Critical Approach Research Articles

Representation of the Campaign Support for Presidential Candidate Ganjar Pranowo In White Hair (Rambut Putih) Song by NDX AKA

This study aims to describe the structure and social cognition contained in the lyrics of the song White Hair. So that listeners of the Javanese song can know in depth what meaning is actually conveyed by the author through the song. This research uses the critical discourse analysis approach by Teun Van Djik to analyze data from the lyrics of the song Rambut Putih by NDX AKA. The results showed that there are 3 structures in the lyrics of the song Rambut Putih, namely: 1) macro structure that shows the theme of the song is support for Presidential Candidate Ganjar Pranowo, 2) superstructure that shows schematic elements that explain the full support for presidential candidate Ganjar Pranowo, 3) micro structure that shows semantic, syntactic, stylistic elements that show the lexicon "sat-set", and rhetorical elements of Rambut Putih song lyrics that show an invitation to support presidential candidate Ganjar described by the word White Hair. In social cognition, it was found that the knowledge aspect shows the author's experience of feeling betrayed by the previous leader's promises that were not kept. Furthermore, in the aspects of opinion and attitude, it is shown that the author thinks that if he chooses the White Hair, he will get happiness because his work is one-set, fast, and clear.

An Intersectional Approach to the Understandings of Well-being of Latin American Adolescent Migrants Living in Barcelona-Spain

Abstract Research on adolescent migrants has prioritized deficit- and adaptation-based approaches, with scarce attention to non-pathologizing perspectives. Faced with this challenge, the study of this population’s understanding of well-being was articulated as a framework capable of strengthening the available knowledge. Qualitative studies on understandings of well-being have contributed to its perception as contextual, multifaceted and changing (Fattore et al., 2021). However, as Hunner-Kreisel and März (Child Indicators Research, 12(2), 425–442, 2019) posit, progress is still required in integrating critical perspectives. Considering this gap, incorporating the intersectional approach allowed the present study to learn about the understandings of well-being from a critical perspective, with a focus on the experiences in the new local space, elaborated by Latin American adolescent migrants living in Barcelona. These understandings were analyzed and articulated following the proposal of Winker and Degele (European Journal of Women’s Studies, 18(1), 51–66, 2011), organized in the levels: identity constructions, symbolic representations and social structures. For the case of adolescent migrants, exploring understandings of well-being from this critical analytical approach strengthens a contextual and historically situated understanding by making oppressions and agencies visible. A qualitative design was used that included semi-structured interviews and the use of photographs as triggers for dialogue with 10 participants between 11 and 18 years of age. The results identify and describe four central understandings of well-being that Latin American adolescent migrants, participants in the study, construct around their new local space: (1) Process of transformations (new identifications, differentiations, belongings) and facing challenges as experiences that enhance a positive sense of self, by perceiving capabilities and growth; (2) Nuclear and extended family as a space of continuity and emotional support; (3) Development of reflective capacity, in terms of comparative analysis between the territory of origin and the new one, generating a sense of understanding of the world and evaluations of present and future living conditions; and (4) Practices that challenge social asymmetry: agency, oriented to include difference; recognition of the relevance of bonds and social support, of linguistic integration and of the inclusive functioning of the school system. This study contributes to advancing critical perspectives on well-being, challenging universalist and psychologistic approaches. The findings offer practical insights for the design of psychosocial interventions and inclusive policies that strengthen adolescents’ agency, promote their inclusion, and address the complex challenges faced by migrant youth in transnational contexts.

Feminisms in the Archives

The complex relationship between archival records and institutions, power, and history making is a shared concern of both archival and feminist research and praxis. This paper reports key findings of a critical literature review that examines the presence and prevalence of critical feminist theories, practices, and approaches employed in archival studies research between 1973-2024. Our key findings highlight how feminist approaches not only serve archival studies research that aims to promote visibility, credibility, control, and care to communities whose voices have been systematically excluded from mainstream archives but also encourages an array of archival functions and practices embedded in critical intersectional feminist values, methods, and ethics.

Navigating the space between: Reflecting on epistemological struggle and the psychosocial perspective

ABSTRACT The articles in this special issue all explore the complex relationship between individuals and their social world, examining the limitations of traditional paradigms. Between them they provide robust critiques of both psychologism and sociologism for failing to fully capture the complex interplay of the social and the psychological, highlighting the need for a more nuanced understanding. In this paper I suggest that engagement with ‘psychosocial perspectives’ that acknowledge the inextricable link between psychic and social realms, can offer this more nuanced understanding of human experience. I examine the development of psychosocial thinking, highlighting the influence of practice, particularly psychiatry and psychoanalysis, in shaping this perspective. The paper explores research methods that draw on diverse theories and practices, including psychosocial interviewing, observational methods, social dreaming and historical methods. The paper concludes by advocating for a critical and nuanced approach to understanding human experience, one that recognizes the profound influence of the ‘social unconscious’ on individual and collective lives.

El periodismo como recurso narrativo en dos biografías gráficas sobre Salvador Allende y José Mujica

Non-fiction graphic narratives have emerged as a growing genre, allowing for a critical and humanized approach to historical events. These works combine text and image to enrich the interpretation of facts, facilitating an emotional connection with the protagonists and offering an accessible and subjective memory of the past. In this article, we analyze two graphic biographies focused on Salvador Allende and José Mujica, key political leaders in the 1973 coups in Chile and Uruguay. By integrating journalism as a narrative resource, these works rigorously document reality and adopt investigative journalism techniques, providing an analysis of the social and political consequences of these events.

Modified critical chain scheduling for construction projects

ABSTRACT Project planning and scheduling is a critical stage in the construction industry that still faces significant challenges such as cost overruns and time delays, primarily due to the dominance of traditional network analysis techniques like the Critical Path Method (CPM), Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT), etc. Critical Chain Method emerged as an alternative, incorporating new tools to address the limitations of CPM such as path merging, availability of resources and extra safety time. Still, it has shortcomings in addressing resource allocation because there is no proven effective resource allocation algorithm. The current paper integrating the Earliest Late Start (ELS) technique with the critical chain approach for managing resource allocation on construction projects. Concise criteria were illustrated to deal with critical chain scheduling, including the implementation of the ELS resource allocation method. In the meantime, the explicit critical chain scheduling and the visual identification of the critical chain network using an Excel-based model are provided. The methodology of the modification emphasizes addressing the probabilities of the resource leveling calculations in the critical chain scheduling identified through the literature survey. The methodology is validated utilizing benchmark example from the literature and a survey was conducted and distributed among engineers, selected to investigate their feedback on the modified approach. Finally, the results show the potential application of the developed technique to reduce project duration and cost and monitor only one critical chain during the project period.

How (Not) to Study a War-Affected Society: Challenges of Knowledge Production in Ukraine and Elsewhere

Abstract Critical approaches to research on war-affected societies emphasize the necessity for a more empirically grounded approach to the production of knowledge. Presently, research on war-affected societies is undergoing a shift toward localization with a call for more “voices” with local knowledge and expertise. This research is an attempt to analyze the challenges of reliable knowledge production in war-affected societies and their circulation in academia, the policy-making community, and feeding media discourse. The research focuses on the Russian war against Ukraine since 2014 as a prism through which to examine the main challenges for localized knowledge production. We consider several aspects of knowledge production including the problems and issues of framing and wording that define the character of the conflict, challenges of research design and data collection, researchers’ positioning dilemmas, participants’ responses, differences between policy and academic research, and the role of the media. The purpose of this study is to engage with and attempts to advance the literature on knowledge localization. We argue that a move toward the localization of fieldwork requires a more sensitive and transdisciplinary approach to knowledge production. Based on our own experience of fieldwork during wartime, we point out possible ethical and methodological challenges and offer workable responses to them.

“When You Are in Rome, You Behave like the Romans”: International Students’ Experience of Integration Policies at a UK University

Set within the context of the calls for a critical approach to the integration of international students, this paper draws on decolonial theories to examine the experiences of international students from Asian and African countries as they make sense of institutional policies designed to support their integration. The study uses a phenomenological approach to analyse focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews with international postgraduate students. The findings reveal how international students demand the decolonisation of a “Eurocentric” curriculum and a pedagogical framework that acknowledges their experiences and agencies as epistemic equals. Participants expressed diverse opinions about the institution’s academic culture, while inclusion policies are perceived as “tokenistic gestures” that fail to address racial invalidation and microaggressions. Findings from this study suggest the need for institutions in “post-race” times to transcend superficial equality discourses that commodify diversity as “good business sense”, targeting raced, mobile, and gendered “others” for inclusion by situating EDI strategies within a much longer history of global entanglements shaped by colonial, capitalist relations, rationalities, and subjectivities.

Integrating Technologies Into Citizenship Training -EpC-: A Case Study With A Technological-Political Focus in the Colombian Context

Objective: the objective of this study was to investigate the impact of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) on the pedagogical practices of Education for Citizenship (EpC) in educational institutions in the Nariño department, Colombia, to identify opportunities, tensions, and transformations in the integration of technology into the curriculum. Theoretical Framework: it was based on conceptual frameworks such as the Didactics of Social Sciences mediated by technology, the technopolitical approach, and network society theory. These models highlight how technologies reshape social and educational dynamics, thus promoting critical citizenship skills and learning that is contextualized in both global and local realities. Method: a multiple case study design was adopted, which included the participation of four educational institutions. Data collection was carried out through semi-structured interviews, questionnaires, and non-participant observations. These methods allowed for the analysis of teaching practices mediated by ICT and their relationship with the curricular objectives of EpC. The analysis was conducted in phases of selection, prediction, and interpretation, identifying emerging patterns and categories. Results and Discussion: the results show that ICT is a key tool for promoting digital literacy and civic participation, but face limitations such as the digital divide and lack of teacher training. In the discussion, these findings are contextualized in theories such as technopolitics, highlighting how ICT transforms teaching towards more critical and participatory approaches. The identified tensions include the limited instrumentalization of ICT and their underutilized potential to generate profound changes in educational practices.

How do we speak about sexual assaults?

This paper analyzes the written French media coverage of four cases of public denunciations of sexual assault that occurred during #MeToo movements and that involve public personalities, namely Julien Lacroix, Maripier Morin, Gilbert Rozon, and Éric Salvail. Using a Critical Discourse Analysis approach (Fairclough, 1995; van Dijk, 1988), we consider linguistic features that have been analyzed previously in a mostly English body of research on media discourse surrounding sexual assault cases (e.g., Clark, 1992; Henley et al., 1995; Tranchese, 2023), such as grammatical voice and lexical choices. We use data from 526 articles retrieved from three influential newspapers in Québec, namely La Presse, Le Devoir, and Journal de Montréal. We observe that these linguistic resources tend to reduce the perceived responsibility of the perpetrators by casting them as victims of the public denunciations.

Evoluzione Culturale: una prospettiva quantitativa sui processi di trasmissione della cultura

The Theory of Cultural Evolution is a critical approach to understand the development of our species, Homo sapiens, as it explicitly frames this process as coin with two inseparable and intertwined sides – one for biological change and one for cultural change. While this dual perspective has been demonstrably impactful in various fields, including anthropology, archaeology, linguistics, sociology, psychology, and economics, it remains surprisingly overlooked and underrepresented, particularly in the Italian academic context. Despite its significant contributions to the theoretical and methodological advancements in these disciplines, the relative marginalization of this approach highlights the challenges interdisciplinary perspectives often face when attempting to penetrate more specialized academic fields. This paper seeks to provide a brief (and necessarily non-exhaustive) introduction to this approach, with the hope that its wider dissemination may promote greater integration of this innovative framework into various disciplines, with a particular focus on the study of the evolutionary journey of our species, from its African origins to the present day.

Pesantren dan Perubahan Sosial

Pesantren is an Islamic educational institution led by a kiai, operating through both formal and non-formal pathways, with the goal of studying, understanding, internalizing, and practicing Islamic teachings derived from classical texts. It emphasizes moral development and character building as a guide for daily life, along with a spirit of devotion in seeking divine (ilāhiyyah) values. Pesantren maintains a high level of integration with the surrounding community. Its function extends beyond education, serving as a social institution, a center for religious dissemination, and a moral reference for society. As an agent of socio-cultural change, pesantren plays a role in three key areas: 1) Tafaqquh fi al-din – Deepening religious knowledge through educational and dakwah institutions. 2) Teaching classical Islamic texts (kitab kuning) – Using a dialogical, critical, and open approach, without dogmatic enforcement of specific doctrines or opinions. 3) Instilling akhlak al-karimah – Cultivating noble character both within and beyond the pesantren environment.

Reconsidering the Asylum Lottery: Refugee Determination and the Structure of Luck

An influential body of legal scholarship suggests that luck plays a role in determining who gets refugee status where legal processes operate as a ‘roulette’ or ‘lottery’. These metaphors act as a powerful way of signalling how systems of justice produce unfair outcomes, but scholarship on refugee law has, to date, paid little attention to date on how luck functions as a concept. Drawing from other disciplinary approaches to conceptualising luck, this article uses empirical research on access to immigration advice in England to develop a more critical approach to luck. The findings demonstrate how experiences of luck within immigration systems are connected to structural inequalities and other factors that are often produced by – and can be addressed through – policy decisions. I argue that, as legal scholars, we need to be cautious about accepting individual narratives of luck at face value, because luck implies a lack of control and can therefore work to obscure these more structural issues. Paying closer attention to how experiences of luck are produced and structured by legal processes can, however, also help to expand the conceptual tools that we use to work towards fairer systems of justice.

Acidification level variability in hemiboreal production forest drained peatland catchments and after different intensity regeneration fellings using critical loads modelling approach.

Forestry activities, i.e., drainage system maintenance or regeneration fellings may alter the water quality in catchments as well as in runoff and induce risks of acidification. In Latvia, most of the anthropogenic pollution to ecosystems is air-borne and comes from transboundary sources, while in drained forested catchments, nutrients may be leached more due to management-induced disturbances. In this study, critical load approaches were used to evaluate acidification risks in five relatively small drained forested peatland catchments, including effects of drainage network maintenance and in three locally typical forest site types of various trophic states after different intensity regeneration fellings (stem-only harvesting, whole-tree harvesting). Studied drainage catchments presented high acidity, S and N critical loads reaching far above factual loads by precipitation, because of organic soils in combination with high basic cation concentrations. Drainage network maintenance significantly increased acidity and S critical loads, while N critical loads increased but not significantly in all catchments. At the felling sites also, no exceedances of critical loads were detected. Higher critical loads were observed with higher trophic levels. At the eutrophic site, higher critical loads were observed after stem-only harvesting while, at the oligotrophic site, higher critical loads were observed after whole-tree harvesting. The critical load modelling approaches demonstrated the potential to assess the impacts of various forestry management practices. With broadened base of knowledge, these methods can be utilised to support decision making and define acceptable levels of disturbance for sensitive sites and in regionally specific conditions.

Undergraduate nursing students' perspectives of trauma-informed care in pediatric nursing: A cross-sectional Egyptian study.

Trauma-Informed Care (TIC) is a critical approach in pediatric nursing, addressing the unique challenges and high trauma susceptibility in children. Including TIC in nursing education aims to equip students with the necessary skills for empathetic and efficient care, enhancing patient outcomes and professional competence. This study investigates the perspectives of undergraduate pediatric nursing students on TIC. In February 2024, a cross-sectional study was launched after the pediatric nursing course. It targeted third-year students via an online survey. Out of 325 invited, 261 participated. The TIC Provider Survey v2.0 and the Students' Profile Form were used for data collection. Of the 261 pediatric nursing students, 71.6% were female, and 70.5% were over 22. About 62.8% had previous trauma care education. The study found moderately high mean scores in different sub-items of TIC knowledge (Mean±SD=40.26±7.401), moderate self-rated competence (Mean±SD=17.57±4.809) in TIC practices, and high favorable opinions (Mean±SD=22.23±4.015) towards TIC. It emphasized the combined impact of classroom learning and clinical practice on understanding and applying TIC principles. This study emphasizes the need for TIC in pediatric nursing curricula to enhance students' skills and confidence. It suggests that targeted educational interventions can improve holistic care for trauma-affected patients. The research advocates continuous training to bolster TIC competencies, benefiting children and families. It calls for future research with larger samples and qualitative analysis to further understand TIC in nursing education.

The (Re)production of Racialized Inequality among Hispanic-Serving Institutions: A Study of Forms of Capital Mobilized in the Competitive Grantscape

Concerned by competitive grantmaking’s role in the racialized (re) production of inequality, we applied a Bourdieusan lens and postsecondary racial neoliberalism to examine Title V—a competitive, federal grant program for Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs) poised to mitigate racially patterned funding inequality. Specifically, employing a critical qualitative methodological approach, we interviewed 29 institutional actors across 17 HSIs and showed that even an equity-aspiring program like Title V could (re)produce inequality among HSIs and magnify the racialized stratification of resources across the field, particularly given the institutional and resource diversity among HSIs. Precisely, seemingly at odds with Title V’s goals and the possibilities of Hispanic-servingness, this neoliberal program is set to privilege places with better grant-related infrastructure, more money, and other less tangible resources (e.g., grantisan knowledge). To better realize this federal investment’s transformative potential, we emphasize implications for public policy and offer possibilities for HSI scholars and practitioners, particularly in grant development and administration.

A critical point approach to non-local complex systems of fractional discrete equations

Discrete fractional equations have emerged across various fields such as science, engineering, economics, and finance to better capture the characteristics of non-local complex systems. In this discussion, we explore the existence of at least three unique solutions for discrete fractional boundary value problems featuring a p-Laplacian operator, provided suitable hypotheses on nonlinear terms are met. Our approach primarily relies on variational methods and critical points theorems. Additionally, we present an example to demonstrate the implications of our findings.

Between essence and diversity: Challenges for phenomenological Autism research

Written from the perspective of phenomenological philosophy, this article evaluates recent claims that phenomenology has an important contribution to make in redressing the lack of insight into Autistic lived experience. As a philosophical discipline concerned with describing, understanding, and interpreting subjective and intersubjective experience, phenomenology is theoretically well-placed to foreground first-person Autistic perspectives in Autism research. In this article, however, we raise concerns that extant phenomenological Autism research often struggles to break free from conceptual commitments that risk objectifying Autistic being-in-the-world as deficient and dysfunctional. If it is to take seriously the challenges posed by the neurodiversity paradigm, we suggest that phenomenological Autism research must adopt a critical approach that engages the diversity of Autistic lived experience. Informed by this theoretical perspective, we give a number of recommendations for future phenomenologically informed qualitative research of Autistic lived experience that is empathic and inclusive of Autistic ways of being, whilst actively working against the alienation of Autistic people.

Book review: Ryan Durgasingh and Nicha Selvon-Ramkissoon (eds), Caribbean Discourses: Stylistic and Critical Discourse Approaches to Language Use in the Caribbean

Book review: Ryan Durgasingh and Nicha Selvon-Ramkissoon (eds), <i>Caribbean Discourses: Stylistic and Critical Discourse Approaches to Language Use in the Caribbean</i>

Examining Heart Failure Informal Care Partners Using Person and System Levels and Domains: A Meta-Synthesis.

Within the last decade, system and policy-level changes have driven substantial shifts in heart failure (HF) care from hospital to home, requiring greater support from informal care partners. What has not been examined is the state of the care partner science by person and system-level domains using qualitative studies to understand impact across multiple person and system levels. (1) Identify by person and system levels and domain what is known about informal care partners and (2) Identify gaps in the caregiving science and suggest ways to move forward. This secondary analysis of a large HF systematic review is guided by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities and MIRACLE frameworks and uses meta-synthesis techniques with critical realist approaches to synthesize and interpret the themes across papers. Using data from 46 papers and 1695 care partners, we identified patterns occurring across 6 domains (biological, behavioral, affective, physical/built environment, sociocultural environment, and healthcare system) and on 4 levels (individual, interpersonal, community, and societal). Existing research predominantly addressed affective and behavioral domains, followed by health system and sociocultural domains. Few studies focused on biological and physical/built environment domains, leaving large gaps in what is known about caregiving at the cellular (biological) and societal (community and societal) levels. HF caregiving continues to be studied at a very rudimentary level. This synthesis also reveals critical gaps in what is known about caregiving within the physical/built environment domain and at the community and societal levels.