Autonomous Choice Research Articles

Student motivation in teacher learning groups

ABSTRACT The importance of social learning for student teachers’ professional development has gained acknowledgement. One way in which teacher training institutes incorporate social learning in their curricula is by involving students in teacher learning groups (TLGs). Participation in TLGs not only enables students to develop social skills, but also prevents them from feeling isolated and losing motivation for their studies. The present study uses convergent parallel mixed-methods design to search for relationships between TLGs’ social configuration and motivation among participating students (n = 55) of four Dutch primary teacher training institutes. The analyses reveal seven key variables for student motivation in TLGs: autonomous choices regarding content; new knowledge; sharing, support, and social skills; personal goals; autonomous choices regarding collaborating partners; scaffolding; equality in an informal atmosphere. Based on the findings, we advise teacher training institutes to consider integrating homogeneous and heterogeneous TLGs in their curricula, because both are valuable for student motivation.

Fentanyl preference among people who use opioids in New York City

BackgroundSeveral studies have pointed to a sub-sample of people who use drugs (PWUD) who prefer the use of non-pharmaceutical fentanyl (NPF) and, as such, pose a unique challenge for public health initiatives amidst the continued rise in overdose mortality. However, matters of drug preference and autonomy of choice remain under-studied and often misunderstood. This paper examined the experiences of PWUD reporting a preference for NPF or an NPF-heroin mixture, specifically how they navigate the perceived benefits of NPF and its established risks. Methods22 in-depth interviews were conducted in New York City between March 2018 and August 2019 with PWUD who self-reported a preference for NPF or an NPF-heroin mix. Interviews were audio-recorded, and the resulting transcripts analyzed using a thematic approach. ResultsParticipants highlighted various factors that contributed to expressed preference for NPF or an NPF-heroin mix, including a desire to feel good, financial resources, drug availability, decreased consumer autonomy, and physiological demand. Participants reported practicing several risk reduction strategies; however, they highlighted that many, particularly carrying naloxone and always using with someone else, were difficult to implement in the context of illicit drug use. ConclusionsOur results demonstrate participants’ decreased consumer agency and greater exposure to systemic factors in the illicit markets, highlighting the need for expansion of various services, including drug checking resources and systems of outreach for PWUD who do not use intravenously. To promote tailored interventions, continued efforts in overdose prevention ought to more thoughtfully consider the context, perceptions, preferences, and behaviors of PWUD.

Beyond Free Will: Variety in Understanding of Choice, Luck, and Necessity

Contemporary Western discourse on freedom and choice – some of the most championed modern values – is usually anchored in the concept cluster of free will and autonomous choice. In turn, academic research on free will in philosophy (including experimental philosophy) and psychology is largely based on a limited conceptual framework with roots in particular debates in Christianity and European philosophy. This framework is currently challenged by multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches applied in the fields of area and Asian studies, comparative philosophy, and also empirical research in cross-cultural psychology, and anthropology. One reason for this challenge is that the dominant Western academic approach, with its almost exclusive focus on concepts of free will and causal determinism, neglects the multitude of non-Western cultural traditions. In most parts of the world, these traditions continue to shape everyday practices and conceptualizations of free action, choice, and decision. Traditions also provide various strategies for navigating the constraints on human agency.In the present multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary conference, we invited scholars from philosophy, psychology, anthropology, Asian studies, religious studies and other related fields to discuss theoretical alternatives to the dominant framework that are sensitive to cultural differences and local contexts as well as empirical research – especially crosscultural and cross-linguistic – on conceptualizations of free and constrained action and cultural practices in dealing with these constraints.This project “Between choice and determinism: cultural variations in experiencing and conceptualizing free will, luck and randomness” has received funding from European Social Fund (project No. 09.3.3-LMT-K-712-01-0111) under grant agreement with the Research Council of Lithuania (LMTLT).

How virtue signalling makes us better: moral preferences with respect to autonomous vehicle type choices

One of the moral questions concerning autonomous vehicles (henceforth AVs) is the choice between types that differ in their built-in algorithms for dealing with rare situations of unavoidable lethal collision. It does not appear to be possible to avoid questions about how these algorithms should be designed. We present the results of our study of moral preferences (N = 2769) with respect to three types of AVs: (1) selfish, which protects the lives of passenger(s) over any number of bystanders; (2) altruistic, which minimizes the number of casualties, even if this leads to death of passenger(s); and (3) conservative, which abstains from interfering in such situations. We differentiate between scenarios in which participants are to make their decisions privately or publicly, and for themselves or for their offspring. We aim to answer two research questions: (1) whether the public visibility of the choice of an AV type choice make this choice more altruistic and (2) which type of situation makes it more difficult to choose altruistically: when choosing for society as a whole, when choosing only for oneself, or when choosing only for one’s offspring. Our results show that respondents exhibit a preference for an altruistic strategy for AVs and that it is reinforced when signaled to others. The altruistic preference is strongest when applies to everybody else, weaker when it reflects a solely personal choice, and weakest when choosing for one’s own child. We conclude that a public choice is considerably more likely to pressure consumers into accepting a more socially beneficial solution.

Improving team dynamics for project based learning in pharmacy: A multimodal approach

Background and purposeStudents taking a research elective with project-based course components have shown aversion to group activities. We aimed to minimize group participation hesitancy and give students autonomy in choice of team formation approach in order to examine the effects of team formation approaches on successful team dynamics. Educational activity and settingLearners chose either a student self-selected (SS) or an instructor randomized (IR) team formation approach for two activities (a brief intervention role-play and a review of reviews research symposia presentation). Group development for the different team approaches was studied using the Tuckman model. Using this model, team dynamics was evaluated over five stages of group development: forming, norming, storming, performing, and adjourning. Student reports for each of the phases were evaluated using a project evaluation rubric. For the adjourning phase we used an open-ended survey embedded in the course learning management system. Free text answers from open-ended questions were analyzed for themes related to team dynamics concepts. FindingsStudents rated their satisfaction with team performance higher for SS than for IR teams. In terms of individual learning and satisfaction with individual's roles and tasks, they indicated greater satisfaction with the IR approach. SummaryTeam formation methods impacted group dynamics and individual attitudes with favorable team dynamics leading to better individual task and overall team performance. Higher team performance corresponds to higher grades for group projects and for courses with group projects, favorable team dynamics could impact students' evaluation of the course.

Précis: Concern, Respect, and Cooperation

Précis: <i>Concern, Respect, and Cooperation</i>

아동과 청소년의 개념 구분을 통한 사회권 담론과 복지적 개입 고찰 - 아동과 청소년의 권리는 같은가? -

Social rights are active rights followed by the responsibilities of the state and society, and are very important rights for children and adolescents, especially at an important time in the life development process. The age range of children and adolescents is so wide that it is inevitably ineffective in developing social and policy programs suitable for the characteristics of all the ages. Therefore, this study aims to explore the social rights of children and adolescents and seek welfare support measures to guarantee and promote the rights of children and adolescents. As a result of the study, considering the legal age, social awareness, and developmental characteristics of children and adolescents, it can be confirmed that it is desirable to distinguish between children and adolescents and to distinguish welfare support measures accordingly. From the perspective of social rights, while strengthening children's rights to be protected in society, the focus should be placed on the transition of adolescents to the right to be responsible for their autonomous choices. Welfare intervention allowances, educational rights, play rights, and environmental rights related to children and adolescents' social rights should be more applied to children and to adolescents.

Between wellness and fairness: The mediating role of autonomous human choice and social capital in OECD countries.

Theoretical arguments and empirical evidence have been provided in the literature for the role of fairness in wellness. In this paper, we explore the role of two potential mediating variables: autonomous human choice and social capital. Using aggregated panel data across countries belonging to the Organisation for Economic Co‐operation and Development (OECD), we compared the OECD Social Justice Index (SJI) with data on life satisfaction to test whether fairness has direct and indirect effects on wellness. Results from a series of Manifest Path Analyses with time as fixed effect, support the hypothesis that the OECD SJI is directly linked to country‐level life satisfaction, additionally revealing that its indirect effect operates primarily through people's autonomous choices in life and their country's level of social capital. Our results contribute to two distinct bodies of knowledge. With respect to community psychology, the findings offer empirical evidence for the synergistic effect of personal, relational, and collective factors in well‐being. With respect to the impact of economic inequality on wellness, we extend the literature by using social justice as a more comprehensive measure. Limitations and recommendations for future studies are discussed.

Assisted suicide for prisoners: An ethical and legal analysis from the Swiss context.

Should prisoners be allowed to access assisted suicide? Whereas the ethical and legal issues regarding assisted suicide have now been extensively discussed in the literature, surprisingly scarce attention has been given to the pressing issue of inmates requesting assistance in dying. Through an analysis supported by the Swiss legal framework, I first argue that the principle of equivalence in prison medicine, which states that prisoners ought to receive the same level of health care as the general population does not prove a solid basis in arguing for prisoners’ right to assisted suicide. Over the course of the paper, I defend the view that the right to access assisted suicide is to be understood as a liberty that cannot be removed from incarcerated individuals. I argue that removing such a liberty cannot be consistently held within a legal framework where the death penalty does not exist, for doing so necessarily forgoes the State's ability to decide on when and how prisoners' lives end, in turn necessarily leaving them the liberty to end theirs when they decide so. I finally argue against the position that the capacity for autonomous choice is lacking in inmates by disentangling the particular features of the prison‐setting and show that the context of incarceration is not so substantially different from regular cases of suicide assistance that it warrants a difference in treatment. The position I propose proves important in order to both respect prisoners' rights and ensure they retain a minimum level of control over their existences.

Workshop Proceedings: Informed Consent in Biobanking–from the Key Barriers, Challenges, and Perceptions to Digital Innovations

Workshop Proceedings: Informed Consent in Biobanking–from the Key Barriers, Challenges, and Perceptions to Digital Innovations

Wild animal welfare

Rowan et al’s article provides an overview of developments in the science of animal sentience and its links to animal welfare policy, especially regarding farm animals. But changing ideas of animal sentience and welfare are also important for managing wild and other free-living animals. We ask how the welfare of these animals differs from that of farmed animals, especially how the ability to make autonomous choices may matter. We suggest that more research into wild animal welfare is needed to make informed policy decisions, for example, about using animals in rewilding projects and choosing between policies of culling and fertility control.

Ryzyko regulacyjne sztucznej inteligencji. Analiza na przykładzie zakazu dyskryminacji osób z niepełnosprawonościami w sytuacji triage’u pandemicznego (prawo niemieckie)

The subject of the article is the problem of regulation of artificial intelligence in conceptual terms. The thesis is the formulation that the legislator creating casuistic legal norms gives artificial intelligence room to create its own norms as a procedure of autonomous choice (main thesis). The background for the consideration is the rule prohibiting discrimination against persons with disabilities in a pandemic triage situation (COVID-19). The considerations are divided into four parts, derived from the European Commission’s classification of risks regarding the regulation of artificial intelligence. Each of the four parts of the deliberations is illustrated by a thesis from four judgments of the Federal Constitutional Court, one judgment for each part of the deliberations. The framework for the deliberations is the German legal order. The article is summarised with final conclusions.

Experiences of Autonomy in Marriage and Divorce Within the Chinese Traditional System

The Chinese traditional system features a hierarchical familial culture. When confronted with individualization and autonomy in choices of marriage and divorce, the system remains resilient and intervenes in the lives of young families. To analyze the discourses of divorced urban young adults, 46 participants (23 women and 23 men) aged 24–39 years were recruited from various regions in China. Through an analysis of the stressors involved in marriage and divorce, the concrete values and the conceptions shared in a unitary system of traditions were elicited. The promise of stability in a marriage was the appeal of this system while the focus on offspring was the general interest with evolutionary elements that justify this system. The concept of the individual autonomy of divorce grew from marital experiences and would be confined to the traditional system if its appeal remains unchallenged.

Student Subjects in Research

Student Subjects in Research

Examination of the role of safety concerns from autonomous vehicle ownership choice: results of a stated choice experiment in Istanbul, Turkey

ABSTRACT As the widespread usage of autonomous vehicles is closer to becoming a reality, substantial consideration should be paid to the extent to which individuals choose vehicular mobility tools. The purpose of this study is to examine vehicle ownership models to better understand the adoption of vehicles by considering some factors such as liability issues, cost, safety, and environmental characteristics. 323 respondents were recruited from Istanbul, Turkey to complete the stated choice experiment through a web-based survey. Multinomial logit and Heteroskedastic mixed logit models were estimated to unravel users’ preferences concerning the selection of autonomous vehicles with distinction among private, shared, and ride-hailing vehicles. Results indicate that the adoption of those vehicles varied concerning the aforementioned characteristics, and these findings could help decision-makers to develop a vehicular mobility system for future transportation dynamics.

Heterogeneous effects of hospital competition on inpatient expenses: an empirical analysis of diseases grouping basing on conditions\u2019 complexity and urgency

BackgroundMultiple pro-competition policies were implemented during the new round of healthcare reform in China. Differences in conditions’ complexity and urgency across diseases associating with various degrees of information asymmetry and choice autonomy in the process of care provision, would lead to heterogeneous effects of competition on healthcare expenses. However, there are limited studies to explore it. This study aims to examine the heterogeneous effects of hospital competition on inpatient expenses basing on disease grouping according to conditions’ complexity and urgency.MethodsCollecting information from discharge data of inpatients and hospital administrative data of Sichuan province in China, we selected representative diseases. K-means clustering was used to group the selected diseases and Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI) was calculated based on the predicted patient flow to measure the hospital competition. The log-linear multivariate regression model was used to examine the heterogeneous effects of hospital competition on inpatient expenses.ResultsWe selected 19 representative diseases with significant burdens (more than 1.1 million hospitalizations). The selected diseases were divided into three groups, including diseases with highly complex conditions, diseases with urgent conditions, and diseases with less complex and less urgent conditions. For diseases with highly complex conditions and diseases with urgent conditions, the estimated coefficients of HHI are mixed in the direction and statistical significance in the identical regression model at the 5% level. For diseases with less complex and less urgent conditions, the coefficients of HHI are all positive, and almost all of them significant at the 5% level.ConclusionsWe found heterogeneous effects of hospital competition on inpatient expenses across disease groups: hospital competition does not play an ideal role in reducing inpatient expenses for diseases with highly complex conditions and diseases with urgent conditions, but it has a significant effect in reducing inpatient expenses of diseases with less complex and less urgent conditions. Our study offers implications that the differences in condition’s complexity and urgency among diseases would lead to different impacts of hospital competition, which would be given full consideration when designing the pro-competition policy in the healthcare delivery system to achieve the desired goal.

The Construction and Development of App Application Platform for Public Information Products of Urban Grand Media in the Context of Artificial Intelligence.

This paper conducts in-depth research and analysis on the construction of the public information product APP application platform of urban big media in the context of artificial intelligence and discusses its development. Based on the improvement of the SICAS model, a model of enterprise and user information interaction characteristics in the new media environment is constructed, and social network analysis and semantic analysis methods are used to research enterprise and user information interaction characteristics in the new media environment. The point degree centrality index is used to analyze forwarding and being forwarded behavior in information interaction, the intermediate centrality index is used to analyze following and being followed behavior, the proximity centrality index is used to analyze commenting and being commented behavior, the feature vector centrality index is used to analyze the cohesiveness of information interaction behavior, and the semantic keyword word is used to analyze the semantic keyword word in the research process. The results of the study show that the constructed model can analyze the information interaction behaviors of enterprises and users in the new media environment. The research results show that the constructed model can systematically analyze the information interaction characteristics, and the information interaction between enterprises and users in the new media environment is more timely, more effective, and more satisfying to users. The current situation of the construction of the public information platform and the problems existing in the construction are proposed to achieve the standardization of the construction of the public information platform in the context of smart city, the construction of the platform supervision system, and the strengthening of information security publicity and talent training. To offer a suitable platform and provide efficient solutions for the development of a public information service platform in the city, enhance the professional quality of research papers and dissertations, as well as the solutions' operability. More public services will be provided in a highly connected way across the boundaries between government, enterprises, society, and citizens and even form a public service market that accepts autonomous choices and becomes an important part of the digital economy, thus finding a good balance between economic development and social welfare.

The Continuum of Support for Building Intimacy Knowledge in College for Students With Intellectual Disability.

Postsecondary education (PSE) programs allow for college students with intellectual disability to experience a higher level of autonomy in choice making, which they may not have experienced in their family home or high school. This includes choice making related to romantic and sexual relationships. The Continuum of Support for Intimacy Knowledge in College Survey (CoSIK-C) was used to examine how PSE programs support college students in building their intimacy knowledge. Types of resources and services used to build intimacy knowledge and the frequency and context in which support was provided were identified and varied across programs. Implications for practice and future research are provided.

Experiences of Wearable Technology by Persons with Knee Osteoarthritis Participating in a Physical Activity Counseling Intervention: Qualitative Study Using a Relational Ethics Lens.

BackgroundCurrent evidence indicates physical activity wearables could support persons with knee osteoarthritis (OA) to be more physically active. However, recent evidence also identifies some persons with arthritis experience guilt or worry while using a wearable if they are not as active as they feel they should be. Questions remain around how persons with knee OA experience benefits or downsides using a wearable in their everyday lives. Better understanding is needed if wearables are to be incorporated in arthritis self-management in ethically aware ways.ObjectiveUsing an ethics lens, we aimed to describe a range of experiences from persons with knee OA who used a wearable during a physical activity counseling intervention study.MethodsThis is a secondary analysis of qualitative interviews nested within a randomized controlled trial. Guided by phenomenography, we explored the experiences of persons with knee OA following participation in a physical activity counseling intervention that involved using a Fitbit Flex and biweekly phone calls with a study physiotherapist (PT) in an 8-week period. Benefits or downsides experienced in participants’ relationships with themselves or the study PT when using the wearable were identified using a relational ethics lens.ResultsInterviews with 21 participants (12 females and 9 males) aged 40 to 82 years were analyzed. Education levels ranged from high school graduates (4/21, 19%) to bachelor’s degrees or above (11/21, 52%). We identified 3 categories of description: (1) participants experienced their wearable as a motivating or nagging influence to be more active, depending on how freely they were able to make autonomous choices about physical activity in their everyday lives; (2) some participants felt a sense of accomplishment from seeing progress in their wearable data, which fueled their motivation; (3) for some participants, sharing wearable data helped to build mutual trust in their relationship with the study PT. However, they also expressed there was potential for sharing wearable data to undermine this trust, particularly if this data was inaccurate.ConclusionsFindings provide an early glimpse into positive and negative emotional impacts of using a wearable that can be experienced by participants with knee OA when participating in a randomized controlled trial to support physical activity. To our knowledge, this is the first qualitative study that uses a relational ethics lens to explore how persons with arthritis experienced changes in their relationship with a health professional when using a wearable during research participation.

Promoting community engagement in a pre-registration nursing programme: a qualitative study of student experiences.

To offer child health student nurses a broader learning experience in practice with an autonomous choice of a volunteer placement area. To reflect the changing nature of health care and the move of care closer to home in the placement experience. To evaluate participants' experiences. This study used descriptive and interpretative methods of qualitative data collection. This successive cross-sectional data collection ran from 2017 to 2020. All data were thematically analysed using Braun and Clarke's model. Data collection strategies included two focus groups (n=14) and written reflections (n=19). Students identified their increased confidence, development as a professional, wider learning and community engagement. They also appreciated the relief from formal assessment of practice and the chance to focus on the experience. Students positively evaluated this experience, reporting a wider understanding of health and wellbeing in the community. Consideration needs to be given to risk assessments in the areas students undertake the placements and the embedding of the experience into the overall curriculum.