Informal Engagement Research Articles

Lessons for expanding virtual mentoring in academic medical institutions: a qualitative study among senior mentors

BackgroundVirtual activities, hybrid work and virtual mentoring have become part of the ongoing milieu of academic medicine. As the shift to remote mentoring continues to evolve, it is now possible to adapt, refine, and improve tools to support thriving mentoring relationships that take place virtually. This study explores strategies for virtual mentoring as a cornerstone for effective training programs among senior mentors participating in an ongoing mentoring program.MethodsWe conducted a qualitative study among prior and current participants of an ongoing “Mentoring the Mentors” program about key strategies for optimizing virtual mentoring. Data were coded and analyzed following a thematic analysis approach.ResultsRespondents were mostly female (62%), white (58%), and associate (39%) or full professors (32%). We found that, with the expansion of hybrid and fully remote work, there are now fewer opportunities for informal but important chance meetings between mentors and mentees; however, virtual mentoring provides opportunities to compensate for reduced interactivity normally experienced in the workplace. The heightened need to plan and be more deliberate in the virtual sphere was woven throughout narratives and was the foundation of most recommendations. Specifically, a central obstacle for respondents was that spontaneous conversations were harder to initiate because virtual conversations are expected to have set agendas.ConclusionsDeveloping new ways to maintain meaningful interpersonal relationships in a virtual training environment, including opportunities for serendipitous and informal engagement, is critical to the success of virtual mentoring programs.

Tropical Modernism(s), Miscegenated Art and Modernity

Abstract: Tropical: Stories from Southeast Asia and Latin America opened on 18 November 2023 and ran at the National Gallery Singapore (NGS) until 24 March 2024. NGS’s website states that the exhibition is “the first large-scale museum exhibition to take a comparative approach across two regions united by their shared struggles against colonialism”, comprising over 200 paintings, sculptures, prints and installations. The exhibition proceeds not always via direct formal or informal engagements between artists but by “an alchemy of shared narratives” (Teo Hui Min). Tropical endeavours to complicate the essential link between modernism and modernity by reflecting on how the “accursed European and American influence” is “absorbed” (Hélio Oiticica) into the local and indigenous, resulting in what might be called miscegenated art .

De-foreignizing English Outside Class: Junior-Secondary-Level English-as-a-Foreign-Language Learners’ Extramural English Engagements and Listening and Reading Proficiency

Being cognizant of the indispensable role of abundant language input, scholars have given more attention to learning beyond the foreign language classroom in recent decades. This is especially important because there is usually limited time and exposure to authentic input in class. Contexts in which English is regarded as a foreign language warrant scrutiny since English is now highly accessible to learners at virtually all ages, worldwide, at no/low cost, thanks mostly to technology. The present longitudinal study set out to examine 350 Hong Kong junior-secondary-school learners’ informal engagements with extramural English activities (e.g. watching videos; playing computer games). The relationship between their engagements and language proficiency was also investigated. The findings revealed that as many as 90% of the participants had informal extramural exposure to English. This exposure was classified into seven categories. Overall, the three most popular types of engagement were videos/movies, songs, and communication (e.g. face-to-face chats; text messages). Intriguingly, the overall levels of engagements were correlated significantly and positively with proficiency scores for the average- and high-proficiency groups, but no such relationship was found for the low-proficiency students. The article concludes with a brief discussion of the findings.

Productive Word Knowledge Development and Its Relation to Informal Contact with English through Various Leisure Activities

Much of the previous research that has provided evidence for the relationship between engagement in out-of-class activities and vocabulary outcomes has focused on receptive word gains. However, little research has attempted to explore this relationship with productive word knowledge. Additionally, the contribution of various gaming genres to the relationship is particularly underexplored. The present mixed-method study fills these lacunas by employing a productive vocabulary levels test, a questionnaire, and semi-structured interviews to explore the relationship between 35 different leisure activities that English as a foreign language (EFL) learners engage in outside the classroom and their productive vocabulary growth. The study’s findings revealed that although learners frequently engaged in different activities, they spent most of their free time gaming, which contributed the most to productive word knowledge learning. Regression analysis showed that two gaming genres, massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) and first-person shooters, significantly predicted productive knowledge of words. Qualitative analysis demonstrated that, in general, the participants had a positive perception of informal engagement with English activities outside formal learning contexts.

Capturing virtual voices: using online reflective journals to explore the lived experiences of part-time adult learners

The opportunities for discovering students' lived experiences and perspectives on online learning are often limited. Embarking upon an undergraduate programme marks a period of transition which, for some adults, can be disorientating and challenging especially as an individual' s lifeworld becomes increasingly entangled with the decision to participate in learning. Educational interactions take place within prescribed and structured virtual fora, each with a clear delineated purpose set out by the university, whether that be social or academic, task-based or informative. Further insights may be gleaned from end-ofmodule questionnaires, internal surveys or the National Student Survey (NSS), but there is little opportunity for informal engagements, insights or snapshots without it being captured in a discussion forum or recorded in the learner management system. This study set out to employ a cocreated online reflective journal as a space through which to better understand the experiences of adult learners as they begin online study in order to explore how they forge their identities, progress emotionally and socially between the stages of their learning, and navigate the complex interrelationship between the personal, circumstantial and emotional domains.

Convivial and informal encounters with de‐radicalisation

AbstractOur piece raises a conceptual issue with regards to how migration and deradicalization literature conform with each other in ways that they depict and deal with the self/other dichotomy. Both also aim at “integrating” the “other” through policy‐oriented formal mechanisms. The deviance from the normal, evinced by the self/other dichotomisation in these literature, presents who is not ‘us’ as the wayward other. In return, the following migration and deradicalization policies both introduce disciplining mechanisms to make societies homogenous and align the “other” with the existing nation‐state structures. Instead, we propose that societies have a non‐binary composition, and they cannot be pushed in becoming homogenous entities. This piece contributes to deradicalization literature by foregrounding the importance of informal engagements rather than policy‐focused formal processes of deradicalization. In conclusion, we show the importance of the ordinary and the convivial activities to achieve inclusion.

The International Recognition of Governments in Practice(s): Creatures, Mirages, and Dilemmas in Post-2011 Libya

Abstract The international (non)recognition of governments is a composite macro practice that has grown in visibility in recent years in response to contentious domestic political processes such as coups d’état, revolutions, and civil wars, yet it remains understudied in international relations. Doctrinal debates in international law and foreign policy reveal the normative vacuum and normative competition that have long surrounded this phenomenon, but say little about its specific operation and effects. This article brings together insights from recognition theory and international practice theory, and uses post-2011 Libya as an in-depth case study, drawing on elite interviews with diplomats, international officials, and other practitioners. The aim is to sketch a new research agenda by building a generalizable typology of smaller-scale government recognition micro practices (declaratory, diplomatic, informal engagement, intergovernmental cooperation, and support practices), and uncovering their guiding logics and consequences. I argue that, first, the international (non)recognition of governments is endowed with a distinct generative power, as it produces its own creatures through a range of micro practices that have identity formation and change, material empowerment, political legitimation, and sovereignty line-drawing effects. Secondly, it is geopolitically inevitable, as external actors involved in a country cannot ultimately avoid engaging with territorially grounded domestic political actors. Thirdly, it is not a black-and-white situation, as it involves a broad variety of practices guided by different, often contradictory logics. Finally, international government recognition practices are likely to run into three dilemmas stemming from three tensions: international versus domestic recognition, legitimacy versus effectiveness, and coherence versus inclusivity in conflict mediation.

Women scientists in knowledge exchanges with nonacademic actors: participation gap and emerging gender patterns

ABSTRACT This paper examines women scientists’ participation in Knowledge Exchange (KE) with nonacademic actors. We compare three KE types –informal engagement, formal engagement and commercialization– and find significant differences in participation depending on type. In informal engagement, women and men participate equally, but women participate less than men in both formal engagement and commercialization. We explore whether academic rank and women peers influence this participation gap. We find evidence of a levelling effect related to academic rank in the case of formal engagement and an emulating effect related to women peers in the case of commercialization. The implications of the emerging gender patterns are also discussed.

Musical identities in action: Embodied, situated, and dynamic

This article provides a critical overview of musical identities as a research topic. A broad distinction between identities in music (IIM) and music in identities (MII) highlights how musical engagement is central to identity construction. These concepts are integrated with recent advances in psychological theory derived from enactive cognition (4E cognition) to propose a new framework for understanding musical identities, Musical Identities in Action (MIIA). This framework foregrounds musical identities as dynamic (constantly evolving, dialogical, and actively performed), embodied (shaped by how music is physically expressed and experienced), and situated (emergent from interaction with social contexts, technologies, and culture). Musical identities are presented as fluid and constructed through embodied and situated action. Interdisciplinary research on music and adolescence is utilized to show how the MIIA framework can be applied to specific contexts and how musical identities interact with other aspects of life. Examples of the embodied nature of musical identities are provided from early interactions to professional performance and everyday informal engagement. Technology is highlighted as one topical and situated context, using digital playlists and a recent online improvisation project as examples. Implications of the MIIA framework for education and health are also presented, proposing that a key goal of music education is the development of positive musical identities. Recent advances in humanities research such as post-qualitative inquiry (PQI) and metamodern philosophical theory are proposed as useful multidisciplinary approaches for developing new knowledge related to musical identities.

STEM escape rooms for public engagement

Escape rooms are a relatively new cultural phenomenon, attracting a wide range of audiences to test their puzzle-solving skills. While this format has been trialled in an educational context, there has been little exploration of it as a tool for engagement. We ran a STEM-based escape room, open to the public, over five days at a science centre in Malta. This was an exploratory exercise to determine whether escape rooms could be successful in an informal science engagement context. Over seventy players attempted the game and completed our evaluation. Our results suggest that escape rooms can be used in engagement contexts as they provide a positive experience that encourages future interactions with science. They may also draw audiences not normally interested in science and help them engage with scientific content in a more accessible manner. Interestingly, players were able to persist in engaging with content they found difficult while still finding it enjoyable, which has implications for the science communication of complex topics. Finally, players perceived that they were able to learn science through the escape room, which may increase their self-efficacy.

Formal and informal sustainability reporting: an insight from a mining company’s subsidiary in Ghana

PurposeUsing a subsidiary of a multinational mining company in Ghana as a case, the purpose of this study is to examine the formal and informal forms and channels of sustainability reporting in the emerging economy’s context. Design/methodology/approachSemi-structured interviews were conducted amongst managers and employees of the mining company and members of their host community. Based on the interview themes, archival data were extracted from the 2020 Integrated Annual Report of the case company to corroborate the results from the interviews. FindingsThe authors found that most of the stakeholders from the host community interviewed were not aware and, to an extent, not interested in formal sustainability reports. In place of that, the management of the mining subsidiary uses informal channels of communication, including meetings and durbars, to verbally engage the local community and their representatives on sustainability matters. Whilst the formal sustainability reports met the internal requirements set by the parent company, the informal engagements were critical for gaining external legitimacy from the host community and other interest groups. Hence, the authors argue that mining companies and their subsidiaries, particularly in developing economies, need to consider informal forms of sustainability reporting alongside the formal channels to engage local communities to address sustainability issues and avert disruptions to their operations. Originality/valueSustainability reporting studies have focussed mainly on annual reports published in print or corporate websites, ignoring informal forms of sustainability reporting. This study sheds light on the informal forms of sustainability reporting. This is important as formal forms of sustainability reporting may be less useful for engaging local mining communities in developing economy contexts.

Ecosystem orchestration: Matching new ventures and established organizations to catalyze innovation

Innovation ecosystems have emerged as novel ways how to facilitate resource mobilization in order to develop innovative products and services. In such multi-actor settings, orchestrating firms play an especially interesting role; however, it is not fully understood how they attract, guide, and bring actors together. To comprehensively address this question, we draw on existing insights on network orchestration and combine them with novel theory on ecosystems. We seek to explore which mechanisms innovation ecosystem orchestrators use to identify matching resources among new ventures and established organizations, and how these ecosystem orchestration mechanisms differ from known network orchestration mechanisms. We conduct a single-case study of a Germany-based innovation ecosystem managed by one orchestrating firm. We thereby generate insights into general ecosystem management and specialized innovation programs in which the orchestrator “matches” established organizations and new ventures to identify opportunities for value co-creation. We illuminate how ecosystem orchestrators enable new ventures and established organizations to identify non-generic, multilateral complementarities. In this regard, we distinguish the outcomes of formal matchmaking programs and more informal engagement in the ecosystem. In addition, we show how the ecosystem orchestrator blends stakeholder-based network orchestration approaches with ecosystem-specific attitudes and practices. Lastly, our research adds to the dialectical perspectives on ecosystems by pointing towards key tensions that orchestrators need to manage.

Citizen Science Fiction: The Potential of Situated Speculative Prototyping for Public Engagement on Emerging Technologies

In response to calls for a research and innovation system that is more open to public scrutiny, we have seen a growth of formal and informal public engagement activities in the past decades. Nevertheless, critiques of several persistent routines in public engagement continue to resurface, in particular the focus on expert knowledge, cognitive exchange, risk discourse, and understandings of public opinion as being static. In an attempt to break out of these routines, we experimented with an innovative engagement format that employs situated speculative prototyping to support citizens in contextualizing and discussing developments regarding—in this case—nanotechnology. This format invites participants to imagine and critically reflect on technological futures through collaborative prototyping and story-writing. In this paper, we outline five reconstructed contextualization patterns in which participants engaged during the format’s exercises and use these to assess the value of the format in the current engagement landscape. We show that situated speculative prototyping has potential in the realm of informal public engagement initiatives, taking an explorative approach, but also warn of ‘the designer fallacy’ as a prominent pitfall of prototyping that could reproduce techno-scientific framings and obstruct critical reflection on technological directions and implications if not treated with caution.

Assessing fetal movements in pregnancy: A qualitative evidence synthesis of women\u2019s views, perspectives and experiences

BackgroundRaising awareness of the importance of fetal movements (FMs) and advising women on the appropriate action to take if they experience reduced FMs, is important for minimising or avoiding adverse perinatal outcomes. To gain insight and understanding of women’s perspectives of assessing FMs in pregnancy, we conducted a qualitative evidence synthesis.MethodsA qualitative evidence synthesis using thematic synthesis was conducted. Studies were eligible if they included pregnant women who were at least 20 weeks gestation and reported qualitative data from women on assessing FMs in pregnancy. MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, PsycINFO and Social Science Citation Index, from inception to July 2020, were searched. The methodological quality of included studies was assessed by at least two reviewers using an Evidence for Policy and Practice Information (EPPI)-Centre quality assessment tool. Data synthesis, using the Thomas and Harden framework, involved line by line coding of extracted data, establishing descriptive themes, and determining analytical themes. Confidence in the findings was assessed using GRADE CER-Qual.ResultsNine studies, involving 2193 women, were included in the review. The methodological quality of the studies was overall generally high. The synthesis revealed three dominant themes, and seven sub-themes that reflected women’s perspectives of assessing FMs in pregnancy. These were; 1) How women engage with FMs, with subthemes of informal engagement, formal engagement, and strategies to stimulate FMs; 2) ‘ … like a feather inside my belly’ - articulating and describing FMs, with sub-themes of sensations associated with FMs and timing and frequency of FMs; and 3) FMs and help/health seeking, with sub-themes of information sources and interacting with healthcare professionals. Confidence in the findings was either high or moderate, although two findings were rated low confidence and one very low.ConclusionThis qualitative evidence synthesis reveals that women informally engage with FMs during pregnancy. Women commonly adopt strategies to stimulate FMs when concerned. The use of the internet was a common source of obtaining information regarding FMs. Women require better support when contacting healthcare professionals about FMs. As only three of the nine included studies were exclusively qualitative in design, further qualitative studies exploring women’s perspective of assessing FMs in pregnancy are required.

Association Between Subjective Remaining Life Expectancy and Advance Care Planning in Older Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study

ContextAdvance care planning (ACP) becomes more relevant with deteriorating health or increasing age. People might be more inclined to engage in ACP as they feel that they are approaching end of life. The perception of approaching end of life could be quantified as subjective remaining life expectancy (SRLE). ObjectivesFirst, to describe the prevalence of ACP with health care providers or written directives (“formal engagement in ACP”) and ACP with loved-ones (“informal engagement in ACP”) among older persons in the general population in The Netherlands. Second, to assess the association between SRLE and engagement in ACP. MethodsCross-sectional study using data from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (LASA) measurement wave of 2015–2016. Participants (n = 1585) were aged ≥ 57 years. ResultsMedian age was 69.4 years (IQR: 64.1–76.7), and median SRLE 25.9 years (17.7–36.0). Formal engagement in ACP was present in 32.6%, informal without formal engagement in 45.8%, and 21.6% was not engaged in ACP. For respondents with SRLE < 25 years, there was a nonstatistically significant association between SRLE and engagement in ACP (aOR: 0.97; 95% CI: 0.93–1.01; P= .088), and a statistically significant, small association with formal vs. informal engagement in ACP (aOR: 0.96; 0.93–0.99; P= .009). For respondents with SRLE ≥ 25 years there was no association between SRLE and engagement in ACP. ConclusionThe perception of approaching end of life is associated with higher prevalence of formal engagement in ACP, but only for those with SRLE < 25 years. For clinicians, asking patients after their SRLE might serve as a starting point to explore readiness for ACP.

Research End-User Perspectives about Using Social Work Research in Policy and Practice

Abstract Research funding and assessment initiatives that foster engagement between researchers and research end-users have been adopted by governments in many countries. They aim to orient research towards achieving measurable impacts that improve economic and social well-being beyond academia. This has long been regarded as important in social work research, as it has in many fields of applied research. This study examined research engagement and impact from the perspective of research end-users working in human services. In-person or telephone interviews were conducted with forty-three research end-users about how they used research and interacted with researchers. Content analysis was undertaken to identify engagement strategies and thematic coding was employed to examine underpinning ideas about research translation into practice. Participants were involved in many types of formal and informal research engagements. They viewed research translation as a mutual responsibility but indicated that researchers should do more to improve the utility of their research for industry. The findings highlight the iterative nature of engagement and impact and raise questions about the infrastructure for scaling up impact beyond relationships between individual researchers and their industry partners.

Polarised views of urban biodiversity and the role of socio-cultural valuation: Lessons from Cape Town

This study investigates values and narratives of urban biodiversity in the highly culturally and biologically diverse city Cape Town, South Africa. Local expressions of values of biodiversity are explored, in the context of the challenge of accounting for diverse values of biodiversity through a green infrastructure approach. Based on interviews with practitioners involved in green space and biodiversity management I investigate: i) narratives around challenges of different values of biodiversity and green space for management and planning, and ii) the perceived potential of assessments of social values of biodiversity and ES in practice. Highly polarised views of nature and biodiversity exist within management and planning of urban nature within the city. This study shows the complexity of including and integrating highly diverse and contrasting meanings of urban nature and biodiversity for citizens and stakeholders in management and planning based on an ES and GI approach. Potential value-conflicts arise when applying a green infrastructure approach in places with high biodiversity values, where management is based on a traditional conservation perspective. Socio-cultural valuation can be useful in green infrastructure planning, but needs to go beyond a consideration of current preferences, consider informal engagements, and recognise the potential of urban green for citizen building.

Learning Opportunities While Incarcerated: Association of Engagement in Literacy and Numeracy Activities With Literacy and Numeracy Skills

Little is known about which educational activities are most associated with incarcerated adults’ literacy and numeracy skills. The present study examines whether informal engagement in reading, writing, and numeracy activities (e.g., reading newspapers or using calculators) is associated with incarcerated adults’ literacy and numeracy skills. Using the 2014 Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC)—U.S. Prison Study, numeracy/literacy skills were predicted from engagement in reading, writing, and numeracy activities. Literacy skills were higher among incarcerated persons who engaged in an increasing amount of writing activities along with those who completed postsecondary coursework in prison. Literacy skills and numeracy skills were not significantly associated with engagement in reading activities and numeracy activities, respectively. Findings highlight promising strategies for restructuring prison education.

Visitors’ attendance motivation and meaning making at a public science event

ABSTRACT Opportunities to engage with science exist in a variety of non-formal educational contexts, but rarely have studies examined ways to leverage science interest and learning at community science events and other single-attendance occasions. This study builds on Yeager and Walton’s (2011) concept of brief, wise interventions by using open-ended prompts to explore attendees’ engagement during a solar eclipse viewing event. Written responses from 79 adults revealed multiple motivations for attendance. Further, these responses illustrated that attendees expanded their literal and metaphorical meaning making about the eclipse. We explore the utility of brief intervention prompts in the context of existing theories of informal science engagement and discuss implications for supporting and understanding visitors’ motivation and engagement at public science events.

Social Engagement and Cognitive Health: The Mediating Role of Cognitive and Physical Activity

This study aimed to assess the association between social engagement and conversion from Cognitive Impairment No Dementia (CIND) to dementia and to investigate the mediating role of cognitive and physical engagements on that relationship. Data from two waves (2010 and 2014) of the psychosocial and core modules of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) were used. The sample consisted of 929 people who had CIND in 2010 and participated in the survey in 2014. Latent Class Analysis (LCA) with eight indicators of social engagement (activities with children, volunteering with youth/others, attending educational course/organization, meeting up, speaking on the phone, writing or emailing) found three groups: formal and informal social engagement (20.7%), informal social engagement only (48.9%), and low social engagement (30.5%). Binary logistic regression analysis showed sub groups with higher levels and greater variety of social engagements were associated with lower probability of conversion to dementia in four years. Path analysis with structural equation modeling (SEM) framework showed the relationship between patterns of social engagement and lower conversion to dementia was mediated by having higher engagement in cognitive activities (e.g. home maintenance, playing sports), but not by engagement in physical activities (e.g. playing games, using computer). Results from this study implied (1) promoting active social engagement may be a promising intervention to prevent or delay conversion from CIND to dementia, and (2) promoting social engagement may be a particularly effective and efficient strategy since it promotes other activity engagements that may itself prevent or delay conversion from CIND to dementia.