Interpretive Perspective Research Articles

The experiences of speech-language pathologists when collaborating with spoken language interpreters, multilingual families, and their children with hearing loss

Purpose The parents of children who are deaf or hard-of-hearing may require a spoken language interpreter to access early-intervention services. This research sought to describe speech-language pathologists’ perspectives regarding collaboration with interpreters in this space. Method Twenty-seven speech-language pathologists working in Australia completed a cross-sectional mixed-method online survey. Participants responded to questions about knowledge they thought was important for interpreters to know before collaborating in early-intervention and their best and worst experiences when collaborating with interpreters. Quantitative and qualitative analyses of participants’ responses were undertaken. Result Less than half of the 27 speech-language pathologists reported that a qualified interpreter was always used in appointments. Speech-language pathologists stated that the most important information for interpreters to know before an appointment included key terminology in both languages and the purpose of the appointment for which they were interpreting. Major themes relating to before, during, and after the session were identified. Subthemes relating to briefing, procedural skills and prior knowledge, and environmental factors were identified. Conclusion Speech-language pathologists identified significant barriers to effective collaboration with interpreters in early-intervention settings. Future research should seek the perspectives of interpreters, educators, caregivers, and deaf or hard-of-hearing children collaborating in the early-intervention space.

Patients' experiences of long-covid neuropsychological symptoms in Catalonia: A phenomenological study

The objective was to describe the experiences of people living with neuropsychological symptomatology associated with long-covid, as well as identifying the barriers they encounter in their daily lives and the strategies they develop to deal with them. This is a descriptive qualitative study following an interpretative phenomenological perspective wich was held in Primary Care cin the Northern Metropolitan Area of Barcelona and the Germans Trias i Pujol University Hospital (Badalona, Spain). A total of 34 adults with any persistent neuropsychological symptoms of covid-19 (>12 weeks since disease onset) participated. In-depth individual interviews were conducted following a script of open-ended questions to elicit their narratives around the research objective. A total of 3 clusters detailing the life impact of long-covid and its neuropsychological symptomatology were identified: long-covid as life-breaking and life-changing; coping strategies; and (ac)knowledge (of) the emerging subjectivity. From the participants' accounts and the existing literature emerges the relevance of critically integrating lessons learned from analogous syndromes such as fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue, as well as involving patients in the design and implementation (even at the consultation level) of clinical practices that raise awareness of these neuropsychological sequelae (psychoeducation) both to other patients and to caregivers and professionals. This would facilitate a greater and better specialised psychological approach and reduce the stigma that still accompanies the condition. .

„Koniec historii” jako zagadnienie postkolonialne. Perspektywa polska

The article provides an outline for a specific thread of the public debate in Poland after 1989. This thread pertains to the use of the civic freedom and state sovereignty regained after the fall of communism, set against the backdrop of center-periphery entanglements, with postcolonial studies serving as the contextual framework adopted in the article. The two poles (centre and periphery) are linked in the interpretative perspective submitted to the reader to two distinctive ideological categories – demoliberalism and identity politics. The universalist dimension of demoliberal ideology and the multifaceted, ethnocentric horizon of identity politics confront each other in the global metadebate (the article cites positions from the Anglo-Saxon world, due to their representativeness and influence), which is also reflected in the Polish debate. The author undertakes to present what he considers to be the most important dividing lines of the debate in question (in the context of its references to the Western centre understood in a postcolonial manner), while refraining from the assumptions about the postcolonial awareness of its participants.

Introductory analysis of the report of The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Norway

In June 2023 the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Norway submitted its reportto the Norwegian parliament. Norway is the first Scandinavian country to appoint such a consultativebody. The Commission had three objectives: to outline Norwegian assimilation policies,examine the present-day repercussions of the assimilation policy towards Sami and Kven/ Finnishpeople, and contribute to further reconciliation. The present paper presents an abridged analysisof the Commission’s report set against historical and legislative backdrops. Such an approachbroadens the interpretative perspective of the report and places the Commission’s conclusionsin the appropriate socio-cultural context.

Insight into the microbial diversity and community in the sacrificial pits of Sanxingdui site (Sichuan, China)

IntroductionThe Sanxingdui site (Sichuan, China) is the typical representative of the ancient Shu culture, which lasts from the late Neolithic to early Western Zhou. The sacrificial pits are located in the core region of Sanxingdui site, and numerous artifacts are unearthed including ivory, seashells, bronzes, pottery, jade, stone, gold, bone, and horn products. The function of the pits and buried artifacts has always been the focus, but the microbiome around artifacts attracts less attention. Recently, the microbiome in buried ivory soil has just been identified; however, the microbiome around other artifacts has never been studied. In term of the unique perspective for interpretation the archaeological issues, the study was carried out for: (1) the microbial diversity and community of soil in the lower layer of artifacts in sacrificial pits, (2) the potential biodeterioration behavior of organic and inorganic relics, and (3) the impact of sacrificial and burial activities in different sacrificial pits on microbiome.MethodsThere were 45 soil samples around different artifacts in three sacrificial pits and 12 raw soil samples inside or outside the sacrificial pit sampling from Sanxingdui site. The microbial genomes were then identified and analyzed using the next-generation high-throughput sequencing.ResultsThe represented bacterial phyla were Proteobacteria, Actinobacteriota, GAL15, Chloroflexi, Acidobacteriota, Methylomirabilota, Thermoplasmatota, Crenarchaeota, Gemmatimonadota, and Firmicutes, and the represented fungal phyla were Ascomycota, Mortierellomycota, and Basidiomycota. Further microbial functional analysis found that the bacterial genera Sphingopyxis, Limnobacter, and Streptomyces and the fungal genera Cladosporium, Acremonium, and Mortierella were concerned with the degradation of organic matter, while the genera Pseudomonas, Arthrobacter, Variovorax, Aspergillus, and Penicillium might be related to the biocorrosion of bronzes. In addition, the microbial composition and principal co-ordinate analysis (PCoA) demonstrated the significant differences in microbial composition and structure between the raw soil samples and the soil samples around the artifacts and also between the soil samples in different sacrificial pits.DiscussionIt is important to understand the biodeterioration of the buried artifacts and the sacrificial activities in Sanxingdui site according to the results of microbial diversity and community. The combination of microbiology and archaeology will shed light on the archaeological issues related to the ancient human activities and behaviors.

Ways entrepreneurs communicate their success to stakeholders

The secretive conduct of entrepreneurs regarding their business success undermines the principles of openness, transparency, and honesty, which are essential in entrepreneurship as they foster accountability, responsible business practices, and ethical behaviour. The research seeks to examine the degree to which entrepreneurs reveal information regarding their business success to various stakeholders. The research employed an interpretative perspective and a qualitative methodology. Purposive sampling was employed to choose entrepreneurs managing SMMEs in the Limpopo Province. An inductive methodology was employed to obtain comprehensive data regarding the communication of entrepreneurial success by firm owners. ATLAS.ti 8 was employed for data analysis. The findings indicated that entrepreneurs convey their success to diverse stakeholders, including relatives, friends, and business networks, by sharing best practices and inspiring others to pursue entrepreneurial endeavours. This study has discovered that the disclosure of success primarily occurs when entrepreneurs seek funding or loans from banks and the government. Standard communication with authorities was identified as another method by which entrepreneurs report their success to the South African Revenue Services during tax return submissions. This study found that entrepreneurs' perceptions of success vary in their communications with different stakeholders. The work offered significant contributions to the existing literature and future research from a theoretical standpoint.

The Intercultural Adaptation as an Anthropological Experiment

Intercultural adaptations focus on the cultural changes necessary in this process of adaptation, in which a source text is adapted into a film or any other medium, or even the same one, recreating a narrative. Researchers from Adaptation Studies have stated that they are the combination of familiarity and novelty (Hutcheon, 2006); so, in this paper, we argue that the analysis of an intercultural adaptation could benefit from the perspective of Interpretive Anthropology, of thinking the adapter as in the role of an anthropologist who needs to observe the otherness in the source text and make it familiar to the audience. In order to do so, we adopt as support to our thesis authors from Adaptation Studies, such as Hutcheon (2006), Interpretive Anthropology, as Geertz (1973), and Cultural Studies, as Eagleton (2000). To demonstrate our proposition, we provide an illustrative case study of Julieta (2016), a film by Almodóvar that is an adaptation of three short stories by Munro from the book Runaway (2005), also known as “Triptych Juliet”. We use a methodology proposed by Silva (2012) but incorporating the Interpretive Anthropology perspective and adding a new element of analysis: thematic crossovers. This way, we believe that studies of adaptations could avoid value judgment and comparisons of fidelity, because culture is understood as the main motivation in the process of adaptation, maintaining a dialogue between source text and adaptation, but also with all intertextual texts within the fabrication of cultural meaning. Thus, we make sense of our lives and reality through the aesthetic symbols of art, creating individual and collective identity as humanity by observing the other and ourselves in the anthropological experiment we consider to be the intercultural adaptation.

Distributed Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Cluster Testing Method Based on Deep Reinforcement Learning

In the process of the collaborative work of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) clusters, the cluster communication node test is often carried out by a single-node test, which leads to poor topology and robustness of the overall network system, an imbalanced communication network load, and high complexity of the communication test, which seriously affects the diversified needs of current users and the efficiency of large-scale task processing. To solve this problem, a distributed method for UAV cluster testing, called UTDR (distributed UAV cluster Testing method by using Deep Reinforcement learning), based on the Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient (DDPG) is proposed in this work. The system management node is used to monitor the status of the UAV testing task execution node and bandwidth resources. By taking advantage of the method of continuous interaction between the agent and the environment, the future state of the node after processing the current task to be assigned is predicted and evaluated from the perspective of interpretability, so as to achieve the effectiveness and stability of the UAV cluster testing task collaborative execution. The experimental results show that our proposed method can ensure the stable operation of the UAV cluster, accurately predict the future state, and reduce the load degree and bandwidth resource consumption of the large-scale test task network system.

“It’s so complicated”: a qualitative study of interpreters’ experiences working with speech pathologists to support the provision of aphasia rehabilitation

Purpose International migration and global ageing have resulted in burgeoning cultural and linguistic diversity in aphasia caseloads worldwide. Increasingly, speech pathologists do not share a language with their clients, yet there is a lack of evidence to guide the provision of aphasia rehabilitation when an interpreter is required. There is no available research exploring the perspectives of interpreters who work with speech pathologists in aphasia therapy sessions. Methods Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight certified interpreters, exploring their experiences of working with speech pathologists delivering therapy to people with aphasia. The data were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Results Data analysis revealed eleven Group Experiential Themes. These were further clustered into three top-level categories: (i) interpreting for aphasia involves non-standard practices for interpreters; (ii) collaboration between the speech pathologist and interpreter is crucial for understanding critical aspects of aphasia therapy and interpreting; and (iii) additional knowledge and skills are required to manage interpreting for aphasia. Conclusions This study offers new insights into the challenges interpreters face working with speech pathologists to support the provision of aphasia therapy. The findings emphasise the need for broader systemic changes to ensure health services offer culturally responsive and equitable aphasia rehabilitation to diverse caseloads.

INTERPRETIVE METHODOLOGY AND ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH VERSTEHEN IN MAX WEBER'S PHILOSOPHY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES METHODOLOGY

The key role and clarifying function of Verstehen in Weber's interpretive methodology, as one of the important and illuminating tools, is used by scientists to properly understand social science phenomena. Considering Weber's interpretive approach based on individualistic interpretation of actors' actions, we find that Verstehen, in Weber's view, serves as a tool for social scientists to uncover the causes behind actors' intentional actions. Understanding actors' intentions, influenced by Weber's interpretive methodological approach, employs all its effort in explaining social science phenomena to achieve objectivity. In this research, we have attempted to address the meaning and importance of Verstehen's role, stemming from Weber's and his predecessors' interpretive perspective, as a tool for interpreting social science phenomena. Considering Weber's project aimed at achieving objectivity in social sciences, it should be said that Verstehen, like ideal types and other components of Weber's methodological system, are pieces meant to be initiated and employed by scientists to attain objectivity in social and cultural sciences. This research strives to correctly interpret the role and significance of this component (Verstehen) within Weber's methodological system.

The Role of Predictive Analytics in Enhancing Employee Retention in India’s Start-Up Ecosystem

One of the biggest issues that have been observed with start-ups in India is that of employee attrition which currently stands at an average of 18%-25%. This paper aims to examine these identified retention challenges, in the view of answering how predictive analytics can help start-ups to avoid high levels of employee turnover. Conducted from an interpretivist perspective, the study takes an inductive and exploratory stance, that involves analysing secondary qualitative data gathered from reputable databases. Predictive analytics has been identified to enhance the rates at which employees are retained due to risk analysis and follow-up intervention. For example, where companies use predictive instruments, they are likely to see up to 25% less staff turnover. However, financial barriers, poor availability of data, and lack of sophisticated skills are the problems that prevent global use, especially among new start-ups. Recommendations are more likely to be in the form of multi-tenanted, cloud-based, predictive analytics models, building HR’s analytics capability and including predictive insights into more people-oriented processes such as career management. These steps are designed to improve relative stability in the workforce while tackling particularities in the Indian start-up environment. Thus, the findings of this study should be followed by the primary data collection for further elucidation of the discussed topic and the broadening of the usage of predictive analytics in various organisational environments. Keywords: Employee Retention, Predictive Analytics, Indian Start-Ups, Workforce Attrition, HR Analytics, Risk Analysis, Employee Turnover, Cloud-Based Models, Organizational Stability, Talent Management.

Wie Hobbes mit dem Naturzustand ein Argument macht. Oder: Wie Hobbes ein Argument für den Naturzustand macht?

Abstract This paper deals with Thomas Hobbes’ conception of the state of nature. Deviating from its interpretation as a logically indispensable hypothesis for the purpose of the individualist-contractualist legitimation of the state, the article directs the discussion away from the question of the state of nature’s status within Hobbes’ anthropological or legal framework and towards the issue of where and what kind of evidence for this narrative is supposed to be found. If one interrogates this narrative in epistemological terms, an interpretative perspective is opened up in which ordinary forms of competitive and exploitative behaviour as well as of unmediated rule are of central importance, and the consideration of the state of nature as both a situational-relational and gradual concept is made possible as well as necessary. This contribution not only shows how such interpretative possibility is substantiated by the primary sources, but also asks how it relates to Hobbes’ own reflections on knowledge and scientific method. It is shown that what is crucial here is not the distinction between empirical and idealist approach, but the one between two kinds of experience, the second of which corresponds to a nominalist view of knowledge about politics.

Peran Suami-Istri Prespektif Tafsir Maqhasidi

When a husband loses his job and is unable to fulfill his role as a breadwinner, there is a phenomenon where the husband loses direction in the household and is not aware of other roles such as participating in domestic work or being involved in caregiving. One of the possible reasons is that it originates from the popularity of texts interpreting the role of husband and wife, such as in the interpretation of the Al-Quran, Surah al-Baqarah verse 233. In discussions regarding the role of husband and wife, for some contemporary scholars it is considered more appropriate to use the maqhasidi interpretation method. This interpretation method tries to interpret the verse and weigh it against the principles of maqashid sharia, where there is the main principle, that the laws conveyed in the Koran must have a maslahah goal. This research attempts to analyze the role of husband and wife from the perspective of maqhasidi. Research method is qualitative with analytical descriptive. The results of the research show that the use of the Maqhasidi interpretation perspective has different interpretation results from the textualist interpretation, where from the maslahah perspective, the roles of husband and wife are placed equally and mutually.

“A profession that is a story”: blurred professional identity of CKO’s

ABSTRACT The appointment of a Chief Knowledge Officer (CKO) is recognized not only as a key success factor in knowledge management (KM) practices but also as an essential element for future corporate success. This study uses the interpretive philosophical perspective to understand CKOs’ subjective views regarding their professional identity (PI). The triangulation method was adopted, according to the methodological framework of the grounded theory. We found that participants experience structured conflict and disharmony in their PI, struggling to present their professional selves to the social environment. These difficulties are mainly affected by the multitude of nicknames given to the CKO’s position, considerable variation in training, and differences in the hierarchical position between organizations. The results imply a lack of sufficient awareness about the KM discipline. This paper enriches the empirical knowledge regarding significant difficulties faced by CKOs and provides a more nuanced picture of the PI concept.

Interpretation of the Norms of Criminal Jurisdiction Objects under the Hong Kong National Security Law

The Hong Kong National Security Law specifies the specific targets of sanctions, and the legislative content of the law on criminal jurisdiction objects clarifies the scope of behaviors protected and prohibited by law. Chapter 3 of the Hong Kong National Security Law specifies four types of crimes that endanger national security, including the crimes of secession, subversion of state power, terrorist activities, and collusion with foreign or overseas forces to endanger national security. From the perspective of legal interpretation, by grasping the dual elements of criminal intent and criminal behavior, the specific composition of the criminal jurisdiction objects stipulated in the law is clarified, revealing the particularity and strictness of the Hong Kong National Security Law in safeguarding national security. The normative interpretation of the specific criminal jurisdiction objects of this law can clearly stipulate the constituent elements of specific criminal acts, provide strong guidance for the effective jurisdiction of crimes that endanger national security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, strengthen the prevention and crackdown on acts that endanger national security, and effectively safeguard national sovereignty, security, and development interests.

The professionalization of a national sport organization as event hosting legacy

PurposeThe role of a national sport organization (NSO) is prominent when a country hosts a mega-sporting event since the organization is responsible for athlete preparation and coordinating with other organizations to ensure successful hosting. This research examines the impact of hosting a mega-sporting event on the professionalization of an NSO and its consequences on the sport, using the case of the Korea Ice Hockey Association (KIHA).Design/methodology/approachThe study utilizes a qualitative single-case study approach grounded in an interpretivist perspective. Data for this study included semi-structured interviews with key individuals (n = 16) and archival materials.FindingsThe findings indicate that hosting a mega-sporting event was a strong catalyst for the professionalization of the KIHA. KIHA underwent changes in its organizational structures and processes, human resources and interorganizational linkages, all of which contributed to significant transformations in the sport during the event preparation period.Originality/valueThe study elucidates how hosting can lead to increased professionalization and its subsequent impact on the sport. However, the current case demonstrates that the KIHA overlooked certain impacts of professionalization (e.g. internal conflicts and neglected parts of the sport) that should be enacted in order to further the sport’s development. Therefore, NSOs and event stakeholders must carefully assess their sport’s environment and attributes.

Stained glass ceilings: Gender and race in accounting academia in Brazil

AbstractBrazil is divided into five large regions marked by profound economic and social inequalities. Such vast differences can make people feel like “foreigners”, even though they live in the same country. Here, meritocracy is seen as the criterion for assessing and promoting people, which is conflicting given the absurdly unequal contexts in the country. This choice widens inequalities of gender, race and, above all, social class. Between 2000 and 2018, Brazil experienced profound social transformations. Female participation in the labor market grew, although there were still barriers to access and professional advancement for women, which were exacerbated in the case of black women. When it came to leadership positions, they were almost always blocked by processes which depended on subjective decisions from evaluators. These circumstances occur through daily confrontations with processes of sexualisation and racialisation. These transformations were followed in the most recent period by clear setbacks, deepened by the COVID‐19 pandemic and intense political polarization. A milestone in terms of Esperançar, a verb proposed by Paulo Freire (1992), were the 2022 presidential elections, understood as a process of re‐democratisation. The social achievements that have been maintained, however, are ‘advances’ that work differently when the diversity of the population and regional differences are taken into account. With this particular context in mind, the aim of this study is to investigate how the “glass ceiling” phenomenon has been present in the daily interactions and academic trajectory of black women in the accounting field. The question that underpinned this study was: how can the academic accounting environment, considering practice and discourse, boost or hinder the “glass ceiling” phenomenon in the professional career of black female academics? This is a qualitative study with a post‐structuralist approach, based on the adoption of auto‐ethnographic and oral history techniques. The evidence was built up through semi‐structured, in‐depth interviews with female academics who had graduated from postgraduate programmes. This corpus was analyzed from an interpretivist perspective and the findings reveal that the “glass ceiling” phenomenon is present in accounting academia in Brazil and is expressed in barriers specific to the field. Barriers are erected in processes of closure, blocking the path of black women who aim to succeed in prestigious academic spaces, regardless of their level of qualification. In this way, they are conceptualized as “stained glass ceilings”, because the barriers become visible and concrete in a country where racism is a structuring element of social relations.

Suspect, Officer, and Situational Dynamics Underlying Violent Resistance Against Police: A Critical Interpretative Synthesis

ABSTRACT Assaults against police officers pose a significant challenge to law enforcement safety, yet the factors driving such violence remain complex and underexplored. This critical interpretative synthesis (CIS) is the first literature review to examine violent resistance from an interpretative perspective. By reviewing 38 studies from 2000 to 2024, identified through various methods, we develop a theoretical framework to better understand and contextualize factors linked to assaults against officers. Results indicate that certain suspect, officer, and situational characteristics are linked to violent resistance, both independently and through their interactions. These interactions between predictors help explain inconsistencies across studies. Additionally, we note a lack of diversity in how risk and protective factors of violent resistance have been studied. We suggest areas for future research and offer recommendations to inform police practices and improve officer safety.

Data driven cost-sensitive boosted tree for interpretable banking systemic risk prediction

Systemic risk (SR) in the banking sector poses a significant threat to both the financial system and the real economy. Its inherent characteristics of nonlinearity, non-equilibrium, and interconnectedness make it challenging to analyze using conventional statistical methods. In this paper, a cost-sensitive gradient boosting tree algorithm, FLXGBoost, is proposed for predicting SR. FLXGBoost considers the boosted tree, XGBoost as the base framework, boosting trees as the fundamental framework, guaranteeing the robustness of SR prediction. Additionally, to tackle the challenge of extreme data imbalance prevalent in SR prediction tasks, a cost-aware loss function, focal loss, is embedded into the boosted tree to enable FLXGBoost a risk-aware fashion. Moreover, a tree-derived interpretable algorithm SHAP is incorporated into this cost-sensitive solution, making FLXGBoost an accurate and interpretable risk-aware model. Experimental results on a financial risk prediction dataset pertaining to banking SR evince the capacity of FLXGBoost to significantly reduce the misclassification rate of risk banks, thereby mitigating substantial losses attributed to erroneous predictions of risky scenarios. Moreover, compared with classical imbalanced machine learning-based SR prediction approaches, the diverse evaluation metrics of FLXGBoost show that it is a competitive solution for accurate SR prediction. Besides, the explanatory analysis further demonstrates that FLXGBoost is a promising solution to address the issue of biased predictions in imbalanced banking SR in the interpretation perspective.

Rearticulating Realism: Chains of Reference and Epistemic Success in the Sciences

In recent decades, the long-standing debate about the scientific status of the social sciences and their explanatory nature has been rearticulated through perspectivist, interpretivist, and mechanistic approaches. Whereas mechanistic approaches advocate for realism in sociological models, perspectivist and interpretivist perspectives challenge this by emphasizing the multiple interpretations and meaningful nature of social reality, as opposed to the natural sciences. Currently, the metatheoretical discussion centers on competing views regarding the relationship between theories and the objects they address. In contrast to this focus on theories, I propose a rearticulation of Hacking’s interventionist argument. I argue that all sciences share a common epistemic activity—the construction of chains of reference—which points to shared notions of success. This paves the way for realism through a practice-based argument that does not originate from ontological disputes, suggesting that our best theories are those literally embedded in scientific practice.