Methodological Lens Research Articles

Эффект палладиума: ценности великих держав в эпоху искусственного интеллекта

The purpose of the article is to identify the features of the development of modern great powers against the background of their digital contradictions and value specifics in order to determine scenarios for the development of the future political world order. The methodological lens was the principles of critical discourse analysis of academic literature, comparative analysis of value orientations, as well as the normative basis for the introduction of artificial intelligence technologies in modern great powers – Russia, the USA and China. As a hypothesis, the author suggests the Palladium effect, according to which a great power, being given the opportunity to change the world order based on its interests, will strive for this using modern technologies, appealing to justice and taking into account its own value orientations. The Palladium effect was studied by the author in the context of the analytical verification of the "Thucydides trap". L. Althusser's theory of ideology and a number of theses of modern realism were also taken into account as a conceptual framework. The conclusions indicate that the key to the emergence of an economically and politically profitable digital environment, comfortable for a great power, is its tax residents-digital corporations that develop and distribute digital standards in other countries. In this situation, Russia strategically needs to initiate protectionist measures for its digital corporations, a policy of supporting them abroad, create favorable conditions for public-private partnerships, financing, and attracting venture capital in the field of artificial intelligence technology development in order to preserve its value and digital sovereignty (as forms of state sovereignty). In addition, key trends in the field of AI competition and variants of the axiomachy (value confrontation) of the great powers are identified, and the main scenarios for the evolution of the political world order are proposed – Triplex Mundi, Duplex Mundi and Multiplex Mundi.

Beyond Walls: Redefining Church Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic, through Autoethnographic Reflections

The advent of the COVID-19 pandemic prompted a paradigm shift in religious practices, necessitating the reimagining of traditional congregational gatherings. This study delved into this transformation by employing autoethnography as a methodological lens to explore the re-definition of the church within the context of the pandemic. Focusing on personal experiences, observations, and reflections, this research navigated the terrain of virtual worship spaces and the accompanying spiritual yearning that emerged during the COVID-19 era. This study shed light on how the researcher grappled with the re-defined concept of “church.” It investigated the theological implications of congregational dispersion and virtual connectedness. The findings of this study revealed that COVID-19 led to the redefinition of “church” and the reframing of faith within the context of unprecedented circumstances. The study’s core revelation revolved around the dynamic adaptability of faith when faced with adversity. This introspective reflection showcased the profound re-evaluation of what constitutes “church,” the renewed understanding of faith’s essence, and the recalibration of its practical application. Church is better experienced even in unprecedented times if it is understood as space rather than place. Therefore, the study recommends that churches constantly interrogate their theological stances of what the Church really means. The revisiting of scripture and understanding the historic practices and understanding of the church has implications for how the 21st-century church operates and applies its theological teachings. Keywords: Autoethnography, COVID-19 Pandemic, Virtual Worship, Church Redefinition, Religious Practices

Affectionate Research

Abstract This paper delves into the dynamic relationship between research and the researcher within Kurdish Studies, focusing on emotions, responsibility, and solidarity. Drawing from personal experiences and employing decolonial intersectional feminist methodologies, the author presents their research on state violence and resistance in Kurdish cinema. Through this exploration, the paper underscores the pressing need for intersectional queer-feminist research within Kurdish Studies and elucidates the connection between theoretical and methodological choices and the author’s personal experiences in academia and activism. Additionally, the paper discusses applying feminist intersectional approaches as a methodological lens and emphasises their benefits in understanding positionality and shifting subject positions. By highlighting the imperative for critical reflexivity and diversification of onto-epistemological methods in the field of Kurdish Studies, this paper advocates for a transformative and inclusive approach to knowledge production.

Different methods – lasting tensions: exploring familial pragmatism through a methodological lens

Different methods – lasting tensions: exploring familial pragmatism through a methodological lens

Advancing the social return on investment framework to capture the social value of public health interventions: semistructured interviews and a review of scoping reviews

ObjectivesInvestment in public health has far-reaching impacts, not only on physical health but also on communities, economies and the environment. There is increasing demand to account for the wider impact of public health and the social value that can be created, which can be captured through the use of the social return on investment (SROI) framework. This study aims to explore the application of SROI and identify areas of advancement for its use in public health. Study design and methodsPublically available SROI studies of public health interventions previously identified through published systematic scoping reviews were examined through a methodological lens. This was complemented by semistructured interviews with key public health academic experts with experience in the field of SROI. The results were thematically analysed and triangulated. ResultsIn total, 53 studies and nine interviews were included in the analysis. All interviewees agreed that SROI is a suitable framework to demonstrate the social value of public health interventions. Developmental aspects were also identified through the analysis. This included a more systematic use of SROI principles and methodological developments. Lastly, it was identified that further advancements were needed to promote awareness of SROI and how it can be used to generate investment. ConclusionBy identifying key areas for advancement, the results from this study can be used to further refine the SROI framework for use within the speciality to promote investment in services and interventions that demonstrate maximum value to people, communities, economies and the environment.

Narratives of participation in diverse classrooms: behind the best intentions

ABSTRACT This study adopts the methodological lens of narrative ethnography and the concept of key incidents as condensed narratives to examine how narratives of education and cultural normativity emerge in diverse classrooms with migrant adolescents. In focus is how migrant students’ experiences and participation in classrooms are framed and assessed by teachers. Through classroom observations and interviews with the adolescents, the study gives profound insights into classroom practices, as the multitude of stories reveals the complexity of participation and educational outcomes. It is revealed how schools mediate and control narrative production and narrative normativity, even in situations in which teachers have the best intentions to include diverse experiences. Key incidents in the classrooms stood out as acute events that made evident the enforcement of cultural normativity and the exclusion of the adolescents’ experiences and participation.

Digital marketing as digital methods: Repurposing Google Ads for controversy mapping

Digital advertising is central to the business models and technological affordances of digital platforms, creating marketplaces for user attention. Despite the keen theoretical attention to the commodification of audiences in critical new media and data studies, there has been little exploration of how digital marketing can also be understood as a methodological lens to study both controversies and the practices involved in the commodification of attention around the issues that animate such controversies. Addressing this gap in knowledge by drawing on the digital methods approach, this article proposes repurposing the tools, data and practices of digital marketing – what we coin digital marketing epistemology – as new methodological points of observation in controversy mapping. Focusing empirically on Google Ads, we scrutinize the building blocks of advertising campaigns on the platform and their metrics and measurements. We then offer a set of methodological ‘recipes’ for repurposing the Google Ads platform for controversy mapping and illustrate through a series of data sprints how this can contribute not only to a better understanding of the measurement and valuation practices that are involved in converting attention into a tradable asset but also the role these practices play in the unfolding of techno-social controversies.

Total pain and social suffering: marginalised Greenlanders' end-of-life in Denmark.

With a focus on socially marginalised Greenlanders in Denmark, this study explores the significance of the concept of social suffering for the concept of total pain. Greenland is a former Danish colony and Greenlanders retain the right to Danish citizenship with all the benefits of access to the resources of Denmark as any other Danish citizen. However, Greenlanders are overrepresented amongst the most socially disadvantaged in Denmark. They have a disproportionately high risk of early death, often undiagnosed and untreated. This study reports on research conducted with socially marginalised Greenlanders and some of the professionals who work with them. It interrogates the concept of total pain as developed by Cicely Saunders, the founder of modern palliative care. Saunders noted that pain at the end-of-life was not adequately explained by symptoms of a disease process because it was more like a situation that engulfed every aspect of the patient and those close to them; it included physical, psychological, spiritual, and social dimensions. We agree with other scholars that the social dimension of the total pain experience is underexplored. By drawing on the theoretical and methodological lens of intersectionality, our work with marginalised Greenlanders has enabled us to describe the multiple and intersecting social forces that create social suffering for this group. This leads us to conclude that social suffering is not entirely an individual experience but a product of social harm and disadvantage, poverty, inequality, and the various legacies of colonialism, which combine to place some citizens in a harmed condition. Our findings also draw us into a discussion with the concept of total pain and its neglect of the socially constructed nature of social suffering. We conclude by indicating ways in which the concept of total pain can be informed by a more thoroughgoing concept of social suffering. We conclude, with others, that there is a problem of inequity in the way that end-of-life care is currently distributed. Finally, we point to ways in which an understanding of social suffering can help to address the exclusion of some of the most vulnerable citizens from appropriate end-of-life care.

Latin American Social Integration as a Methodological Lens for Francis’s Teaching

Over the past ten years of Francis’s pontificate, a transversal axis cutting across all his writings is his appreciation for the importance of social integration in Latin America. For the pope, humanity must gradually move toward greater and better forms of encounter, integration, and inclusion—that is, toward the “Great Homeland.” His experiences in South America have led him to a contextually situated conviction about the importance of concrete encounter and inclusion that has transferred to his universal teaching and, in this sense, forged his pontifical teaching from the margins. Turning to a specific corpus of papal texts written for Latin American people, we will analyze the methodological assumptions of this whole program of integration thought for the global community.

Remake Bodony: Visual Participatory Action Research and Tiny Publics

Abstract Remake Bodony is a documentary film, which was collaboratively developed by the inhabitants of Siklósbodony, Hungary in 2017. The article presents an account of the film production process as an organic continuation of two prior participatory visual arts workshops using photovoice and community mural painting. The reconstruction adopts a methodological lens and interprets these participatory activities as three stages of a visual participatory action research project. Three analytic dimensions are introduced: methodological configuration, “tiny publics” (Fine 2012), and the participants’ emerging research questions – to produce an account of the collective thought process occurring in the course of filmmaking.1

Hussle and Motivate: An Afrocentric Understanding of Constitutive Rhetoric Toward Economic Empowerment in Nipsey Hussle’s Victory Lap Album

This essay examines the rhetorical strategies of the late Nipsey Hussle regarding the intersection of cultural rhetoric, identity, economic success, and financial literacy. Using what I call Afrocentric constitutive rhetoric as a methodological lens, I argue that Nipsey empowers his listeners toward an identity of economic success, specifically for marginalized communities, underscoring the ontological capacity of Hip-Hop rhetoric. To support this claim, I analyze select lyrics from Nipsey’s Grammy-nominated album, Victory Lap, released in 2018. Further, I illuminate the culturally distinct qualities of Nipsey’s rhetoric by coupling theorizations of Afrocentricity and constitutive rhetoric and its impact on identity formation for his listeners. Finally, I maintain that a cultural approach to constitutive rhetoric positions scholars to better understand the nuance of culturally specific rhetorical productions related to identity and economic empowerment.

E-learning and its influence on Teachers’ Professional Development in Zimbabwe

This paper sought to gain insight into e-learning and its influence on teachers’ professional development in Zimbabwe. The methodological lens used in interrogating this issue comprised of the interpretive paradigm and qualitative approach. As sources of data fifty participants were purposively selected. Data was generated the through literature method, focus group discussion and in-depth interviews. Analysis of the sourced data was narrative in nature buttressed by emerging themes. Findings acknowledged the existence of policies enabled the introduction of e-learning in teacher training institutions. It was further revealed that the implementation of the new framework that enabled the inclusion of e-learning in teachers’ training courses. From the discussion it can be concluded that e-learning is indeed of much attention in various sectors of the education system to enable professional growth. The study recommended the provision of e-learning professional development and support to all college departments to ensure its successful integration into daily teacher training routines.

A marathon to nowhere

Abstract The paper examines the accession is a race metaphor in the online news articles published in three Western Balkans’ countries (Serbia, Montenegro, and Bosnia and Hercegovina), in the context of their accession to the EU. Through the methodological lens of the conceptual metaphor theory and critical metaphor analysis, our study shows that the conceptualisation of the accession as a race might purport different, even mutually conflicted political stances, i.e. it can have a laudatory function praising those at the forefront of the “race”, while at the same time calling for patience invoking the picture of the race as a marathon, long and exhausting, demanding in both time and stamina. Without delving further into the political reasons, concerns and vested interests of the stakeholders involved, what can be said with much certainty is that both the EU and the regional officials have made some creative excuses for the excessive duration of the EU integration process for the WB’s countries, and these have been analysed in the present study. The analysis has shown that the “finish line” of the race (the accession itself), long or short, is far less important in the regional news discourse than reaching further out than your co-runners, i.e. your immediate neighbours and competitors.

Doctoral writing through a trajectorial lens: an exploratory study on challenges, strategies and relationships.

Doctoral writing has burgeoned as a field of inquiry in the past decade. However, questions still remain as to how doctoral researchers navigate their writing trajectories, the strategies they deploy to deal with challenges, and what and who helps to shape their writing experiences. These questions may have resulted from the rather snapshot perspective followed by some existing research, failing to reveal developmental aspects of doctoral writing. This article argues that a trajectorial perspective on doctoral writing, offered here as a methodological lens, can help to shed some light on such questions, and provide effective guidance for pedagogic interventions. A group of six doctoral researchers were interviewed about their experiences as academic and professional writers, and about the texts they had written along their writing trajectories. An analysis of the data revealed a number of challenges these doctoral writers faced at specific stages of their writing trajectory, the strategies they deployed to deal with these challenges, the relationships they established along the way and how they changed at specific times, and what they have found most helpful to advance their writing. Based on the results, this exploratory study offers possible pedagogic interventions for specific stages of the doctoral writing trajectory.

The politics of knowledge in South African universities: Students’ perspectives

Knowledge-making in South African universities is set up and framed in particular ways, with a Euro-centric bias. We argue that many of the contributions that African first year entering students could make to this process of knowledge-making are dis-abled, leading to alienation. In this article, we argue for a different perspective and approach to teaching and learning in the humanities. Former Extended Studies students from a South African university have worked collaboratively in a knowledge-making project, and using data generated from this, suggest different kinds of environments and strategies for more inclusive teaching and learning. Using an African feminist theoretical and methodological lens, we consider alternative ways of knowing, and recognition that supports powerful senses of belonging and agency, using examples from student experiences of an Extended Studies humanities programme. We contrast this with how humanities programmes are experienced by some first-year students at the university, sometimes with tragic consequences. Finally, we recommend pedagogic, curricula and extra-curricular changes that can be made, to realise the possibilities of decolonised knowledge-making that is more relevant and inclusive. The authors believe that the ideas around decolonising knowledge that are explored here are more broadly applicable and necessary.Contribution: The article contributes to the conversation on decolonising the humanities curriculum, by including students’ experiences, concerns, and suggestions.

The materiality of organizational identity: a case of Codorníu wineries

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to deepen understanding of the materiality in organizational identity (OI) by describing how physical objects support, instantiate and communicate OI over time.Design/methodology/approachThe research design uses an in-depth case study of Codorníu wineries taking a symbolic interactionism methodological lens. The study examines a set of physical objects preserved from the company's foundation in 1551 to the present day and their associated identity meanings.FindingsThis study uncovered how the company used multiple objects to symbolically represent its identity. Some of these objects were primal artifacts used to legitimize organizational identity since the firm's foundation; others were interpreted as identity markers that worked to instantiate identity and to provide it with greater persistence, while others were created ad hoc to communicate organizational identity to external audiences. Some physical objects were used to differentiate the organization and its products from competitors, while others were used to maintain a temporary and spatial link with the organization's founding origins.Practical implicationsThis study describes practical implications on the use of identity materiality to build legitimacy, employee identification, differentiation from competitors and reputation.Originality/valueThe analysis of the meanings associated with material objects shows that identity tangibility has not hindered organizational adaptation and change. Some identity objects gained relevance, while others were reinterpreted or abandoned according to their symbolic value in order to embody organizational identity at a given time. Four trajectories were identified that describe the evolution of physical objects in representing an organization's identity over time.

When cultural reproduction overshadows personal transformation: the case of Russian schools teachers in Estonia

ABSTRACT The success with which minority teachers cope with socio-cultural integration indicates their transformative agency. However, teachers’ ideational projects, which are converted into a set of established practices, are tightly connected with their ideologies. In this case what they transform is not a matter of integration for them but is irrevocably intertwined with protecting their own culture. Applying a symbolic interactionist methodological lens and Archer’s ’social morphogenesis’ explanatory framework, in this qualitative research I aim to examine the unique educational context of Estonia. Schools with Russian as the language of instruction co-exist with schools where instruction is in the national language. The paper explores the mechanisms that stand behind the social agency of minority teachers and why their practices are considered ‘morphostatic’ for the whole education system. The paper concludes that these teachers’ agency is culturally mediated and their strategies are reflexive and morphogenetic in nature, even though they don’t lead to integration.

The Information Seeking Behaviors and Needs of Suicide Survivors During Bereavement

Abstract The suicide of one person impacts 60 people, known as suicide survivors. These survivors are at an increased risk for negative mental health outcomes including PTSD, suicidal ideation, and suicide contagion. Despite these consequences, there have not been any information science studies that have explored the information behaviors of people who have recently survived the suicide of a loved one. This article takes a unique approach in combining autoethnography with traditional survey research. One hundred and ninteen participants sourced from a private Facebook suicide bereavement group responded to a survey asking them about their information-seeking after a loved one committed suicide. The qualitative data were fragmented and grouped into like-responses and thematic codes that gave explanation to the research questions. These results are coupled with the author’s ethnographic recounting of a similar experience. Brenda Dervin’s sense-making is employed as the methodological lens through which the study is conducted. It is found that suicide survivors are highly unlikely to have their informational needs met. In the immediate aftermath of their loss, they are most likely to look for information related to the suffering of the deceased. As time passes, they begin to look for information about coping with their loss and preventing suicide of other people; either those close to them or in a larger community scale. Being a survivor motivated many participants to advocacy work. Finally, the author argues that the findings of this article should compel further research and the creation of information policy to aid survivors and prevent suicide contagion.

Implementing Competence-Based Advanced Level Human Geography Framework at One High School in Zimbabwe During The Covid 19 Era

This paper sought to gain insight into the implementation of the new Competence-Based Advanced Level Human Geography framework during COVID-19 era. The methodological lens comprised of the interpretivist paradigm and qualitative approach guided the data sourcing and analysis. The sample was made up of thirty Advanced Level Geography students and six teachers selected through snowballing. Data sourced through the literature method and personal interview were analyzed according to emerging themes. Findings acknowledged the existence of policies enabled the creation of safe learning environments during the COVID-19 era. The implementation of the new framework during the COVID-19 era was grounded in student-centred approach augmented by e-learning platforms. However, during this era some challenges were encountered in the implementation of the new framework. In conclusion through the implementation of the new framework during the COVID-19 era learning activities shifted from the traditional face-to-face to online student-centered interactions. It’s recommended that through partnerships schools can invest heavily in ICTs for smooth operations amidst disasters

Engaging with engagement in learning chemistry: a guiding note about a multidimensional construct

Student engagement in learning chemistry is arguably a central premise of chemistry education. Most teachers and researchers refer broadly to ‘engagement’ at some point during their work, usually as part of instructional design, reflective classroom practice, measurement of learning outcomes or a combination of these. In fact, as a multidimensional construct, learner engagement for any individual is observed to be fluid and malleable and hence is very difficult to capture. Many readers of our journal may seek to understand an author's position on engagement so that they can connect reported findings to their own contexts. To facilitate this process, in this Editorial article, I briefly visit the basis of the multiple facets of ‘engagement’ aiming to support authors in framing their work on learner engagement more explicitly. I encourage authors to establish and communicate their theoretical perspective and the methodological lens that they have applied in their chemistry education research and practice involving engagement.