Interpretive Stance Research Articles

Developing a Green-BIM team to improve the construction of green buildings in Sri Lanka

Purpose The purpose of the paper is to propose a novel Green-BIM team (GBT) through a framework that would be essential in mitigating barriers to Green-BIM integration.Design/methodology/approach An interpretive stance is adopted for this study. Through a qualitative survey, 25 experts with proficiency in green building construction and building information modelling (BIM) implementation were interviewed. Code-based content analysis was carried out using NVivo12.Findings The findings of this study signified the need for a GBT and proposed architect, client, Green consultant, designer (mechanical, electrical and plumbing [MEP], structural), BIM coordinator, engineer (MEP, structural), project manager, quantity surveyor and facilities manager to be involved in the team representing design phase, construction phase and operational phase.Research limitations/implications The experts were limited to the Sri Lankan context; however, the findings can also benefit countries with socio-economic and cultural backgrounds similar to Sri Lanka.Practical implications Findings will be beneficial for policymakers and industry professionals to promote a BIM-enabled green building environment. The proposed GBT model extends existing theoretical frameworks, emphasising the need for a multi-disciplinary team throughout the entire lifecycle of a green building.Social implications The proposed GBT model aligns with broader societal goals related to sustainable development. This approach provides a sustainable pathway to achieve economic goals for all stakeholders in the construction sector.Originality/value There is a dearth of literature on a GBT to improve the construction of green buildings in Sri Lanka. Thus, the developed model is unique as it presents a novel GBT for the Sri Lankan construction sector. Further, it elaborates roles and responsibilities of team members with comprehensive details on how to mitigate the barriers to Green-BIM integration.

Identifying Gaps in Organizational Conflicts: A Path Forward for Research

Organizational Conflicts are inevitable. It is due to human nature, which contains differences of opinion, establishment of superiority and other related factors. This review highlighted the future research gaps in organizational conflicts. A systematic literature review was conducted using different databases, such as Google Scholar and Scopus. Rayyan, a powerful, cloud-based software, was employed to maximize transparency and provide an in-depth review of existing knowledge. The relevant journal articles and other contributions were considered in identifying research gaps in the existing knowledge. The search parameters were limited to data between 2009 and 2024. This review identified four research gaps. Firstly, the review ignites the need to comprehend the connection between organizational conflicts and other influential variables, e.g., employees' trust and commitment. Secondly, there is less empirical evidence of organizational conflicts in a Pakistani context. Thirdly, most studies on organizational conflicts are either quantitative or limited in addressing an interpretive stance. Lastly, the review emphasized the necessity for more longitudinal studies. Future researchers can further utilize these research gaps and enhance their understanding of organizational conflicts.

Management of adverse effects of construction digitalization on the quantity surveying key roles: a qualitative Delphi study

Purpose Digitalization has significantly impacted the job roles of construction professionals globally. This study aims to investigate how to manage the adverse effects of digitalization on roles of quantity surveyor (QS) by assessing the level of digitalization of quantity surveying key roles identifying the adverse effects of digitalization on key roles and proposing mitigation strategies to manage adverse effects. It addresses a critical gap by providing a nuanced understanding of adverse effects faced by QSs due to digital advancement. Design/methodology/approach Adopting an interpretive stance, the research involved three rounds of 16 semistructured interviews with experts selected through heterogeneous purposive sampling. The data were analyzed using code-based content analysis with NVivo12. Findings The study identified ten quantity surveying key roles adopting digital technologies. While digitalization has enhanced efficiency and accuracy, it has also introduced adverse effects such as increased workload, potential burnout due to skills shortages, resistance to digital tools and data security concerns. Effective mitigation strategies include task prioritization, balancing traditional and digital skills and investing in continuous training. The study underscores the need for ongoing professional development for QSs and organizational restructuring to support digital integration, enhance workflow efficiency and reduce resistance to technological changes. Research limitations/implications This study’s novel contribution lies in its exploration of the adverse effects of digitalization on the QSs, usage and the level of adaptation of digital tools by QSs and strategies to manage them. Therefore, the findings of this study serve as precious steerage for QSs to have an in-depth understanding of digitalization’s usage and level of adaptation, its adverse effects and mitigation of the adverse effects. Originality/value This study’s novel contribution lies in its exploration of the adverse effects of digitalization on the QSs, usage and the level of adaptation of digital tools by QSs and strategies to manage them. Therefore, the findings of this study serve as precious steerage for QSs to have an in-depth understanding of digitalization’s usage and level of adaptation, its adverse effects and mitigation of the adverse effects.

Examination of a case of "treatment failure" in long-term psychoanalytic psychotherapy for treatment-resistant depression.

Randomized controlled trials have reported psychoanalytic psychotherapy to improve longer-term post-treatment outcomes in patients with treatment-resistant depression. In this case study, we examine the therapy process of a female trial participant diagnosed with treatment-resistant depression. Structured clinical assessments indicated that the patient's level of depression remained unchanged during and after treatment. Over the course of the therapy, she repeatedly broke away from important others and finally also from the therapy itself, which we linked to the impact of earlier experiences of abandonment on her internal world. In the discussion, we present a variety of reflections that were put forward by the authors during a series of case discussion meetings. Some of these reflections relate to how the inner world of this patient might have triggered a negative therapeutic reaction and a destructive pattern of repetition. The interpretative stance, in which the therapist interpreted this reaction as indicative of a psychic conflict and linked this conflict to the therapeutic relationship, seemed to be experienced by the patient as unhelpful and persecutory. Other elements that were brought up include basic distrust, lack of symbolization and trauma in the patient, as well as the constraints of the research context.

Krew i kamienie. Potencjalne eksponaty Muzeum Ziemi PAN

The author points to the presence of potential artifacts in the Earth Museum of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw: fragments of the ruins of Warsaw monuments and the bloodstain of a Warsaw insurgent imprinted in marble. She analyzes the implications of placing these objects in a geological context and what we can see in them through a non-anthropocentric interpretive stance. The author also shows how the combination of these contexts can have the potential to lead to a critical opening of narratives and an appreciation of the Other. Key-words: non-anthropocentrism, geology, debris, blood, museum, critical discourse

Jerusalem’s Destruction and the Coming of the Son of Man: Assessing an Alleged Lukan Association

This study of a current current in biblical research surveys and appraises an interpretative trend that associates future-oriented Son of Man sayings in Luke’s Gospel with the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 ce. After contextualizing this interpretative tradition, the views of several recent advocates of this interpretative trend are surveyed and compared. Subsequently, a means of appraising this interpretative stance is proposed, which involves discussion of two sets of Lukan passages: first, four pericopes in which the destruction of Jerusalem is clearly referenced or implied (Lk. 13:31–35; 19:41–44; 21:20–24; and 23:26–31); and second, a series of passages containing future-oriented Son of Man sayings, with special reference to the key Son of Man saying in Lk. 21:27. The upshot of this survey and appraisal is that no future-oriented Son of Man saying in Luke’s Gospel plausibly relates to Jerusalem’s destruction.

The Bankruptcy of Abraham Gibbs & Co. and the Crises of British Merchant Banking in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies and in Britain

Introduction: This work examines the causes of the crisis and the fall of one of the most successful British merchant-bankers, Abraham Gibbs who by 1816 had made Sicily the centre of his financial world. It considers Gibbs' role in British political interests in the Mediterranean, as he financed the affairs of the British government there through Lord Bentinck, Nelson, Hamilton and Leckie. Aim of the work: The authors evaluate whether the Gibbs crisis was caused solely by poor management, and poor business aptitude or by other factors. The relationships Gibbs had with other merchant and bankers like Benjamin Ingham, Falconnet, Barings and Meuricoffre in London, Sicily and Malta are analysed. Methodological approach: The study is based upon the investigation of primary and secondary sources and uses archival material in Sicily and the UK to interpretate the Gibbs crisis. The authors explore the structure and efficiency of Gibbs' accounting and administrative practice from an interpretative stance, comparing Gibbs administrative practice with Benjamin Ingham's ones. By using the Ingham Whitaker archive in Marsala, we attempt to reconstruct and prove Gibbs level of accounting management in the context of the British community's business practices in Sicily. Main findings: in Gibbs' case more accurate and more reliable accounting pro- cedures, to internally check fraudulent activities, would have been the only real means of protection to safeguard business integrity. Originality: the work offers original information to improve knowledge on a specific and interesting period of the history of both Britain and the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies and the interaction between British and Sicilian economies.

Business Anthropology and Education: Approaches, Methodologies, and Implications

The contribution of anthropological contents and methods in different aspects of the study of education is significant. The business functions of education in terms of leadership and management of humans, materials and financial resources for optimal outcomes mandates anthropological insights and underpinnings in educational systems. The early works of Hewett, Boas and Montessori paved the way for the application of anthropological contents and methods to the study and practices of educative processes and systems for better understanding and improvement of learning. Anthropological concepts and principles are integral to the domains of foundations of education, curriculum development, culture studies, classroom interactions, multicultural education, business education, policy implementations, educational research and educational administration. In this study, efforts have been made to show the contributions of both anthropologists and educators in the rise of a new field of anthropology of education since the early decades of the twentieth century. The study, thus, examines the confluence of business anthropology and education resulting in the field of anthropology of education. It highlights the historical development of the convergence of anthropology and education, implications of anthropological concepts, contents and methods in educational studies, and the anthropological approaches in the areas of educational research. Ethnographic methods such as grounded theory, documentary content analysis, and action research have greatly contributed to the knowledge of complex educational issues and challenges. They are integral to the study of educational issues through the techniques of purposive sampling, interview, observation, constant comparison, triangulations, key incident, narration, interpretive stance, and other tools of data gathering, interpretation and analysis. The present study emphasises on the significance of anthropological methods in the study of life in classrooms in term of interactions, and the impacts of the classroom environment on learning as school settings and classroom life provide the requisite environment for anthropological inquiries. It also addresses the current practices in the applications of anthropology of education in the areas of teacher education, curriculum development, multicultural education and educational research.

Contribution mechanisms of project managers’ behavioural competencies towards the success of oil and gas projects

The Oil and Gas (O&G) industry is complex and hazardous. Its development relies on projects, where project management is a human-centred profession. Therefore, competent project managers (PMs) play a crucial role in this dynamic industry. Existing literature has primarily focused on the quantitative impact of project managers’ competencies (PMCs) on project success (PS). However, there has been little attention given to understanding the ‘how’ behind the contributions of PMCs, specifically behavioural competencies (BCs), to PS. As a result, this research aims to explore the perspectives of PMs regarding the contributions of BCs to the success of projects in the O&G industry. This paper takes an interpretive stance. Data was gathered through twenty semi-structured interviews with PMs from a refinery in the Kingdom of Bahrain and analysed using thematic analysis with the aid of NVIVO 12. The study revealed the ways in which BCs contribute to project success in the O&G industry. Five distinct mechanisms were identified for BCs’ contributions to PS: fostering team cohesiveness, enhancing work clarity, controlling project activities, conveying technical competencies, and advancing PMs’ careers. This study was conducted in an under-researched industry within a developing country and has provided a deeper understanding of the means by which BCs contribute to PS, rather than merely presenting them as an extensive ‘shopping list’.

Leveraging cultural forms in human‐centred learning analytics design

AbstractIn this article, we offer theory‐grounded narratives of a 4‐year participatory design process of a Learning Analytics tool with K‐12 educators. We describe how we design‐in‐partnership by leveraging educators' routines, values and cultural representations into the designs of digital dashboards. We make our long‐term reasoning visible by reflecting upon how design decisions were made, discussing key tensions and analysing to what extent the developed tools were taken up in practice. Through thick design narratives, we reflect upon how cultural forms—recognizable cultural constructs that might cue and facilitate specific activities—were identified among educators and informed the design of a dashboard. We then examined the extent to which the designed tool supported coaches and teachers to engage in Generative Uncertainty, an interpretive stance in which educators manifest productive inquiries towards data. Our analysis highlights that attuning to cultural forms is a valuable first step but not enough towards designing LA tools for systems in ways that fit institutionalized practices, challenge instrumental uses and spur productive inquiry. We conclude by offering two key criteria for making culturally‐grounded design decisions in the context of long‐term partnerships. Practitioner notesWhat is already known about this topic Participatory design can invite stakeholders to directly inform the creation of LA artefacts that fit their needs, context and cultural markers. What this paper adds Cultural forms can be identified and leveraged in the design of LA tools. HCLA scholars ought to design for systems—the complex body of organizational routines, cultural practices and interactions among multiple stakeholders—and not just for users. Implications for practice and/or policy Leveraging cultural forms in LA needs to be accompanied by a critical view of which practices, behaviours, values and structures are suggested by such forms. Designing features that are easy to use, are associated with concrete tasks, and fit into existing cultural practices are three criteria for embedding cultural forms into LA design.

Navigating theory and practice in intercultural language teaching: Challenges faced by a pre-service language teacher in enacting an interpretive perspective in classroom interaction

This paper investigates the author’s classroom practice of implementing an interpretive perspective on intercultural language teaching and learning in two online intercultural workshops on the topic of face masks designed and delivered during the COVID-19 pandemic. It reflexively examines two critical incidents in classroom practice in terms of what these incidents reveal about the challenges faced by pre-service teachers in operationalizing an interpretive stance towards intercultural language teaching and learning in practice. Based on the epistemology of reflective practice, this self-study seeks to produce knowledge-of-practice by framing the author’s practical knowledge as language teacher in relation to theories of intercultural language teaching. Classroom discourse analysis of teaching and learning sequencies provides an emic lens on the enactment of an interpretive perspective on intercultural language teaching at the micro level in terms of two basic aspects of pedagogical practice: 1) Embedding interpretation in learning design and 2) Mediating learners’ interpretations in classroom interaction. The findings reveal that this author’s attempts to personalise intercultural language learning and elicit meaningful reflections from students were constrained by the limited semiotic richness of the material presented and the difficulty of going beyond a superficial interactional format to provide effective scaffolding and successfully realize a dialogic stance towards knowledge building. The paper considers the implications of these challenges for pre-service teacher education and offers suggestions for supporting teachers hoping to teach interculturally.

“A Story Not Well Told”: A Theory on the Lived Experiences of Male Victims of Intimate Partner Violence

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is woven into the very fabric of all levels of society. Although there is now a growing body of literature on IPV toward men, the experiences of male victimization remain particularly underresearched. More research is needed to contribute to our understanding of men’s experiences. A constructivist grounded theory study was conducted in Aotearoa (New Zealand) in which men’s experiences of IPV victimization in heterosexual relationships were explored. Underpinned by an interpretivist theoretical perspective, constructivist grounded theory (CGT) methodology acknowledges the active role of researchers to generate knowledge from an interpretive stance. The findings highlight the perpetuating cycle of silence and invisibility in societies that uphold hegemonic discourses and underlying assumptions and stereotypes that frame men as perpetrators of IPV and women as its victims. The theoretical framework developed from the findings provides an important and original contribution to the literature on men’s experiences of abuse from their female intimate partners, showing how and why men’s victimization experiences are silenced. The article argues that education is needed to raise awareness of the elements presented in the theoretical framework and to inform the development of policies and practices so that the perpetuating cycle of silence and invisibility does not continue.

Interpreting the constitution: The use and abuse of history

Abstract The interpretation of written constitutions is a legal rather than an historical enterprise, and history is but one of the judge’s many interpretive tools. This article looks at the question of when and how historical facts are used in constitutional interpretation, rather than whether they should be used. I argue that two fundamental canons of interpretation—the need to treat constitutions as sui generis and not as ordinary legislation, and the dictum that rights provisions should be given a generous interpretation in favor of the individual—require judges to use whatever tools they have at their disposal to interpret constitutions accordingly. As a tool, history is neutral and nondialectical. It may thus be used both in favor of and against a given interpretive stance. Sometimes, a recourse to history may also yield contradictory positions. Through five case studies I try to show: (a) that there is no inevitability in outcomes even when history is used in interpretation, and that it may in fact be relied on by both sides without yielding an obvious result; (b) that history may be used to restrict rather than promote liberties; (c) that history may also be abused to introduce “unwritten customary constitutional law” contrary to the words of the constitution; (d) where history was cited but proved unuseful; and (e) where history could helpfully have been used but was not.

Measures Used to Sustain Hospitality and Tourism Industry During the Covid-19 Pandemic in Selected Establishments in the Copperbelt Province in Zambia

Purpose: This study explored sustainability measures used in the hospitality and tourism industry and determined their effectiveness during the COVID-19 pandemic in selected towns in the Copperbelt Province. Methods: With an interpretative stance, a phenomenology qualitative research was conducted among 15 participants who were purposively selected. Data were collected using interviews and analyzed thematically. Result: We found out that measures are used to sustain the hospitality and tourism industry. The majority of the participants effectively used the measures to sustain their establishments while a few did not. There is a need for preparedness in the industry in case of any adverse changes occurring in the environment Contribution: This research contributes a qualitative interpretation of how the hospitality and tourism industry sustained itself during the COVID-19 era. It provides a basis for informed decision-making in sustaining the industry amidst uncertainties Originality: The study used a qualitative perspective to understand phenomena regarding the sustainability of tourism during the pandemic which was novel in Kitwe District.

For an African elenchus: colonial and postcolonial misprisions and Classics in Africa

Abstract This paper reflects on the god Dionysus in the context of African explorations of the role and meaning of Classical traditions in and for Africa. The problem of decolonization entails the creative challenge to conceive an African modernity, but how we shall recognize what that is to mean remains open. Knowledge as claim and contestation are foregrounded with Dionysus and in his presence. He is a figure who is chronically misprised, so that misprision itself becomes a feature of his experience and meaning. Offering examples of two kinds of popular interpretive stances and arguing that they represent typical but weak readings, the idea is developed that Africa requires elenchus as hermeneutic ideal, an epistemic pessimism and commitment to seeking as it finds its own way. It ought not, from a peripheral position, to adopt or reject the popular and low-yielding misprisions and cultural contestations that obtain in the Western academy and offer little to a flowering African Humanities.

Supporting teachers’ engagement with student thinking in teacher-captured video-based professional development environments: factors and implications

ABSTRACT Video of teachers’ own classrooms is used in professional development (PD), with recent research pointing to the promise of teacher-captured video and collegial discourse in Video Clubs (VCs). Using a sequential explanatory mixed-methods design, this study investigated teachers’ engagement with student thinking during VCs, which were part of a PD model in which teachers captured and analysed their classroom videos and identified clips and questions to discuss in VCs. The discourse of two school teams revealed a marginally significant change in teachers’ focus on student thinking, interpretive stance and the specificity of their discourse over time. Additionally, features of the presenting teacher’s video case (e.g., case question specificity) appeared to have influenced teachers’ interpretive stance in making sense of student thinking. Potential factors contributing to teacher discourse and implications for designing and implementing VCs with teacher-captured video in fostering teachers’ engagement with student thinking are discussed.

Timeout: The Role of Family-Friendly Policies in Business Start-Up Among Mothers

This article explores why an increasing number of Swedish mothers are becoming entrepreneurs; this choice appears counterintuitive given the prevailing social welfare system prioritizes the rights of employed women. Using an interpretative stance, we analyzed the life stories of 18 Swedish mothers who created new ventures while caring for young children. The value of the time afforded by parental leave policies was identified as vital to the business creation process. Hence, we argue that time is a critical entrepreneurship-relevant resource; this is illustrated by the positive effect of the Swedish welfare system upon entrepreneurship entry and the timing of this decision.

Unpacking the theory of practice architectures for research in early childhood education

Theory strengthens the methodological and interpretive stance of a research study and is most fruitful when theoretical understandings are shared within collaborative research teams. This paper describes an approach to engaging productively with a theory, specifically the theory of practice architectures. Such engagement enabled the use of the theory for data gathering and analysis within an Australian mixed-methods research study – Exemplary Early Childhood Educators at Work. Within the study, the theory offered a substantive lens for exploring exemplary educator practices and the organisational arrangements within early childhood education (ECE) sites that made those practices possible. The ‘unpacking’ of the theory of practice architectures led to the development of a suite of resource materials. This paper acts as an invitation to interact with and think on a practice theory and provides insight into the positive transformation of educational practices for the benefit of individuals and society.

Fantasie nègre: The Piano Music of Florence Price, by Samantha Ege

<i>Fantasie nègre: The Piano Music of Florence Price</i>, by Samantha Ege

Psycho-Social Factors in Older Adults’ Mental Health: A Narrative Review

Health promotion is a top priority worldwide. This includes mental health in older adults, who are at risk due to the ageing process, associated with deteriorating health status. Notwithstanding the importance of the topic, psycho-social factors are often neglected in the implementation or formulation of advanced age health promotion programs. In this context, it is imperative to reach a better understanding of the main psycho-social aspects involved in mental health promotion in older adults. The main objective of this narrative review was to identify documents that made a core contribution to the understanding of psycho-social factors related to mental health in community-dwelling older adults. To achieve this, a narrative review was carried out that included a total of 40 articles published between 2018 and 2022. This review was performed through an interpretive stance. Ethical approval was not required for this review. Three main categories were derived from thematic analysis: (i) mental health interventions; (ii) mental health and frailty in older adults, and (iii) social support in older adults. To conclude, understanding the main protective psycho-social factors involved in mental health in community-dwelling older adults is of paramount importance. Identifying the implications of the psycho-social factors in this population is vital to elaborate specific interventions, therefore enhancing their mental health.