Positive Identity Research Articles

Problematising Sharenting of Supermoms in a Neoliberal Context

The representation of motherhood using digital platforms, which we call sharenting, can shape the socially constructed motherhood identity, i.e., supermoms in modern societies. Despite building a positive identity as mothers, supermoms may unintentionally violate their children’s privacy, instrumentalise, and even monetise the children. We examine sharenting and supermom identities as manifestations of neoliberal repositioning women as mothers and employees with little consideration of their unarticulated struggles. Drawing on a netnographic study of social media practices, we analysed fifteen working supermom accounts with over two hundred thousand followers, where child-related content was shared and posted between 2019 and 2023. We find that sharenting is often employed to construct the identity of supermoms, yet it frequently leads to the exploitation of children for profit-driven purposes, thereby increasing their vulnerability. We contribute to the literature by offering empirical evidence that the supermom identity is a by-product of the neoliberal system, which normalises time-intensive demands on women in the workplace and caregiving roles. Furthermore, we highlight the adverse consequences of sharenting and provide critical insights into the privacy and security risks associated with child-related digital content.

Cbf11 and Mga2 function together to activate transcription of lipid metabolism genes and promote mitotic fidelity in fission yeast.

Within a eukaryotic cell, both lipid homeostasis and faithful cell cycle progression are meticulously orchestrated. The fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe provides a powerful platform to study the intricate regulatory mechanisms governing these fundamental processes. In S. pombe, the Cbf11 and Mga2 proteins are transcriptional activators of non-sterol lipid metabolism genes, with Cbf11 also known as a cell cycle regulator. Despite sharing a common set of target genes, little was known about their functional relationship. This study reveals that Cbf11 and Mga2 function together in the same regulatory pathway, critical for both lipid metabolism and mitotic fidelity. Deletion of either gene results in a similar array of defects, including slow growth, dysregulated lipid homeostasis, impaired cell cycle progression (cut phenotype), abnormal cell morphology, perturbed transcriptomic and proteomic profiles, and compromised response to the stressors camptothecin and thiabendazole. Remarkably, the double deletion mutant does not exhibit a more severe phenotype compared to the single mutants. In addition, ChIP-nexus analysis reveals that both Cbf11 and Mga2 bind to nearly identical positions within the promoter regions of target genes. Interestingly, Mga2 binding appears to be dependent on the presence of Cbf11 and Cbf11 likely acts as a tether to DNA, while Mga2 is needed to activate the target genes. In addition, the study explores the distribution of Cbf11 and Mga2 homologs across fungi. The presence of both Cbf11 and Mga2 homologs in Basidiomycota contrasts with Ascomycota, which mostly lack Cbf11 but retain Mga2. This suggests an evolutionary rewiring of the regulatory circuitry governing lipid metabolism and mitotic fidelity. In conclusion, this study offers compelling support for Cbf11 and Mga2 functioning jointly to regulate lipid metabolism and mitotic fidelity in fission yeast.

“I’m not a bad mother:” the experience of stigma among mothers with substance use disorder in the criminal justice system

ABSTRACT This study explores the impacts of stigma on the lives of pregnant and parenting women with substance use disorder (SUD) and justice involvement. We also uncover how some women were able to cope with adversity and take steps to develop resilience. To guide our research, we combined Bos and colleagues’ stigma theory with Windle’s concept of resilience. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 pregnant or parenting women in Western New York to uncover the contextual factors influencing care, resources, and social support. Our findings suggest that the presence of stigma hinders pregnant and parenting women’s access to resources, care, and treatments while reinforcing marginalization, isolation, and continued substance use. Despite these challenges, some participants found ways to navigate and mitigate stigma while promoting resilience. Protective factors and strategies included: maintaining a positive motherhood identity, leveraging social support often outside the nuclear family, and having access to supportive, compassionate justice system resources. Understanding the strategies women with SUD use to overcome adversity can inform approaches that judges, case workers, and health care providers can use to engage and support women in recovery and reduce their experience of stigma.

“We publish open access as outsiders”: a Bourdieuan approach to understanding marginalised academics’ publishing community

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to explore the motivations and experiences of university academics who engage in open access publishing for survival and academic development.Design/methodology/approachThis study employs a multiple-case qualitative approach, drawing on Bourdieu’s theory of practice to investigate the activities and experiences of seven academics as they strived to publish in indexed open access journals. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and observation, focusing on the academics’ strategies for obtaining cultural capital.FindingsFindings reveal that they viewed this publishing community more as an imagined or virtual community from which they could obtain cultural capital and seek the sense of belonging to compensate for the outsider identity and peripheral positioning within their institutions. The acquired cultural capital not only helped them feel more connected but also influenced their institutional status, as increased visibility and recognition from publishing successes began to alter how they were perceived within their professional environments, sometimes enhancing their standing but also occasionally reinforcing marginalisation.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the existing literature by providing a refined understanding of the motivations and experiences of academics engaged in open access publishing. It offers a unique perspective on the formation and functioning of non-institutional communities in academia, highlighting the role of cultural capital and identity negotiation in shaping these communities. Furthermore, it sheds light on the challenges and opportunities faced by academics seeking to publish open access and provides insights for institutions seeking to support their faculty in this endeavour.

Math narratives and autobiographies

Elementary preservice teachers enter teacher preparation programs with preformed conceptions of their abilities as mathematics learners that directly influence their sense of self as mathematics teachers. Often, they have had experiences that leave them feeling anxious about their capability to be effective mathematics teachers, which negatively impacts student outcomes. Math autobiographies offer teacher educators a window into the historical factors that influence preservice teachers’ math identity development and help them reflect on how these experiences have shaped them. Providing counterpoint experiences in mathematics pedagogical coursework can help preservice teachers overcome past influences and foster positive identities as future mathematics teachers.

Professional Identity and Teaching Innovative Behavior of Vocational School Teachers in China

This study delves into the intricate relationship between professional identity and teaching innovation behavior among Chinese vocational school teachers. By examining factors influencing these core elements, the research aims to provide insights into enhancing teaching quality and effectiveness. The study profiled respondents based on demographics (sex, age, education, experience) and assessed their teaching innovation capabilities in terms of content, methods, and strategies. Additionally, professional identity was evaluated through job satisfaction, work values, and personal commitment. Data from 385 teachers were analyzed using statistical methods to uncover patterns and correlations. A significant finding is the positive correlation between professional identity and teaching innovation. Teachers with a strong sense of belonging to their profession exhibited a greater inclination towards innovative teaching practices. This underscores the importance of fostering a positive professional identity to stimulate creativity and experimentation in the classroom. The study offers valuable implications for enhancing teacher professional development. By understanding the factors shaping professional identity and their connection to teaching innovation, targeted interventions can be designed to cultivate a more innovative teaching force in Chinese vocational schools. Ultimately, this research contributes to the broader goal of improving educational outcomes through effective and engaging teaching practices.

Understanding Language Teachers’ Positional Identities in a Professional Promotion Appraisal Context

This study examines how forty-eight Polish in-service language teachers position them- selves through their discourse during professional promotion examinations for teachers. The data were collected via field notes concerning the participants’ narratives and their responses to the questions asked by the members of the examination commissions. Of particular interest were the teachers’ three self-positions: the unique self, the ideal self, and the fearful self. The analysis of the datarevealed that, apart from the emergence of the references to the three positional identities, each of these self-positions could be further subdivided into other self-position constructions which shed light on what language teachers believe would be appreciated by the examiners under the circumstances. The significance of the study lies in its focus on in-service language teachers’ discourses obtained in a particular professional situation— teacher promotion examinations— to which access is rather rare. The findings shed further light on the connection between teacher identity, teacher emotions, and teacher agency and offer implications for in-service language teachers, teacher ex- aminers, and teacher educators.

Cultural runs batted in: consumption acculturation between brazilian major league baseball fans

The singularities involving fan prosumption have been highlighted as an emerging theme in consumerresearch. Among the possibilities for carrying out such investigations, it is worth dwelling on the consumer acculturation process that occurs when fans reframe values of local and global culture through virtual interactions about sports products and brands. One of the sports leagues associated with consumer acculturation is Major League Baseball (MLB), a representative media product of the U.S. culture that has interest in Brazil as a promising market for expanding its audience. Thus, the present study aims to understand how virtual interactions of Brazilian MLB fans lead to forms of consumption acculturation. To meet this objective, a Netnography was carried out between 2018 and 2022 based on messages published by Brazilian MLB fans on Twitter. Three forms of consumer acculturation were identified: assimilation, integration, and marginalization. Each indicates Brazilian fans' interest and effort in prioritizing U.S. cultural signs and values in the MLB. However, the fans' prosumption roles on the acculturation process represent the positioning of cultural identities via consumption when they recognize their relationship with cultures and others through market relations.

Molecular profiles, sources and lineage restrictions of stem cells in an annelid regeneration model

Regeneration of missing body parts can be observed in diverse animal phyla, but it remains unclear to which extent these capacities rely on shared or divergent principles. Research into this question requires detailed knowledge about the involved molecular and cellular principles in suitable reference models. By combining single-cell RNA sequencing and mosaic transgenesis in the marine annelid Platynereis dumerilii, we map cellular profiles and lineage restrictions during posterior regeneration. Our data reveal cell-type specific injury responses, re-expression of positional identity factors, and the re-emergence of stem cell signatures in multiple cell populations. Epidermis and mesodermal coelomic tissue produce distinct putative posterior stem cells (PSCs) in the emerging blastema. A novel mosaic transgenesis strategy reveals both developmental compartments and lineage restrictions during regenerative growth. Our work supports the notion that posterior regeneration involves dedifferentiation, and reveals molecular and mechanistic parallels between annelid and vertebrate regeneration.

ПСИХОЛОГІЧНІ ОСОБЛИВОСТІ СТАНОВЛЕННЯ НАЦІОНАЛЬНОЇ ІДЕНТИЧНОСТІ ОСОБИСТОСТІ

The current stage of the formation and development of the Ukrainian state is characterized by the special relevance of the issue of the formation of the national identity of its citizens. This is so, because a high level of an individual's ethnic identity is a significant aspect of the successful formation and development of the state and the harmony of its citizens. At the same time, the public consciousness of Ukrainians is currently filled with political interests and the latest ideological slogans. The latter, in turn, causes the destruction of the national system of values. Globalization and migration processes lead to increased interaction between different cultures and nations, which makes the study of national identity more relevant. Personality is a complex system influenced by both internal personal factors and the external environment, including cultural, social, and historical factors. The study of psychological features of national identity helps to understand how the self-awareness of an individual is formed in the context of its cultural roots and interaction with other cultures. This is important for many areas of life. The study of the psychological features of national identity involves the study of the following aspects: cultural stereotypes, values, self-esteem, a sense of belonging to a certain nation or ethnic group, etc. Understanding these psychological features will contribute to the development of a more tolerant society, as well as the identification of ways to support positive self-determination and identity in different cultural contexts. National identity is the recognition of the people themselves; knowledge and respect for history; national culture, territory, and the people's awareness of their own special features, as well as the understanding of the representatives of the national group of their own interests, goals, and needs. "National identity" is a category whose main elements are national self-determination, national self-awareness and traditional culture. A significant condition for the formation of the national (ethnic) identity of an individual is systematic interaction with the reference group for the purpose of forming common goals, vision and support of the national identity. Such interactions will help to confirm a high level of national identity of an individual and activate the mechanism of ethnic identification. And also to intensify socio-psychological factors and develop the components of the national identity of the individual.

Perception towards personal enrichment competency modules and interprofessional collaboration readiness among students

To evaluate the correlation between perception towards Personal enrichment competency (PEC) modules effectiveness and interprofessional collaboration readiness among students. A cross-sectional study design was used. Two different variables were used to measure the perception towards PEC modules and the readiness for interprofessional collaboration; this was done using the readiness for interprofessional learning scale (RIPLS). A convenience sampling method was used. The respondent was drawn from current medical, health science and pharmacy undergraduate students from the first year to the fifth year in a private University in Malaysia. A Spearman's rank-order correlation test was run to determine the statistical relationship between both variables.The scores for the perception towards PEC modules (inclusive of overall scores, content structure, practicum and assessment) and readiness towards IP learning (comprised of teamwork and collaboration, negative professional identity, positive professional identity and roles and/or responsibilities) showed above average score (4.04 ± 0.92 and 3.77± 0.81 respectively) among students of various healthcare programs. There was a strong, positive correlation between PEC module effectiveness and IP collaboration readiness, which was statistically significant (r = 0.713, p < 0.001). There was an effective PEC delivery among undergraduates in medical school, pharmacy school and faculty of health sciences. Undergraduates in medical school, pharmacy school and faculty of health sciences were shown to be ready for interprofessional collaboration when entering professional careers. Interprofessional learning should be incorporated into the curriculum such as in the PEC modules for all medical, health science and pharmacy programs, which may nurture students to become more competent healthcare givers and appreciate each professional role.

Influence of perceived stress on professional identity among nursing students: a chain mediating role of self-control and self-directed learning ability.

A positive professional identity is key for nursing students in determining career direction and predicting future engagement in the profession. Despite its complexity and susceptibility to various influences, the factors shaping nursing students' professional identity remain poorly understood. This study aims to investigate how perceived stress can directly and indirectly influence professional identity among nursing students, with self-control and self-directed learning ability as mediators. A cross-sectional survey was conducted from October to December 2023, collecting data from 675 nursing students across five tertiary hospitals in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China. The survey captured detailed data on sociodemographic characteristics, perceived stress, self-control, self-directed learning ability, and professional identity among the participants. Descriptive analysis and correlation matrices were used to analyze participant characteristics and assess bivariate correlations. The mediation model was analyzed using the PROCESS macro for SPSS. Perceived stress showed a direct and negative influence on professional identity among nursing students; self-control was shown to play a mediating role between perceived stress and professional identity; self-directed learning ability was shown to play a mediating role between perceived stress and professional identity; and self-control and self-directed learning ability were shown to play a chain mediating role between perceived stress and professional identity. Self-control and self-directed learning ability have a chain mediating role in between perceived stress and professional identity among nursing students. It suggests that nursing managers and educators can improve the self-control and self-directed learning ability of nursing students to mitigate the negative impact of perceived stress on professional identity.

On bicultural identities construction: daughter and mother’s counterstories in an Asian American immigrant family

ABSTRACT This piece answers the call to explore mother-and-daughter relationships in immigrant families. It uses narratives to humanize the Asian American experiences in and out of schools. Guided by AsianCrit theory, the paper centers on the counterstories of a first-generation immigrant mother and her 2nd generation U.S. -born adolescent in a Chinese American family. The mother and the daughter each narrate their lived experiences and reflect collaboratively on how their counterstories construct their bicultural identities collectively and respectively under the tenets of Asianization and transnational context. We hope our narratives will add to the current literature to dismantle the stereotypes of Asian Americans being viewed as model minorities and honorary whites. By discussing the hyper-in/visibility of Asian Americans, we urge classroom teachers and teacher educators to amplify the voices of these marginalized groups in their daily instructions to promote the positive identity development of Asian Americans.

Enriching the professional identity of early childhood development teachers through mentorship

The purpose of this paper is to highlight three professional identity tensions that are experienced by beginning teachers: the change in role from student to teacher; conflicts between expectations and realities of mentor support given to students (mentees), and contradictory notions of learning to teach. Research shows that Early Childhood Development (ECD) is losing many highly qualified teachers due to the perceived lack of proper mentorship in developing professional identity. This article outlines a study to explore the mentoring needs of ECD teachers in developing a positive professional identity. Participatory Reflection and Action (PRA) as a data collection method, which relied heavily on interpretivism as epistemology was conducted. The research sample consisted of all fourth year (final-year) undergraduate BEd students (n=713), who had to attend the compulsory teaching-practice component of the teacher training programme for the first time during the second and third quarters of the academic year. The BEd (Foundation Phase) students’ completed matrices (maps) were transcribed, coded and categorised through thematic analysis. As a result, two dimensions of the participants’ identity construction emerged: (1) Positive Role Modelling and (2) Missed Opportunities. It is suggested that mentor training, as well as scheduled talk-time and reflection opportunities between the mentors and mentees could transform the Work Integrated Learning (WIL) landscape and enrich the professional identity of Early Childhood Education teachers.

"We're not all construction workers": Algorithmic Compression of Latinidad on TikTok

The Latinx diaspora in the United States is a rapidly growing and complex demographic who face intersectional harms and marginalizations in sociotechnical systems and are currently underserved in CSCW research. While the field understands that algorithms and digital content are experienced differently by marginalized populations, more investigation is needed about how Latinx people experience social media and, in particular, visual media. In this paper, we focus on how Latinx people experience the algorithmic system of the video-sharing platform TikTok. Through a bilingual interview and visual elicitation study of 19 Latinx TikTok users and 59 survey participants, we explore how Latinx individuals experience TikTok and its Latinx content. We find Latinx TikTok users actively use platform affordances to create positive and affirming identity content feeds, but these feeds are interrupted by negative content (i.e. violence, stereotypes, linguistic assumptions) due to platform affordances that have unique consequences for Latinx diaspora users. We discuss these implications on Latinx identity and representation, introduce the concept of algorithmic identity compression, where sociotechncial systems simplify, flatten, and conflate intersection identities, resulting in compression via the loss of critical cultural data deemed unnecessary by these systems and designers of them. This study explores how Latinx individuals are particularly vulnerable to this in sociotechnical systems, such as, but not limited to, TikTok.

Exploring the Occupational Identity of Fathers with Addiction: A Qualitative Study

Most research describing parents with addiction focuses on mothers, and little is known about fathers. Emerging research suggests constructing a positive occupational identity can help a person sustain recovery. Hermeneutic phenomenology was used to explore 10 fathers’ occupational identity from their initial substance use through addiction to recovery. Two themes emerged: 1) I was young, but it wasn’t a problem until later, and 2) Being an addict is a part of who I am. The findings highlight how participants’ occupational identity fluctuated throughout these temporal stages and suggested strategies for occupational therapy practitioners when working with this population were reviewed.

El desarrollo de la voz inclusiva durante la participación en una comunidad profesional de aprendizaje

Educational quality implies considering diversity and inclusion as a fundamental challenge in the search for equity, justice, and democracy. Likewise, professional identity linked to inclusion is still a controversial and unfinished issue. From the dialogical perspective, this study identifies and conceptualizes to what extent the repertoire of positions of a group of teachers shares or does not share an inclusive voice and how they evolve, identifying characteristics more and less easily modified. We use a descriptive longitudinal design and analyze the development of teaching positions and voices (hybrid and inclusive) over an academic year. The study identifies four most frequent identity positions, among them I as a promoter of positive learning environments that has an ease to transit an inclusive voice; on the contrary, the position I as a planner and designer of teaching and learning processes presents difficulties to be reconstructed as inclusive.

Semiotically deconstructing parental and adolescent failed communication: It’s not what they’re saying, it’s their words

Language change and creativity among adolescent language use, is nothing new. However, teachers in schools and parents in homes continue to feel left out of the linguistic figured world of the youth that they teach or raise, often leading to either perceived or real failed communication. In this study I offer a thoughtful and perhaps unique social semiotic analysis of the process and motivation for youth creation of new words or the resemanticization of existing words. Understanding the need for youth to create their own linguistic worlds for acceptance into social worlds has less to do with creating a barrier between them and their parents or teachers and more to do with positive identity development, could be the key for unlocking positive communication with the adults in their lives. Within, I put forth the idea that there exist purposeful in-groups and out-groups, of which the out-groups can be further divided into desirable and un-desirable out-groups. It is important to uncover the different affordances of existing terms and to create inventories of new terms and their synchronic meanings and possible diachronic evolution, in order for parents to understand the motive and need for youth creativity with language. Accepting the possibility, that youth are simply constructing and describing the world around them, changes the paradigm of parental-adolescent communication from a gulf or abyss to a potential bridge or a passageway connecting the two worlds.

Biographically Driven Development of Translanguaging Stance for a Modern Language Teacher Candidate in a Graduate TESOL Class

This case study investigated a modern language teacher candidate’s developing translanguaging stance in a Masters-level TESOL course as she made sense of emerging tensions while drawing on her personal and teaching experiences. Data included the participant’s oral contributions to the course, the course syllabus, and student-produced artifacts. We used thematic analysis focusing on the participant’s perceptions of translanguaging as both theory and practice to analyze the data. A semi-structured interview was carried out five years later to review the impact of translanguaging on the participant’s teaching and ideology as a Spanish teacher in a dual language program. Findings uncovered five primary themes all related to the participant’s biographically related development of translanguaging stance: traditional second language acquisition theories as a concern, updating the notion of social justice, the ability to support positive identity development, contemplating translanguaging as a pedagogy, and the longevity of the biographical approach to lifelong learning. The findings highlight the importance of biographical approaches to lifelong learning in language education and suggest that teachers can foster bilingual development, establish inclusive teaching strategies, and create equitable language learning spaces by recognizing the potential of translanguaging, which may be made possible by fostering similar contexts in teacher education courses.

Hox gene activity directs physical forces to differentially shape chick small and large intestinal epithelia.

Hox transcription factors play crucial roles in organizing developmental patterning across metazoa, but how these factors trigger regional morphogenesis has largely remained a mystery. In the developing gut, Hox genes help demarcate identities of intestinal subregions early in embryogenesis, which ultimately leads to their specialization in both form and function. Although the midgut forms villi, the hindgut develops sulci that resolve into heterogeneous outgrowths. Combining mechanical measurements of the embryonic chick intestine and mathematical modeling, we demonstrate that the posterior Hox gene HOXD13 regulates biophysical phenomena that shape the hindgut lumen. We further show that HOXD13 acts through the transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) pathway to thicken, stiffen, and promote isotropic growth of the subepithelial mesenchyme-together, these features lead to hindgut-specific surface buckling. TGF-β, in turn, promotes collagen deposition to affect mesenchymal geometry and growth. We thus identify a cascade of events downstream of positional identity that direct posterior intestinal morphogenesis.