International Context Research Articles

Online Support for International Students’ Engagement in Learning: A Case Study on Padlet Usage at a University in Korea

The number of international students in South Korea, which dropped sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic, reached its highest level in 2023. It is predicted that the number of international students will continue to increase with the active growth in international exchange and due to diverse government support. This study introduces Padlet’s canvas layout in a class for international students to organize the course and boost engagement and interactions among the students and with the instructors. A survey and interviews with 22 undergraduate students from eight different countries, studying in Korea, were conducted to comprehend how they benefited from using the Padlet platform and their experience with it. The results indicate that Padlet enhances the students’ sense of belonging, expands their thinking processes through collaborative interactions and feedback from professors and colleagues, and increases their knowledge, leading to positive effects on class participation. Moreover, the use of Padlet accommodates diversity among different cultures and has a positive impact on cooperative learning in an international context. Based on these findings, several strategies for the implementation of Padlet in an educational setting can be suggested. To stimulate the participation of international students in learning, professors should consider offering the option of staying anonymous versus using real names when posting on Padlet. To improve the effectiveness of feedback, instructors should visualize their feedback. In addition, it is critical to institute guidelines to evaluate the relevance of the information in order to provide information that meets the students’ level of understanding and to establish a healthy level of information exchange. However, due to the limited sample size, the findings from this study cannot be generalized. Thus, we recommend expanding the sample in future studies to enable the use of inferential statistics, such as investigating differences in student attitudes by demographics.

Male Sex Workers as Situational Entrepreneurs: Exploring the Demographics, Motivations, and Practices of Male Sex Workers in the Tourism Industry in Botswana

While sex tourism has been well studied in international contexts, to date, only a few studies have focused on African countries. For Botswana and other African countries, the lack of studies in sex work is surprising, given its prevalence in such societies. In the African context, sex work and tourism are very complex, controversial, and entangled with politics and religious disapproval. Moreover, the few existing studies have mostly focused on female sex workers, hence creating a gap in the literature when it comes to understanding male sex work. Using a qualitative approach, the researcher used in-depth face-to-face and semi-structured interviews with 20 male sex workers in Botswana to explore the motivations, dynamics of entry, and sex work practices in Botswana. This article argues that male sex workers in Botswana could be viewed as situational entrepreneurs seeking economic opportunities beyond legitimised ways. A study that explores the dynamics of male sex work is critical in Botswana, first to determine similarities with other contexts and second, to inform policy on the needs of male sex workers in Botswana.

Virtual reality reusable e-resources for clinical skills training: a mixed-methods evaluation

Virtual reality has long existed, but its wider adoption in education is recent. Studies informed by theoretical underpinned co-creation frameworks and utilization of theoretical informed evaluations are scarce in literature. Thus, this study internationally evaluated the efficacy of three virtual reality reusable e-resources (VRReRs), co-created based on the ASPIRE framework, for teaching clinical skills to university students. The study followed a mixed-methods approach, combining SUS, SUS Presence Questionnaire, TAM, and UTAUT2 with a focus group discussion. Additionally, for one VRReR, a quantitative pre/post evaluation of knowledge and comparison with lecture notes followed. Results demonstrated moderately to highly usability, effectively facilitated a strong sense of presence, confidence while using them, and willingness to continue using VRReRs in the future, while increased knowledge of the learners, highlighted their effectiveness. Although some usability issues were identified, these were considered easy to address. This work evidence, in an international context, that co-created VR resources are highly acceptable and effective, similar to other types of digital or traditional resources developed through participatory inquiry paradigm. By leveraging the benefits of VR technology, VRReRs have the potential to transform and enhance the learning experience in the field of clinical skills, ultimately advancing the digitalization of higher education.

Housing and health for people from refugee and asylum-seeking backgrounds: findings from an Australian qualitative longitudinal study

BackgroundFor people from asylum-seeking and refugee backgrounds, housing and the re-establishment of home are key social determinants of health. Research highlights the inequities faced by asylum seekers and refugees in the housing markets of high-income resettlement countries, resulting in their overrepresentation in precarious housing. There is also emerging evidence of the relationship between housing and health for this population relating to lack of affordability, insecurity of tenure, and poor suitability (physical and social). The mechanisms by which housing impacts health for this group within these housing contexts, is however, understudied - especially overtime. This qualitative longitudinal study aimed to address this gap.MethodsSemi-structured interviews were conducted with 25 people from asylum-seeking and refugee backgrounds in South Australia, recruited through a community survey. Thematic analysis of interview data across three time points over three years identified four material and psychosocial mechanisms through which housing contributed to health outcomes via psychological and physical stressors - physical environment; stability; safety; and social connections, support and services. The study also identified additional health promoting resources, particularly elements of ontological security. The dynamics of these indirect and direct mechanisms were further illuminated by considering the impact of international, national and local contexts and a range of intersecting social factors including gender, country/culture of origin, family circumstances, immigration status, language skills, income, and health status.ConclusionsRebuilding a sense of home and ontological security is a key resettlement priority and crucial for wellbeing. More comprehensive strategies to facilitate this for refugees and asylum seekers are required.

Participation in children's hospitals: approaches to participatory formats for paediatric patients

Based on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, children and young people have the right to participate in all matters and decisions that affect them. This applies in particular when they are patients in a children's hospital. In the international context, established formats for the participation of young patients regarding health issues already exist, for example "Children's Councils" or "Young Person's Advisory Groups". In Germany, such approaches are still mostly lacking. It thus remains important to develop suitable formats that enable meaningful and effective participation of young patients in the health system. These formats must be chosen in such a way that they can realistically be implemented in clinical settings as well as in pediatric research, and that they can be sustained in the long term. In order to strengthen the consideration of children's rights in the health system, the advancement of such participatory formats as well as their sustainable implementation and evaluation are desirable.

The Czech trust fund in the international context

The Czech trust fund in the international context

Development of creative abilities of primary school students by means of project-based technologies in foreign countries

In the context of global competition, the ability to think outside the box and work effectively in a team, acquired through the use of project-based technologies, plays a key role in preparing the younger generation for future professional challenges. Methods that promote the active development of these qualities, such as project-based learning, have proven themselves in the international context as an effective way to unlock the creative potential of students. The purpose of the study was to investigate the features of using project-based technologies for the development of creative abilities of primary school students in foreign countries. General methods of scientific research, such as empirical (observation, comparison) and complex (analysis and synthesis), were applied. Various approaches to the interpretation of project-based learning, conditions for its effectiveness and advantages for the development of children’s creative abilities are presented. Studies that demonstrate the successful use of project-based technologies in foreign countries, namely: Finland, Great Britain, USA, Canada, Poland, Czech Republic, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Spain, Germany, Japan, and methods that contribute to the development of creative and critical thinking in primary school students are analysed. It was found that creativity is a key competence of students’ future success. The use of project-based technologies in primary schools contributes to the identification of individuality and the development of personal qualities. The use of project-based technologies in primary schools in foreign countries is an effective means of developing students’ creative abilities, the learning environment that promotes students’ self-realisation, development of their creative potential, and preparation for the requirements of the modern world. The practical significance of the study is to provide teachers, methodologists and other teachers of Ukrainian primary schools with information and insights on the use of project-based technologies for the development of creative abilities of students based on foreign experience

An empirical analysis of individual and collective determinants of international research collaboration

International research collaboration is a crucial determinant of scientific productivity, but it remains an underdeveloped task for governments, universities and research systems. Despite important economic and institutional efforts to promote collaborations, not all researchers establish successful international connections during their academic careers. This lack of international contacts hinders knowledge transfer from a broader perspective, limiting, in a way, the advancement of science. This paper analyses these factors—individual and collective—affecting research collaboration in the international context through a hierarchical multiple regression analysis of a sample of 954 Spanish academic researchers. We found that collective factors such as research team social capital—including structural and cognitive dimensions—and team orientation toward research and team productivity clearly affect international collaboration levels. Furthermore, contrary to our expectations, researchers’ human capital and motivation, and the principal investigator’s knowledge-oriented leadership, exerted only a very weak effect, which also is discussed in the paper’s final section.

Friluftsliv in residential youth care: a resilience perspective on character-forming outdoor experiences

ABSTRACT We explore care workers’ descriptions of friluftsliv (outdoor life) in Norwegian residential care homes in the context of child and youth care. Tracing a brief history of friluftsliv in Norway, we describe how it is appreciated for its health benefits and character-forming qualities. We also touch upon barriers to friluftsliv, which largely follow socioeconomic patterns, and situate friluftsliv in a broader international context of outdoor approaches. The data consists of nine semi-structured interviews describing care workers` experiences with friluftsliv at residential care. Using thematic analysis based on descriptive phenomenology, we generated two themes that depict what care-workers describe as character forming qualities of friluftsliv that are relevant for the adolescents: ‘coping with challenges’ and ‘becoming familiar with culturally valued pursuits.’ We use resilience theory as a framework to examine these qualities of friluftsliv.

Mortality trends in Germany in an international context

Due to its strong economy and awell-developed healthcare system, Germany is well positioned to achieve above-average reductions in mortality. Nevertheless, in terms of life expectancy, Germany is increasingly falling behind Western Europe. We compare mortality trends in Germany with other Western European countries, covering the period from 1960 to 2019. The focus is on long-term trends in Germany's ranking in international mortality trends. In addition, we conduct adetailed mortality analysis by age. Our analysis is mostly based on mortality data from the Human Mortality Database (HMD). Cause-specific mortality data originate from the database of the World Health Organization (WHO). For the international comparison of mortality trends, we use conventional mortality indicators (age-standardized mortality rate, period life expectancy). Compared to other Western European countries, Germany has higher mortality in the middle and older age groups. Germany's life expectancy gap compared to Western Europe has grown during the past 20years. In 2000, Germany was 0.73years behind for men and 0.74years behind for women. By 2019, these figures had risen to 1.43and 1.34years, respectively. This is mainly due to mortality from non-communicable diseases. For Germany to catch up with other Western European countries, astronger focus on further reducing mortality at ages 50+ is crucial. This also requires further research to understand the factors behind Germany's disadvantageous position.

Learning about Sustainability in a Global Context of Digital Transformation in Teacher Education: Exemplary Vignettes of Experience in Webinars

Webinars are a powerful digital tool for learning about sustainability in a global context. The implementation of different technologies in teacher education, such as webinars, is becoming indispensable due to digital transformation and internationalisation processes. In this context, digital competences are described as key to quality education and a sustainable future. In teacher education, there is little evidence on how digital tools can be used for learning about sustainability. Based on the Teach4Reach project, a two-year international study on the Sustainable Development Goals in teacher education describes learning experiences in webinars by presenting selected vignettes. The question is how digitisation can support learning on sustainability in a global context of quality education. We conclude that webinars are a digital tool that supports knowledge building and collaborative learning in an international context but that their specific properties need to be recognised. The vignettes exemplify various challenges and opportunities presented by webinars, such as the fundamental role of facilitators, ease of access to the online environment, different behaviours of participants and unknowns about the learning outcomes.

Localised multiple channel distribution strategies of luxury fashion retailers – evidence from China

PurposeThis empirical study aims to examine luxury fashion retailers' localised multiple channel distribution strategies in China.Design/methodology/approachThrough case studies of 15 participating retailers, qualitative data were collected from 33 semi-structured interviews.FindingsStrong impacts of internationalisation strategies, distribution strategies and channel length towards multiple channel retailing are revealed. Multi-channel retailing is widely employed by firms who have entered China and further developed their businesses through local partnerships and adopted a selective distribution strategy via relatively longer channels. Omni-channel retailing is only suitable for the few retailers using an exclusive distribution strategy through direct marketing and wholly owned customer relationship management. As a dynamic transformation from multi- to omni-channel retailing, cross-channel retailing is adopted by those who are withdrawing from local partnerships and shifting to wholly owned expansions and operations in host markets.Research limitations/implicationsThe results are potentially challenged by relatively small sample size.Practical implicationsPractitioners are suggested to adapt multiple channel retailing to their international expansion strategies, distribution strategies and channel length in the host markets.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to the literature in both multiple channel retailing and international retailing by offering insights into the motives, development patterns and suitability of multiple channel retailing in the international retail marketing context.

Gender and Expertise in the Mixed Economy of Mental Welfare in Greece

The late 1970s and the 1980s were a time of political and social change in Greece, following the collapse of the seven-year military dictatorship, as well as a time of rupture in mental healthcare: new approaches were being developed, including those implemented by the Society of Social Psychiatry and Mental Health, a voluntary, nonprofit scientific association, founded in 1981 (officially in 1986). This article places the initiatives undertaken by the society within the international context of postwar mental healthcare, and within the national postdictatorship framework. It uses the analytical concept of the “mixed economy of welfare”, demonstrating that the society’s work was based on the synergy between the private and the public. Furthermore, the article discusses how concepts of gender were embedded in and shaped by the work of the society in the 1980s, arguing that the society reproduced the traditional gender hierarchies of the mental health field while reworking the hierarchies within its personnel – psychiatrists and other professionals, experts and nonexperts, and, by extension, to some degree at least, men and women mental healthcare providers.

PALESTINIAN LITERATURE: A RECORD OF PERPETUAL DISPLACEMENT AND FAILURES

Within the framework of Palestine's international, political, and aesthetic contexts, this study delves into the historical evolution of Palestinian literature, serving as a testament to the people's history of suffering. terrifying trials, and being banished from their whole country. It provides context for reading Palestinian literature and learning about the writers' legacies. As authors seek new ways to play out their histories and express themselves, the study delves into significant topics, such as the British Mandatory from 1948 to 1967, the Six-Day War, and the continuing colonization. In order to claim their displacement and suffering above the constraints of history, Palestinian intellectuals use the mystical power of language. The persistence of Palestinians under Israeli occupation is shown by the evolution of "Writings of Resistance" that began in the mid-20th century and continues to this day. Still going strong now, Palestinian literature cites classics while denying the "horror of history."The literary works of the Palestinian people eloquently portray the hardships endured by the Palestinian people and their continuous fight for survival.

Organizational ambidexterity: A reconceptualization and research agenda for the VUCA international context

AbstractThe literature confirms that organizational ambidexterity (OA) is the key to increasing an organization's prospects for survival and success in an increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous (VUCA) international environment. A critical review of this literature reveals that the conceptualization of OA is disorganized and ambiguous when it establishes and labels relevant aspects of this construct, such as its development and implementation. This study provides a conceptual framework for OA and its dimensions and explains the mechanisms for building and implementing OA. The most important contribution resides in providing research guidelines to improve the consistency and rigour of OA conceptualization in the VUCA international context. To develop this research agenda, we use the VUCA framework, which allows us to identify possible future research and the application of theories and methodologies not previously used. Thus, in general terms, to respond to volatility, studies must be carried out on the agility of organizations. For uncertainty, the topics of knowledge and information management are interesting. To respond to the complexity, topics on restructuring are interesting. And to avoid ambiguity, studies on experimentation would be ideal. Based on this generality, this study proposes multiple future lines of research.

Подільське відділення Російського біблійного товариства: спроба інтеграції в світовий культурно-релігійний простір початку ХІХ ст.

The article’s purpose is to highlight the history of the Podillia branch of the Russian Bible Society (RBS), which extended its activities from Kamianets-Podilskyi not only to Podillia province but also to Bessarabia and Moldova. In the appendix to the article, two documents stating the involvement of the Podilia branch in the international affairs of the British and Foreign Bible Society (BFBS) are published. The methodological basis of the article is the principles of historicism, objectivity, complexity and systematicity, as well as the methods of archival heuristics and source studies. The scientific novelty consists in the primary study of the activity of the Podillia branch in the international context, not as a structural unit of the RBS, but as one of the branches of the BFBS. Conclusions. The Podillia branch was one of the most numerous societies and the most powerful in terms of the scope of its activities. It had its own specifics, directly related to the ethnic and religious composition of the population of Podillia. It distributed the majority of the Holy Scriptures in Polish, as well as in Slavic and Hebrew languages since native speakers of these languages were predominant in the region. The branch was in contact not only with the St. Petersburg and Moscow RBS committees, but also with the Polish Bible Society, branches functioning in Belarusian cities, and BFBS missionaries. Receiving reports of other foreign branches of the BFBS, the members of the Podillia branch felt like participants of the worldwide community of Bible fans (Bible Union). A significant role belonged to missionary Robert Pinkerton who supported the Podillia Branch Committee on behalf of BFBS. It was inspired by the successes of the BFBS and its branches in Great Britain, France, Denmark, Sweden, Prussia, Poland and Germany, India, China, Persia, Turkey, African countries and tribes, including Ethiopia, North America, as well as all provinces of the Russian Empire.

Accepting Timor Leste as an ASEAN member: an act of compassion or a geopolitical necessity?

Timor Leste has been accepted “in principle” as the 11th ASEAN country in 2022, after 11 years of waiting. The 11-year delay is said to be due to skepticism from some Southeast Asian countries, which consider Timor-Leste an “uncertain situation”. Many domestic issues, influenced by the international context, have added to this situation. These include concerns about the consolidation of democratic state institutions in Timor-Leste, as well as the prospects for its short-term economy and internal security. Existing solely on the decline of the Petroleum Fund, which is expected to disappear within a decade, the country risks falling into a budget abyss. As the smallest economy in the entire Southeast Asia region, with the second lowest GDP per capita and high poverty and unemployment rates, Timor Leste has a long way to go to catch up with the remaining members of ASEAN. Despite these economic shortcomings, ASEAN still decided to accept Timor Leste as a new member. This article aims to explain Timor-Leste's credibility in meeting the political, economic and socio-cultural security criteria of the ASEAN pillars. It tries to explain why ASEAN accepted Timor-Leste. Using qualitative methods, the article shows that ASEAN member states have a real incentive to help Timor catch up with other members to avoid its economic collapse. However, the growing geopolitical rivalry between China and the US in the region is perhaps the best explanation for ASEAN's eventual desire to accept Timor Leste's membership application.

The European Union Climate Diplomacy: Evolving Practices in a Changing Geopolitical Context

Summary The European Union (EU) has systematically promoted global climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts. Since the 1990s, despite varying success in international climate negotiations, it has sought to take a leadership role in global climate politics. Internal consolidation of environmental and climate policies has enhanced EU policy coherence and strengthened its ability to influence international efforts to mitigate climate change. Globally, however, the picture is marred by geopolitical competition, rendering the context of global climate politics less propitious for the EU’s climate leadership. This article examines how the EU’s climate diplomacy is adapting to an increasingly complex international context. It finds that while the EU climate action is still premised on the deep-seated beliefs of the EU’s ambitious approach to climate, the practices of EU climate diplomacy have adapted to a changing geopolitical context. This evolution is traced through a set of key diplomatic practices: narration, co-ordination, outreach and mainstreaming.

The ‘two lives’ of Esping‐Andersen and the revival of a research programme: Gender equality, employment and redistribution in contemporary social policy

AbstractThis article makes two conceptual contributions to social policy literature. First, we summarise key concepts and insights from Gøsta Esping‐Andersen's major books, tracing his work in ‘two lives’: ‘the foundations, or the welfare state between states and markets’ and ‘the demographic turn’. Analysing the ‘first life’, we revisit the centrality of the decommodification and social stratification concepts and the seeds of the social investment approach. Further, we explore Esping‐Andersen's masterful analysis of the double bind of the welfare state (supporting full‐employment and redistributional harmony) in a post‐industrial era and how countries belonging to different regimes have dealt with it. Through his ‘second life’, we explore the ‘impossible marriage’ between full employment and equality, and the development of the social investment approach. Our second contribution is to critically analyse a tension—generated by the shift from a broad to a narrow social policy perspective—between the two lives and how it raises questions for contemporary social policy. We suggest the field should take stock of Esping‐Andersen's work holistically, going beyond a simplistic use of welfare regime typologies and the universal proposition of a Scandinavian‐style social investment approach. This approach tends to overlook factors related to the international context (e.g., the expansion of the market logic, and questions of exchange, inflation and debt) when assessing the impact of social policy on key outcomes. Our ultimate goal is to revive a research programme based on the integration between social policy and international political economy, a programme geared at critically assessing issues related to gender equality, employment and redistribution.

Application and advancement of digital teaching materials in teaching epidemiology

This study aims at examining the application and development of digital teaching materials in the field of epidemiology, encompassing both China and international contexts. The research involved conducting search on websites and literature databases to assess the status of digital teaching materials in epidemiology, nationally and internationally. At present, in China, digital teaching materials used in epidemiology are primarily presented in the form of printed books with added QR codes, providing teaching resources such as videos and exercises. However, issues with the level of interactivity have been identified. In foreign countries, with stronger emphasis placed on personalization, interactivity, and the use of rich media technologies in the digital teaching materials, epidemiologically. Enhanced digitization regarding materials and learning outcomes is achieved through features such as real-time notes, interactive animations, and quizzes. These approaches are considered worth considering for adoption. This study provides valuable insights for the digital transformation of epidemiology education.