Emotional Investment Research Articles

EXPLORING THE IMPACT OF TEACHER’S EXPERIENCE AND WORKLOAD ON EMOTIONAL CONNECTION AND ENGAGEMENT IN EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION

This study explores the impact of a teacher’s experience and workload on their emotional connection and engagement within an educational institution. Drawing on extensive empirical data, the research investigates how varying levels of experience and diverse workload demands influence teachers’ emotional investment and active participation in their work environment. This study adopts a quantitative research design to examine the relationship between emotional intelligence (EI), teacher burnout, and work engagement among school teachers in the Saugor district of Madhya Pradesh. A cross-sectional survey method is used to collect data from a sample of teachers. The results indicate a significant association between emotional attachment to the institution and the level of experience among respondents. Organizations need to strike a balance, ensuring that employees are challenged but not overwhelmed. This study also adds to the growing body of literature on teacher burnout and engagement, providing significant knowledge for administrators, and educators looking to improve teacher well-being and institutional success. KEYWORDS: Teacher’s experience, Workload, Saugor, Madhya Pradesh.

‘On the cusp of something huge’: Anticipatory subjectivities in freelance fashion work

This article draws on an (auto)ethnographic study of a group of freelance fashion professionals, known as ‘fashion agents’, with a particular focus on their relationship to time. It aims to elucidate the temporalities that permeate their work lives and shape their subjectivities, which I coin as anticipatory subjectivities. Such subjectivities, I posit, are emblematic of the conditions of flexibilisation, precarity and hopeful investment in the future characteristic of contemporary cultural industries and, more broadly, late capitalist knowledge economies. I propose that agents’ life-worlds are permeated by a promissory regime – i.e., living in anticipation of constantly deferred, adjourned and unsecured rewards. Such a regime produces subjectivities that are premised on a hopeful emotional investment in the future, coupled with a preparedness for, and a capacity to navigate, incalculable risks. Another feature of the ‘timescapes’ that agents have to negotiate is the simultaneity of multiple fluid, unstructured and often conflicting temporalities and tempos, which requires a particular kind of time-competence. Finally, the article also foregrounds the importance, in agents’ temporal orientations, of kairos: the right, opportune moment. Such a moment is normally perceived as being just about to happen; yet, it cannot be orchestrated or precipitated. As a result, one of agents’ key temporal experiences is that of waiting, which de-subjectivises them and inhibits their capacity to act. Together, these time-orientations – anticipation, managing multiple temporalities and a hopeful waiting for kairos – underpin and foster subjectivities and forms of affective labour that sustain the cultural industries; they are also emblematic of the temporal conditions of late capitalism.

Re-wiring of the bonded brain: Gene expression among pair bonded female prairie voles changes as they transition to motherhood.

Motherhood is a costly life-history transition accompanied by behavioral and neural plasticity necessary for offspring care. Motherhood in the monogamous prairie vole is associated with decreased pair bond strength, suggesting a trade-off between parental investment and pair bond maintenance. Neural mechanisms governing pair bonds and maternal bonds overlap, creating possible competition between the two. We measured mRNA expression of genes encoding receptors for oxytocin (oxtr), dopamine (d1r and d2r), mu-opioids (oprm1a), and kappa-opioids (oprk1a) within three brain areas processing salience of sociosensory cues (anterior cingulate cortex; ACC), pair bonding (nucleus accumbens; NAc), and maternal care (medial preoptic area; MPOA). We compared gene expression differences between pair bonded prairie voles that were never pregnant, pregnant (~day 16 of pregnancy), and recent mothers (day 3 of lactation). We found greater gene expression in the NAc (oxtr, d2r, oprm1a, and oprk1a) and MPOA (oxtr, d1r, d2r, oprm1a, and oprk1a) following the transition to motherhood. Expression for all five genes in the ACC was greatest for females that had been bonded for longer. Gene expression within each region was highly correlated, indicating that oxytocin, dopamine, and opioids comprise a complimentary gene network for social signaling. ACC-NAc gene expression correlations indicated that being a mother (oxtr and d1r) or maintaining long-term pair bonds (oprm1a) relies on the coordination of different signaling systems within the same circuit. Our study suggests the maternal brain undergoes changes that prepare females to face the trade-off associated with increased emotional investment in offspring, while also maintaining a pair bond.

Negative Emotional Value of Players: Exploring the Time Investment Dimension from Chinese Mobile Game Players’ Reviews

This study delved into the concept of “time investment” by examining negative comments from players. It conducted a comprehensive analysis of how time investment and external motivation influence players’ emotional experiences, drawing from self-determination theory (SDT). Nonetheless, there has been limited exploration of the origins and significance of players’ negative emotions. The study employed a mixed-methods approach. Initially, it constructed a radar chart representing time investment by analyzing textual reviews from Chinese players across six distinct mobile game types and creating thematic models with BERTopic. Subsequently, the initial machine learning results were confirmed through a questionnaire survey (n = 1028), resulting in the identification of five primary time investment dimensions: in-game experience time investment, learning time investment, social time investment, emotional time investment, and economic time investment. The study unveils the impact of external motivation on players’ emotions and assessments, all from the viewpoint of players. It also offers an expanded perspective within SDT for the exploration of external motivation. The findings present a fresh theoretical outlook and research framework for game designers and the human–computer interaction (HCI) field. Additionally, they offer new insights into the concept of time as perceived by players.

Relationship between learners' L2 Motivational Self System and parental investment behavior in learners' English learning.

Students' motivation and learning behavior are significantly impacted by parents' participation and investment. It has been demonstrated that parental investment behavior could exert a direct effect on students' L2 Motivational Self System (L2MSS) mediated by parental investment belief. Nevertheless, the relationship between components of parental investment behavior and students' language learning motivation remains a topic necessitating further scholarly investigation. In response to this gap, we conducted a quantitative study involving a survey of 900 high school students to explore the relationship between students' English learning motivation, as conceptualized by the L2 Motivational Self System and parental investment behavior based on a four-component model. The findings in this study indicated that high school students exhibited moderate levels of L2MSS and relatively low levels of parental investment behavior. Moreover, students' L2MSS was found to have a significant positive correlation with the global parental investment behavior, with parental emotional investment behavior emerging as a positive predictor of high school students' L2MSS. These results underscore the importance of parental provision of sufficient economic, relationship, knowledge, and emotional support in cultivating a nurturing and supportive familial context conducive to the development of students' positive future selves.

An evaluation of intelligent and immersive digital applications in eliciting cognitive states in humans through the utilization of Emotiv Insight

The amalgamation of Virtual Reality (VR) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) results in the development of many promising applications that are helpful for society in many aspects. This research was done to study the effect of immersive and non-immersive applications on user's psychological parameters. In this paper, an intelligent, interactive, and immersive digital application was designed, and the various psychological parameters of users while using the application were analyzed through the brain computer interactive device, Emotiv. The impact of these robust and immersive applications on the emotions of human beings was analyzed. According to the observations, the stress and relaxation levels are getting minimally affected, whereas the engagement levels are high for an immersive application rather than a non-immersive application. Hence, it can be concluded that immersive applications put users “in” the application environment and provide a near-realistic experience by blurring the line between the real and virtual worlds. Deeper immersion results from the increased sensation of presence, which in turn is helpful in increasing motivation and emotional investment.•This paper demonstrates the implementation of the A* algorithm within the Unity 3D Game Engine to develop an intelligent digital application, fostering interactivity and depth.•This paper explores the integration of VR technology to transform the digital application into an immersive and interactive experience, enhancing user engagement and realism.•This paper investigates the utilization of the Emotiv Insight device to analyze cognitive parameters within both non-immersive AI-based and immersive AI & VR-based applications, providing insights into user experiences.

Knowing me, knowing you: how school educators cope with the challenges of inclusion in deprived and non-deprived areas

ABSTRACT Inclusive classrooms have become a focus in mainstream education in recent years. However, challenges for educators are often overlooked. This study utilised an exploratory, qualitative research approach following Strauss and Corbin’s variant of Grounded Theory [Corbin, J., and A. Strauss. 2015. Basics of Qualitative Research. Sage] to investigate this; semi-structured interview data was collected from 19 educational professionals, utilising theoretical sampling techniques. Participants were working in deprived and non-deprived areas and were interviewed about their experiences of facilitating inclusion. Data was analysed using Grounded Theory; ‘Knowing’: yourself and your students emerged as the core category, with main categories of attitudes, sacrifices, student empowerment, meeting needs and barriers. Boundaries around time and emotional investment were paramount, as was available non-judgemental support. Student empowerment alleviated pressure on educators. Deprivation exacerbated challenges such as workload, student emotional and social needs, and emotional toll on educators.

Could marriage be a glorified transactional relationship? A cognitive blending approach to analogies of marriage in Dholuo

The last few decades have seen declining marriage rates as people prioritize other life goals over marital commitments. While the explanations for this shifting tide are multifaceted, scholarly evidence suggests that portrayal of marriage in a negative light scares many young adults from the institution. Every community equips its people with experiences, attitudes and linguistic resources to conceptualize abstract phenomena such as marriage. Against this background, this study seeks to analyze analogies of marriage in Dholuo to reveal how cultural resources and experiences influence the conceptualization of marriage. The study adopts a descriptive research design. Data for the study was collected through interviews. Forty (40) speakers of the Kisumu South Nyanza (KSN) dialect were asked to provide analogies used to describe marriage in Dholuo. A total of 66 analogies were collected. Four annotators used the synectic method of analogy identification to verify the collected expressions. One analogy which implies that marriage is a transactional relationship was selected for analysis using the Conceptual Integration Theory (CIT). The study found that analogies pervade daily conversations but they are unconsciously used to describe abstract phenomena such as marriage. Additionally, the study found that in some marriages in the Luo community, love chemistry, compatibility and emotional investment take a backseat and partners see each other as a means to satisfy their selfish interests. The findings also indicate that conceptual mental spaces as a tenet of the CIT provide a plausible model for interpreting marriage as an abstract concept in Dholuo. The study concludes that analogy is culture-specific and should be investigated through the lenses of a cognitive linguist.

E‐learning successes with English language teachers in under‐resourced non‐WEIRD contexts

AbstractWhile e‐learning has gained prominence globally over the past several years, little is known about the successes English language teachers (ELTs) experience in e‐learning environments in non‐WEIRD (western, educated, industrialized, rich, democratic) contexts where teacher support is limited or unavailable. This two‐stage, primarily qualitative multi‐method study specifically aimed to examine the extent to which ELTs found success through e‐learning in Afghanistan and Egypt. Survey (N = 82) and interview (N = 15) data showed that the teachers reported daunting challenges, including institutional malfunctioning, ineffective policies, absence of facilities and technical knowledge, large heterogeneous classes, students' low emotional investment, negative perceptions, and absence of rigorous and systematic assessment. The teachers also narrated their effective coping strategies to resolve the existing tensions, described how they incorporated the success elements, and how they improved student engagement and learning outcomes. The study provides surprising insights about how the move to emergency online teaching in under‐resourced non‐WEIRD contexts has changed and can inform teaching delivery. We conclude with implications for teachers to develop more effective e‐learning environments in such contexts.

The influence of antenatal imaging on prenatal bonding in uncomplicated pregnancies: a mixed methods analysis

BackgroundPrenatal bonding describes the emotional connection expectant parents form to their unborn child. Research acknowledges the association between antenatal imaging and enhanced bonding, but the influencing factors are not well understood, particularly for fathers or when using advanced techniques like fetal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This study aimed to identify variables which may predict increased bonding after imaging.MethodsFirst-time expectant parents (mothers = 58, fathers = 18) completed a two-part questionnaire (QualtricsXM™) about their expectations and experiences of ultrasound (n = 64) or fetal MRI (n = 12) scans in uncomplicated pregnancies. A modified version of the Prenatal Attachment Inventory (PAI) was used to measure bonding. Qualitative data were collected through open-ended questions. Multivariate linear regression models were used to identify significant parent and imaging predictors for bonding. Qualitative content analysis of free-text responses was conducted to further understand the predictors’ influences.ResultsBonding scores were significantly increased after imaging for mothers and fathers (p < 0.05). MRI-parents reported significantly higher bonding than ultrasound-parents (p = 0.02). In the first regression model of parent factors (adjusted R2 = 0.17, F = 2.88, p < 0.01), employment status (β = -0.38, p < 0.05) was a significant predictor for bonding post-imaging. The second model of imaging factors (adjusted R2 = 0.19, F = 3.85, p < 0.01) showed imaging modality (β = -0.53), imaging experience (β = 0.42) and parental excitement after the scan (β = 0.29) were significantly (p < 0.05) associated with increased bonding. Seventeen coded themes were generated from the qualitative content analysis, describing how scans offered reassurance about fetal wellbeing and the opportunity to connect with the baby through quality interactions with imaging professionals. A positive scan experience helped parents to feel excited about parenthood. Fetal MRI was considered a superior modality to ultrasound.ConclusionsAntenatal imaging provides reassurance of fetal development which affirms parents’ emotional investment in the pregnancy and supports the growing connection. Imaging professionals are uniquely positioned to provide parent-centred experiences which may enhance parental excitement and facilitate bonding.

Fashioning the Self: Reinvention as Depicted in Jennifer Down's "Bodies of Light"

A recent study has identified the key factors that contribute to the themes explored in Jennifer Down's award-winning novel, Bodies of Light. The book has received literary criticism for its portrayal of human bondage, vulnerability, and social distinction, making these themes the primary focus of the study. By delving into the underlying themes and attributions within the novel, this analysis has provided valuable insights into the story. Notably, the study has shed light on the power dynamics between male characters, and the protagonist's struggle with pain, emotional trauma, and poignancy. Furthermore, previous research has highlighted the connections between the novel's exploration of existential crisis and identity.&#x0D; Keywords: Human Bondage, Emotional Investment, Vulnerability, Childhood Grief, Emotional Instability.

Youth mentors’ experiences working with young people to support desistance from criminal behaviour within the community

PurposeYoung offender mentoring programmes aim to support young people’s desistance from offending, but despite the importance, there remains limited exploration into mentor experiences of supporting the young people. This study aims to explore how a community-based mentoring intervention supports desistance in young offenders by understanding the mentor's experiences, with a specific reflective focus on facilitators and barriers to their work.Design/methodology/approachSemi-structured interviews were conducted with seven mentors from Northumbria Coalition against Crime, a youth and community service. Interview transcripts were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis, with external auditing conducted by the research supervisor.FindingsTwo superordinate themes resulted: “Factors for engagement” and “Personal experiences”, with participant disclosures reflecting professional reward and a sense of success. This was interwoven with “burnout”, emotional investment and challenges linked to barriers to effectiveness. Challenges included the young people having external negative influences, multiple individuals involved in a person’s care and the barrier of in person activities during the coronavirus pandemic. The clinical importance of mentoring programmes, implications for future working practice and research limitations are considered.Practical implicationsThe clinical importance of mentoring programmes, implications for future working practice and research limitations are considered.Originality/valueThese findings contribute to understanding mentors’ experiences of working with young people in the community, offering critical insight into the mentorship and wider service dynamics. Furthermore, it provides an inaugural evaluation of the Northumbria Coalition against Crime services.

The British Royals in Australia

The British Royals in Australia

The Use of Instagram and TikTok in Relation to Problematic Use and Well-Being

AbstractMuch of the existing literature on the influence of social media use on well-being has focused on Facebook. Additionally, there exist inconsistencies in how different aspects of social media use (i.e., duration, problematic use, and emotional investment) impact well-being. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate how engagement with social media (Instagram and TikTok) was related to problematic social media use and mental well-being. Additionally, this study examined individuals’ emotional investment (value attributed to “likes” and social media followers) on each platform and how this related to problematic social media use and well-being. In this correlational study, 252 participants completed an online questionnaire including validated scales (e.g., the Rosenberg self-esteem scale) and items measuring the time spent on each platform (minutes per day) and the importance of likes, and followers. Time spent on TikTok was a significant positive predictor of problematic social media use, depression, and self-esteem, however, did not predict loneliness. Time spent on Instagram was a significant positive predictor of problematic social media use, but not any other well-being factors. These latter findings highlight the need to investigate additional factors related to how individuals are using social media, as duration is not a sufficient predictor of well-being. Problematic social media use was a significant positive predictor of depression and self-esteem, but not loneliness. Emotional investment varied in predicting problematic social media use and well-being across the two social media platforms. Present findings may alert clinical psychologists to the importance of monitoring social media use in clinical populations.

Minds and Machines: Impact of Emotional Intelligence on Investment Decisions with Mediating the Role of Artificial Intelligence

In the evolving landscape of financial decision-making, this study delves into the intricate relationships among Emotional Intelligence (EI), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Investment Decisions (ID). By scrutinizing the direct influence of human emotional intelligence on investment choices and elucidating the mediating role of AI in this process, our research seeks to unravel the complex interplay between minds and machines. Through empirical analysis, we reveal that EI not only directly impacts ID but also exerts its influence indirectly through AI-mediated pathways. The findings underscore the pivotal role of emotional awareness in investor decision-making, augmented by the technological capabilities of AI. It suggests that most investors are influenced by the identified emotional intelligence when making investment decisions. Furthermore, AI substantially impacts investors' decision-making process when it comes to investing; nevertheless, AI partially mediates the relationship between emotional intelligence and investment decisions. This nuanced understanding provides valuable insights for financial practitioners, policymakers, and researchers, emphasizing the need for holistic strategies that integrate emotional and technological dimensions in navigating the intricacies of modern investment landscapes. As the synergy between human intuition and artificial intelligence becomes increasingly integral to financial decision-making, this study contributes to the ongoing discourse on the symbiotic relationship between minds and machines in investments.0

Analysis of Factors Influencing the Construction of Modern Apprenticeship Management System of Higher Vocational Colleges and Universities on Students’ Motivation in the Context of Information Technology

Abstract With the increasing demand for high-quality skilled talents, building a teaching management system suitable for the characteristics of modern apprenticeship is the key to ensuring the smooth implementation of practical teaching. After the contemporary apprenticeship quality management system, this article takes vocational college students under the current apprenticeship management system in S city as the research object, uses principal component analysis and multiple choice linear regression methods to evaluate student initiative and explore the relevant influencing factors, Assess the impact and degree of influence of various factors on the agency of vocational college students. The results show that motivation investment (0.2421) and emotional investment (0.2335) are closely related to the evaluation results of student agency. The agency of the selected students is at a lower than average level, with an evaluation score of 2.9096. The impact value of the modern apprenticeship management system on student agency is 3.561, above average. Among them, The impact of factor process (3.838) is the greatest

The Lived Experiences of Alternative Learning System Teachers in English Literacy Instruction

This study explores the challenges that Alternative Learning System (ALS) teachers face in English literacy instruction and the coping strategies they employ to overcome these hurdles. Given the crucial role of English literacy, this study aims to delve into the lived experiences of ALS teachers, who are pivotal in the knowledge transfer process. Employing a phenomenological approach within qualitative research, the study draws on in-depth, in-person interviews with five ALS teachers to gather rich, experiential data. The thematic analysis of the interview transcripts reveals that ALS teachers' roles encompass physical demands, mental fortitude, emotional investment, and social engagement. The themes that emerge as challenges in teaching the Communication Skills strand in English include high demands on teachers' resilience, diversity of students, limited instructional materials, limited instructional time, and negative public perception of teachers' roles and the program. Despite these challenges, ALS teachers develop coping strategies, including cultivating resilience to manage the demands of teaching the strand and maintaining a positive outlook. This study concludes that while ALS teachers face significant obstacles in managing the learning strand, their effective use of specific coping strategies ensures that each learner receives appropriately leveled instruction. Based on the findings, the researcher proposes a training program that can improve ALS teachers' pedagogical approaches to enhance further their capabilities in making a difference in the field of education through ALS and, most importantly, in the lives of their learners.

Health-related quality of life and associated factors among family caregivers of patients with cancer in oncologic centers of Northwest Ethiopia.

Providing care for individuals dealing with long-term illnesses like cancer demands significant amounts of time, energy, and emotional investment, potentially resulting in a challenging and overwhelming quality of life for those providing the care. The purpose of this study was to assess the level of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and associated factors among family caregivers of patients with cancer in oncologic centers of Northwest Ethiopia. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 412 family caregivers of patients with cancer who were following treatment at oncologic centers in Northwest Ethiopia from August to October 2023. Systematic random sampling was used to enroll study participants. Epi-data version 4.6.1 and SPSS version 26 were used for data entry and analysis, respectively. The relationship between quality of life and independent variables was examined using linear regression. Statistical significance was determined for variables having a p-value of less than 0.05 at a 95% confidence range. A total of 412 eligible caregivers were included in the study out of 422 approached samples, yielding a 97.6% response rate. The mean score of the overall Quality of Life Brief-Scale Version was 52.7 ± 9.57. Being Spouse (β = -3.39; 95% CI: -6.49, -0.29), presence of chronic illness (β = -3.43; 95% CI: -5.56, -1.31), depression, (β = -2.55; 95% CI: -4.34, -0.75), anxiety (β = -3.27; 95% CI: -5.22, -1.32),and social support, (β = -3.61; 95% CI: -6.20, -1.02) were negatively associated with quality of life. In this study, the psychological domain had the lowest mean score. Caregivers being as spouse, who were with chronic illness, manifested depression and anxiety and had a poor social support needs attention and support to improve HRQoL.

Research on the Behavior and Nature of BTS Weibo Fan Community

The rise of social media has broken the geographical and communicative boundaries between fans, providing them with a more open platform to express themselves and pursue a shared spiritual resonance. This research focuses on the dynamics and psychological foundations of the BTS Weibo fan community to explore the emotional investment, community connections, and identity construction that arise from the excessive admiration and pursuit of a particular subject, whether virtually or in reality, in the social media era. Based on grounded theory, this research collects data generated by specific fan groups, including their content, interactions, and narratives, and iteratively analyzes and summarizes this data. The study identifies key characteristics of BTS Weibo fan behavior, such as sense of community, exclusivity and gift economy. These findings lay the foundation for further research on the evolving behaviors and motivations of fans, contributing to a broader discussion on media consumption, fan culture, and the psychological impact of online communities.

Crisis and resilience in psychology

Crises that occur after natural disasters are real and serious issues that can cause serious depression. A crisis is a situation in which a smooth process suddenly turns into a depression with negative, dangerous consequences. Since our country is in an earthquake-prone region and has experienced earthquakes with great losses, it has a very traumatic history. The concept of crisis, which spreads over a wide area, is a phenomenon that needs to be talked about by drawing boundaries. Natural disasters cause crises, and crises cause trauma. Resilience is the most effective way to deal with natural disasters and the traumas that follow. Resilience can be considered as the ability to adapt to the adverse conditions caused by external factors causing the crisis for disaster management. Psychological resilience is defined as the ability to cope with the negative consequences that may follow a natural disaster and adaptation to a negative situation. The phenomenon of resilience is important for both the individual and the society in societies where major natural disasters such as earthquakes are experienced. This definition of psychological resilience points to an approach that leaves the individual on his/her own in the face of disaster, crisis, and trauma by placing a great responsibility on the individual. However, individuals who have been exposed to natural disasters should not be left on their own and all opportunities should be mobilised to help them. Passive exposure to the wounds caused by natural disasters decays both the individual and the society. Instead, engaging in emotional, mental, social, and artistic investments and taking part in new and multiple fields will benefit the individual and the society in order to tackle the wounds.