Multinational Perspectives Research Articles

Characteristics of Effective International School Teachers: A Systematic Review of the Literature

Qualities of effective teachers matter because teachers are the number one school-related factor that impacts on student achievement. Although researchers in the United States have studied frameworks for evaluating teacher effectiveness, these frameworks are not focused on teachers working in international schools. Thus, they may not reflect the importance of understanding both the context of working in intercultural settings and the skills that allow teachers to flourish in international schools. Using a systematic configurative synthesis review of 23 studies, this study identifies qualities of effective teachers working in international schools through a synthesis of the study findings. We identified four key attributes that are emphasized, if not unique, in international school effective teacher research: a focus on teacher collaboration and teacher leadership; cultural awareness and responsiveness from multi-national perspectives; and host country language acquisition. Overall, we find that a focus on what makes an effective international school teacher is lacking in the extant research, particularly given the predicted enormous growth of international schools.

“A Ceremony of National and Representative Character”: The Four-Nations Politics of Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee

AbstractIn June 1887, Britons crowded the streets of London to celebrate Queen Victoria's fiftieth year on the throne. It was an opportunity to publicly revel in the social, political, economic, and imperial progress Britain had made during her historic reign. The Lord Chamberlain was tasked with organizing a formal jubilee ceremony at Westminster Abbey representative of the queen's diverse subjects. But this proved a difficult undertaking for a multinational kingdom with a vast overseas empire. Grievances over seating in Westminster Abbey, jubilee honors, and an absent royal family fostered varying degrees of solidarity and rivalry among the United Kingdom's four constituent nations. The Irish Question and imperial expansion—matters in which Victoria was personally invested—heightened four-nations sensibilities and influenced participation in the festivities. The queen's Golden Jubilee both reflected and inspired four-nations thinking, and it revealed public concerns that the British union might exist as a hierarchy of nations rather than as a collaborative venture among equal members. As the institutional embodiment of tiered society, the Crown became an outlet for subjects to explore questions and modes of belonging within the global British world. A four-nations analysis of Victoria's 1887 jubilee shows that despite its unifying function, the modern British monarchy has struggled to harmonize the United Kingdom's multinational perspectives.

Multinational perspectives on changes to psychiatric care during the COVID-19 pandemic: asurvey of practicing psychiatrists.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted in significant upheaval in psychiatric care. Despite survey data collected from psychiatric patients and broad samples of individuals in single countries, there is little quantitative or qualitative data on changes to psychiatric care from the perspective of mental health providers themselves across developing countries. To address this gap, we surveyed 27practicing psychiatrists from Central and Eastern Europe, as well as Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America. Respondents observed amarked increase in anxiety in their patients, with increased (though less prominent) symptoms of depression, somatization, and addiction. They reported largescale changes in the structure of psychiatric treatment, chiefly adecline in psychiatric admissions and closing/repurposing of psychiatric beds. Results supported strong "buy in" from clinicians regarding the use of telehealth, though some clinicians perceived areduction in the ability to connect with, and build alliances with, their patients. Finally, clinicians described an improvement in the image and meaning of psychiatry in society, increased awareness of mental illness, and greater value placed on mental health in the general population. These changes warrant further empirical study as to their potential long-term ramifications, particularly as the COVID-19 pandemic persists and new waves of infection occur periodically throughout the world. The increased psychiatric burden on the population coupled with the apparent salience of mental health and well-being in the public consciousness represents aglobal opportunity for psychiatry to advocate for further treatment, research, and education.

Multinational perspectives on Covid-19 challenges: Faculty responses to distance education in Italy and the USA

In this study focusing on distance teaching during the Covid-19 pandemic, 47 higher education faculty in Italy and the USA responded to a survey circulated internationally between July and November 2021. In both contexts, perceptions of the institutional support and professional training for distance education (DE) were found to be similar in many ways, although the experiences with DE’s opportunities and challenges proved quite different. Respondents in the USA reported being more at ease with DE, while Italian faculty reported greater recognition of the barriers to DE. HE faculty in both contexts equally recognized the importance of professional development for DE. Possible reasons for these similarities and differences are discussed.

COVID-19: Multinational Perspectives of Providing Chaplaincy, Pastoral, and Spiritual Care

COVID-19: Multinational Perspectives of Providing Chaplaincy, Pastoral, and Spiritual Care

Improvement of process-driven work in Dietetics - the development of a standard model of the Unified Dietetic Care Process (IMPECD)

AbstractIntroduction:Different models of frameworks for dietetic care are used in Europe. There is a substantial need for a consistent framework to compare research results and to cooperate on an international level. Therefore, one of the goals of the EU-funded project IMPECD was the development of a unified framework Dietetic Care Process (DCP) in order to foster a shared understanding of process-driven dietetic counselling.Materials and Methods:Based on a literature review and in-depth analysis of different frameworks an iterative and incremental development process of finding solutions for decision-making within the consortium consisting of dietetic experts from 5 European HEI was passed. The developed DCP model was integrated in an online training course including 9 clinical cases (MOOC) to train students. The draft versions and the concluding final version DCP model were evaluated and re-evaluated by teachers and 25 students at two Intensive Study Programmes.Results:The DCP model consists of five distinct, interrelated steps which the consortium agreed on: Dietetic Assessment, Dietetic Diagnosis, Planning Dietetic Intervention, Implementing Dietetic Intervention, Dietetic Outcome Evaluation. A standardized scheme was developed to define the process steps: dedication, central statement, aim and principles, and operationalization.For example, Dietetic Assessment is the first step of the DCP (dedication). It is a systematic process to gather dietetically adequate and relevant information about the client by using state-of-the-art methods (central statement). The aim is to identify nature and cause of dietetic related problems of the client (aim and principles). The gathered information are documented in types of categories (client history, diet history, behavioural-environmental, clinical status) or following the ICF-model (operationalization). The clinical cases used within the MOOC proved that the DCP model is suitable to be put into practice.Discussion:Existing different process models were analyzed to create a new and consistent concept of a unified framework DCP. The variety within the European countries represented by the consortium proved to be both a challenge in decision-making and an opportunity to integrate multinational perspectives and intensify the scientific discourse. The development of a standardized scheme with precise definitions is a prerequisite for planning study designs in health services research. Besides, clarification is essential for establishing process-guided work in practice. The evaluated MOOC is now implemented in study programmes used by 5 European HEI in order to keep approaches and process-driven action comparable. The MOOC promotes the exchange of ideas between future professionals on an international level.

Users' preferences and design recommendations to promote engagements with mobile apps for diabetes self-management: Multi-national perspectives.

BackgroundMobile phone applications (apps) offer motivation and support for self-management of diabetes mellitus (DM), but their use is limited by high attrition due to insufficient consideration of end-users perspectives and usability requirements. This study aimed to examine app usage and feature preferences among people with DM, and explore their recommendations for future inclusions to foster engagement with diabetes apps.MethodsThe study was conducted internationally on adults with type 1 or type 2 DM using online questionnaire (quantitative) to investigate usage and preferences for app features that support diabetes self-management and semi structured telephone interview (qualitative) to explore suggestions on fostering engagement and specific educational information for inclusion into diabetes apps. Survey and interview data were analysed using descriptive/ inferential statistics and inductive thematic analysis respectively.ResultsA total of 217 respondents with type 1 DM (38.25%) or type 2 DM (61.8%), from 4 continents (Australia, Europe, Asia and America) participated in the survey. About half of the respondents (48%) use apps, mainly with features for tracking blood glucose (56.6%), blood pressure (51.9%) and food calories (48.1%). Preferred features in future apps include nutrient values of foods (56.7%), blood glucose (54.8%), physical exercise tracker (47%), health data analytics (42.9%) and education on diabetes self-management (40.6%). Irrespective of the type of DM, participants proposed future apps that are user friendly, support healthy eating, provide actionable reminders and consolidate data across peripheral health devices. Participants with type 1 DM recommended customised features with news update on developments in the field of diabetes. Nominated specific educational topics included tips on problem solving, use of insulin pump therapy, signs of diabetes complication and transitioning from paediatric into adult care.ConclusionsThe study has highlighted patients’ perspectives on essential components for inclusion in diabetes apps to promote engagement and foster better health outcomes.

The mediation role of companies’ dynamic capabilities for business performance excellence: insights from foreign direct investments. The case of transitional partnership

This study uses a combination of multinational enterprises and dynamic capabilities perspectives to illustrate how the involvement of foreign investors is able to contribute to a company’s corporate performance. Using Russian companies as an empirical sample and applying PLS-SEM, we test hypotheses regarding the impact of dynamic capabilities in terms of absorptive, adaptive, and communicative capabilities, on the relationship between foreign ownership and performance. Findings indicate that dynamic capabilities fully mediate the process of foreign direct investments transformation into firm’s results. Our findings contribute to the understanding of the mechanism by which dynamic capabilities enhance the positive effects of foreign direct investments on business performance, and advance the theoretical understanding of how a dynamic capabilities concept could be incorporated into multinational enterprises theory in the framework of relationships between companies from economies with different knowledge endowment.

Advancing Evidence-Based Practice in Physical Therapy Settings: Multinational Perspectives on Implementation Strategies and Interventions.

It is of critical importance that findings from the wealth of clinical physical therapist research are transferred into clinical practice without unnecessary delays. There is a lack of knowledge about strategies that can be used to effectively implement physical therapist research findings and evidence-based practice (EBP) into everyday clinical practice in different national settings and contexts. The purpose of this article is to contribute to knowledge about effective strategies for implementing EBP that have been studied in different national physical therapy settings. The specific aims of this article are to share experiences and provide a current multinational perspective on different approaches and strategies for implementing EBP and to highlight important considerations and implications for both research and practice. Six research studies from various settings in 3 countries are described and synthesized. Key characteristics of the studies and intervention components are tabulated and mapped to the Cochrane Effective Practice and Organisation of Care taxonomy. Commonalities and differences are presented. The implementation strategies described were: a theory-based guideline implementation tailored to identified barriers and facilitators; a multifaceted EBP training package; journal clubs; a multifaceted strategy comprising contextualized procedures, protocols, and standardized resources; barrier identification, education, audit, feedback, and reminders; and contextualized guidelines. Commonalities were the use of a multifaceted approach, educational measures, and clinical guidelines. Key outcomes across the studies were improved attitudes and increased awareness, knowledge, skills, and confidence in EBP; better access to clinical practice guidelines and other EBP resources; identification of barriers that could be targeted in future implementation activities; earlier referrals; and use of recommended outcome measures. The article can serve as a template for other physical therapist researchers in designing implementation studies, as well as to inform policies and practice for health care managers and decision makers who are looking for ways to implement research findings in their organizations.

The National Academy of Medicine and the Cardiovascular Community: Partnering for a Healthier Future.

We are entering an era of unprecedented opportunities and challenges in health and medicine. With recent advances in science and technology, as well as the advent of big data, we have seen tremendous developments in biomedical science and the practice of medicine. Yet, the global disease burden continues to rise, demand for care is increasing, costs are unsustainable, and health inequity persists. Globally, cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the No. 1 disease burden, driven by the rise in noncommunicable diseases such as obesity and diabetes mellitus. The need for cardiovascular medicine will continue to grow as the global population ages and developing countries become more affluent, adopt a Western lifestyle, and become more urbanized. There have been impressive advances in cardiovascular diagnostics and therapeutics in the areas of precision medicine, molecular/metabolic imaging, endovascular procedures, gene and cell therapies, RNA therapeutics, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, and digital health. However, cardiovascular care is fragmented and expensive. Furthermore, in the current healthcare landscape, access, quality, and costs are top priorities. The Affordable Care Act introduced a number of payment and delivery system reforms to increase the quality of health care while controlling costs, such as accountable care organizations, patient-centered medical homes, and mechanisms to link payments to quality. This value-focused health care is here to stay; therefore, we must adopt this approach for cardiovascular medicine. Importantly, we must do more to move from a disease-treatment model to a model that prioritizes and enables prevention. Unfortunately, current health challenges do not always lend themselves to straightforward solutions. There is a real need for evidence-based, independent, and nonpolitical advice that can inform health policy and thereby shape solutions and drive change. Indeed, society can benefit enormously from the activities of an independent scientific academy with the directive to mobilize the best minds to provide objective …

A Careful Balance: Multinational Perspectives on Culture, Gender, and Power in Marriage and Family Therapy Practice

In this study, we examined how marriage and family therapists from various countries and diverse cultural backgrounds address the intersection of gender, power, and culture in therapy. Twenty participants from 15 countries responded to an Internet survey that included several hypothetical, clinical vignettes not associated with any one particular culture or nationality. Participants selected a vignette based on its similarity to clinical situations they face in practice within their cultural contexts, and provided information about their conceptualizations of gender, culture, and power, along with treatment recommendations. We analyzed data using analytic induction and constant comparison methods. Results indicate the careful balance with which the participants work to engage clients in therapy, respect cultural values and practices, and promote equitable gender relationships.

Globalizarion, Management Control & Ideology: Local and Multinational Perspectives

Globalizarion, Management Control & Ideology: Local and Multinational Perspectives

Multinational Perspectives on Work Values and Commitment

The aim of this article is to show how different factors influence the commitment of employees in an organization from an international comparative perspective. Commitment is studied as affective and continuance commitment. Personal characteristics, organizational and environmental factors are included as predictors that have an impact on commitment. The role of values and insecurity is also examined. It is proposed that these factors do not have the same impact on the two types of commitment in different countries and that this might have important practical implications. The study, which compared West Germany, East Germany, Japan, Hungary, Slovenia, the UK and the USA, was performed using the data from Work Orientations II, gathered by the International Social Survey Programme group (ISSP). The dataset is from 1997. The study finds that there are some predictors that are universal, but their configurations depend mainly on cultural background.

Reframing leadership pedagogy through model and theory building

This paper provides an overview of leadership theories, and their development which forms the basis for a penetrating, effective course assignment on leadership which meets four specific, identified, demanding objectives. Students are allowed to gain insights related to not only the complexities of leadership dynamics but also the processes of constructing behavioral models as well as multicultural and multinational perspectives on leadership. The paper describes the assignment and provides insights as to how to operationalize it in the learning environment to obtain optimal outcomes of learning objectives.

Multinational Perspectives on Giftedness and the Education of Gifted Children: A Spanish Triology

"Multinational Perspectives on Giftedness and the Education of Gifted Children: A Spanish Triology." Gifted and Talented International, 10(1), pp. 47–48

Explorations in Afro-American Ethnohistory

Afro-American ethnohistory is viewed as an essential aspect of New World ethnohistory. It is important for the understanding of other interacting societies, especially Native American populations in tropical and subtropical lowlands. And it is highly significant in its own right, both in relation to the persistence of people and traditions under great stress, and in regard to Maroon and other emergent societies. Even as much as in the study of Native Americans, Afro-American ethnohistory requires great depth, multinational perspectives, and multiple sources of information supported by sound ethnographic modeling. Good foundations for such work have been laid, and it is now timely to undertake the systemwide development of a challenging field of scholarship.