Concept Of Autonomy Research Articles

Expanding student access to higher education: Examining the strategic processes for enhancing access to higher education from TVET colleges to universities of technology

In this article, the vexed issue of expanding access to higher education in South Africa is explored by investigating the pathways between technical and vocational education and training (TVET) colleges and universities of technology (UoTs). Central to this examination is the Unfurling Post-School Education and Training (UPSET) project, which seeks to formalise these pathways and establish a more inclusive and adaptable higher education system. Drawing on Hall’s (1996) theory of articulation and the concept of relational autonomy, the article highlights the transformative potential of strategic collaborations between TVET colleges and UoTs. Using a qualitative case study conducted at a university of technology in the Western Cape province, South Africa, the article describes the complexities of developing jointly offered higher certificates (HCs) in the post-school sector. It emphasises the strategic role of the UPSET project in revitalising existing practices and cultivating deliberate processes and practices to expand access to vocational education. The article contends that UoTs are ideally positioned to facilitate jointly offered HCs based on their integration of theoretical and practical knowledge and their robust industry affiliations. Furthermore, the article highlights various epistemological approaches to developing HCs in UoTs. It argues for a more integrated higher education system that values both vocational and academic pathways and contributes to social justice and economic empowerment in South Africa.

Conceptions and Practices of Autonomy among Indigenous and Peasant Movements in Latin America

This paper seeks to categorize the forms of autonomy developed by Indigenous and peasant movements in Latin America into three types: a) de jure autonomies versus de facto autonomies; b) explicit autonomies versus implicit autonomies; and c) (mono)ethnic autonomies versus popular or class autonomies. We argue that the debate between these conceptions takes on a possible strategic importance when it comes to the dialogue between Indigenous and peasant struggles regarding the defense of territory as well as in the conception of peasant autonomy, understood as a strategy of struggle and local self-governance.

Health insurance for all children in Quebec? Ethical reflections on the implementation of PL 83

Abstract The adoption of Projet de loi 83 (PL83) in 2021 aimed to grant previously uninsured migrant children in Quebec access to provincial public health insurance. Three years later, health professionals continue to encounter children who should be eligible for provincial insurance through PL83 but remain uninsured and who face various structural barriers that contribute to this limited access (language, administrative navigation, and access to information). This commentary, based on the conceptual framework of the ethics of care, considers autonomy as the ability to make one’s own choices with support from others. Contrary to a conception of autonomy as self-sufficiency, the ethics of care encourages the design of policies and implementation measures capable of helping vulnerable individuals overcome barriers. In the case of access to healthcare for migrant children, we suggest presumptive eligibility and raising awareness among all key stakeholders who interact with parents, from admission and administrative staff to physicians.

Tipping Point: Pathogenic Stress and the Biopolitics of Euthanasia

Hopelessness and demoralization following a terminal diagnosis can affect the capacity for self-governance. Such dispositions can increase the allostatic load—the cumulative burden of stress and anxiety—resulting in a neurophysiologic decline that can impair autonomy and influence the desire to end one's life deliberately. An allostatic overload is characterized by the inability to autoregulate stress and is associated with pathological changes to the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis and hippocampus. These changes raise concerns about the reliability of concepts of autonomy in extremis, potentially undermining arguments that are used to justify voluntary euthanasia and medically assisted death. Studies have associated depression and hopelessness with suicidal ideation in the general population. However, fewer studies have examined how patients without a history of depression or suicidal ideation may suddenly contemplate the act when facing a terminal prognosis. This paper will argue that an allostatic overload can help explain how the spectrum of physical and psychological comorbidities associated with the onset of a terminal illness can influence a decision to hasten death. Data show that patients with a terminal disease wishing to hasten death typically exhibit lower rates of clinical depression, higher rates of demoralization, and a greater likelihood of rational suicide. These differences indicate that suicidal ideation in the terminal disease patient population is different. Changes in autonomous decision-making secondary to pathological alterations in the brain may offer an explanation. Such changes have been shown to dysregulate executive control functions, specifically intentionality and voluntariness. Clinical evidence also indicates that spirituality and hopefulness can help manage the allostatic load during the palliative stages of a disease so that patients can better process end-of-life decisions. Based on these data, this paper will further argue that jurisdictions offering euthanasia are morally compelled to make mental and spiritual counseling available to patients seeking this course of action.

Neurodata-based headsets for the (digital) employee well-being – responsibilities between benefit and harm

Purpose This study aims to demonstrate the importance of recognizing stress in the workplace. Accurate novel objective methods that use electroencephalogram (EEG) to measure brainwaves can promote employee well-being. However, using these devices can be positive and potentially harmful as manipulative practices undermine autonomy. Design/methodology/approach Emphasis is placed on business ethics as it relates to the ethics of action in terms of positive and negative responsibility, autonomous decision-making and self-determined work through a literature review. The concept of relational autonomy provides an orientation toward heteronomous employment relationships. Findings First, using digital devices to recognize stress and promote health can be a positive outcome, expanding the definition of digital well-being as opposed to dependency, non-use or reduction. Second, the transfer of socio-relational autonomy, according to Oshana, enables criteria for self-determined work in heteronomous employment relationships. Finally, the deployment and use of such EEG-based devices for stress detection can lead to coercion and manipulation, not only in interpersonal relationships, but also directly and more subtly through the technology itself, interfering with self-determined work. Originality/value Stress at work and EEG-based devices measuring stress have been discussed in numerous articles. This paper is one of the first to explore ethical considerations using these brain–computer interfaces from an employee perspective.

Academic freedom in Europe: Limitations and judicial remedies

Abstract Europe has recently struggled with democratic backsliding and autocratization. This autocratization has accompanied a decline in academic freedom in many backsliding countries, as reported by the Academic Freedom Index. Can the standards set by the European supranational courts effectively safeguard academic freedom? This article provides answers to this question. It argues that despite differences in their approaches, the theoretical conceptions of scholarship held by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) and the Court of Justice of the European Union (ECJ) share an essential feature: both have moved towards embracing the ‘liberal science script’ by protecting academic freedom. The main difference between the two courts’ approaches is the subject of protection. The ECtHR focuses on the individual rights of academics: It protects free speech in the academic context by establishing a high standard for holding academics liable for publicly expressing their views inside and outside of academia. The ECJ has applied the concept of institutional autonomy, thereby setting a high standard for safeguarding the freedom of academic institutions. This standard can be applied with regard to the demands placed by policy-makers on academia regarding its role in democracy, including gender equality requirements for EU research funding.

Perempuan dan Hak Asasi Manusia dalam Lensa Filsafat: Dilema Etika dan Implementasi

Human rights in the context of women through a philosophical lens brings us into deep reflection about the rights, dignity and role of women in society. In philosophy, women are considered as equal individuals to men, eliminating discrimination based on gender. The concepts of bodily autonomy, reproductive rights, and protection against violence are at the center of ethical and moral debates about women's human rights. Philosophical thinking also emphasizes that women have an active role in raising social and political awareness to achieve gender equality. This involves the moral responsibility and collective action of women in fighting for their rights. Through a philosophical lens, understanding women's human rights encourages us to see women not only as objects receiving rights, but also as subjects who are empowered to shape a more just future. Therefore, the philosophy provides a strong foundation for advocacy for gender equality and social change that is more inclusive and has equal rights to live with dignity and freedom.

The autonomy of middle managers in local education administrations: a Swedish viewpoint

ABSTRACT The focus of this article is on how the relative autonomy of middle managers is expressed in the context of local education administrations. In the Swedish education system, middle managers often constitute the link between principals at schools and local government education administrators. Little is known about what such middle managers do and why. To fill this knowledge gap, this article presents and discusses the results of interviews with middle managers, chief education officers and principals linked to four local education administrations in Sweden. A previously developed analytical model has been adapted to facilitate the interpretation of results and how they relate to the concept of autonomy in education administration. The framework encompasses four cognitive domains: educational, social, developmental, and administrative. The results display middle manager autonomy as fostered and limited by all four domains and how the use of relative autonomy varies between middle managers. There are differences between middle managers in separate local education administrations and middle managers working in the same organization. A major finding is that autonomy is always conditioned, not only by organization but significantly also by cognition and administrative interaction.

What factors influence patient autonomy in healthcare decision-making? A systematic review of studies from the Global South.

The principle of respect for autonomy (PRA) is a central tenet of bioethics. In the quest for a global bioethics, it is pertinent to ask whether this principle can be applied as it is to cultures and societies that are devoid of the Western sociopolitical historical pressures that led to its emergence. Relational autonomists have argued for a more inclusive approach to patient autonomy which takes into account factors such as interdependency and social relations. However, at the outset of any relational approach, it is necessary to identify underlying factors that influence patient autonomy in non-Western cultures. To conduct a review of the literature to uncover the mechanisms through which social, cultural, and religious factors influence and impact the application of the PRA in healthcare decision-making in non-Western cultures and societies. We conducted a systematic review through a comprehensive search of three major electronic databases of biomedical sciences. Returned citations were imported to Covidence, full texts were assessed for eligibility, included articles were thoroughly reviewed and data was synthesized. PRISMA guidelines were followed. Our search retrieved 590 non-duplicate results, 50 of which were included after screening and full-text eligibility checks. The included studies were predominantly qualitative in nature, with few quantitative, mixed-methods, and review studies included. Our synthesis of data identified nine key factors that influenced patients' autonomous decision-making through cultural, social, religious, or intersectional pathways. Two main conclusions emerge from this review. Firstly, there is a notable dearth of bioethical research examining the influence of diverse factors on patients' inclination towards different conceptions of autonomy. Secondly, the analysis of prevalent collectivist cultures and deference of autonomy adds value to the solution-oriented relational autonomy debate. This raises questions regarding how decision-making can be truly autonomous in the presence of such large-scale factors, warranting further attention.

Applying relational autonomy in US special education: Educators’ role in supporting parents’ decisions for deaf or hard-of-hearing children

ABSTRACT The concept of relational autonomy is widely applied in bioethics research to elucidate how patients’ abilities in agentively making medical decisions are constrained within a complex structural system and set of relations; thus, rather than being individualistic in nature, autonomy is relationally and interdependently situated. While this perspective is thought-provoking, it is seldom explored in settings outside of healthcare. An equally critical site of decision-making processes is found in special education, where parents of children with disabilities must contend with information from both teachers and physicians to make choices that best support their child’s learning and development. Families of deaf or hard-of-hearing (D/HH) children in particular are uniquely positioned to encounter decisions that intersect educational, medical, and sociocultural levels – that is, in the earliest years of a D/HH child’s life, parents must make decisions about the child’s medical care and whether they will receive hearing technology or treatments, which in turn shapes the inherently cultural decision of linguistic choice, which in turn shapes educational decisions about the type of schooling environment for the child. This study broadly asks: In the field of special education, how do parents make decisions for their D/HH child? Data is drawn from semi-structured, ethnographic interviews with 16 educators of the deaf or hard-of-hearing (EODs) across public, private, and state levels in California. IMPACT STATEMENT The findings can help contribute academic research into conversation with social justice-oriented work to improve language and educational access for D/HH children.

Ableism and adaptive preferences in digital uses and skills: Social and cultural conditioning factors

This theoretical paper aims to highlight interactions between ableism and adaptive preferences that involve persons with disability with the purpose of identifying social and ideological conditioning factors in using digital media and developing digital skills. These factors encompass the availability of resources for accessing and using digital media as enabling tools capable of generating positive outcomes at an economic, social, political/civic, cultural and personal levels. Giving that digitalization processes encompass concepts of citizenship, autonomy, individual capabilities and social capital, then digital media and skills become crucial tools for equalizing opportunities and reducing inequalities. The pandemic emergency and the shift to distance learning revealed forms of digital education poverty that had a specific impact for persons with disability. Analysing the digital disability divide and inequality requires considering technological and economic variables, Universal Design principles, as well as social stratification, cultural influences, and material and symbolic resources. Digital inequalities and adaptive preferences are thus examined in their relations with social, cultural and ideological aspects that may affect expressed and perceived needs, attribution of meanings, motivation and aims which, in turn, affect access and usage of digital media as well as the development of digital skills. Taking into account these factors and their interconnections, the contribution aims to provide some guidelines for further future research aimed at deepening the socio-technical, cultural, and ideological matrices of digital inequalities affecting persons with disabilities.

The dimensions of phygital autonomy: losing some, gaining some

ABSTRACT Digital retailing is omnipresent, such that shoppers increasingly interact with digital devices in physical stores. In service interactions involving the use of digital devices, shoppers attain novel forms of support, but they still need a means to achieve a sense of autonomy. To address this challenge, the current article reports on a qualitative analysis that reveals three main dimensions of phygital autonomy (visual, verbal, and kinetic) that relate to fundamental human senses and may enhance or undermine shoppers’ perceived autonomy, due to their extension or restriction. By reviewing the concept of autonomy across distinct retail settings, this study also provides theoretical and practical insights for how to reconcile shoppers’ autonomy dilemma, across their desires for freedom of action, freedom of choice, and human support.

Division Construction Government Authority In Law Number 23 of 2014

The concept of the division of government affairs in deconcentrating and co-administration has a long history in Indonesian constitutional records. Amendments to the 1945 Constitution, especially the second amendment concerning the concept and pattern of the division of a government, have indicated that a centralized government would actually pose a threat to disintegration so that strengthening decentralization is not a weakening of Indonesia, but an effort to strengthen it. In other words, the choice to use the concept of autonomy as broadly as possible should be understood as a way to build a just balance between central and regional power relations. One of the issues regarding the constitutionality of regional government that has become a space for academic debate after the issuance of Law No. 23 of 2014 concerning Trade Law relates to the concept of the division of government affairs between government structures. Moving on from the point of view of State Constitutional Law and State Administrative Law, the analysis will be directed at the parameters used to construct the division of authority between government structures based on executive power (Article 4 paragraph (1) of the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia) or based on the authority stipulated by the constitution. In another part, Law Number 23 of 2014 has reduced the essence of the concept of deconcentrating which previously was only carried out by the Governor, now it is also carried out by the Regent/Mayor. In such a concept, the problem is how to juxtapose the decentralization method with other methods such as deconcentrating and co-administration and institutionalization of the three principles.

P-369 DuoStim could be a proper option for women seeking fertility preservation for non-medical reasons

Abstract Study question Is Duostim a suitable option for women who wish to preserve fertility for social reasons? Summary answer Providing the option of DuoStim is an efficient way to expand the cohort of vitrified oocytes in women seeking fertility preservation for non-medical reasons. What is known already A growing number of reproductive-age women are choosing to postpone motherhood, giving rise to the concept of reproductive autonomy. Numerous strategies aim to refine ovarian stimulation protocols. DuoStim, entailing dual ovarian stimulations and retrievals within one menstrual cycle, proves advantageous for those with diminished ovarian reserve or facing cancer. To our knowledge, this is the first study offering DuoStim for social preservation. Study design, size, duration Retrospective controlled case-control study conducted with paired follicular phase stimulation (FPS) and luteal phase stimulation (LPS) derived cohorts of oocytes collected in the same ovarian cycle (DuoStim). The study included 160 patients aged 36.85 ± 3.3 years old, who underwent DuoStim for social egg freezing from October 2018 to September 2023. The primary outcome was the number of MII oocytes retrieved per cycle and secondary outcomes included stimulation duration and gonadotropin dose. Participants/materials, setting, methods FPS and LPS were performed using the same daily dose of recombinant gonadotropins in an antagonist protocol. Oocyte retrieval was performed 36 hours after triggering with gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist triptorelin acetate (0,2 mg) after the FPS. Luteal phase stimulation protocol began on the 5th day after ovarian puncture using dual trigger, followed by a second oocyte retrieval. Mature oocytes were vitrified 2 hours later following the Kitazato® protocol. Main results and the role of chance Stimulation duration and gonadotropin dose were lower during Follicular Phase Stimulation (FPS) vs. Luteal Phase Stimulation (LPS) (10.8 ± 1.5 days vs. 13.0 ± 2.3, P < 0.05 and 2,487.9 ± 580.8 vs. 3,264.0 ± 942.7, P < 0.05). The number of retrieved oocytes was comparable between the two groups (4.78 ± 3.0 vs. 5.32 ± 3.7; P = 0.15). The mean number of MII oocytes acquired in the LPS group exceeded that in the FPS group (4.16 ± 3.0 vs. 3.58 ± 2.3; P = 0.054), indicating a tendency towards more MII oocytes in the LPS group without achieving statistical significance. A total of 110 patients (69.29%) obtained the same or a greater number of MII during the LPS compared to the FPS. Limitations, reasons for caution Although DuoStim is acknowledged as an option to obtain a greater number of eggs in certain situations, the evidence supporting its utility in social fertility preservation is still limited. It is crucial to recognize the inherent biases in observational retrospective studies. Wider implications of the findings DuoStim could be an advantage for women who live abroad or those who dispose of short periods of time for oocyte vitrification, also potentially reducing the drop-out rate. Trial registration number not applicable

Resisting and disrupting neoliberal subjectivity in self-directed education: what can we learn from black homeschoolers

PurposeFrom the in-group status as a former homeschool parent, the goal is to problematize the entanglement of neoliberalism within self-directed education (SDE) pedagogies. Further and importantly, this study aims to bring attention to and examine the neoliberal resistant practices found in Black homeschooling.Design/methodology/approachA narrative literature review, content analysis and autoethnographic reflection to critically examine the neoliberal subjectivity of SDE and identify neoliberal-resistant SDE practices of Black homeschooling families.FindingsThis paper identifies SDE’s vulnerability to neoliberal subjectivity despite the neoliberal oppositional ethos of many of its practices and its antiestablishment historical context and rhetoric. It analyzes conceptions of self, autonomy and freedom (the ideas that underwrite self-direction) that can inform a critical self-directed learning (SDL) approach. It explores contemporary Black homeschooling and SDE practices for evidence of these conceptions, arguing that this demographic, at the margin of the discursive homeschooling community, instantiates an authentic resistance and disruption to neoliberal subjectivity in SDE.Originality/valueVery little research has been done on neoliberal subjectivity in the discursive SDE community. The vulnerability of SDE to neoliberalization is important to SDL homeschoolers, unschoolers and other SDE facilitators who want to practice alternative-to-mainstream values or social justice-oriented pedagogy. Without awareness of this vulnerability, neoliberal hegemony can be reproduced by SDE practices.

Conscience, Caricatures, and Catholic Identities.

Catholic health care is often viewed as antithetical to secular conceptions of autonomy. This view can engender calls to protect "choice" in Catholic facilities. However, this view is built on a fundamental misunderstanding of the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services (ERDs). This commentary, which responds to "Principled Conscientious Provision: Referral Symmetry and Its Implications for Protecting Secular Conscience," by Abram Brummett et al., seeks to demonstrate the nuance of the ERDs as well as to address some of the challenges various Catholic identities have when interpreting and living out the ERDs so that all patients receive high-quality, compassionate care. By highlighting the Church's desire to protect all people at every stage, I hope to dispel the caricatures that often result from misunderstandings by Catholics and non-Catholics alike.

Everyday approaches to platform-mediated personalized learning in secondary schools

ABSTRACT Despite the ubiquity of platforms in schools, few scholars have examined the impact of these platforms on face-to-face classroom practices. Considering the pervasive claim that platforms drive the personalization of learning, our exploratory study analyses how teachers engage platforms in personalized learning settings in Swiss secondary schools. We focus on teachers’ broader pedagogical concepts that inform platform-mediated personalized learning practices. In contrast to techno-enthusiastic claims – and critical scholars’ concerns – that datafication drives learning personalization, teachers in our case studies use platforms in ways that align with their pedagogical values while allowing them to retain control over classroom activities. Thereby, teachers and platforms co-produce ambiguous personalized learning settings involving conflicting conceptions of (self-) governance and autonomy. The findings from this study warn against deducing platform effects from their affordances alone and suggest the need to study the enactment of platforms in situated classroom practices.

Organization of project activities at the university in the system of scientific reflection

Introduction. The relevance of the study of project activities in higher education is related to the role that this form of educational activity plays at the present stage of education development. Interdisciplinary studies emerging at the intersection of sociology, political science, anthropology, philosophy and economics are promising. This article raises the problem of the contribution of the experience, reflections and mediation of a teacher of a pedagogical university to the project method, on the one hand, and the requirements that apply to the competence of student researchers– on the other. The concept of autonomy of student research activity is proposed as a key idea for the transformation of the directions of the modern Russian educational space.Materials and methods. The materials are based on a study conducted by teachers and students of the Stavropol Pedagogical Institute, a branch in the city of Yessentuki in the period from 2015 to 2022 as part of a research project designed at the same institute. Seven research projects were completed: four with certified teachers, three with students who received a history teacher's diploma, and twenty introductory pedagogical projects. In the process of working on projects, coordination activities were regularly carried out aimed at analyzing the work already done and planning the next stages. The frequency of variables in the method was tested with the participation of teachers, young researchers and students enrolled in historical and social studies programs of the Stavropol State Pedagogical Institute, a branch in the city of Yessentuki.Results. The conducted research made it possible to identify the key positions of the researcher in decision-making, to identify the main starting points of the scientific hypothesis in the process of forming goals and objectives, to describe a set of methodological developments and ideas in the implementation of project activities within the framework of a pedagogical university, the problems of human inclusion in the collective social consciousness in the space of a modern city.Discussion and conclusions. It was concluded that experience contributes to reflection, and reflection contributes to building knowledge and changing paradigms.

Wandering Behavior and SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Veterans Affairs Community Living Center Residents

ObjectiveWandering behavior in nursing home (NH) residents could increase risk of infection. The objective of this study was to assess the association of wandering behavior with SARS-CoV-2 infection in Veterans Affairs (VA) Community Living Center (CLC) residents. DesignRetrospective cohort study. Setting & ParticipantsVeterans residing in 133 VA CLCs. MethodsWe included residents with SARS-CoV-2 test from March 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020 from VA electronic medical records. We identified CLC residents with wandering on Minimum Data Set 3.0 assessments and compared them with residents without wandering. The outcome was SARS-CoV-2 infection, as tested for surveillance testing, in those with and without wandering. Generalized linear model with Poisson link adjusted for relevant covariates was used. ResultsResidents (n = 9995) were included in the analytic cohort mean, (SD) age 73.4 (10.7); 388 (3.9%) women. The mean (SD) activities of daily living score in the overall cohort was 13.6 (8.25). Wandering was noted in 379 (3.8%) (n = 379) of the cohort. The exposure groups differed in prior dementia (92.6% vs 62.1%, standardized mean difference [SMD] = 0.8) and psychoses (41.4% vs 28.1%, SMD = 0.3). Overall, 12.5% (n = 1248) tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 and more residents among the wandering group were SARS-CoV-2 positive as compared with those in the group without wandering (19% [n = 72] vs 12.2% [n = 1176], SMD = 0.19). Adjusting for covariates, residents with wandering had 34% higher relative risk for SARS-CoV-2 infection (adjusted relative risk, 1.34; 95% CI, 1.04–1.69). Conclusions and ImplicationsCLC residents with wandering had a higher risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection. This may inform implementation of infection control and isolation policies as NHs attempt to balance ethical concepts of resident autonomy, proportionality, equity, and utilitarianism.

Algorithm evaluation without autonomy

AbstractIn Algorithms & Autonomy, Rubel, Castro, and Pham (hereafter RCP), argue that the concept of autonomy is especially central to understanding important moral problems about algorithms. In particular, autonomy plays a role in analyzing the version of social contract theory that they endorse. I argue that although RCP are largely correct in their diagnosis of what is wrong with the algorithms they consider, those diagnoses can be appropriated by moral theories RCP see as in competition with their autonomy based theory. Most notably, proponents of consequentialism and virtue ethics can appropriate RCPs insights. This is good news because RCP’s social contract theory is vulnerable to a well known class of counterexamples. The most significant contribution of RCP, if I am right, is in their identification, presentation, and evaluation of concrete cases involving algorithms and not in the more controversial claims about theoretical ethics that RCP themselves see as central to what they are doing.