Diverse Backgrounds Research Articles

A Qualitative evaluation in community settings in England exploring the experiences of coaches delivering the NHS Low Calorie Diet programme pilot to ethnically diverse participants

BackgroundThe management of type 2 diabetes (T2D) within diverse ethnic populations requires a culturally tailored approach. However, little is known about the experiences of coaches delivering interventions for T2D, such...

Characterizing "collateral damage" in men and women with metastatic breast cancer (mBC) from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds in New York City.

Patients from diverse racial, ethnic, and socio-economic backgrounds may be particularly vulnerable to experiencing undue social and financial burdens ("collateral damage") from a metastatic breast cancer (mBC) diagnosis; however, these challenges have not been well explored in diverse populations. From May 2022 to May 2023, English- or Spanish-speaking adults with mBC treated at four New York-Presbyterian (NYP) sites were invited to complete a survey that assessed collateral damage, social determinants of health, physical and psychosocial well-being, and patient-provider communication. Fisher's exact and the Kruskal-Wallis rank-sum tests assessed differences by race and ethnicity. Of 87 respondents, 14% identified as Hispanic, 28% non-Hispanic Black (NHB), 41% non-Hispanic White (NHW), 7% Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI), and 10% other/multiracial. While 100% of Hispanic, NHW, and AAPI participants reported stable housing, 29% of NHB participants were worried about losing housing (p = 0.002). Forty-two percent of Hispanic and 46% of NHB participants (vs. 8%, NHW and 0%, AAPI, p = 0.005) were food insecure; 18% of Hispanic and 17% of NHB adults indicated lack of reliable transportation in the last year (vs. 0%, NHW/AAPI, p = 0.033). Participants were generally satisfied with the quality of communication that they had with their healthcare providers and overall physical and mental well-being were modestly poorer relative to healthy population norms. In our study, NHB and Hispanic mBC patients reported higher levels of financial concern and were more likely to experience food and transportation insecurity compared to NHW patients. Systematically connecting patients with resources to address unmet needs should be prioritized to identify feasible approaches to support economically vulnerable patients following an mBC diagnosis.

Multicultural Efficacy Beliefs in Higher Education: Examining University Instructors' Burnout and Mental Well-Being.

Canadian universities are experiencing a dramatic increase in enrollment of students from diverse backgrounds. Evidence suggests many educators are not prepared to teach in multicultural contexts. Educators' lack of preparedness to teach in such contexts may lead them to develop burnout, which can negatively impact their mental and professional well-being. However, self-efficacy beliefs may buffer against job burnout and promote mental well-being. Hence, multicultural efficacy is an important factor for teaching in multicultural settings. In this study, we examined the relationships of multicultural efficacy with university instructors' burnout and mental well-being. A total of 158 faculty and sessional instructors were recruited from four prominent higher education institutions in Canada. The results revealed that multicultural efficacy was significantly related to the Personal Accomplishment facet of burnout and mental well-being, even after controlling variance accounted for by demographics, job-related characteristics, teaching self-efficacy, and colour-blind racial attitudes. These findings indicate that domain specific multicultural efficacy and general teaching self-efficacy are distinct constructs. Further, findings may inform the development of training opportunities and diversity-related workshops to enhance university instructors' awareness of diversity, social justice issues, and multicultural efficacy to better equip them for instruction in multicultural classrooms.

The Impact of School Environment on Student Health Behaviors: Insights from Qualitative Interviews

The relationship between the school environment and student health behaviors is increasingly pertinent amidst rising health concerns among youths. This qualitative study, conducted across diverse socioeconomic backgrounds in Vietnam, explores the multifaceted influences of school settings on the health behaviors of students. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions involving students, teachers, parents, and administrators from three schools, each representing urban, suburban, and rural settings. The study identified key factors within schools' physical and social environments that significantly impact health behaviors. These include the availability and condition of physical facilities, the nutritional quality of food offered, peer influences, teacher engagement in health education, and the availability of mental health resources. Socioeconomic factors and cultural attitudes towards health and education also emerged as significant determinants. The findings suggest that improvements in physical resources, enhanced teacher training in health education, standardized healthy food offerings, and greater availability of mental health services are critical for fostering healthier behaviors among students. This study underscores the need for holistic policy interventions tailored to diverse educational settings to promote overall student health.

Antibullying Interventions in Schools: Assessing the Evidence Base.

This systematic review used established rating criteria to describe the level of evidence for interventions aimed at preventing or reducing bullying perpetration and victimization in schools, synthesized the evidence for students from racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds, and reviewed the literature for available information to conduct an economic analysis of the interventions. Major databases, gray literature, and evidence-base registries were searched to identify studies published from 2008 through 2022. The authors rated antibullying intervention models as having high, moderate, or low evidence depending on the number and rigor of studies with positive findings. Overall, 80 articles reporting on 71 original research studies describing a total of 48 antibullying interventions met the inclusion criteria for this review. Two schoolwide interventions received a high-evidence rating: the KiVa (Kiusaamista Vastaan) Antibullying Program and the Friendly Schools program. Multilevel interventions with components at the levels of school, classroom, and individual student most consistently showed strong evidence for reducing bullying behavior in elementary and middle school grades. Four interventions yielded positive effects in reducing bullying and victimization among diverse samples of students. Antibullying interventions can reduce bullying in schools. Some interventions show effectiveness with students from racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds. The gains relative to per-student costs were in the range that is considered cost-effective. Most implementation costs are spent on staff training and support. Research on successful implementation of whole-school interventions and additional synthesis of evidence pertaining to program structures would further advance the antibullying evidence base.

‘One size does not fit all’

Online learning is immensely popular and attracts learners from diverse cultural backgrounds. Given learning is situated in culture, the diversity of online students presents a great challenge to course designers, but remains largely unaddressed. To complicate matters, Learning Management Systems (LMS), though efficient and easy to use for course design, promote a one-size-fits-all’ approach. The PhD study referred to in this paper seeks to make inroads to cultural sensitivity in LMS. A beginning point for the project is to explore Instructional designers’ perspectives on culturally sensitive online learning design features. We report on the early findings from this first step and aim to incite rich discussion around culture, instructional design and online learning.

Ethnicity, culture and human development of Bangladesh’s tea workers

ABSTRACT This study sets out to investigate the human development situation of ethnic tea workers in Bangladesh against the underpinnings of human development theories by employing a qualitative research approach. We collected data for this study from people of diverse ethnic backgrounds and identities through in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, and direct observation. The study finds that human development of ethnic tea workers is extremely constrained by the lack of their freedom and adequate income, which is systematically created by the tea planters to serve their business interests. Tea workers’ social isolation from the mainstream Bangladeshi society, coupled with their traditional social life and poor socioeconomic conditions, also manufactured by the regulatory systems, remains the significant marker for the deterrent of their human development. Different traditional beliefs, rituals and practices of these ethic communities are also spotted as contributing factors for their poor human development situation, forcing them to sustain the legacy of working-class status of their predecessors and wind up in the tea plantations for generations.

As Teachers Not Tourists: Creating Knowledge During a Short-Term Study Abroad Program

Here, I address the call for teacher education programs to feature international elements to help pre-service teachers craft powerful classroom instruction and successfully work with students from culturally diverse backgrounds. I share a qualitative investigation of participants’ experiences during a short-term study abroad program in Japan that explored contemporary disaster preparedness as a result of the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. The program sponsors, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, hoped participants would develop an appreciation for the people and culture of Japan while they learned about disaster preparedness. I wondered if collecting curriculum items during a short-term study abroad program could help social studies pre-service teachers create—not just receive—historical domain knowledge? In Japan, participants collected items to use as featured resources around which they designed classroom activities for secondary students. Their activities demonstrated three levels of second-order historical domain knowledge and two elements of civic competence. This study suggests that pre-service teachers with no previous international experience may require explicit modeling and scaffolding to translate their short-term study abroad participation into dynamic learning. Another implication is that participants need strong support to consider the photographs they capture as artifacts of contemporary material culture.

The Creation of Loneliness in Contemporary Chinese Ink Painting - Revelation from Harald Sohlberg's Paintings

This research employs methods of iconography analysis to dissect the visual representation of loneliness in the paintings of Harald Sohlberg, aiming to inspire in the creation of loneliness within Contemporary Chinese ink painting. The article unfolds by delving into Sohlberg's painting style, cultural origins, and the profound meanings embedded within his works, subsequently exploring the revelations of Sohlberg's paintings for contemporary Chinese ink painting, and thereby elucidating the author's creation. By providing novel perspectives and methodologies, this paper contributes to the realm of cross-cultural research in the arts, demonstrating the existence of commonalities diverse backgrounds, cultures, and artistic genres, with the aspiration of fostering mutual understanding and exchange across different cultures and nations. Furthermore, this article serves to inspire painters in their creations and aids in enhancing the audience's appreciation and aesthetic sensibilities towards painting.

Climatology of thermodynamic indices and background synoptic conditions responsible for severe convection during pre‐ to post‐monsoon seasons over Indian region

AbstractTo investigate the mechanisms responsible for severe convection linked with a variety of mesoscale, synoptic systems over the Indian region, a preliminary analysis is conducted. Using IMD RSRW/Reanalysis (ERA5)/Lightning (TRMM LIS) products both local‐scale thermodynamics and large‐scale background conditions responsible for the major lightning hot spots in different seasons are investigated. In the pre‐monsoon season, high lightning activity over NE Indian region is due to moisture intrusion by south‐westerly at lower levels (warm air advection), along with mid‐level north westerlies (cold air advection) which favour the low‐level convergence and upper‐level divergence. SCS over south India are mainly attributed to wind discontinuity over the region. During monsoon season major lightning activity in NW India is due to the presence of heat low and the rest of the country less intense SCS activity is evident due to high wind shear conditions in connection with low‐level (westerly) and upper‐level (easterly jet stream). In the post‐monsoon season, major lightning in south India are due to the prevailing north‐easterlies and in north India, the activity is attributed to the passage of western disturbance (WD). Station plot analysis suggests the varied distribution of thermodynamic indices season/region‐wise due to the diverse background forcing. Correlation analysis between the lightning and thermodynamic indices suggests that more skillful indices are KI (~0.7 to 0.8), precipitable water (PPW) (~0.8) (pre‐monsoon, monsoon) and (PPW) (~0.8), convective available potential energy (CAPE) (~0.6) in post monsoon over respective lightning hot‐spot regions. Independent verification using Wyoming data/reanalysis for different case studies suggests that monitoring the monthly thresholds of highly correlated indices provides a helpful proxy to operationally forecast the severe convective systems (season/region). Mean Equivalent potential temperature, and mixing ratio in mixed layer has shown reasonable association with the lightning occurrence over all lightning hot spot regions which are implemented in the IMD GFS and IMD WRF models.

A Study on Managing Cultural Diversity and Governance Process in the Education Sector

Background of the study: The domain of education employs people from diverse backgrounds and cultures. Each faculty member has their distinct characteristics and personality traits making it challenging for the Human resource department to keep them all content and satisfied with their work and fellow members under one roof. Aim/Purpose: This study aims to investigate the application of governance for managing cultural diversity among faculty members for achieving sustainable human resource management in Community Colleges. Methodology: A thorough investigation of the conceptual and empirical literature available in the domain has helped create a strong foundation for the research. With the help of an extensive review of the literature, the relationship between diversity management and the governance process among faculty members is reviewed. Findings: Finally, the study concludes with the significance of the relationship between diversity management and the governance process among faculty members to achieve sustainable human resource management in the education sector. Results: Reviewing the correlation between diversity management and the governance process among faculty members solves the problems of communication and interaction among employees having diverse backgrounds. Practical, Research & Social Implications: The paper highlights the need for suitable management of diversity in community colleges which can lead to broader and more impelling implications for the policy makers and the colleges to adopt more welcoming and inclusive principles to cater to all needs and make diversity richer and a strong suit. Originality/value: Sustainable human resource management leads to greater productivity among employees and sustainability for the organization. In the contemporary world where competition is vast, there is a need to maintain internal harmony and balance. Thus, our research provides an in-depth analysis of the myriad ways adopted by the education sector for diversity management and practices and governance process.

How British is English: Culture and Contemporary Language Learning

The paper examines the extent to which it is possible to displace English as a functional communication tool from its culturally rich British contexts and associations. Starting from the analysis of the relationship between culture and language, the study discusses the ties between British culture and English in the context of its emergence as a global means of communication. In addition, the paper refers to developments in language pedagogy to outline the role of British culture in contemporary English learning. The conclusion is that reducing English to a mere culturally neutral container for information is not beneficial for educational outcomes, as outlined in the two principal reference documents for foreign language learning, the CEFR and ACTFL. A joint literacy in English and its culture will not foster undesirable individual acculturation but contribute to the development of intercultural competence among learners from diverse backgrounds who bring their own negotiations with British culture.

A Study of Diversity on Recruitment

Recruitment is the process of finding and attracting qualified individuals to fill job positions within an organization. It involves identifying the staffing needs of the organization and seeking out suitable candidates to meet those needs. Recruitment plays a crucial role in ensuring that organizations have the right talent to achieve their goals and objectives. It encompasses various activities, including job posting, candidate sourcing, resume screening, interviewing, and selection. A well-executed recruitment process can result in the hiring of talented individuals who contribute positively to the organization’s success. Recruitment is the cornerstone of building a successful organization. It’s the process by which companies identify, attract, and hire the most qualified individuals to fill job vacancies within their ranks. Beyond merely filling positions, recruitment is about finding the right fit — individuals who not only possess the necessary skills and qualifications but also align with the company’s culture, values, and long-term objectives. In today’s competitive business landscape, recruitment has evolved from a transactional process to a strategic function. Companies recognize that their success hinges on the talent they attract and retain. As such, recruitment practices have become more sophisticated, incorporating elements of employer branding, candidate experience, and diversity and inclusion. This introduction sets the stage for exploring the multifaceted nature of recruitment — from understanding the evolving needs of organizations to navigating the complexities of attracting top talent in a competitive market. Throughout this exploration, the importance of recruitment as a driver of organizational success will become increasingly apparent. Talent Acquisition: The primary objective of recruitment is to attract and identify talented individuals who possess the skills, qualifications, and experience necessary to fulfil the requirements of specific job roles within the organization. Fulfilling Organizational Needs: Recruitment aims to address the staffing needs of the organization by filling vacancies promptly with qualified candidates. This ensures that the organization has the right personnel in place to achieve its short-term and long-term goals. Building a Diverse Workforce: Recruitment plays a vital role in promoting diversity and inclusion within the organization by seeking candidates from varied backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. A diverse workforce fosters innovation, creativity, and better decision-making. Enhancing Organizational Performance: By recruiting top talent, organizations can improve their overall performance and competitiveness. Hiring individuals who possess the required skills and expertise can lead to increased productivity, efficiency, and effectiveness across all levels of the organization. Creating a Talent Pipeline: Recruitment serves as a proactive measure to build a pool of potential candidates for future job openings. Establishing a talent pipeline ensures that the organization has access to a continuous supply of qualified individuals, reducing the time and resources spent on future recruitment efforts.

How does digital transformation affect corporate resilience: a moderation perspective study

ABSTRACT In the context of the accelerated development of the digital economy and the implementation of the innovation-driven development strategy, does digital transformation inevitably improve corporate resilience? Based on measuring the moderation of corporate digital transformation, this paper examines the dynamic relationship between digital transformation and corporate resilience using the theory of new structural economics and double machine learning methods. The results show that the more moderate the digital transformation, the higher the level of corporate resilience. Agency costs, financing constraints, and irrational decision-making bias constitute important influencing mechanisms. Further analysis reveals that the resilience-enhancing effect of moderate digital transformation is more pronounced among corporations with high levels of corporate governance, low levels of information asymmetry, more diverse executive backgrounds and in manufacturing corporates. The relevant findings of this paper provide guidance and decision-making references for promoting the high-quality development of corporates.

Toward inclusive teaching: Utilizing student‐created case studies in a personal finance course

AbstractIn this qualitative study, we explore the potential of an innovative case study approach in a personal finance course among college students with the goal of making the course inclusive for students who are from economically disadvantaged families and traditionally have unsuccessful experiences in math. Students were required to create their own cases based on their unique, diverse backgrounds. Student reflections on their personal case study projects underwent thematic analyses. Our analysis documents the benefits and barriers perceived by students in this unique case study implementation, which has implications for promoting inclusive teaching in personal finance course design and delivery.

Towards social equity and sustainable economic prosperity through ecotourism: A case of caste diversified community along Annapurna Sanctuary trail (AST), Nepal

The key to social equity and sustainable economic prosperity rests on the inclusion of diverse socio-cultural and ethnic groups in socio-economic activities. Ecotourism promotes the fair and equitable sharing of available opportunities among local people to ensure social equity, sustainable economic prosperity, and tourism sustainability. This study presents an analysis of how ecotourism has contributed to social equity and sustainable economic prosperity within multicultural communities in three villages: Ghandruk, Landruk, and Dhampus along the Annapurna Sanctuary Trail (AST) in Nepal, through the lens of the local community with 120 face-to-face questionnaire surveys, five key informant interviews, six focus group discussions, and field observations. Ecotourism is found to be an effective mechanism for fostering social equity and economic prosperity through socio-economic empowerment, particularly among marginalized groups such as women, Dalits, and Janajatis through the reduction of gender-based income disparities, increased access to micro-financial services, enhanced social cohesion, and increased participation in decision-making processes. Furthermore, the study reveals that households from diverse castes and ethnic backgrounds have benefitted from ecotourism through various income-generating activities, including the sale of local handicrafts and agricultural products, leasing land and property, and infrastructure development. However, it also identifies challenges such as rising living costs, land prices, abandoned agricultural lands, and income inequality. For the sustainability of ecotourism in the region, the need for regulatory measures to control local prices, and integrate agricultural activities into tourism experiences is proposed. Additionally, it emphasizes the importance of engaging marginalized groups, particularly Janajatis and Dalits, in ecotourism development initiatives.

Child language brokering in Turkey: non-professional interpreting experiences from Kurdish, Arab, and Pomak ethnic minorities

ABSTRACT This research unveils retrospective child language brokering experiences within local ethnic minorities in Turkey. Employing a multiple-case study research design, the investigation delves into the brokering experiences of three adult participants from diverse ethnic backgrounds – Kurdish, Arab, and Pomak communities. The semi-structured interviews shed light on individual encounters, including primary motivations and settings for brokering, employed translation strategies, perceived impacts of brokering, and the normativity of child language brokering. They also illuminate the societal positioning of these ethnic minorities, especially minority women, within Turkey and the prevailing state policies affecting minority language rights. The findings obtained are discussed in connection with a nuanced exploration of the contextual and historical dimensions surrounding these ethnic minorities. In this sense, departing from the prevailing focus on child language brokering within immigrant families, this research redirects attention to brokering practices among local ethnic minorities. Beyond the preliminary exploration of child language brokering in Turkey, this study is an early investigation into non-professional interpreting activities among ethnic minorities residing in the country. The study also generates implications that intersect the domains of public service interpreting and politics.

Solvers' participation in crowdsourcing initiatives for social innovation: Exploring interactions among motivational forces

We know that solvers self‐selecting in social innovation challenges come from diverse backgrounds including, among others, scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs, researchers, and professionals from various industries. However, we are not aware of what motives actually bring such solvers to self‐select to address these challenges. This study aims at understanding how different kinds of motivations intervene and interact with the solvers' intention to participate considering the specific context of crowdsourcing for social innovation. Drawing on the self‐determination theory, we built a theoretical framework that hypothesizes how intrinsic, extrinsic, and prosocial motivations interact with one another and affect solvers' self‐selection process in social innovation initiatives. Empirically, to investigate the theoretical framework, a survey research design involving the use of questionnaires was adopted to obtain primary data from solvers engaged in crowdsourcing initiatives for social innovation to solve Covid‐19‐related problems in the HeroX platform. We found that prosocial motivations positively affect the solvers' self‐selection process. Moreover, our results highlight that intrinsic and extrinsic motivations differently moderate the relationship between prosocial motivations and intention to participate. The results of this study offer relevant contributions to previous crowdsourcing and organizational psychology literature and provide critical implications for managers designing and organizing crowdsourcing for social innovation challenges.

LLM enabled generative collaborative design in a mixed reality environment

In the collaborative design process, diverse stakeholder backgrounds often introduce inefficiencies in collaboration, such as delays in design delivery and decreased creativity, primarily due to misunderstandings and communication barriers caused by this diversity. To respond, this study proposes an AI-augmented Multimodal Collaborative Design (AI-MCD) framework. This framework utilizes Large Language Models (LLM) to establish an iterative prompting mechanism that provides professional design prompts for Generative AI (GAI) to generate precise visual schemes. On this basis, the GAI cooperates with Mixed Reality (MR) technology to form an interactive and immersive environment for enabling full participation in the design process. By integrating these technologies, the study aims to help stakeholders form a unified cognition and optimize the traditional collaborative design process. Through a case study involving the development of heart education products for children, the effectiveness of the framework is emphasized, and the practical application and effectiveness of the proposed method innovation are demonstrated.

Preventive Health Practices and Stress Management Among Bangladeshi Immigrants During COVID-19: A Culture-Centered Approach

Underrepresented communities were disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic across all states in America. Since immigrants have diverse ethnic backgrounds, their health behaviors and coping mechanisms might vary during the pandemic. Therefore, this study investigates the health behaviors of low-income Bangladeshi immigrants in the USA to understand their preventive health practices and stress-buffering processes during COVID-19. Using a culture-centered approach for data analysis, a total of 15 participants, including undocumented immigrants, were recruited for the study. The results show that the immigrants’ health behaviors concerning COVID-19 were heavily influenced by their cultural beliefs, which determined whether they perceived the COVID-19 virus as dangerous or not. Their preventive health practices and stress-buffering processes were predominantly shaped by traditional home remedies, common preventive measures, and prayers. Additionally, it was found that structural barriers made it difficult for them to maintain a healthier life, as they could not afford regular food or medicine delivery services during COVID-19. Not only did affordability pose challenges, but the lack of language and computer skills restricted their online access to purchasing food or other necessities as well. Future research directions and limitations of the study are also discussed.