Practice In Different Contexts Research Articles

The Impact of Leadership Styles, Cultural Dimensions and Values on Academic Leaders

This study investigates the cultural dimensions, values, and leadership styles of school leaders in Indian K-12 and European schools, specifically focusing on cross-cultural differences. The objective is to explore how leadership styles and cultural orientations differ between Indian and European school leaders and to examine how these variations impact organizational culture and decision-making processes. A non-experimental quantitative research design was employed, utilizing standardized instruments such as the Multi-factor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ-Form 6S), OCTAPACE, and the Scale of Individual Cultural Values (CV) to measure leadership styles and cultural dimensions. Data were collected from 165 Indian leaders across Punjab, Haryana, Delhi-NCR, and Uttar Pradesh, as well as 156 European leaders from Croatia, Hungary, Poland, and others, using purposive and convenience sampling methods. Independent t-tests and Discriminant Function Analysis (DFA) were used to compare the two regions' leadership styles and cultural orientations. The findings reveal that Indian school leaders predominantly demonstrate transformational and laissez-faire leadership behaviors, influenced by hierarchical structures prioritizing collective goals and authority delegation. Indian leaders scored higher on openness, trust, and collaboration dimensions, which align with collectivist and hierarchical cultural norms. In contrast, European leaders emphasized confrontation, authenticity, and individual autonomy, reflecting a preference for more egalitarian and individualistic decision-making approaches. These insights contribute to a deeper understanding of how leadership and cultural values shape educational practices in different contexts.

The effect of total quality management practices on supply chain performance in the automobile industry

The Pakistan Industrial Technical Assistance Center (PITAC) and Pre-Start of Sales Quality Clinic (PSQC), which are all government-run organizations, failed to fulfill their responsibilities in modernizing the Pakistani automobile manufacturing industry. The automobile industry in Pakistan is one of the most significant industrial sectors, contributing approximately 3% of the country’s GDP and PKR 50 billion. Previously, scholars have discussed the use of TQM practices in different contexts, but this topic has been investigated less in the automobile industry. Furthermore, there are gaps in the literature regarding the relationships among top management commitment, customer focus, supplier quality management, human resource management and supply chain performance (SCP). The current study was designed to measure the impact of total quality management practices (TQMPs) on SCP of the automobile industry in Pakistan. Quantitative research was conducted, and a survey-based questionnaire was administered using a random sampling technique. Data from 155 senior managers representing the outlets of the automobile industry in Pakistan were analyzed using Smart PLS 4. Top management, customer focus, supplier quality, and human resource management are significant antecedents of SCP in Pakistan's automobile industry. This research addressed gaps in the supply chain literature and contributed significantly to the body of knowledge. We recommend that policymakers and practitioners implement practices to advance the SCP of the automobile industry in Pakistan. The study has novelty as unexplored area in literature was discussed by its findings. Policy and managerial implications of this research are significant to contribute to literature. The limitations of this research are discussed to provide significant insight for future directions.

Perspectives of BrinquEinstein healthcare professionals on the implementation of therapeutic play in pediatrics.

The benefits of therapeutic play (TP) in pediatrics are widely reported in the literature, however its use by health professionals is still limited. The objective was to understand how professionals belonging to the BrinquEinstein group evaluate the process of systematic implementation of TP in hospital pediatric units. Exploratory study, with a qualitative approach, developed in the pediatric and intensive care units of extra-large general hospital in São Paulo. The sample consisted of 13 professionals from different categories belonging to BrinquEinstein. Data was collected through individual semi-structured and audio-recorded interviews, being analyzed based on the Inductive Thematic Analysis proposed by Braun and Clark. From the analysis of the interviews, five themes emerged: experiencing a transforming process; the benefits that strengthen the path; the facilities that encourage the walk; the barriers that challenge the process; the future prospects. For the interviewed professionals, it is essential that the use of TP becomes a routine practice in different contexts of the child´s healthcare, in which managers and institutions play a fundamental role in its implementation.

Expanded education in formal and informal educational contexts

The manuscript presented aims to encourage reflection on educational practices deployed in formal and informal contexts. In order to address the needs of post-pandemic education, new forms of expanded, invisible, and ubiquitous education are contrasted. This article aims to promote a debate and exchange of knowledge, practices, and pedagogical criteria that would enable the acquisition of emerging knowledge. The factors that enrich the quality of the bond built between the educator and the students based on a dialogic, dynamic, and open relationship are taken into consideration. The results support the importance of promoting the integration of previous experiences and knowledge and openness to learning in unconventional spaces and outside school hours. Finally, guidelines are offered for the future study and design of new forms of educational expansion as a way to strengthen policies and practices in different contexts.

Understanding Students’ English-Speaking Difficulties: An Exploratory Practice Approach with Web 2.0

Education literature has advocated the adoption of Exploratory Practice, a form of practitioner research developed for teachers and students to work on local puzzles (what puzzles them in their teaching and learning) for understanding. Despite the popularity of Exploratory Practice in different contexts, there has been little exploration of how Web 2.0 can be employed in Exploratory Practice to enhance language learning and teaching, considering the reality of a digital world for both language teachers and learners. This article bridges this gap by introducing Exploratory Practice with Web 2.0 to a Chinese high school English class, prompted by a teacher's puzzle regarding her students’ English-speaking difficulties. Normal classroom activities were used as data-collection tools. This innovation was found effective in boosting students’ confidence and comfort in speaking English in class and in enhancing teaching and learning experiences. The innovation, therefore, affirms Exploratory Practice as a viable research proposal for practitioners and the value of integrating Web 2.0 with Exploratory Practice to explore issues in language classrooms.

Validating the rapid validity testing concept across regions

Empirical studies in innovation management often draw on data collected in particular regions, mostly in Western economies, and imply universal applicability of the findings across regions. Given the relevance of innovation for economic progress and structural and cultural differences among regions, there is surprisingly little knowledge available on whether the knowledge developed from Western firms can be transferred to emerging economies. This dearth of knowledge is especially notable for the early phases of innovation processes. Rapid iterations between knowledge creation and learning are critical at the front end of innovation (FEI), a phase that, in turn, is crucial for innovation success. In a recently published article, Peña Häufler and co‐authors developed the concept of rapid validity testing (RVT) and found support for its positive relation with innovation performance. Since the authors draw on a sample of Western firms, we explore whether the concept of RVT and its performance relevance remain valid across regional contexts. The data for this study stem from a sample of 1625 respondents from 232 firms in Europe and Latin America. Our findings advance our understanding of innovation management practices in different contexts, informing future research on the approach and relevance of assessing the effect of different contexts on central measures for improving innovative capabilities.

Knowledge Spillover: Between Serendipity and Strategic Planning - Lessons for Practice-oriented Interventions into Regional Innovation Systems

Previous CSCW research has paid increasing attention to regional innovation systems providing the context for CSCW research and design. In this paper we provide insights into attempts to intervene in such a regional innovation system via practice-oriented activities. Our findings describe experiences of co-creating knowledge around digitization of SMEs on a regional level, beyond individual company contexts. We reflect on the benefits and challenges such an approach affords and highlight the importance of interpersonal relationships and similarities between practices in different contexts to enable intended but also initially unexpected knowledge spillovers. Our findings highlight how a praxeological approach to CSCW can be influential in regional development programs, and open this field to CSCW research and design. We draw out lessons for similar interventions and outline fruitful avenues for future research.

Innovation and deadlock in governing disasters and climate change collaboratively - Lessons from the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia

Both scholars and global policy point to the need for, and effectiveness of, locally-led and collaborative disaster and climate change practices. However, there is a need for analysing how these collaborative approaches are developed and used in practice in different contexts. This paper outlines the use of collaborative approaches by a climate change and disaster community of practice across seven local government areas in the Northern Rivers region, New South Wales, Australia. The region has experienced multiple large-scale flood and bushfire disasters since 2017. This ethnographic study uses established collaborative governance and adaptive governance theoretical frameworks to draw findings from: lived experiences of researchers, 22 interviews with diverse stakeholder groups, in-person and online events and the first author's research diary. The findings indicate that collaborative practice in response to disasters and climate change has resulted in both effective outcomes and multi-dimensional challenges, which have lasting implications for communities across the Northern Rivers region. Three critical leverage points for enhanced collaboration and effectiveness were identified. First, improved use and flow of information such as climate projections and place- and needs-based information. Second, mindset shifts that value community knowledge and contributions, and improved practice through enhancing skills in community development and community-led recovery in disaster and climate change practitioners. Lastly, collectively moving from reactive to proactive responses to climate change and disasters. These insights provide an opportunity for improving the design of community-based risk reduction programs and multi-stakeholder governance arrangements into the future, in the state of New South Wales and beyond.

Barriers hindering Effective Engagement in Online Assessment for Teacher Education in Tanzania: Perspectives from two Teachers’ Colleges

The recent shift to online distance learning in education institutions has prompted the implementation of online assessment. However, the effectiveness of online assessment in most countries, particularly sub-Saharan Teacher Colleges, remains in a critical dilemma as their adoption of technology is still at an infancy stage. Evidence about tutors and student-teachers from sub-Saharan Africa using available virtual platforms such as Learning Management System (LMS) to conduct effective online assessment is scarcely available. This paper addresses how tutors and student-teachers face challenges of integrating online assessment into their teaching through LMS as well as how they benefit from it. The paper is based on a study that employed a qualitative approach where the phenomenological design was adopted to gain lived experiences from participants on the use of LMS for online assessment. 15 tutors from two colleges were interviewed with the expectation that they would have rich information about the implementation of online assessment through LMS. Findings indicated that both tutors and student-teachers faced multiple barriers which compromised their ability to engage in online assessment. Such barriers are categorized into policy issues, resource-related challenges, online teaching and learning services and instructor-related challenges. Despite the challenges, participants perceived online assessment to have significant impact towards learning. Participants also expressed that online assessment is essential for learning in the digital age and thus, suggested the need to strengthen their capacity to improve their engagement. This study recommends that Teacher Colleges should invest in technological systems that enhance online assessment. To accelerate learning transformation in Teacher Colleges, awareness in online learning is vital. To increase student-teachers’ engagement in online assessment through LMS, it is necessary to make curriculum reforms to ensure effective e-learning. Future research may focus on generating evidence about practices in different contexts.

Localised Trust in a Globalised Knot: Designing Information Privacy for Digital-ID

We designed the system that manages, verifies and exchanges identity information for Namibia's national Digital-ID. We applied Grounded Theory methods to five focus groups to understand experiences, expectations and practices in different contexts of legal identity verification and sharing. Local perspectives on privacy aligned with prevalent models for Digital-ID, in which people individually own and trade their personal information, yet they cannot be disentangled from specific social relationships. Thus, our design responds to the ways people establish trust with organisations over time and relate consent for information exchange and privacy control to accountability. We use Situational Analysis to consider how data governance is constructed in a policy-design-adoption ‘knot’ and relates to Namibia's sociotechnical imaginary of ‘unity in diversity’. Unequal telecommunications access and adoption contributes to systems that produce inegalitarian data relations but is not central in Namibia's data protection and privacy discourse, thus our thick analysis prompted designing to strengthen collective voice in governance through Government Gazettes and civil society activism. Our reflections also suggest that although design research of a real-world system in Africa offers important insights about combining individualist and collectivist orientations in data governance, their wider scholarly contribution is impeded by norms imposed by the Global North.

Geomedia. Postindustrial practices of public space improvement in Arctic cities

Architecture is the most important tool for transforming the environment. According to S. McQuire, today, the advent of media technologies creates a new “modality”, which turns architecture into a dynamic media product. The article considers the Arctic as a potential space for the application of media architecture and media technologies, emphasizing the possibility of using these tools to solve the unique environmental and socio-economic problems of the region. The Arctic is regarded is a “territory of the future”, where the new media architecture design approaches may have an impact on the environment. The possibility of implementing media architectural practices in different contexts is discussed, particularly in the Arctic, where a number of problems can be solved with the help of these new tools.

Logistics Planning Practices and Performance of Electoral Systems in Kenya.

Elections are becoming democracy's bedrock. Even before the great development of African states were created, antagonists attempted to corrupt, undermine, or otherwise disrupt democracy by seeking to subvert elections. The threats on the electoral process are as old as the vote itself: from adversarial governments, terrorist organizations, strikers for the Boss Tweed vote, people who try to wreak havoc hence the survival of democracy demands for the protection of elections. As a consequence, after the 90s Election Administration in African nations, the tendency of some individuals to impede elections has not changed, mentioning a number of electoral fraud cases in the history of African States. In recent years, some of the tactics of such attempts to overthrow democracy have become distinct. Attacks that exploit vulnerabilities in digital networks today improve conventional approaches and have become an increasingly successful strategy. Therefore, the study sought to determine the role of Logistics planning practices on the performance of electoral systems in Kenya. The research design that was used in this study was a longitudinal research design. The population for this study consisted of 373 Commission Secretary/Chief Executive Officer (CS/CEO), Deputy Commission Secretary (DCS), Directors, Managers, County Election Managers, and Constituency Election Coordinators within 290 constituencies of Kenya's August 2017 election. A total of 373 respondents were used as the sample size for the study. Data was used as primary and secondary. While self-administered questionnaire and interview guide were used to collect primary data, the study reviewed the previous evaluation reports to seek the secondary data on General election performance. The data was collected and then analyzed by both descriptive and inferential statistical tools. The results of this study benefited policy makers, managers, administrators, citizens all whole, researchers, consultants, scholars, and trainers involved in Election Administration. This study tested the null hypotheses that Logistics planning practices had no significant role in the performance of electoral systems in Kenya. Pragmatism paradigm approach and mixed method research were adopted in this study. The questionnaire tested both validity and reliability. Quantitative and qualitative techniques were used to analyze the collected data with the assistance of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 25. Multiple regression and correlation analysis were carried out. The results revealed a moderate positive correlation (R = 0.565) between logistics planning and electoral system performance, with approximately 31.9% of the variance explained by logistic planning. The consequences of these findings are relevant for electoral authorities and policymakers that aim to improve the dependability, participation rate, uniformity, and trustworthiness of election systems through the use of strategic logistical planning. The study's findings on the significance of logistics planning strategies in Kenyan electoral systems suggest recommendations for improvement, including implementing robust logistics planning procedures to optimize resource allocation and minimize delays, prioritizing voter-friendly environments at polling locations, establishing a responsive logistical communication system, and developing cost-effective logistics planning approaches. Additionally, the study indicates a need for further research to identify additional factors influencing electoral system performance and to assess logistics management practices in different contexts, such as the East African region, for a more comprehensive analysis

Equity, Imagination and Contested Narratives

Justice and the idea of the moral good pervade legal philosophy and underlie much of legal practice in different contexts. They are particularly resonant in the law of equity and the remedies it makes available. This article uses equity and conceptions of justice explores the role of narratives, fairness and values through the lens of the constructive trust, science fiction, temporality, the counterfactual imagination and creativity. This special edition’s theme of intersectionalities within law is a central analytical thread. Power dynamics and the place of equity in social dialogues around justice and fairness are set alongside socioeconomic vulnerability and othering in understanding how the law succeeds and fails in managing emerging inequalities. A lack of autonomy and voicelessness is often revealed through constrained access to law and legal services, as well as a more vulnerable relationship with time. Engaging the constructive trust provides interesting opportunities to examine the role of the trust within law, and through that explore wider discussions about the nature of legal systems and the remedies they may give rise to. Science fiction has always provided opportunities to create counterfactual worlds and engage hypothetical questions, many of which might illuminate contemporary debates or resonate forward to emerging concerns. Imagination is a central tenet of these worlds, as well as, increasingly, within law when faced with emerging technologies and the issues they present. The article concludes with an acknowledgement that such narratives and opportunities to question social norms can be a valuable tool in grounding societal change.

Medical Aid in Dying: How Might U.S. Policy Prevent Suffering at the End of Life?

ABSTRACT Medical aid in dying refers to policies that allow terminally ill patients to seek assistance from their medical providers to obtain medications to hasten death. In this paper, we used a 7-point policy analysis model to examine the diversity of medical aid in dying policies that exist in jurisdictions (states and territories) in the U.S. and the implications of these policies for suffering at end of life. As of this writing, these practices are available in 12 jurisdictions, including 11 states and the District of Columbia. Legalization has occurred via statutory approaches in 10 jurisdictions and permissive approaches in two jurisdictions. We discuss the structures of these laws, the requirements for participation, and the limitations created by having jurisdiction-specific policies on such broad, bioethical issues. Existing laws appear to relieve suffering in patients at end of life. Jurisdictional differences create barriers to comprehensive expansion but provide insights into practice in different contexts.

Bilingual subtitling in streaming media

Abstract This article explores bilingual subtitling, a relatively under-researched mode of audiovisual translation, and its role in the ever-evolving landscape of global media streaming. Originally used for cinema productions in officially bilingual countries and international film festivals, bilingual subtitling has now resurfaced as a response to the growing affordances of streaming media. This article investigates the proliferation of bilingual subtitling tools and practices in different contexts, from PC-based tools and Chrome extensions that add bilingual subtitle features to streaming platforms (Netflix, YouTube) to amateur (optionally bilingual) subtitling streaming services (Viki Rakuten), video sharing websites (Bilibili), and online channels with open bilingual subtitles embedded in their videos (Easy Languages). Bilingual subtitling is further promoted as a pedagogical tool for foreign-language learning that matches the expectations of contemporary learners, especially ‘digital natives’ who have grown up with new online modalities. The conventional ways in which audiences used to engage with audiovisual content have, arguably, been superseded as streaming platforms that offer an abundance of options in terms of language and content are gradually reshaping viewing patterns. Shifting away from long-established patterns of passive TV consumption, this article also sets out to present online collaborations and initiatives that seek to incorporate bilingual subtitles in language learning while promoting the active participation of the audience within the emerging media streaming landscape.

PARTICIPATIVE MANAGEMENT FOR TEAM EFFECTIVENESS AND INNOVATION

This study investigates the effect of a participative management practice, ‘mini-business activities’ (MBAs), on three outcome variables: team effectiveness, team innovation, and job satisfaction. An empirical approach is employed, with survey data gathered from 340 individuals working in 50 teams in South African manufacturing organisations. The results indicate that MBAs have a significant and positive effect on team effectiveness and team innovation in a similar way to that of quality circles. However, MBAs are found to have no direct or indirect effect, through employee engagement, on job satisfaction. The findings contribute to a more nuanced understanding of the impact of participative management practices in different contexts, and indicate that future research considering the impact of high unemployment levels on the relationship between participative management practices and job satisfaction would be valuable.

Community Based Participatory Research: A Ladder of Opportunity for Engaged Scholarship in Higher Education

Higher Education the world over is recognized as a driver of development in the knowledge based economy. It is believed that Higher Education benefits the economy through the formation of human capital and building a knowledge base that contributes to solving problems in society. However, voices of frustration about graduates being unable to relate theory to practice in different contexts raises questions about the quality of teaching and learning in Higher Education Institutions (HEI). Some reports have shown that graduates seem to leave HEI’ s disengaged, ill equipped, and unable to apply acquired university knowledge to real world problems. In addition, even though the mission of the university is inclusive of engagement among others, community engagement priority seems to be emphasized only on the part of faculty members and less so on students. This in part is a result of a curriculum that mainly promotes classroom based learning and the ivory tower mentality of HEI, which places the community in the periphery of knowledge and data production. This conceptual paper argues that in order for HEI’s to produce quality graduates, who are innovative and active citizens, a transformative teaching and learning scholarship that moves beyond “classroom-based theory” is necessary, more especially for students in applied fields of study such as community development. Borrowing from Nyerere’s educational philosophy, this paper posits that Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR), with its collaborative inquiry, social action and service learning, may provide a basis for engaged scholarship of teaching and learning that promotes engagement for higher education students in applied fields of study. Thus, by exploring the concepts of engaged scholarship and CBPR and the nuances that exist between them, this paper seeks to underscore the importance of CBPR and how it can contribute to engaged scholarship for students.

Innovative Privacy Practices

AbstractThe panel is premised by a recurring theme in empirical privacy research: as privacy localism drive regulation and policy change, we are left with a landscape that is fragmented, across states and sectors; confusing, between places and stakeholders; and often insufficient, as laws address narrow sets of privacy harms or specific actors. This raises the question: How can organizations and individuals innovate to address privacy policy gaps and fragmentation? This panel aims to describe and discuss creative and experimental approaches to institutionalize privacy practices in different contexts and organizations, moving beyond relying on policy alone to promote social good. We address this from a variety of perspectives including licensing, contracting, privacy by design including via architecture, records laws, AI ethics, human rights, obfuscation, and activism.

Subjective Bodily Experiences of Island Cyclists in Different Contexts: The Case of Hainan Island, China

A single subjective bodily experience is at the core of sports tourism activities, but the current literature on sports tourism largely ignores both the continuous and ephemeral experiential processes of individuals in mobile sports activities from a bodily perspective. In this study, we developed a “context–body–perception” framework and selected a sample of tourists from Hainan Island, China, in order to explore the embodied experience of cycling tourists, using a qualitative approach. We found that the contexts encountered by island cyclists could be divided into a human context and nonhuman context. The human context included the companion context, pan-companion context, and host context, and the nonhuman context comprised the natural context, mediated facility context, and digital technology context. The cyclists’ physical experiences and perceptions in multiple different contexts were inseparable from each other, and both were embedded in a specific context through the five senses, through the state of body and activity, through emotions and memories, and through interaction with a specific context, all of which formed a dynamic feedback system. Through bodily practices in different contexts, cyclists acquired meaningful representations of their bodies, social relationships, and self-worth. The findings of this study can enrich the study of embodiment in sports and recreation areas, as well as provide an initial foray into bodily research in island-based cycling.

Exculpating HR: Applying an Institutional Logics Approach to Employee Quits

Many studies examine how human resource (HR) practices influence employee quit rates, implicitly assuming that HR policies and practices are the key determinants of voluntary labour turnover. Although the results of such studies often indicate a weak association between HR policies and practices and higher quit rates, the very assessment of a potential relationship between HR and quits assumes that labour turnover is something that HR can and should fix. The institutional logics perspective provides a powerful lens to examine how different institutional pressures influence managers’ and employees’ decisions and actions Whilst these logics can reinforce one another, they are often in conflict. This complex interaction can provide insights into the variable success of HR practices in different contexts. Based on 54 interviews from Pakistani banking employees, this paper finds that employee perceptions of HR effectiveness only partially explain turnover intentions. The paper contends that competing logics of professionalism, the market, bureaucracy as well as employee’s own logics based on family, societal and cultural imperatives are crucial to understanding HRM effectiveness. Consequently, we argue that mainstream HRM literature typically downplays the importance of institutional logics embedded within local contexts, and, as a result, overlooks how employees may blame HR managers and policies for outcomes which may be beyond their control and remit.