Dimensional Construct Research Articles

Innovative Research on the Construction of College Counselors' Team in the New Era

In the context of the new era, the construction of the college counselors' team is imbued with a novel and profound mission of expediting the modernization drive of education in China. Functioning as a linchpin in the ideological indoctrination and comprehensive quality cultivation of college students, as well as in spearheading the ideological vanguard, the significance of constructing a robust and proficient counselors' team is self-evident and of paramount importance. Albeit remarkable strides have been achieved in recent times with respect to both the magnitude and caliber of the counselors' team, a multitude of practical conundrums and developmental impasses remain extant. These are epitomized by equivocal role demarcations, insufficient cultural profundity, misapprehended social standing, and tenuous professional self-acknowledgment. This treatise centers on the cardinal dimensions of the counselors' team construction. It undertakes a meticulous and incisive dissection of the prevailing quandaries and proffers an array of innovative and efficacious resolutions. Specifically, by precisely circumscribing the counselors' duty frontiers, fortifying the cultural-educational impetus, elevating social recognition and status, and buttressing professional self-identification, the overarching aim is to optimize the team's structural configuration, ensure that each team member discharges their designated functions with alacrity and precision, harness the full potential of the team's collaborative synergy, and actualize a judicious apportionment of resources. Concomitantly, this research actively delves into nascent pathways for counselors in the ideological domain. By augmenting work competence and proficiency, it comprehensively augments the holistic quality and professional acumen of the counselors' team, thereby synchronizing with the exigencies and imperatives of the burgeoning development of higher education in the new epoch.

Identity and Self-Positioning of the Community of Sant’Egidio: A Faith-Based Organization on the International Stage

Religion in international relations should not be viewed solely as a source of conflict or cultural differences; it also has a constructive dimension, as demonstrated by the international activities of faith-based organizations (FBOs). FBOs have benefited from the post-Cold War expansion of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in global affairs. Their growth is often linked to raising awareness among various social groups about security challenges or issues traditionally addressed by state and inter-governmental actors, as well as increasing international interconnectedness. While FBOs differ from classical NGOs in their strong religious motivation, they too often organize around specific missions or messages. The Community of Sant’Egidio (CSE) is a distinctive example of a faith-based organization that operates both as a religious community within the Roman Catholic Church and as an internationally active NGO. Unlike many NGOs, which are founded in response to a singular issue, CSE has broadened its scope over time, addressing a wide range of concerns, from poverty alleviation and peacebuilding to humanitarian aid and, more recently, environmental issues. This paper explores the process by which the CSE has discursively constructed its identity and examines how this process has contributed to its growing influence on the international stage.

‘Who am I?’ Evolutionary perspectives of African ethnic identity

ABSTRACT The journey of identity is a lifelong odyssey, marked by distinct milestones and transformative experiences that shape and redefine one’s sense of self. By theorizing ethnic identities across developmental milestones, this paper highlights the intricate interplay between hereditary perspectives, cultural affiliations, individual development, societal dynamics, and rational choice. This exploration delves into the multifaceted dimensions of ethnic identity construction, acknowledging that these identities are not static but evolve in response to the dynamic interplay of life’s pivotal moments. From the formative years of childhood, through adolescence, to the complexities of adulthood, this narrative provides an understanding of the landscape that underpins the theorization of ethnic identities across these diverse and interconnected milestones of the human lifespan.

The Relationship between Constructivist Thinking and Academic Engagement among University Students in Light of Some Variables

This paper focuses on revealing the relationship between constructivist thinking and academic engagement among university students in light of some variables. To achieve the objectives, a sample of 697 male and female students was selected using available sample method at the Qasimi Academic College of Education. The correlational approach was used. The constructive thinking scale and measure of academic participation were applied. The results showed a statistically significant positive correlation between academic participation and constructive thinking dimensions. The results also showed a statistically significant negative correlation between academic participation and destructive constructive thinking dimensions. The results indicated that there were no significant differences in correlation factors between constructive thinking and academic engagement attributed to gender and specialization. Based on the findings, it is logical to conclude that the increase in constructive dimensions of constructive thinking contributes to achieving academic engagement, while the increase in destructive dimensions of constructive thinking reduces academic engagement.

A Meta-Analysis of the Structural Validity of Original and Brief Versions of the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 in Iran

Objective: The Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5) is a widely used scale to evaluate the dimensional constructs of two trait models proposed by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) and the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11). The present meta-analysis first aimed to examine the factor structure, reliability, and congruence coefficients of the Persian version of the PID-5 to assess both trait models. The second aim was to evaluate the factor structure and reliability of the Persian version of the Personality Inventory for DSM-5-Brief Form (PID-5-BF). Method: A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Magiran, and SID to find records in English and Farsi from January 2013 to December 2023. According to the PRISMA, data from nine medium- to high-quality reports including 7,608 participants were analyzed using the random-effects method. Quality of studies, heterogeneity, and publication bias were reported. Results: The five-factor structure of the PID-5 to measure both trait models was supported by the pooled estimates of factor loadings. The alpha coefficient median for the DSM-5 model was 0.83 (range: 0.82-0.90), and the congruence coefficient median was .91 (range: 0.80-0.97). The ICD-11 alpha median was .78 (range: 0.68-0.91), and congruency median was 0.90 (range: 0.71-0.96). The factor loadings for negative affectivity, detachment, antagonism, disinhibition, and psychoticism on the PID-5-BF were 0.44-0.69, 0.38-0.67, 0.46-0.72, 0.42-0.70, and 0.44-0.76, respectively, and the alpha median was 0.73 (range: 0.65-0.76). Conclusion: Since both the original and brief versions of the PID-5 are valid and strongly similar to international structures, the clinical and research applications of these questionnaires are recommended to mental health professionals in Iran.

The employee’s perception of psychological safety: construct dimensions, scale development and validation

Although organisations can effectively resist risks and enhance organisational performance by creating a Perception of Psychological Safety (PPS) climate, there is a lack of PPS scales developed under a multidimensional integrated interaction perspective. Based on a review of relevant theories, this paper clearly defines the concept of PPS and proposes a three-dimensional model of PPS, including organisational- level PPS, team- level PPS, and dyadic- level PPS. In this paper, we develop and validate a scale for measuring PPS in the workplace using 12 startups in a relatively economically developed region in the southeastern coastal region of China as the empirical target. The results of the empirical analyses show that the scale we developed has a good level of reliability and consistency, as well as good content validity, convergent validity, and discriminant validity.

Thinking multimodal translation through relational ontology

ABSTRACT This article envisions a novel way of conceiving of the nature of multimodal translation by thinking it through relational ontology–a philosophical position that views relations as primary and singularities as secondary. Relational ontology is applied here to relationships between modes constituting multimodal wholes. While Translation Studies has traditionally focused on the verbal mode and treated the modes as singularities, when multimodal translation is understood through relational ontology, the focus of inquiry shifts to the relationships between modes. Thus, rather than conceiving of individual modes as singularities that make meaning by addition, meaning is a synthesis of the modes and requires the embodied perceiver’s engagement with and interpretation of the co-presented materials. Changing the perspective of Translation Studies from a verbal to relational ontology allows us to focus on the relationships between modes instead of framing modes through hierarchical relationships, and to look beyond the restrictive tendency of Translation Studies to frame multimodal entities as texts. The focus on relations between modes also allows us to envision connections between the cognitive and embodied dimensions of multimodal meaning construction. Relational ontology brings methodological challenges, because methods must be found that allow us to focus on the relationships between modes.

The contribution of motivational constructs to motivational and affective strategy use

This paper identifies the contribution of the different dimensions of motivational constructs, i.e., self-efficacy, task value, learning goal orientation, and performance goal orientation to motivational and affective strategy use. The findings of the regression analyses suggested that the dimensions altogether contribute significantly to motivational strategy scores but do not lead to significant changes individually. Regarding affective strategies, the findings identified that self-efficacy and performance goal orientation stood out regarding contribution to affective strategy use.

Historical and Phenomenological Dimensions of Construction of Esoteric Reality in Taromance

Historical and Phenomenological Dimensions of Construction of Esoteric Reality in Taromance

Constructive journalism as an approach to covering military conflicts in the media constructive dimension of special reports on military conflict)

Constructive journalism as an approach to covering military conflicts in the media constructive dimension of special reports on military conflict)

UMA REVISÃO DA LITERATURA SOBRE LEAN CONSTRUCTION E MÉTODO CONSTRUTIVO DE PAREDE DE CONCRETO

In the construction industry, the implementation of Lean Construction has emerged as a revolutionary approach, promoting not just efficiency and economy, but also a transformation in quality and sustainability within the sector. While Lean principles are well-established in traditional construction practices, their application to unconventional construction methods, such as the use of in-situ molded concrete walls, remains a relatively unexplored field promising significant advancement. This article presents a meticulous bibliographic review, investigating the applicability and benefits of Lean principles in such unconventional methods, with special attention to concrete walls, which represent a potential for optimization across multiple dimensions of construction. The review seeks to elucidate how the adoption of these practices can lead to substantial improvements, contributing to the evolution of civil construction towards more agile, economical, and environmentally responsible processes, thus aligning with the growing demands for buildings that are not only functionally superior but also ecologically aware and adaptable to future needs.

While stairing up: perceiving shades of academic motivation of high school first-generation learners and desired academic outcomes

What motivates a first-generation learner to go to school? The question haunts a social scientist when exploring dimensions of academic motivation of the first-generation Learners in rural and remote context. Learners from the low Socio-Economic Status are ‘at risk’ of academic motivation, cohere with specific psychological behaviours leading to academic failure. Gathering quantitative and qualitative data, the study opts to capture dimensions of motivational constructs of first-generation Learners. The study adopts explanatory sequential research design that entails triangulating quantitative statistical results with qualitative findings to validate the outcome of the study. The student participants were 1554 selected through stratified random sampling using gender, social affiliation and grade as criteria for getting hierarchy. The findings include steady decline of academic motivation of Learners in the secondary level of school education under the lens of socio-economic context, home environment and school and neighborhood quality perceiving academic, and psychological hardships as the outcome.

A transdiagnostic approach of negative symptoms in psychiatric disorders: replication of a two-factor structure in major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder.

Recent empirical findings suggest that negative symptoms are not limited to schizophrenia (SCZ) but also present in major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar disorder (BD) patients. Although SCZ patients generally showed a latent structure comprising the motivation and pleasure (MAP) and expression (EXP) factors, it remains unclear whether the same latent structure exists in MDD and BD patients. We administered the Clinical Assessment Interview for Negative Symptoms (CAINS) and the Brief Negative Symptom Scale (BNSS) to 179 MDD patients and 152 BD patients. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was conducted to examine the one-factor model, the two-factor model of the MAP and the EXP domain, the five-factor model of anhedonia, avolition, asociality, alogia, and blunted affect, and the hierarchical model comprising the first-order five-factor, and the second-order two-factor (MAP and EXP factors). We further examined the correlations between demographics and the negative symptom dimensions found in the best factor model. The CFA showed that, when the CAINS and the BNSS were combined together, the two-factor model of MAP and EXP provided the best model fit than other competing models, in the MDD alone sample, BD alone sample, and the combined clinical sample. The two-factor model of the MAP and EXP appears to be a stable, transdiagnostic latent structure of negative symptoms across BD and MDD. Clarifying negative symptoms in MDD and BD can facilitate future research on the underlying neural mechanisms of the MAP and EXP dimensions.

Compulsive buying disorder: Conceptualization based on addictive, impulsive, and obsessive-compulsive features and comorbidity

BackgroundThis study sought to examine the conceptualization of compulsive buying disorder in a sample of adults drawn from the community and its associated mental health correlates. MethodsAn online survey of “Personality, Mental Health, and Well-Being” was distributed to 300 adults aged 18–75 years. The survey measured a range of behaviors, such as buying behavior, alcohol and drug use, impulse control disorders, and dimensional constructs of impulsivity and obsessive-compulsiveness. ResultsA total of 294 participants (54.7% female) completed the survey and were included in the analysis. The overall frequency of probable compulsive buying disorder was 5.4% (n = 16). Compared to adults without compulsive buying disorder, those with probable compulsive buying disorder were significantly less likely to identify as heterosexual and were significantly more likely to endorse attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, drug use problems, symptoms of borderline personality disorder, binge eating disorder, and had higher levels of compulsivity plus impulsivity. ConclusionCompulsive buying disorder appears to be fairly common in adults and appears to have symptom or diagnostic overlap with obsessive-compulsive problems, addictive disorders, and impulse control disorders. Findings highlight the need for careful clinical screening to identify often overlooked comorbidities and treat them on an individual patient basis, as well as the need to conduct high-quality clinical trials for compulsive buying disorder itself and to explore its presentation longitudinally at large scale.

Assessing the Agonistic Continuum Scale as a Measure of Sexual Sadism in a Sample of Community Members and BDSM Practitioners.

Sexual sadism refers to a sexual preference for fantasies and behaviours involving the infliction of humiliation, degradation, and suffering onto others. The conceptualization of sexual sadism remains a contentious issue in the literature, with some believing sexual sadism is qualitatively distinct from other deviant sexual preferences, while others suggest it lies on a continuum of sexually aggressive behaviours. This second approach, known as the Agonistic Continuum, is a relatively novel conceptualization of sexual sadism. Its companion scale, The Agonistic Continuum Scale (TACS), was created to measure sexual sadism as a dimensional construct in both forensic and community samples. Despite several validation studies being conducted, the factor structure of the TACS has yet to be independently assessed. As such, the current study sought to assess the factorial validity and measurement invariance of the TACS in a community sample made up of primarily BDSM practitioners using a series of confirmatory factor analyses and latent profile analyses. 248 Canadian adults (65.3% females, 75.6% BDSM practitioners) completed a survey containing a demographic questionnaire and several measures of paraphilic interest including the TACS. Results of the factor analyses suggested a four-factor model provided the best fit to the data. However, incorporating sex as a multigroup analysis factor rendered this model a significantly worse fit. Further, latent profile analysis results supported the ability of the TACS to identify groups differing in sexual sadism severity but returned significantly different fit statistics across sex groups. Taken together, while the results of past studies were partially replicated, our findings call into question the appropriateness of the TACS in mixed-sex and non-community samples.

Students' Self-Regulated Learning in Physics: Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA)

This study aims to develop and validate an instrument that measures students' self-regulated learning in Physics. The pilot study involved 400 randomly selected Form 4 students taking Physics. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was conducted to assess the suitability of the measurement items and to identify the construct dimensions. Three main components were identified through the EFA procedure, namely self-motivation (DP), metacognitive planning (PM), and metacognitive monitoring (PK). The field study involved 435 Form 4 students taking Physics from daily secondary schools. The study population consisted of Form 4 students from daily secondary schools across Peninsular Malaysia. The sample was selected using stratified random sampling and simple random sampling from four states: Perak, Kedah, Negeri Sembilan, and Kelantan. Data from the field study were used to confirm the validity and reliability of the instrument through the Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) procedure. CFA results indicated that the developed instrument is valid and reliable for measuring students' self-regulated learning. Once the measurement model was confirmed through CFA, the researchers structured these constructs into a structural model and estimated the necessary parameters using the Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) procedure. This study makes a significant contribution by producing a valid and reliable instrument for measuring self-regulated learning among Form 4 Physics students. This instrument can be used in future research to enhance the understanding of factors influencing students' self-regulated learning in the context of Physics education.

The effects of hope and spirituality on the work‐group mentality in the Chilean miners catastrophe

This article analyses the role that hope and spirituality play in enhancing the capacity of work teams and organisations to face extreme contexts of crisis and disasters. The study utilises Bion’s concept of sophisticated work‐group mentality to examine how these phenomena can contribute to the generation of new capabilities within the group to address the dilemmas and challenges that emerge in times of crisis. It addresses an iconic case of catastrophe–the case of the Chilean miners rescued in 2010 after surviving entrapment for almost seventy days–in order to analyse the relationships that unfold within and around the hopeful endurance of disaster. This article empirically examines the constructive dimension of basic assumptions mentalities, contrary to the predominant view in the socio‐analytic field that emphasises the regressive and disabling nature these phenomena have on the achievement of the group’s task. For this purpose, the concept of work‐group pairing (French & Simpson, 2010) is used to show the productive nature of hope on the group members’ psychic functioning. Thus, this article contributes original insights on the role of hope in the psychosocial construction of pathways for organisational recovery and resilience during and after a crisis.

How is feedback perceived by Brazilian students and faculty from a nursing school?

AimThis study aims to explore the perceptions of feedback among undergraduate students and faculty members at a Brazilian private nursing school. BackgroundFeedback plays a crucial role in the socioemotional development of learners, with its interpretation varying across different sociocultural contexts. Student evaluations frequently express dissatisfaction regarding both the quality and quantity of feedback received. Conversely, delivering feedback poses a challenge for faculty, requiring the establishment of an empathetic connection that fosters trust and credibility. Brazil, being a developing country characterized by social disparities and economic challenges, presents a unique backdrop for examining feedback dynamics. DesignQualitative research, employing Inductive Content Analysis, was used to understand feedback perceptions in Brazilian nursing education. Symbolic interactionism was adopted as methodological framework and guided data interpretation. MethodsWe carried out five virtual focus groups composed of a group of teachers (n=5) and four of students (n=34). Semi-structured interviews guided data collection. The recorded sessions were subsequently analyzed to identify key themes and codes. Symbolic interactionism was employed as a framework to derive meaning from qualitative data. ResultsContent analysis generated two categories that reveal the perception of teachers and students in the feedback process. The first, called “Feedback in Education: Sociocultural Influences for Students and Teachers”, expresses the beliefs and interpretations of students and teachers within the shared feedback environment. The second called “Challenging resonance, transformative construction: Navigating the dualities of feedback for teachers and students”, which elucidated how relational dynamics shape behaviors and attitudes, promoting the development of social skills and learning. Faculty's previous feedback experiences significantly influence their self-perception and behavior with students. As a result of the resonance of these past interactions, we recognize that the teaching self also plays a crucial role in the quality and perception of feedback. Furthermore, students construct social reality with similar beliefs and values, they believe in the learning potential generated by feedback. Our findings also corroborate that perceptions of feedback are deeply influenced by the sociocultural context and the narratives corroborate previous findings indicating that, in Brazil, honest feedback can be implicitly perceived as criticism rather than an opportunity for growth. ConclusionsFaculty members often draw on their past experiences when providing feedback, highlighting the adaptive nature of feedback interactions. Additionally, the feedback process is consistently influenced by the commitment to maintaining positive relationships with students. Students recognize the constructive dimension of feedback as a valuable tool for learning and personal growth.

El cuerpo vestido como construcción de identidades latinoamericanas a partir de lo monstruoso. Un enfoque decolonial para la enseñanza de la moda

This research analyzes and questions fashion and its respective teaching from a colonial matrix, constantly constructed from the body as a place of use, representation and construction of fashion and its imaginaries. In this way, learning exercises in fashion are traditionally based on the recognition of the anatomical-ergonomic of the body in direct relation to the needs of the hegemonic industry, which imposes its narratives and canons. Thanks to the decolonial foundation of the Professional Program in Fashion of the Universidad Santo Tomás and through its modular project, the approach to the body is proposed from the monstrous as a place of the possibilities of creation, which allows exploring other dimensions of representation and body construction. Derived from the above, eight projects are developed conceptually and materially in the period 2024-1 as part of Module 1: design and identities that covers the first and second semester of the course, where it is built, based on the reflections on identity, a narrative that challenges and deconstructs the hegemonic imaginaries that fashion has imposed on certain corporealities and corporealities. This in order to broaden the spectrum of fashion to a plurality of representations and that first semester students at the beginning of their specific training in fashion, led from the costume and clothing workshop I, are able to propose from the problematization and exploration of historically marginalized imaginaries.

Has Digital Village Construction Narrowed the Urban–Rural Income Gap: Evidence from Chinese Counties

Can the backward endowments of rural areas support digital village construction to attain the expected results? If the answer is yes, what are the mechanisms involved? Answering these questions is related to common prosperity. Counties are China’s frontline commanders, and the urban–rural income gap is a suitable entry point for observing the urban–rural digital divide; however, there is limited research assessing the effectiveness of digital village construction from the perspective of the urban–rural income gap at the county level. In addition, counties lifted out of poverty, as counties with worse initial endowments and as counties that should be most concerned with common wealth, are more typical for examining the effectiveness of digital rural construction; however, there are few studies on counties lifted out of poverty. Based on cross-sectional data from 865 counties in China in 2020, this study empirically analyzes the impact of digital village construction on the urban–rural income gap using an OLS model. This study also conducts mechanism tests and poverty benefit tests in addition to heterogeneity and robustness tests. The findings indicate that the development of digital villages lowers the income difference between urban and rural areas, and that the shift in the industrial structure is a key driver of this effect. Different construction dimensions have varying degrees of impact, with digital infrastructure and the digitalization of the economy having the most significant impact, the digitalization of countryside governance coming second, and the digitalization of countryside life having the most negligible impact. The impact is more pronounced in the central-eastern region of China and counties that have just been lifted out of poverty than in the western region and counties that have never been in poverty. The government will benefit greatly from this study’s understanding of the main themes, areas, and scope of digital rural construction, which will help to expand and further integrate the outcomes of reducing poverty and fostering shared prosperity.