Scholars In Disciplines Research Articles

Using historical approaches to understand contemporary student loneliness

ABSTRACT Student loneliness is a global problem, with universities struggling to tackle an issue that has important implications for student success, satisfaction, and mental health. This research uses archival material from the 1960s and 1970s alongside qualitative discussions with contemporary students to explore the ways that experiences of loneliness within British higher education have changed across recent decades. Such an approach bridges the divergent approaches taken by different scholarly disciplines, applying focus group methodologies to the consideration of archival material. For this project five focus groups were held with undergraduate students at four universities in England, Wales and Scotland. This article argues for the contemporary relevance of historical research into student loneliness, exploring student responses to their predecessors’ experiences of loneliness. It argues that equipping undergraduates with a deeper knowledge about their forerunners’ experiences of disconnection can trouble some of the stereotypes, assumptions, and expectations around the sociable ‘student experience’ today. Such an approach has widespread implications for researchers’ and policy makers’ understandings of the potential role of interdisciplinary and humanities-generated knowledge in addressing social problems within higher education.

ROZIA KARIMOVA: THE PATH TO GREATNESS AND INSPIRATION

Objective: This article examines the life and contributions of Rozia Karimova, a pivotal figure in the preservation and development of Uzbek folk dance, highlighting her heroic efforts during the Second World War and her subsequent work in choreographic scholarship. Methods: The research employs a combination of validity, systematicity, comparative analysis, and synthesis to evaluate Karimova's impact on Uzbek dance. Statistical analysis is also utilized to assess the influence of her pedagogical works. Results: Rozia Karimova pioneered the documentation and systematization of Uzbek folk dance, creating the first comprehensive textbooks on regional dance styles, including Fergana, Khorezm, and Bukhara. Her works, such as Fergana Dance (1973), Khorezm Dance (1975), and Bukhara Dance (1977), became foundational texts for dancers and choreographers. Karimova’s contributions were recognized with prestigious awards, including the title of People’s Artist of Uzbekistan. Novelty: The article underscores Karimova’s unique role in transforming Uzbek folk dance from an oral tradition into a formalized, scholarly discipline, establishing her as a pioneering figure in the field of choreographic studies.

Toiling for oil: Daqing, real utopias and the production of livelihood in communist China

This dialogical interrogation of Hou Li’s important history of Daqing examines the contradictions of structure and agency in the building of communist China’s first oil city. Three provocations are raised. Two relate to ecology: the first on the ecological dimension of extractivism, which requires careful consideration in light of the current status of CO2 emissions per capita, with China accounting for about half the emissions of fossil fuel exporters like Australia; the second on how extractivism and decarbonization can be considered in light of recent claims that the US military was the world’s largest consumer of hydrocarbons in 2019. The third relates to the ambiguity of the term “capital” in economic discourse, which invariably finds its way into cognate scholarly disciplines, such as historical inquiry and urban planning.

Crime Fiction in the Archives: Hunting for Dashiell Hammett in the 1970s

This is an essay about the archive. It considers what the archive is, who or what constitutes it and for what purposes, and how we understand the archiving of knowledge as a disciplinary practice: that is, as a practice of disciplinary power and as a means of producing academic disciplines. It is also an essay about two archives in particular: the Dashiell Hammett Family Papers and the Richard Layman Collection of Dashiell Hammett, both housed in the Irvin Department of Rare Books and Special Collections at the University of South Carolina. These archives give us a fascinating insight into the fraught business of accruing, or trying to accrue, the materials that would eventually be consecrated in the archive – what was known and, crucially, not known about Hammett's life and writing prior to the publication of the first biographies and critical works. As such, they illuminate the relationship between the gathering of information and the establishing of academic disciplines, in this case, crime fiction as a legitimate area of scholarly inquiry. This is also, therefore, an essay about the emergence of crime fiction studies as a scholarly discipline.

“Reach Out, Not Harm”: Navigating between Physical Punishment and Alternative Strategies in Addressing Student Discipline Challenges for a Positive Learning Environment

Based on the interpretivist ontological assumption that teachers and students hold unique positions regarding school discipline, this study explores their perspectives on using physical punishment and alternative strategies to address challenging discipline problems. 20 teachers (with more than 5 years of teaching experience) and 20 students (aged 16-18 years old) from a secondary school in Indonesia who were identified through purposeful snowball sampling were engaged via semi-structured interviews and an open online survey to capture their perspectives. Data were thematically analysed following Newton’s (1980) comparison of school discipline models to reveal both parties to be in favour of alternative discipline strategies because physical punishment was deemed to have adverse effects and does not educate. The alternative disciplining strategies proposed by the teachers and students match with the characteristics of the following models: Individual fulfilment (approach students, dialogue and negotiation), scholarly discipline (strict adherence to school rules, consistency in rule enforcement, teacher as a role model); and educational technology (reminders of school rules, progressive disciplining process). The “fair disciplining” theme in the students’ data had no model fit. Meanwhile, no evidence suggests inclinations toward the social reconstruction model of school discipline. This study provides a glimpse into the diverse disciplining strategies which are the result of a bottom-up inquiry for addressing students’ challenging behaviours to cultivate a positive learning environment.

Uncorking opportunities: a bibliometric review of wine marketing literature

PurposeThe wine market has witnessed intensified competition across all aspects. However, there is a limited systematic assessment of wine marketing literature. This study employs bibliometric and thematic content evaluation methodologies to present a comprehensive summary and trend of the existing research in wine marketing.Design/methodology/approachThis integrates bibliometric and thematic content analytical techniques to trace the evolutionary arc of wine marketing research, underpinned by a framework-based evaluation - the 4 Ws (what, where, why, and how) to give a thorough overview of wine marketing literature. We draw on the thematic structure of wine marketing research by conducting keyword co-occurrence, thematic, social network, and cluster-based content analyses. A total of 291 publications from peer-reviewed journals, spanning the years 2001–2023, were examined in the present study.FindingsThe bibliometric analysis is used to determine the most notable journals, authors, nations, articles, and themes, thereby offering a comprehensive understanding of the publication trends within the sphere of wine marketing. Based on the findings, this study advocates a research agenda to extend further contributions to the field of wine marketing.Originality/valueThe study performs a comprehensive analysis of the publication patterns, influential authors, and emerging trends within the wine marketing research field. It provides a unique insight into the evolution and development of wine marketing as a scholarly discipline, facilitating future research directions and knowledge advancement.

Inspirations, techniques and institutionality. Animation in Józef Robakowski’s experimental oeuvre

Józef Robakowski’s cinematic oeuvre functions mainly as an experimental form of audiovisual art exhibited in gallery spaces. In his avant-garde activities this intermedia artist, associated with the Film Form Workshop, often used techniques of animated film, as is evidenced by the author’s textual analysis of the films: Market (1970), Test 1 (1971), Test II (1971), Dynamic Rectangle (1971), 22x (1971), Impulsator (2000), Impulsator VI (2001), Attention Light! (2004). The analysis focuses on the techniques used by Robakowski as well as his potential or explicit inspirations. Creating experimental animations, often in the spirit of “pure film”, the avant-gardist has been appropriated by other scholarly disciplines such as art history or new media. The aim of this article is to include Józef Robakowski in the discourse of film studies: to demonstrate his stance as an animator over the course of his artistic work to date, but above all to place him in the history of Polish animated film.

Theoretical perspectives in reverse logistics research

PurposeTheory is an essential prerequisite in the development and maturation of any scholarly discipline. This study offers insight into theory development in reverse logistics (RL) studies, provides a synopsis of the theories employed in RL studies, and presents a comprehensive framework for choosing and applying theories in RL studies.Design/methodology/approachUsing the systematic literature review approach, 265 various RL articles were analysed to discover the trend in using theories in RL studies and classify the individual theories employed. The analysis of the theoretical classification is presented to explain the type and frequency of the usage of theories.FindingsThe analysis discovered 52 specific theories from the sample. These theories were categorised under various categories: competitive, inventory, economic, decision, etc. The institutional, stakeholder, transaction cost economies, resource-based view, natural resource-based view, dynamic capability, agency and theory of planned behaviour were some of the key theories discovered. Finally, a comprehensive framework is provided to aid researchers in choosing and utilising theories.Research limitations/implicationsThis study gives authors, reviewers and editors perspectives on utilising theories in RL studies. It will give them the impetus to develop theories in RL and limit the borrowing or extension of theories from other disciplines to RL studies.Originality/valueTo the best of the researcher's knowledge, this is the first attempt to comprehensively provide an anatomical perspective into theory usage in RL studies. Besides, this study's proposed framework for selecting and using theories is a novelty in the domain of RL.

State Sovereignty: Concept and Conceptions

The terms “sovereignty” and “state” are used very loosely in scholarly literature. “State sovereignty” is central to many scholarly disciplines and controversial real case scenarios, including territorial disputes; pandemics; arms, drug and human trafficking; terrorism; and the flow of refugees. Unsurprisingly, when academics apply the term “state sovereignty” disagreements can be expected. This paper reviews a series of conceptions pertaining to “state sovereignty” and proposes a shift from the current unidimensional understanding to a multidimensional approach. This is because state sovereignty is an intricate concept that includes several pluralisms, such as agents and the roles they play in their interrelations (e.g. individuals, communities and states), contexts (i.e. domestic, regional and international), realms (e.g. factual, normative and axiological) and modes of existence (i.e. ideal, natural, cultural and metaphysical elements and features). Hence, this paper argues that different understandings on state sovereignty are not due to ontological discrepancies but relate to either epistemological choices because different scholars and scientific disciplines are interested in a particular pluralism pertaining to state sovereignty rather than the concept as a whole, or to axiological choices tightly linked to individuals, communities and/or states often ignored or undisclosed views and perceptions. By applying a multidimensional approach and taking into account two variables—time and space—the paper explains why the different conceptions on state sovereignty are connected with value judgments that still refer to the same concept applied to the object or subject of study (ontology) but from particular epistemological presuppositions often hidden, ignored or neglected.

How Motivation Type Accounts for Problematic Levels of Pro-Social Engagement Across Domains of Politics, Health, and the Workplace

Issues of problematic disengagement have been broadly studied within the domains of politics, health, and the workplace, but rarely studied across these domains. This survey-based experimental study examines the effects of motivation type on levels of engagement within and across these domains. The findings support the hypothesis that intrinsic motivation will produce greater levels of engagement than motivations with more external foundations. The study contributes to the literature by providing support for a greater focus on intrinsic motivation in persuasion efforts across virtually all industries. It also provides a useful measure for assessing engagement levels across domains and scholarly disciplines.

Yury Nikolaevich Stolyarov – an outstanding classic of the national library science

Yury Nikolaevich Stolyarov is an outstanding classic of the Russian library and information science who made an invaluable contribution into the studies of its diverse aspects. He investigated into the library theory and methodology and efficiently applied the range of research approaches, with the focus on system and multidisciplinary methodology. Y. Stolyarov has developed the scholarly discipline of library collection studies. He introduced this vector as a valid, relevant and systemic scientific knowledge, and as a scientific activities of result-oriented, self-correcting, dynamic and continuing character. In his works, Y. Stolyarov provided in-depth characteristics of library collection, criteria, and principles of selection for various document types and formats with account of user information needs. He explored the library collection development cycle in the aggregate of its basic processes, namely modelling, acquiring, organizing, and managing.

Does consumer knowledge about sustainable-fashion impact intention-to-buy?

PurposeThis study proposes and empirically tests the hypothesis that most consumers differ significantly in how accurately they express knowledge about what experts define as indicators of fashion sustainability behavior.Design/methodology/approachSustainability discipline scholars (i.e., experts) provide the following two examples of accurate sustainability knowledge: (1) Sustainable-fashion manufacturers ensure safe working conditions for their employees; (2) fibers such as wool can be commercially recycled. In the current study, 85% of participants in separate samples of Chinese (n = 244) and Korean (n = 214) adults provide incorrect answers to the two statements, contradicting experts' beliefs. The study here develops and tests a general, asymmetric predictive, case-based theory of simple and complex antecedent conditions and outcomes for consumers with correct or incorrect knowledge of fashion sustainability behavior for fashion products.FindingsAccording to the study consumers who have a high level of knowledge about sustainable fashion consistently have high purchase intentions for these products. On the contrary, consumers with insuffient knowledge of sustainable-fashion have low purchase intentions.Research limitations/implicationsThe analysis emphasizes the importance of government policy in encouraging important-term consumer behavior. Government policy has a direct and indirect impact on sustainable consumer behavior.Practical implicationsThis study's practical contribution is that it amphasizes the important role of government policy in encouraging sustainable consumer behavior (Perez-Castillo and Vera-Martinez, 2021). Government policy both directly and indirectly influences sustainable consumer behavior. Understanding consumers' consumption behavior as influenced by knowledge of sustainable development allows policymakers to develop more targeted policy measures, thereby promoting the achievement of sustainable development goals. For example, incorporating sustainable issues into the school curriculum can encourage students to practice sustainable behavior when purchasing, using, or disposing of products. People may require encouragement to understand why sustainable development is necessary, how to facilitate it, what the expected effects are and how it will affect their lives.Social implicationsKnowledge of sustainable development, as well as consumer behavior research, can help improve consumer environmental awareness and understanding of sustainable development, guiding them towards greener and more environmentally friendly consumption habits. Understanding consumers' reactions to knowledge of sustainable development and subsequent changes in their consumption behavior guides businesses to engage in green product design, green production and green marketing, thus improving their competitiveness and market share (Rynarzewska et al., 2023). Some countries around the world are working hard to meet their sustainable development goals. By comparing consumer consumption behavior in different countries under the influence of knowledge on sustainable development consumer can share experiences and practices, strengthen international cooperation and communication and promote the global sustainable development process collaboratively.Originality/valueThe current study contributes by looking into the validity of the claim that consumers who have accurate sustainable fashion knowledge are more likely to purchase brands with high sustainability characteristics.

Reviving The Forgotten Scholarly Discipline of Commonplacing To Enhance Teaching & Learning in Higher Education

Reviving The Forgotten Scholarly Discipline of Commonplacing To Enhance Teaching & Learning in Higher Education

Composition of the editorial staff of major spinal journals based on geo-economic background: A survey analysis

BackgroundThe widespread absence of papers originating in low and middle income economies (LAMIE) across various scholarly disciplines has been widely acknowledged. One potential reason for this could be editorial biases against submissions from LAMIE. Although this bias has been observed in different academic areas, its extent in spinal research remains largely uninvestigated. This research endeavored to investigate the composition of editorial staff members (ESM) within major spinal journals and scrutinize the degree of international diversity represented among the ESM. MethodsWe pinpointed ten major spinal journals by referencing their presence in the Journal Citation Reports of 2021. Countries of the ESM affiliated with these journals were categorized according to World Bank classifications. Following this, we conducted a thorough analysis of the ESM compositions. ResultsA total of 982 ESM from 50 countries were identified. The United States exhibited the highest representation among ESM (395, 40.22%), followed by South Korea (57, 5.80%), Switzerland (53, 5.40%). When segmented by geographical regions, North America emerged with the highest representation, constituting 43.38% of ESM at 426, trailed by Europe & Central Asia at 31.16% (306), East Asia & Pacific at 17.92% (175). The majority of ESM, amounting to 87.98%, hailed from high income economies (HIE). There was an absence of ESM representation of low income economies. The relationship regarding the quantity of ESM in each country and its population failed to demonstrate significance (p = 0.274, r = 0.281). However, a notable positive correlation emerged when exploring the connection between ESM numbers and gross domestic product (p = 0.033, r = 0.517). ConclusionsMajor spinal journals exhibit a notable absence of international representation within their editorial boards, predominantly comprising members from HIE. This underscores a substantial underrepresentation of ESM originating from LAMIE within the sphere of spinal investigation.

Shifting the paradigm of research-to-policy impact: Infrastructure for improving researcher engagement and collective action.

The body of scientific knowledge accumulated by the scholarly disciplines such as Developmental Psychopathology can achieve meaningful public impact if wielded and used in policy decision-making. Scientific study of how policymakers use research evidence underscores the need for researchers' policy engagement; however, barriers in the academy create conditions in which there is a need for infrastructure that increases the feasibility of researchers' partnership with policymakers. This need led to the development of the Research-to-Policy Collaboration model, a systematic approach for developing "boundary spanning" infrastructure, which has been experimentally tested and shown to improve policymakers' use of research evidence and bolster researchers' policy skills and engagement. This paper presents original research regarding the optimization of the RPC model, which sought to better serve and engage scholars across the globe. Trial findings shed light on ways to improve conditions that make good use of researchers' time for policy engagement via a virtual platform and enhanced e-communications. Future directions, implications, and practical guidelines for how scientists can engage in the political process and improve the impact of a collective discipline are also discussed.

“Hey, You There!”: Theorizing the Open Letter as Methodology in Academic Writing

From James Baldwin's (1962) “A Letter to My Nephew,” which laid bare the brutalities of being black in 1960s America, to Chanelle Miller’s published victim impact statement addressed to her assailant, which provided vocabulary and was kindle for #MeToo, examples abound demonstrating the ways in which the open letter continuously surfaces during pivotal historical junctures. Although the contextual significance of this format of authorship is widely used in scholarly disciplines ranging from education to history, the structural significance of the open letter as a methodologic approach to academic writing has yet to be theorized, leaving questions that merit attention: Why is the open letter so often used by marginalized groups? What are the literary and rhetorical effects of the enclosed addressed between sender and receiver? Finally, how does this format of writing create and affect the positionality and subjectivity of authors? By writing a letter addressed to Academia/School, this essay makes the case for the open letter as something to be studied but also a methodology and study in and of itself. By drawing on literary theory, cultural studies, and research on writing in academia, this essay suggests that the open letter is an important form of authorship and argues for revisiting the open letter as a legitimate form of scholarship as well as an authentic form of academic writing in education.

Exploring the linkage between business incubation and entrepreneurship: understanding trends, themes and future research agenda

PurposeThis article aims to conduct a bibliometric study using structural and relational approaches amongst the extracted documents and investigates the connections between business incubation and entrepreneurship-related papers to describe the field comprehensively.Design/methodology/approachA total of 259 articles have been retrieved from Scopus database in order to conduct the bibliometric analysis. Performance analysis and science mapping techniques of bibliometrics have been used along with data visualisation software, i.e. VOSviewer and RStudio. The network collaboration and intellectual structures, i.e. bibliographic coupling, co-occurrence analysis, word cloud and trending topics, have been presented to identify the field’s latest trends, themes and development.FindingsThe findings highlight annual publication trends, including the most frequently cited articles, the most productive authors, countries and highly influential journals that contribute the most to the said field. The intellectual structures have been developed to identify research themes and trends by running co-occurrence analysis and bibliographic coupling. The findings of this study emphasize the value of technology transfer, mentorship programmes, entrepreneurship education and an emphasis on innovation and creativity through entrepreneurial universities and academia. These findings provide policymakers and administrative officials with crucial guidance for fortifying the pillars of entrepreneurship and education for the comprehensive development of the economy. Further, this article attempts to identify the most influential and relevant publications as well as the newest trends in the area of business incubation in combination with entrepreneurship.Research limitations/implicationsThe article contributes not only to broaden the scope of knowledge on the said research discipline but also to comprehend how the field has evolved over a period of time. This study also attracts the interest of scholars/academicians, leading to the significant production of scholarly documents in business incubation and entrepreneurship.Practical implicationsThe field of entrepreneurship and business incubation is one of the important pillars for the growth and development of the economy. This piece contributes to this arena by focusing on the areas that must be taken care of by developing the entrepreneurial ecosystem and fostering the progress of startups. The fundamentals of this research highlight the importance of mentorship programs, entrepreneurship education, technology transfer and a focus on innovation and creativity through entrepreneurial education and efforts by universities/academia, giving an important direction to the policymakers and administration for strengthening the pillar of entrepreneurship and education for the holistic development of the economy.Originality/valueBusiness incubation is an emerging field of academic research connected to startups, venture formation and entrepreneurship ecosystems, making it a potential scholarly discipline. This study presents a thorough bibliometric analysis over the last three decades, offering comprehensive details on the most significant developments in the field of business incubation. Moreover, the various analytical methods applied to this study make it more attractive.

Is Living Easier With Eyes Closed?

Blind peer review has become the gold standard of many scholarly disciplines. However, this seems like a paradox since openness is deeply embedded in the DNA of research. Over the last 30 years changes in the managerial paradigms of academia have also induced so many changes in the ecosystem of scholarly communication that many scholars describe the present situation as a crisis. Therefore, in light of the availability of new technologies and the changes in the scholarly communication ecosystems, it might be time to review how we assess research quality and address the paradox of the blindness of peer review.

Conceptual Review of Colonial Beliefs and Attitudes in “Othering” During Postcolonial Africa: Lessons for Nigeria

There has been a growing concern regarding post colonialism and its relative role of colonial beliefs and attitudes in “othering”, and this has, also consequently, been a subject of keen inquiries amongst scholars in contemporary international politics. Most of such inquiries have emerged from a wide range of scholarly disciplines including international relations. The primary aim of this research was to examine the role of colonial beliefs and attitudes in “othering” in postcolonial Africa with reference to Nigerian settings. The specific objectives include investigating colonialism in postcolonial Africa and Nigeria in contemporary international politics. It also examined the association between colonialism and othering in postcolonial Africa and Nigeria within the international politics. The central notion of this study was to present the role of colonial beliefs and attitudes in othering in postcolonial Africa. Efforts were made through conceptual orientations with emphasis on colonialism (that is, colonial beliefs and attitudes, othering) and post colonialism. The paper recommended that there should be a growing call among scholars and practitioners to conceptualise race using more complex historical foundations capturing nuances of gender, ethnicity, and skin tone rather than simplifying race as binary. Postcolonial theory should be carefully studied to provide a strong theoretical foundation to understand race and intersectional identity and also to provide a firm capacity to understand race relationships.

The Abolition of Man and the Dismal Science

This article examines C. S. Lewis’s Abolition of Man from the perspective of economics. One of the principles of economics first taught by Adam Smith was that of specialization and division of labor. The overlap between the discipline of economics and the teaching of Lewis can be described as an application of this principle. Economics is a scholarly discipline that studies how choices are made. The division of labor that Lewis offers is the recognition that freedom of choice is not an end in itself.