Doctoral Research Project Research Articles

Representations of hypergraph states with neural networks* *Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 12001480, 11871318), the Applied Basic Research Program of Shanxi Province (No. 201901D211461), the Scientific and Technological Innovation Programs of Higher Education Institutions in Shanxi (No. 2020L0554), the Excellent Doctoral Research Project of Shanxi Province (No. QZX-2020001), and the PhD Start-up Project of Yuncheng

The quantum many-body problem (QMBP) has become a hot topic in high-energy physics and condensed-matter physics. With an exponential increase in the dimensions of Hilbert space, it becomes very challenging to solve the QMBP, even with the most powerful computers. With the rapid development of machine learning, artificial neural networks provide a powerful tool that can represent or approximate quantum many-body states. In this paper, we aim to explicitly construct the neural network representations of hypergraph states. We construct the neural network representations for any k-uniform hypergraph state and any hypergraph state, respectively, without stochastic optimization of the network parameters. Our method constructively shows that all hypergraph states can be represented precisely by the appropriate neural networks introduced in [Science 355 (2017) 602] and formulated in [Sci. China-Phys. Mech. Astron. 63 (2020) 210312].

Evaluating and improving the contributions of university research to social innovation

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to assess the contributions of graduate research to social innovation and change for learning and improved transdisciplinary practice. Universities, as centers of teaching and research, face high demand from society to address urgent social and environmental challenges. Faculty and students are keen to use their research to contribute to social innovation and sustainable development. As part of the effort to increase societal impact, research approaches are evolving to be more problem-oriented, engaged and transdisciplinary. Therefore, new approaches to research evaluation are also needed to learn whether and how research contributes to social innovation, and those lessons need to be applied by universities to train and support students to do impactful research and foster an impact culture.Design/methodology/approachThis paper uses a theory-based evaluation method to assess the contributions of three completed doctoral research projects. Each study documents the project’s theory of change (ToC) and uses qualitative data (document review, surveys and interviews) to test the ToC. This paper uses a transdisciplinary research (TDR) quality assessment framework (QAF) to analyze each projects’ design and implementation. This paper then draws lessons from the individual case studies and a comparative analysis of the three cases on, namely, effective research design and implementation for social transformation; and training and support for impactful research.FindingsEach project aimed to influence government policy, organizational practice, other research and/or the students’ own professional development. All contributed to many of their intended outcomes, but with varying levels of accomplishment. Projects that were more transdisciplinary had more pronounced outcomes. Process contributions (e.g. capacity-building, relationship-building and empowerment) were as or more important than knowledge contributions. The key recommendations are for: researchers to design intentional research, with an explicit ToC; higher education institutions (HEI) to provide training and support for TDR theory and practice; and HEIs to give more attention to research evaluation.Originality/valueThis is the first application of both the outcome evaluation method and the TDR QAF to graduate student research projects, and one of very few such analyses of research projects. It offers a broader framework for conceptualizing and evaluating research contributions to social change processes. It is intended to stimulate new thinking about research aims, approaches and achievements.

Evidencing Gatekeeping Relations through Narrativity

Seeking to illustrate the social processes involved in the research activity of gaining access to specific empirical contexts, this paper suggests the appropriateness of using narratives as analytical anchors, to explore and document the social relations maintained with and within business companies used as case studies, in the context of intensive, qualitative research endeavors. A doctoral research project focusing on studying business expatriation practices used in Portuguese multinational companies, is used as reference. This project development was punctuated by field access constraints and reluctant gatekeeping interactions, as well as unplanned research circumstances that implied the continuous negotiation of the research program's overall feasibility conditions. This paper discusses the plausibility of using narratives to illustrate, from an inside-out perspective, the social embeddedness of research projects involving sensitive topics and reluctant gatekeepers. Anchored in the use of a specific research narrative, five factors are discussed as possible field sites access enablers, arguing that the use of narratives can represent a gain for research processes discussion, providing increased methodological reflexivity opportunities.

Compassionate communication: Keeping patients at the heart of practice in an advancing radiographic workforce

IntroductionCompassion is a poorly understood concept in diagnostic and therapeutic radiography, but an increase in its focus was recommended in the Francis Report (2013). Much of the healthcare literature including policy and protocol has focussed on benchmarking and individualising compassion. Two separately conducted doctoral research projects, one therapeutic and one diagnostic, aimed to conceptualise compassion in order to understand its meaning and behavioural expression. MethodsA constructivist approach was taken with appropriate ethical approval. Patients and carers, student radiographers and radiographers took part in interviews and focus groups and tweets were harvested from a Twitter journal club discussion between radiographers of the second author's published literature review. Data were transcribed and analysed thematically. FindingsKey aspects of communication are fundamental to giving compassionate patient-centred care. These include verbal and non-verbal cues, actively listening and engaging and establishing rapport with the patient. Specific skills associated with these are also identified in these studies. ConclusionKeeping the patient as a person at the centre of radiographic practice in the rapidly evolving technical and cultural environment in which it exists requires timely and appropriate behavioural expressions of compassion from radiographers deploying a range of highly specific communication and interpersonal skills. Implications for practiceWhen undertaking reflective practice, radiographers could consider key aspects of how they communicate with patients, including: verbal (in particular the language they use with patients and their tone of voice); non-verbal (especially eye contact and smiling and their body language). They could also usefully explore and develop skills in reading their patients’ body language as well as their own in order to pick up subtle or hidden cues that might suggest a patient is suffering emotionally or psychologically. Finally, they could think about the sort of targeted questions they could ask of patients when welcoming them into the x-ray or treatment room that would both facilitate the procedure and leave the patient feeling that their radiographer had taken a genuine interest in them and their situation. These reflections could then be used to possibly modify their existing communications with their patients.

A critical realist methodology in empirical research: foundations, process, and payoffs

ABSTRACT This article describes and evaluates the application of an explicitly critical realist methodology to a quantitative doctoral research project on the causes of family homelessness in Australia. It is offered as an example of a critical realist approach to empirical research, in the hope that it will provide ideas and motivation to other scholars seeking a critical realist foundation to their research practice. The paper demonstrates the role of critical realism in informing and defining the analytical and theoretical approach I took. It shows how the philosophy influenced the foundations and practical development of my work. It describes the process of moving from empirical data to theoretical models by stepping through and describing each stage. Finally, I offer an assessment of how critical realism changed, enabled, improved, and liberated my project; that is, what advantage critical realism offered to explaining a complex social phenomenon and crisis in contemporary Australia.

Life is not always linear: expanding the notion of transitions in higher education to challenge structural, static and linear processes facing Indigenous and older adult students

ABSTRACT This article draws on the concept of structural lag to expand the notion of transitions in higher education contexts beyond linear and age-differentiated. Research reported here responds to scholars who are taking theories of transition into conceptually new landscapes. Using a rhizomic data analysis of a doctoral research project, the idea of assemblage is reconsidered as dis-assemblage for its value in conceptualizing transition. This article demonstrates benefits for theorizing transitions as non-linear, ongoing, dynamic, fluid, and continuous to better understand the reciprocal interplay among contextual influences on students’ lived experiences. A proposition is given for higher educators to transform outdated structural lag-based practices and consider benefits of expanding theory and practice of transition towards transition as being-becoming.

School Dropout and Early School Leaving in Romania: Tendencies and Risk Factors

Improving participation rates in education and reducing the number of persons who leave the educational system prematurely has increasingly become a concern for national governments and international organizations all over the world. The current paper is the result of the documentation process for a doctoral research project on school dropout (SD) and early school leaving (ESL) in Romania and the appropriate measures that could effectively tackle these negative phenomena. Based on information compiled from periodic reports issued by the relevant authorities, we present the evolution of the two phenomena in Romania, within the last decade. The most extended section of the article is dedicated to a review of the risk factors that have been associated with SD and ESL, based on the theoretical works, research findings and relevant policies consulted during the documentation stage. In the final section of the article, we systematize the relevant aspects resulted from the documentation process and outline the improvements that would benefit future studies aimed at identifying effective solutions to reduce SD and ESL. The current paper may be of use to other researchers, when setting up the design of a study concerned with SD and ESL.

Medication adherence and related determinants in older people with multimorbidity: A cross-sectional study.

Identify the medication adherence determinants in older adults with multimorbidity and polypharmacy. A cross-sectional study was conducted in a non-probabilistic sample of 245 adults ≥65 years recruited in a general medical ward of one teaching hospital. Data were collected during hospital stay using a face-to-face interview based on a set of validated questionnaires, such as the measure treatment adherence, the beliefs about medicines questionnaire-specific and the geriatric depression scale. Descriptive and multiple linear regression analysis were performed. Participants' mean age was 78.32 (SD: 6.95) years and 50.6% were women. Older adults lived with an average of 7.51 (SD: 1.95) chronic conditions and had a mean of 7.95 (min. 4; max. 18) medications prescribed. The proportion of older adults adherent to medication was 43.7%. Depression ( = -0.142; p = 0.031), beliefs about treatment necessity ( = 0.306; p = 0.001) and concerns about the medication ( = -0.204; p = 0.001) were found as independent determinants of adherence. Self-reported medication non-adherence appears to be common in older adults with multimorbidity and polypharmacy. Depression, necessity and concerns should be considered when assessing medication non-adherence in practice. This study will also contribute to develop an intervention to manage adherence in older people, as part of a doctoral research project.

From Graphic Designer to Agent of Change: Role Transition through the Approach of Entrepreneurial Education

OVERVIEW Pedagogical inertia has been prevalent in graphic design education by focusing mainly on the technical and intuitive aspects of the profession. This pedagogical unbalance has been anchoring practitioners as technicians, rather than empowering them to become citizen designers. Entrepreneurship, as a pedagogical method, can offer alternative approaches for improving teaching and learning in the field of design. Enterprise education has the potential to help students develop a set of skills to transition into a new role and be better able to face the social and environmental issues of the twentieth-first century. In this doctoral research project, existing teaching models that foster students’ entrepreneurial spirit are distilled through observation and interviews with the different stakeholders in the design education ecosystem. This research proposes a relevant and coherent approach to entrepreneurial education to improve graphic design education.

When the Gap between Academic Theology and the Church Makes Possible the Orthodox–Evangelical Dialogue

In the church tradition, we find that the great theologians were also deeply involved in the life of the church as bishops, priests, or pastors who served the believers in their parishes, though, even at that time, practicing theology started to drift apart from performing pastoral work. In Modernity, however, things began to change radically, especially with the development of theology as an academic discipline and even more so with the development of the profession of the theologian specializing in religious studies. This phenomenon penetrated Protestant churches in particular, but it is also found in Orthodoxy. In this study, we advance the hypothesis that, despite its negative connotation, the gap between academic theology and church life opens up the possibility of a promising dialogue between Evangelicals and the Orthodox in Romania. Especially in the last 30 years, theologians from both communities have interacted in the context of doctoral research, scientific conferences, and research projects, although the dialogue between church leaders and hierarchs is almost non-existent. We analyze whether this incipient theological dialogue could possibly create a bridge between the two communities and within them and between academia and the church. We believe that one of the best ways to reduce the distance between them is to build on the interest of the current generation of theologians from both churches in Biblical studies, in Patristic theology, and in the work of the Romanian theologian Dumitru Stăniloae.

Los trazos de Mafalda. Notas sobre intelectuales, liberal-conservadurismo y derechas en la Argentina desde la Historia Político-Intelectual

El presente texto propone un recorrido sobre problemáticas teóricas, metodológicas y analíticas de Historia Político-Intelectual para la discusión acerca de los intelectuales liberal-conservadores y las derechas en la Argentina. Se ordena en cuatro segmentos: una introducción al tema, un abordaje a la Historia Político-Intelectual, una mirada sobre tiempo, espacio y categorías, y una nota final a modo de conclusión. En él se discute, centralmente, a la luz de un proyecto de investigación doctoral y de posteriores indagaciones en temas vinculados a él.

A New Way of Being Italian Through the Lens of Hip Hop

ABSTRACT The pivotal role of Hip Hop music in identity formation processes of youth of migrant background has been established in many countries. Yet this issue has not been explored in the Italian context. In this paper, I present preliminary findings from a broader doctoral research project that investigates how Italian youth of African descent employ Hip Hop discursive practices to negotiate and build a sense of cultural identity that responds to the marginalisation and racialisation they face in Italian society and challenges the idea of Italy as a demographically and culturally homogeneous country. Through Critical Discourse Analysis of song lyrics and semi-structured interviews, I have found that Afroitalian rappers construct their cultural identities through a complex and ongoing process of transculturation, where elements from different cultural backgrounds interact in their artistic production and are modified thereby. Language choices play a major part in the identity-construction process. The analysis reveals the prevalence of translanguaging practices in the songs. Afroitalian rappers employ their linguistic repertoires as integrated systems where languages are not treated as separate entities but blended together on multiple levels. The act of translanguaging, I argue, is a marked choice involving discourses of identity.

Skills and knowledge not checklists: social work interventions into childhood emotional abuse

ABSTRACT One of the most harmful forms of childhood abuse and neglect is emotional abuse. Harm may occur in ways that are not easy to see, leading to challenges for social workers. Consequently, cases may remain unresolved and the level of abuse may continue and intensify. Risk assessment tools will not necessarily pick up on the less tangible aspects of emotional harm. The social worker carrying out the work must have the necessary knowledge and skills to recognise emotional abuse and the impact it may have on a child. They also require emotional intelligence and self-awareness of their own role in the assessment process to identify and work with emotional abuse effectively. This qualitative doctoral research project funded by the Economic and Social Research Council explores some of the ways in which child protection social workers in England intervene with emotional abuse. This article suggests that social workers use aspects of their subjectivity to inform their day to day work with emotional abuse. Interrogating one’s own practices is, therefore, essential in supporting effective practice approaches to reduce harm. The goal of this research is to support the development of teaching and training in relation to social work with emotional abuse.

‘Lasses are much easier to get on with’: The gendered labour of a female ethnographer in an all-male group

This article addresses the complexities of being a female ethnographer studying an all-male group, as well as the advantages and the effects this had on the researcher. It draws on research undertaken for a doctoral research project, employing ethnography and semi-structured interviews to explore ‘hidden’ food insecurity in the town of Middlesbrough, with predominantly male participants. The existing literature surrounding research and gender addresses the problems associated with gender differences in the field such as fitting in, sexualisation and sexist treatment and confinement to traditional gender roles. This research highlighted many problems associated with being a female ethnographer but that ultimately gender was beneficial in gaining and maintaining access to the field. It concludes by arguing for academia to develop the notion of ‘hidden ethnography’, alongside a recognition that researchers should be supported emotionally in problems they face in the field.

Taking stock and looking to the future: a discussion of the findings of, and tensions within, a multimethod research study with a view to how it might be taken forward

ABSTRACT This paper presents an overview of the author’s doctoral research project, a two-pronged study using both qualitative and quantitative methods. Excerpts of observation material based on video-recorded interactions between mother and infant are presented and discussed, in relation to a psychoanalytic framework with a focus on infantile phantasy. The author also describes the process of developing an assessment scale that attempts to render the rich qualitative data of the observation transcripts as numerical data for comparison with other available quantitative clinical assessments, for the mother-infant pairs studied. The author reflects on some of the challenges of the project and explores possible new directions it could take.

Teachers’ beliefs at German music schools a “messy construct” in a grounded theory study

Teachers at music schools in Germany are confronted with very complex demands in their profession, ranging from artistic experience in various genres to pedagogical skills in the context of both broad-based and top-level promotion, as well as different age groups. It is not uncommon for certain tensions to arise when teachers try to meet all these requirements at the same time. Under such conditions, how do they define quality of instrumental and vocal tuition? As this is a matter of a still relatively young field of empirical research in Germany, such a basic and relevant research question has not yet been addressed. It is explored in my doctoral research project 2, which is an empirical study based on interviews with teachers at music schools in Germany3. The concept of teachers’ beliefs forms the theoretical framework and the data collected is analysed using Grounded Theory methodology. On the way towards developing a theory, it becomes apparent that educational quality from the teachers’ point of view is much more difficult to identify than expected. Therefore, it seems necessary to broaden the research question. This paper illustrates the processuality of my research with a focus on the methodological approach.

Geopolitics and the ASEAN single aviation market: Aspirations versus realities

This paper aims to explore and identify the key geopolitical barriers and opportunities to greater regional integration amongst the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states by examining the case study of the ASEAN single aviation market (ASAM). This paper is based on an ongoing doctoral research project covering the topic. To date, ASEAN has implemented substantial liberalisation of its regional air transport market via an open skies policy, included as part of the ASEAN Community Project. This aims to not just foster connectivity and economic development, but ultimately to contribute to the building of a regional identity. While there has been some evident progress since the launch of the initiative in the region, the open skies agreement promoted as ASAM has not gained as much traction as projected, nor achieved its core stated aim of creating an effective single air transport market; a stated goal it initially planned to achieve by the end of 2015. Most of the literature explaining the divergence between key aspirations and realities in ASAM focuses on the economic regulation of international air transport in the region, and typically discusses these core considerations from the perspectives of law and policy. There are few substantial scholarly works that incorporate geopolitics, aeropolitics and/or diplomacy, all of which are important variables closely linked to the field of international relations. The geopolitical perspective on ASAM is still largely understudied, and this paper and the evolving research underpinning it, are intended to contribute to that identified gap.

Experiences of Visually Impaired and Blind Students in UK Higher Education: An Exploration of Access and Participation

Drawing on a small scale doctoral research project that engaged a critical disability studies (CDS) lens and is rooted in a Grounded Theory methodological approach, this paper explores the experiences of visually impaired and blind students regarding their access and negotiation of inclusion within UK higher education (HE). The emergent research findings, which here focus on the process and practical application of Disabled Student’s Allowance, accommodation within student living and, more broadly, social interactions within HE, reveal a liminal and bounded participation contrary to the ongoing processes and practices, within HE, which purport equity and inclusion. By foregrounding the voices of these visually impaired students, whilst expanding upon existing understanding of the experiences of disabled students, the important discussions of day-to-day social interactions and identity as a visually impaired person and student reveal an important juxtaposition between the rhetoric of inclusion and individual experience.

A research note: Video conferencing interviews

This research note aimed to highlight the reflections of the researcher while conducting videoconferencing interviews as a part of his doctoral research project. The researcher drew some inferences based on recent literature and two videoconferencing interviews conducted with the doctoral students via Zoom. It was a crucial experience to deal with the recruitment of research participants, building rapport/understanding, especially with the female participant, exchanging nonverbal cues between researcher and participants, considering socio-cultural aspects of the participants, writing the interview summaries and getting them reviewed by the participants. Moreover, technological aspects were also considered important like having a PC, laptop or android of good condition with consistent internet connectivity, appropriate software (Zoom) and recording of the interviews, backup of the recordings, making sure electricity and other equipment essential for videoconferencing interviews was available. Besides, reviewing the order of questions and time for the research interviews is also important for videoconferencing interviews. The researcher believes that it might be possible to increase the trustworthiness of the videoconferencing interviews by considering all these aspects.

Developing a framework for youth empowerment to prevent smoking behavior in a rural setting: study protocol for a participatory action research

PurposeThere is limited research examining community-based youth empowerment that addresses smoking prevention in the rural Indonesian context. This paper describes participatory action research (PAR) applied to develop a framework for empowering youth aged 17–25 years toward smoking prevention. This research conducted in the Indonesian rural community setting was divided into four stages: diagnosing, planning action, taking action and evaluating action.Design/methodology/approachPAR was chosen as the approach to developing a framework for youth empowerment in smoking prevention programs. In this study, the PAR cycle started with a prestep stage through interviews with village heads, community leaders, youth organization organizers, observations of target resources and observations of participation in youth activities as well as forming teamwork with target participants. The diagnosis stage consists of three activities, that is, focus group discussions with youth groups of male and female, youth assessment of empowerment domains through the Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) with the Empowerment Assessment Rating Scale (EARS) and measuring individual and group involvement levels related to the smoking behavior prevention program by questionnaire. The EARS assessment results were presented in the action planning stage, followed by a discussion on youth empowerment plans and strategies. In the action stage, activities and programs are planned according to the planning discussion, that is: training in healthy life skills (outbound and training) and initiating youth health programs without smoking called “Remaja Berdaya Sehat Tanpa Rokok” (Empowered Youth Healthy Without Smoking) or the JayaStar Program. After these community participation activities, the evaluating action stage will assess the empowerment domain in the youth groups, conduct focus group discussions with parents, evaluate the impact of empowerment on individual and group changes with a questionnaire and facilitate self-reflection by the youth community called Madiska.FindingsThis protocol describes a doctoral research project on developing a youth empowerment framework in smoking prevention programs through PAR. The intended study will provide valuable information on the planning, implementation and evaluation of youth empowerment in the prevention of smoking behavior.Originality/valueThis research project is expected to contribute to the literature relating to PAR for rural settings and the use of empowerment strategies to prevent youth smoking behavior. The results can be replicated in the same settings, but the process of empowerment must still be adapted to the characteristics and local wisdom of the community.