Methodological Approach Research Articles

Marine Infrastructure Detection with Satellite Data—A Review

A rapid development of marine infrastructures can be observed along the global coasts. Offshore wind farms, oil and gas platforms, artificial islands, aquaculture, and more, are being constructed without a proper quantification of these human activities. Therefore, effective monitoring is required to maintain transparency towards environmental standards, marine resource management, inventorying objects, and global security. This study reviews remote sensing-based approaches to offshore infrastructure detection over the past 12 years. We analyzed 89 studies from over 30 scientific journals, highlighting spatial and temporal trends, methodological approaches, and regional and thematic research foci. Our results show a significant increase in research interest, especially since 2019. Asia, and especially China, is the predominant focus region in terms of first authorship, funding, and areas of investigation. Aquaculture is the most studied infrastructure, followed by platforms, offshore wind farms, and artificial islands. Gaofen, Sentinel, and Landsat are the most used satellite sensors for detection. The apparent shift towards automated detection methods, especially Deep Learning algorithms, reflects advances in computer vision. This study highlights the key role of earth observation in the field of off-shore infrastructure detection, which can contribute towards outlining effective monitoring practices for marine activities, as well as highlighting important knowledge gaps.

Production and testing of mahua oil-based biodiesel synthesized through heterogeneous catalyst using experimental and numerical method.

A two-step treatment of mahua oil was conducted to synthesize mahua biodiesel using heterogeneous biomass-based catalyst derived from mahua shell. Mahua oil having higher free fatty acid (FFA) content (about 19%) was esterified to reduce the FFA content up to 1%. The esterification process was carried out using 200mL mahua oil, 5:1 molar ratio (methanol:oil), and 2.25 weight% of H2SO4 at a temperature of 60°C for 3h. Post esterification, a set of 16 experiments were created using a Box-Behnken design (BBD)-based response surface methodology (RSM) approach to conduct the transesterification of the esterified oil. Molar ratio, catalyst loading, reaction temperature, and reaction time were the four input variables chosen for the design of experiments. The optimized conditions for maximum biodiesel yield (87.7%) were found to be 14.88 molar ratio, 3.578% catalyst loading, 69.7°C reaction temperature, and 81.9min reaction time. The Diesel RK engine simulation tool which was experimentally validated for baseline diesel fuel was used for numerical simulation of mahua biodiesel. The performance, combustion, and emission behavior of mahua biodiesel analyzed using numerical simulation presented the sustainability of mahua biodiesel as an alternate fuel.

Like Water: Feeling and Negotiating Relational Complexity in School-Based Ethnographic Childhood Research in China Through the Lens of Emotional Reflexivity

Ethnography is often considered as a suitable methodological approach to explore childhoods, nevertheless, there is limited reflection on ethics in the field in the Global South educational settings, such as China. Previous China-based fieldwork studies suggest complex field relationships as a major ethical challenge. Although the issue is especially prominent in research that contests “normative” Chinese childhoods, it hasn’t been sufficiently discussed due to a culture of silence surrounding researchers’ emotions and positionality. This paper uses emotional reflexivity as a lens to revisit two Chinese female researchers’ experiences of fieldwork, respectively, with left-behind children and disabled children in Chinese primary schools. The analysis examines how we identified ourselves and negotiated complex relationships with school members and unpacks experiences of “sameness” and “otherness” and the vulnerability and creditability impacted by our fluid identities. The paper adds insights into ethical considerations of school-based ethnographic research with diverse children in the Global South.

Multi-dimensional impact of COVID-19 on active mobility in urban China: a scoping review of empirical knowledge

Active mobility, such as cycling and walking, is assuming a growing significance in the daily lives of urban residents in China due to its positive impact on health and the environment. The impact of the COVID-19 epidemic has elicited significant changes in behaviors, perceptions, and intellectual viewpoints in this domain, potentially altering residents’ physical activities in the long-term. This scoping review seeks to delve into the multi-dimensional influence of the epidemic on active mobility in urban China. A thorough investigation of English and Chinese studies up to January 2024 was conducted, drawing from articles in Web of Science and the Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure. Only empirical studies providing knowledge into this subject were selected in the review, which comprised 20 studies in total. This review indicates that the influence of COVID-19 on active urban mobility in China has exhibited contradictory outcomes in terms of behavior. Besides, the experiences during the epidemic have significantly shaped citizens’ attitudes and understanding of active mobility. The repercussions of the epidemic and the ensuing restrictions exacerbate the existing challenges faced by women, particularly those who are married, the older adult, and individuals with low incomes. The results exhibit both resemblances and idiosyncrasies when juxtaposed with prior research conducted in different nations. This analysis also offers valuable insights for improving active mobility across individual, organizational, and socio-political realms. The current state of empirical understanding in this field underscores the need for further research endeavors employing diverse methodological approaches and increased emphasis on the transformations anticipated in the post-epidemic era.

A LatCrit Analysis of Latina Collegians’ Recollections of Racism in Educational Spaces

ABSTRACT Often noted in educational scholarship is Latinx/a/o students’ experiences of racism that they encounter from peers, faculty, and staff within college contexts. Less discussed, however, are the persistent long-term effects of everyday, racist messages on Latinx/a/o students they received in PreK–12 years and how these forms of marginalization in turn affect how they navigate through college. Using a narrative methodological approach and Latino critical race theory as a framework, we centered the experiences of 12 Latina college students to investigate this question. Findings revealed how these Latinas’ experiences of racism in PreK–12 were shaped by interactions involving family, relying upon their mothers’ teachings in the process. However, when they transitioned to college, their understandings of racism as previously informed by their mothers evolved and became more complex. We then provide implications for practice.

The Value of Child Participation in Research—A Qualitative Child-Centered Approach to the Early Development of an Empowerment Inventory for Children

Child participation has become a conscious goal for support services related to children and young people, but there is still uncertainty regarding how this can be facilitated. This study explores the value of children’s participation in research and is based on a “child-centred” approach to the early development of a participation tool called the “Sense of Empowerment Inventory for Children” (SEIC). The main finding in this study concerns both the specific changes that were proposed by the children and how this affected the quality of the tool, but also how the children’s involvement had an impact on understanding participation as a process. This study adds knowledge to a methodological approach that supports the value and benefit of including children in participatory processes in research.

Images, clusters and types – Making sense of (large) image corpora and related practices in and with digital media

In November 2021, the Visual Communication Division of the German Communication Association (DGPuK) celebrated its 20th anniversary at the University of Trier with a one-year pandemic delay. Marion G. Müller, Katharina Christ and Christof Barth organized an excellent conference to mark the occasion and to reflect on past and current trends, topics, and challenges in visual communication research. Resuming the thematic scope of the division’s first conference held in Hamburg in 2000, the conference focused on “The power of images – Images of power. On visual political communication in digital contexts.” While analyses of press photography in the tradition of political iconology were the main approaches twenty years ago, the program of the anniversary conference demonstrated diversified thematic foci and methodological approaches. The presentations examined a broad range of visual digital media and visual communication exerted by various actors ranging from the press to politicians to activists and citizens. Concurrently, we also saw a considerable diversity concerning methodological approaches and a rising influence of computational methods for analyzing the increasingly large numbers of images in digital media environments. With the panel “Image type / image cluster analysis as an approach to analyzing large numbers of images in online environments,” a discussion on diverse methodological approaches and their potentials and challenges among our members started. After the conference, we decided to open up our internal discussion and reach out to international colleagues working on similar questions. The long-term result is this Thematic Section on diverse methods for structuring image data corpora drawing on different traditions of visual analysis.

Symmetric and Asymmetric Association Between Foreign Direct Investments and Macroeconomic Variables: An Ardl Approach

Objectives: The main objective of the study is to investigating the dynamic relationship between FDI and different Macro Economic Variables (MEVs) using the ARDL procedure, providing a more comprehensive understanding of the association between FDI and MEVs and to evaluate their relative importance for FDI. Methods: This study utilizes annual data from 1991 to 2021 from the World Bank (2021) and the Reserve Bank of India (2021). Data on GDP, Export, Inflation and interest rate, and FDI are collected from the World Bank. Autoregressive Distributive lag Model procedure has been used for the study in order to establish relationship between Macro economic variables and FDI. Results: Our methodological approach using ARDL model and finds: (a) a positive correlation between exports and FDI, (b) a negative impact of inflation and exchange rates on FDI in the long run. Non-linear ARDL analysis reveals the asymmetric impact of inflation and interest rate on FDI, which includes the effect of positive and negative shock of interest rate and inflation on FDI. d) 1% increase in inflation reduces FDI by 0.4% and if Inflation is reduced by 1%, FDI is increased by 0.2%. At the same time, the non-linear estimation of interest rates concludes that there is an asymmetric and significant association between interest rates and FDI. e) If Interest rate has increased by 1% FDI is decreased by 0.9% and if interest rate has reduced by 1% FDI has deceased by 1.63%. f) The causality analysis reveals that exports, GDP, and exchange rates are the significant economic variables that affect FDI. Conclusion: The study's findings have practical implications for policymakers and investors looking to attract more FDI in India. The results indicate that exports play a critical role in attracting FDI and that the government should focus on improving export performance to increase FDI inflows. Additionally, the study highlights the importance of controlling inflation and exchange rates to attract more foreign investment. The finding that interest rates have an asymmetric relationship with FDI suggests that policymakers should be cautious when implementing monetary policies that may impact interest rates. Overall, the study provides valuable insights for policymakers and investors looking to attract more FDI in India and highlights the importance of considering the country's macroeconomic conditions when making investment decisions.

Curriculum Making Across Sites of Activity in Upper Secondary School Vocational Education and Training: A Review of the Research in Sweden

Purpose: This paper presents a qualitative systematic review of Swedish research on vocational education and training (VET) at the upper secondary school level over the past 20 years. The review is based on a theoretical model on curriculum making as social practice that may serve as model for comparative studies between countries. By introducing the model, the ambition is to open for new perspectives on VET curriculum in policy and practice. Questions regarding key themes and the interplay of discourses and processes across multiple sites in the education system have not been addressed in previous systematic reviews of Swedish VET research. Methods: The methodological approach in the present paper is a qualitative systematic research review with an integrative and interpretative purpose and research design. The qualitative review is based on the conceptual model of curriculum making as social practice, seeking to capture the inherent complexity and porous boundaries of education systems and movements of ideas, discourses and actors between sites of activity. The model is used for mapping the research, and a content analysis for identifying main themes and emphases and exploring and discussing the potential gaps that may inform future international research studies. Findings: The results show that the research is focused on the micro and nano sites of curriculum making, with connections to macro site activities of national curriculum policy enactment. Research focusing on the macro site of activity has an emphasis on national policy and policymaking regarding the relationship between academic and vocational knowledge/programmes and apprenticeship and employability. In the micro and nano sites of activity – which comprise the majority of the research – the main themes are vocational knowing and identity, teaching, learning and assessment practices and work-based learning. Conclusion: An observation is the absence of principals and middle leaders as actors and informants in the studies. There is little evidence of actors moving between sites of activity and the meso site of activity only comprise a very small part of the research. In this respect, there is a potential gap to be explored, not least regarding how local curricula and syllabi are made and shaped in terms of the influence of representatives from local authorities, companies, trade unions, employer associations, universities and regional agencies. Curriculum making as social practice has the potential to be used for comparative international studies and as a framework that takes national differences in VET education systems into account.

Beyond warzones: conflict-stricken states as viewed by the Czech corpus collocations

Abstract The aim of the article is to observe how countries that have faced armed conflicts in the recent decades are perceived in a corpus of Czech, mostly journalism texts. We focus on eight countries where soldiers of the Czech Republic or the former Czechoslovak Republic have been deployed on the basis of a mandate after 1989 (Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Iraq, Kosovo, Kuwait, Mali, and Yugoslavia). The picture of each country is determined via a quantitative, corpus-based approach. First, a frequency analysis is conducted in an attempt to show whether texts tend to mention some conflict-affected countries more frequently than others. Second, a collocation analysis is carried out to identify the stereotypes associated with the studied countries. The results show very different perceptions of the states, ranging from those connected solely to warfare (Iraq, Afghanistan) to those that are nowadays mostly seen as holiday destinations (Croatia). Moreover, some countries do not seem to be paid much attention at all (Mali). The outcome of the research may be of use for journalists, political scholars, and geographers and provides the respective disciplines with a new methodological approach.

Response Item Network (ResIN): A network-based approach to explore attitude systems

Belief network analysis (BNA) refers to a class of methods designed to detect and outline structural organizations of complex attitude systems. BNA can be used to analyze attitude-structures of abstract concepts such as ideologies, worldviews, and norm systems that inform how people perceive and navigate the world. The present manuscript presents a formal specification of the Response-Item Network (or ResIN), a new methodological approach that advances BNA in at least two important ways. First, ResIN allows for the detection of attitude asymmetries between different groups, improving the applicability and validity of BNA in research contexts that focus on intergroup differences and/or relationships. Second, ResIN’s networks include a spatial component that is directly connected to item response theory (IRT). This allows for access to latent space information in which each attitude (i.e. each response option across items in a survey) is positioned in relation to the core dimension(s) of group structure, revealing non-linearities and allowing for a more contextual and holistic interpretation of the attitudes network. To validate the effectiveness of ResIN, we develop a mathematical model and apply ResIN to both simulated and real data. Furthermore, we compare these results to existing methods of BNA and IRT. When used to analyze partisan belief-networks in the US-American political context, ResIN was able to reliably distinguish Democrat and Republican attitudes, even in highly asymmetrical attitude systems. These results demonstrate the utility of ResIN as a powerful tool for the analysis of complex attitude systems and contribute to the advancement of BNA.

Consumer Behavior in Food Delivery Applications: A Systematic Literature Review and Future Research Agenda

Over the past few years, there has been notable interest among consumers in food delivery applications. Consequently, understanding consumer behavior within this context has become crucial for practitioners seeking to execute effective marketing strategies. While academic studies in this field are gaining traction, there remains a lack of a comprehensive overview. Existing literature on the subject is often fragmented and inconsistent, hindering a thorough comprehension of consumer behavioral patterns in food delivery applications. Thus, this study aims to address this gap by conducting a systematic literature review to organize and synthesize current knowledge on consumer behavior in such applications, elucidating how consumers interact within these platforms. We analyzed 587 journal articles extracted from primary databases (Scopus and Web of Science), ultimately reviewing 112 articles spanning from 2014 to August 2023. Furthermore, we developed a conceptual framework to fully grasp the variables influencing consumer behavior, showcasing frequently reported factors in food delivery application literature. This research also identifies nine directions for further exploration, including regional and country comparisons, methodological approaches, theoretical perspectives, demographic analyses, independent variables, moderating effects, affective and cognitive evaluations, outcome responses, and drone-based food delivery application perspectives. This review is expected to offer valuable insights for both researchers and practitioners.

Bayesian network methodology and machine learning approach: an application on the impact of digital technologies on logistics service quality

PurposeThis paper aims to use Bayesian network (BN) methodology complemented by machine learning (ML) and what-if analysis to investigate the impact of digital technologies (DT) on logistics service quality (LSQ), employing the service quality (SERVQUAL) framework.Design/methodology/approachUsing a sample of 244 Italian firms, this study estimates the probability distributions associated with both DT and SERVQUAL logistics, as well as their interrelationships. Additionally, BN technique enables the application of ML techniques to uncover hidden relationships, as well as a series of what-if analyses to extract more knowledge.FindingsThis study was funded by the European Union—NextGenerationEU, in the framework of the GRINS-Growing Resilient, INclusive and Sustainable project (GRINS PE00000018—CUP B43C22000760006). The views and opinions expressed are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union, nor can the European Union be held responsible for them.Originality/valueThis research delves into the influence of DTIE and DTA on SERVQUAL logistics, thereby filling a gap in the existing literature in which no study has explored the intricate relationships between these technologies and SERVQUAL dimensions. Methodologically, we pioneer the integration of BN with ML techniques and what-if analysis, thus exploring innovative techniques to be used in logistics and supply-chain studies.

Optimization of pretreatment of potato waste for release of fermentable sugars for vodka production: response surface methodology approach

Optimization of pretreatment of potato waste for release of fermentable sugars for vodka production: response surface methodology approach

Image types revisited. A texto-material approach for creating image types

In visual communication research there are already several methodological approaches for creating image types. These approaches work with creating typologies based on the representational features of visuals / image motifs, reducing the complexity of extensive visual material. However, we argue that in everyday visual communication, the meaning of images depends largely on the practices in which they are embedded and not on the motif. This paper’s aim is to propose a methodological design for an image type analysis that considers both the representational and the artifact-related component of images, following a texto-material understanding of images. We illustrate the procedure step by step through an empirical study that explores visuals in couple relationships in Switzerland. The method enables a qualitative analysis of a large number of visuals that combines a) the creation of image types and b) a dynamic approach to in-depth visual analysis. Image types resulting from this procedure are more heterogeneous in motifs compared to previous traditions of image type analysis but allow for considering both the visual and the material dimensions of visuals, e.g., practices in which images are embedded. The approach builds on existing methods and contributes to the advancements of methods within visual communication research.

Evaluating German PISA stratification designs: a simulation study

Stratification is an important design feature of many studies using complex sampling designs and it is often used in large-scale assessment (LSA) studies, such as the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), for two main reasons. First, stratification variables that achieve a high between and low within strata variance can improve the efficiency of a survey design. Second, stratification allows one to, explicitly or implicitly, control for sample sizes across subpopulations. It ensures that some parts of a population are in the sample in predetermined proportions. In this study, we determine through simulation which stratification scheme is best for PISA in Germany. For this, we consider the constraints imposed by the international sampling design, the available information about schools, and specific national characteristics of the German educational system. We examine seven different stratification designs selected based on scenarios used in past LSAs in Germany and theoretical considerations for future implementations. The chosen scenarios were compared with two reference scenarios: (1) an unstratified design and (2) a synthetic optimal stratification design. The simulation study reveals that the stratification design currently applied in PISA produces satisfactory results regarding sampling precision. The present stratification design is based on Germany's federal states and school types. However, this approach leads to small strata, which has been problematic for estimating sampling variance in previous cycles. Therefore, alternative stratification scenarios were considered and, in addition to overcoming the small-strata problem, also led to smaller standard errors for estimates of student mean performance in mathematics, science, and reading. As a result of this study, we recommend considering three different stratification designs for Germany in future cycles of PISA. These recommendations aim to: (1) improve the sampling efficiency while keeping the sample size constant, (2) follow a sound methodological approach, and (3) make conservative and cautious changes while maintaining a reflection of the structure of the German federal school system with different school types. These suggestions include a reinvented stratification of grouped German federal states and designs with school types as explicit stratifiers and federal states as implicit stratifiers.

Navigating governance with sticks, carrots, and sermons: Paving paths for sustainable development goals through local spatial planning

AbstractThe 2030 Agenda underscores the vital role of local authorities and civil society in implementing sustainable development goals (SDGs). Aligning with this agenda, the EU's spatial development framework imparts normative values, emphasizing sustainable territorial development, participatory governance, and multi‐level cooperation. This framework serves as a potential facilitator for spatial planning to ensure policy coherence in SDG implementation. Despite its potential, mainstreaming the 2030 Agenda through spatial planning encounters challenges, particularly navigating unresolved tensions between global SDG formulation and local ownership. These challenges are accentuated in countries with conformative planning systems and weak governance structures, requiring a specific methodological approach. To address these complexities, this study investigates the opportunities for leveraging SDGs within the multi‐level governance arena of spatial planning. Employing mixed quantitative and qualitative data analysis methods in a local planning context, the research explores key concerns arising from regional, national, and EU spatial development policies. The study delves into their potential leverage capacity for guiding and funding SDGs within a specific local context. Results suggest that using different policy mechanisms, spatial planning can better address the holistic nature of the 2030 Agenda. Although not all SDGs can be leveraged, a substantial part can be addressed whenever a broader multi‐level governance perspective is considered within local planning contexts.

Thematic analysis informed by grounded theory (TAG) in healthcare research: foundations and applications

ABSTRACT Grounded theory (GT) and thematic analysis (TA) are commonly used in qualitative healthcare research. Published by Glaser and Strauss in 1967, GT was the first set of qualitative research strategies described. TA has since been compared with selected GT strategies. This narrative review aims to examine and illustrate how TA can be informed by GT and elucidate a TA informed by GT (TAG) methodology. Utlizing models of researching practice wisdom and reflexive inquiry, fifty author-published TAG studies (1996–2024) were examined. Analysis delineated a TAG methodology and clarifies Glaser and Strauss’s foundational roles in its development. TAG adheres to constructivism. Main GT strategies informing TAG include: comparative, predominantly inductive, and iterative analysis; and coding (data segment labels), category (code group), and thematic (category group) development. TAG can also encompass four-level thematic abstraction, and qualitative inter-rater reliability procedures enhance trustworthiness. TAG is a practical and effective methodological approach for qualitative healthcare research.

Geschlechterpoetik

Abstract ‚Geschlechterpoetik‘ as a methodological approach examines the mutual interferences between gender and genre in classicist drama around 1700. It outlines in which way the development of literary genres, especially tragedies, can be described in relation to historically variable and culture-specific gender performativity in dramatic texts. Obviously classicist drama of the early Enlightenment gradually transforms the virile ethics of the ‚Staats- and Heldentragödie‘ established by ancient poetics into a ‚zivile Tragödie‘. The ‚zivile Tragödie‘ is constituted by moral values that can be considered as genuinely human and universal. In the context of 18th-century moral philosophy, the rising influence of empiricism and the polarisation of gender roles morality is increasingly associated with ideals of womanhood. The gender-based transformation of early modern tragedy can be exemplified in selected texts of Johann Christoph Gottsched, Luise Gottsched and Johann Elias Schlegel which visualize the described transformation of ancient heroic tragedy into a so-called ‚zivile Tragödie‘ by using and gradually naturalizing female allegories for pitiful female protagonists who ideally incorporate genuine human ethics.

Environmental Accounting and Sustainability: Bibliometric Analysis and Documentary Review of Scientific Production, Period 2015-2024

The purpose was to describe global scientific and literary outputs, on different aspects around environmental accounting (EA) and sustainability in environmental, business and policy domains, between 2015 and 2024. This was achieved through a quantitative characterization of publications. The methodology used took as referent aspects for the analysis: focus, units, topics, country, authorship, citations and journals, these a descriptive and reflexive documentary study of the scientific literature, based on the collection of papers in Scopus and the use of VOSviewer. The materials were selected according to various criteria, including keywords such as "environmental accounting" and "sustainability", limited to fields such as: business, management and accounting, during the period from 2015 to 2024. The result included the identification of 54 texts, with the years with the highest number of publications being 2015 with 25.8% and 2018 with 19.7% of the total number of documents. Regarding the approaches, a predominant orientation towards the qualitative paradigm was observed, with 70%, compared to the quantitative one, with 32%. The most common types were exploratory (65%), descriptive (20%) and correlational (3%). As for the units, the majority focused on inquiries in companies with 52%, divided between large companies (57%) and MSMEs (11%). In turn, the sectors most frequently observed were tertiary (48%), followed by secondary (34%) and primary (2%). The origin of most of the studies was the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Italy. Finally, the limitations found were mainly related to the methodological approach, the inclusion of only one database, which could have excluded relevant studies not indexed in this one.