Good Friend Research Articles

The distance between us: the role of ideological proximity in shaping perceptions of inter-partisan relationships

ABSTRACT Escalating hostility between partisans threatens democratic governance and social cohesion by eroding trust and fuelling discriminatory behaviour towards opposing groups. This study investigates how people perceive the relations between different partisan groups and why certain pairs of partisans are viewed as friendlier or more hostile towards one another. Drawing on similarity-attraction theory in social psychology and research on affective polarization, I argue that citizens perceive the relationship as more friendly between individuals who support ideologically similar parties. The claim is empirically supported through the use of a novel survey item that assesses the likelihood of two partisans becoming good friends, across three multi-party democracies: Canada, Germany, and the UK. The findings suggest that the ideological proximity of parties not only shapes citizens’ perceptions of parties themselves but also influences their views of fellow citizens across party lines. By demonstrating that people consider party proximity and ideological alignment when evaluating inter-partisan relations, the study sheds light on how ideological and affective dimensions intertwine within these relationships in multi-party democracies.

Mathematics is Indisputably the Greatest Subject in the World

A good friend of mine asked, if mathematicians are not proud of their subject, then who on earth will be? No longer must our subject be seen as irrelevant, boring and a joke. And it starts in schools − full stop! Let’s call it as it is. Mathematics is Indisputably the Greatest Subject in the World.

Good friends, better society: Peer effects on civic‐mindedness of elementary school students

AbstractThis study examined the effects of peers' civic‐mindedness on elementary school students' civic‐mindedness. Raising civic‐minded and socially responsible adolescents has become a focus of attention in many countries in recent years. This study used fourth‐grade elementary school panel data from the Seoul Education Longitudinal Survey 2010, identifying causality based on fixed effects and instrumental variable estimation from students' random classroom assignment. Results showed that the high civic‐mindedness among classmates increased students' own civic‐mindedness. Based on these findings, implications for adolescent education are discussed.

The Role of Grandparents in Enhancing Children's Spiritual Intelligence: A Unique Case Study in Demak, Central Java, Indonesia

This study is important to describe the factors underlying the grandparent parenting pattern, how grandparents strengthen children's spiritual intelligence, and how grandparents strengthen children's spiritual intelligence. This study, conducted in the cultural context of Demak, Central Java, Indonesia, uses a qualitative case study approach using interviews, observations, and documentation. The results of this study indicate several factors underlying the occurrence of grandparent parenting patterns, namely the divorce of both parents and the parent's job factor, which causes the care carried out by grandparents. The impact of grandparents in strengthening children's spirituality leads to various outcomes. On the positive side, children exhibit honesty, diligence, regular worship, Quranic studies, mosque attendance, and association with good friends. On the negative side, children may become spoiled and exploit the situation, such as doing work solely for rewards from grandparents. The author recommends that parents and grandparents work together to educate children; if they work together one day, the child will be even better.

Friendship and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): Correlation Between Friendships of Students with ASD High Function (AHF) and Educational Practices in the Context of Inclusion in Primary Education

Friendship contributes to mental well-being, is a protective factor in victimization and a challenge for children and adolescents with High Functioning Autism (HFA). The quantity and quality of their friendships depends on the quality of interventions in their environment. This study aims to investigate the quantity and quality of friendships between children with (AHF) and their peers in primary school, and the relationship between friendships and inclusive educational practices. The research sample consisted of 143 teachers of students with AHF in primary school. The qualitative approach used the Autism Inclusion Questionnaire (AIQ), while the quantitative approach used the Questionnaire on friendships between children with AHF and peers. Inferential statistics, i.e., the use of the x2 correlation test and Pearson's coefficient, was used to investigate the association and type of association between friendship practices with AHF and educational, behavioral practices. Results showed that 35% of teachers believed that children with ASD tended to have no friends and were surrounded by loneliness. Only one third of them had a good friend. However, these friendships could not be considered meaningful as they were not characterized by reciprocity and common interests. 19 out of 37 educational inclusion practices were linked to the development and improvement of friendships. They can be useful for educators, practitioners and families at this age stage.

The Educational Context In The Literature Of Ibn Al-Muqaffa Through His Book Al-Adab Al-Saghir/ السياق التربوي في أدب ابْنِ الْمُقَفَّع من خلال كتابه الْأدب الصغير

The purpose of this study is to analyze the contents of the book "Al-Adab Al-Shaghir" by the author Abdullah Ibn Al-Muqaffa, and identify the educational context of the texts of this book. This study uses an inductive approach to extrapolate Arabic texts and extract research materials and descriptive-analytical (content analysis) To analyze. The author focuses on social behavior and discusses topics including the importance of self-discipline and self-control and the importance of friendship and positive social relationships. It also emphasizes ethical behavior and the importance of moral values, personal relationships, and social responsibility. He discusses educational issues with reason, wisdom, and literature, which increases the influence of his philosophy on readers and contributes to establishing educational values in society. The study results also show that the content and values of education, the most prominent of which are the love of knowledge, choosing good friends, Honesty and integrity, and their role in encouraging personal and social growth, Self-awareness, and self-control. This book contains many rhetorical methods with the educational implication that a wise person must be at odds with himself and judge himself. Among the most prominent educational means in Ibn al-Muqaffa's texts are education by example, the need for ethics and discipline (education) and its role in the context of watering the mind, and developing society to benefit from these contents in raising children in the current era, and it is recommended that these values need to be included in educational books so that pre-university students can contribute to instilling values and purifying the minds of the younger generation.

Good Friends Have Boundaries: Provider Strategies for Creating Support Boundaries in Friendships

ABSTRACT Minimal social support research has studied support boundaries, defined as a support provider’s parameters around the amount and/or type of support they are willing to offer. I argue that evaluating support boundary creation is one communicative pathway for understanding difficult supportive relationships and how support providers navigate no longer offering the same amount and/or type of support to their friends. Analyzing 22 semi-structured, narrative-focused interviews, this study proposes an initial typology for how support providers create support boundaries. Participants utilized indirect (i.e., implicit strategies and behaviors to minimize support seeking and provision), direct (i.e., explicit parameters around the support they were willing to provide), and collaborative (i.e., open and honest conversations with their friend to establish mutually agreed upon expectations) support boundary creation strategies with their friends. By creating boundaries skillfully, providers can mitigate and manage potential negative outcomes of support, as well as protect themselves and their friendships. Investigating how providers create support boundaries is crucial for current research gaps in understanding challenging supportive relationships from the provider’s perspective, and how support providers navigate discrepancies between their needs and the needs of support seekers.

Medical students’ perception on their educational environment by using Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure at a Malaysian medical school

Background Optimal educational environment in medical school has been shown to have desirable effects on medical students. In providing this environment, the input from medical students is proven to be a necessity. Objectives: The objective of this study is to obtain the perception of preclinical and clinical students on their current educational environment. Methods A cross-sectional study using self-administered Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM) questionnaire was conducted among medical students in UiTM to measure their perception on educational environment. DREEM consisted of 50 items grouped into five subscales which addressed different aspects of educational environment: students’ perception of learning (SPoL), teachers (SPoT), atmosphere (SPoA), academic self-perception (SASP) and social self-perception (SSSP). Results A total of 894 out of 1165 students completed the questionnaire. The overall mean score of DREEM was described as more positive than negative (mean score: 131.81/200), with significant difference between pre-clinical and clinical students in SPoL and SSSP subscales. SPoL was interpreted as having a more positive perception (mean score: 33.06/48), SPoT as moving in the right direction (mean score: 30.11/44), SASP as feeling more on the positive side (mean score: 20.75/32), SPoA as having a more positive attitude (mean score: 30.72/58, and SSSP as not too bad (mean score: 17.17/28). Educators were perceived as being knowledgeable, encouraging students to participate, and wellprepared for class. Students also perceived that they have good friends, learnt a lot on empathy and the knowledge taught was relevant for future career. All students perceived that educators were authoritarian, overemphasized on factual learning, and they were unable to memorise all. Clinical students viewed educators to be angry in class, too tired to enjoy the course, stressful and lonely. Conclusion In conclusion, the educational environment was viewed positively by the students with clinical students having more areas of concern when compared to pre-clinical students. Bangladesh Journal of Medical Science Vol. 23 No. 04 October’24 Page : 1168-1177

Good Friends and Good Neighbors: Social Capital and Food Insecurity in Families with Newborns

To examine the association between social capital and household food insecurity among US families with newborns. This cross-sectional analysis used enrollment data from 881 newborn-caregiver dyads at six geographically-diverse US academic sites enrolled in the Greenlight Plus Trial, a comparative effectiveness trial to prevent childhood obesity. Ordinal proportional-odds models were used to characterize the associations of two self-reported measures of social capital: 1) caregiver social support and 2) neighborhood social cohesion, with household food insecurity after controlling for sociodemographic characteristics. Among 881 newborn-caregiver dyads (49% Hispanic, 23% non-Hispanic white, 17% non-Hispanic Black; 49% with annual household income <$50,000), food security was high for 75%, marginal for 9%, low for 11% and very low for 4%. In covariate-adjusted analyses, caregivers with a low social support score of 18 had five times the odds (aOR=5.03 95%CI=3.28-7.74) of greater food insecurity compared with caregivers with a high social support score of 30. Caregivers with a low neighborhood social cohesion score of 10 had nearly three times the odds (aOR=2.87 95%CI 1.61-5.11) of greater food insecurity compared with caregivers with a high neighborhood social cohesion score of 20. These associations remained robust when both social capital measures were included in one model. Caregiver social support and neighborhood social cohesion each appear to be inversely associated with food insecurity among US families with newborns. Longitudinal research is needed to determine the directionality of these relationships and whether improving social capital for families with young children reduces household food insecurity.

English Foreign Language Teachers’ Strategy in Teaching Speaking Classes: A Case Study at the Rumah Inggris Jogja

This research aims to find out English teachers' strategies in teaching English-speaking classes at the Rumah English Jogja, explore the challenges faced by two English teachers in teaching speaking classes, and how they solve these problems. The present study utilized qualitative design with descriptive analysis, and the respondents were two teachers who teach English speaking classes. Observations and semi-structured interviews were employed to obtain the data. All data gathered were gone through several analysis steps: data reduction, data display, and conclusion. The findings revealed that the teaching strategies used by Mr. A were the question &amp; answer, conversation, drilling, storytelling, and conversation strategy. Meanwhile, Mr. M, applied translation, repeating, group work, drilling, role play, reporting, game, story completion, interview, and question &amp; answer. The result of the interview with Mr. A, and Mr M, revealed that they found it difficult to deal with new students as they were not well prepared to join the speaking class. Mr. A found it hard to stimulate and motivate his students who were not familiar with the topic discussed. Meanwhile, Mr. M, pointed out some of his difficulties, including the difference in learners' characteristics, and the variety of learners' needs, wants, and lacks in the class. Having a personal approach to students, being good friends, and creating an enjoyable learning atmosphere are several good efforts to do.

How Curiosity Enhances Performance: Mechanisms of Physiological Engagement, Challenge and Threat Appraisal, and Novelty Deprivation

Research has shown that curiosity plays a crucial role in human performance and well-being. Based on multi-dimensional models of curiosity, we examined potential underlying mechanisms for this relationship. Extending prior research, we expected state and trait variants of curiosity to predict more challenge and less threat appraisals for novel tasks (i.e., joyous exploration dimension), stronger dissatisfaction when denied opportunities to do something interesting (i.e., deprivation sensitivity dimension), and persist longer under stress states (i.e., stress tolerance). We asked 123 participants to prepare and deliver a speech titled "Why are you a good friend?" After preparation, participants were informed that they were randomly selected not to perform the task. Throughout the experiment, we recorded heart rate reactivity as a physiological indicator of task engagement. We found that individuals curious about the upcoming task felt more challenged, less threatened, and presented longer physiological engagement than less curious individuals. Curious individuals expressed more disappointment about the missed opportunity to deliver the speech. In summary, this study revealed theoretically derived mechanisms that partially account for associations between curiosity and positive life outcomes while also indicating adverse effects.

Martin C. Mihm Jr: Remembrances of a great physician, charismatic person, and good friend.

Martin C. Mihm Jr: Remembrances of a great physician, charismatic person, and good friend.

Dampak Pelatihan Tari terhadap Rasa Percaya diri Siswa di SMAN 4 Pariaman

This study aims to find out how dance training has an impact on students' confidence at SMAN 4 Pariaman. This type of research is qualitative research with a descriptive method. The research instrument is the researcher himself and is assisted by supporting instruments such as stationery and cameras. Data were collected through literature studies, observations, interviews and documentation. The steps to analyze data are data collection, data reduction, data presentation and data verification. The results of the study showed that there was an increase in students' confidence when participating in dance training in dance extracurricular activities at SMAN 4 Pariaman which was influenced by optimistic, objective and responsible indicators. From the optimistic indicator, it can be seen that students have more willingness and do certain activities, students when they get new material, they look very eager to try and practice it well. From the objective indicators of impartial, fair and open students, students are able to make good friends with anyone and are also able to be fair to their peers. And from the responsibility indicator, being able to complete the tasks given and keep the promises according to the agreement, students who have tasks given by their coach always complete them on time and always follow whatever directions the coach tells them to do. So it can be concluded that the dance training carried out is able to increase students' confidence.

Mitte ainult mängu asi

Doll Lottchen is an example of a museum object that has changed its nature and functions throughout its lifespan, so it can be described as a toy and as a comfort object, but also as a symbolic item of personal childhood and national identity, and a delicate museum object with restrictions in use. Doll Lottchen belonged to Anne, who was given it as a gift in 1947, during a film shooting in Saint Petersburg (then Leningrad) by the host of a local family, when she was four years old. She found the little smiling doll lovely and called her Lottchen. Anne believed that the doll was produced in Germany and was probably taken as a trophy by some Soviet soldier at the end of the Second World War, but the moulded mark shows that the doll was made in Okhta factory in Russia. Its origin is still unclear as Rheinische Gummi- und Celluloidfabrik in Germany indeed launched a similar doll called Mädi between 1930 and 1957. The Okhta factory used German moulds in the 1930s and 1940s. Sometimes detecting the history of the previous usage of a museum object needs effort and time; for Lottchen the material was collected within eight months of communication with the donator. As Lottchen was an affective object or sensitive object (Frykman and Frykman) there are various memories about it. Anne describes three dramatic episodes from her childhood, during which the doll was either temporarily lost or broken by a dog. At the age of ten the life story of Anne and the story of her favourite doll intersected. Accidentally Anne learned from a tipsy neighbour that she was actually a “German girl”. During two years, when she kept this shocking information a secret and made a new costume for the doll, her doll Lottchen acquired a new meaning. When Anne became 12, it was revealed that she had been rescued by her Estonian stepmother from Königsberg in 1946. By then the city had been destroyed by the allies and occupied by the Soviet forces; thousands of civilians had died of diseases and starvation. Anne was three and a half, her biological family had lost the father and two other children, and little Roswitha Anne Browarzyck (her actual name) was very fragile, with her feet swollen from hunger. Miraculously escaped to Estonia with her future stepmother, she had to hide her East-Prussian origin and was not allowed to speak German. So she quickly forgot her real identity. When finally donating the doll to the museum, Anne sent her off with the following words of farewell: “May you, dear Lottchen, have many good friends and excitement on every day at the toy museum! Maybe I’ll come to see you sometime! Hugs, your Rose (that’s how I was called at home).” As toy museums tend to be places of childhood nostalgy and the Tartu Toy Museum is no exception, there are some dilemmas about dealing with this kind of objects. As they are made of hazardous and fragile celluloid, the best way to preserve them is to keep them in controlled conditions in the repository. Today doll Lottchen is kept this way. However, as a modern museum would like to exhibit its items and share its collections with visitors, there are ethical questions of how to organise it. It is argued whether the happy-faced doll could be displayed in a showcase together with other celluloid dolls without any explanations, to follow the toy museum’s current policy to keep any war themes or sensitive topics of children’s life as silent as possible. Or should toy museums take a more active part in highlighting uneasy topics and white spots in history? Today the world is dangerous and the ongoing war in Ukraine raises questions about war, forcing parents to find ways to answer them. By means of historical stories about toys and children to whom they belonged, museums could contribute to this task. It seems that the best way could be to conduct visitor´s research among children and adults both through surveys and observations. In this way it could be possible to find out what is preferred and whether and how to deal with difficult topics through temporary exhibitions, events or museum education.

Entering the Classroom: Do Newcomers Experience More Peer Victimization than Their Established Peers?

Students changing classrooms or schools may face challenges from entering a new peer context without friends and standing out from the crowd as newcomers. Two studies examined whether newcomer status predicts peer victimization at school, exploring several potential moderating factors (e.g., social anxiety, immigrant background and having good friends in the classroom) (Study 1: n = 6,199; Mage=12.53) and whether being victimized as a newcomer varied based on the different reasons for mobility (e.g., parental dissolution, residential move, previous victimization, changing into a more suitable school) (Study 2: n = 58,738). In both studies, newcomers reported higher peer victimization compared to established students. Having good friends in the classroom was found as a protective factor in Study 1, being the only statistically significant moderator. All reasons for mobility, except changing into a more suitable school, predicted slightly higher peer victimization in Study 2, with the highest risk for those changing schools due to previous peer victimization experiences.

Ominous Creatures: Foreshadowing and Intertextuality in Joseph Conrad’s Shorter Fiction

In a number of short stories and novellas during one period of his writing Joseph Conrad specifically used apparently unrelated but dramatic animal imagery, detached from but foreshadowing the development of the subsequent events in each narrative. There may be a number of reasons for this type of foreshadowing and for its effect in his shorter fiction which are explored. Intertextuality has been noted between the stories of Joseph Conrad and H. G. Wells. Here additional examples are found between the works of these authors, men who were good friends but later had conflicting views about writing and life, and between their own and other authors’ works.

POLA PENEMUAN INFORMASI (INFORMATION SEEKING BEHAVIOR) DALAM UPAYA PENGEMBANGAN USAHA PADA KALANGAN PELAKU USAHA MIKRO KECIL DAN MENENGAH DI DESA SERANG KECAMATAN PANGGUNGREJO KABUPATEN BLITAR

The need for information in efforts to develop micro, small and medium enterprises encourages information seeking behavior among MSME business actors. This research aims to determine the information seeking behavior by MSME business actors in the Serang village area, Panggungrejo subdistrict, Blitar district to meet information needs for business development, as well as to find out the obstacles faced by MSME business actors in finding information and how to overcome them. The research method used is descriptive research with a qualitative approach. The data collection techniques used were open interviews with 6 informants, observation and study of literature. Data analysis techniques use data reduction, data presentation and drawing conclusions. The research results show that there are eight stages of information seeking behavior carried out by coffee and chips MSME business actors, including starting, chaining, browsing, differentiating, monitoring, extracting, verifying, and ending. The information they get is from articles or journals, social media, friends, relatives, and training. Meanwhile, the obstacle faced is that there are some people who do not want to share the information they have. To overcome this obstacle, there are two things that can be done, namely by looking for other sources of information and inviting the person to have frequent discussions and be good friends so that they themselves provide the information needed.

Are you fun, funny and laughing? The friendships and social relationships of students with complex communication needs in and outside of special school settings

AbstractFriendships and social relationships are central to wellbeing but the friendships of those with complex needs are often ignored. This study explored the friendships and social relationships of students with complex communication needs (CCN) in and outside of special school settings, to understand how they view and experience them. There were 20 participants—6 students, 8 of their parents and 6 of their teachers. The research was conducted in two stages: Stage 1 included semi‐structured interviews with adults and unstructured observations of students in class and at breaktimes. Stage 2 included working with students through a Mosaic approach, using six tools (pyramid ranking activity, preferred activity with friends cards, best friends activity, school tours, collections from home and book‐making). Transcripts of recordings were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. The four themes generated highlight how students with CCN have more accurate views of their social lives than adults, students and adults have differing views about what makes a good friend, students with CCN find ways to enact meaningful social contact through a connection beyond words, and reciprocity in friendships means no distinction between ‘helper’ and ‘needing help’. Strengths and limitations are highlighted and implications for researchers and practitioners are discussed.

A Toast to ‘Neerlands Wonder’:

Most eighteenth-century glass goblets with stippled-engraved decorations were used during the Patriot struggle to toast their political leaders. In 2020, the Rijksmuseum acquired an exceptional glass with the stipple-engraved portrait of the renowned Dutch author Elisabeth Wolff-Bekker. Research into the glass’s provenance revealed it was formerly in the possession of Christiaan Nissen and his wife, Magdalena Greeger, a couple with whom Wolff-Bekker shared a close bond. This friendship endured up until Nissen caused the author’s financial downfall in 1791. An inscription on the glass names the engraver who decorated it, David Wolff, and the person who commissioned it, likely Pieter Heijnsius, a wealthy master carpenter and stalwart Patriot from The Hague. Pieter’s daughter, Maria Heijnsius, was married to Isaac van Cleef, Wolff-Bekker’s publisher. As the publicist of Wolff-Bekker’s work, Van Cleef also commissioned the portrait print of Wolff-Bekker that served as the model for the portrait on the glass. Heijnsius and his son-in-law were good friends and both were members of the same Patriot society. Van Cleef was a central figure in Wolff-Bekker’s circle of enlightened admirers. The inscription on the glass also provides insight into Wolff-Bekker’s reputation. It is true that Wolff-Bekker was a supporter of the Patriot movement, but the latter part of the inscription necessitates a more nuanced interpretation of a toast made with this glass. Wolff-Bekker’s admirers were drawn by her literary talent as ‘Neerlands wonder’, but even more so by her opposition to the Calchas figures of her day: the hypocritical ministers set on deceiving and inciting the people. This reflects Wolff-Bekker’s reputation as a defender of virtue and combatant of hypocrites arising from her polemical writings published in the seventeen-seventies and later.

When TV neighbours become good friends: Understanding Neighbours fans' feelings of grief and loss at the end of the series.

Fans may experience significant upset and distress when a television series ends. However, grief and loss reactions to the end of a fictional series have seldom been investigated. It is likely that the degree to which such reactions are felt is influenced by viewing motives (e.g., pleasure, meaning making), connection to the series and its fan community, relationships formed with characters, including parasocial bonds and experiences of empathy, and tendency to engage with others' perspectives and emotions, including fictional characters. The purpose of this study was to examine predictors of fans' grief and loss reactions to the end of the television series Neighbours, which aired from 1985 to 2022. Fans (n = 1289) completed an online survey shortly after the screening of the final episode. The survey measured grief emotions and cognitions, acceptance that the series had ended, distress at the loss of a parasocial relationship with a favourite character, feelings of closure, and expressions of gratitude for the series. Predictors of these grief and loss reactions examined in the survey were viewing motives, fan identity, strength of a parasocial relationship formed with a favourite character, empathy towards that character, and tendency to take others' perspectives, experience empathic concern and personal distress, and tendency towards engagement with fictional characters. Greater grief and loss reactions were experienced by fans whose motives for watching involved being entertained and exposed to different lifestyles, who felt a stronger fan connection to the series, and who formed stronger parasocial empathic relationships with their favourite character. Factors such as gender, age, and empathic tendencies predicted various types of grief reactions. Understanding fan experiences when a long-running series ends advances theory and research on viewer parasocial relationships and engagement with media, as well as providing evidence that the loss of a series or favourite character can be viewed as a type of grief experience.