Methodological Discussion Research Articles

Challenges and Considerations in Naming True and Quasi-Experimental Research Designs: A Methodological Discussion.

Background: Novice researchers may face challenges in choosing names for true and quasi-experimental designs due to complexity in terminology and variety of experimental designs used in nursing. Addressing these issues is crucial for ensuring clarity and accuracy in experimental nursing research. Aim: To discuss the complexities, challenges, and considerations involved in naming true and quasi-experimental research designs and propose a decision tree for researchers to guide them in accurately and consistently naming these designs. Design: A methodological discussion. Methods: Research texts, the Public Health Agency of Canada Critical Appraisal Tool Kit, and articles from various scientific journals were chosen to illustrate the challenges and characteristics of different experimental and quasi-experimental study designs. Discussion: Key characteristics of true and quasi-experimental designs such as nature of experimental and control groups and process of random allocation are outlined and illustrated with examples. Conclusion: A decision tree is offered to help researchers and reviewers in the precise and consistent labeling of true and quasi-experimental designs. By providing a structured way for decision-making, it enhances the accuracy and reliability of classification processes.

Indigenous African Philosophy as a Paradigm for Health and Social Care Research: A Philosophical and Methodological Discussion.

The growing demand for research that is culturally sensitive and contextually relevant is leading to a greater acceptance of indigenous paradigms. Despite this, African philosophy, with its rich cultural and ethical dimensions, is still developing as a field. This paper delves into the philosophical concepts of Ubuntu, Ukama and Consciencism, exploring the ontology, epistemology, axiology and methodology of indigenous African philosophy. It highlights the importance of relationships, community, interconnectedness and a holistic understanding of human existence and experiences. Indigenous African philosophy presents itself as an alternative framework for addressing health and social issues through co-creation, active participation and empowerment. Ontologically, it focuses on relativism and individuals defined by their social and relational contexts. Epistemologically, it values the social construction of knowledge, which should be shared for the benefit of others. Relational ethics are central to African axiology. Together, the ontological, epistemological and axiological basis of African philosophy form a unique paradigm that emphasize community and examine phenomena in both physical and spiritual contexts to achieve a comprehensive understanding.

Subject-subject paradigm in mediology: Methodological and methodical aspects

Introduction. In the domestic media methodology and, in particular, in the theory of journalism, the subject-subject paradigm is stated and justified. It asserts the interdependence and mutual responsibility of the media content authors and the mass communication audience. However, in the field of journalism education, a different mental attitude is manifested: the student audience better perceives concepts in which the audience is assigned the role of a passive recipient. This situation is facilitated by the ambiguity of understanding subject-object relations in media studies. Purpose setting. The objective of the research is to consider the semantics of the subject-subject paradigm and its presence in the educational space, in order to improve the methods of its assimilation. Methodology and methods of the study. The following methodological bases are used: the principle of unity of logical and psychological in the study of methodological discourse; socio-psychological concept of cognitive attitude, elements of discourse analysis. Results. The article examines the semantics of the subject-object binary opposition. Based on the analysis of the «entertainment content», «manipulative text», «documentality» concepts, the idea of media audience subjectivity is detailed. The opinion is expressed that the subject-object opposition is an actual concept through which the person position (in this case, the student audience) in the communicativespace is expressed. At the same time, binary opposition is characterized by incompleteness of representation and insufficient reflexivity, which is associated with the complexity of methodological discourse and requires special methodical work. The cognitive attitude that makes it difficult to accept the subject-subject paradigm manifests itself in the uncritical acceptance of theories that emphasize the passive role of the media audience. An assumption is made about the reasons for the existence of this predisposition. Among them are: the popularity of the subject-object paradigm in media communication; the peculiarity of media communication, which consists in the fact that at the phenomenological level, the results of the addressee’s activity are mainly revealed; the centrality of the educational process on the formation of the subjective qualities of media specialists. Conclusion. Based on the results of the analysis carried out in the article, the following summarizing is made: the subjectivity of the addressee is expressed in semantic generation and semantic extraction (understanding the nature of the message). The methodical aspect is defined as working with cognitive attitudes, including explication of contradictions in the predispositions system, identification of the causes of their origin and stability.

How much do opinions regarding cultivated meat vary within the same country? The cases of São Paulo and Salvador, Brazil.

The problems related to conventional meat production have been widely discussed globally and alternative proteins emerge as more sustainable and ethical options. Thus, understanding the intention to consume cultivated meat is key. This work aimed to study the intention to consume cultivated meat by residents of São Paulo and Salvador, Brazil, studying demographic differences. An online questionnaire comprising 17 multiple-choice and open-ended questions about opinions on conventional and cultivated meat was administered. The results were analyzed using quantitative methods, including binary logistic regression and ordinal regression models, as well as the qualitative Collective Subject Discourse methodology. With 809 participants, 419 (51.8%) from São Paulo and 390 (48.2%) from Salvador, 265 (32.8%, of which 170 (64.2%) from São Paulo and 95 (35.8%) from Salvador) respondents stated they would eat cultivated meat. Residents of São Paulo demonstrated higher familiarity with cultivated meat (187 (44.6%) had heard of it compared to 123 (31.5%) in Salvador). Such disparity in awareness seems coherent with differences in access to information and educational levels. Our results suggest that the acceptance of cultivated meat varies significantly across different regions of Brazil, likely related to the country's continental size, uneven economic and educational status and rich cultural diversity. We conclude that the acceptance of cultivated meat correlates with knowledge about it and that efforts to raise such knowledge require the consideration of cultural and socioeconomic aspects on a regional rather than national level, especially for geographically big and culturally diverse countries. Continued research is essential due to dynamics of acceptance and its entanglement with familiarity and knowledge regarding cultivated meat.

교사 관련 유아과학교육 연구 동향 분석: 2019-2023년 국내 학술지 논문 중심으로

Objectives The purpose of this study is to provide basic research data to reconsider the role and direction of teach ers for early childhood science education before school age by examining the research trends of early childhood science education dealt with in Korea after the 2019 revised Nuri course. Methods Accordingly, papers with keywords ‘infant education’, ‘science’, and ‘teacher’ registered in the KCI for five years from 2019 to 2023, which were announced as the 2019 revised Nuri course, were selected for analysis. A total of 38 selected academic journals were analyzed in detail according to the research subject, research meth od, and research content of the analysis criteria, and the research trend of early childhood science education re lated to teachers was examined. Results As a result of the analysis, first, studies on early childhood science education related to teachers showed higher frequency than studies on early childhood teachers. Second, as for the research method of early childhood science education related to teachers, quantitative research was found to be higher for pre-service teachers and qualitative research for incumbent teachers. Third, it was found that the research content of early childhood sci ence education related to teachers was mainly approached through meetings between teachers for the purpose of understanding the field for incumbent teachers, and the tendency of the approach varies depending on the time while the approach through specific and activities was mainly conducted for pre-service teachers for the purpose of understanding variables. Conclusions It is proposed that these results be used to present methodological discussions and implications for the direction of teacher education for the early childhood and play-oriented curriculum aimed at the 2019 revised Nuri course to be realized in early childhood science education.

Designer Organs: Ethical Genetic Modifications in the Era of Machine Perfusion.

Gene therapy is a rapidly developing field, finally yielding clinical benefits. Genetic engineering of organs for transplantation may soon be an option, thanks to convergence with another breakthrough technology, ex vivo machine perfusion (EVMP). EVMP allows access to the functioning organ for genetic manipulation prior to transplant. EVMP has the potential to enhance genetic engineering efficiency, improve graft survival, and reduce posttransplant complications. This will enable genetic modifications with a vast variety of applications, while raising questions on the ethics and regulation of this emerging technology. This review provides an in-depth discussion of current methodologies for delivering genetic vectors to transplantable organs, particularly focusing on the enabling role of EVMP. Organ-by-organ analysis and key characteristics of various vector and treatment options are assessed. We offer a road map for research and clinical translation, arguing that achieving scientific benchmarks while creating anticipatory governance is necessary to secure societal benefit from this technology.

Literature Review on Road Damage Detection and Severity Recognition: Leveraging Computer Vision

The increasing demand for quick and precise road maintenance has therefore been underscored by extensive research that was created over the last years, to find automated systems in which computer vision can work — harnessing deep learning methodologies to detect defects on roads & figure out how severe these actually are. It provides a discussion of different methodologies and technologies in these pipelines such as Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), YOLO models, ensembling learning etc. They have a good performance in various kinds of road damage: cracks, potholes, and surface deformations identification with high accuracy. They also use methods like image tiling, transfer learning, and multiple spectral data to increase their robustness so that models can be used effectively in different environmental conditions.But the avoidance of problems is still a long way off. Nonetheless, the disparate road scenarios across geographies and absence of labeled high-quality datasets remained as some common bottlenecks in addition to real-time-driven requirements that mandate significant compute powers. Although much more headway has been made in recognizing severity (using segmentation approaches and multimodal data, in particular), the combination of detection and classification altogether within a single joint pipeline is significantly harder.A comprehensive analysis of state‑of-the‑art software tools, recent challenges, and advances to improve the detection/ severity identification capabilities of road damage systems. It emphasizes how to address data problems, enhance model generalization capability in unseen scenes(a.k.a novel), and minimize latency. One final takeaway is the valuable reminder of the need to create operational standards for classifier performance required to drive practice adoption and scale in larger deployment settings ideally incentivizing public-private partnerships.

Beyond Quantification: A Methodological Discussion on Raman Spectroscopy for Thick Films

Beyond Quantification: A Methodological Discussion on Raman Spectroscopy for Thick Films

Methodological Insights on Biomarker-Based Patient Selection: A Review of Scientific Advice Procedures at the European Medicines Agency.

Biomarkers play a pivotal role in the selection and enrollment of trial participants. Particularly, predictive biomarkers help tailor medical care to individual patients; however, also prognostic biomarkers require consideration at the design stage. At the time of initiating a clinical trial, there may be uncertainty about whether a biomarker is predictive or prognostic, and the trial design may need to account for this. Relevant discussions between drug developers and regulators on the role of a biomarker in a specific drug development program are expected to take place during Scientific Advice (SA) procedures. SA procedures at the European Medicines Agency from January 1, 2018, to December 31, 2020, were systematically searched for methodological discussions around the use of predictive or prognostic biomarkers. The final analysis included 45 SA procedures for which key characteristics were summarized quantitatively. Selected methodological issues such as the cutoff selection of continuous biomarkers or study design considerations were elaborated in a qualitative summary. Our results identify commonly encountered points for discussion between drug developers and the European Medicines Agency for biomarker-informed patient selection and enrollment. Identified topics addressed during SA procedures include cutoff selection, study design, multiplicity control, and data-driven subgroup selection. The majority of the identified 45 SA procedures concern development programs in oncology. Addressing these issues upfront will allow for an improved dialogue between drug developers and regulators and support the drug development program and ultimately patient-centered access to medicines.

Scènes à Faire: Genre Practice in Music Copyright Infringement Cases

ABSTRACT Recent copyright infringement litigation has revealed ambiguity in the scope of legal protection for musical works. Courts have especially struggled to distinguish between unprotectable, foundational musical ideas and copyrightable expressions of them. This article advocates for increased application of the legal doctrine of scènes à faire—which permits the exclusion of indispensable ideas when proving infringement—to contextualize more acutely similarities identified in a lawsuit according to evolving creative practices and repertories that are essential to genre communities. In so doing, this article furthers methodological discourse in forensic musicology to promote future case outcomes attuned to musical genre practices.

I Come From: Using Collaborative Auto/Biographical Poetry to Foster Transdisciplinarity and Build Inclusion

Transdisciplinarity refers to ways of working that bring together people from different backgrounds—academic and nonacademic—to address real-world challenges. This article explores how team members on the IncludeAge project, funded by the UK Economic and Social Research Council, enabled transdisciplinary ways of working to build inclusion in the project, by designing and facilitating a collaborative auto/biography poetry activity for transdisciplinary team members. The article demonstrates the potential for using collaborative creative writing to foster transdisciplinarity and build inclusion within the context of a research project with multiple team members from different backgrounds. The article aims to contribute to methodological discussions on transdisciplinary ways of working in research, particularly with seldom-heard populations, and how creative methods such as auto/biography and collaborative poetry writing may contribute to these.

Reconstructing Multivariable Calculus Learning through Mathematical Discourse for Conceptual and Procedural Understanding

Purpose of the study: This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a mathematical discourse methodology in enhancing conceptual understanding and procedural application in Multivariable Calculus among undergraduate mathematics education students. Methodology: A mixed-methods study design was employed, combining pre-tests, post-tests, classroom recordings, and focus group discussions. Quantitative analysis included paired t-tests and MANOVA, while qualitative data were analyzed using Sfard’s (2008) coding framework. A pilot study validated the instruments with high internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha: 0.87 for procedural, 0.84 for conceptual understanding). Main Findings: The mathematical discourse methodology significantly improved conceptual understanding (mean increase: 26.2, p < 0.01) and procedural application (mean increase: 28.4, p < 0.01) in the experimental group compared to minimal improvements in the control group. Qualitative findings revealed increased engagement, critical thinking, and connections to real-world applications. Novelty/Originality of this study: This study introduces the application of mathematical discourse specifically to Multivariable Calculus, bridging conceptual and procedural understanding through active, dialogic learning. It provides a scalable framework for integrating structured discourse into higher mathematics education, advancing student-centered and collaborative pedagogical practices.

Qingyang sachet in Gansu province: A Preliminary Investigation on Sustainable Development of Local Traditional Handicraft

As a local traditional handicraft, Qingyang sachet in Gansu province not only carries a strong local cultural heritage, but also an important part of China's intangible cultural heritage. However, under the impact of modernization and globalization, its inheritance and development face many challenges. Using Creswell's nine-key step framework for qualitative data analysis, a study on Qingyang sachets in Gansu Province, China, identified four research questions through ethnography, literature studies, IPAR methodology, in-depth interviews, observations, and group discussions. Local Qingyang volunteers participated as discussants, interviewers, and observers for target groups including government officials, workers, artisans, managers, and designers. The study found that Qingyang sachets, also known as "Chu Chu," are a folk custom reflecting the simplicity, health, and positivity of the laboring people, embodying the broad and profound spirit of ancient Chinese civilization. These sachets, with strong traditional senses and exquisite handmade work, are treasures of folk art that include embroidery, dyeing, and other craft processes. The handmade silk pouches, stuffed with Chinese herbal medicines and embroidered with colorful patterns, symbolize optimism, good luck, and the avoidance of evil. The research aims to provide ideas for the sustainable development of traditional handicrafts and provide reference for the protection and inheritance of other intangible cultural heritage projects.

You can't see what you don't measure! A scoping review of measurements of gender-based violence, its determinants and consequences in academia.

Assessing the problem of gender-based violence in academia internationally is challenging due to a lack of empirical evidence and differences in how it is measured. The contribution of this article is to reflect on survey measurements and to propose new avenues for future quantitative measurements of gender-based violence, its determinants, and consequences in an academic context. For this purpose, we present the results of a scoping review of ten national and cross-national prevalence studies on gender-based violence. We examined the studies' quantitative operationalisation of (1) sex and gender, (2) prevalence of gender-based violence, (3) socio-demographic determinants from an intersectional perspective, individual and contextual factors, (4) and consequences. Prevalence studies were identified through a comprehensive search of electronic databases and specialised data repositories. The selection criteria included studies with a focus on gender-based violence, the use of closed-ended survey questions, i.e., in a questionnaire, the potential for applicability in different national contexts, and the specific context of higher education. Eligible sources also described the quantitative operationalisation of the survey measurements. Our work critically reviews previous efforts to measure gender-based violence, its determinants, and consequences in academic contexts. The findings of our assessment show, first, that quantitative gender-related measurements tend to conflate the concepts of sex and gender, and hence their operationalisation in quantitative surveys. Second, there is a strong emphasis on sexual harassment and sexual violence to the detriment of other relevant forms of violence, as well as a rooting of measurement concepts in locally valid but diverse legal definitions of gender-based violence. Third, there is a lack of socio-demographic determinants to provide an intersectional lens, as well as a focus on measurement frameworks that individualise the experiences of gender-based violence. This prevents a conceptualisation of harassment and abuse as a structural problem in the academic sector and ignores that violence is both as a cause and a consequence of unbalanced gendered power relations and inequalities in institutional and societal contexts. Fourth, there is generally a retrospective approach to measuring the consequences of gender-based violence, which may represent a source of potential bias. We reflect on how future survey instruments could address these issues in academic environments. Overall, our paper demonstrates how the evidence generated by different conceptualisations and operationalisations of gender-based violence in academia, as well as its determinants and consequences, shapes how we think and talk about the problem. In doing so, this article contributes to the ongoing methodological discussion on the measurement of gender-based violence and provides a rationale for improving its measurement framework in academic environments by taking a feminist-theory informed approach to collecting these data.

From situated knowledges to situated modelling: a relational framework for simulation modelling

ABSTRACT In this paper we extend the use of a relational approach to simulation modelling, a widely used knowledge practice in sustainability science. Among modellers, there is awareness that model results can only be interpreted in view of the assumptions that inform model construction and analysis, but less systematic questioning of those assumptions. Moreover, current methodological discussions tend to focus on integrating social and ecological dynamics or diverse knowledges and data within a model. Yet choices regarding types of modelling, model structure, data handling, interpretation of results and model validation are not purely epistemic. They are entangled with values, contexts of production and use, power relations, and pragmatic considerations. Situated Modelling extends a relational understanding of the world to scientific knowledge production and with that to modelling itself in order to enable a systematic interrogation of these choices and to research social-ecological transformations relationally. To make tangible the situatedness of simulation modelling, we build on existing practices and describe the situatedness of three distinct modelling approaches. We then suggest four guiding principles for Situated Modelling: 1. attending to the apparatus of knowledge production that is socially and materially embedded and produced by e.g. research infrastructures, power relations, and ways of thinking; 2. considering how agency is distributed between model, world, data, modeller in model construction; 3. creating heterogenous collectives which together occupy the formerly individualised subject position; and 4. using agonism as an epistemic virtue to retain and work with significant differentiations of social-ecological dynamics throughout the modelling process.

Ukrainian Identity in the Context of Memory and Forgetting: Philosophical and Anthropological Analysis

Purpose. The main content of the presented study is a philosophical and anthropological analysis of the problem of memory in the context of the phenomenon of forgetting, the essential factors of establishing a new image of the Ukrainian person, his/her national memory and identity. This circumstance, in the situation of Ukraine’s defence against the Russian aggressor, upholding of freedoms and European values, poses the following tasks: 1) to undertake a consistent review of the conceptual content of the concepts of "memory" and "forgetting" and to identify their philosophical and anthropological content; 2) to analyse the phenomenon of national memory and show its significance for the struggle of the Ukrainian people for the European choice; 3) to study the main parameters of the process of forming a system of new values in the context of the phenomenon of forgetting in the discourse of philosophical anthropology. Theoretical basis. The complex and dynamic process of forming Ukrainian identity in the contexts of national memory and forgetting brings the system of life values to a new level of theoretical and methodological understanding. The philosophical and anthropological dimension of the values of a modern Ukrainian person allows us to engage the methodological discourses of memory studies, which are a way for people to construct their historical past in the perspective of creating a new future in the integrity of axiological, moral and existential content. The relevance of this problem is due to the crisis of worldview and cultural meanings of human existence in the context of war, the processes of which have a powerful impact on all aspects of social, political, and spiritual life, which ultimately leads to the need for a new type of communication, thinking, and behaviour. Originality. The study substantiates that the phenomenon of forgetting in the context of the formation of a new national memory largely determines the strategy of asserting Ukrainian identity in the context of modern civilizational challenges faced by Ukraine as a result of military aggression against its freedom and territorial integrity. This situation opens up new prospects for the formation of a civilizational system of values in interaction with a qualitatively different image of the Ukrainian person. Conclusions. Today, the Ukrainian state is facing an existential threat, which raises the problem of creating a new Ukrainian person whose worldview and system of values correspond to the image of a European person. Despite the serious problems that Ukraine has faced as a result of geopolitical contradictions on a global scale, philosophical and anthropological analysis has shown that the strategy of forming a new Ukrainian identity in the context of historical memory, which contains an element of forgetting, determines the process of creating a mentality that is consistent with the national strategy of entering Western civilisation. It is within the parameters of such an analysis that a new memory adequate to the needs of our time is formed.

On the Problem of Empirical Research in Institutional-Evolutionary Economics, or Again on the Principle of Methodological Institutionalism

When forming a scientific research program, the question of the relationship between theoretical models and the empirical information required to conduct the study is one of the most difficult and causes constant methodological discussions. How realistic are the methodological assumptions used in a particular economic theoretical model? What problems do economists face when conducting empirical research and how is this related to the choice of a theoretical model? The paper considers these issues in relation to institutional-evolutionary economics (IEE) – one of the most promising heterodox research area of modern economic thought. The main attention is paid to the extent to which the features of the theoretical model adopted in IEE complicate the use of formalized methods in conducting empirical research and how to cope with this. The initial assumptions of the theoretical model of IEE are based on the principles of critical realism and include the following: 1) the economy is an open system, and, at the same time, 2) a dynamic evolutionary process unfolding in historical time, 3) occurring in a specific natural and social environment 4) in conditions of fundamental uncertainty. Economic development under such circumstances is determined by stabilizing institutional structures that allow the economy to adapt to an uncertain external environment. The shortage of mathematical tools for modeling this kind of complexly structured open dynamic systems predetermines the features of empirical research in IEI. They consist in relying on methods of retroduction of institutional structures and the causal-explanatory method, which, in turn, actualizes the principle of methodological institutionalism. It is proposed to introduce this principle into the system of methodological prerequisites of IEE.

The Role of Oppression on the Spread of Violence: An Address through Da’wah Discourse Methodology

The Role of Oppression on the Spread of Violence: An Address through Da’wah Discourse Methodology

Beyond Reflexivity: Centering Recognition and Relational Dialogue in Social Inquiry

In this manuscript, we develop the concept of recognition as a methodological concept, with a particular focus on its inter-subjective dimensions. Departing from the way recognition is used in much contemporary social theory and socio-political discourse, we suggest that recognition is a foundational methodological concept, related to but transcending methodological discussions of reflexivity, and with implications for meaning and validity. We ground our discussion in empirical examples that help illustrate the principles of recognition (and of misrecognition), and how researchers can attend to these principles in their own work.

Stimulating Political Imagination With Arts-Based Methods: The Case of Utopia Consultation

In this article, we identify ways to methodologically stimulate political imagination in sociological research by exploring an art concept called ‘utopia consultation’ and related arts-based exercises. We investigate how political imagination can be stimulated and practised through arts-based research methods in sociology, and what tangible tools arts-based research offers for studying the intangible. Our analysis builds on recent work on utopia, understood as a tool rather than a blueprint, and sociology of the future, which focuses on the future as an analytical category. We draw on 18 one-on-one utopia consultation sessions conducted in 3 upper secondary schools in Finland, and 3 facilitated collective discussions with the participants in each education institution to discuss their experiences of the one-on-one utopia consultations. Based on our analysis, we suggest four key methodological practices for stimulating political imagination: dialogue, play, cultivating a hopeful orientation to the not-yet, and collective utopian negotiation. We advance sociological discussions of methodology around utopia and political imagination, and contribute to sociological work on the intangibility of discovering the not-yet through arts-based methods by identifying tangible practices and tools for studying the intangible.