Contextual Level Research Articles

Design of Islamic Religious Education: Purposes, alignment of curriculum components and contexts

ABSTRACT This paper presents evidence of the design of Islamic Religious Education (IRE) by evaluating the purpose, the interconnectedness of curricular components and its contextual levels through a conceptual framework for studying the design of IRE. Relying on document analyses, the findings indicate a gap between the intended and teachers’ designs of IRE. The threefold purpose of IRE, ta’leem, ta’deeb and tarbiyah, is rarely integrated into designing IRE outcomes. The ta’leem oriented outcomes are the most frequently included, the so-called ‘cognitification’ of IRE in this study. Furthermore, the components of intended IRE outcomes, formation activities that shape the threefold purpose, and assessment methods are often unaligned with one another, especially in designing IRE related to the domains of ta’deeb and tarbiyah. Finally, IRE is generally designed to help students contribute at the personal, local and national levels although its contribution to the global one is only expected from upper secondary school students. Based on these findings, this study calls for developing a taxonomy of IRE and rethinking the role of IRE in addressing multiple challenges at various levels.

Implementing integrated care clinics for HIV-infection, diabetes and hypertension in Uganda (INTE-AFRICA): process evaluation of a cluster randomised controlled trial

BackgroundSub-Saharan Africa is experiencing a dual burden of chronic human immunodeficiency virus and non-communicable diseases. A pragmatic parallel arm cluster randomised trial (INTE-AFRICA) scaled up ‘one-stop’ integrated care clinics for HIV-infection, diabetes and hypertension at selected facilities in Uganda. These clinics operated integrated health education and concurrent management of HIV, hypertension and diabetes. A process evaluation (PE) aimed to explore the experiences, attitudes and practices of a wide variety of stakeholders during implementation and to develop an understanding of the impact of broader structural and contextual factors on the process of service integration.MethodsThe PE was conducted in one integrated care clinic, and consisted of 48 in-depth interviews with stakeholders (patients, healthcare providers, policy-makers, international organisation, and clinical researchers); three focus group discussions with community leaders and members (n = 15); and 8 h of clinic-based observation. An inductive analytical approach collected and analysed the data using the Empirical Phenomenological Psychological five-step method. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological framework was subsequently used to conceptualise integrated care across multiple contextual levels (macro, meso, micro).ResultsFour main themes emerged; Implementing the integrated care model within healthcare facilities enhances detection of NCDs and comprehensive co-morbid care; Challenges of NCD drug supply chains; HIV stigma reduction over time, and Health education talks as a mechanism for change. Positive aspects of integrated care centred on the avoidance of duplication of care processes; increased capacity for screening, diagnosis and treatment of previously undiagnosed comorbid conditions; and broadening of skills of health workers to manage multiple conditions. Patients were motivated to continue receiving integrated care, despite frequent NCD drug stock-outs; and development of peer initiatives to purchase NCD drugs. Initial concerns about potential disruption of HIV care were overcome, leading to staff motivation to continue delivering integrated care.ConclusionsImplementing integrated care has the potential to sustainably reduce duplication of services, improve retention in care and treatment adherence for co/multi-morbid patients, encourage knowledge-sharing between patients and providers, and reduce HIV stigma.Trial registration numberISRCTN43896688.

The Ambiguous Nature of Contextual Dynamics During Drug Addiction Recovery: A Qualitative Study of Personal Narratives

The concept of recovery has emerged as a prominent paradigm to understand processes of change in individuals with substance use problems. To date, most studies have focused on personal recovery as the key driving force of recovery journeys, generally individualizing the often-disabling social realities that persons in recovery face. To counterbalance this bias, this paper focuses on the contextual dynamics at stake during recovery processes, based on the lived experiences of 30 persons in drug addiction recovery in Flanders (Belgium). A Lifeline Interview Method was applied to elicit recovery narratives, which were thematically analysed. We found that interpersonal relationships, enabling and disabling places, and socio-economic factors facilitate or impede recovery in meaningful ways. The findings also show how these diverse contextual dimensions are interrelated and ambiguous. Researchers, policymakers, and treatment providers should acknowledge the relational nature of recovery and the invalidating impact of stigma across the three identified contextual levels.

Socioeconomic and sex inequalities in chronic pain: A population-based cross-sectional study.

We investigated the impact of socioeconomic inequalities on chronic pain of older adults according to sex. This population-based cross-sectional study used survey data from the 2015 cohort of the SABE Study (Saúde, Bem-estar e Envelhecimento), Brazil. Socioeconomic status was examined at individual level (educational attainment, financial independence, and race/skin color) and contextual level (Human Development Index). We analyzed the association between variables using the chi-square test and the Rao & Scott correction. Logistic regression models were adjusted for risk factors. The study comprised 1,207 older adults representing 1,365,514 residents 60≥ years of age in the city of São Paulo. Chronic pain was more frequent in females (27.2%) than in males (14.5%) (p<0.001). Females evidenced the worst self-perception of pain, especially those of the most vulnerable socioeconomic strata. Social inequalities impacted chronic pain in different ways between sexes. Among females, unfavorable living conditions (OR = 1.59; 95%CI 1.07; 2,37) and Blacks/Browns females were most likely to have chronic pain (OR = 1.32; 95%CI 1.01; 1.74). Among males, only the individual aspects were significant for the occurrence of chronic pain, such as low educational attainment (OR = 1.88; 95%CI 1.16; 3.04) and insufficient income (OR = 1.63; 95%CI 1.01; 2.62). The potential for inequality was greater for females than for males reflecting structural factors inherent in a highly unequal society. Conclusions: Equity-oriented health policies are critical to preventing pain in human aging.

A Systematic Review of Engineering Students in Intercultural Teamwork: Characteristics, Challenges, and Coping Strategies

In response to the challenges posed by globalization and internationalization, engineering education programs are increasingly focused on knowledge, technologies, and competence that meet global needs. Against this backdrop, higher engineering students are often encouraged to collaborate in teams with others from diverse, cultural, and disciplinary backgrounds, for the purpose of preparing them to accommodate change and innovation across international working contexts. Within a growing number of intercultural systematic and meta-analysis reviews in engineering education, little attention has been paid to intercultural team characteristics, and even less has been given to the challenges of intercultural teamwork and the relevant coping strategies. Using a systematic approach, this paper reviewed 77 journal articles to identify the intercultural team characteristics of engineering students based on team formats, level of collaboration, learning goals, evaluation methods, and learning gains. Through the process of intercultural collaboration, several challenges and corresponding coping strategies were reported at the individual, relational, and contextual levels. Recommendations for future practice for engineering educators and programs faculties, and future research directions for engineering educational researchers, are proposed in order to support engineering students’ intercultural team learning.

AI-Augmented HRM: Literature review and a proposed multilevel framework for future research

The research using artificial intelligence (AI) applications in HRM functional areas has gained much traction and a steep surge over the last three years. The extant literature observes that contemporary AI applications have augmented HR functionalities. AI-Augmented HRM HRM(AI) has assumed strategic importance for achieving HRM domain-level outcomes and organisational outcomes for a sustainable competitive advantage. Moreover, there is increasing evidence of literature reviews pertaining to the use of AI applications in different management disciplines (i.e., marketing, supply chain, accounting, hospitality, and education). There is a considerable gap in existing studies regarding a focused, systematic literature review on HRM(AI), specifically for a multilevel framework that can offer research scholars a platform to conduct potential future research. To address this gap, the authors present a systematic literature review (SLR) of 56 articles published in 35 peer-reviewed academic journals from October 1990 to December 2021. The purpose is to analyse the context (i.e., chronological distribution, geographic spread, sector-wise distribution, theories, and methods used) and the theoretical content (key themes) of HRM(AI) research and identify gaps to present a robust multilevel framework for future research. Based upon this SLR, the authors identify noticeable research gaps, mainly stemming from - unequal distribution of previous HRM(AI) research in terms of the smaller number of sector/country-specific studies, absence of sound theoretical base/frameworks, more research on routine HR functions(i.e. recruitment and selection) and significantly less empirical research. We also found minimal research evidence that links HRM(AI) and organisational-level outcomes. To overcome this gap, we propose a multilevel framework that offers a platform for future researchers to draw linkage among diverse variables starting from the contextual level to HRM and organisational level outcomes that eventually enhance operational and financial organisational performance.

Multifaceted Barriers to Rapid Roll-out of HIV Pre-exposure Prophylaxis in China: A Qualitative Study Among Men Who Have Sex with Men.

Oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) as a safe and effective antiretroviral medicine-based prevention against HIV has not been widely adopted by gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) in China. A deeper understanding of barriers and facilitators to PrEP uptake is needed to inform the development of effective interventions. During July-August 2020, we conducted one-on-one semi-structured interviews with 31 Chinese MSM with varied PrEP use experiences (PrEP-naïve, former, and current PrEP users). Interviews were digitally recorded and transcribed in Chinese. Informed by the Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills Model (IMB), we analyzed the data using a thematic analysis approach to identify the barriers and facilitators to PrEP uptake among Chinese MSM. Major barriers to PrEP uptake among MSM in the sample included uncertainty about PrEP efficacy and lack of PrEP education (information), concerns over potential side effects and cost (motivation), and difficulties in identifying authentic PrEP medications and managing PrEP care (behavioral skills). Facilitators include the perceived benefit of PrEP in improving the quality of sex life and control over health. At the contextual level, we also identified barriers to PrEP access from a thriving informal PrEP market and stressors related to being MSM. Our findings identified a need to invest in non-discriminatory public health messaging of PrEP, explore options for MSM-friendly provision of PrEP outside of traditional HIV care settings, and be attentive to the unique context of an established informal PrEP market in future PrEP initiatives.

Menakar Distorsi Radikalisme Agama Terhadap Teori dan Praksis Beragama

This research focus on related to the issue of religious radicalism as a phenomenon that unsettles relations among adherents of different religions. Its influence is so large and widespread that it has an impact on distortions among religious adherents, both in theory and in practice. Nonetheless, this problem can actually be overcome if adherents of religions with all their uniqueness are willing to live side by side in religious maturity which is fostered through mutual respect and enrichment through their religious values. The method used in this research is literature research by referring to literary sources in the form of books and journal articles that are relevant to the research topic. The result of this research is that, radicalism with all its tendencies to distort religious ways can be measured through maintaining and cultivating discussion space, educating maturity of tolerance, and building a shared ethical culture. These efforts cannot only be limited to academics at the contextual level, but must also exist in the wider community through the praxis level as a form of confirmation of the values that have been conceptualized

What is missing in the study of emotion expression?

While approaching celebrations for the 150 years of "The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals", scientists' conclusions on emotion expression are still debated. Emotion expression has been traditionally anchored to prototypical and mutually exclusive facial expressions (e.g., anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness, and surprise). However, people express emotions in nuanced patterns and - crucially - not everything is in the face. In recent decades considerable work has critiqued this classical view, calling for a more fluid and flexible approach that considers how humans dynamically perform genuine expressions with their bodies in context. A growing body of evidence suggests that each emotional display is a complex, multi-component, motoric event. The human face is never static, but continuously acts and reacts to internal and environmental stimuli, with the coordinated action of muscles throughout the body. Moreover, two anatomically and functionally different neural pathways sub-serve voluntary and involuntary expressions. An interesting implication is that we have distinct and independent pathways for genuine and posed facial expressions, and different combinations may occur across the vertical facial axis. Investigating the time course of these facial blends, which can be controlled consciously only in part, is recently providing a useful operational test for comparing the different predictions of various models on the lateralization of emotions. This concise review will identify shortcomings and new challenges regarding the study of emotion expressions at face, body, and contextual levels, eventually resulting in a theoretical and methodological shift in the study of emotions. We contend that the most feasible solution to address the complex world of emotion expression is defining a completely new and more complete approach to emotional investigation. This approach can potentially lead us to the roots of emotional display, and to the individual mechanisms underlying their expression (i.e., individual emotional signatures).

Individual Differences in Second Language Learning: A Book Review

In second language acquisition (SLA), an understanding of individual differences (IDs) is the key to grasping both the variant and invariant aspects of it (Li et al. 2022: xxiv). Given the complex and dynamic role of IDs plays in the L2 learning process, researchers have made efforts to reach a clear, accurate, and comprehensive picture of how IDs work. However, current studies on IDs generally adopt a monolithic view lacking systematic integration, which fails to provide a meta-theory of IDs (Dörnyei 2009). The two books under review present relatively comprehensive, thorough, and updated accounts of ID research in SLA. Understanding Variability in Second Language Acquisition, Bilingualism, and Cognition, situated from a multidisciplinary perspective of theory and method like psychology, sociology, and math, sets an example of innovative explorations of IDs in SLA and proposes a nested structure of multiple contextual levels to probe IDs. In contrast, The Routledge Handbook of Second Language Acquisition and Individual Differences is an excellent encyclopaedia of ID research for its extensive breadth and depth. This book provides an overview of ID-related theories, research, pedagogy-oriented applications, and research methods. In short, these two contributions on IDs, are welcome additions to the traditional universalist perspective in SLA with significant implications for advancing both the theory and practice of IDs and SLA.

COVID-19, Wellness and Life Satisfaction in Adolescence: Individual and Contextual Issues.

During and in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, several works reflected on young people's physical and psychological health. The Dual Factor Model, which we refer to as the quadripartite model, is useful for understanding children's and adolescents' psychological health and differentiating them regarding their attitude toward the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this investigation, students from the fifth to twelfth year of schooling enrolled in the DGEEC study "Psychological Health and Wellbeing in Portuguese schools" were considered. Four groups were created based on life satisfaction (low or high) and psychological distress (with or without symptoms). The study included 4444 students (M = 13.39 years ± 2.41), of whom 47.8% were male. Of the participants, 27.2% were in the second cycle of primary education, and 72.8% were in lower and upper secondary education. Differences in gender and education level (as a proxy for age) were observed. Additionally, when considering students' perceptions of changes in their lives following the COVID-19 pandemic (stayed the same, became worse, became better), these three groups were compared concerning personal and contextual variables, revealing significant differences at both the individual and contextual levels. Finally, the study discusses the influence of education and health professionals and the need for friendly public policies.

Depressive and anxiety symptoms in adults during the COVID-19 pandemic in England: A panel data analysis over 2 years.

There has been much research into the mental health impact of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and how it is related to time-invariant individual characteristics. However, there is still a lack of research showing long-term trajectories of mental health across different stages of the pandemic. And little is known regarding the longitudinal association of time-varying factors with mental health outcomes. This study aimed to provide a longitudinal profile of how mental health in adults changed across different stages of the COVID-19 pandemic and to examine their longitudinal associations with time-varying contextual (e.g., COVID-19 policy response and pandemic intensity) and individual level factors. This study used data from a large panel study of over 57,000 adults living in England, who were followed up regularly for 2 years between March 2020 and April 2022. Mental health outcomes were depressive and anxiety symptoms. Depressive symptoms were assessed by the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and anxiety symptoms by the Generalized Anxiety Disorder assessment (GAD-7). Entropy balancing weights were applied to restore sample representativeness. After weighting, approximately 50% of participants were female, 14% from ethnic minority backgrounds, with a mean age of 48 years. Descriptive analyses showed that mental health changes were largely in line with changes in COVID-19 policy response and pandemic intensity. Further, data were analysed using fixed-effects (FE) models, which controlled for all time-invariant confounders (observed or not). FE models were fitted separately across 3 stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the first national lockdown (21/03/2020-23/08/2020), second and third national lockdowns (21/09/2020-11/04/2021), and "freedom" period (12/04/2021-14/11/2021). We found that more stringent policy response (measured by stringency index) was associated with increased depressive symptoms, in particular, during lockdown periods (β = 0.23, 95% confidence interval (CI) = [0.18 to 0.28], p < 0.001; β = 0.30, 95% CI = [0.21 to 0.39], p < 0.001; β = 0.04, 95% CI = [-0.03 to 0.12], p = 0.262). Higher COVID-19 deaths were also associated with increased depressive symptoms, but this association weakened over time (β = 0.29, 95% CI = [0.25 to 0.32], p < 0.001; β = 0.09, 95% CI = [0.05 to 0.13], p < 0.001; β = -0.06, 95% CI = [-0.30 to 0.19], p = 0.655). Similar results were also found for anxiety symptoms, for example, stringency index (β = 0.17, 95% CI = [0.12 to 0.21], p < 0.001; β = 0.13, 95% CI = [0.06 to 0.21], p = 0.001; β = 0.10, 95% CI = [0.03 to 0.17], p = 0.005), COVID-19 deaths (β = 0.07, 95% CI = [0.04 to 0.10], p < 0.001; β = 0.04, 95% CI = [0.00 to 0.07], p = 0.03; β = 0.16, 95% CI = [-0.08 to 0.39], p = 0.192). Finally, there was also evidence for the longitudinal association of mental health with individual level factors, including confidence in government/healthcare/essentials, COVID-19 knowledge, COVID-19 stress, COVID-19 infection, and social support. However, it is worth noting that the magnitudes of these longitudinal associations were generally small. The main limitation of the study was its non-probability sample design. Our results provided empirical evidence on how changes in contextual and individual level factors were related to changes in depressive and anxiety symptoms. While some factors (e.g., confidence in healthcare, social support) clearly acted as consistent predictors of depressive and/or anxiety symptoms, other factors (e.g., stringency index, COVID-19 knowledge) were dependent on the specific situations occurring within society. This could provide important implications for policy making and for a better understanding of mental health of the general public during a national or global health crisis.

A Systems-Theoretic Perspective to the Translation of Company Profiles from Chinese into English

A translation system is made up of a source text subsystem and a target text subsystem. The elements in the system are interrelated and exert influence on each other. Translation studies from a systems-theoretic perspective focus primarily on literary texts, while business discourses are seldom explored. In order to assess the translation quality of company profiles, a three-level model from the systems theory perspective has been proposed. The three levels are the preliminary data level, the discourse level, and the contextual level. The results show that the translator should attach great importance to improving and restructuring the source text and reconstructing experiential meaning, interpersonal meaning, and textual meaning. The translation should be reader-oriented and adapt to the cultural context of the target language.

The role of grit and enjoyment in EFL learners’ willingness to communicate in Saudi Arabia and Morocco: a cross-cultural study

ABSTRACT There has been a growing interest in investigating the intricate connections between different emotions and personality dimensions, such as grit, that affect second language (L2) learners’ willingness to communicate (WTC) in English. This cross-cultural study aims to contribute to this line of research by investigating whether or not grit and foreign language enjoyment (FLE) are predictors of L2 WTC among Saudi and Moroccan college-level English as a foreign language (EFL) students. The study included 446 participants from Saudi Arabia (n = 228) and Morocco (n = 218). A questionnaire administered online was utilised to collect data. According to the findings of structural equation modelling (SEM), grit and FLE were significant predictors of L2 WTC in Saudi and Moroccan students. In addition, while grit had a stronger significant predictor of L2 WTC among Moroccan students, FLE was a stronger significant predictor of L2 WTC among Saudi students than grit. Pedagogical implications are discussed based on the study findings, as are the implications of the different contextual influences and levels of multilingualism.

Patterns and predictors of public dental service utilisation among refugees in Victoria, Australia: a latent profile and multilevel analysis

BackgroundThe purpose of the study was to explore, analyse, and describe the patterns of public dental service utilisation among the refugee populations in Victoria, Australia, and determine their predictors at the individual and contextual levels.MethodsData on the refugees who attended Victorian public dental services between July 2016 to June 2020 was gathered from the Dental Health Program dataset. Latent profile analysis was used to identify discrete groups among the refugee clientele with similar mean utilisation patterns across six indicator variables describing the attributes of dental services received and the site of care provision, over the study period. Multilevel multinomial logistic regression analysis was performed to examine the individual and contextual level correlates of the identified utilisation patterns.ResultsSix distinct profiles of public dental service utilisation were identified among the study population (n = 25,542). The largest group comprised refugees predominantly using restorative services under general course of care (38.10%), followed by extraction services under emergency course of care (23.50%). Only a small proportion were estimated as having a higher mean utilisation of preventive services under general course of care (9.10%). Multilevel analysis revealed that the following variables had a significant association with refugee utilisation pattern: at the individual-level – demographic and ethnic attributes including age, gender, region of birth, preferred language for communication, use of language interpreter services, and type of eligibility card; at the contextual-level – characteristics of refugees’ neighbourhood of residence including urbanicity, socioeconomic disadvantage, delivery of Refugee Health Program at the community health centres, and spatial accessibility to public dental services via driving and public transit modes of travel.ConclusionsThe study represents a significant step towards the development of an evidence-based knowledge around public dental service utilisation among Victorian refugees. Overall, the study findings reiterate the critical need for targeted strategies to promote the importance of routine dental visits, oral disease prevention, and timely intervention among refugee groups.

Bachelor of Arts in Communication Students Asked: “What is my Contextual Communication Competence Level?”

In general, students need to be able to interact and communicate with one another from all walks of life, whether they are in personal or professional settings. Therefore, it is essential to examine students’ communication skills to ascertain whether they have adequate competence or not. In this regard, this research endeavored to determine the contextual communication competence of 266 Bachelor of Arts in Communication (BA Comm) students in one prime state university in Cordillera Administrative Region, Philippines. Through a quantitative-descriptive research design, one result revealed that BA Comm students are able to use their understanding of successful and appropriate communication patterns in public, meeting, group, and dyad situations with an average level of contextual communication competence. On the same level, BA Comm majors are committed to the field because they have the necessary communication abilities to adapt and improve various communication tactics when conversing with friends, acquaintances, and strangers. Lastly, compared to female BA Comm students, male students are more self-assured and open to communicating in various communication contexts, such as in public, meeting, group, or dyad contexts, as well as with strangers, friends, and acquaintances. Further, BA Comm students see a growth in their level of contextual communication competence as they move through their year levels because of their communication classes and social involvement. Recommendations are also included for future research directions.

Working after incarceration: An integrative framework of pre- and post-hire experiences of formerly incarcerated individuals

In this paper, we review literature that examines employment outcomes for people with histories of incarceration. Previous research on formerly incarcerated individuals (FIIs) has highlighted almost exclusively the implications of the selection process and their stigmatization. The current paper provides insight on the experiences of FIIs navigating stigma during the job search process and while at work. Using 136 articles published from 2012 to 2022, we seek to offer a theoretical framework synthesizing and integrating research from several disciplines. First, we model the process of applying for and maintaining employment, from both the applicant's and employers' perspectives. Second, we identify key moderators at the individual and contextual level that influence FIIs' pre-and post-employment experiences. Third, we highlight significant knowledge gaps that are especially salient for human resource management scholars and propose future research directions. Finally, the paper concludes with a discussion of contributions to theory and research and practical implications.

Children's Appreciation of Different Artistic Genres: Representational, Non-representational, and Abstract

Making art and appreciating art are essential human behaviours. As the idiom goes, “beauty lies in the eye of the beholder” we find diverse opinions about art and differences in the experiences elicited through art by individuals. When one perceives art, the close association between sensory and perceptual processing results in aesthetic emotions and aesthetic judgement and helps him/her build meaning. Children’s appreciation of artworks can be categorised into the perceptual level, contextual level and analytical level of appreciation. The objective of the present study is to explore children’s levels of art appreciation. The study is conducted on 60 grade IX children (equal number of boys and girls) in the age group of 13-15 years with no arts education background. They are from rural and urban backgrounds located near Hyderabad in the state of Telangana. Children’s appreciation of artworks is elicited by showing them artworks belonging to three artistic genres: representational, semi-representational and abstract artworks. The results of gender-wise analysis of children’s appreciation according to three levels of appreciation indicate that boys and girls show a statistically significant difference only at the perceptual level of appreciation among representational artworks. For semi-representational artworks, boys and girls display a statistically significant difference at the contextual level of appreciation. On the other hand, in relation to abstract artworks, boys and girls display statistically significant differences in appreciation at perceptual, contextual, and analytical levels of appreciation. The research findings are a clear indication that teachers should encourage children to engage with, reflect upon and value their experiences with artworks and their beauty.

Implementation of the national Getting it Right First Time orthopaedic programme in England: a qualitative case study analysis

ObjectiveTo describe the implementation and impact of the Getting it Right First Time (GIRFT) national orthopaedic improvement programme at the level of individual National Health Service (NHS) Trusts.DesignQualitative case studies...

Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy in Reading Texts in EFL/ESL Settings

Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy in Reading Texts in EFL/ESL Settings