Critical Content Analysis Research Articles

Entangled Independence: From Labor Rights to Gig "Empowerment" Under the Algorithmic Gaze

This study offers a critical analysis of how the Indian gig platform, Urban Company (UC), mobilizes the promise of empowerment to assemble, discipline and algorithmically entangle its gig labor force. Much of the scholarship on gig work has described how the (mis)classification of gig workers as independent contractors allows gig corporations to abdicate their employment responsibilities, thereby disentangling the traditional employer-employee relationship. By contrast, UC promises to invest in it's Indian gig workforce, with offerings such as health insurance and financial loans to counter the enduring socio-economic precarity of the Indian labor market. However, through a critical content analysis of UCs' public media, we find that UC's organization of such ''social security'' benefits rests on an insidious system of algorithmic evaluation and classification. Access to benefits is conditional, determined by the platform's algorithmic control mechanisms, which classify workers as worthy or unworthy on a shifting basis. Mobilizing Agre's analysis of business discourses of ''empowered work'', we highlight how UC's algorithmic classification of workers creates a system of ''conditional empowerment.'' This system reflects a critical shift in the labor process, from rights-based labor regimes to a neoliberal social order where individuals must constantly prove their worth.

Confronting and (Re)constructing “Conquest Culture” in Outdoor Adventure: A Critical Analysis of #Microadventure Content on Facebook and Instagram

Underpinned by Romantic wilderness ideals and American settler colonialism, recurring themes of “conquest culture” in outdoor adventure—social privilege, individualism, and exploitation—are carried out on social media. This study explores how an emerging topic, microadventures, may reinforce or resist these dominant discourses in outdoor adventure. Facebook and Instagram posts tagged “#microadventure” were collected and analyzed using a qualitative critical social media content analysis informed by Hall’s (1973) Theory of Encoding and Decoding. We found that half of the posts reinforced conquest culture, while the other half resisted. The discussion of our findings, framed as a critique of neoliberalism, seeks to interrogate, from a U.S. perspective, how conquest culture is perpetuated by representations of adventure across the global social media landscape. Our findings suggest the need to deconstruct market-driven, colonial tendencies in outdoor social media by (1) confronting dominant conquest discourses and (2) (re)constructing neoliberal tendencies in the outdoor field.

Sexual health communication targeting adolescents in public service Media: the case of Finland

Abstract Background Given the substantial time adolescents spend online, sexual health promotion and education through online media constitute a promising public health action. However, monitoring of sexual health-related online media content is warranted, and considering the scope and aims of public service media, this forum can be regarded as being of particular interest. This study aimed to analyze how and to what extent sexuality and sexual health-related content targeting adolescents is communicated and portrayed in public service media in Finland, with a particular interest in health promotion perspectives and participatory practices. Methods Based on predetermined inclusion criteria and guidance from professionals at the Finnish public service company Yle, podcasts were specified as the media format of interest. Three Finnish podcasts (a total of 66 episodes) produced during the years 2021-2023, targeting young people and focusing on sexual health, were included in this study and subject to critical content analysis. Results Most podcast episodes focused equally on the sexual health resource and risk perspectives, while a third emphasized a resource perspective. Concerning participatory practices, adolescents participate in only five episodes in total, and most often, the podcast hosts’ own experiences are at the center of the episodes. Conclusions The findings highlight how sexuality and sexual health content is communicated in public service media podcasts targeting adolescents in Finland, as well as how the communication aligns with health education and promotion guidelines. The study sheds light on participatory practices, emphasizing a lack of stakeholder involvement, i.e., dialogue between podcast hosts and listeners. Results carry implications for developing sexual health promotion through public service media targeting young people in Finland and other European countries alike. Key messages • The findings highlight how sexuality and sexual health content is portrayed in public service media podcasts in Finland and how the communication aligns with health promotion values and principles. • The findings show a lack of participatory practices in Finnish public service media podcasts targeting adolescent sexual health - a health promotion concern also pertinent to other countries.

We are civil society!

The study expands on the current debate about post-socialist civil society and social movements, specifically in Croatia. Taking the strategic practices of the Croatian feminist movement in relation to the right to abortion in the last decade as the research unit, it employs the conception of post-socialist civil societies, focuses on the practices of civil society, and differentiates between contentious and compliant practices regardless of the form of organisation or engagement. The study examines whether the strategic practices of the Croatian feminist movement have changed in the last decade and, if so, which factors have played the most significant role. The study is based on a critical content analysis of interviews with the actors themselves and draws on their interpretations of the strategic practices. It finds that the Croatian feminist movement has, in the last decade, rethought the dominant compliant strategic practices inherent in the nonprofit sector and the organisations within it and has turned more towards contentious practices. The research described in the paper finds that there are three dominant factors behind the rethinking of the strategic practice: two external – the growing prominence of the conservative movement and the new expected abortion law – and one internal: a generational shift.

UK Labour Party Leaders' Attitudes to Conventional Threats to National Security, 2023-2024

Introduction. The article focuses on the securitisation of power threats in the public speeches of the UK Labour Party leaders (Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Defence Minister John Healey and Foreign Secretary David Lammy) during the 2023-2024 election campaign. An attempt has been made to highlight the commonalities and peculiarities in the approach of the current and previous British governments to countering the main threats to national security. Materials and methods. The paper combines qualitative and quantitative approaches: a critical content analysis of sources and discourse analysis in an electoral context (using data from sociological surveys) are conducted, while the frequency of word usage in the public speeches of the Minister of Foreign Affairs is analysed using the tools of quantitative analysis of big data (R programming language). The methodological basis of the work is the theory of securitisation proposed by the Copenhagen School of the theory of international relations.Research results. It is concluded that the main change in London's foreign policy after Labour's victory in the 2024 parliamentary elections will be the prioritisation of security cooperation with European states. Labour Party leaders do not question the need for ‘dual containment’ of Russia and China, but they give the ‘China threat’ secondary importance: there are noticeable differences within the party on this issue. On the other hand, Labour's position on the ‘special relationship’ with the United States is characterised by a steady continuity with the Conservative government's approach. The need to deepen cooperation in Euro-Atlantic security structures (primarily NATO) and continental formats (EI2, JEF) is stated.Discussion and conclusion. On the basis of qualitative examination of policy documents and statements of the Labour Party leaders, as well as quantitative analysis of big data, conclusions are drawn about the key elements of potential continuity and variability in the foreign policy of London before and after the parliamentary elections on July 4, 2024. The results of the work can be useful in forecasting changes in the foreign policy of Great Britain after the victory of Labour in the parliamentary elections of 2024. The theoretical importance of the work lies in the fact that the article proposes a new methodology for quantitative analysis of the foreign policy of the UK.

Exploring everyday racist symbolism in community recreation spaces: a critical race content analysis

ABSTRACT There has been a palpable shift in the public’s collective consciousness about the realities of racism in recent years. Community recreation organizations, like all other institutions, are not exempt from promoting racial inequity through taken for granted policies and practices. The purpose of this study was to explore some of the racist symbolism found within everyday artifacts at local community centres in a sub-urban area of Ontario, Canada. A Critical Race Content Analysis methodology was used to analyze bandages, promotional materials, and sunscreen. This study found that bandages in first aid supplies were exclusively for White skin tones, images in promotional materials featured mostly White people, and the sunscreen products stocked were not made for dark skinned folx. A discussion on the implications of each finding is provided followed by limitations and recommendations for research and practice.

Censorship in Early Childhood: A Critical Content Analysis of Banned and Challenged Latine Picture Books

Censorship in Early Childhood: A Critical Content Analysis of Banned and Challenged Latine Picture Books

Teacher expertise in early childhood instruction: Cross-analysis of language policy and culturally sustaining pedagogies with multilingual learners

This qualitative study explores intersections between U.S. language policies (federal and state-level) and instructional practice in early childhood settings for multilingual learners (MLs). We draw on the theoretical framework of culturally sustaining pedagogy to engage in a critical content analysis of U.S. federal and state-level policy from three states. In the cross-analysis of policy and pedagogy, we also examine data from ML teachers’ instructional artifacts, open-ended surveys, and semi-structured interviews. The findings provide insight into how educators draw on culturally sustaining and asset-based approaches to teaching MLs. Additionally, findings demonstrate how ML teachers negotiate policies that prioritize English language and academic achievement and those focused on teaching discrete language skills (i.e., phonological awareness and phonics) by continually centering children’s linguistic and cultural repertoires. Participants in this study advocated for linguistic pluralism in their instruction and as leaders in their schools and communities. The study further illustrates how policies mandate specific aspects of instruction and leave linguistically inclusive pedagogies to individual educators. This tension can be beneficial for educators’ freedom in interpreting and navigating the policy in their classroom but can also create disparities for young learners and their literacy opportunities. The significance implies a need for revisiting early childhood ML teachers’ role in creating policy that fosters linguistic and cultural inclusion in language and literacy teaching.

Krakow's Participatory School Budget as an Example of Civic Education

An example of civic education is the participatory school budget used in Poland. In the participatory budget training, students submit their own ideas, create projects, and then choose those that they think are the most attractive and important. The idea for a participatory school budget was born from the desire to adapt the classic participatory budget process to the needs of a small, local community, such as a school. Taking part in this type of project allows students to co-decide about matters in their immediate environment, i.e. the school. However, in the longer term, it is intended to prepare them to engage in the classic citizen budget, which is carried out in local government units in Poland. The aim of the article is to briefly present the origins and idea of the classic participatory budget, but primarily to focus on the participatory school budget, in particular in relation to a specific example, which is the participatory school budget carried out in one of the Polish cities – Krakow. The article also includes information about the campaign of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education promoting participatory budgeting in schools. Document analysis and critical content analysis, as well as historical and comparative methods were used to write the article.

(Dis)connection between curriculum, pedagogy and learners’ lived experience in Nepal’s secondary schools: an environmental (in)justice perspective

This paper offers a novel analysis of how Nepal is delivering its commitment to secondary education provision that is advancing environmental sustainability, tracing a trajectory that begins with national policies relating to environmental sustainability and incorporating the national curriculum framework, textbooks, pedagogies used in classrooms, and learner experiences and anticipated actions. We consider Nepal’s education about and for environmental sustainability in the context of theories of environmental justice, and question if and how secondary provision might promote the behavioural change that Nepal recognises is vital for environmental sustainability. Qualitative data were generated through policy analysis, critical content analysis of secondary-level curriculum and textbooks, classroom observations, semi-structured interviews with 15 teachers and 4 headteachers, and a range of in-person activities with 24 students in purposively selected four community secondary schools in the three diverse locations across Nepal. The results illuminate pronounced disconnections across modalities that indicate incoherence and unresolved debates in the underlying narrative of what environmental sustainability is and the role of education in addressing it. Our findings suggest that learners’ ideas, opinions, thinking and experiences should be encouraged and celebrated in the classroom to aid learners in translating conceptual learning into practical, sustainable behaviours, as well as to contribute to environmental justice. The findings appeal to the concerned stakeholders for their consideration of future policy and programme development that promotes environmental justice through education and establishes a connection between classroom learning and students’ lived experiences through a participatory approach, collaboration, and critical and creative thinking.

Rethinking the Relationship between Milk Drinking and Population Health Outcomes

Dairy products are important ingredients for healthily and balanced diet. Past research often points to a positive relationship between milk drinking and population health outcomes. However, attempts to conceptualize the relationship between milk drinking and health outcomes are inconclusive. Hence, this paper aims to aid understanding and explaining the relationship between intake of milk and dairy products with population health outcomes based on existing studies within the period of 2001 until 2024 using Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) as indicator of health outcomes. The methodology of our paper is qualitative in nature and adopts methods of library research and critical content analysis. An introduction shows that there are benefits of consuming milk on human health. The result indicates that regular intake of milk could potential lower the risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) based on scientifical research in several countries. With many type of milk, people need to adjust which milk that suitable and beneficial for their body based on its nutrition.

EXPRESS: Advancing employees’ mental health and psychological wellbeing research in hospitality and tourism: Systematic review, critical reflections, and future prospects

This study conducts a systematic review and analysis of the research landscape concerning the mental health and psychological wellbeing (MHPW) of employees in the hospitality and tourism sector. Comprehensive bibliometric analysis, intellectual network mapping, and critical qualitative content analysis were performed utilizing a dataset of 184 relevant articles. From these analyses, eight critical reflections were derived, and future research agenda were outlined. These agenda include exploring positive enhancers of MHPW, advocating for holistic conceptualizations of MHPW, encouraging cross-cultural and interdisciplinary collaborations, assessing the impacts of technology on mental health, developing industry-specific assessments, diversifying research methodologies with multidisciplinary theories, conducting multi-level analyses of influencing factors, and investigating the pandemic's long-term impact on career perceptions and mental health reforms within the industry. Findings offer pivotal directions for future research and aim to advance the understanding and enhancement of MHPW in the global hospitality and tourism workforce through impactful scholarship.

Intraprofessional cultural competence in nursing regulation: A critical content analysis of standards and codes in the United Kingdom, New Zealandand Australia.

There is a global shortage of nurses, leading many countries to recruit internationally qualified nurses (IQNs) to fill the gap. However, IQNs encounter challenges in integrating into their new professional environment, particularly in their interactions with locally qualified nurses (LQNs). Intraprofessional cultural competence (IPCC), defined as 'a set of congruent behaviours and attitudes that enable professionals to work respectfully and effectively in cross-cultural situations', may be a strategy to address these challenges. Content analysis was used to examine nursing regulatory documents (Standards for Practice [Standards]and Codes of Conduct [Codes]) from the United Kingdom, New Zealandand Australia. Data were extracted and organised based on four key themes relevant to IPCC. The analysis revealed a focus on 'Mutual collaboration and professional relationships' in six regulatory documents, with explicit commitments to preventing racism and discrimination in the Australian and NZ Codes. However, issues such as racism, discrimination, bullyingand harassment faced by IQNs are not comprehensively addressed, as the documents mainly prioritize culturally appropriate patient interactions over relationships between colleagues. Using regulatory documents to address IPCC may influence positive change such as improving communication, and preventing racism, bullying, discrimination and harassment within nursing.

Finland's Strategic Shift: A New Chapter with NATO Membership

This paper delves into Finland's potential accession to NATO, marking a significant departure from its longstanding policy of military non-alignment. As geopolitical dynamics in the Baltic region undergo profound changes, Finland's consideration of NATO membership carries far-reaching implications for regional security and global geopolitics. Finland responded to Russian aggressiveness by joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to counteract Russia�s security threats in the region. The abstract explores the historical context of Finland's neutrality, the evolving security landscape, and the factors driving the nation towards reevaluating its defense posture. Using the research method of critical content analysis and in-depth interview with military and defense and security analyst Rahakundini, the potential impact on NATO, Russia's response, and the broader implications for the delicate balance of power in Northern Europe. The proposed NATO membership signals a strategic recalibration for Finland, with ramifications extending beyond national borders, shaping the geopolitical narrative in an ever-evolving international arena.

Utilization of Islamic Financial Instruments for Poverty Reduction and Sustainable Households in Nigeria

Predominant poverty has affected many households in Nigeria and little focus of attention is given to the utilization of Islamic financial instruments in addressing the challenges of poverty and sustainable household in the country. The study attempts to fill the gap in the existing literature concerning the utilization of Islamic financial instruments for poverty reduction and sustainable households in the country. Qualitative research method with an emphasis on critical content analysis was utilized. Materials or different sources were used whereby journals, online peer review, and library sources were considered for in-depth analysis of Islamic financial instruments for poverty reduction and sustainable households in attaining vision 2030 in the country. Adequate implementations of various Islamic financial instruments that would create room for inclusion through which low-income families or families in poverty would experience sustainable standard of living through an efficient Islamic financial instrument for their empowerment. Hence, it will expand the scope and understanding of Islamic financial instruments in the context of Nigeria. In so doing, there would be basis for restructuring the economic conditions of households experiencing an abject poverty by ensuring that their living conditions are improved for better. An emphasis on the judicious utilization of Islamic financial instruments especially towards sustainable households in the country is an integral part of expanding the understanding about the efficiency of Islamic financial instruments in the society. Central bank of Nigeria has issued a drafted framework for application of Islamic financial instruments and operation of Islamic banking system and less attention is given to the application of Islamic financial instruments in the country. This paper therefore has tried to provide explanation for the application of utilizing Islamic financial instruments for poverty reduction and sustainable households in the country.

How Does Contemporary YA Literature Represent Rural People and Places?

This article presents a critical content analysis of representations of rural people and places in contemporary, middle grades and young adult novels. Interrogating representations is vital for implementing critical rural place pedagogies. Findings indicate this award-winning text set included diverse representations of racial, religious, and sexual identities. Characters often felt a sense of place-based belonging and identity but also experienced tensions of feeling stuck. Rural places were frequently depicted as places of despair and pervasive poverty, with a lack of middle or upper-middle income representations. Implications for teacher education are presented with suggestions for critical place pedagogies and developing counternarratives that convey the diversity of rural people and places.

The Natural Landscape as A Strategic Element in Nature Tourism Management

Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate the role of the natural landscape as a strategic element in nature tourism management, in order to understand its conceptual evolution, analyze its relationship with tourism activities and explore the processes of valorization and stereotyping of landscapes in the context of sustainable tourism development. Method: The methodology adopted for the research includes an exhaustive bibliographic search in high-impact databases such as Scopus and Web of Science, complemented with a search in regional databases in Spanish such as Scielo and Redalyc. The selected documents were subjected to a process of critical reading and content analysis to extract key concepts, theories and findings relevant to the study. Results and Discussion: The results revealed that the concept of landscape has evolved from a purely aesthetic and visual perspective to a more holistic understanding that encompasses social, cultural and economic dimensions. The discussion highlights the close relationship between natural landscape and tourism, with landscape serving as a key resource and attraction for nature-based tourism activities. The processes of valorization and stereotyping of landscapes are also explored, emphasizing their influence on tourists' perceptions and destination choice. Research Implications: The findings of this study have implications for sustainable tourism planning and management, especially in areas with significant natural and cultural landscapes. The research emphasizes the need for a multidisciplinary approach to landscape conceptualization and management, as well as the importance of considering landscape as a central element in the development of sustainable tourism products and experiences. Originality/Value: This study contributes to the literature by providing a comprehensive and up-to-date review of the relationship between natural landscape and nature tourism, bridging knowledge from diverse disciplines.

Plot, Characters, and Representation: Patterns and Gaps in Award-Winning LGBTQ Children’s Books

ABSTRACT Children’s books representing LGBTQ identities are a vital part of elementary school classrooms and libraries, as well as family resources, and more of these diverse books have been published over recent years. While existing research on these books catalogs how many of them represent traditionally marginalized groups, our research examines the diversity of narratives within these books. In this study, we used narrative critical content analysis to examine 51 books from three award lists: the Lambda Literary Awards, the Rainbow Booklist, and the Stonewall Book Awards for Children’s and Young Adult Literature. These books are age-appropriate for read-alouds for all elementary grade levels based on their text complexity and storylines. We categorized books with identity-based conflicts and conflicts not based on identity. Overall, we found that books rely heavily on LGBTQ identities as the main source of conflict, using repeated plotlines of coming out, resisting bullying, love stories, and LGBTQ rights. In most cases, these repeated plotlines limit representation of LGBTQ people’s complex, multifaceted lives. We discuss the implications of these repeated plotlines, and we provide a list of recommended books that represent LGBTQ characters with more multifaceted lives and provide more unique stories.

Representing Rural: A Critical Content Analysis of Contemporary Middle Grade Novels Set in Rural Places

Children’s literature contains shared meanings that not only reflect societal norms, but also reinstate and reconstitute societal norms. This study used critical content analysis methods grounded in place theory to analyze the textual constructions of rurality in 52 contemporary, middle grade, realistic fiction novels set in US rural places. Findings revealed five salient themes, three of which are discussed in this article: systems work to keep rural people in poverty; rural people have deep connections to place; and rural people have diverse, intersectional identities. While some middle grade books in the sample move toward challenging stereotypes of rural places as monolithic (e.g., White-majority, socially conservative) by including nuanced portrayals of some characters of color, LGBTQ+ characters, and characters with disabilities, others rely on simplistic and otherwise problematic representations, using familiar tropes about rural people that suggest racial and cultural homogeneity privileging Whiteness and making invisible BIPOC in rural communities. Given the powerful impact of stories on identity formation and sensemaking, this study analyzes textual representations of rural people and places in books for middle grade readers.

Finding Junie Kim: Asian American Children’s Racial Trauma and Counter-Stories of Healing within a Transnational Context

Using critical content analysis and the lens of AsianCrit, this study explores Asian American children’s racial trauma and counter-stories of healing in Finding Junie Kim.