that eco-influencers deal with the most are promoting veganism, spirituality, environmental and political claims, product advertising (their own and third-party), and personal life, generating the most interactions in the accounts. Carousels win on engagement for eco-influencers on Instagram despite videos being sponsors’ favorite format. Both sponsored content and sponsors themselves are well-received, with over half of all posts featuring them. It seems evident that the social capital of influencers encourages environmental commitment, although there is a particular bias to appreciate the person more than their activist message. In light of the results, this research contributes to the social capital theory of influencers by demonstrating that influencers show personal content and emotional appeals, such as activities with their families, personal reflections, and political statements that give them a high sense of authenticity, but which, blurs the barriers between the public and private spheres.

Unique attributes of official endorsers in destination marketing

Along with the digital transformation of the administrative environment and the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, official endorsers have nurtured a new channel for tourism destination marketing, which is of great significance to local economic recovery. However, less attention has been paid to the different effects of endorsement between ordinary endorsers and official endorsers, mainly due to their contrasting social statuses. To bridge the research gap, the source credibility model and social identity theory are integrated to construct the distinctive attributes of officials, as well as structural equation model is utilized to explore the underlying mechanism of official endorsement. Findings indicate that trustworthiness, the sense of authority, expertise, and attractiveness have direct positive effects on official identification, while also indirectly influencing tourists’ attitudes toward the destination through official identification. These findings provide theoretical and managerial implications for the local government managers involved in tourism destination marketing.

Diaspora, music, and identity: Indians in the Caribbean and the Indo-Caribbean diaspora

ABSTRACT To maintain a unified identity within a local community, people express their association with specific rituals and practices. As a testament to the evolution of cultural ideas and journeys, these rituals and practices serve as an important platform for validating their ethnic identity as well as providing a sense of authenticity to the community. Migration and dislocation are associated with a sense of ruptured identity and an unfulfilled desire to reconnect with lost culture, with a focus on traditional practices as a way of reconnecting with their roots. While the old indentured migrants glorified ‘Indianism’ through music, their successors used music to strengthen ethnic ties and to preserve their diasporic identities. Examining the contemporary development in music practices and genres, this article focuses on the creation and recreation of Indian identities in the diaspora through music with the example of Indo-Caribbeans.

Teaching the mana model—a Māori framework for reconceptualising student success and thriving

This article explores how schools and educators can create learning environments that foster the innate mana of students. Mana is a concept that comes from a Māori worldview and refers to a person’s sense of authority, influence, self-efficacy, purpose, pride, and belonging. The mana model contends that student thinking, behaviour, and wellbeing are motivated by the desire to achieve a sense of mana. The mana model explains how student connectedness, belonging to place, cultural identity, academic efficacy, and willingness to develop diverse academic, cross-cultural, social, and psychological competences are crucial foundations for learning and should be central to learning environments, teaching pedagogy, and practice.