Culture-specific Perspectives Research Articles

Raising Awareness About Language- and Culture-Specific Considerations in the Management of Dysarthria Associated With Parkinson's Disease Within the United States.

The purpose of this article is to raise awareness about the importance of diverting from English-centric approaches in the management of dysarthria associated with Parkinson's disease (PD) in the United States, and embracing a language- and culture-specific perspective when working with linguistically and culturally diverse populations within the context of culturally responsive, precision medicine. This tutorial is divided into two primary components: a critical review of language universal and language-specific characteristics of dysarthria associated with PD and their relationship with speech intelligibility, and a practical guide to culturally responsive evidence-based practice for speech-language pathologists. We offer a framework for linguistically and culturally appropriate considerations when working with clients with dysarthria associated with PD. While "universal" representations of dysarthria may be part of the big picture, language-specific contributions to speakers' intelligibility should be carefully examined to maximize treatment outcomes. Additionally, an evidence-based model that fully embraces clients' wishes and values within the context of culturally responsive, precision medicine should be prioritized, a practice that may include the use of interpreters.

Does the immigration affect prenatal attachment levels?

ABSTRACT Pregnancy is an important period in which mother-infant attachment begins, includes bio-psychological changes, and has physical and psychological effects on the future life of the fetus. This study aims to evaluate the prenatal attachment levels of Syrian refugee and Turkish mothers in Turkey and to determine the variables that affect these. This cross-sectional study conducted in the obstetric outpatient clinics with 397 pregnant women 197 Syrian and 200 native women. Inclusion criteria were a pregnancy of at least 20 weeks, no communication or mental disorders, no chronic diseases, no diagnosis of high-risk pregnancy, literacy in the pregnant Turkish women, Turkish language proficiency in the pregnant Syrian women, and residence in Turkey for at least three years. Data were collected using a Sociodemographic form and The Prenatal Attachment Inventory (PAI). The data were analyzed by conducting independent t-tests, and hierarchical multiple linear regression analysis. The mean prenatal attachment score of Turkish pregnant women (61.79 ± 8.55) was higher than Syrian women (48.38 ± 10.39) (p < .05). Education level, pre-pregnancy counseling, regular checkup, support from spouses, relatives, and friends, and being a refugee of pregnant women were determined as predictors of prenatal attachment. The results showed that 67 percent of the total variance in the prenatal attachment levels could be explained in model 2 (F = 35.524, R2 variation = .673, p = .001). The low prenatal attachment level of Syrian pregnant women was a result of the detrimental impacts of being a refugee on pregnancy. The integration of transcultural knowledge, culture-specific perspectives, and cross-cultural theories into clinical practices is essential for immigrant women.

Searching for the “native” speaker: A preregistered conceptual replication and extension of Reid, Trofimovich, and O’Brien (2019)

AbstractThis study conceptually replicated and extended Reid, Trofimovich, and O’Brien (2019), who found that native English speakers could be biased positively (or negatively) relative to a control condition in terms of how they rate non-native English speech. Our internet-based study failed to replicate Reid et al. across a wider population sample of “native” speakers (n = 189). Listeners did not change how they rated non-native English speech after social bias orientations and performed similarly across all five measures of speech and across age and race (Asian, Black, and Caucasian). We attribute our results to differences in the methods (in-person vs. online) and/or participants. Of note, roughly one-third of our “native” participants indicated proficiency in languages other than English and residency in 12 different English-speaking countries, despite identifying as a) fluent English speakers who b) used English primarily and c) acquired English before any other language from birth. These screening items taken together qualified “native” participants in line with traditional psycholinguistics research. We conclude that the concept of “nativeness” is tied to culture-specific perspectives surrounding language use. As such, the native/non-native categorical variable simultaneously serves and limits the advancement of psycholinguistics research.

Perspective of smokers and healthcare professionals toward real-time video counseling smoking cessation program in general out-patient clinics in Hong Kong: a qualitative study.

This study aimed to explore the perceptions and experiences of individuals that currently smoke and healthcare professionals on using real-time video counseling in the Smoking Cessation and Counselling Program in General Out-patient Clinics in Hong Kong. This was a qualitative study using face-to-face semi-structured interviews based on the extended technology acceptance model. All interviews were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. Two investigators coded the transcripts independently. Thematic analysis was adopted. Individuals that currently smoke and healthcare professionals who had experience using real-time video counseling in the Smoking Cessation and Counselling Program in General Out-patient Clinics in Hong Kong were recruited. Purposive sampling was adopted. 18 participants were interviewed to reach data saturation. Themes that emerged from thematic analysis of data were the main outcome measures. The emerged themes were refined and verified via inductive and then deductive processes until data saturation was reached. Two core themes, which were in coherence with the extended technology acceptance model, namely (i) perceived ease of use and (ii) perceived usefulness, were identified. Under perceived ease of use, we identified 2 subthemes: (i) convenience and (ii) measures to facilitate the use of real-time video counseling. Three subthemes were identified under perceived usefulness: (i) empathy and rapport, (ii) measures for pandemics, and (iii) service outcome. Our study provided a culture-specific perspective of users towards real-time video counseling. It identified users' opinions on the easiness and usefulness of the service. Those could provide clues for future improvement and development of using real-time video counseling in healthcare services.

LANSKAP KONTEKS EKSTRALINGUISTIK VIRTUAL DALAM PRAGMATIK SIBER

This study aims to describe the virtual external context landscape in a pragmatic study with a cyber perspective. The research problem of cyber pragmatics is formulated as follows: How is the virtual external context landscape in the perspective of cyber pragmatics? The object of this research is the manifestation of the virtual external context landscape in the perspective of cyber pragmatics. The data of this research are utterances which contain the virtual external context landscape. The data sources of this research are natural texts which contain data about the virtual external context landscape as the source of the substantive data. The source of locational data is natural texts obtained from social media Twitter. The data collection method applied is the see method. The techniques used for listening are recording techniques and note-taking techniques. The last step in data collection is typification so that data types are produced that are ready to be subjected to data analysis methods and techniques. There are two methods applied to analyze the research data, namely the distributional method and the equivalent method. The distributional method is used to reach the linguistic aspects, while the equivalent method is used to reach the external linguistic aspects of this research. The results of this cyber pragmatics research show that the manifestation of the virtual external context landscape is different from the conventional external context landscape. Differences in landscape manifestations can occur in the elements of the context which are the impact of technological developments. In addition, differences in landscape manifestations can also occur in aspects of these context elements as a result of the development of information technology and digital technology as well as internet technology. The landscape aspects of the context elements must be well formulated so that the meaning of speech intentions in the cyber pragmatics perspective can be carried out properly. Inaccuracy in the formulation of the virtual external context landscape will cause the meaning of speech intent to give rise to many misunderstandings. The results of this study are expected to contribute a lot to the development of pragmatics so that pragmatics develops not only systemic pragmatics, general pragmatics, and pragmatics in a culture-specific perspective, but also pragmatics (cyberpragmatics) whose development still needs to be encouraged in Indonesia.

On the dual role of expressive speech acts: Relational work on signs announcing closures during the Covid-19 pandemic

This paper provides some new insights into the dual function of expressive speech acts discussed in pragmatic theory as either expressions of genuine emotions or conventionalised acts of courtesy. Drawing on the framework of interpersonal pragmatics, it analyses signs displayed on the doors of closed businesses in Athens and London during the first lockdown of the Covid-19 pandemic. These closure signs are characterised by a heavy use of relational features, including four expressive speech acts, namely greetings, apologies, thanks and wishes, which form the focus of the analysis. The relational work performed by these speech acts reflects the social changes brought about by the pandemic as well as the business owners’ attempts to retain their customers. The expressive speech acts featured on the signs are evaluated against the norms set out by the genre of closure signs. The comparative angle of the study, on the other hand, links the discussion to norms related to the display of emotions and to the use of conventionalised formulae in the two countries under study, thus revealing culture-specific perspectives on the dual function of expressive speech acts.

Suicide Prevention Across Countries and Continents: Lessons Learned

Suicide Prevention Across Countries and Continents: Lessons Learned

Interdependent intercultural task as a tool for developing intercultural awareness through Collaborative Online International Learning in Global Leadership

This paper discusses a teaching approach that can be used in Collaborative Online International Learning – Interdependent Intercultural Tasks (IIT). IIT are characterized by the following features: (1) they include culture-specific information that creates cognitive dissonance and motivates students to analyze information about another culture; (2) they provide instructions aimed at learning subjective information about individuals from another culture; and (3) they can only be performed through interaction between students from different countries. We expect two learning outcomes of implementing IIT in a Global Leadership course; an increase in (1) intercultural interaction when working on a collaborative project; and (2) awareness of general cultural differences and those related to a specific global problem. Preliminary findings suggest that employing IIT (i.e. having students discuss native and non-native country media articles describing culture-specific perspectives on a global problem) increases the frequency of student interactions outside the classroom and improves coordination between teammates.

Emotions and Parenting in Learning Among Chinese Children.

Learning constitutes a main developmental context for children everywhere. Learning-related emotions can affect cognition, motivation, and achievement and are associated with parenting. Studies on learning-related emotions and how parenting is associated with a child's emotional development in learning have been less conclusive for Chinese children. This article provides an overview of the literature on related emotions as experienced in academic settings in Chinese culture and their relations with parenting. The research on academic, achievement, and domain-specific emotions is presented from a culture-specific perspective. After stressing the functions of emotions for learning and achievement, we discuss the complex relationship between emotions and parenting in the learning context. We propose an integrated model of emotion, parenting, self, and achievement in learning to understand the mechanisms of the interactions between emotions and parenting from a culture-specific perspective. Implications for future research are identified.

Effect of Honesty as an Ethical Value on Software Project Performance: A Grounded Theory Approach

For successful project outcomes to organizations and clients alike, project managers (PMs) need to make ethical decisions and yet balance the interests of all stakeholders involved. Hence, honest communication among project stakeholders is essential as a countermeasure to this paradox. Honesty is one of the core ethical values propagated by the Project Management Institute (PMI), USA. Our study aimed to gain an endogenous perspective on honesty vis-à-vis its reification by PMI in its effect on software project performance. Empirical data were collected through in-depth interviews from 83 Indian PMs in one of the prominent Indian software consulting organizations. Grounded theory was utilized to analyze the data obtained. Our results validate the importance of honesty on software project performance, the need for trust among stakeholders in maintaining honesty, importance of Indian culture in understanding honesty and ensuing ethical challenges faced by PMs. Our results bear implications to extant research on honesty in projects with specific reference to the Indian software context. They are important for PMI professionals as they provide a culture-specific perspective to honesty and the scope for ideation on how to inculcate and sustain honesty in project management in India.

‘The fact that she just looked at me…’ – Narrations on shame in South African workplaces

Orientation: Shame has been internationally researched in various cultural and societal contexts as well as across cultures in the workplace, schools and institutions of higher education. It is an emotional signal that refers to experienced incongruence of identity goals and the judgement of others.Research purpose: The purpose of this study was to focus on experiences of shame in the South African (SA) workplace, to provide emic, in-depth insights into the experiences of shame of employees.Motivation for the study: Shame in the workplace often occurs and might impact negatively on mental health and well-being, capability, freedom and human rights. This article aims at gaining some in-depth understanding of shame experiences in SA workplaces. Building on this understanding the aim is to develop awareness in Industrial and Organisational Psychologists (IOPs), employees and organisations to cope with shame constructively in addition to add to the apparent void in the body of knowledge on shame in SA workplaces.Research design, approach and method: An interpretative hermeneutical research paradigm, based on Dilthey’s modern hermeneutics was applied. Data were collected through semistructured interviews of 11 employees narrating their experiences from various workplaces, including the military, consulting organisations and higher education institutions. Content analysis was used for data analysis and interpretation.Main findings: The major themes around which shameful experiences evolved included loss of face, mistreatment by others, low work quality, exclusion, lifestyle and internalised shame on failure in the workplace. Shame is experienced as a disturbing emotion that impacts negatively on the self within the work context. It is also experienced as reducing mental health and well-being at work.Practical/managerial implications: SA organisations need to be more aware of shame in the workplace, to address the potential negative effects of shame on employees, particularly if they are not prepared to reframe shame into a constructively and positively used emotion. Safe spaces should be made available to talk about shame. Strategies should be applied to deal with shame constructively.Contribution/value-add: This article expands an in-depth understanding of shame from emic and culture-specific perspectives within SA workplaces. The findings are beneficial to IOPs and organisations to understand what shame is from the perspective of SA employees across cultural groups. The article thereby adds value to theory and practice, offering IOPs a deeper understanding of shame in the work context.

Review of Gustav Heldt, "The Kojiki: An Account of Ancient Matters

Gustav Heldt, The Kojiki: An Account of Ancient Matters New York: Columbia University Press, 2014. 312 pages. Hardcover $90.oo/£67.oo; paperback $29.00-22.00, Kindle $28.99/£22.00. isbn 978-0231163880 (hardcover); 9780231163897 (paperback); 9780231538121 (e-book).GUSTAV HELDT'S translation of the Kojiki provides the English-speaking reader with the easiest access to Japan's oldest extant book. Two previous English-language versions of the eighth century Japanese work were intended for a scholarly audience. To be precise, Chamberlain's venerable 1882 rendition was not even a complete English one, the erotic passages of the book being considered by Victorian academics to require a disguise in Latin. Philippi's impeccable translation was published in 1968. Japan at the time was still in many aspects the cultural Other par excellence. In search of a balance between universalism and particularism, today's thinking on Japan follows a less culture-specific perspective. Heldt's translation assimilates the Kojiki in unprecedented way, mainly through the novelty of translating virtually all the names of sacred beings, humans, places, and so on. Chamberlain had adopted a similar translation attitude, but rather inconsistently, as he admitted-he translated the names of human and divine characters which appear in the first volume, but rarely translated them in the succeeding two, and never translated toponyms (Chamberlain 1982, xxiv-xxvi). As for the other translations in European languages, only in the French edition are names partly translated.Heldt's translating strategy echoes Ongian opinions about the power of naming and the homonymy of word and event in oral cultures. Among the reasons for his choice of onomastic translation the author also mentions the intimate intertwining of proper names and narratives in the Kojiki. From the very incipit, the book attests the seminal role of onomastic words: heaven and earth first appeared, the names of the spirits who came about in the high plains of heaven are these [...] (7).Translations of individual names which allude to defining moments in their life are of course the most pertinent ones. For instance, the triplets born just after their mother sets fire to the parturition hall, whose Japanese names are Hoderi, Hosuseri, and Howori, are called Bright Flame, Bold Flame, and Flickering Flame (53). This makes a striking contrast with Chamberlain's unembellished translation: FireShine, Fire-Climax, and Fire-Subside. The onomastic choice may elsewhere look affected but I, for one, am grateful to Heldt for his daring decision, which results, to use his words, in an opportunity for introducing nonspecialist readers to significant aspects of early Japan's material culture, religion, and natural environment (xiv). The panoply of the Kojiki's often very long proper nouns has always been embarrassing problem for translators. The transcription of Japanese pronunciation interrupts the flow of the translated text. Countless genealogies are particularly unfriendly to non-Japanese-speaking readers. Heldt is aware that his choice of translating proper names is in many cases a speculative exercise. One has to consider, however, that long before its versions in foreign languages, it was the Japanese early eighth-century reading of the Kojiki's Chinese-looking prose that required conjectural efforts. It would not be too bizarre to assert that the Kojiki's translations were begun by the Japanese philologists of the Edo period. Motoori Norinaga's Kojikiden (A commentary on Kojiki, 1798) contains the first complete reading of the almost entirely reticent original text. The eighteenth-century scholar established spellings of the Kojiki that many critical editions still accept. In this sense, the Kojiki is a sort of quintessential source text.As Kamei Takeshi pointed out (1957), nobody knows how to read the Kojiki. When Yasumaro recorded the recitation of previous writings performed by the court attendant Are, the literati were ill at ease trying to adapt the Chinese script to the features of the Japanese language. …

To the Theatre!

The rubric Texts around Theatre features historical and contemporary cross-cultural and culture-specific perspectives on theatre – unexpectedly funky, unusually enthralling, disturbingly fascinating. https://www.aviva-verlag.de/autor-innen-co/lili-gr%C3%BCn/ Young Loni Holl, the protagonist in Lili Grün’s autobiographical novel, desires to become an actress. Only the theatre gives Loni the feeling of escape from her boring day to day life. She pursues her goal with determination, and a theatre engagement in the province seems to be the long-awaited chance for her debut. She straddles rehearsals, performances and private life; learning her lines, paying her rent, and allaying her hunger. The following excerpt from Grün’s novel , first published in 1935, traces Loni’s first steps on the stage that means the world to her. Apart from Zum Theater, Lili Grün also wrote the cabaret novel Herz über Bord (now in a new edition as Alles ist Jazz) in 1993. Mädchenhimmel, a collection of poems and stories was first published in 2014. Her novel Junge Bürokraft übernimmt auch andere Arbeit ..., first published 1936/37 in the newspaper “Der Wiener Tag”, was issued in book format in 2016 (all edited by Anke Heimberg). As a Jewish author, Lili Grün was not allowed to publish after 1938. In 1942, she ...

“No Time for Messin’ Around!” Understanding Black Educator Urgency: Implications for the Preparation of Urban Educators

Studies of effective Black educators describe the teacher’s sense of urgency as the guiding perspective that manifests in their authoritative, insistent manner. Although the bulk of this work offers snapshots of insistence in practice, less is known about the perspectives that undergird Black educator urgency. Using collaborative inquiry methodology framed within an emancipatory theoretical perspective, this article describes the sociocultural factors that give rise to the sense of urgency perceived by Black educators. Findings revealed that the factors that contributed to Black educator urgency were rooted in the educators’ culture-specific perspectives. Discussion and implications for teacher educators conclude the article.

The roads less traveled: Mapping some pathways on the global mental health research roadmap

The global mental health (GMH) research agenda should include both culture-general and culture-specific perspectives to ensure ecological validity of findings. Despite its title, the current GMH research agenda appears to be using a monocultural model that is individualistic, illness-oriented, and focused on intrapsychic processes. Ironically, issues of culture are prominently absent in many discussions of global mental health. This paper highlights some issues and concerns considered key to conducting ecologically valid and socially responsible GMH research. The concerns are particularly directed at researchers from dominant cultures who are working in low-income countries. Central to these issues is the balance between etic and emic perspectives in assessment, diagnosis, and intervention, as well as language, engagement of stakeholders and their agendas, and evaluation of the benefit of interventions to the community. New terminology is proposed that identifies broad cultural groups, and recommendations provided for a research agenda to encourage both basic and applied research that mutually benefits all stakeholders in the GMH research endeavor.

A qualitative study of perceptions related to family risk of bipolar disorder among patients and family members from India

Over the past decade there have been rapid advances in psychiatry genetics and there is a growing concern about the clinical and practical relevance of this knowledge. Efforts are being made to know the perspectives of patients and family members regarding family risk and genetic counselling. However, the area remains largely unexplored in psychiatric research from Asian countries. The primary purpose of the study was to explore the perceptions related to family risk among Indian patients with bipolar disorder and their family members. The study also aimed to explore the related perceptions for etiology of bipolar disorder. Patients with bipolar disorder type I and family members of patients with bipolar disorder type I were invited to take part in in-depth interviews after informed consent, targeting a sample of diversity. The qualitative data were analysed using thematic analysis. Eight key themes emerged: (1) higher emphasis on external or situational causes; (2) causal explanations are governed by cultural beliefs; (3) help-seeking is a shared, rather than a personal, decision; (4) the perceived genetic risk is low but worrisome; (5) worries and apprehensions are focused mainly on future generations; (6) there is a desire to modify the perceived genetic risk; (7) knowledge of precise risk can be beneficial as well as anxiety provoking; and (8) there is a need for information on preventive measures. The study provides culture-specific perspectives on the causation of illness and explores a sensitive and personal matter of perceived family risk in an Indian sample. It emphasizes the need to further explore the perceptions of family risk in a given cultural context.

A study on the relationship between intragroup conflict and turnover intentions, and the mediating effect of job satisfaction

The study delved into the impact of intragroup conflict on turnover intentions and cultural commonalities and differences in job satisfaction that mediates the relationship. To identify correlations among intragroup conflict, job satisfaction and turnover intentions for each Korean and Chinese employee, the study analyzed questionnaires used to survey Korean employees working at Korean companies and Chinese workers in Korean companies based in China. The study divided intragroup conflict into two types - relation conflict and task conflict - and looked into the impact of each conflict on turnover intentions, and found that both types of conflict heightened turnover intentions of both Korean and Chinese workers. The study also attempted to prove the mediating effects of job satisfaction on the relationship between relation conflict and task conflict, and turnover intentions. As a result, mediating effects were found only in the relationship between relation conflict and turnover intentions among Chinese employees, while Korean workers saw the same effects only in the relationship between task conflict and turnover intentions. The above-mentioned results indicate the following implications. Firstly, there were common effects of intragroup conflict on turnover intentions for both Korean and Chinese employees. Such effect can be understood from culture universal perspective. Secondly, differences emerged in the mediating effects of job satisfaction in the relationship between turnover intentions and intra-group conflicts. That is understandable from culture specific perspective. Thirdly, the result that can be inferred from the aforementioned findings is that when it comes to cross-cultural research on methods of management, it is important to consider two types of approaches - culture universal and culture specific approaches. Lastly, the study also indicated that companies operating overseas should seek both localized and global management.

Commentary: On the Wisdom and Challenges of Culturally Attuned Treatments for Latinos

In this commentary, I outline the common and distinctive components in the cultural adaptation studies in this special issue and compare cultural adaptations with universalistic and culture-specific perspectives. The term cultural attunement may be more reflective than cultural adaptation insofar as the cultural additions in these studies make the treatments more accessible by adding language translation, cultural values, and contextual stressors. These additions most likely enhance the level of engagement and retention in therapy for Latino families. The work ahead requires a deeper examination of the cultural theories of psychological distress and the cultural theories of change in therapy. A final proposal is made in this commentary for considering the bicultural aspects of the cultural adaptation or attunement enterprise, insofar as the clinical research encounters with immigrants are bicultural encounters. These encounters can reach beyond the notion of cultural "adaptation" of mainstream evidence-based treatments to ethnic minorities and present a unique opportunity for mutually enriching bicultural integration of theory, research, and practice.

Culture and the changing environment: uncertainty, cognition and risk management in cross-cultural perspective

This remarkable anthology of 13 essays is a cross-cultural study on ecological anthropology, which examines the cultural construction of nature, human evaluation of environmental risks, and human action to mitigate such risks. The anthology persuasively critiques the privileging of Western rationality over culture-specific perspectives of environmental change...[It] stands alone for the geographical sweep of its contributions - from Europe, Asia, and Africa - and its disciplinary eclecticism, which draws deeply on anthropology, geography, psychology, ethnography, ethnology, and sociology...Essential. * Choice Today human ecology has split into many different sub-disciplines such as historical ecology, political ecology or the New Ecological Anthropology. The latter in particular has criticised the predominance of the Western view on different ecosystems, arguing that culture-specific world views and human-environment interactions have been largely neglected. However, these different perspectives only tackle specific facets of a local and global hyper-complex reality. In bringing together a variety of views and theoretical approaches , these especially commissioned essays prove that an interdisciplinary collaboration and understanding of the extreme complexity of the human-environment interface(s) is possible. Michael J. Casimir is Professor of Cultural Anthropology at the University of Cologne. He has conducted prolonged fieldwork on the ecology, economy, environmental management and nutritional and socialisation patterns among pastoral nomads in west Afghanistan and Kashmir. Together with Aparna Rao he was chairperson of the Commission on Nomadic Peoples of the International Union of Ethnological and Anthropological Sciences (1995-1998), and was until 2004 one of the editors of Nomadic Peoples (Berghahn), the official journal of the Commission. His major publications include Flocks and Food. A Biocultural Approach to the Study of Pastoral Foodways (1991); Mobility and Territoriality (ed. 1992); Nomadism in South Asia (ed. 2003).

A Cross Cultural Study of Communication Strategies for Building Business Relationships

This study aims to explore communication strategies for relationship building across cultures from a linguistic as well as a culture-specific perspective. Specifically, it sees business relationships as part of social capital and compares communication strategies used to build relationships in sales firms. The research method is based on a discourse analysis of interviews with business managers, which also incorporates their success stories. In the analysis, relationship building is divided into two stages: the initiating stage and the maintaining stage. It has been found that more interpersonal strategies have been employed by Chinese and Indian business managers when initiating a business relationship. In contrast, the New Zealand and South African managers tend to use more impersonal communication strategies to promote public relations. Similar interpersonal communication strategies are employed in all the target cultures for maintaining relationships. However, a stronger orientation for long-term relationships in the Chinese and Indian cultures has been identified. Furthermore, the communication strategies are dynamic in all the countries investigated since they are becoming more and more multicultural and increasingly globalized in international business and management.