Awareness Of Diversity Research Articles

Group Perceptions of Acceptance of Racial/Ethnic, Sexual and Gender Minorities in the United States Military

Recruitment of soldiers from diverse backgrounds has increasingly become a priority for the U.S. military. Although there has been success in recruiting a more diverse and representative military workforce, perceptions of acceptance of minority military personnel remains underexplored. The present study sought to measure perceptions of acceptance among active-duty military personnel with diverse backgrounds by comparing perceived levels of acceptance both in and outside minority group membership among racial and ethnic, gender, and sexual minority-identifying participants. Results suggest members of minority groups tended to perceive lower acceptance of both their minority group and other minority groups compared with their perceptions of acceptance of majority groups. In particular, White, heterosexual, cisgender males tended to perceive minority groups as more accepted than those in minority groups perceived themselves. These results suggest the implementation of programs designed to improve workplace climate and awareness of diversity and equity issues may be beneficial.

Cultural Intelligence and Organizational Capabilities: An Appraisal of Jordanian Commercial Banks

The purpose of this research is to identify relationship between cultural intelligence and organizational capabilities in Jordanian Commercial Banks. The research method is descriptive- correlation. Statistical population included the supervisory and regulatory functions in these banks which totaling (524) employees, and the sample size of (368) employees was determined based on the Cochran formula. The sampling method used is proportional stratified random sampling. Data collected were used from two questionnaireswith these items: cultural intelligence questionnaire of Ahn & Ettner and organizational capabilities questionnaire of Al-Ajami. For appointment of questionnaires validity, of the method content-related validity, and to assess scale the reliability of the questionnaires, Cronbach's Alpha coefficient was used. It was estimated 0.94 and 0.78 respectively. Results situation of cultural intelligence and organizational capabilities was above the average level. The findings indicated that there is a significant positive relationship between cultural intelligence and its dimensions with organizational capabilities, there is a significant positive relationship between cultural intelligence and its dimensions with marketing capabilities, there is a significant positive relationship between cultural intelligence and its dimensions with technological capabilities, and there is a significant positive relationship between cultural intelligence and its dimensions with managerial capabilities in Jordanian commercial banks. Under the light of the results achieved, the study presented a number of recommendations, the most important recommendations include:Individuals in the Jordanian commercial banks should to have awareness of cultural diversity, a high level of understanding of the differences between the diverse cultures and the ability to analyze cultural elements in the work environment, which leading to enhance what possesses these banks of resources, capabilities and competencies that needs to improve its performance and to achieve its objectives and its mission.

Anthropology in High School: A Mission to Equip Young Students with the Tools and Knowledge to Navigate Social Justice Initiatives

Anthropology as a field of study teaches many important concepts essential to understanding the human condition and accepting all forms of diversity. Unfortunately, most students only begin to encounter anthropological ideas at the collegiate level. In this commentary, I argue that teaching the concepts of cultural relativity and ethnocentrism, two foundational components of anthropological understanding, at the high school level can better equip our younger generation with empathy, understanding, and respect. These three capacities are especially crucial when reacting to today's political and social upheavals, like the Black Lives Matter Movement. Anthropology encourages students to unlearn any prejudices by reflecting on the internalized biases that limit their acceptance of human difference. I assert that this necessary introspection extends to the discipline itself, as anthropologists recognize (and make students aware of) the role early anthropology played in perpetuating the racial biases still present today. Despite (and, indeed, because of) this weighted history, Anthropology and the awareness and appreciation of human diversity it inspires must be used as a tool to teach future generations in American secondary education to recognize and embrace the beauty of difference.

Mobile Teaching Kitchen Project – eradicating and preventing malnutrition through nutrition education

Abstract Background Global malnutrition, affecting over 2.6 billion people globally, represents a triple burden to health in the form of micronutrient deficiencies, under-and over-nutrition. Malnutrition reaches all parts of society, with those undernourished and deficient in vitamins and minerals often thought to be the poorer in society, whilst overnourished those wealthier. NNEdPro, an international think-tank working to develop nutrition capacity, performed a landscaping activity in Kolkata, India and noted significant undernutrition within the slum dwelling population and overnutrition among the inner-city workers. Results NNEdPro' s Mobile Teaching Kitchen (MTK) project was developed as a nutritional education tool to improve awareness of diet diversity and disease prevention amongst marginalised communities by using locally sourced foods and cooking skills. Local volunteers trained in healthy cooking transfers core principles through cooking demonstrations of sustainable, nutritional, and affordable meals. They follow a 'See One, Do One, Teach One' (S1D1T1) model to transfer knowledge to their peers. This model aims to create a sustainable solution that will enable the rural-urban slum dwellers across regions of the world to challenge food insecurity and malnutrition. Conclusions The potential of the Teaching Kitchen can extend beyond creating powerful behavior change for improved health and nutrition within local communities of both developing and developed countries. In addition to improving the wellbeing of the community, the project can also potentially create livelihood opportunities through empowering women with catering skills and having a positive impact on the health and nutritional status of the wider community. After successful impacts in India, the Mobile Teaching Kitchen model has been proposed to other 8 existing regional networks of NNEdPro such as Australia & New Zealand, Brazil, Italy, Mexico, Morocco, Switzerland, USA, and UK.

Creating the booklet Indigenous Languages in Canada

The creation of the booklet Indigenous Languages in Canada was initiated by the Canadian Language Museum (CLM) and brought to fruition through the generous support of the Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies. The CLM undertook this project because we believe that it is very important to raise awareness of the rich diversity of Indigenous languages in Canada.

The Diverse Morphology of Decapodiform Cephalopods: A Summer Lecture

Today, the need for marine education has been declared for the conservation of marine life and the marine environment. Understanding the diversity of marine life is essential, especially since there are many organisms that live in the sea. The first step in understanding biodiversity is to follow your interest in exploring many different kinds of life. However, there are many opportunities for marine life education centered on fish, but few on decapodiform cephalopod education. Decapodiforms are morphologically diverse. However, the squid is generally recognized as a decapodiform, and little recognition of other types of decapodiforms is expected in marine education. To teach marine biodiversity more effectively, it is necessary to raise awareness of decapodiform diversity. In this study, we conducted a summer course for children using many specimens of different decapodiform species to understand decapodiform diversity. In addition, in order to examine students’ degree of recognition of decapodiform diversity, we asked students to draw decapodiform illustrations before and after the course. As expected, all participants drew a squid before the course. On the other hand, after the course, 58.3% of the students drew other decapodiform species. In the questionnaire survey about the course, more than 80% of students showed a high evaluation of impression and understanding. It seems that giving lectures on various types of decapodiforms is an effective way of raising awareness of decapodiform diversity.

Challenges and opportunities for the multicultural aged care workforce: A systematic review and meta-synthesis.

To identify (a) the challenges for multicultural aged care teams; (b) the opportunities to facilitate teamwork; and (c) the strategies to assist team members in a multicultural work environment. High-income countries have an increasingly culturally diverse aged care workforce. Fostering teamwork in such an environment is challenging. This systematic review of qualitative studies followed the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) meta-aggregation approach. Six databases were searched. Retrieved articles were screened by two reviewers. This review identified 111 findings that were aggregated into 15 categories and five themes. Aged care workers' awareness of cultural diversity varies, and their knowledge of each other's cultural background is limited. However, cultural skills are demonstrated, contributing to teamwork. Their experience in cross-cultural encounters is broad, and enhanced team cohesion is desired. The cultural competence of the aged care workforce shapes team building, peer support opportunities and positive cross-cultural experiences. Recommendations are provided for the adaptation of aged care workers to culturally diverse teams, fostering teamwork to enhance care outcomes for clients. Interventions for improvements in cross-cultural leadership and management, and staff experience of cross-cultural encounters are much needed.

A taxonomic revision of the Striated Grasswren Amytornis striatus complex (Aves: Maluridae) after analysis of phylogenetic and phenotypic data

ABSTRACT Taxonomy of the Striated Grasswren Amytornis striatus complex has long been contentious and remains incompletely resolved. Its many populations are distributed widely but disjunctly and show only subtle distinction in morphology and plumage. Genetic data are meagre and have not been correlated with phenotype. We conducted a phenotypic analysis across its range and obtained mitochondrial DNA sequences from most populations. We recognise three species: south-eastern Striated Grasswren Amytornis striatus sensu stricto, Opalton Grasswren Amytornis rowleyi in central Queensland and Rufous Grasswren Amytornis whitei in the remainder of the range, with subspecies in the Pilbara and in the central and western deserts. In A. striatus as so circumscribed, we separate allopatric Murray Mallee and central New South Wales populations subspecifically. Isolated populations of Rufous Grasswren, from the North West Cape Peninsula, Western Australia and Eyre Peninsula, South Australia are also distinct. Awareness of such unanticipated diversity within the group has profound implications for conservation.

Cultural Diversity in Online Education: An Exploration of Instructors’ Perceptions and Challenges

Purpose/Objectives/Research/Focus of Study This qualitative study investigated online instructors’ perceptions of cultural diversity in the online classroom and the challenges that instructors of online courses encounter in their efforts to incorporate cultural diversity and multicultural learning contents in the online learning environment. An associated goal of the study was to explore the instructional strategies that online instructors use to create conducive online learning environments that value cultural differences as well as the educational experiences of students in online classrooms. Population/Participants/Subjects Fifty full-time instructors of online courses from three universities in the northeastern part of the United States participated in the study. The participants included Clinical Professors of Practice (n = 4), Assistant Professors (n = 18), Associate Professors (n = 16), and Full Professors (n = 12). There were 23 females and 27 males from different academic disciplines and cultural backgrounds. Research Questions Unlike many previous studies, this study sought to uncover online instructors’ perceptions of cultural diversity in the online classroom, the pedagogical strategies they employ to address issues related to cultural diversity in online learning, and the challenges they encounter in their efforts to promote cultural diversity and incorporate multicultural learning content into their online instruction. Specifically, this study explored the following research questions: (a) How do instructors of online courses perceive cultural diversity and the impact of cultural diversity in online learning? (b) What instructional strategies do instructors of online courses use to address issues related to cultural diversity in online learning environments? (c) What challenges do instructors of online courses encounter in their efforts to promote cultural diversity and multicultural learning content in online environments? Research Design This study employed qualitative research design using semi-structured interviews and content analysis to explore instructors’ perceptions of cultural diversity in online learning as well as the challenges encountered by instructors of online courses in their efforts to promote cultural diversity and incorporate multicultural learning content into their online instruction. The qualitative research design was chosen because it allowed the researchers to collect and analyze data about the instructors’ perceptions of cultural diversity based on their own voices, with the aim of producing conceptual explanations of the types of instructional strategies that instructors use to promote cultural diversity in online education and the challenges they encountered in the online classroom. Findings/Results The findings of the study pointed to four themes, namely that: (a) differential perceptions of cultural diversity exist among instructors of online courses; (b) perceptions of cultural diversity depend on the academic disciplines taught by instructors; (c) a variety of instructional strategies—collaborative online learning activities, incorporating multicultural learning activities and global learning content, using cultural awareness activities, addressing the impact of multicultural education— support cultural diversity in the online environment; and (d) there are significant challenges associated with promoting cultural diversity in online teaching and learning. Conclusions and Recommendations Findings revealed that the majority of the instructors view cultural diversity as the recognition of students’ cultural differences within the online learning environment, the ability of instructors to infuse multicultural content into their curriculum, and the capacity of instructors to use a variety of strategies to facilitate instructional delivery to meet the needs of students from diverse cultural backgrounds who study in the online environment. Findings also suggested that instructors’ perceptions of cultural diversity in the online setting vary depending on their teaching discipline and academic preparation. Specifically, instructors in education, social sciences, and engineering demonstrated a good understanding and awareness of cultural diversity. They also felt the need to provide support that enhanced the learning experiences of diverse student populations in the online environment. On the contrary, instructors in the physical sciences did not demonstrate such a good understanding of cultural diversity and showed little knowledge of ways to incorporate multicultural learning content to help diverse student populations achieve academic success in online education. In light of the findings from this study, the researchers recommend that online instructors and instructional designers work toward enhancing their knowledge of cultural diversity and toward incorporating multicultural resources in their curricula to support diverse student populations (including those with learning disabilities) in online education.

Task-driven and College English Curriculum Based Intercultural Competence Cultivation in Police University

Globalization and the Belt and Road Initiative motivate police cadets to improve intercultural competence. In the meantime it’s very difficult for Chinese College English teachers to focus solely on cultures while students facing the task of improving language skills. It is more practical for teachers to integrate cultural instruction and normal curriculum, improving both linguistic and cultural competence to achieve the multiple objectives at the same time. This paper provides some practical ways to enrich the current curriculum. Three-step action research is used in the paper. Step one: intercultural knowledge accumulation. Teachers use explicit and implicit ways, including reading assignment, video-clip, WeChat essays in law enforcement and police fields, to improve cultural diversity awareness and to appreciate dynamic intercultural communication. Step two: task-driven intercultural skills training. Step three: reflection. These procedures form a spiral cycle which recurs to enhance the effect of continuous improvement.

Environmental interactions between people and birds in semiarid lands of the Zapotitl\xe1n Valley, Central Mexico

BackgroundBirds have been among the most important element in lives of humans around the world, due to their presence and abundance in practically all ecosystems. Zapotitlán Salinas, a community of the Tehuacán Valley, has been a site of interest for studying ecology of bird communities, but no previous studies addressing the relationship between humans and birds have been conducted in the area. Based on their local knowledge, people of the area shape the use and conservation of local bird fauna diversity, which is being maintained or lost under the influence of factors like commerce, tourism, agriculture intensification or abandonment, public policies for conservation, environmental changes, among others. This study aims to analyze the patterns of interactions between humans and birds in a context of high biocultural diversity with a long history and facing the environmental and social challenges of semiarid areas.MethodsEcological sampling for documenting bird species richness was conducted from November 2015 to May 2017 in three transects that included agroforestry systems, forests, and fallow agricultural land. The method of counting by fixed radius points at 16 points within the study systems was used. Thirty in-depth interviews were conducted with local people who own land in the study areas by random sampling and choosing experts of Zapotitlán Salinas, Puebla, a semiarid natural protected area and, since 2019, recognized as Mixed World Heritage. Some visitor guides of the Helia Bravo Hollis Botanical Garden who are member of the community and local people who dedicated part of their time to catching birds were considered as local experts. They have experience in identifying birds through bird watching and listening to bird songs, as well as their knowledge on behavior and habits of the bird species occurring in their locality. We in addition conducted free listing of bird species recognized by people and interviews on ecological aspects, forms of use, and management of birds using a photographic catalog as visual stimulus. The following aspects were addressed with local people: (i) the bird species of Zapotitlán recognized by them; (ii) the biological, ecological, and behavioral knowledge about these species; (iii) the description of practices of use and management of these animals; (iv) the perceived changes regarding presence and abundance of the wild birds recognized; and (v) the regulations of these practices and uses.ResultsThrough the ecological sampling, we identified 89 bird species, a number representing nearly 68% of all species reported for the Zapotitlán Valley. The species recorded belong to 61 genera, 26 families, and 11 orders. Local people interviewed recognized 62 morphospecies occurring in their territory, and designated them with 50 local names. The interactions of local people with birds and the knowledge related to habitats and habits varied according to people’s daily life activities and the ways of inter-generational transmission of knowledge. The interactions identified respond to several motivations. The most intense are those of utilitarian nature (three types of use are recognized: nutritional, medicinal, and ornamental), while other less notorious but equally relevant are those related to the awareness and conservation of biological diversity, and aesthetic appreciation of nature. Also relevant are those interactions shaped by the people’s worldview since some species are interpreted as climatic environmental predictors, amulets, or omens.ConclusionsTo understand the various human-bird environmental interactions, it is necessary not only to address the utilitarian assessment that species have in a specific place but also those associated with cultural expressions and the connection between these aspects. Lifestyles, traditions, and beliefs model intangible forms of use, such as the interpretation of climate predictors. Ancient roles of birds in local culture are ongoing, and new demand of ornamental birds from cities influences catching activities but local and regional regulations have contributed to maintain them below a critical level.

Community science participants gain environmental awareness and contribute high quality data but improvements are needed: insights from Bumble Bee Watch

Bumble Bee Watch is a community science program where participants submit photos of bumble bees from across Canada and the United States for expert verification. The data can be used to help better understand bumble bee biology and aid in their conservation. Yet for community science programs like this to be successful and sustainable, it is important to understand the participant demographics, what motivates them, and the outcomes of their participation, as well as areas that are working well or could be improved. It is also important to understand who verifies the submissions, who uses the data and their views on the program. Of the surveyed users, most participate to contribute to scientific data collection (88%), because of a worry about bees and a desire to help save them (80%), to learn more about species in their property (63%) or region (56%), and because of a personal interest (59%). About 77% report increased awareness of species diversity, while 84% report improvement in their identification skills. We found that 81% had at least one college or university degree. There were more respondents from suburban and rural areas than urban areas, but area did not affect numbers of submissions. While half were between 45 and 64 years of age, age did not influence motivation or number of submissions. Respondents were happy with the program, particularly the website resources, the contribution to knowledge and conservation efforts, the educational values, and the ability to get identifications. Areas for improvement included app and website functionality, faster and more detailed feedback, localized resources, and more communication. Most respondents participate rarely and have submitted fewer than ten records, although about five percent are super users who participate often and submit more than fifty records. Suggested improvements to the program may increase this participation rate. Indeed, increased recruitment and retention of users in general is important, and advertising should promote the outcomes of participation. Fifteen experts responded to a separate survey and were favorable of the program although there were suggestions on how to improve the verification process and the quality of the submitted data. Suggested research questions that could be asked or answered from the data included filling knowledge gaps (species diversity, ranges, habitat, phenology, floral associations, etc.), supporting species status assessments, effecting policy and legislation, encouraging habitat restoration and management efforts, and guiding further research. However, only about half have used data from the project to date. Further promotion of Bumble Bee Watch and community science programs in general should occur amongst academia, conservationists, policy makers, and the general public. This would help to increase the number and scope of submissions, knowledge of these species, interest in conserving them, and the overall program impact.

Strategies for Guiding Actors’ Accent and Linguistic Needs in the Twenty-First Century

ABSTRACT This article provides specific strategies for guiding actors’ accent and linguistic needs in the twenty-first century. With the continued growth of globalization and cultural exchange, which is increasing the awareness of diversity in the human experience and identity, the methods of actor training and coaching need to become increasingly intersectional. This article supports this idea and explores detailed language that coaches and instructors should avoid in actor and voice training, since such language has historical ties to social structures and ideas from European colonization. The strategies offered in this article outline why certain language is problematic and damaging to actors, and these strategies additionally outline how to conduct microinterventions in order to change microagressive language and behavior. All of which can foster equitable and healthy relationships between teachers and students and coaches and clients.

The identification of plant reliefs in the Lalitavistara story of Borobudur temple, Central Java, Indonesia

Abstract. Metusala D, Fauziah, Lestari DA, Damaiyani J, Mas’udah S, Setyawan H. 2020. The identification of plant reliefs in the Lalitavistara story of Borobudur temple, Central Java, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 21: 2206-2215. The Lalitavistara sutra is one of the central texts in the Mahayana tradition and it describes the life of the Buddha. This sutra has been carved in a good detail into 120 relief panels. These reliefs showed many plant figures that have often been carved in proper shape, so that made it possible for identification. The identification results showed that there were at least 63 species of plants in the Lalitavistara relief at Borobudur and these more various than species mentioned in the Lalitavistara sutra. Some species even only be found on reliefs but not in the text. These findings have indicated several important points; (i). the ancient Javanese community at that time already had a high awareness of the plant diversity, (ii). the plant figures as component in building atmosphere/background have been used by the carver as an opportunity for improvisation, (iii). the plant reliefs in Borobudur can be seen to reflect the surrounding plant diversity at the time, and (iv). the identification of plant reliefs in Borobudur can be used as an approach to understand the perspective of an ancient Javanese community on the importance of plant diversity.

Stereotype rebound: From cultural competence to diversity awareness.

Stereotype rebound: From cultural competence to diversity awareness.

Educação sexual e legitimadade do professor de ensino básico: um estudo comparativo entre Brasil e Portugal

Being part of a wider PhD research, this paper aims to present initial reflections about the regulation of Sex Education (ES) and the legitimacy of the teacher in Early Years of Elementary School, in Brazil, and 1st Cycle of Basic Education (1st CEB), in Portugal, for their approach to children, particularly on issues related to sexuality and gender. In Portugal, Sex Education is compulsory from the 1st CEB since the approval of Law No. 60/2009 of August 6. Otherwise, in Brazil, with the approval in 2018 of the Common National Curriculum Base (Base Nacional Comum Curricular – BNCC), the terms Sexual Orientation and gender were suppressed. The suppression of these terms becomes problematic since it makes invisible discussions on issues related to sexuality and gender, such as body awareness and respect for diversity, which are also covered by the BNCC. Being a comparative study based on a qualitative methodology, at this stage will be made a documentary analysis of the Sexual Education guiding documents in both countries. This article will specifically address the diagnosis step of the research regarding the first results of documentary analysis of legislation and official documents in relation to the topics of this research. The compulsory sexuality education in Portugal made possible a systematic and specific work in dealing with sexuality and gender issues, with monitoring and evaluation of work in schools. In relation to the Brazilian reality, the challenges are different. It is also believed that not explaining the work in Sexuality Education in the Early Years of Elementary School hurts the right of access to information and the knowledge building on the subject.

How the Committee on Minority Affairs is catalyzing change

In 1993, the American Chemical Society organized and charged the Committee on Minority Affairs (CMA) to develop and oversee the society’s long-range plans and programs to ensure, promote, and recognize the participation and accomplishments of minorities. CMA has taken this charge and developed a mission statement that aligns with that of ACS: advancing a broader, inclusive, and equitable chemistry enterprise by empowering underrepresented groups, stakeholders, and marginalized peoples for the benefit of the world. We have developed three major goals to help us achieve this mission: (1) increase diversity awareness by providing professional development and recognition opportunities to underrepresented groups within the chemical sciences; (2) strengthen ACS programming to reflect a broader, more inclusive, and equitable chemistry enterprise; and (3) enhance shared expertise in diversity, equity, and inclusion content and act as a resource to societal stakeholders. These goals are ambitious and require partn...

Blockchains and Internet of Things for the Pooling of Warehouse Resources

Aims: The purpose of this research paper is the study of the applicability of Blockchain technology and Smart Contracts to manage, control and secure an industrial Internet of Things network (IoT) for pooled warehouses with multiple actors and activities (not only restricted to transport and storage as currently developed in enterprises).
 Problem: IoT technology enables things to connect and exchange data, resulting in efficiency improvements, economic benefits, reduced human intervention and enabled interactions (information exchange and analysis) between human/machine to machine. However, the main difficulties lie in the definition of a robust global mechanism to secure the IoT, the awareness of resources diversity (heterogeneity of devices), and physical management of IoT. This article will attempt to answer these questionings.
 Results: To respond to these questions, we propose a hybrid architecture based on blockchains and multi-agents system to secure an industrial IoT corresponding to a pooled warehouse system. The proposed hybrid architecture completely represents our system, with all actors and connected objects in the pooled warehouse strategy. It is composed by two parts: a centralized part based on the multi-agents system to represent dynamic evolutions of actors’ behavior and a decentralized part, which corresponds to our block chain and smart contracts network to dynamically connect actors’ agents to pooled resources. The multi-agent system is coupled with game theory (cooperative game) to have a good systemic representation of our pooled warehouse management problem.

An entrepreneurship education and peer mentoring program for women in STEM: mentors’ experiences and perceptions of entrepreneurial self-efficacy and intent

Women are underrepresented in STEM and in entrepreneurship but are rare in STEM entrepreneurship. A gender-sensitive entrepreneurship education and peer mentoring program for women engineering and computer science students was developed to provide classroom instruction, experiential learning, and support to a small group of students. This paper reports on the experiences of student peer mentors in the program, in terms of entrepreneurial self-efficacy (ESE) and entrepreneurial intent (EI). Qualitative methods were adopted for this study. Student mentors were interviewed about their experiences and reported increased perceptions of entrepreneurial self-efficacy, a greater awareness of diversity and gender issues, and a changed perspective on problem solving and life in general. Student mentors reported a distinct interest in becoming an entrepreneur at “some time” in their lives, although not necessarily immediately upon graduation.

Promoting Elementary Students’ Awareness of Diversity and Social Justice Through Interactive Read-Alouds

Promoting Elementary Students’ Awareness of Diversity and Social Justice Through Interactive Read-Alouds