Sense Of Belongingness Research Articles

Machine learning: Best way to sustain the supply chain in the era of industry 4.0

With the rapidly growing importance in the industries on the adaptation of advanced technologies, the involvement of IT-enabled systems has increased in developing the pathway for the future industry. The learning’s from these technologies becomes paramount for the present industries which gives a sense of belongingness and significance of the industry towards the market. The digital revolution world-wide affected the physical happenings of the events in the manufacturing industries such as the procurement, manufacturing/assembling & distribution of goods. This digital reformation is known as Industry 4.0 which generally means the advancement in the existing business models where all the business operations are interconnected with each other by digital mode (virtual representation based on operations). In this kind of environment, it is being necessary to map all the operations digitally in such a manner so that the physical flows of resources/goods will not suffer at any stage. Machine learning in the present scenario is one of the thrust areas for the researchers and the practitioners. The output in the machine learning process is having many dependencies on the input data such as the functions and characteristics imparted to the machine at the earlier stage. The present paper aptly reflects the thoughts and reflections of present-day industries and the opportunities to express feelings, thoughts, and contribute towards the future industries.

“What I couldn’t do before, I can do now”: Narrations of agentic shifts and psychological growth by young adults reporting discontinuation of self-injury since adolescence

ABSTRACT Purpose We explore young adults’ narrations of life events in association with nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) discontinuation, psychological growth, and agency. Methods Transcripts from eleven face-to-face interviews with individuals who quantitatively reported injuring themselves in adolescence (2007–2008) but not in young adulthood (2017) were narratively analysed. Results We found that at starting points, a period preceding an agentic shift in the narrative, participants endured stressful living conditions and mental illness. During this period, participants perceived no point in trying to initiate change because they did not perceive themselves as having the capacity to do so and nor could they adequately utilize any formal or informal support. After a turning point that enabled agency due to gaining a sense of belongingness, liberation, or perspective, participants underwent a process of attaining psychological well-being. However, narrating psychological growth also required momentum points, encompassing the management of and moving on from stressful contexts, along with the recognition of milestones marking improvement relative to the starting points. Conclusions NSSI discontinuation was narrated in conjunction with psychological growth when participants also experienced themselves as situated within an agentic context, because agency is understood as necessary to react to and manage current and future life circumstances.

Role of Information Systems in Customer Relationship Management

Applications of Information System (IS) have been instrumental in achieving Customer Relationship Management (CRM). Decision Support Systems (DSS) is an IS application that aids in decision making processes for many business concepts and CRM is one of them. CRM depends on firm’s tasks for developing and retaining customers while achieving their satisfaction and enhancing sense of belongingness for their products and services. Profit maximization, process of customer value and building strategic values for the firm are the three empirical benefits of CRM that are achieved through analytical, operational, and direction capabilities respectively. This research focus on applications of DSS models for CRM at analytical, operational and directional level (AOD). Three online retail firms of KSA are referred as data source for the analysis of CRM by DSS models. The research determined how a customer-oriented firm uses DSS to attain CRM and profitability at three levels namely; Analytical, Operational and Strategic.

Indigenous Culture and Medicine

Adolescence is a bridge between childhood and adulthood. The period of adolescence begins with the onset of puberty, a rapid change in physical growth accompanied by continuous sexual maturity and reaches to an end when individual assumes adulthood. The adolescents possess the tendency to experiment and attempt to push the boundaries and in this process they often indulge themselves into risky behaviors without having understanding of the consequences, which makes them vulnerable and it is a matter of concern. Adolescents constitute 21% of India's population and number about 243 million. Total population of adolescents of 15–18 years in West Bengal is 23, 68, 519. Even with such high number of adolescents it is found that they have very limited space to share their point of view and concerns. Their needs especially of the adolescent girls remain unheard and unmet, making the condition of girl adolescents more vulnerable. Their mobility is also often controlled by others. So to meet the unheard needs, adolescents should have assistance from the family and society. Social support here plays a crucial role, which has been characterized from numerous points of view. It has a number of positive effects on the recipient, for instance, it influences self-confidence, sense of belongingness, self-esteem, and so on. In this paper by analyzing three cases the author has tried to explore how effective social support facilitates adolescent girls in overcoming social barriers in Birbhum district.

A Study on Psycho-Socio and Spiritual Feelings of Students during Lockdown 2020

The closure of educational institutions due to preventive measures against the spread of COVID-19 has affected the education, well-being, and functioning of all parties involved and benefiting from educational systems in the world. While the process of shifting learning to a remote or online format has already become part of many educational institutions in different parts of the world. A number of factors related to the quality of educational institutions, teachers, parents and students, in conjunction with changes to their emotional states are assumed to be contributing factors that may affect the quality of remote or online learning, teacher performance, student knowledge and skills. The aim of this study is to explore and describe as to how the students are coping up with their personal wellbeing, their relationship and sense of belongingness and their relationship with God This study is done as a survey to check on the wellbeing of the students. In the framework of this study, three areas were identified, personal well being- which will look into how they are coping up with the new normal, to check whether they feel anxious or stressed, the second area is on relationship and how they are coping and relating with others and the third area is on their relationship with God. For data collection, a questionnaire was circulated through Google form where 1084 number of students responded. The participants are all college going students. The objective of the survey was to find out if there is any difference in the wellbeing of the students between the rural and urban area students and between male and female students during the Pandemic Covid-19.

The impact of values congruity on underrepresented minority (URM) graduate student psychosocial functioning

ABSTRACT There is growing awareness of a mental health ‘crisis’ among graduate students [Evans, T. M., Bira, L., Gastelum, J. B., Weiss, L. T., & Vanderford, N. L. (2018). Evidence for a mental health crisis in graduate education. Nature Biotechnology, 36(3), 282–284. doi:10.1038/nbt.4089]. Despite a paucity of research exploring potential differences in psychological distress across ethnic and racial groups, there is at least some evidence that students who identify as African American/Black, Hispanic/Latinx, American Indian/Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders, underrepresented minority students (URM), report more depressive symptoms [e.g., Harvard Chan Mental Health Student Alliance. (2017). Mental wellness of students at Harvard Chan. Retrieved from https://cdn1.sph.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/1745/2017/05/MHSA-Needs-Assessment-Report-2017.pdf] and a lower sense of belongingness in graduate school [e.g., Clark, C. R., Mercer, S. H., Zeigler-Hill, V., & Dufrene, B. A. (2012). Barriers to the success of ethnic minority students in school psychology graduate programs. School Psychology Review, 41(2), 176–192. doi:10.1080/02796015.2012.12087519] compared to their racial and ethnic majority peers. We explored whether URM students’ opportunities to engage in doctoral work consistent with intrinsic, altruistic or extrinsic career values, and congruity between values importance and affordances would contribute to psychosocial well-being, belongingness, and program satisfaction. URM doctoral students (n = 436) completed an anonymous online survey including the Values Congruity Questionnaire (VC), Campus Connectedness Scale (CCS), and Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales (DASS-21). Opportunities to engage in doctoral work consistent with altruistic, intrinsic, and extrinsic values were associated with lower depression and a higher sense of belongingness. Incongruity between the importance of altruistic values and perceived affordances was associated with higher depression and a lower sense of program belongingness and satisfaction. Although URM psychological functioning is determined by multiple factors, providing values consistent opportunities within graduate programs could increase belongingness, program satisfaction and psychosocial wellness.

Sense of Belonging and Self-esteem of High School Students in a Catholic College

A sense of belonging in the cycle of teaching and learning is important to students because if they understand acceptance into the program, they will feel more inspired, more successful, and more driven. Students understand the value of school activities in a supportive and warm atmosphere that provides a sense of belonging and acceptance. Moreover, it is a vital necessity for every individual. The sense of belonging for schools is about achievement, suggesting that the benefit of fulfilling this need is generally higher, reaching the students. Therefore, students who do not fulfill their needs for possessions will also have lower self-esteem. Low self-esteem is often associated with depression. Low self-esteem can lead to depression, and depression lowers self-esteem. Hence, the paper describes the extent of belongingness and level of self-esteem of high school students of a Catholic college in Antique during the school year 2019-2020. Likewise, this paper explored the relationship between the students' demographics and their sense of belongingness and self-esteem.

Listen, I am too responsible! Effect of schooling on sense of trust, responsibility and belongingness to the community of children working on the street in Chandigarh City, India

Abstract Children working on the street are the most vulnerable and are at greater risk of exploitation. Therefore, building the strong ties between the school, family and community of the child can protect the child from various risks and thus can provide opportunities for healthy development. Schooling is instrumental in promoting sense of trust, responsbility towards community and moral values of children, however, in this domain, much of the research was done with youth, not with adolescents. The present study examined sense of trust, responsibility towards community and moral values of school going as well non-school going children (between 13 and 16 years of age) who were living with their parents in slums and spending most of their time working on the streets of Chandigarh city, India. Results revealed that school has emerged as an agency promoting a child’s sense of belongingness (F = 4.15, p

Fostering psychological ownership in MOOC through a self-regulation design layer

The paper presents the design of a self-regulated learning support layer which focuses on fostering learning agency awareness and student ownership in MOOC as quality deep learning indicators. Rooted in self-regulated learning ownership provides remarkable learning factors such as a sense of belongingness, increased commitment and perception of self-efficacy. These qualities are rather scarce in MOOC, as shown by the predominant techno-pedagogical design of these courses. The self-regulation support layer was developed in two phases: first, a literature review on the field and the analysis of several MOOC provided relevant insights for the theoretical approach of the layer and, second, different types of prompts in the form of self-questions were contextualized and placed throughout an existing MOOC with the involvement of researchers, teachers and MOOC content developers. Finally, in order to refine the design and include elements to enhance a more psychological-ownership-oriented approach, interviews and a co-design workshop were carried out with MOOC participants. Some of the contributions made by the different actors are presented and so is the layer proposal. “Regulation activators” which act as a link between self-regulation and psychological ownership approaches are inferred, and correspondent “learning design effects” are identified to be incorporated into MOOC to promote learning ownership.

Conception of open spaces- A Case of Delhi Courtyard Houses

Concerns for the future of our environment, with regards to climate change, scarcity of resources, population growth, and globalization are growing, we need alternative solutions as to how can we reduce the negative impact of all the above on the planet while catering the needs of the mass. Only recently has there been debates if or not vernacular and traditional aspects of architecture can be the key to the required change. Courtyards and open spaces are one of the attributes of vernacular architecture that needs to be discussed in the above context. The importance of these spaces had already been proven for different climatic conditions. However, there is a need to justify this kind of open space typology in the lights of contemporary architecture of a metropolitan city like Delhi which is having a diverse urban fabric, a high rate of influx, and also cultural diversification. Given that the most common and relatable architectural typology is the dwelling, and it is subjected to a rapid transformation concerning its built as well as use. The following case takes into consideration the residential open spaces of Delhi through a comparative study of residential courtyard spaces of Delhi hence, the paper tries to form a conception of open spaces in the residential typology of Delhi post-independence and hence, tries to study the dwellings of the same time dating from the 1950s till date it also provides the reader an insight to the reasoning of flattening of built forms that have emerged in today’s era, despite the heterogeneity of people and what are the possible solutions to this through the understanding of courtyard spaces and use its functional benefits like comfort and a sense of belongingness.

EMPLOYEE VOICE MANAGEMENT AND WORKPLACE PERFORMANCE: A BANKING SECTOR PERSPECTIVE

Globally, employee voice addresses the notion that people want to be heard because being heard reinforces a sense of belongingness within an organization; while endearing a belief that a person’s action can have an impact in the overall productivity of a workplace. This study therefore becomes pertinent in accordance with calls for scholarly investigation to determine the rate of its impact on the banking sector amid the recent financial recession and turbulence of the sector. Taking a quantitative method, the descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The findings indicated that employee voice management had a significant positive correlation on workplace performance of the banking sector (r = 0.597; t = 23.703; F= 561.823; p < 0.05). It concluded that employee voice management improved job behaviours, industrial relations, and ultimately improved individual and team outcomes. The study further recommended that the banking sector should increase the autonomy and empowerment of its workforce, as it spurs their commitment to the workplace.

WHY WE SHOULD TALK? THE POTENTIALS OF COMMUNITY DIALOG IN GROUNDING AN INTEGRATED RURAL DEVELOPMENT

Rural development is a social process. It involves local community in all stages of development. Community dialog is a means for facilitating community involvement in determining a development direction, potential development plan and development sus-tainability in the future. Frequently, local community is considered as the development target. This position puts them just being development watchers, spectators, silent and passive recipients. Moreover, these silent roles make them remain unempowered since they do not know how to determine their future, how to take part in collective decision and feel being neglected. This study examines potentials of community involvement in dialog. A qualitative research paradigm is adopted. The data are collected byrecording, transcribing and analyzing community dialog at Klagen, Nganjuk, Jawa Timur. The study finds that community dialog offers considerable potentials. The first potential of community dialog is generating local community commitment, awareness, sense of belongingness and supportive character to build their own homeland. These positive development psychological states,characters and ethos are soft human dimensions which can be critical drivers in rural development. The second is creation of local knowledge and scientific knowledge joint enabling innovation and collective learning process. This joint-knowledge allows the combination of local wisdom and scientific insight. The third is building shared or collective development vision and plan. This plan and vision allow the development prioritizing process and development of rural strength, potential competitive advantage and resource building. The fourth is expanding rural networking and exercising rural people capacity to build wider internal and external social relationship.

Self-Persuasion: An Experimental Evaluation of a Sexual Aggression Preventive Intervention for U.S. College Men.

Grounded in the self-persuasion paradigm (an indirect persuasion approach, which places people in situations that motivate them to change their behavior), this study evaluated a brief, online intervention to reduce sexual aggression perpetration and increase prosocial bystander behaviors among heterosexual male college students (N = 241) in the United States. Students were randomly assigned to three conditions: (a) a self-persuasion intervention, (b) a social norms control condition, and (c) a control condition focusing on sense of belongingness. The self-persuasion intervention integrated three social psychological theoretical perspectives on attitudinal and behavioral change-cognitive dissonance (e.g., creating a personalized video message for incoming male college freshmen to explain the importance of consent in sexual contact), self-affirmation (e.g., reflecting on one's core values and how they are congruent with sexual consent), and personal relevance (e.g., writing about personally relevant reasons to always seek consent when having sexual contact). Participants in the self-persuasion condition reported greater prosocial bystander behaviors (e.g., intervening in situations to prevent sexual aggression) 6 months after the intervention as compared with those in the other two conditions; however, there were no significant difference in the rate of self-reported sexual aggression perpetration across conditions. The positive effect of the self-persuasion intervention on prosocial bystander behaviors was mediated by reduced self-perceived likelihood to commit sexual aggression and moderated by in-group solidarity with other college students. That is, the intervention had the most positive effect on prosocial bystander behaviors among participants with a lower sense of in-group solidarity. These findings are discussed in light of the promise of self-persuasion for future sexual aggression prevention work.

Leveraging Social Media in Facilitating Women Entrepreneurs in India

This article explores the role of social media in facilitating women entrepreneurs in India. It adopts a case study approach to explore the effectiveness of social media platforms in supporting women entrepreneurs. PULA (Pune Ladies), a closed Facebook Group, set up in 2015 for women in Pune, was selected as a case study. Fifteen in-depth interviews were conducted among 15 active women entrepreneurs of this group to explore the benefits received in terms of visibility, marketing opportunities, revenue generation, psychological benefits (sense of belongingness, self-confidence, motivation), and counselling to name a few. Their responses were analyzed for commonalities and divergences. The article finds that PULA not only offers a cost-effective platform for women entrepreneurs to showcase their products/services but also helps them in enhancing the visibility and financial performance of their businesses. The findings of this study will guide women entrepreneurs in leveraging social media platforms through greater visibility, networking and marketing their products/ services more efficiently.

A Study on the Accounting Education Culture of the University of Saint Louis, Philippines

Holistic accounting education is a function of not only the lectures and consumption of academic materials but more importantly, it is a function of all the practices and beliefs that collectively comprise an accounting culture. This study aimed to define and provide concrete context on the accounting culture of the University of Saint Louis Tuguegarao. Forty-three Informants comprised of senior students enrolled in the accountancy program were interviewed in the study all under the umbrella of descriptive qualitative research design. Four (4) clustered themes emerged from the current study: (1) Accounting Culture manifested through Academic Competitiveness, (2) Accounting Culture manifested through the Strong Sense of Belongingness, (3) Positive Elements of the Accounting Culture and the (4) Negative Elements of the Accounting Culture. Furthermore, it is concluded that while there were several negative aspects in the existing accounting culture like a source of stress and social divide, the overall response of the Informants were in favor of accounting culture being perceived as an effective affair with respect to its being a gateway to holistic formation and the enhancement of student competence.

Contextualizing the versification of genocide and gender violence in Zimbabwean poetry

ABSTRACT This paper critically examines the motifs of genocide and violence in Zimbabwean literature. For more articulation of ideas, it intersects both preoccupations of genocide and gender violence in the Zimbabwean ideological purview, particularly in selected poetry. The paper probes into disarm sensitivity the domain of genocide and violence as universal phenomena and underscores various levels of vitriolic and diatribe people sometimes face in their interactions in a society that is polarized by racial and ethnic violence. It valorizes genocide and sectarian violence as bodily configuration of destruction on the mental, economic, social and political psyche of the people in time and space. Contextualising different perspectives from the World war I to the World war II, the holocaust, the experiences of the peoples of Afghanistan, Congo, Algeria, together with the Nigeria’s Boko Haram insurgency and the Fulani Herdsmen’s usurpation of lands are some examples of violence which directly or indirectly facilitate genocide. Similarly, the genocide experience of Namibia and the destruction of the Zulu kingdom of South Africa have all contributed to diverse application of genocide phenomenon which lends axiomatic credence to the loss of sense of belongings; the loss of lives and social abuse; physical and mental destruction; economic polarization and inhuman dispositions frequently experienced by people of diverse races. The imposition of colonialism, post-colonialism and neo-colonialism at divergent epochs have consequently crippled people and made them incapacitated to meet the immediate yearnings of their dynamic societies. The painful experience of genocide in Burundi and Rwanda has degenerated into hate and perjury. However, based on all those reflections on genocide, this paper specifically examines genocide and violence within the framework of Zimbabwean landscape and poetry in order to demonstrate that ‘genocide has largely been visualized as a crime under international and national laws and has been criticized in all ramifications’. This paper is a response to how Zimbabwean people experience different categorizations of genocide and copious representations of these phenomena in poetry. It x-rays the human loss of lives, innate pogrom and psychological destructions ostensibly visualized by the people at different times before and after the independence of 1980. The paper showcases how Zimbabweans have not enjoyed the dividends of democracy, but rather experienced dejection in their lands leading to rejection and forceful migration to different countries. All poetry citations are to the collection of poetry entitled: (And Now the Poets Speak). This paper applies the genocide theory of ‘final solution’- a psychological tenet which was propounded by Sabby Sagall and enhanced by Susan Zyl to explain the trajectory of genocide and how this brings the framework of violence to an end in Zimbabwe and in Africa at large.

Quality Circle: A Methodology to Enhance the Plant Capacity through Why-Why Analysis

In the manufacturing firms, hospitals, banks, schools and research institutes etc., total customer satisfaction with products and services have very much importance and also necessary for their survival. Quality services and reducing wastages of all types are the primary need of every organisation. Quality Circle is (QC) is one of the techniques that can be utilised to solve industrial problems and can reduce the rejection level. In present paper, QC concept is implemented to solve wastage problem by taking a real case study of an automobile industry. The observed data was analysed through various problem solving techniques such as 80/20 rule and fishbone diagram etc. Finally, Why-Why analysis was carried out to identify the root cause of the problem and suggested actions to solve the problem. The following results were obtained: Gradually reduction in materials wastage minimises the rejection and hence reduces the overhead expenses of the firm. Further, QC helps in motivating employees to do their best for the organisation, which not only improves the productivity of the organisation, but also helps in discovering hidden talent and creative skill of the workforce. Finally, QC helps in developing the sense of belongingness towards organisations.

General practice is 'different': qualitative study of acculturation experiences of East Staffordshire general practice specialty trainees.

Undergraduate medical education and postgraduate foundation training are largely secondary care based. General practice trainees also spend nearly half of their training in hospital rotations. Little is known about factors that support effective transition into general practice specialty training or belongingness experiences throughout training. To explore the reported experiences of general practice trainee transition into general practice, training in hospital settings, and views of the future. Semi-structured interviews with 18 purposively selected trainees plus observation and stakeholder discussions by a visiting Sri Lankan general practice trainee attending the vocational training scheme in a participant observer role. Mastering core skills of general practice, undergraduate and early experience in general practice during specialty training, and general practice trainer guidance and role modelling facilitated transition. A reduced sense of belongingness during hospital rotations impacted on training and work. Building bridging social connections, personal agency initiatives to bring general practice relevance into hospital training, and secondary care affiliative behaviours were adaptive strategies. Allocation to more general practice relevant duties was thought to create value within the hospital team. General practice trainees are thriving with the support of general practice trainers and colleagues, vocational training scheme, and good work/life balance. International graduates require additional support in specific areas. Adequate support towards transition into general practice and fostering belongingness in hospital settings is important due to the wider impact on training, patient care, and primary/secondary care integration. We propose a theoretical explanation based on Wenger's social learning model, which may have useful practical implications.

Postcolonial Civic Identity and Youth (dis)organizing Environment: A Growth into Citizenship Analysis

The fluid realities of youth in postcolonial nation-states can reflect changing and challenging landscapes. Their engagements with environment, for example, are not only elaborated in social, political, and economical contexts, but also generated through values, beliefs, and identities. This article adds to contemporary debates by positing that discussions on postcolonial civic identities have to be accompanied by youth narratives and their considerations on nature, time, and digital world(s) by taking Malaysian youths as examples. Specifically, it attempts to theorize youth civic identity within postcolonial context(s) by scrutinizing personal narratives that are symbiotically yoked with discourses on ecology and technology. Through administering personal narratives at a suburban district in West Peninsular Malaysia, this paper opens ‘windows’ into what it means for youths to participate in civic projects. Reading these narratives from the lens of growth into citizenship , their wide-ranging experiences in civic affairs can be understood in four ways, namely, recognition, responsibilities, reconciliation, and reciprocity. Two of these emerging themes, recognition and responsibilities, will be discussed in this article. Our attempt at depicting postcolonial civic identity, therefore, is part of a large-scale investigation on civic mindedness that will compel us to reflect on unofficial, continuous accounts of youth reflecting on a sense of belongingness and what the future might bring.

Who Gets to Wield Academic Mjolnir?: On Worthiness, Knowledge Curation, and Using the Power of the People to Diversify OER

1In many academic fields Western/white/male/cishetero2/abled perspectives are often centered, while other perspectives are presented as “other.” Implicitly, this sends messages to students that success looks like one type of person, knowledge is generated in one kind of way, and their background is not worth being centered. While open educational resources (OER) are often marketed as a tool for social justice, due to their ability to neutralize class-based differences (e.g., Okamoto 2013), there is no evidence that OER are any better than commercial texts at addressing issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion (see Mishra 2017 for a discussion of context). However, OER do present a good opportunity for diversification, due to the relatively simple nature of updating the content. This project takes a crowdsourcing approach to diversify OpenStax Psychology (OpenStax College 2014), an OER for Introductory Psychology courses. Contributors were asked to read areas of the textbook they were comfortable with and make suggestions to diversify the content. The author then used some of the suggestions to create modified chapters and conducted a study investigating the impact of the revisions. Participants read either the original chapter or the diversified chapter and completed a questionnaire assessing their sense of belongingness in the classroom/on campus. Overall, first-generation students had a reduced sense of belonging related to their financial circumstances. However, this effect was ameliorated for first-generation students who read the diversified chapter, compared to those who read the original chapter.