Dominant Themes Research Articles

Life after "no": barriers to behavior change for persons declined hernia repair due to high-risk features.

Delaying an elective operation to mitigate risk factors improves patient outcomes. Elective ventral hernia repair is one such example. To address this issue, we developed a pre-operative optimization clinic to support high-risk patients seeking elective ventral hernia repair. Unfortunately, few patients progressed to surgery. Within this context, we sought to understand the barriers to behavior change among these patients with the goal of improving care for patients undergoing elective surgery. We performed semi-structured, qualitative interviews with 20 patients who were declined ventral hernia repair due to either active tobacco use or obesity. Patients were recruited from a pre-operative optimization clinic at an academic hospital. Interviews sought to characterize patients' perceived barriers to behavior change. Interviews were concluded once thematic saturation was reached. We used an inductive thematic analysis to analyze the data. All data analysis was performed using MAXQDA software. Among 20 patients (mean age 50, 65% female, 65% White), none had yet undergone ventral hernia repair. While most patients had a positive experience in the clinic, among those who did not, we found three dominant themes around behavior change: (1) Patient's role in behavior change: how the patient perceived their role in making behavior changes optimize their health for surgery; (2) Obtainability of offered resources: the need for more support for patients to access the recommended healthcare; and (3) Patient-provider concordance: the extent to which patients and providers agree on the relative importance of different attributes of their care. Behavior change prior to elective surgery is complex and multifaceted. While improving access to tobacco cessation resources and obesity management may improve outcomes for some, patients may benefit from increased on-site facilitation to promote access to resources as well as the use of patient-facing decision support tools to promote patient-provider concordance.

Language, context, and action: exploring equity and justice content in Vancouver environmental plans

ABSTRACT Environmental plans have been criticised for failing to appropriately address equity and justice concerns, exacerbating inequity, and overlooking systemic injustices. Some scholars have argued that the use of equity and justice terminology impacts the equity and justice work being done, citing challenges with vague uses of equity. Our research used thematic content analyses, with a focus on language-use, to explore equity and justice framings in four environmental planning documents in Vancouver, B.C. Framings of equity and justice were coded across nine dominant themes and compared against how often each plan acknowledged and addressed four dimensions of justice: distributive, procedural, recognition, and epistemic. We found that plans with more specific, nuanced, and seemingly intentional framings of equity and justice generally included more well-rounded engagement with the four dimensions of justice. Between documents, we highlight vague uses of equity, a focus on distribution, and equity being framed primarily as a guaranteed byproduct. Across documents, we highlight benefits-for-all language, different responses to systemic injustice, and different planning contexts. In discussing the contextual differences across plans, we argue it is important for more research to consider equity and justice in planning on a micro level to better understand the specific justice needs and limitations of different cities and planning goals. We also argue for more work to include epistemic justice alongside the traditional distributive, procedural, and recognition justices. Key policy highlights To better support equity and justice work, planners should aim to have a clear and specific understanding of a project’s equity and justice concerns, priorities, and goals early in the planning process; equity and justice priorities and approaches should guide the entire planning process, rather than be incorporated into a finished product after-the-fact. To better support equity and justice work, approaches to equity and justice in plans should be grounded in a detailed and nuanced understanding of systemic injustices and intersectionality. Generalised, “benefits-for-all” language could risk inequitable solutions; whenever possible, plans should identify specific groups and their unique needs. To better consider local needs and address equity and justice issues, plans should acknowledge and incorporate diverse knowledge systems, perspectives, and practices such as Indigenous ways of “doing, being, and knowing”.

Digital social movement: Using social media to reject Indonesia's draft criminal code (RUU KUHP)

This research tries to explore the use of social media as part of the digital social movement to reject the draft Indonesian Penal Code (RUU KUHP). In this case, social media were used in different social movements. This research uses a qualitative approach to know what kind of value of the phenomena. This research uses analysis Q-DAS (Qualitative Data Analysis Software), which uses social media data, and the tool is Nvivo 12 Plus. This research finds: First, the dominant social media theme is relevant to the legal theme area and aspect. In addition, the social media themes themselves have been made from the content used in social media as a reaction of netizens about the rejection of the Indonesian draft criminal code. Second, the narrative is dominated by the use of hashtags, but some of them use accounts and topics of law. Third, the hashtags have a relationship with other hashtags that tend to be strong, indicating that there are using the hashtag as a marker and possibly using more than 2 hashtags in one post with the same goal to reject the Indonesia Draft Criminal Code.

Investigating teacher talk in EAP and EGP classes: In pursuit of communicative features

PurposeThis study aims to explore the communicative features of teacher talk in English for General Purposes (EGP) vs. English for Academic Purposes (EAP) classes in Iranian contexts based on the Self-Evaluation Teacher Talk (SETT) framework.Design/methodology/approachFor the purposes of this study, EAP and EGP classes run by three language instructors and three content instructors were observed and interviews with teacher participants were conducted. The data were analyzed by content analysis, and emerging overarching themes were recorded.FindingsThe findings of this study indicate that the translation of texts into Persian was the dominant theme in classes run by content instructors who were less aware of the communicative features of teacher talk. However, one of the content instructors who was familiar with the communicative features of teacher talk as well as general language instructors were found to be highly aware of the potential of their teacher talk to encourage communication in his classes. The innovative and communicative features in the language/content instructor suggest the importance of teacher agency in bringing change in education at the micro-level. This study has implications for various agencies involved in teaching EAP, EGAP and English for Specific Purposes (ESAP), raising awareness regarding the communicative features of teacher talk as a driving force leading learners and teachers to more communicative opportunities in language classrooms. The findings suggest that teacher talk is an essential component of classroom discourse, shaping students' linguistic and academic development, and that teacher agency is crucial in promoting communicative opportunities in language education. To boost communication, the authors recommend translanguaging with a focus on both communication and optimal use of the mother tongue in EAP classes.Originality/valueThere is little empirical evidence on the communicative aspects of teacher talk in higher education. This study can inspire more parallel research on EAP settings in higher education with a focus on communication and teacher talk features.

Revisiting the Received Image of Machiavelli in Business Ethics Through a Close Reading of The Prince and Discourses

In business ethics literature, the figure of Machiavelli is often taken as a representation of that which is dark, sinister and negative—a source of inspiration for undesirable and unethical actions. In this research, we examine the evaluation of Niccolò Machiavelli’s thought in extant studies, and posit that Machiavelli’s works consist of ideas that may appear contradictory, which, coupled with historically contextualized close reading of his texts have more to offer. In this theoretical investigation, we construct new conceptual categories of a leader’s decision-making rubric and attempt to provide a structured framework that will allow us to specify the boundary conditions under which the apparent contrary views may be accommodated, by undertaking a close reading of Machiavelli’s texts. Our work contributes to business ethics literature in at least three ways. First, we present a holistic assessment of the research area that applies the tenets of Machiavelli’s writings to business ethics, management, and organizational studies, and delineate the dominant themes. We outline and substantiate the informal research networks, thought structures, and “invisible colleges” that form the intellectual framework of this research area through a bibliometric analysis and literature review. Second, we present a contextualized close reading of Machiavelli’s major treatises. Third, we reimagine the critical landscape of business ethics literature, specifically pertaining to Machiavelli’s oeuvre by shifting the single-minded focus from The Prince, by including The Discourses, which, as we show, has new and unprecedented implications for business ethics. In light of this, the parameters for ethical action by business leaders can be redrawn according to a Machiavellian schema. This marks a radical departure from the long-standing association between Machiavelli’s tenets and the absence of ethics, instead proposing a more positive and affirmative relationship between Machiavelli and business ethics. Specifically, while pointing out that the existing ethical frameworks foisted on Machiavelli’s texts do not do justice to the political philosopher’s worldview, which are complex insights into ideas of leadership, we urge researchers to incorporate the thoughts offered in this research in future investigations.

Negotiating Cancer and Masculinities in Dance Education: Narratives of Discovery from Recovery

ABSTRACT This collaborative duoethnography explores autobiographical accounts of two male-identifying dance educators living with/through cancer. The authors generate and analyze two dominant themes—of cancer-specific recovery and life-centered discovery—in relation to their embodied and discursive constructions of masculinity and their shifting identities as male dance educators confronting and resisting societal gender norms. These shifts include the recovery of health and the recovery of perspective in which the authors also elucidate the discovery of previously unacknowledged and unknown aspects of self, the discovery of new avenues of professional fulfillment, and the adaptation of working practices. The article reveals that male dance educators engage in a range of complex negotiations with their masculinity, which is variously shown to be, at times, diminished, fragile, reproductive, recuperative, and subverted, as well as contextually contingent. Calls are made for greater support for dance educators living with/through cancer from formal institutional assistance provided by conservatories, universities, dance studios, and organizations, as well as informal networks of well-being support from the dance education profession itself.

Heart Health Begins With Community: Community-Based Research Exploring Innovative Strategies to Support First Nations Heart Health

BackgroundIndigenous people have displayed their strength through their holistic practices and spiritual connection to the land. Despite overcoming the impact of discriminatory and disempowering policies within Western institutions, Indigenous people continue to experience a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, compared to the general population. To move toward improving Indigenous health outcomes, researchers need to work in partnership with communities to develop heart health strategies centred on their experienced barriers and sources of healing. We conducted a community-based explorative study in Moosonee, Ontario to explore the local community’s needs and priorities regarding heart health and wellness. MethodsA convenience sample of community members and healthcare professionals were invited to participate in a sharing circle. Qualitative data were analyzed using conventional content analysis and the Indigenous method of two-eyed seeing. ResultsEight community members and 5 healthcare professionals participated in the sharing circle. Four dominant themes were identified: (1) heart health is more than metrics; (2) honouring our traumas; (3) destigmatizing care through relationship building; and (4) innovative solutions start with community. With the history of mistreatment among Indigenous people, strength-based solutions involved rebuilding clinical relationships. To bring care closer to home, digital health tools were widely accepted, but the design of these tools needs to integrate both Western and Indigenous approaches to healing. ConclusionsIndigenous health upholds the physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual needs of an individual as being of equal importance. To improve community heart health, strategies should start by strengthening broken bonds and bridging multiple worldviews of healing.

Perceptions and experiences of prenatal mental health: A qualitative study among pregnant women in Ghana.

Prenatal mental health problems can have adverse effects on the health and wellbeing of the mother as well as her baby. However, the factors associated with its etiology, expression, and coping mechanisms in Ghana remain understudied. This qualitative study explored the perceptions and experiences of prenatal mental health problems among 21 pregnant women in Accra through semi-structured interviews. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis led to three dominant themes; "conceptions of prenatal mental disorders" (sub-themes: awareness and constructions of prenatal mental health problems), "experiences of mental health problems" (sub-themes: symptoms of prenatal mental health problems and causal attributions of prenatal mental health problems) and "coping mechanisms of the pregnancy experience" (subthemes: faith, social support and work). The lack of knowledge of mental health disorders in this study and the expression of contextually relevant and culturally defined constructions and experiences of prenatal mental health problems, highlight the need for the development of culturally suitable interventions within the Ghanaian context.

Computational Communication Methods for Examining Problematic News-Sharing Practices on Facebook at Scale

Social media, in general, and Facebook in particular, have been clearly identified as important platforms for the dissemination of mis- and disinformation and related problematic content. However, the patterns and processes of such dissemination are still not sufficiently understood. We detail a novel computational methodology that focusses on the identification of high-profile vectors of “fake news” and other problematic information in public Facebook spaces. The method enables examination of networks of content sharing that emerge between public pages and groups, and external sources, and the study of longitudinal dynamics of these networks as interests and allegiances shift and new developments (such as the COVID-19 pandemic or the US presidential elections) drive the emergence or decline of dominant themes. Through a case study of content captured between 2016 and 2021, we demonstrate how this methodology allows the development of a new and more comprehensive picture of the overall impact of “fake news,” in all its forms, on contemporary societies.

EDUCATIONAL ISSUES ON THE PAGES OF POLISH JOURNALES IN LVIV (LATE XIX – EARLY XX CENTURIES)

The purpose of the study is to show how Lviv cinema was covered in the Polish scientific press. XIX – beginning 20th century issues of the history of education in the eastern territories of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Research methodology is based on the principles of historicism, systematicity, scientificity, verification, authorial objectivity using general scientific and special historical methods. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the fact that, for the first time, based on the materials of the studies included in the Polish historical journals of Lviv at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, an attempt was made to identify the dominant themes in the study of the history of education in the borderlands of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Conclusions. This led to the creation of the first Polish Professional Historical Society (1886) and the emergence of a number of amateur and professional journals in the field of history (“Przewodnik Naukowy i Literacki”, “Kwartalnik Historyczny”, “Ruś”). It is shown that a significant place in these publications was occupied by Ukrainian issues, which were covered in various formats – from popular science research and essays in cryptohistorical publications to intelligence, source materials and reviews, which formed the basis of content in specialized projects. The study of publications on educational topics made it possible to identify a number of topics, among which a prominent place was occupied by issues of education in the Ukrainian territory of the Commonwealth. It is shown that historical investigations of educational publications were designed to arouse interest in learning about the past, which Polish researchers perceived as an integral part of the legacy of the destroyed Commonwealth, and for many of them were a small homeland and foster patriotic feelings. It has been established that a notable feature of popular science journals was the romanticization of the past and the interpretation of education and historical memory as an outpost for the preservation of Polish cultural traditions in these lands. With the professionalization of historical studies, intelligence became more professional, and the place of legends was taken by scientific elaborations of sources based on the application of a critical method, which translated the interpretation of education into the spread of Western culture in the east.

Il colore luce

Light plays a prominent role in the painting of Jan Vermeer (1632-1675). In the interiors he paints, light enters discreetly as a gift. Light seems to create what it makes visible. Everyday life, which is the dominant theme in the Delft master’s work, is portrayed with a profound religiousness. Vermeer regards the sacred as life itself. It is as if life were taken by surprise, thanks to Vermeer’s ability to seize the moment. A theatrical sagacity allows the artist to fix the moment. One might better call it a ‘cinematographic’ sagacity. This is the main condition for memorability, for Vermeer’s paintings are deeply remembered like few others. The artist’s work is guided by the credibility of what is depicted. Vermeer thus achieves a double result. On the one hand, he makes concrete moments in the lives of the depicted characters, who are mostly young women. On the other, he effectively documents the flourishing historical and geographical context of 17th century Holland. How does beauty work in all this? It is the humanity of the characters that becomes beauty. Like few other painters Vermeer succeeds in bringing out the inner beauty of the person depicted. His painting Girl with a turban is one of his masterpieces: it is like a flash of lightning that goes through us.

A qualitative study of perspectives on research participation among individuals who recently experienced an abortion in Hawaiʻi

ObjectivesThe United States Code of Federal Regulations mandates extra protections for research involving pregnant participants seeking abortions. This study aims to understand the perspectives of abortion patients regarding recruitment, decision-making, and participation in research. Study designWe recruited adults in Hawaiʻi who reported at least one induced abortion in the previous 6 months. Recruitment strategies included online advertisements and flyers posted in reproductive health clinics. We conducted in-person, semistructured interviews exploring research preferences. The authors collaboratively reviewed the resulting transcripts and created a code dictionary. We reviewed, organized, condensed, and diagrammed the resulting data to identify dominant themes. ResultsBetween February and November 2019, we interviewed 25 participants aged 18–41 years who had medication (n = 14) or procedural (n = 11) abortions. Interviews ranged from 32 to 77 minutes (mean = 48 minutes). Four themes emerged: (1) people having abortions are capable of making informed decisions about research participation, (2) abortion-related stigma influences research decision-making, (3) people having abortions prefer to learn about study opportunities early and through participant-driven recruitment methods, and (4) the ideal role of the abortion provider in research is unclear. ConclusionsAbortion patients in this study want to be informed of research opportunities and feel capable of deciding about participation in research studies. Current federally mandated protections and common research practices could be revisited and revised to better reflect these preferences. ImplicationsRevision of federal regulations and optimization of recruitment methods may allow researchers to improve the research experience for patients having an abortion.

Introduction to the Special Edition on Administration and Administrators in Canadian Colleges and Universities: The Specificity of Higher Education Administration and Future Directions for Research

This article introduces the Special Edition devoted to Canadian higher education administration and administrators. It situates its contributing articles within the context of the dominant themes noticed in the extant research literature: neo-liberal and managerial shifts, gender and race career asymmetries, macro- and micro-politics, and professional identities; and highlights their salient contributions. It identifies some of the confusion around the specificity of higher education administration and presents a definition that clarifies how administration differs from management, leadership, and governance, as well as circumscribes the role of academic and career administrators in relation to those of administrative staff members. The article closes with recommendations for future research.

Dominant Leadership Themes in the Pauline Epistles

Paul’s writings in the Bible, although primarily intended to serve spiritual ends, were found to also contain practical leadership wisdom long before these concepts were developed and formalized in secular leadership literature. Seven leadership themes emerged out of this conceptual study, namely: concepts of authority, responsibility, and accountability; the need for personal integrity among leaders, the need to build ethical organizations, situational leadership, fostering unity in diversity, the teaching role of leaders, and ensuring organizational continuity and organizational growth. This paper will benefit leadership theory along the line of increasing confidence in the use of the Bible as a source of leadership knowledge. It will also support leadership practice by providing a model of how effective leadership can be practiced despite operating in a turbulent ancient environment devoid of the resources, systems, and technologies of today’s post-modern organizations. Although the contexts in Paul’s epistles were churches, the leadership lessons they contained can be applied to business organizations, government entities, educational institutions, and society in general.

Framing Fear: An Analysis of the Fear-Based Framing Styles of Serial Homicide News Articles

The portrayal of offenders and crime is often viewed through the framing of news stories in traditional media. This shaping of crime to fit preconstructed perspectives can result in the spread of fear-based ideals. This study assesses use of fear-based media framing in serial homicide news articles. Taking a mixed methods approach, results suggest prolific use of fear-based framing methods, with six dominant fear-based themes identified. Fear-based frames of provoking, dehumanizing, magnifying, validating, and sensationalizing fear were found and a new frame, sanctifying fear, was identified. Variability among use of frames by offender characteristics were also assessed.

Risk Management in Electricity Markets: Dominant Topics and Research Trends

Risk management in electricity markets is essential for decision making that involve uncertainty. This article researches the dominant themes and research trends in risk management in electricity markets using descriptive analysis, literature mapping, and data mining techniques. The proposed methodology generates the clusters within the dominant themes and provides a comprehensive view of the main authors, journals, and publications, as well as the main lines of research. The results reveal that the academic production of the subject is increasing and the research trends focused on financial risk management, energy resource management, and that climate coverage mechanisms are of great interest to the scientific community.

Nutritional Adequacy and Patient Perceptions of the Hospital Inpatient Haemodialysis Menu: A Mixed Methods Case Series

Aim: To evaluate the nutritional adequacy of the hospital haemodialysis menu, quantify the dietary intake of hospitalised haemodialysis patients and explore patient perceptions of the menu. Methods: The menu analysis compared the default menu to reference standards using a one sample t-test via SPSS. Eight hospitalised haemodialysis patients were purposively interviewed using semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis was used to identify the dominant themes. The participant’s actual dietary intake was calculated and compared to individual nutrients using evidence-based guidelines. Results: Compared to the reference standards, the default inpatient haemodialysis menu did not provide adequate energy (p < 0.001, mean = 8767 kJ/day ± 362), sodium (p < 0.001, mean = 72 mmol/day ± 9), potassium (p < 0.001, mean = 64 mmol/day ± 4), vitamin C (p ≤ 0.001, mean = 33 mg/day ± 10) and fibre (p < 0.001, mean = 26 g/day ± 3). Inadequate intake of energy and protein occurred in half of the participants. Passive acceptance of the menu, environmental and cultural considerations contributed to missed food opportunities impacting the patient experience and limited intake. Conclusions: The profile of the current default inpatient haemodialysis menu impacts the dietary intake and the experience of haemodialysis inpatients. It is recommended that the default menu is optimised in line with evidence-based guidelines for inpatients.

The Social Effects of Entrepreneurship on Society and Some Potential Remedies: Four Provocations

A rapidly growing research stream examines the social effects of entrepreneurship on society. This research assesses the rise of entrepreneurship as a dominant theme in society and studies how entrepreneurship contributes to the production and acceptance of socio-economic inequality regimes, social problems, class and power struggles, and systemic inequities. In this article, scholars present new perspectives on an organizational sociology-inspired research agenda of entrepreneurial capitalism and detail the potential remedies to bound the unfettered expansion of a narrow conception of entrepreneurship. Taken together, the essays put forward four central provocations: 1) reform the study and pedagogy of entrepreneurship by bringing in the humanities; 2) examine entrepreneurship as a cultural phenomenon shaping society; 3) go beyond the dominant biases in entrepreneurship research and pedagogy; and 4) explore alternative models to entrepreneurial capitalism. More scholarly work scrutinizing the entrepreneurship–society nexus is urgently needed, and these essays provide generative arguments toward further developing this research agenda.

What Does the Concept of Resilience in Tourism Mean in the Time of COVID-19? Results of a Bibliometric Analysis

The spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on tourism, giving significant importance to resilience strategies for this sector. Indeed, over the past three years, an increasing amount of research has been conducted on tourism resilience without any overall analysis of these publications. This study aims to conduct a bibliometric analysis in order to identify research trends in the field as well as explore the various gaps in the literature on the subject studied during and after the pandemic. A selection of 114 Scopus-indexed articles published between 2020 and early 2023 on tourism resilience was analyzed by two bibliometric tools, VOS viewer and R bibliometrix. The results show that China, the United States, and Spain are the leading countries in this field of research. The articles’ authors, the affiliations, and the countries involved in research in this field were not able to compose a close, extensive, and collaborative network. The journal Sustainability (Switzerland), published by MDPI, is at the top of the list. This work identifies three dominant study themes: (1) tourism and sustainable resilience; (2) livelihood resilience; and (3) community resilience. This study provides a benchmark for future researchers with new study directions in the field of tourism resilience.

Understanding conflict penality: Dominant themes and the case of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict

Confinement is a common result of conflict, and states use various mechanisms to imprison enemy fighters. This article examines practices of incarceration in times of conflict as punishment. It analyses dominant themes in how states punish those they conceive as ‘enemies’ and proposes the term ‘conflict penality’ to encapsulate commonalities in state punishment during conflict. The article then discusses conflict penality further by examining Israel's punishment of Palestinians for ‘security offences’. The article contributes to the geographical and topical expansion of punishment studies, beyond the traditional borders of national criminal justice systems of Anglo-European countries. It concludes by showing how, under the extreme political climate of conflict, states use penal power to delegitimise their opponents, yet do so through extensive normative compromises that undermine their moral authority to punish.