Cultural Institutions Research Articles

FOLK SONGS AS CONTRIVANCE FOR PROMOTING YORUBA CULTURAL VALUES AND SOCIAL INTERACTION AMONG YORUBA CHILDREN

Music is share of culture and therefore establishes an integral part of the life of people. The inherent value of folk music cannot be challenged in promotion of cultural values and social interaction in a Yoruba child and in the making of a child as being resourceful, useful and a good citizen, living according to the societal norms and customs. This study employed the historical research method. The study identifies and provides musical notation of some selected Yoruba folk songs materials that can be interpreted musically and also examines the influence and efficacy of Yoruba folk songs in promoting cultural and moral values and social interaction among children. The lyrics of some selected folk songs were analysed. The findings revealed that folk songs establish a vibrant forum through which members of a society respond and acclimatize to the culture of the society and a veritable tool for social interaction. It therefore recommends that contemporary government and cultural institutions like traditional leaders, Obas (Kings) and chiefs should provide better funding and cultural support in order to ensure preservation of such cultural institutions and heritage. The media will also do so much through an incessant broadcast of folk songs.

Design of TOEFL English Exam Simulation Application Model for Trisila Dharma Polytechnic Student Environment

The Language Training Unit is a forum for an institution to manage language-related activities. In improving the quality of an educational institution, the need for performance is very much considered. Language Training Unit which aims to improve the quality of students in terms of language understanding. Multilingual skills in the Trisila Dharma Polytechnic environment need to be developed, especially for students and all teaching staff in the environment. The need for TOEFL implementation is one of the considerations of Trisila Dharma Polytechnic, where the function and benefits of TOEFL have become one of the obligations of most universities in Indonesia. This language skill can also be used as a companion to a diploma in accordance with Indonesian regulations, namely through the Ministry of Education and Culture Institution no. 81 of 2014. This background underlies the design of the TOEFL test simulation application at the Trisila Dharma Polytechnic Language UPT. The author used observation, interview, questionnaire, and literature study techniques to collect data. The system development method used is the waterfall method. This application can be used to make TOEFL implementation easier, especially the type of assessment that uses website-based information technology.

Pristup odozdo prema gore nasuprot odozgo prema dolje: kako se participativni dizajn može koristiti za definiranje postkonfliktnog kulturnog pamćenja u Hrvatskoj

Ethnic tensions and a constitutional crisis brought about the disintegration of Yugoslavia, which resulted in Croatia loosening ties with the Federation and subsequently declaring its independence. The quest for Croatian independence led to the Homeland War which took place between 1991–1995. The post-conflict transformation of the country primarily concentrated on the political and economic aspects of reconstruction, however the importance of developing a national strategy to deal with cultural memory, as part of the rebuilding process, has largely been neglected. Through a series of case studies, this paper will reveal how a significant proportion of Croatia’s cultural memory is dealt with through various forms of community engagement, centering around local civic organisations that “sprung up” as a consequence of the Homeland War. These communities are staging memorials, not just as places and occasions to gather around grief, but as means of highlighting the self-expression of loss in a public setting. Technological advancements, especially open-source access to new media, has encouraged more personal and community initiated and driven projects. Centered around participatory design, these projects demonstrate a more inclusive approach that enables local communities to record, collect and communicate their cultural memory, rather than rely on ‘approved’ state institutions. This article looks at how participatory design can aid in bridging and preservation of cultural memory of the Homeland War through the development of a participatory design framework which could be used as a central reference point to facilitate participatory projects between cultural institutions and their patrons, thus creating a more empowering approach to post-memory.

Institutional Culture and The Military: A Narrative of Women’s Experiences in The South African National Defence Force: The Case of Limpopo Province, South Africa

Institutional Culture and The Military: A Narrative of Women’s Experiences in The South African National Defence Force: The Case of Limpopo Province, South Africa

The Fragility of Scientific Rigour and Integrity in "Sped up Science": Research Misconduct, Bias, and Hype and in the COVID-19 Pandemic.

During the early years of the COVID-19 pandemic, preclinical and clinical research were sped up and scaled up in both the public and private sectors and in partnerships between them. This resulted in some extraordinary advances, but it also raised a range of issues regarding the ethics, rigour, and integrity of scientific research, academic publication, and public communication. Many of the failures of scientific rigour and integrity that occurred during the pandemic were exacerbated by the rush to generate, disseminate, and implement research findings, which not only created opportunities for unscrupulous actors but also compromised the methodological, peer review, and advisory processes that would usually identify sub-standard research and prevent compromised clinical or policy-level decisions. While it would be tempting to attribute these failures of science and its translation solely to the "unprecedented" circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, the reality is that they preceded the pandemic and will continue to arise once it is over. Existing strategies for promoting scientific rigour and integrity need to be made more rigorous, better integrated into research training and institutional cultures, and mademore sophisticated. They might also need to be modified or supplemented with other strategies that are fit for purpose not only in public health emergencies but in any research that is sped-up and scaled up to address urgent unmet medical needs.

Tijana Vuković, Regaining the Yugoslav Heritage vs. Culture Crisis Regaining the Past. Yugoslav Legacy in the Period of Transition: The Case of Formal and Alternative Institutions of Art and Culture in Serbia at the End of the 20th and the Beginning of the 21st Century, Warsaw–Bellerive-sur-Allier, Wydawnictwo DiG 2022, pp. 343

Tijana Vuković, Regaining the Yugoslav Heritage vs. Culture Crisis Regaining the Past. Yugoslav Legacy in the Period of Transition: The Case of Formal and Alternative Institutions of Art and Culture in Serbia at the End of the 20th and the Beginning of the 21st Century, Warsaw–Bellerive-sur-Allier, Wydawnictwo DiG 2022, pp. 343

FORMATION OF INFORMATION CULTURE IN STUDENTS OF ENGINEERING AND PEDAGOGICAL AREAS OF EXPERTISE DURING THEIR VOCATIONAL TRAINING

The study examines the problem of the content and structure of the students’ information culture in engineering and pedagogical areas of expertise, as well as directions, methods and technologies of its formation during their professional training. The purpose of the article is to highlight the content and structure of the information culture in students of engineering and pedagogical specialities and to study the leading ways of managing its formation within the vocational training process. It has been established that information culture is complex, integrated, and value-based personal formation, a structural component of the future specialist’s professional culture. It includes a set of knowledge, skills, values and attitudes that aid in effectively perceiving, processing, understanding, evaluating, storing, producing, sharing and application of information in the modern information society, in professional activity and in teaching in educational institutions. It has been found out that information culture in its development goes through several qualitative levels, namely: cognitive (the level of awareness and functional knowledge); emotional value-based (instructions, evaluations, and attitudes); and behavioural (actual and potential cultural behaviour in working with information) ones. Following the analysis of primary sources, within the space of an individual’s information culture, the culture of educational-cognitive activity, communicative and computer cultures have been distinguished. It has been claimed that each component has independent significance and, in unity, ensures the implementation of cognitive, value-orientating, creative-developmental functions, as well as the functions of optimization, intensification, and professionalization in the students’ professional training in engineering and pedagogical area of expertise. It has been generalized that information culture assists future professionals to become active participants in the contemporary information space, effective agents of society’s digital transformation, and representatives of high professional culture and professional and pedagogical mastery. It has been emphasized that the process of shaping the information culture in students of engineering and pedagogical specialities is an integral part of their professional training, conducted based on comprehensive and interdisciplinary approaches. The main directions of such activity include: deepening the content of curriculum disciplines, expanding the content of educational and production practices, introducing special courses and electives, refining the content of students’ independent educational activities in engineering and pedagogical specialities, developing project-based and public activities of students, and in addition – networking. Practical experience in implementing programs for the formation of information culture in educational institutions of various levels has shown that such programs can be successful if they are adapted to the needs and capabilities of a specific educational organisation. Further refinement of comprehensive interdisciplinary programs for the formation of the students’ information culture is seen in its adaptation to changes in the information environment, development of interactive resources, strengthening digital security, collaboration with other organizations, and spreading awareness regarding the importance of information culture and digital literacy among all participants of the educational process. It has been concluded that managing the process of forming the information culture of students in engineering and pedagogical areas of expertise is a complex and multi-faceted task. In its implementation, it is necessary to ensure the unity, interconnection, and complementarity of all the mentioned directions, as well as to carry out direct operation (via consulting, lectures, and seminar classes) and indirect (through pedagogical conditions, established procedures, instructions, and modern SMART systems) competent pedagogical management.

Attractiveness of the Workplace Environment of Educational Institutions in the Context of Sustainable Development

Abstract Overcoming the challenges of Covid-19, every person at an educational institution has faced changes in the workplace environment from working time, scope and content to the transformation of psychological, emotional and physical relationships. The attractiveness factors of workplace environment are essential in thinking of, developing and accepting sustainable attitude, sustainable education and sustainable development in everyday life. The aim of the article is to present the results of the research on the attractiveness factors of workplace environment and organizational culture of educational institutions from the point of view of teachers and heads of educational institutions, evaluating them in the context of sustainable development of education, based on theoretical analysis of literature sources and empirical research. Quantitative research method – survey – was used in the study. 97 participants (teachers (n=84) and heads of educational institutions (n=13)) from different educational institutions of one of the biggest cities in Latvia, Daugavpils, took part in the study. The data were processed in accordance with research ethics and personal data protection, visualized on the basis of numerical data units. The gained data indicate that the most important factors for the attractiveness of the workplace environment for both teachers and heads of educational institutions are relationships, work fit and security. Respondent groups cite ‘responsibility’ and ‘location’ as the least important factors in making the workplace environment attractive. Workplace attractiveness factors are a combination of workplace environment and organizational culture, and they are interrelated concepts. The results of the study show that both teachers and heads of educational institutions value an innovative culture in the organization that is characterized by the following statements: ‘willing to take risks, a result-oriented, creative, stimulating, challenging’ and they appreciate a supportive culture in the organization that is characterized by the statements ‘willing to cooperate, encouraging and sociable, recognizing personal freedom’. There are statistically significant differences in opinions on the attractiveness of the workplace environment (such as ‘contribution’, ‘recognition’, ‘innovation’ and ‘responsibility’) among teachers and heads of educational institutions.

The newspaper “Tormysh” and Kryashen theme on its pages (1913–1918)

The article presents generalised conclusions based on the results of the study of Kryashen issues in the pages of the Tatar newspaper “Tormysh” (“Life”) published in Ufa in 1913–1918. It also examines the history of the newspaper and notes the contribution of representatives of the Muslim commercial and industrial bourgeoisie to the formation and development of the Tatar periodical. The study shows that the newspaper endeavoured to provide a broad coverage of topical social processes in the region. Taking into account local peculiarities, it paid attention to the activities of various cultural and educational institutions. As a result of the analysis, it was concluded that the materials about the spiritual life of the Kryashen population of Ufa Province published in the newspaper “Tormysh” were informational in nature. The topics for publications were most often missionary activities.
 For citation: Akhtyamova A.V. The newspaper “Tormysh” and Kryashen theme on its pages (1913–1918). From History and Culture of Peoples of the Middle Volga Region. 2023, vol.13, no.4, pp.93–104. https://doi.org/10.22378/2410-0765.2023-13-4.93-104 (In Russian)

Returning to the Academic Campus as the End of the Covid-19 Pandemic

The Covid-19 outbreak created challenges for higher education as well as opportunities for transitioning to flexible models of teaching and learning adapted to the vision and culture of institutions of higher education in the new era. This study examines students’ perceptions of face-to-face teaching and learning on the academic campus, after engaging in multiple e-Learning models during the pandemic. The findings of the current study show that we cannot resume full face-to-face learning as in the past. Most students (some 60%) expressed a clear and unequivocal preference for exclusive online learning. Students nonetheless expressed the belief that studying on campus allows them interpersonal and social interactions with students and faculty on campus. The findings of the current study support the consensus within the scientific community regarding the beneficial effects of socio-emotional learning programs on academic, emotional, and behavioral capabilities, the atmosphere in class, and students’ achievements.

A case study on finding grounds for how to know and understand, how to act on that (partial) knowledge, but also on paradoxes involved and obstructions posed: The complexities of sexual harassment complaints from 2021 until 2023 at an arts academy

In this article, I am exploring the complexities and paradoxes of institutional processes in Academia that have been put in place in order to deal with (sexual) harassment complaints within the context of feminist epistemologies and relational ethics. The goal to repair institutional culture burdened with various forms of implicit and explicit abuse and emotional manipulation, but also reliant on particularly emotionally dense ways of relating amongst students and teachers at an Arts Academy appears to be rather less straightforward than one might have hoped.

Movements to Combat Sex-Trafficking: The Social Construction of a Global Problem and Its Solutions

In this paper we analyze the international movements against sex-trafficking, identifiable for 150 years. We critically assess actor-centric approaches within IR that assume a tight connection between intentional actors and a singular norm. We build on critical research to develop a cultural institutional approach that focuses on the intertwining of actors and institutions and on how outcomes are loosely coupled from actors’ actions. Several empirical implications are delineated that guide and are assessed by our analysis of the anti-sex-trafficking history. Using the lens of cultural institutionalism, the resulting interpretative history identifies patterns that support the implications and utility of the theory and that actor-centric perspectives have slighted: actors and norms are embedded in institutions, change was multidimensional and repeatedly difficult to label as success or failure, outcomes often were long-term through weak connections, anti-sex-trafficking movements were affected by distinct issue areas, change occurred episodically through institutional workspaces from early conferences, and conventions of the League of Nations to Vienna 1993 and Palermo 2000. We discuss the contributions of our analysis and the implications for critical theories of how a social problem and its solutions are constructed leading to international socio-political change.

Uncovering the Knowledge Box: Exploring Cross-Cultural Perspectives on the Intersectionality of Race, Skin Colour and Class in Education

This study highlights the importance of providing a global education so that students are prepared for and aware of the wider world. The study explored the lived experiences of Adult Cross-Cultural Kids within education, and their cross-cultural perspectives on how the intersectionality of race, skin colour and class impacts life in and out of school. The key highlights include that education needs to better prepare students for the world; ensure that students are aware of people, places and events globally; provide different perspectives and critical discourse; and that internationalism should be embedded within the workforce, pedagogy and learning culture. Participants in the study also highlighted the impact of cultural inequality on their own learning. This study suggests that cultural bias and hierarchy within existing curricula, pedagogy and institutional cultures should be addressed by increasing diversity and intercultural competence to embrace and harness different cultures, perspectives and epistemologies.

Gender Deconstruction on the Margins: A Historical Analysis of South Africa’s Post-Colonial Gender Policies in Education

Gender inequality in sub-Saharan Africa has historically been pronounced in all spheres of life. To plug that, educationists have tried to engage with local contexts to bring girls into the education system. In light of this worrisome trend, this paper assessed the extent to which policies and measures framed and circulated by the South African government in the post-independence era have addressed gender imbalances in the education sector in line with the notion that girls’ education has been promoted by policymakers as a kind of an antidote to the manifold socio-economic problems. The researchers gathered and performed close textual readings of official government policy documents and journal articles from 1994 to date. The research found that the history of educational reforms depicts that gender deconstruction is still on the margins as evidenced by the women’s limited access to education and the genderisation of the school, its curriculum and practices among others. The article thus advanced the argument that although remarkable strides have so far been made towards the enactment of policies that enhance the education of the girl child in post-colonial states, much work still needs to be done to create a better world for all regardless of gender. This study offers insights on how to navigate future educational reforms that seek to deconstruct the marginalisation of girls in education and the gendered culture of educational institutions. Keywords: Gender Deconstruction, Inequalities, Marginalisation, Policies, Postcolonial Education

문화예술인 역량 강화를 위한 블록체인 기반 문화예술 통합정보포털 요구도 분석

In order to strengthen the capabilities of cultural artists, this study collected demands for policies and support directions for cultural artists and proposed an integrated cultural and arts information portal system based on effective blockchain technology. Accordingly, after conducting a demand survey targeting cultural artists, analysis of Borich's demand scale and The Locus for Focus Model was conducted. First, in order to strengthen the capabilities of cultural artists, priority must be given to linking cultural and artistic human resources support to cultural artist policies and support, providing employment and human information and connection, and providing welfare and support information. Second, the use of blockchain technology by cultural artists serves as an optimal alternative to fostering a wide network cultural arts industry and activating cultural arts activities based on reliability, safety, stability, convenience, fairness, transparency, and irreversibility. . Third, the development and operation of an integrated culture and arts information portal based on blockchain technology to strengthen the capabilities of cultural artists can further contribute to the balanced growth and development of cultural arts in countries and regions. Lastly, the integrated information portal for culture and arts based on blockchain technology provides practical and practical policies and policies that can strengthen the capabilities of cultural and artistic institutions and facilities, related portals, and cultural artists by establishing a network in terms of the state, administration, institutions, society, and citizens. Serves as a support system.

Complementary educational and cultural institutions to Rawls’s ‘fair value of political liberty’

Complementary educational and cultural institutions to Rawls’s ‘fair value of political liberty’

Role of Cultural Public Diplomacy in Enhancing Foreign Policy

Over the past two decades, South Korea has increasingly engaged in cultural public diplomacy; however, empirical research on its effectiveness in advancing foreign policy interests is lacking. Existing studies focus on how cultural public diplomacy shapes Korea's image and the attractiveness of Korean products among foreign consumers without addressing the ultimate diplomatic objective of influencing the actions of foreign governments. This study fills this research gap by examining the impact of the King Sejong Institute (KSI), a government-funded cultural institution, on Korea's foreign policy pursuits worldwide. Analyzing data from 2005 2021 - spanning 192 countries (84 with KSI), our study reveals that the presence of KSI leads to increased political alignment in voting on United National General Assembly resolutions and greater de jure economic integration between the Korean and host governments. These results suggest that KSI can serve as a strategic tool to foster amicable bilateral relations.

Współtworzenie wiedzy i procesy uczenia się w złożonych systemach społecznych. Przypadek współpracy polskich naukowców z podmiotami spoza uniwersytetu

The article aims to present the results of empirical research and theoretical analyses concerning the transfer, co-creation, and utilization of scientific knowledge by various entities, emerging at the intersection of science and practice. The research was conducted using survey techniques and in-depth interviews among scientists engaged in research collaboration with entities outside the university, and through case studies of two institutions acting as external partners. Among them were the Lublin City Office and the Lublin Culture Workshops, a municipal cultural institution. The work falls within the realm of social research, which directly (Zerubavel 1997) or indirectly (Sange 1990, Douglas 2011) addresses the functioning and adaptation of various social systems (in this case, institutions and organizations) from the perspective of the communicatively mediated cognitive processes occurring within them (Luhmann 2018, Weick 1995, Lenartowicz et al. 2016a, 2016b). In this context, the subject of cognition and the user of knowledge is not an individual human, but a social system/organization with the capacity to observe itself and its environment, to learn, and to anticipate its future (Hecker 2012; Walsh 1995, Luhmann 2018; Seidl 2006, Lant, Shapira 2001). It posits the existence of a kind of supra-individual rationality, which does not require something like a system's unique self-consciousness, akin to human consciousness, but operates on the principle of L. Fleck's thought collectives, which are emergent in nature with respect to individuals (Sady 2020, Luhmann 1990, Fleck 1986). The rationality of such collectives is defined by their belonging to a functional area of society, hence they differ in the case of entities belonging to the science, economy, politics systems, etc. The research focused on situations where, due to the need for knowledge, various organizations collaborate with scientific units. This research succeeded in characterizing the main stages of establishing and implementing such collaboration, and the main requirements associated with them. The study sought to determine the impact of the interaction of different rationalities on the nature of the co-created knowledge and to identify the conditions of its usefulness, both for external entities and for the scientific system. The adopted indicator of the usefulness of knowledge for the scientific system is the publication of results in scientific journals, while for external entities, its impact on the decision-making process, such as changing operational strategies. In this case, the mechanism of translating knowledge into changes in organizational practices was also examined, paying attention to the existing mechanisms of collective learning within the organization.

Research on the Cultural Construction of Private University Laboratories Based on Cultural Education

University laboratories serve as crucial hubs for scientific and technological innovation and play a vital role in nurturing talents. As pivotal spaces for both teaching and scientific research, the development of laboratories necessitates not only investment in scientific research equipment and experimental facilities but also in cultural construction. This cultural aspect holds significant importance in promoting the comprehensive development of students and enhancing scientific research capabilities. This article concentrates on the strategies for cultivating laboratory culture in private universities, addressing six key dimensions: spiritual culture, institutional culture, scientific culture, innovation culture, safety culture, and shared culture.

Transformative policy mix or policy pandemonium? Insights from the Climate Smart Agriculture policy mix in Costa Rica

Transformative innovation policies are gaining currency worldwide, but have been mainly studied in a Global North context and in the energy sector. This paper focuses empirically on Costa Rica's Climate Smart Agriculture policy mix. It addresses key knowledge gaps on the dynamics of transformative policy development in the agrifood sector in a Global South policy context. Results show Costa Rica's policy mix's transformative potential was inhibited by weak implementation capacity and internal and external incoherence between sectors and governance levels, leading to tensions resulting from policy-element interactions such as conflicting goals and interventions with overlapping purposes. The broader implication for theory and practice is that successful transformative policy mixes require close scrutiny of both the balance of the mix and how to fundamentally transform the mix. This includes paying more attention to the phasing out of legacy policy instruments and to how countries’ particular institutional contexts and policy cultures influence transformative policymaking and implementation.