Hermeneutic Approach Research Articles

Being a nurse during an earthquake that affected ten provinces: A qualitative study on experiences and expectations.

This study was conducted to determine the professional experiences and future expectations of nurses working in the most damaged areas during the first two weeks of the 2023 Turkey earthquake. The increase in the frequency and severity of disasters in recent years has strongly shown that nurses must be prepared to respond to all disasters. To prepare for disasters that require a multifaceted approach, the experiences of nurses serving in disasters should not be ignored. A hermeneutic phenomenological approach was used in this research. The study included 18 nurses who worked in the first two weeks of the disaster. Data were collected through semistructured in-depth interviews between April and May 2023. Four themes were identified from the analysis of the data: (1) personal challenges, (2) organizational challenges, (3) nursing during the disaster, and (4) expectations. The results showed that nurses needed psychosocial support intervention skills in disasters and that their psychological preparation and knowledge levels for disasters were insufficient. In addition, the study revealed that organizational preparation was inadequate and that all these factors affected nursing care. The knowledge and skills that nurses need for professional disaster management can be provided by updating undergraduate education, in-service training procedures, and related policies. Considering that ideal disaster management is possible with a multidisciplinary team, it is recommended that national disaster policies be reviewed.

THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOPE AND RECOVERY: CHALLENGES AND PROSPECTS FOR POST-WAR UKRAINE

The aim of this study is to explore the philosophical concepts of hope and recovery in the context of post-war Ukraine, a nation deeply affected by war and striving for reconstruction and the establishment of a new social order. The article integrates various philosophical approaches to the categories of hope and recovery, with a special focus on the ethical dimensions of this process. The research employs the dialectical method (particularly in the analysis of Hegel’s ideas), the hermeneutic approach (Paul Ricoeur), and the phenomenological ethics of responsibility (Emmanuel Levinas). Additionally, concepts of existentialism and utopianism are engaged to provide a comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon of hope. The key results of the study show that hope emerges not only as an individual spiritual phenomenon but also as a collective driving force fostering societal transformation. Recovery, in turn, is viewed not as mere reconstruction of what was destroyed but as the creation of new social, moral, and political realities. Levinas' and Ricoeur’s ethical concepts allow for a deeper understanding of the moral recovery process through responsibility for the other and forgiveness. The scientific novelty of the article lies in combining different philosophical schools to analyze hope and recovery in a post-war context, particularly by integrating phenomenological ethics of responsibility and hermeneutics of forgiveness into the understanding of Ukraine’s current situation. Theoretical significance lies in expanding the understanding of hope and recovery as central to the philosophical analysis of post-war revival. The practical significance of the research can be applied in developing ethical and political strategies for societal recovery after military conflicts, particularly in the context of national reconciliation and reconstruction of social relationships.

Collaboration as foundational in the transition from preschool to primary school: a shared action research project between educational settings

ABSTRACT This paper presents a collaborative action research project developed from the experiences of teachers at a preschool and a primary school during, and in the aftermath, of the Covid-19 pandemic. By adopting a hermeneutic phenomenological approach, there is a considered awareness of the life-world of the children, their families, as well as the educators at both settings. Through reflexive engagement in the action research process, this paper identifies key messages to inform a child-centred pedagogy to support transitions as well as outlining some practical strategies for early years and primary school settings.

Successful ability to stay at home - an interview study exploring multiple diagnosed older persons and their relatives’ experiences

BackgroundSociety places increased demands on regions and municipalities to jointly carry out activities for multi-diagnosed older persons with extensive coordination needs. Interprofessional collaboration is reported as an important success factor for the overall health care of this group of patients. This project focuses on older persons with multiple diagnoses and their relatives’ own experiences of what is most important for safety and security in their homes. The aim of the study was: to illuminate the meaning of success for the ability to stay at home as experienced by older persons with multiple diagnoses and their relatives.MethodsThe project had a descriptive explorative design with a phenomenological hermeneutic approach based on analysis of 14 in-depth interviews with older people and their relatives.FindingsOwn resources were identified such as belief in the future, spiritual belief, social network, having loved ones and pets. Technical aids were seen as helpful resources, working as indoor and outdoor security safeguards. These resources included having good telephone contact with social and professional networks as well as other forms of personal equipment such as a personal alarm. The professional network was a resource, acting as support when the patient’s own abilities were not sufficient. Finally, having personnel who had the time and interest to listen was seen as crucial to experience safety.ConclusionsThe main reason for being able to continue homecare was the person’s self-care system, their personal, social, and technical resources. Professional care development should anchor team work to the patient’s own system of self and informal care.

Have my back as I get back to work-Experiences of stakeholder support in returning to work after sick leave due to chronic pain: A qualitative interview study.

Chronic pain (pain > 3 months) is a disabling condition affecting around one fifth of the population. Chronic pain significantly affects a person's psychological and physical health and often interferes with the ability to work. It is one of the most common reasons for extended sick leave and persons with chronic pain often have difficulties returning to work. Interpreting the experiences of currently available is necessary in order to facilitate a return to working life. Therefore, this study aimed to describe and interpret the meaning of support during the return-to-work process for persons on sick leave due to chronic pain. A qualitative interview study was conducted with 14 participants (12 women and 2 men) who experienced sick leave due to chronic pain. The participants were recruited through patient organizations focusing on pain or pain-related conditions. Collected data was analyzed using a phenomenological hermeneutical approach. Have my back as I get back to work was the theme of the analysis, along with six subthemes. Being able to work was important for the participants. However, they often experienced returning to work was a battle for support, dealing with fragmentized backing from the involved stakeholders. Participants with access to collaborative support involving competent care, recognition and the possibility to influence their work felt valuable and capable as persons and workers. Thus, they were provided conditions allowing a successful re-entry into the workplace. Our findings contribute to an enhanced understanding of the importance of stakeholder support in persons with chronic pain re-entering the workplace after an extended break due to sick leave. Through an inclusive, collaborative and flexible approach involving all stakeholders working towards the same goal, a person with chronic pain can feel supported in developing and cultivating the capabilities necessary to manage life and work.

Along came this song

This article explores the use of songs in fantasy televisual media, considering what types of songs are being sung, where they are placed within the context of the show, and by whom they are being sung. I analyze elements of culture and character that enhance worldbuilding as well as explore the use of repetition through leitmotifs, context, and intertextual references. I focus on songs from The Witcher: Blood Origin , Game of Thrones , and The Witcher. Invoking Petra Zimmerman’s concept of the “semantic co-text” (2013), I examine the context of each song, including what occurs before and after the choice for characters to sing, considering what drives them to the point of song and what it adds to their internal story. This, combined with a hermeneutic approach to semiotic analysis, allows for a close reading of the lyric text. Finally, I draw together the analysis through a consideration of the phonaesthetic choices ( Fimi 2010 ) and the performance of each song as an act of “musicking” (Small 1998) to consider them as individual moments as well as connected motifs within the broader fantasy context. Songs in longform fantasy media enrich the fabric of the text and provide audiences textual clues to hook into and return to. Music is integral to cultural practices; therefore, when examining texts which create new fan communities and new fantastic contexts, it is imperative to pursue the elements which support interior authenticity and allow audiences to accept the context and authority of the story being told.

Critique beyond relation: The stakes of working with the negative, the void and the abyss

AbstractThe ‘relational turn’ has been widely embraced in Human Geography and related fields over the last couple of decades as an alternative to the hubris of modern and colonial reasoning. Yet, increasingly, concerns over the extent that contemporary conceptualisations are overly ‘generative’, ‘productivist’ and ‘affirmational’ has come to the fore. There is significant interest in the possibilities for more negative understandings, highlighting failure, attrition, voiding, exhaustion, impotentiality, incompleteness and attributes of ‘non‐relation’. We draw out how, to date, most of these approaches have developed a hermeneutic approach, seeking to bring the negative and the non‐relational into the world as forces of disruption and refusal, holding open other possibilities of knowing and being in the world and enabling alternative political imaginaries. This paper seeks to outline an alternative mode of critique, one that places both relational and negative approaches under the scrutiny of an ‘abyssal’ approach. Here, after Fanon, the world violently forged into the global colour line is bifurcated via the construction of the modern subject, capable of reading itself as a subject in the world and through Human Geography as a field of study. In this always already antiblack world, the goal of ‘Abyssal Geography’ is not to continue worlding the modern subject in new ways, but to analyse and critique the mechanisms and shifts in critical thought through which Human Geography continues to salvage and to redeem the purchase of the modern subject and the world.

Addressing Qurʾan 4:34: Muslim Feminists’ Hermeneutics vs. Mahmoud Muhammad Taha’s Hermeneutics

Abstract How to approach the Qurʾan to say ‘no’ to Q.4:34? This article explores the question by analyzing and evaluating the approaches to the Qurʾan by Muslim feminists and the Sudanese Sufi scholar, Mahmoud Muhammad Taha (d. 1985). The article argues that Taha’s hermeneutical approach to the Qurʾan which categorizes the ethical verses in the Qurʾan as universal and the legal verses in the Qurʾan as historical, provides a coherent framework for saying ‘no’ to this verse. On the other hand, Muslim feminists, such as Amina Wadud, Asma Barlas and Riffat Hassan, approach the Qurʾan by way of reinterpreting those verses in the Qurʾan which have a literal meaning reflecting gender inequality. These feminists reinterpret these verses considering the overall ethical worldview of the Qur’an and the ethical verses which contain notions of equality and justice. However, in the reinterpretation of these verses considering the ethical worldview, these feminists, in our view, rather end up misinterpreting the Qurʾan.

FROM TAFSIR TO TADABBUR

This article aims to look at the history of tadabbur knowledge in Saudi Arabia as an alternative trend in understanding the Qur’an in the contemporary era. The study of Qur’anic reading dominated by hermeneutical-contextual discourse ignores other responses to the complexity of understanding and applying Qur’anic content. The stagnation of the development of Qur’anic interpretation in Saudi Arabia is not entirely true. One form of response that has become a trend is the recitation of tadabbur al-Qur’ān. This is indicated by the massive publication of various books on tadabbur in the last twenty years (2000–2020), which symbolizes the alternation of Saudi Arabian scholars in responding to contemporary interpretive discourse. Tadabbur inspiration can be found in three works of tafsir written by Saudi scholars beginning with ‘Abdurraḥmān Sa‘dī, Shaykh Uthaimīn, and Shaykh Sulaymān al-Lāḥīm. Through a survey and brief review of the idea of tadabbur in the knowledge network of Qur’anic exegesis in Saudi Arabia, this study found three main trends. First, the influence of Salafi ideology as an idea that underlies the dissemination of the concept of Qur’anic tadabbur. Second, revitalization efforts were made by ‘Abdurraḥmān Ḥabannakah in making tadabbur a separate discipline. Third, as a response to the diversity of contextual-applicative approaches dominated by the hermeneutic approach to the Qur’an. These three trends become a form of methodological response of Saudi Arabian scholars to the discourse of reading the Qur’an that developed in the contemporary era.

Linking Entrepreneurial Orientation, Learning Orientation, Organization Structure and the Growth of Government

The growth of government (GoG) has garnered significant attention among scholars and practitioners across disciplines such as economics, political science, and public management. Despite the optimism surrounding this concept, its future trajectory in the twenty-first century remains uncertain. Extant literature explaining the rationales for organizational growth in the public sector is inconclusive which pertains mostly to the absence of an appropriate methodological approach. Therefore, this research underscores the need for a comprehensive framework to examine the determinants of the growth. Particularly, the burgeoning literature on new public management (NPM) as well as behavioural public administration provides huge potentials to examine the role of the interplay of organizational structure and learning orientation in exacting the impact of entrepreneurial orientation on the growth of government on GoG. The conceptual framework was guided by the hermeneutic approach that focuses on interpreting texts or phenomena by understanding the contextual elements to uncover deeper meaning and insights. It does so by drawing upon different streams of literature including entrepreneurial orientation, learning orientation, organizational structure, and the growth of government. In order to operationalize the framework, a succinct set of propositions is proposed. The proposed conceptual framework along with suggested research propositions will potentially guide future research to further extend the growth of government literature.

Obiajulu’s Children and the Wicked Sons of Eli (1 Sam 2:11–17)

The two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas (1 Sam 2:11-36), served along with their father as priests at Shiloh in the tabernacle, where the ark of the covenant was housed (11am 1:3). While in service, Eli’s children became sons of worthlessness (bənȇ-bəliyyaʿal), dishonest, wicked and corrupt, as well as refused to know the Lord (lō’ yāḏə‘û ՚eṯ-ʾădōnāi) and his teachings. They were unrighteous, greedy, intimidating, immoral, and abusive to women at the entrance of the temple (vv. 12-22). Eli did little to correct them, leading to God’s punishment. Some scholars have examined this narrative with Western historical models, lacking African stories, cultures, customs, and experiences, where there are similar incidences of children’s misbehaviors and challenges of their upbringing in the African context. Using an African Biblical Hermeneutical approach with illustrative stories from Zain E. Asher’s memoir, “Where the Children Take Us: How One Family Achieved the Unimaginable,” this work contextually examines 1 Sam 2:11-17, within the theological contexts of the Books of Samuel and Deuteronomistic History (Josh–2 Kings). It compares Obiajulu’s disciplined and trained children (Obinze, Chiwetel, Zain, Kandibe) and the obedient boy, Samuel (vv. 18-22), with the consequences of the blasphemies and corruption of Eli’s children (vv. 11-17). It proposes lessons that no matter how we perform our duties in the church, schools and families, sadness may still come if we neglect to train our children responsibly in righteousness, integrity, hard work, and in the fear of the Lord.

Hybrid professional identities: exploring non-native English-speaking teachers’ lived experiences through the Cyborg Manifesto

ABSTRACT Drawing on Donna Haraway’s ‘Cyborg Manifesto’ and employing a hermeneutic phenomenological narrative enquiry approach, this article examines the complex professional identities of ‘non-native English-speaking (English) teachers (NNESTs) from immigrant backgrounds who speak English as an additional language in the Australian education system. Challenging the traditional binary division between native English-speaking teachers (NESTs) and NNESTs, this research reveals that NNESTs’ identities are fluid and multifaceted, akin to cyborgs, shaped by socio-historical discourses and influenced by determinants such as reflexivity, agency, and hybridity. NNESTs disrupt the established hierarchy in English language teaching, promoting inclusivity through their hybrid professional practices, driving pedagogical innovation, and contributing to the globalisation of education. Like cyborgs, they challenge traditional power structures and native speaker constructs, fostering a more equitable educational environment. This article endorses the recognition of ‘hybrid professional becoming’ in policy, practice, and teacher education, promising the development of intercultural teacher capabilities and inclusive, innovative, and equitable educational practices that enrich students’ English language learning experiences and reshape the field in alignment with Donna Haraway’s Cyborg Manifesto.

Conceptual images and learning obstacles in exponentiation and logarithms: A hermeneutic phenomenological analysis

The concept of exponentials and logarithms is one of the essential concepts in mathematics as part of transcendent functions. However, students' understanding of these two concepts has yet to be fully mastered, so there are still errors in solving problems related to these two concepts. This study aims to describe the meaning and meaning process and explore the potential learning obstacles of students based on the meaning and experience of students in obtaining the meaning of exponents and logarithms in senior high school. This qualitative study uses a hermeneutic phenomenological approach with student participants and high school mathematics teachers. Data was collected using tests, documentation, and interviews with students and teachers. Data were analyzed qualitatively to identify learning obstacles and the meaning of exponentials and logarithms. The results showed the meaning of exponents and logarithms according to students, namely exponents as power numbers and logarithms as the opposite of power numbers. In addition, the results also show the existence of learning obstacles in students, both ontogenic, epistemological, and didactic. Based on the findings, these learning obstacles can be considered when developing an appropriate didactic design.

Exploring athlete pain assessment experiences and priorities; a two-part qualitative series of athlete and physiotherapist interactions. Part Two. “Forging our future” - Athlete and physiotherapists' priorities for pain assessment and beyond

ObjectivesTo explore the priorities and directions of athlete upper and lower limb pain assessment by facilitating shared understandings of athletes and sport physiotherapists. DesignQualitative research using a hermeneutic phenomenological approach. MethodsWe carried out focus groups comprising a deliberate criterion sample using a constructivist perspective. At the end of each focus group, we used the nominal group technique method to generate a list of consensus-based priorities for future pain assessment. Our paper follows the consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (COREQ) guidelines. ResultsWe completed five focus groups, comprising twelve athletes (female, n = 5, male, n = 7) and four sport physiotherapists (male, n = 4). Two final themes (and six subthemes) were developed; I Enhanced Communication and Pain Descriptions (describing and representing pain, better communication, the role of technology, providing direction and setting the pace), and II Integrating Sport Specific and Multidimensional Assessments (broadening the pain assessment toolkit, the role of technology). We developed a set of thirteen practical priorities for pain assessment that span the subjective, objective, and general aspects of the athlete pain assessment. ConclusionsWe have presented stakeholder-generated perspectives, direction and priorities for athlete pain assessment. Athletes and physiotherapists must continue to work together to achieve a comprehensive sport-specific multidimensional pain assessment experience alongside their wider support networks to ensure optimal representation and communication. We have highlighted some available pain assessment tools and strategies and outlined how novel tools may address certain gaps. Researchers, clinicians, and athletes can consider the practical guidance we have provided to address these priorities.

Exploring athlete pain assessment experiences and priorities; a two-part qualitative series of athlete and physiotherapist interactions. Part one. “Gauging and discerning” - athlete & physiotherapist pain assessment experiences and interactions

ObjectivesTo explore the content (subjective questions, objective tools and outcome measures) and discuss the nature (qualitative elements and wider considerations) of the athlete pain assessment by facilitating shared understandings of athletes and sports physiotherapists. DesignQualitative Research using a hermeneutic phenomenological approach. MethodsWe carried out focus groups comprising a deliberate criterion sample using a constructivist perspective. We developed a topic guide and used reflexive thematic analysis. We developed codes, candidate themes and finalised themes iteratively, and employed a critical friend to add depth to our analysis. Our paper follows the consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (COREQ) guidelines. ResultsWe completed five focus groups comprising twelve athletes (five female, seven male) and four sports physiotherapists (four male). Three final themes (and eight subthemes) were created; (i) Measures, Scales and Dimensions (value and limitations of tools and scales, multidimensional methods, making sense and interpreting), (ii) Connect, Listen and Learn (the pain interview and athlete's story, forging the athlete-clinician connection), (iii) Lighthouse in the Storm: providing direction for athletes in pain. (information overload and indecision, a beacon of direction; the role of the physiotherapist, the burden of expectation; challenges for physiotherapists). ConclusionWe described and explored the phenomena of pain assessment in sport including current pain assessment strategies. Comprehensive multidimensional assessment methods that preserve the athlete-clinician therapeutic relationship and facilitate optimal communication are priorities for future research and practice.

THE VOCAL HERITAGE OF JOHANNES BRAHMS WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF THE RELIGIOUS AND ETHICAL PRINCIPLES OF 19TH-CENTURY GERMAN CULTURE

The article is devoted to the exploration of spiritual and religious principles in the works of Johannes Brahms and their manifestation in the composer’s vocal and choral opuses. The aim of the study is to reveal the spiritual, ethical, and religious foundations of Brahms’ creative personality and their reflection in the composer’s vocal heritage (using A German Requiem and the vocal cycle Four Serious Songs as examples). The methodology combines intonational, genre-stylistic, etymological, and hermeneutical approaches. The scientific novelty of the study is marked by the introduction into musicology of not only materials concerning the religious worldview of Brahms but also their influence on the formation of the conceptual content inherent in his works, shaped at the intersection of Protestant-Lutheran principles of the German cultural-historical tradition and their metamorphoses during the spiritual quests of the Romantic era. The findings show that the generalization of bibliographic and analytical sources on Brahms’ works, including his vocal heritage, reveals the depth of the spiritual, ethical, and religious principles of his creative personality, which trace back to the German Protestant tradition and the culture formed on its basis. At the same time, these principles were enriched by the spiritual searches of German Romanticism and the Biedermeier period. The appeal to the age-old principles of past national culture and its illustrious representatives, combined with the revival of the “spirit” of the nation and the characteristic Protestant convergence and mutual spiritualization of sacred and secular genres, contributed to the consolidation of German society and its movement towards the unification of Germany. These aspects are also reflected in the poetics of Brahms’ A German Requiem and the vocal cycle Four Serious Songs, which exhibit the tradition’s characteristic focus on eternal themes of life and death in their Protestant interpretation, the use of relevant biblical texts and their authorial re-interpretation, as well as the appeal to the “intonational dictionary” of the Protestant chorale, ranging from direct citation to free compositional realization of broadly interpreted chorality.

Educational aspect in the legal regulation of scientific research in the constituent instruments of UN Specialized Agencies

The aim of the article is to explore how the integration of educational aspects into the legal regulation of scientific research is addressed within the constituent instruments of UN specialized agencies. It seeks to show how education serves as a bridge between scientific advancements and their practical applications, making research more accessible to society. The article identifies a gap in systematic scholarly inquiry into international legal cooperation on scientific research, highlighting the need for a more comprehensive analysis. The methodology employed includes comparative and systematic analysis of relevant international legal documents, focusing on how scientific activity is reflected in the statutory frameworks of various UN organizations. The article applies methods of analysis and synthesis, as well as structural, formal-legal, and hermeneutic approaches, utilizing both deduction and induction. The most relevant results indicate that scientific activity is consistently regulated within key treaties, especially in the UNESCO Constitution and IAEA Statute. The article also identifies references to science and scientific activity in the statutes of other organizations, including the World Meteorological Organization, WHO, FAO, and the International Maritime Organization, showing the wide regulatory framework governing scientific research across different sectors.

Diskurspoetik

This discourse linguistic short paper focuses on the heuristic concept of discourse poetics within a discourse linguistic framework. The goal is to integrate poetological considerations related to the concept of poeticity into the context of linguistic discourse analysis. From this standpoint, it explores the concept of poetics of knowledge, emphasizing the correlation between the specifics of linguistic expression and the epistemic objects they may refer to. Building upon this, discourse poetics that functions as a discourse linguistic epistemology is characterized by its focus on the poetic function of language use corresponding to the category of poeticity as a linguistic marker within discourse. It is assumed that linguistic phenomena falling under this category, can be observed and interpreted transtextually, using corpus pragmatic and hermeneutic approaches. This is illustrated by examples taken from the analysis of music discourses based on a corpus of 13,499 contemporary music reviews, previously presented by the author.

Gerotranscendence as a Life Perspective Among Nursing Home Residents: A Qualitative Study Into Positive Ageing While Dependent on 24/7 Care.

To examine whether and how older nursing home residents recognise characteristics of gerotranscendence, and to contribute to a critical and comprehensive view of gerotranscendence in this particular group. Gerotranscendence is a psychosocial, spiritual development theory within the field of positive ageing that represents: a shift in meta-perspective, from a materialistic and rational vision to a cosmic and transcendent life perspective, followed by an increase in life satisfaction. A qualitative study using a narrative hermeneutical approach. Participants were 20 residents of a nursing home in the Netherlands, aged 77 to 105 (mean age: 90). The semi-structured interviews, conducted in April 2023, were based on Tornstam's 10-item Gerotranscendence Scale. Special attention was paid to the technique of interviewing these frail, older adults, some of them diagnosed with dementia. All respondents recognised several characteristics of gerotranscendence, or signs of it emerged from the research data. There is a larger middle group with respondents who call themselves 'down-to-earth'. They mainly recognise the relational characteristics. Another group appears to be more contemplative and shows more affinity with the abstract, cosmic characteristics. They have developed a gerotranscendent wisdom: there is insight, contextualism and relativism, peace of mind, room for life's paradoxes, a high degree of (self-)acceptance and an ability to 'let go'. The data show considerable heterogeneity in thoughts, perspectives and degrees of gerotranscendence. Respondents found some questions difficult to answer, resulting in a critical assessment of how to understand the responses given. This puts pressure on data quality for this current study and for critical gerotranscendence research in general. Furthermore, interviewing older nursing home residents requires a custom setting and possibly a new interview methodology. This report adheres to the standards for reporting qualitative research (SRQR). No patient or public contribution.

Theological examination of the name of Jesus from a hermeneutical approach

Theological examination of the name of Jesus from a hermeneutical approach