Dimensions Of Integration Research Articles

Syrian refugees’ vision for quality education in a Lebanese public school: a participatory visual research

This study explores the quality of education delivered to Syrian students in a public school in Lebanon. Concepts of agency and empowerment are at the heart of this discussion. To address the current lack of student-centred perspectives on schooling in this context, this study supplements the Capability Approach (CA) with a social justice framework and uses visual and art-based methods to gain insights into what these young people have reason to value. It examines the value of combining theoretical insights, analytical approaches and methods that share a commitment to honouring participant agency. Analysis of input from children advocates considering the concept of ‘care’ as an integral dimension to social justice in the context of this study. It also suggests the need for implementing negative and positive peacebuilding strategies and contemplating the relationship between art education and school violence. We argue for a whole-child approach to refugee education, drawing connections between cognitive academic learning and affective embodied wellbeing. We conclude the study by discussing these findings and shedding light on the significance of our theoretical and methodological choices and their potential to inspire future research endeavours and explorations.

Analyzing Communication and Satisfaction in Mental Health Online Consults for Students

Online mental health consultation applications have become increasingly prevalent in Indonesia. Teenagers, including college students use these applications to communicate their problems and seek solutions. This study aims to describe final year students' experiences in using these applications. This study evaluates the effectiveness of an online mental health consultation service through the perceptions of 118 users, utilizing a Likert scale across three key dimensions: usefulness, usability, also integration and infrastructure. The findings indicate a generally positive reception of the service. In the usefulness dimension, the service scored well in terms of meeting advertised expectations, maintaining consistent quality, fostering optimism, providing clarity on mental health issues, and making users feel at ease. The usability dimension highlighted the enjoyable nature of the application and its benefits, though it revealed a need for improvement in accessibility for users with disabilities. The integration and infrastructure dimension reflected positively on the service's intuitive design and user-friendliness, with high scores in data confidentiality, responsiveness of counsellors, clarity of communication, and effectiveness in addressing user issues. Users also expressed a willingness to reuse the service for future mental health needs, indicating its perceived value and reliability.

Mapping citizens, voters, and parties’ preferences on European solidarity across EU member states

ABSTRACT Since 2008, the European Union (EU) witnessed a growing tension between the social and economic dimensions of integration as a consequence of the ‘polycrisis’. The increasing politicisation of EU issues in national political arenas that led to the rise of Eurosceptic parties mostly revolved around the issue of European solidarity. Against this background, this study investigates the congruence between voters and incumbent members of national parliaments on the highly contentious aspects of EU solidarity. First, the article maps the extent to which national political elites share similar views on EU solidarity with their voters. Secondly, we assess members of parliaments (MPs)-voters’ congruence at the party level. Employing original data from an elite and a mass survey conducted in six EU countries between 2017 and 2018, we find that both voters and MPs expressed a high level of support for policies strengthening European solidarity in the Eurozone periphery. Instead, voters in Northern and Eastern EU member states shared more positive preferences than their national representatives. Furthermore, the party-voter distance was higher for radical-right Eurosceptic MPs, especially in Northern Europe, than for other parties.

The Utilization of Sociometric Tests in Identifying School Integration Challenges Among Students with Immigrant Parents.

The purpose of this study is to investigate how sociometric relationships are configured within the primary and secondary school group that have immigrant parents. The analysis of the specialized literature was carried out based on clear selection criteria, both chronologically and of the variables. Statistical analyses, including correlations and frequency calculations, were conducted for the research variables. The study also clarifies certain procedural aspects in the application of sociometric tests. Our study included four school groups, two with 4th-grade students and two with pre-adolescent high school students. Parental emigration is a phenomenon that can have significant negative effects on the school integration of children who are left behind. They may experience emotional stress and anxiety that can affect their school performance. Some may also face financial difficulties, resulting in material shortages necessary to participate in school activities. The overload of tasks and household responsibilities can lead to their stigmatization in school groups. Our study examined three dimensions of school integration: partnership in work activities, participation in leisure time activities, and leadership within the group. The results of the research indicate a poor sociometric positioning for the children of emigrants, who are often rejected by the group for work activities, ignored in terms of spending free time, and overlooked for leadership roles within the group. Even if there are situations where some of them gain followers, they are also among the students rejected by the group. Most of them are ignored or rejected by the more socially prominent students in the class,

Checking Multiple Boxes: Themes Associated With Bicultural Identities

Multicultural individuals frequently feel they must check multiple boxes when responding to identity questions. In this investigation, we collected narratives from 402 bicultural individuals about their experiences with multicultural identities and used automated text-analytic tools to examine the valence of the narratives (sentiment analysis) and the most prevalent themes used (Meaning Extraction Method). In addition, we examined the relationships between the narratives and the two dimensions of Bicultural Identity Integration (BII) scales, Harmony and Blendedness. Findings suggested that the narratives were more emotionally positive than negative, and there were six most common themes. Furthermore, themes were significantly associated with BII scales. Our analyses provide deeper insights into the nature of bicultural identity using naturalistic language data.

A reductionistic or holistic approach? The impacts of fit patterns of supplier and customer integration on company and supply chain performance

The increasing prevalence and complexity of supply chain integration raise a question on how to concurrently adopt different dimensions of integration rather than a singular dimension. While extant literature extensively examined the isolated impacts of supplier and customer integration on performance, the exploration of conceptualizing and evaluating the fit between supplier and customer integration remains an issue under active investigation. Drawing on the dynamic capability view, this study conceptualizes and operationalizes fit patterns (e.g., fit as moderation and matching) of supplier and customer integration to understand the synergistic effects of supplier and customer integration on both company and supply chain performance and establish dynamic capabilities containing fit sensing, seizing, and transformation. Using the survey data collected from 824 firms from China Mainland, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, the study reveals distinct effects of two fit patterns on company and supply chain performance. Fit as moderation is positively related to both company and supply chain performance, while fit as matching is negatively related to company performance and is not significantly related to supply chain performance. This study offers profound insights into how to adopt supplier and customer integration concurrently in an efficient and effective manner and provides guidelines for practitioners.

Differences in Indicators of Socio-Psychological Integration Between Refugees from Syria and Receiving Community in Croatia

Abstract Socio-psychological integration is a dimension of integration affecting refugees and receiving community members alike, and is related to those integration goals which promote positive intergroup attitudes, close social proximity, interrelation of social networks, low levels of perceived intergroup threat, positive intergroup contact, etc. The goal of this study was to explore the differences in the levels of indicators of socio-psychological integration in both groups. Six hundred receiving community members in Croatia, and 149 refugees from Syria in Croatia participated in the field study. The results generally show that the refugees have more positive attitudes towards receiving community members, a closer social proximity and lower levels of perception of symbolic and realistic intergroup threat than vice-versa. Intergroup contact in Croatia is very rare, posing an interesting setting for the integration process. Potential implications of these findings are discussed.

Ethical Dimensions of ICT Integration in Higher Education: A Comprehensive Review

In contemporary higher education, the integration of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has become indispensable, revolutionizing teaching and learning methodologies. However, alongside the benefits, ICT integration brings forth a myriad of ethical considerations that must be addressed to foster a responsible digital culture within educational institutions. This review article delves into the multifaceted realm of ethics surrounding ICT usage in higher education, synthesizing existing literature to provide insights into the ethical challenges faced by educators, administrators, and policymakers. The review explores diverse topics such as digital equity, privacy concerns, academic integrity, and responsible technology use. Moreover, it analyzes the ethical dilemmas arising from the convergence of technology, pedagogy, and morality, offering a sophisticated examination of how educational stakeholders navigate these challenges. Emphasizing the necessity of ethical awareness and proactive actions, the study underscores the importance of fostering a culture of responsible digital citizenship within the educational ecosystem. Ultimately, the paper advocates for intensified efforts to address ethical concerns in ICT integration, ensuring that the transformative potential of technology in education is harnessed while upholding the values and integrity of learning in the digital age. Keywords: ICT integration, Higher education, Ethical issues, Teaching and learning, Digital citizenship

Language attitudes and fluid identities: perceptions from Shenzhen-Hong Kong cross-border students

ABSTRACT Shenzhen-Hong Kong cross-border students (CBS) represent a distinctive Hong Kong student community residing in Shenzhen, a city within Mainland China. Their lifestyle bridging these two cities has wielded significant influence over their language attitudes and identities. This research adopts a quantitative approach, conducting a questionnaire survey among 505 CBS individuals to explore their attitudes towards Putonghua, English, Cantonese, and their hometown dialect, as well as their identities. Findings reveal that Putonghua receives the highest ratings in both integrative and instrumental dimensions, the hometown dialect receives the lowest instrumental rating while English scores lowest from the integrative perspective. Notably, CBS demonstrates a stronger Chinese national identity compared to native Hong Kong residents. Their regional identity is characterised by a prevalent ‘dual identity’ embracing both Shenzhen and Hong Kong. Merely about one-fourth of the students identify with their social role as ‘CBS’. Statistical analysis emphasises the tangible impact of CBS’ language attitudes on their identities. The frequent and intimate social interactions between CBS and Mainland China emerge as a pivotal factor contributing to their notably more favourable attitude towards Putonghua and heightened national identity, distinguishing them from native Hong Kong residents.

Features of Russian foreign policy in the Asia-Pacific region at the present stage

This article examines the features of Russian foreign policy in the Asia-Pacifi c region at the present stage of international relations. The authors consider the directions of Russia's multivector course, multilateral and regional structures and associations. The article, based on a systematic approach, examines the Asia-Pacifi c vector of Russian foreign policy at the present stage in order to obtain a holistic, comprehensive picture of the current situation. Using structural and functional analysis, the authors examine the features and characteristics of Russian foreign policy in the Asia-Pacifi c region, and also evaluate their eff ectiveness in changing conditions. The following features are analyzed in detail: multipolarity, the importance of strategic partners, energy cooperation, and security. In the analysis, special attention is paid to Russian-Chinese relations due to their growth and signifi cance, especially in the trade and economic sphere. In addition to the above methods of political science, the authors use the method of analyzing the current situation, as well as the analysis of global changes. The article highlights the reasons for the interest of the countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in investments in the Russian Far East: geographical proximity, economic cooperation, investment potential, similarity of opinions regarding the formation of a multipolar world order, as well as a bilateral regulatory framework. Based on the analysis of statistical data, the authors analyze the development of the Far East, exploring the Eastern Economic Forum, comparing the annual dynamics of trade turnover of entities located in the Far Eastern Federal District, the volume of outgoing foreign direct investment by destination countries. As prospects for the further development of Russia in the Asia-Pacifi c region in modern conditions, the authors identify and consider three factors (foreign policy, economic and social) that directly infl uence Russian foreign policy in the region. The novelty of the article should also be indicated, namely, using the method of scenario forecasting, the authors identifi ed three scenarios for the conduct and development of Russian foreign policy in the Asia-Pacifi c region at the present stage, designed for 15–20 years: global/regional regulation (positive), integration dimension (negative), cooperation 2.0 (fantastic). The authors come to the conclusion that the most likely is a positive scenario, and the ongoing multi-vector Russian foreign, economic and investment policy allows the country to remain part of the Asia-Pacific region.

Transformative Waves: Impact of Information Technology on Operations of Commercial Banks in India

This research abstract provides a glimpse into a study focused on investigating the profound impact of Information Technology (IT) on the operations of commercial banks in India. Employing a mixed-methods approach, incorporating qualitative insights and quantitative analyses, this study aims to explore the multifaceted dimensions of IT integration, its challenges, and the resultant transformation in the operational landscape of Indian commercial banks. The qualitative aspect of the study involves interviews, case studies, and expert opinions to capture nuanced perspectives on how IT adoption has reshaped banking operations in India. Simultaneously, quantitative data will be analyzed to identify trends, correlations, and statistical patterns associated with the impact of IT on key operational metrics. Various dimensions of the impact of IT on banking operations will be investigated, including enhanced efficiency through automation, the evolution of digital banking channels, cybersecurity challenges, and the overall influence on customer experience. The study aims to provide insights into the strategic implications of IT integration for commercial banks in India.
 The findings from this research are anticipated to offer valuable insights for banking professionals, IT experts, policymakers, and decision-makers. By understanding the multifaceted impact of IT on operations, stakeholders can formulate strategies to harness technological advancements, address challenges, and contribute to the ongoing digital transformation of the banking sector in India. This study serves as a foundation for informed decision-making and future research within the realm of its impact on the operations of commercial banks.

Whom to ask? Whom to trust? Parents’ preferences for sources of advice on social-emotional parenting issues

ABSTRACT Accumulating evidence shows how parents can support children’s social-emotional development with positive parenting practices. However, when confronted with parenting challenges, few parents seek evidence-based counseling. This study identifies main sources of advice for parents and examines the reasons why parents decide which sources to trust and use. Therefore, we interviewed parents of preschoolers on parenting challenges, sources of advice, general trust in these sources, and dimensions of trustworthiness. Parents’ trust was highly correlated with their intention to seek advice from someone. Furthermore, parents were most likely to seek advice within their close personal environment. Regarding the dimensions of trustworthiness, namely ability, benevolence, and integrity, we found that benevolence best predicted parents’ trust. Concerning ability, participants’ judgements were based on personal experience for some advice sources (e.g. friends, family) and on theoretical knowledge for others. Overall, this study emphasizes the important role of interpersonal trust and the dimensions of trustworthiness in advice-seeking settings. Parents already attribute evidence-based ability to professional counseling services. Consequently, we discuss how to improve evidence-based counseling by enhancing its perceived benevolence and integrity, for example, through promoting transparent and ethical practices, showing a commitment to the best interests of clients, and building strong relationships with clients.

Research Ethics Committee and Integrity Board Members’ Collaborative Decision Making in Cases in a Training Setting

AbstractThis research focuses on how research ethics committee and integrity board members discuss and decide on solutions to case scenarios that involve a dimension of research ethics or integrity in collaborative settings. The cases involved issues around authorship, conflict of interest, disregard of good scientific practice and ethics review, and research with vulnerable populations (children and neonates). The cases were set in a university, a hospital, or a research institute. In the research, we used a deductive qualitative approach with thematic analysis. Twenty-seven research ethics committee and research integrity board members from 16 European countries and one country outside Europe participated. Participants represented natural and life sciences, social sciences, and humanities. They worked on cases involving ethical/integrity issues in six different constellations. Results show that experts apply key elements of ethical decision making, namely identification of ethical issues, stakeholders, guidelines, solutions, and own positionality, in dealing collaboratively with ethics/ integrity problems, and the nature of the application depends on the complexity of the case. Understanding how individuals knowledgeable in research ethics and integrity, in this case, individuals serving on research ethics committees and integrity boards, approach ethical/ moral issues can help to identify strategies that may be useful in the development of research ethics and integrity training for junior researchers who may benefit from learning professional strategies.

Efektivitas Serapan Jagung Lokal Oleh Pabrik Pakan di Indonesia

The uptake of local corn by feed factories nationally in corn production and demand between regions is uneven, which creates corn shortages, so information services are needed for business actors. This research aims to analyze the effectiveness of local corn uptake by feed factories nationally using descriptive qualitative methods. The results of the research show that the local corn uptake information service in the Sijagung application from the five dimensions of Campbell's service effectiveness, namely service success, target success, satisfaction with service, level of input and output and achievement of overall goals is considered less effective because there is no updated data information, does not provide information projection data as corn absorption data required by feed factories nationally. To achieve the effectiveness of corn uptake information services by feed factories through the Sijagung application, it needs to be strengthened with a service integration dimension used to measure the extent to which the presentation of local corn uptake data nationally can be integrated with harvest condition data so that it can display projection data for Business Actors in making decisions to carry out purchase.

Urban greenspace for social integration: Which types of greenspace do new-Swedes prefer and why?

Urban greenspace (UGS) is a key public resource offering a broad range of nature-based solutions and is increasingly looked to as a potential arena to promote social integration in Europe’s increasingly multicultural urban and peri-urban areas. However, relatively little research has explored the preferences and perceptions of immigrants in relation to UGS, especially in European contexts. Without such knowledge, planners risk entrenching planning structures that inadvertently result in segregation and environmental injustice. Using survey and participatory mapping methods with 261 immigrants in eight sampled settlements across Sweden, this study explores which types of UGS foreign-born immigrants in Sweden (i.e., new-Swedes) prefer and why. We found that new-Swedes are frequent users of a wide spectrum of UGS types, with the most preferred types including forests, large parks and lakes. The majority of respondents were satisfied with the quality (73%), availability (68%) and accessibility (76%) of UGS in their hometowns. Our regression analysis identified 51 key factors that had a meaningful effect on preferences for different types of UGS. Key factors were distributed relatively evenly across blocks of predictor variables concerning characteristics of UGS, socio-demographic factors, activity preferences, and perceptions. Our results indicate that new-Swedes’ UGS preferences are broadly comparable with those of the general population in Sweden. We found little evidence to suggest that ethnocultural factors played a major role in the preferences of our respondents. Furthermore, our results suggest that nature-connectedness might be an important determinant of new-Swedes’ UGS preferences. Based on these findings, we highlight several opportunities to further develop UGS strategies to support different dimensions of social integration, e.g., using popular UGS as interactive spaces for cultural learning, as a platform for intercultural contacts and for maintaining cultural traditions, and to contribute towards a greater sense of social membership in their new country. A crucial implication of our study is that the use of UGS to support social integration may further contribute to the increasing complexity of the UGS planning and management challenge. This implies the need for a systems perspective in UGS research, policy-making, planning and management to consider UGS as part of an integrated urban social-ecological system and to coordinate measures across sectors.

Implementation of a Clinical Vessel Wall MR Imaging Program at an Academic Medical Center.

The slow adoption of new advanced imaging techniques into clinical practice has been a long-standing challenge. Principles of implementation science and the reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, maintenance (RE-AIM) framework were used to build a clinical vessel wall imaging program at an academic medical center. Six phases for implementing a clinical vessel wall MR imaging program were contextualized to the RE-AIM framework. Surveys were designed and distributed to MR imaging technologists and clinicians. Effectiveness was measured by surveying the perceived diagnostic value of vessel wall imaging among MR imaging technologists and clinicians, trends in case volumes in the clinical vessel wall imaging examination, and the number of coauthored vessel wall imaging-focused publications and abstracts. Adoption and implementation were measured by surveying stakeholders about workflow. Maintenance was measured by surveying MR imaging technologists on the value of teaching materials and online tip sheets. The Integration dimension was measured by the number of submitted research grants incorporating vessel wall imaging protocols. Feedback during the implementation phases and solicited through the survey is qualitatively summarized. Quantitative results are reported using descriptive statistics. Six phases of the RE-AIM framework focused on the following: 1) determining patient and disease representation, 2) matching resource availability and patient access, 3) establishing vessel MR wall imaging (VWI) expertise, 4) forming interdisciplinary teams, 5) iteratively refining workflow, and 6) integrating for maintenance and scale. Survey response rates were 48.3% (MR imaging technologists) and 71.4% (clinicians). Survey results showed that 90% of the MR imaging technologists agreed that they understood how vessel wall MR imaging adds diagnostic value to patient care. Most clinicians (91.3%) reported that vessel wall MR imaging results changed their diagnostic confidence or patient management. Case volumes of clinical vessel wall MR imaging performed from 2019 to 2022 rose from 22 to 205 examinations. Workflow challenges reported by MR imaging technologists included protocoling examinations and scan length. Feedback from ordering clinicians included the need for education about VWI indications, limitations, and availability. During the 3-year implementation period of the program, the interdisciplinary teams coauthored 27 publications and abstracts and submitted 13 research grants. Implementation of a clinical imaging program can be successful using the principles of the RE-AIM framework. Through iterative processes and the support of interdisciplinary teams, a vessel wall MR imaging program can be integrated through a dedicated clinical pipeline, add diagnostic value, support educational and research missions at an academic medical center, and become a center for excellence.

Digital disruption and market structure: the case of internet banking

Abstract We provide an econometric study of the adoption of internet banking, a case of a potentially disruptive digital technology which could devalue/replace an incumbent legacy. Our aim is to better understand the extent to which it disrupted the market structure where incumbents start with a strong customer base. We study both regional integration and national concentration dimensions of market structure in EU member states during the period of 1997–2018. We find that internet banking was initially introduced earlier in more concentrated markets. Although consumer uptake was slower over time than in less concentrated markets, the initial higher consumer penetration in more concentrated markets was sustained until market maturity. We further find a substantial de-concentrating effect of internet banking, and evidence of integration in previously regionalized markets following uptake.

The social integration of rural migrants in urban China: The effect of hometown land tenure

AbstractWhile rural migrants living in different housing tenures present significantly variegated levels of social integration, little is known about how land tenure in their place of origin affects their integration into the host cities. Using the 2017 China Migrants Dynamic Survey, we identified three dimensions of social integration: (1) permanent settlement intention, (2) cultural integration and (3) psychological integration. We find that migrants do not feel psychological isolation; their settlement intention is lower as a more realistic judgement of prospects. Their cultural integration is even lower, indicating it is a long‐term process. Migrants with land farming by relatives and friends and land subleasing to private are more socially integrated, while hiring someone to cultivate the land, leaving land uncultivated and other land disposal methods reduces migrants' social integration. Furthermore, land subleasing led to stronger psychological integration, even after controlling for the potential endogeneity issue. It weakens their attachment to their hometowns and increases their income to achieve stronger integration. The effect is more salient in the migrants of the new generation, in second‐tier cities and in the digital economy sector.

Computing multi-eigenpairs of high-dimensional eigenvalue problems using tensor neural networks

In this paper, we propose a type of tensor-neural-network-based machine learning method to compute multi-eigenpairs of high dimensional eigenvalue problems without Monte-Carlo procedure. Solving multi-eigenvalues and their corresponding eigenfunctions is one of the basic tasks in mathematical and computational physics. With the help of tensor neural network, the high dimensional integrations included in the loss functions of the machine learning process can be computed with high accuracy. The high accuracy of high dimensional integrations can improve the accuracy of the machine learning method for computing multi-eigenpairs of high dimensional eigenvalue problems. Here, we introduce the tensor neural network and design the machine learning method for computing multi-eigenpairs of the high dimensional eigenvalue problems. The proposed numerical method is validated with plenty of numerical examples.

‘Psychedelics are no magic pill’: the narrative and embodied dimensions of psychedelic integration in Denmark

AbstractWithin recent years, an increasing number of people and researchers in the Global North have become interested in psychedelic substances and their therapeutic application. While much of the current media attention and research effort mainly concentrate on the therapeutic potential and actions of the individual's acute psychedelic experience, this article explores the user‐perceived, therapeutic dynamics of psychedelics in a more long‐term perspective by charting the lived experiences and practices of ‘integration’ among psychedelic users in Denmark. Based on ethnographic fieldwork from November 2020 to June 2021, I offer a dual typology of self‐related integration as narrative and experiential‐somatic. Combining the two, I argue that psychedelic integration in contemporary Denmark can be viewed as a processual self‐transformation of the users' experiential orientation where understandings and/or modes of being from the acute psychedelic experience are woven into, prolonged, and/or embodied in their everyday existence.