Primary Empirical Research Research Articles

Redefining Urban Recreation: A Demand Analysis for Urban Year-Round Green Exercise.

Urban green exercise offers substantial physical and mental health benefits, especially in urban environments with limited natural access. This study analyzes the demand for urban year-round green exercise under various meteorological conditions. Using a primary empirical research design, data were collected from 408 active participants in Germany through an online survey. The survey consisted of one questionnaire, with multiple sections including demographics, green exercise, year-round green exercise, and nature-relatedness. Spearman rank correlations and Pearson's correlation were conducted for data analysis, and linear regressions calculated differences between groups. The results indicate a high demand for green exercise, with most participants engaging in endurance-based sports in urban green spaces at least once a week, regardless of weather conditions. However, adverse weather, such as precipitation and extreme cold, significantly reduces the likelihood of green exercise. Furthermore, the study identifies a positive correlation between participants' connection to nature and their likelihood of engaging in green exercise under different weather conditions. The findings suggest that urban year-round green exercise could be a viable public health intervention, accessible to a broad demographic, with the potential to improve overall well-being. However, further research is needed to explore the barriers to green exercise in adverse weather and to develop strategies to promote year-round green exercise.

The influence of entrepreneurial education on the development of entrepreneurial intentions of young people

A successful start-up begins with an innovative idea, which is then realized by identifying and seizing an opportunity. Innovation is one of the most crucial entrepreneurial qualities in this type of entrepreneurship. The aim of this paper is to determine the fundamental and specific characteristics of start-up entrepreneurship and to examine the entrepreneurial intentions and knowledge of young people in this field. The empirical research in this paper includes both secondary and primary research. Secondary research involves the presentation of relevant studies in the fields of start-up entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial education. The primary empirical research was conducted on a sample of 160 students from higher education institutions in Međimurje and Varaždin counties. The results indicate that students are relatively well-informed about the possibilities of starting a start-up company. Their personal assessments of their familiarity with the processes involved in starting a start-up are of average value. Additionally, respondents identified administrative procedures, high taxes, lack of knowledge about funding sources, and insufficient information about reference centers as the main obstacles to entering entrepreneurship. By testing the research hypotheses, it was found that attending formal classes in entrepreneurship positively affects the entrepreneurial intentions of young people. The limitations of the research include the restriction of the sample to northwestern Croatia. The findings suggest a further need to strengthen entrepreneurship education and expand it to younger populations in the Republic of Croatia.

Art therapy with adult refugees: A systematic review of qualitative research

There are currently no systematic reviews that evaluate art therapy as a treatment for trauma in adult refugees. With over 32.5 million refugees worldwide as of mid-2022, many of them facing trauma, it’s crucial that access to proper therapeutic support be available. Art therapy de-emphasizes verbal communication, which may help refugees facing language barriers and difficulties talking about their experiences. Most of the research on this topic is qualitative, so a qualitative meta-analysis as outlined by Timulak (2009) was attempted. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were made based on date, publication type, sample size, data collection method, participant information, type of therapeutic intervention, and data analysis method. Out of 594 articles located, selection resulted in only N = 4 studies. Timulak recommends 8–16 articles for meta-analysis. Therefore, studies were instead summarized in a box score table. Results revealed that art therapy shows potential, but no reliable conclusions can be drawn because, despite a large body of literature, there are very few empirical studies in this field. Considering this, further primary empirical research must be done. Results suggest that building culturally significant art forms into therapy may be a particularly helpful avenue of exploration.

Promoting transdisciplinary teaching and learning and research in a world that is faced with multifaceted challenges

With a lot of transformation in higher education, teaching, and learning is becoming very complex. To cope with the transformation that is so complex, academics must be innovative in their teaching. Their teaching should also influence the behaviour of their students. Students after completion of their studies must also be able to solve the challenges of society. There are several approaches to teaching and learning such as multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, and ideally transdisciplinary, scholarship of teaching and learning, evidence-based teaching and learning, transdisciplinary teaching and learning and competence-based teaching and learning, and deep learning approaches among others. This paper focuses on the transdisciplinary research and teaching and learning approach. The aim of the paper is to investigate the importance of transdisciplinary research, teaching, and learning in a world that is faced with multifaceted challenges. This is a qualitative design paper where systemic desktop research was used. The systematic reviews follow structured and predefined methods to identify, appraise, and synthesise the relevant literature. Desktop research is a research method that involves the use of existing data. These are secondary collected and summarised data to increase the overall effectiveness of the investigation. Secondary research is much more cost-effective than primary research, as it uses existing data, unlike primary empirical research. The secondary literature was collected based on the history, challenges, and benefits of transdisciplinary research, teaching, and learning. The research study concludes that transdisciplinary research and teaching and learning approach is the way to go in solving constant challenges that face the world. The study recommends that university faculties, schools, and departments should engage in transdisciplinary teaching, and learning and research.

Mobile Number Portability in Bangladesh, A Threat to Customer Retention

The research intends to identify whether MNP should be considered a threat to current market leader in the telecom industry and why mobile subscribers accept this innovative service. The researcher studied the reasons for taking this service using the primary empirical research method using 385 samples selected through snowballing. The technology acceptance model is the theoretical basis. Regression and factor analysis results show that customers accept the innovative service due to their perceived value creation, which incurs purchase intention. Perceived usefulness, perceived cost, and perceived ease of getting this service have added value creation and influenced customers’ purchase intention. Future studies could be done to identify post-purchase satisfaction of customers and also the steps taken by telecom companies in Bangladesh or any other country where it is recently introduced. Originality and value: The concept of Mobile number portability is an innovation itself in Bangladesh. Significant studies have not been done on this concern; this research will put some clarity on the situation and future direction on this area of research. This research is solely conducted by the researcher and it is an original study.

A circular economy standard: the origins, method and business applications of the Cradle to Cradle Certified certification

The circular economy has gained considerable traction lately within the corporate and academic world as a new approach for addressing economic, business and environmental issues. This concept aims to reduce and eliminate waste or the wasting of resources, as well as to optimize and to minimize resource use during the production and consumption phases. For companies which intend to become circular it is crucial to apply internationally accepted standards which provide credible and comparable data on their circular performance. One of these circular standards is the Cradle to Cradle Certified (C2CC) certification, a global label for products that are safe for nature and people, circular and responsibly made. In my paper I discuss the origins, methodologies and the main features of this standard and I also showcase my primary empirical research I did with companies having one or more C2CC product certification(s).

Objectifying Science: Impersonalization in English Research Articles From Different Disciplines

English academic writing has often been characterized as being direct, accurate, and objective. One way of achieving objectivity is through the use of a communicative strategy called impersonalization. The present research examines linguistic devices that academic writers have at their disposal to avoid explicit reference, especially to themselves, and to detach themselves from the information they convey. It also addresses the question of whether this impersonalization strategy is expressed differently across different disciplines. For these purposes, a corpus of 45 primary empirical research articles from the fields of linguistics, medicine, and natural sciences were analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively with the help of corpus linguistic method. The results of the research showed that impersonalization in English research articles could be expressed through the use of agentless passive constructions and impersonal constructions. The results indicate that English academic discourse is marked by the use of agentless passive constructions (199.17 tokens per 10.000 words) to express impersonalization, which was primarily used to serve as writer-oriented hedging functions. The study also revealed highly significant differences in the use of impersonalization in linguistics, medicine and natural sciences. This seems to suggest that impersonalization in English academic discourse is expressed differently in different fields of study.

Mapping psychosocial interventions in familial colorectal cancer: a rapid systematic review

BackgroundApproximately 5% of colorectal cancer (CRC) cases are part of a well-defined inherited genetic syndrome and up to approximately 30% of these cases have a clinically defined familial basis. Psychosocial interventions in familial colorectal cancer address aspects mainly focused on affective, cognitive and behavioural outcomes. The present review aims to systematically map out the available psychosocial interventions for individuals with a family history of CRC and describe the current state of the research.MethodsAn extensive electronic search was conducted to investigate the literature published until June 2020. Inclusion criteria consisted of quantitative studies published in English that explored the impact of psychosocial interventions for familial CRC, clearly defined the psychosocial intervention offered and included participants with a family history of CRC.ResultsThe analysis included 52 articles. Genetic counselling, educational interventions, psychological interventions and multimodal interventions were identified across the studies. In terms of diagnoses, Lynch Syndrome, Familial Adenomatous Polyposis, Familial Colorectal Cancer were the main conditions included in the studies. Affective, cognitive, behavioural aspects and quality of life emerged as the most frequently explored outcomes. The studies included individuals with both personal and familial history of CRC or family history alone.ConclusionsOur rapid review provides an overview of the literature exploring the impact of psychosocial interventions for familial CRC. The psychosocial interventions identified had an overwhelmingly positive impact across all types of outcomes measured. Genetic counselling appeared to be most beneficial, and this is expected as it is purposively designed to address genetic conditions. Further quantitative analysis of primary empirical research is needed to determine the efficacy and effectiveness of psychosocial interventions as well as the mechanisms through which they exert their effect.

Identification of Information System Audit Quality Factors

Abstract The primary purpose of this work is to provide an overview and comparative analysis of various Information System Audit Quality measures, as well as to test the validity of the chosen measurement scale empirically. In this regard, a thorough literature study was undertaken, followed by primary empirical research, and the reliability and validity of the measurement scale were tested. Based on the identified papers, a questionnaire was created and evaluated by a panel of experts. Following that, data was collected from respondents who were either managers inside the organizational unit responsible for information technology or those designated as adequate by the heads of IT departments.

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic and Societal Infection Control Measures on Children and Adolescents' Mental Health: A Scoping Review.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic is primarily a crisis that affects people's physical health. However, it is well-known from previous epidemics and pandemics that there are other indirect negative impacts on mental health, among others. The purpose of this scoping review was to explore and summarise primary empirical research evidence on how the COVID-19 pandemic and societal infection control measures have impacted children and adolescents' mental health.Methods: A literature search was conducted in five scientific databases: PubMed, APA PsycINFO, Web of Science, CINHAL, and Social Science Premium Collection. The search string was designed using the Population (0–18 years), Exposure (COVID-19), Outcomes (mental health) framework. Mental health was defined broadly, covering mental well-being to mental disorders and psychiatric conditions.Results: Fifty-nine studies were included in the scoping review. Of these, 44 were cross-sectional and 15 were longitudinal studies. Most studies reported negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on child and adolescent mental health outcomes, yet the evidence was mixed. This was also the case for studies investigating societal control measures. Strong resilience, positive emotion regulation, physical activity, parental self-efficacy, family functioning and emotional regulation, and social support were reported as protective factors. On the contrary, emotional reactivity and experiential avoidance, exposure to excessive information, COVID-19 school concerns, presence of COVID-19 cases in the community, parental mental health problems, and high internet, social media and video game use were all identified as potentially harmful factors.Conclusions: Due to the methodological heterogeneity of the studies and geographical variation, it is challenging to draw definitive conclusions about the real impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of children and adolescents. However, the existing body of research gives some insight to how parents, clinicians and policy makers can take action to mitigate the effects of COVID-19 and control measures. Interventions to promote physical activity and reduce screen time among children and adolescents are recommended, as well as parenting support programs.

Structural discrimination and abuse: COVID-19 and people in care homes in England and Wales

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the significant and high death toll of COVID-19 on care home residents and social care staff in England and Wales. These mortality figures, alongside differential treatment of residents and staff during the pandemic, are conceptualized as a form of structural abuse. Arguments are made for the inclusion of structural abuse as a separate category of elder abuse.Design/methodology/approachThis paper is predominantly conceptual but it also draws on available secondary data, such as mortality statistics, media reports and developing research.FindingsThe lack of appropriate personal protective equipment, paucity of guidance and high mortality rate among care home staff and residents during the pandemic is indicative of social discourses that, when underpinned by ageism, reflect structural elder abuse.Research limitations/implicationsThe research is limited by its focus on a specific time period and its recency. It is also limited in not being based on primary empirical research but it remains exploratory and conceptual and provides a base for ongoing research in this area.Social implicationsIf structural elder abuse was to be included in classifications, it demands a rethink of social and health-care services and the policies and practices associated with them and reinforces the government message that safeguarding is everyone’s business.Originality/valueResearch concerning the effects and impact of COVID-19 are still in their early stages. However, the central element of originality in the paper concerns the linking of practices, policies and underlying social assumptions and structural, or societally ingrained, elder abuse.

Trust and other factors impacting the platform choice in sharing economy: A case from Poland

Objective: The purpose of this study is two-fold: firstly, to identify the role of trust in the sharing economy; secondly, to identify the correlations between personal determinants such as age, gender, education level, place of residence and factors impacting the choice of sharing economy platform. Research Design & Methods: The mix methods were applied in the study. Firstly, the literature studies were used to recognise the theoretical background and the variables identification. Secondly, the pre-research study, applying the in-depth interviews, was conducted, and thirdly, the main primary empirical research was employed with the online survey as a main research method. Findings: There is a strong relationship between the activities of consumers in relation to sharing economy and trust. Trust becomes a fundamental issue in the so-called “the trend of sharing”. Consumers identify trust as a key determinant of their participation in the sharing economy and likewise the main limitation in case of their deeper involvement in the sharing process. The more credible and trustworthy an enterprise is, the more willingly consumers are able to take advantage of its intermediation. When analysing consumer decisions in relation to independent variables, such as age, gender, place of residence and education level, a lack of statistically significant correlations between the variables and the factors influencing the choice of the appropriate platform was noticed. Only two pairs of variables showed statistically significant negative correlations: age and credibility of the sharing economy platform as well as education level and number of stars. Implications & Recommendations: Research broadens knowledge about the sharing economy and allows to better understand the behaviour of active consumers of the sharing economy. The results may be useful for sharing economy companies and platforms. Contribution & Value Added: The analysis presented in the paper expands knowledge about the significance of trust and other factors influencing the choice of platforms in sharing economy.

Reimaging the policing of gender violence: lessons from women’s police stations in Brasil and Argentina

The criminalisation of domestic violence during the 1970s and 1980s was lauded by feminists as a victory, as the state taking responsibility for the safety of women. The problem was that its regulation was delegated to a masculinist judicial system and its policing delegated to a militarised and masculinised police service that left victims disappointed, re-victimised or disbelieved. Our paper investigates how to re-imagine the policing of victims/survivors of gender-based violence from a women-centred perspective. Drawing on secondary and primary empirical research on women's police stations (WPS), that first emerged in Brasil in 1985 and Argentina in 1988, this paper investigates whether this model could offer an innovative remedy to the masculinised ill-equipped traditional models of policing of gender-based violence. Framed by southern theory our project reverses the notion that knowledge/policy transfer should flow from the Anglophone countries of the Global-North to the Global-South. Our project aimed to discover, firstly, how women's police stations – a unique invention of the Global-South, respond to and prevent gender-based violence and, secondly, what aspects could inform the development of new approaches to policing and prevention of gender-based violence elsewhere in the world. We conclude that this uniquely South American innovation might serve as an inspiration to Australia and elsewhere in the world struggling with the shadow pandemic of gender violence. Our paper draws on original empirical and historical research undertaken in Brasil, Argentina and Australia to offer new practical and conceptual insights into how to enhance the policing of gender-based violence.

Digital Access is not Binary: The 5'A's of Technology Access in the Philippines

AbstractOnline political participation has been presented as a possible solution to declining levels of trust in traditional politics. However, the most marginalised communities are often the least connected and participate least in digital citizenship programmes. Much existing literature rests on a binary understanding of citizens as being either connected or unconnected. Progress is therefore often understood simply as a process of “connecting the unconnected.” This paper presents primary empirical research from the Philippines, which suggests that such binary understandings disguise more than they reveal. We argue that it is descriptively more accurate and more analytically useful to recognise that multiple classes of technology access exist, which limit digital citizenship in multiple ways. Qualitative methods were used to learn from non‐users and the least connected about the barriers to online civic participation that they experience. The 5'A's of Technology Access was employed as a framework to analyse those barriers and reveal the social and economic factors that they reflect, reproduce, and amplify. Findings suggest that nonbinary and nontechnical understandings of the barriers to digital inclusion are essential to any effective attempt to remove the remaining obstacles to genuinely inclusive digital citizenship.

Eco‐evolutionary dynamics of sexual selection and sexual conflict

AbstractThe research framework of eco‐evolutionary dynamics is increasing in popularity, as revealed by a steady stream of review articles and a recent and influential book, but primary empirical research is lagging behind. Moreover, the few empirical case studies demonstrating eco‐evolutionary dynamics might not be entirely representative.Much current research on eco‐evolutionary dynamics is focused on how ecological interactions lead to natural selection on phenotypic traits (“eco‐evo”), and in turn how the evolutionary change in such traits feed back on ecological dynamics (“evo‐eco”). A key feature of eco‐evolutionary dynamics is thus a feedback loop between ecology (e.g., population dynamics) and evolution (i.e., genetic change).In contrast to previous research on eco‐evolutionary dynamics driven by natural selection, the role of eco‐evolutionary feedbacks in sexual selection and sexual conflict is largely unknown. Here, I review theory and the limited empirical evidence in this area and identify some promising future lines of research.I update a past review on contemporary evolution of secondary sexual traits in natural populations and formulate six explicit and rigorous criteria for contemporary evolution of secondary sexual traits by natural or sexual selection or sexual conflict. I then discuss the other key prediction of eco‐evolutionary dynamics (i.e., evolution by sexual selection or sexual conflict shapes ecological dynamics). My overview reveals that our current knowledge in this area is limited and mainly come from theoretical models and laboratory experiments.A major challenge in eco‐evolutionary dynamics is therefore to link ecological and population dynamics with sexual selection and sexual conflict. This is not an easy task but might be possible with carefully chosen study systems and methods.Aplain language summaryis available for this article.

REGULATORY CONDITIONS OF FUNCTIONAL EFFICIENCY AND STABILITY OF ROAD TRANSPORT ENTERPRISES

The functioning of road transport enterprises is determined by external (legal processes and the market mechanism) and internal (a projection of regulatory principles set out in functional systems) factors. The aim of this study is therefore to identify legal and market conditions and internal operating rules of road transport enterprises in the context of their impact on their efficiency and durability. The paper is based on a theoretical literature review and a primary empirical research.

Mindfulness interventions in the workplace: A critique of the current state of the literature.

There is growing research interest regarding the significance of mindfulness in the workplace. Within this body of knowledge, research investigating the effects of mindfulness interventions on employee health and well-being has strong practical implications for organizations. A sound understanding of the current state of the workplace mindfulness intervention literature will help inform the suitability of these interventions within the workplace domain, and how to improve the conduct and communication of intervention-oriented research. Accordingly, in this article, we systematically review 40 published articles of mindfulness interventions in the workplace to identify ways in which these interventions could be improved, and how to overcome methodological concerns that threaten study validity. Studies selected for review were published peer-reviewed, primary empirical research studies written in English, with a focus on a workplace mindfulness intervention. We discuss a range of issues evident within this body of literature, including conceptualizations of mindfulness; the adaptation of protocols to work settings; internal validity in relation to random allocation and control conditions; the use of manipulation checks; attrition, adherence, acceptability, and maintenance of interventions; utilizing objective cognitive measures; examining organizational and well-being outcomes; and establishing boundary conditions. Overall, this review provides a resource to inform scholars to advance this line of inquiry and practitioners who are considering implementing a mindfulness intervention for employees. (PsycINFO Database Record

Exploring nurses' and patients' feelings of disgust associated with malodorous wounds: a rapid review.

To identify primary empirical research related specifically to feelings of disgust associated with malodorous chronic cutaneous wounds. A rapid review of the literature using the key words disgust; wounds; malodour and psychosocial. A total of 163 papers were retrieved with seven being included for the final review. Themes emanating from the review were malodour, health-care professionals coping with malodour and disgust. Malodour is a concern to patients, which can sometimes go unreported by nursing staff; although the reasons for this remain unclear. The coping mechanisms developed by nurses in response to 'disgusting' wounds requires further exploration in order for a fuller understanding of these mechanisms to be achieved. This review has identified that both health-care professionals and patients can become distressed at wound odours, yet there is little evidence that is available to guide people as to how to manage these feelings. Hard-to-heal or chronic cutaneous wounds, such as leg ulcers and diabetic foot ulcers, are an increasing global health-care issue. While some research has been undertaken to explore the psychological impact of living with a fungating carcinoma; much less has been written about the management and mitigation of feelings of disgust for patients and families living with a malodorous wound or how health-care professionals can effectively provide psychosocial care.

Public Theology and Empirical Research: Developing an Agenda

This article asks to what extent primary empirical research has so far informed the discourse of public theology in practice, despite some positive comments about its usefulness in theory. A review of the literature in the field with a focus on articles published in the International Journal of Public Theology reveals that only a small number of articles have drawn from primary empirical research data, that is, gathered by the authors themselves. There is some evidence of secondary research data being used more extensively. This study explores how the authors gathered primary empirical data and how they related that data to the themes under investigation. The theological character of this research is discussed and a number of weaknesses are identified. In response, a number of points are made that indicate how empirical data might develop an existing agenda and advance the methodology of public theology.

HEDGING THROUGH THE USE OF MODAL AUXILIARIES IN ENGLISH ACADEMIC DISCOURSE

As a communicative strategy, hedging plays a central role in academic writing. Numerous different linguistic forms can be used to express this strategy. This article attempts to investigate modal auxiliary verbs as the principal means of expressing hedging in English academic discourse. For this purpose, a corpus of 75 primary empirical research articles from economics, linguistics, medicine, natural sciences and engineering was analyzed quantitatively with the help of corpus linguistic method. The results revealed that modal auxiliaries were used most frequently in linguistics and economics and least frequently in engineering and natural sciences while their use in medicine came in between. This seems to suggest that there is noticeable disciplinary variation in the degree of hedging through the use of modal auxiliaries in English research articles. Modal auxiliaries tend to be more common in soft sciences than in hard sciences whereas their use in health sciences in comparison with soft and hard sciences does not seem to show any significant difference.