Communal Benefits Research Articles

Collaboration or competition? The value of sector-wide collaboration in educational technology research

Collaboration or competition? This question is at the centre of this editorial, which explores the importance of sector-wide approaches to research into educational technology. This has become particularly relevant in recent years in response to a range of significant challenges or disruptions the tertiary education sector has had to face, for example, responding to the COVID-19 pandemic or the emergence of new generative AI tools. To address these challenges, we have taken a collaborative approach to writing this editorial, with contributing authors from across the world responding to four key questions. The responses to those questions were then arranged into four key themes: collaboration in response to disruption, individual benefits from collaboration, communal benefits from collaboration, and ensuring collaborative wisdom. The editorial concludes with a section that situates the preceding discussion in a broader context and challenges us to consider our wider impact on the world as a sector and, in particular, as related to educational technology. We conclude that collaboration is a must and has the potential to empower us to push the boundaries of what is possible.

Multidimensional human wellbeing in periodic octopus closures in Zanzibar

ABSTRACT Our study of periodic octopus closures helps to fill an empirical gap in community-based marine protected area (MPA) research on socially-diverse multidimensional wellbeing impacts. Human wellbeing provides a more meaningful and holistic measure of social impacts than previous economic measures while recognising equity- evidence that ultimately ensures support and enables long-term success in conservation. We trace the flow of benefits, costs and burdens from closures at three sites in Zanzibar and explore how different types of fishers and traders perceive impacts. This is done at a personal, livelihood group and village or community level, as well as in terms of ecosystem effects. Storytelling, photo-elicitation tasks and focused discussions prioritized participants’ emic descriptions and understandings of closures. We iteratively, qualitatively coded data using a three-dimensional (material, relational and subjective) social wellbeing approach. Despite different conditions and histories at the three sites, participants identified similar wellbeing attributes as affected by the closure. Themes included social conflict, non-compliance, income, education, food/nutrition, and communal benefits reflecting recent literature on MPAs and human wellbeing. Perceptions of inequity cross cut all three dimensions and gender was a strong dimension that emphasized procedural and distributional inequity between different types of livelihood groups e.g. small-scale traderwomen and male skindivers. Material wellbeing losses due to poor market environments highlighted how better alignment is needed between periodic closure activities and resulting value chain dynamics. Opening events intensely impacted wellbeing across all dimensions, suggesting that these moments are critical for creating positive perceptions or losing support for closures.

Peer and land-based approaches for fostering empowering and healthy relationships with Indigenous and northern young people in the Northwest Territories.

Indigenous and Northern women in Canada experience high rates of intimate partner violence (IPV), and this is particularly true in the Northwest Territories (NWT). Adolescents are also at increased risk of IPV, which has far-reaching, lifelong effects. Indigenous youth are particularly vulnerable to IPV due to ongoing effects of intergenerational trauma caused by colonialism, racism and residential school legacies. We explored attitudes towards IPV and the healthy relationship knowledge, skills, and experiences among participants of Fostering Open eXpression among Youth (FOXY) and Strength, Masculinities, and Sexual Health (SMASH) Peer Leader Retreats in the NWT. Multi-method approaches included quantitative surveys youth completed before and immediately following retreats. Quantitative analysis from retreats (2018-2021) included 240 participants aged 12-19 (mean age 14.5) who reported ever having an intimate partner. Most were from the FOXY program (64.2%), Indigenous (69.6%) and heterosexual (66.4%). Qualitative methods included Focus Group Discussions (FGD) (n = 69) conducted with peer leaders and apprentices (n = 311) and youth and adult staff (n = 14 FGDs, n = 165 participants). We thematically analysed FGDs to explore healthy relationship knowledge and skills, alongside paired t-tests to examine pre/post retreat changes in attitudes towards IPV. Qualitative findings suggest that leadership and embodied learning were effective in equipping youth with violence prevention and healthy relationship skills. While young women were committed to sharing knowledge and skills about healthy relationships in their communities, young men resonated with values of respect and appreciated support to identify and express emotions. Participants across programmes demonstrated their belief that healthy intimate relationships have communal, relational and intergenerational benefits. Quantitatively, we found a statistically significant reduction in attitudes accepting of IPV among young women, but no changes were noted among young men. Findings contribute to emergent evidence on strengths-based, culturally-responsive IPV prevention programming. Components of effective IPV prevention programming with young men merit further exploration.

Ethnomedicine in the USA: Aesthetics of Performance and Organic Wellness as a Posthuman Construct In the ‘Ifa’ Ritual of the Santeria

Performances across time have promoted human wellness, especially as we continue to incorporate the lived experiences of healing rituals into our contemporary artistic practices. Audience members practice good physical, emotional, social, and psychological health through their ability to create an illusion of mental escape, enlightenment, and entertainment. The paper comments on a specific shamanistic practice – “Ifa Ritual,” practiced by the African diaspora of the Americas as a metric for evaluation. I shall explore documented research on the performance expressions noticeable in the Yoruba Ifa ritual exemplary in the Santeria and their communal benefits to Afro-Cubans in the USA. The Afro-Cuban Yorubas called Lucumi are believed to have migrated as slaves from the Yoruba subgroups of Africa to the New World, and there they introduced a cultural practice called the Santeria. The Santeria is an attempt to decolonize the impact of Western religious ideologies on their spiritual and social life by performing Ifa rites as a mode of worship and healing. I interrogate how the performative styles and elements of “Ifa” including the divination techniques contribute to promoting the well-being of contemporary Ifa practitioners. Theoretically, the study considers rituals as a fundamental approach to performance and wellness that seeks to reinforce and provoke discourses in post-humanism. The scope of this study is confined to the branch of humanities and soft sciences devoted to prevalent research on the Yoruba belief system and Lucumi Santeria, aiding the discussion of "Ifa" as a post-humanist construct of performance and wellness.

Attitude and Intention to Adopt Eco-cars in Uganda: The Moderating Effect of Culture Orientation

Eco-cars have been promoted as a viable solution to global environmental concerns and energy crises. This motivated the study to focus on establishing the effect of the motorists’ attitudes and culture orientations on their intention to adopt Eco-cars. A total of 384 motorists from Kampala City were taken using a two-stage sampling design including stratification between public and private motorists and convenience sampling within the strata. Primary data was collected using a structured questionnaire that was both self and interviewer administered. Data were analysed using correlation and regression analyses. The study revealed that motorists with a positive attitude especially regarding environmental conservation, and the possibility of easy access to facilitating conditions, like charging stations and their performance, were more ready to adopt Eco-cars. The motorists possessing a collectivist culture were more likely to adopt Eco-cars. Furthermore, the influence on adopting Eco-cars because of the motorist’s attitudes was found to be stronger among those with a collectivistic culture. In essence, motorists who felt accountable for their country’s agenda of environmental conservation and believed that their actions mattered regarding the concerns of the majority, were most likely to adopt Eco-cars. As such, both public and private players in the motor industry need to send out messages focusing on the communal benefits of driving an eco-car

A study on the relationship between social value orientation and giving behavior: Application of the zero-inflated negative binomial regression model

This study was conducted to examine the effect of an individual's level of social value orientation on giving behavior. For this analysis, data was collected from the Korea Philanthropy Education Forum among Korean adults(n=1,037). Social value orientation was categorized according to Deutsch(1958) as the pursuit of communal benefits, the pursuit of equality of outcomes, and the valuation of others and society. The influence of these value levels on volunteer participation behavior was observed. The zero-inflated negative binomial regression model, which estimates two regression equations simultaneously based on the distribution of the dependent variable, was employed as the analysis method.
 According to the zero-inflated model analysis, those who pursued equality in outcomes were more likely to belong to the group that did not participate in volunteering. On the other hand, those who pursued valuation of others and society were more likely to belong to the group that engaged in volunteering. Based on the negative binomial model estimation, as the pursuit of equality of outcomes and the pursuit of valuation of others and society increased, the annual volunteer activity time was significantly higher.
 This study holds significance in that it empirically analyzes the influence of social value orientation on actual giving behavior among the general public by applying the zero-inflated negative binomial regression model.

Comparing self‐esteem discrepancies in Pakistan and Canada

AbstractThe cross‐cultural universality of people's pursuit of positive self‐esteem is frequently disputed. Most research in this area has contrasted cultures of dignity (Western) and face cultures (East Asian), but less attention has been given to other cultures' views of self‐esteem. In the present work, we examined Pakistan as uniquely influenced by honour culture and South Asian argumentation culture principles, and we contrasted it with Canada (a Western culture of dignity). Across two studies, Pakistanis had less positive self‐esteem discrepancies (i.e., Pakistanis had minimal or no desire for higher self‐esteem) compared to Canadians (who desired much higher self‐esteem than they actually had). Pakistanis also believed less in the agentic benefits of high self‐esteem but more in the communal benefits of high self‐esteem than did Canadians. Differences in each cultures' beliefs about self‐esteem's causal powers partially accounted for the differences in self‐esteem discrepancies. These findings suggest unique conceptualizations of the value of self‐esteem in distinct cultures.

Cultural influence on COVID‐19 cognitions and growth speed: The role of collectivism

AbstractMajor challenges faced by humans often require large‐scale cooperation for communal benefits. We examined what motivates such cooperation in the context of social distancing and mask wearing to reduce the transmission intensity of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID‐19). We hypothesized that collectivism, a cultural variable characterizing the extent that individuals see themselves in relation to others, contributes to people's willingness to engage in these behaviors. Consistent with preregistered predictions, across three studies (n = 2864), including a U.S. nationally representative sample, collectivist orientation was positively associated with intentions, positive beliefs, norm perceptions, and policy support for the preventive behaviors. Further, at a country level, more collectivist countries showed lower growth rates in both COVID‐19 confirmed cases and deaths. Together, these studies demonstrate the role of collectivism in reducing COVID‐19 transmission, and highlight the value of considering culture in public health policies and communications.

Building a united community: Reading the Johannine concept of unity through the eyes of an Akan

From the 1960s, African theologians sought to decolonise biblical scholarship, calling for a hermeneutical approach that pays attention to the African sociocultural context – inculturation. One of the undergirding principles of inculturation is that there are African sociocultural questions that the Bible can address through the appropriate interpretative methodology. Thus, this culminated in the application of inculturation on different levels. Similarly, an analysis of Akan aphorisms – the anthology of valuable data on Akan anthropology and communitarian egalitarianism – and the Johannine theology of unity reveals that there are sociocultural maladies that require inculturation. Consequently, the study employed Ukpong’s inculturation hermeneutics to read the Johannine unity ideation because it facilitates the cross-pollination of ideas – the Johannine unity ideation to critique the Akan culture and the conceptualisation of unity in Akan proverbial lore to enrich the understanding of the Johannine theology of unity. The findings indicated that Akan unity ideation receives its impetus from personal and communal benefits, making sustainability impossible without them. Additionally, it contravenes the tenets of Akan communalism and anthropology. Furthermore, it revealed that Christian unity is grounded on replicating the divine community; therefore, it can fill the lacunae in the Akan concept. Finally, it established that the culture enriches the text.Contribution: Given that this article is an interactive engagement between the Johannine and Akan concepts of unity, it contributes to the ongoing discussions on contextual theology – the inculturation of the New Testament in the African context. Furthermore, it contributes to the discussions on Akan communalism.

Tackling health and social inequalities in primary care

Social inequalities produce disparities in access to communal benefits such as health, education, and jobs, arising, for example, not only from social parameters like ethnicity and gender, but also from government policies and societal practices. The complex interplay between an individual's social environment, including housing and income, significantly influences their health. This article focuses on how primary care services can tackle health and social inequalities. It discusses the ramifications of the Inverse Care Law, how it is still applicable after more than half a century, and how Deep End general practices and social prescribing measures attempt to curb social and health inequalities.

Educational Leadership's Motivational Strategies for Transformational Growth of Teachers: A Comparative Analysis of Public and Private Schools

The present study talked about educational leaders of our educational sectors. Emphasize was not only laid on their role but it also negotiated their impact towards character building of students and later, communal benefits. Little grain of learning had always made a beautiful land for practice for those learnt strategies i.e., security, alertness, progress, upgradation, growth, maturity and transformation. Role of educational leaders is about, how they motivated their sub-ordinates and transformed them altogether. Survey method was adopted through which data was gathered from the purposive sample of secondary level teachers (N=150), from the public/private schools, those belong to city Okara, all public/private school teachers as, population. For rationalization of researchable questions, construction of a questionnaire was made with large proportion having restricted response. Quantitively analyzed results presented significant difference on transformational growth of teachers from public and private schools. It was also observed that private schools had better setup for awarding incentives, upgradation, behavior, environment, security, insurance, motivation and instructional aids that had positive impact on the leadership as well helped student to be mindful.

Visual policy narrative messaging improves COVID-19 vaccine uptake.

In the face of vaccine hesitancy, public health officials are seeking more effective risk communication approaches to increase vaccination rates. We test the influence of visual policy narratives on COVID-19 vaccination behavior through a panel survey experiment conducted in early 2021 (n = 3,900) and then 8 weeks later (n = 2,268). We examine the effects of three visual policy narrative messages that test the narrative mechanism of character selection (yourself, your circle, and your community) and a nonnarrative control on COVID-19 vaccine behavior. Visual risk messages that use narratives positively influence COVID-19 vaccination through serial mediation of affective response to the messages and motivation to get the COVID-19 vaccination. Additionally, character selection matters, as messages focusing on protecting others (i.e. your circle and your community) perform stronger than those of yourself. Political ideology moderated some of the effects, with conservative respondents in the nonnarrative control condition having a higher probability of vaccination in comparison to the protect yourself condition. Taken together, these results suggest that public health officials should use narrative-based visual communication messages that emphasize communal benefits of vaccinations.

Exploring Regenerative Tourism Using Media Richness Theory: Emerging Role of Immersive Journalism, Metaverse-Based Promotion, Eco-Literacy, and Pro-Environmental Behavior

The evolving tourism industry and increasing number of travelers are not only raising environmental concerns about tourism sites, but also posing challenges for local communities. In this scenario, the notion and agenda for sustainable tourism are widely criticized due to their limited scope and emphasis on creating a balance between economic and adverse environmental and communal benefits. In response, the call for a necessary paradigm transformation has become intense. Consequently, a new approach—regenerative tourism—has been developed to create awareness about pro-environmental behavior to satisfy the primary needs of the community. Regenerative tourism supports the quality of life of local people. Therefore, there is a great need to promote eco-literacy through innovative and better audience experience-laden communication strategies, such as immersive journalism and metaverse-based promotional content. However, little is known about how these future technologies interplay with psychological and social mechanisms to enhance regenerative tourism intention. Drawing an analogy from pro-environmental theory and media richness theory, this research intends to identify whether virtual, augmented reality merger (i.e., immersive journalism), and metaverse-based environmental delineations may contribute to educating tourists and lead to regenerative tourism intention. This research was carried out using a cross-sectional online survey that collected data from 776 digital media users from Pakistan who plan to visit a destination or have done so previously. The results from the data, based on structural equation modeling, suggested that immersive journalism and metaverse-based regenerative tourism promotion are communication strategies that effectively enhance eco-literacy and lead to pro-environmental behavior. However, dispositional empathy has critical moderating implications; the greater the extent of the empathy concerns that individuals uphold, the stronger the eco-literacy and pro-environmental behavior. Finally, regenerative tourism intention can be predicted by these antecedents effectively. Therefore, these pioneer results confirmed that innovative technology-driven media content can augment awareness of regenerative tourism activities and transform travelers’ intention to adopt regenerative practices during destination visits. This research suggests strategic guidelines for organizations and governments to implement practical, innovative, and communicative tools that support adopting regenerative practices among prospective travelers.

Water Security and Cross-Border Water Management in the Kabul River Basin

This paper investigates the collaborative and benefit-sharing approaches to conflict management in the management of cross-border water resources for the sustainable development of the Kabul River Basin riparian states of Afghanistan and Pakistan. The study offers an understanding of water management strategies concerning peace, progress and development, and sustainability. Using an interpretative social science approach, this paper investigates the impacts of water scarcity and stress, hydro-politics, water diplomacy, and water issues among co-riparian countries. It also investigates how cross-border river management impacts river water sustainability and sustainable cross-border water management strategies. The paper finds that the most significant factor in resolving and managing cross-border water disputes is to employ a collective and combined method of water management based on cooperation and benefit-sharing. This is in addition to providing an immediate cost-effective benefit of improving water supply, hydroelectric generation, and agricultural production, as well as future communal and monetary benefits for the public who reside and work the river basin. The paper proposes establishing a combined cross-border basin authority for both Afghanistan and Pakistan in order to effectively realize the benefits of the Kabul River Basin.

Differences in the COVID-19 Pandemic Response between South Korea and the United States: A Comparative Analysis of Culture and Policies.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has varied across countries. Some countries controlled the virus relatively well, while others did not. In the United States, almost a million people died. However, South Korea's death toll is only about 12,000 even though its population is about one-sixth of the United States. What caused the difference? We argue that public compliance to government direction is the primary reason. South Korea's collective culture valuing communal benefits helped the people conform to government directions, such as mask wearing in public places. By contrast, American people resisted the government policies that restrict individual freedom due to the individualistic culture. In South Korea, historical experiences of relatively frequent national crises led to the rise of defensive nationalism, resulting in national union. However, the United States had relatively fewer national crises, and thus nationalism did not rise. Instead, national division, xenophobia, and hatred toward Asians prevailed in the United States. Besides the cultural differences, differences in national leader's characteristics, past experiences of public health crisis, and political system also contributed to the different outcomes of the crisis.

Participation of older people in learning studies

The participation and meaningful engagement of older people are strongly supported because of their individual and communal benefits. Currently there is a lack of general understanding of how older people participate in research activities. The purpose of this review was to examine the ways older people participate in learning studies. A search of abstracts of empirical studies published in English was conducted in three databases between 2015 and 2019 using scoping review methodology. The results showed that most often older people did participate as study subjects in clinical studies. Other participant roles included informants, partners, and multiple roles. The review addressed a paucity in qualitative and participatory roles in older people’s learning studies. All participant roles are still needed to provide various standpoints for learning studies. Further studies are suggested to provide various meaningful and participatory ways for older people to get involved in research activities.

Social dilemmas and poor water quality in household water systems

Abstract. Private water supply systems consisting of a domestic well and septic system are used throughout the world where households lack access to public water supply and sewers. In residential areas with a high housing density, septic contamination of private wells is common and associated with multiple health concerns. This situation can give rise to social dilemmas, where individual costs de-incentivize homeowners from investing in enhanced septic systems that would reduce well contamination and bring communal benefits. We combine a stylized game theoretical model with a probabilistic groundwater model to characterize how economic and hydrogeological conditions interact to produce misaligned incentives conducive to social dilemmas. The occurrence of social dilemmas depends on the relative costs of well contamination versus the cost of installing an enhanced septic treatment system and the relative probabilities of cross-contamination versus self-contamination. The game reveals three types of social dilemmas that occur in such systems, with each calling for distinct policy solutions. We demonstrate how the model can be applied to existing systems, using a case study of St. Joseph County, Indiana, where high nitrate contamination rates have raised public health concerns. This analysis represents a step towards identifying alternative policy solutions for a problem that has remained difficult to address for decades.

Pentecostal Experience and art in a Collingwoodian frame

ABSTRACT Long overlooked British philosopher R. G. Collingwood articulated a sophisticated expressivist theory of art that is receiving renewed interest in aesthetic circles. He locates true art within a sophisticated and comprehensive theory of mind, wherein the making and appreciation of art is intimately tied to the ‘expressing’ of feelings at the foundation of sensation. This provides a productive point of contact for Pentecostals whose experience of the Spirit falls within with his description of the mysterious feelings of consciousness. Within a Collingwoodian frame, Pentecostal language, especially in preaching and testimony, can be understood as aesthetic expression, with its reception by affective Pentecostal audiences akin to the apprehension of art with consequent communal benefits. Along such lines, utilizing Collingwood’s distinction between art-proper and art-falsely-so-called provides avenues for imagining and validating distinctly Pentecostal art as the expression of the Spirit in a way that is meaningful to both artistic and missional communities.

Community-based and traditional natural resource conservation in Northern Pakistan: comparative analysis of attitudes and beliefs

Community-based conservation is promoted as a strategy for improving resource management through community engagement, while traditional management approaches rely on customary laws and practices to regulate the natural resource use. However, there is little research directly comparing these approaches. We used surveys and interviews to examine attitudes and perceptions of resource management in a traditional use (TU) area and a community-based conservation (CBC) area in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. Respondents in the CBC area more consistently cited communal benefits, showed greater willingness to conserve natural resources, and observed greater presence of management. However, these differences were contingent on communal benefits generated in the CBC area that have helped influence attitudes about management. The CBC approach may also be more adaptable to technological and socioeconomic changes that are taxing traditional systems. This comparative analysis demonstrates how CBC may support conservation goals in the face of limited governance capacity and changing socio-economic conditions.

How open is innovation research? – An empirical analysis of data sharing among innovation scholars

ABSTRACT We investigate what fosters or inhibits data sharing behaviour in a sample of 173 innovation management researchers. Theoretically, we integrate resource-based arguments with social exchange considerations to juxtapose the trade-off between data as a proprietary resource for researchers and the benefits that reciprocity in academic relations may provide. Our empirical analysis reveals that the stronger scholars perceive the comparative advantage of non-public datasets, the lower the likelihood of data sharing. Expected communal benefits may increase the likelihood of data sharing, while negative perceptions of increased data scrutiny are consequential in inhibiting data sharing. Only institutional pressure may help to solve this conundrum; most respondents would therefore like to see journal policies that foster data sharing.