Startup mentoring has become an essential pillar of entrepreneurial ecosystems, supporting founders in navigating challenges, accessing resources, and achieving sustainable growth. Despite its recognized value, the research landscape on startup mentoring remains fragmented and context-dependent. This study provides a comprehensive bibliometric and thematic trend analysis of startup mentoring literature from 1986 to 2025, drawing on data from Scopus and Web of Science. The final dataset comprised 1081 peer-reviewed journal articles after screening 3470 initial records and removing 412 duplicates in accordance with the PRISMA 2020 protocol. Employing advanced bibliometric and co-word analysis techniques, the study maps the intellectual structure, identifies influential authors, institutions, and journals, and visualizes the evolution of key research themes. Results reveal a clear developmental trajectory spanning four decades. Longitudinal analysis delineates a thematic progression: from an early focus on education and mentor-mentee relationships (pre-2018), to a strategic emphasis on mentoring within accelerators and digital platforms (2018–2022), and toward emerging research on its role in fostering sustainability and inclusivity (2023–2025). Thematic mapping shows that entrepreneurship education, human-centered mentoring, and innovation are core “motor themes,” while digital mentoring, equity, and sustainability are promising but underdeveloped areas. Geographical analysis highlights the United States as the leading contributor, with growing research contributions from Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. The paper advances theoretical understanding by integrating perspectives from social capital, human capital, and entrepreneurial learning theories, and outlines practical implications for designing effective, inclusive, and adaptive mentoring programs. • Comprehensive bibliometric analysis of startup mentoring (1986-2025). • Identifies thematic evolution from education-focused to ecosystem-driven research. • Digital mentoring and equity emerge as critical but underdeveloped areas. • Provides strategic thematic map with motor, niche, and emerging themes. • Offers evidence-based roadmap for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers.

This paper conducts a bibliometric and content analysis and offers a comprehensive overview of the research landscape on access to finance, revealing critical insights into the determinants of financial access, the role of financial intermediaries, and the impact of regulatory frameworks and providing potential future directions for FinTech innovations in the context of globalization. This study conducts a systematic literature review and bibliometric analysis spanning from 1950 to 2024, examining 2,657 relevant documents. The findings reveal three main clusters: access to finance, financial inclusion, and financial constraints. Financial access is essential for reducing poverty, fostering financial inclusion, and influencing environmental outcomes and digital integration. Financial constraints significantly impact investment behavior, innovation, and economic development, highlighting the importance of government policies and FinTech solutions. This review suggests several future research directions, including exploring FinTech innovations, sustainability criteria in financial inclusion, Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) applications in evaluating financial constraints, and understanding regional disparities in financial access and inclusion. These insights provide valuable guidance for policymakers and researchers to inform policy design, developing financial inclusion programs, and foster global economic growth and opportunities in globalization scope. This study contributes to the relevant literature by providing deeper insights into the themes and findings identified within each strand of this research field. The study highlights the importance of tangible assets and strong financial performance in improving access to finance. This study explores the important role of financial intermediaries in facilitating access to finance and the role of alternative financing options in enhancing financial inclusion and FinTech innovations. The study provides a deeper understanding of the impact of regulatory frameworks on access to finance by ensuring financial stability, enhancing transparency, and encouraging FinTech innovations in the globalization context.

Traditional gender equity interventions, such as financial inclusion programs, vocational training, and cash transfers, often fail to address the root causes of gender disparities, particularly the disproportionate burden of unpaid domestic labor on women. This study evaluates a novel couple and community based intervention designed to reshape intra-household labor allocation, gender stereotypes, and decision-making. Using a randomized controlled trial in Uttar Pradesh, India, we compare two approaches: (1) private couple counseling and (2) private counseling combined with community-based intervention that leverages public accountability and cooperative decision-making. Our findings show that both interventions significantly improve intra-household cooperation, with the community-based gender sensitive intervention (Treatment 2) yielding stronger and more persistent effects. Women in Treatment 2 experienced reductions of about 40 minutes in unpaid domestic chores and 45 minutes in unpaid care, two non-overlapping components of unpaid domestic labor. Participants in both interventions reported significant reductions in domestic violence and shifts in gender stereotypes. Follow-up data collected one year later confirm the persistence of these effects, particularly in reducing unpaid domestic labor and enhancing men’s caregiving roles. Lab-in-the field experiment at endline shows that Treatment 2 increased willingness to trust and reciprocate among both men and women. Results affirm the potential of engaging men and the community in interventions to achieve improvements in gender equity.

ABSTRACT In this paper, we delve into the multifaceted process of designing inclusive curricula in post-secondary education for students with intellectual disabilities, using a Universal Design for Learning (UDL) approach. We begin by conceptualising an inclusive curriculum, discussing the theoretical foundations and key principles that underpin this approach. Following this, we explore the diversity of curricula in post-secondary education, with a specific focus on Ireland’s perspective, highlighting the unique challenges and opportunities faced by Irish institutions. We then examine the UDL-based inclusive curriculum within an inclusive programme for students with intellectual disabilities in an Irish higher education institution, providing a detailed analysis of how UDL principles are implemented to cater to diverse learning needs. The paper then addresses curriculum design from methodological perspectives, discussing various strategies and frameworks that can be employed to create effective and inclusive educational environments. Finally, we review examples of inclusive curriculum implementations, illustrating the practical applications and outcomes of UDL-based curriculum design in enhancing educational accessibility and quality for all students. This paper offers a contribution to the current debate around curriculum for students with intellectual disabilities through the examples of UDL-based implementations that show inclusive teaching and learning practices in the post-secondary education context.

ABSTRACT Sport often presents itself as a level playing field. Yet for many LGBTQ+ people it remains a space where inclusion and exclusion sit side by side. Within this landscape, lesbian coaches are central to women’s sport but remain largely overlooked in research. The purpose of this study is to examine how lesbian coaches in Spain learn to become coaches and how identity, power and place shape that learning. Guided by Ahmed’s queer phenomenology, we explore how coaching pathways are felt and negotiated. We conducted semi-structured interviews with sixteen cisgender lesbian coaches in Spain, each with at least five years of coaching experience across different sports and levels. The data were analysed through an iterative process that moved from tensions in the data, to relational mapping, to abductive engagement with theory. Findings trace three movements. ‘The narrow corridor’ shows how entering elite men’s sport offers resources yet leaves them feeling out of place through sexism, homophobia and constant self-calibration. ‘Empowering spaces’ illustrates how women-led, values-driven environments realign identity and practice. ‘Passing it on’ highlights how these experiences foster leadership, as coaches build inclusive programmes, hire women staff and sometimes return to old institutions as agents of change. Becoming a coach emerges not only as skill acquisition but as navigating atmospheres that enable or constrain who one can be. For sport coaching, this reframes coach development as a question of climate and leadership, opening pathways for those long needed yet resisted.

This study examines the socioeconomic effects of Ethiopia’s 2019 Revised Refugee Proclamation (No. 1110/2019) in the Gambella region, a context marked by a large South Sudanese refugee population, historical ethnic tensions, and persistent underdevelopment. Using a constructivist qualitative approach, the research conducted 20 in-depth interviews, 10 key informant interviews, four focus group discussions, and systematic document analysis with participants including refugees, host-community members, government officials, and humanitarian actors. Data were analyzed thematically using Ager and Strang’s integration framework, with grounding in social capital theory and intergroup contact theory. Findings reveal a substantial gap between the legal rights enshrined in the proclamation and their practical realization. Refugees face complex bureaucratic procedures, high costs, and ambiguous guidelines, forcing reliance on informal labor and insecure land arrangements. Host communities, particularly the Anuak, perceive these rights as zero-sum, heightening competition over scarce resources and amplifying intergroup distrust. Bureaucratic discretion has limited institutional capacity, and fear of social backlash has further constrained policy implementation. In the absence of clear operational guidance, vigorous institutional support, and mechanisms to engage host communities, the proclamation’s progressive intentions remain largely symbolic. The study confirms the importance of context-sensitive implementation, conflict-aware strategies, and inclusive programming to transform legal reforms into tangible socioeconomic benefits for both refugees and host populations.

Household livelihood vulnerability (HLV) remains a critical yet underexplored determinant of child health in climate-sensitive coastal regions of Bangladesh, where recurrent climate hazards disrupt livelihoods, reduce income stability, intensify food insecurity, and limit access to essential health services. Therefore, this study examines the extent and determinants of HLV and its implications for child health in southwestern coastal Bangladesh. Following the survey method, this community-based cross-sectional study was carried out in six villages of Dacope upazila in Khulna district of Bangladesh. Data were collected from 348 randomly selected caregivers of under-five children at the household level from July to October 2024. The findings demonstrated that the prevalence of HLV was 58.6% in the study area. HLV showed significant spatial and occupational variation, with the highest prevalence observed in Sutarkhali village and among households primarily dependent on Sundarbans-based natural resource extraction. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that higher odds of livelihood vulnerability were examined among Muslim households, households with multiple dependents, food insecure households, those that had recently borrowed money from friends or relatives, and those relying on local government assistance. Conversely, household heads with primary, secondary, or higher education, monthly savings of BDT ≤ 1,000, and households with multiple income earners had lower odds of livelihood vulnerability. Furthermore, child health analysis revealed a significant relationship between household vulnerability and child undernutrition, indicating that children from vulnerable households were more likely to be severely underweight than peers from non-vulnerable households. This study highlights the need for integrated policy responses that simultaneously address livelihood insecurity and child health particularly, strengthening climate-resilient and diversified livelihoods, expanding education, vocational training, and financial inclusion programs (e.g., savings schemes and microcredit), and the integration of vulnerability assessments into child-nutrition programs through targeted cash transfers, supplementary feeding, growth monitoring, and nutrition counseling in coastal Bangladesh.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, conflict-driven displacement has challenged the delivery of neglected tropical disease (NTD) interventions. In 2022-2023, The National Preventive Chemotherapy Neglected Tropical Diseases Program and Christian Blind Mission, with financial support from the END Fund, conducted field assessments and surveys in the Kanyaruchinya Internally Displaced Persons Camp in North Kivu, where >230 000 people had fled armed violence. This article shares lessons from implementing inclusive NTD programming in crisis settings, identifying gaps in mass drug administration, morbidity management and disability inclusion. The findings reinforce the need to integrate disability-sensitive approaches in humanitarian health responses and build resilient NTD interventions that adapt to insecurity, displacement and marginalization.

ABSTRACT This study investigates the factors influencing digital learning among older adults participating in a digital literacy education program. This study establishes a theoretical model drawing on digital divides and adult learning theories to understand the driving forces of older adults’ digital learning. The findings suggest that, within the specific context of this study, prior digital skills and experiences emerge as prominent predictors of positive digital learning, playing a more dominant role than positional factors. Psychological factors, including self-doubt and a fear of mistake, play a critical role in shaping continuous learning for the older adult participants. External support and social interactions with family, friends, and the community foster sustained engagement in the participants’ digital learning. Furthermore, sociocultural factors, such as perceptions of aging and digitalization, also impact older adults’ digital learning experiences. Understanding these factors can guide the development of targeted and inclusive digital literacy programs for older adult learners, empowering them to thrive in the digital world.

Introduction: Numerous studies have revealed the importance of local support for successful restoration and conservation initiatives. Much less attention has been devoted to identifying the challenges and opportunities that influence community support. Objectives: To identify the challenges and opportunities influencing community engagement in coral reef restoration at Laughing Bird Caye National Park, Belize and its buffer zone. Methods: We interviewed restoration practitioners and key stakeholders, conducted a SWOT analysis with community members engaged in restoration efforts, and surveyed the broader public to evaluate local perceptions of the factors influencing community engagement in coral reef restoration. Results: Participant responses revealed four systems shaping local engagement: management, social, educational, and environmental. Key challenges included limited participation in restoration decisions, social dysfunction, low awareness of coral ecosystems, and environmental threats. Opportunities focused on expanding educational programs, particularly for youth, supporting local economies and livelihoods, promoting environmental stewardship, and strengthening governance through collaboration and local leadership. Conclusions: Our research revealed challenges that deter community engagement but also identified opportunities that may transform obstacles into actions to build trust, institutionalize collaborative participation, and empower local stewardship as a sustainable, community-driven process. Our results are specific to the community in Placencia, Belize but our methodology provides a potential roadmap for identifying stakeholder concerns and developing inclusive and effective programs to promote community engagement in restoration and conservation efforts elsewhere.

To advance the long-term goal of a universal national school food program (SFP) in Canada, understanding the benefits of such programs is important. Through 2021-23, a universal curriculum-integrated school lunch pilot was introduced in two low-income and culturally diverse schools in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. Case study research and interviews with 43 school staff were conducted over the course of the pilot to understand school and student-level benefits. Following an inductive-deductive analysis informed by a Health Promoting Schools (HPS) approach, it was found that the universal lunch enhanced the schools' social environment and supported teaching and learning. Results demonstrated that the pilot improved the well-being of students through creating welcoming and caring spaces in the school, supporting student achievement and attendance, enriching student food exposure and healthy eating, and enhancing opportunities for learning. Furthermore, the introduction of the universal lunch was reported to reduce the stigma of school lunch and support staff wellness. This research suggests freshly prepared, nutritious, and inclusive universal lunch programs can be an effective policy approach to support health promotion in schools. Recognizing the holistic benefits of universal lunch programs can help health and education sectors and other partners work together to advance lunch programs as school-wide, HPS interventions.

This study examined the impact of digital payments on economic growth in Uganda, focusing on the role of internet-based funds transfers, debit and credit cards, and point-of-sale systems in formalising economic activity and stimulating employment. Employing correlational and survey designs, data were collected from 336 respondents, including digital finance policymakers, agent banking staff, mobile money agents, and fintech users, using purposive, simple random, and convenience sampling. The study was conducted in Kampala, Wakiso, Butambala, and Bugiri districts of Uganda. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and regression analysis in SPSS version 30. The findings revealed moderate overall engagement with digital payments (M=2.71), with high usage for receiving remittances (M=4.55) and increasing cashless transactions (M=3.91), but low adoption for online purchases and international transactions. Pearson correlation showed a moderate positive relationship between digital payments and economic growth (r=0.59, p<0.05). Regression analysis indicated that digital payments explained 12.3% of the variance in economic growth (R²=0.123), with a significant ANOVA result (F=37.868, p<0.05). The regression model was: Economic Growth = 5.019 + 0.126(Digital Payments), with a beta coefficient of 0.101 (p<0.01), leading to rejection of the null hypothesis. The study concludes that while digital payments have a statistically significant positive effect on economic growth, their influence remains constrained by structural barriers such as limited internet infrastructure, geographical disparities, and low digital literacy. To fully harness the economic growth potential, targeted investments in digital infrastructure and inclusive financial literacy programmes are essential. The study also recommends that the Bank of Uganda should introduce a national payment switch to reduce blockchain charges, and as well launch a digital Shilling to transition to a cashless economy

This study aimed to develop and evaluate a customized physical fitness assessment, known as the Physical Instrument for Asthmatics (PIA), for PATHFIT students diagnosed with asthma. Specifically, it determined pre-test and post-test performance and examined whether the intervention improved overall physical fitness. A pre-experimental one-group pre-test–post-test design was employed, involving PATHFIT 2 and PATHFIT 4 students during the second semester of the 2025–2026 academic year. Participants were selected based on a confirmed asthma diagnosis and medical clearance. The study used a modified physical fitness test comprising the six-minute walk test, wall sits, seated leg raises, 30-second walk test, vertical jump, and T-agility test. Results revealed that participants demonstrated improved performance across all fitness components following the intervention. Cardiovascular endurance increased, as evidenced by greater distances covered, while muscular strength and endurance reached higher performance classifications. Improvements were also observed in speed, power, and agility, although slight variability remained among participants. The findings suggest that structured, asthma-sensitive physical activity can enhance physical fitness without compromising safety. The study concludes that the PIA model is an effective and appropriate tool for assessing and improving students' physical fitness with asthma. It is recommended for use in inclusive physical education programs. It may serve as a basis for future research and program development. Keywords: Asthma, customized physical fitness assessment, inclusive education, physical activity for health and fitness, Physical Instrument for Asthmatics (PIA)

An examination of the incorporation of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) in anticipatory action (AA) reveals the latter's potential to strengthen disaster response by addressing pre-existing inequalities and marginalised needs. Despite the gendered dimensions of disasters being well evidenced, SRHR and other gendered needs remain overlooked in AA programming, exacerbating the risks to women, girls, and intersectionally marginalised groups with high pre-existing vulnerability. This paper investigates the challenges to and opportunities for including SRHR in AA, using SRHR as a lens to investigate the possibilities for more inclusive and effective AA programmes. AA enables a more transformative approach to humanitarian aid, with time for early planning, gender analyses, local community engagement, and improved nexus linkages to the longer-term development of healthcare services, corresponding to current debates in the humanitarian sector. Utilising these attributes of AA facilitates a humanitarian response which can better meet vulnerable groups' needs in fragile contexts, helping to mitigate the long-term repercussions of the 'double disaster' of gendered impacts.

Gender parity in education has improved in many countries alongside global and local efforts to promote gender equity. However, in Malaysia, male participation in related fields, especially science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), is increasingly at risk due to a subtle trend of a reversed gender parity index. This qualitative research aims to examine what makes up an inclusive STEM program, with specific foci on curriculum co-creation and gender responsiveness. Through purposive sampling of various stakeholders (n=47), several rounds of focus group discussions and interviews were conducted. Thematic analysis revealed key components of an inclusive STEM program, and strategies for promoting gender-responsiveness when co-creating this program. Moreover, these findings highlight the importance of enhancing students’ engagement in STEM through participatory decision-making and tailored interventions. The research contributes to both theory and practice by making recommendations for developing more inclusive, gender-responsive learning environments in STEM education.

When governance speaks: Shareholder voting and market responses to DEI program elimination

Despite the increasing adoption of gender-inclusive policies, transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) people continue to face significant barriers to cancer prevention services, resulting in low uptake of cancer screening and HPV vaccination. This review aimed to synthesize evidence on barriers and facilitators to cancer prevention among TGD people to inform more inclusive and effective policies and programmes. Searches were performed in Medline (1946), Cochrane CENTRAL (1992), CINAHL (1982), PsycINFO (1806), Web of Science (1975), and EMBASE (1971) from inception up to July 18, 2025. Thematic synthesis was guided by SURE framework, and McLeroy's socioecological model of health behaviour, adapted to cancer prevention context. A total of 1648 records were retrieved; 119 full texts were assessed and 53 studies (55 reports) met inclusion criteria. Most studies addressed cervical cancer and HPV-related prevention. Barriers were identified at individual (knowledge gaps, gender dysphoria, financial precarity), interpersonal (misgendering, discrimination, inadequate communication), healthcare-system (gendered services, insurance mismatches, lack of provider training), and societal levels (gendered messaging, stigma). Facilitators across the same levels included informed provider recommendations, affirming care environments and self-administered screening. Findings show that TGD people continue to experience exclusion within cancer prevention services. Addressing these disparities requires coordinated action across individual, interpersonal, system and societal levels.

This study examined the effectiveness and quality assurance of Indonesia’s pre-service professional teacher (PPG) program through an equity-oriented lens using a convergent mixed-methods design. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from teacher candidates across diverse regions and institutional contexts, integrating data from survey results, interviews, focus group discussions, and document analysis to provide a comprehensive evaluation. The findings indicate that the program contributes positively to the development of professional competence and overall participant satisfaction. However, the analysis revealed persistent inequities in program experiences and outcomes, particularly across geographical regions and institutional capacities. Teacher candidates from more developed regions and higher-accredited institutions tended to report more favorable experiences compared to those in underserved and remote areas. These disparities highlight structural challenges related to uneven access to digital infrastructure, variations in mentoring quality, and differing levels of institutional support. Further analysis identified digital access, mentoring practices, and student agency as critical factors shaping participants’ experiences and perceived program quality. The qualitative findings reinforce the need for more inclusive and adaptive program implementation, emphasizing equitable access to learning resources and context-sensitive evaluation mechanisms. This study positions equity as a central dimension of quality assurance and argues that effectiveness cannot be fully understood without addressing systemic disparities. recommendnds strengthening digital infrastructure, enhancing mentor capacity, and embedding continuous, equity-focused evaluation within the program. These strategies are essential to ensure that teacher education reforms not only improve overall quality but also promote more equitable outcomes across diverse educational contexts.

The US Supreme Court overturned affirmative action in 20231; however, higher-education institutions continue to make admissions decisions that affect the racial diversity of their student cohorts2-4. Therefore, it is important to know whether racial diversity in an educational cohort is associated with higher or lower student cohort salaries at graduation. Learning theory argues that racial diversity promotes student learning, which should increase salaries5-9. However, well-documented racial wage discrimination indicates that higher racial diversity should decrease salaries10-14. As highlighted in the recent Supreme Court decision, there is no empirical evidence on racial diversity's association with student cohort salaries. Here, to address this gap, we compile two unique and comprehensive datasets: 2,964 Master of Business Administration cohorts across 141 business schools over 29 years and 3,386 Juris Doctor cohorts across 200 law schools over 21 years. In both datasets, we find that higher cohort racial diversity is associated with higher cohort median salaries at graduation across numerous model specifications and after controlling for student quality, universities and years. The key implication is that policies to increase or leverage racial diversity (for example, affirmative action and diversity, equity and inclusion programmes) enhance human capital and benefit society.

Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) are essential for the development of rural areas and the advancement of finance in India. They accomplish this by assisting rural business proprietors, farmers, and small-scale artists in obtaining funding. A variety of secondary data sources have been employed to investigate financial performance, asset quality, CAMEL ratings, and inclusion outcomes. Staff assessment techniques have not been prioritized, despite their direct influence on institutional efficacy. In order to resolve discrepancies, we will compare and contrast the viewpoints of APGVB and TGB personnel across five operating domains. The bank's profitability, financial inclusion programs, technology developments, lending operations, and objectives are all the subject of ongoing investigations. The descriptive study employs both primary and secondary sources. One hundred employees from four distinct locations in Telangana completed a standardized questionnaire. The Cronbach's alpha values of the reliability analysis, which indicate the internal consistency of the data, varied from 0.706 to 0.880. Descriptive statistics and one-way ANOVA were implemented to evaluate the two universities. The survey indicates that there is a general agreement on the bank's objectives, responsibilities, and initiatives to enhance accessibility, profitability, and resolve any issues. Technology and Modernization (p < 0.001) and Credit Operations (p = 0.017) exhibited statistically significant differences. The employees of TGB demonstrated a higher level of support for the bank's lending approach, despite the fact that both businesses were unable to implement new technologies. The results indicate that, although RRBs frequently progress at a similar rate, there are distinctions in terms of digital innovation and operational efficacy. The efficacy of sustainable rural banking can be enhanced by standardizing lending processes and strengthening technical infrastructure.