Shared Experience Research Articles

Popular conservatisms and the structure of Russian society

ABSTRACT The literature on Russia’s conservative turn focuses on the state program to embed conservative values in a top-down process of narrative construction that links shared history, lived experiences, and events. Relying on the unique LegitRuss survey evidence collected in 2021, we complement this research by exploring how values-based cleavages structure Russian society, bind distinct social groups, and reflect congruence between the Kremlin’s conservative messaging and popular political attitudes. The results show that values do define groups in society and that conservatives constitute a majority in Russian society. Yet, state conservatives are internally divided around a spectrum of conservative beliefs, and only one-third adhere to the Kremlin’s ideal conservative type. While this core is an important tool for Kremlin efforts to control society, project support, and manufacture electoral majorities, it reflects the limits authoritarians face when they try to impose a unitary set of national values.

A Shared Experience of Sciences and Mathematics Teaching during the Pandemic in the Philippines: Circumnavigating Challenges into Learning Opportunities and Communal Involvement

The far-reaching consequences of the novel human coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have brought unprecedented challenges across all aspects of human endeavors, including the resonating effects on educational systems worldwide. Learners and educators have showcased their adaptability in transforming traditional teaching methodologies into new strategies and modalities. This article outlines the collective efforts of the sciences and mathematics educators at the National University Philippines, and, in part, at Centro Escolar University, Manila in responding to the pressing need to innovate learning platforms and approaches during the pandemic. Moreover, this article describes the immediate effects of institutional policies and how resilience and preparedness transform challenges into opportunities. A reflection on integrating historical, social, and cultural lessons and dimensions into science and mathematics teaching to incorporate a sense of identity and to provide contextual and synchronizing examples to the concepts is also herein provided. Educators find strength in shared experiences and communal involvement during the pandemic to circumnavigate the struggles and difficulties, viewing them as opportunities and further elevating science and mathematics education using the lens of scientific, historical, and sociocultural inquiry.

Journey to becoming a culturally responsive science educator: reflections about use and barriers from graduate teaching assistants at a Minority-Serving Institution

IntroductionA pedagogical framework with the aim of dismantling sociostructural disparity and systemic oppression is culturally responsive science teaching (CRST). Although CRST has been linked with improved student empowerment, self-efficacy, and ethnic and academic identity, more research is needed to assess whether graduate teaching assistants (TAs) in college science are familiar with and prepared to engage in CRST. We conducted two training sessions for inclusive teaching practices and CRST during a graduate TA teaching professional development course at a research-intensive Minority-Serving Institution (MSI).MethodsWe collected surveys, written reflections, and session artifacts from five graduate TAs participants and used qualitative methods to generate an understanding of their experiences with inclusive teaching and CRST.ResultsResults from this exploratory study indicated that graduate TAs felt they lacked training in inclusive practices and CRST, but still were intentional in providing their students with individualized attention and tried to make sociopolitical connections in their teaching. Also, they reported using inclusive practices and CRST by encouraging shared student experiences and promoting growth mindsets. A lack of time and training remained a barrier to implementation.DiscussionThese findings can inform future inclusive teaching professional development, which aims to bolster instructor's inclusive and culturally responsive science teaching practices, especially at MSIs.

From Readers to Creators Secondary Students’ Perceptions of Creating Digital Stories: Challenges and Potential Benefits

This study explores the benefits and challenges of creating digital stories as experienced by Hungarian secondary school students who participated in an international digital‑social reading project and who translated their shared reading experience into a digital narrative. In pursuit of finding connections between the digital stories and their creators, a focus group was held to gain data regarding students​’​ lived experiences with creating digital stories. The findings of this qualitative study may dispel some doubts about using digital narratives in the classroom and present the creation process in a way that makes it approachable for teachers and students alike. Some teachers find it difficult to take even ​small steps towards a more digitised classroom environment, so for those practitioners, deep‑diving into this fully realised ​digital‑social reading project and its outcome will prove useful as a resource.

Creating Connection: Building a Culture of Belonging in the Workplace

This article explores how organizational leaders can cultivate a culture of connection where employees feel a strong sense of belonging by discussing the importance of social bonds for both individual well-being and organizational success based on research evidence showing that loneliness and lack of social connection are linked to poorer physical and mental health as well as lower performance, productivity and creativity at work, while socially-connected workplaces outperform those characterized by disconnect. The article provides strategies for leaders to promote meaningful social bonds by emphasizing the need to intentionally create an inclusive culture through implementing diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives to foster a sense of belonging for all employees, cultivating compassion by establishing formal and informal support systems that demonstrate care for employees' wellness, and facilitating shared experiences through community-building activities and social events that help employees connect on a personal level beyond just work tasks. Exemplar companies that comprehensively implement these types of initiatives through programs promoting unusually strong employee collaboration, retention, morale and organizational success are shown to benefit from nurturing social bonds so that when these bonds are cultivated, both individuals and their workplaces can thrive.

Together but separate: a longitudinal study of how spatial context shapes the formation of social ties of women medical students.

Developing and maintaining connections with others, or what we refer to as the formation of social ties, may strengthen medical students' sense of belonging in medical school. Social ties play a particularly important role for women medical students as the medical field remains largely dominated by masculine norms. However, forming social ties remains challenging for women in medicine. This study used the COVID-19 pandemic to examine how women medical students navigated the spatial contexts of medical school to form social ties. Using longitudinal qualitative research and narrative inquiry, it describes how 17 women medical students formed social ties during the early stages of COVID-19. Beginning in fall 2020, during the initial two-years of medical school, the participants (1) described how personal ties were deterred from forming in early experiences of medical school; (2) shared experiences that promoted a sense of community bonding during middle and later periods; and (3) expressed limitations of access to the formation of professional ties throughout their initial 2-years. This study has important implications for understanding ways spatial contexts, access to physical connections, and the mental and emotional barriers or pathways play roles in social tie formation for women medical students and how longitudinal qualitative research can narrate these changes through time.

Exploring the Intersection of Tales, Myths, and Cultural Narratives in the Literary work of Sudha Murty

Throughout history, tales, myths, and cultural expressions have woven a rich tapestry of human storytelling, transcending borders and bridging civilizations. This study explores the dynamic blend of folklore, myths, and cultural narratives across epochs, analyzing common themes and archetypes that reveal our shared human experience. Emphasizing the role of oral traditions, it examines how stories adapt to societal changes, shaped by beliefs, rituals, and norms. By looking at the impact of globalization and technology on these narratives, the study celebrates storytelling’s power to connect and preserve cultural identity, offering insights into its enduring relevance in today’s world.

A framework for promoting disciplinary diversity and inclusion through epistemic justice.

Integrating diverse disciplines and knowledge practices into conservation offers new insights into the complex socioecological dynamics of conservation challenges and how to address them. Integration, however, is not simple; disciplines differ widely in their epistemic and professional commitments, theories, methods, applications, practices, and codes of ethics. Using an epistemic justice approach, we examined how and why different forms of disciplinary and social diversity are connected and offer a framework for promoting disciplinary diversity for conservation science and practice. This framework draws on a literature review and open-ended responses from surveys of Society for Conservation Biology (SCB) members (n=577) and nonmembers (n=213) on experiences of professional and disciplinary exclusion and inclusion collected by SCB's Disciplinary Inclusion Task Force. We propose 4 steps conservation organizations and projects can take to promote disciplinary diversity and inclusion: know your history; understand power dynamics; listen to underrepresented voices; and operationalize disciplinary diversity and inclusion. As members of a highly interdisciplinary and diverse task force, we illustrated this framework through reflections on our shared experiences working together and the challenges and opportunities we faced.

Perspectives of Digital Health Innovations in Low- and Middle-Income Health Care Systems From South and Southeast Asia.

Digital health innovations have emerged globally as a transformative force for addressing health system challenges, particularly in resource-constrained settings. The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the critical importance of these innovations for enhancing public health. In South and Southeast Asia, a region known for its cultural diversity and complex health care landscape, digital health innovations present a dynamic interplay of challenges and opportunities. We advocate for ongoing research built into system development and an evidence-based strategy focusing on designing and scaling national digital health infrastructures combined with a vibrant ecosystem or "marketplace" of local experiments generating shared experience about what works in which settings. As the global digital health revolution unfolds, the perspectives drawn from South and Southeast Asia-including the importance of local partnerships-may provide valuable insights for shaping future strategies and informing similar initiatives in low- and middle-income countries, contributing to effective digital health strategies across diverse global health contexts.

Unleashing cultural diversity knowledge for improved knowledge sharing and integration: an in-depth qualitative analysis

Purpose This study aims to investigate international students’ experiences through a lens of knowledge management perspective, emphasizing their strategies for knowledge management in tandem with cultural adaptation. The primary objective is to elucidate how international students navigate cultural differences and use knowledge management strategies to augment their learning and integration, thereby supporting their academic progress in a new academic environment. Design/methodology/approach An in-depth qualitative research strategy was used, using semistructured interviews with Pakistani doctoral students who were studying in Australia. A thematic analysis was conducted to identify recurring themes and patterns in the data. Findings The findings reveal that international students adeptly adopt various knowledge management strategies to facilitate cultural adaptation. These strategies encompass embracing otherness through a sense of belonging, engaging in both personal and shared learning experiences, achieving individual success, and using critical inquiry as a guiding framework for observations. Notably, this study underscores the pivotal role played by cultural competence in conjunction with social networks, influencing cultural intelligence and, subsequently, impacting knowledge sharing and integration for academic progress. Practical implications This study’s findings provide practical insights for higher education institutions and policymakers, emphasizing the importance of supporting international students in their cultural adaptation and knowledge management endeavors. These practical implications encompass fostering a welcoming and inclusive environment, supporting intercultural engagement, using technology for enhanced learning and communication and promoting the development of cultural intelligence among international students. Originality/value This study contributes to the literature on international student experiences and knowledge management by providing insights into the strategies used by international students to navigate knowledge of cultural differences to enhance their learning experiences and advance academic progress. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the intersection between cultural adaptation and core knowledge management concepts of knowledge sharing and integration in the context of higher education.

Innovating Diabetes Care in Pregnancy: Do group care models improve outcomes and equity?

Shared medical appointments (SMAs) for diabetes and group prenatal care (GPC) for pregnant patients, have emerged as innovative care delivery models. They have the potential to transform diabetes care by overcoming many of the time limitations of traditional one-on-one clinical visits. There is compelling evidence that SMAs improve glycemic control for non-pregnant patients with diabetes, GPC reduces Black/White health disparities in preterm birth, and Diabetes Group Prenatal Care increase postpartum glucose tolerance test uptake among patients with gestational diabetes mellitus. GPC models standout as one of few interventions that reduce racial health disparities, which we hypothesize occurs because they inadvertently exert their effect on both the patient and clinician through a 20+ hour meaningful shared experience. This Perspective explores the evidence for SMA and GPC in diabetes and pregnancy, theoretical underpinnings of the models, their potential to promote more equitable care, and future directions from my Perspective, as a high-risk obstetrician and 2019 ADA Pathway Accelerator award recipient.

Exploring the Experiences of Women Academics in England: The Combined Effects of Societal, Structural and Life‐Stage Factors

ABSTRACTThis study explored the experiences of women who are academics working in UK higher education (HE), using a feminist approach and narrative methods and analysis. The purpose of the research was to explore the experiences of women, with a view to highlighting potential shared experiences, informing the policies of universities and adding to the body of knowledge on women in HE. Findings include narrative themes around gender roles, male‐dominated academia and life‐stage impact on career. Concluding recommendations include meaningful recognition of pastoral roles and promotion tracks which value these skills and support for women's life stages, including maternity, motherhood, menopause and sandwich caring.

Leveraging Classroom Polling and Artificial Intelligence to Enhance Learner Engagement and Metacognition in a First-Year Anatomy and Physiology Course

This paper explores the integration and impact of a polling solution (EchoPoll) enhanced with artificial intelligence (AI) in a first-year university anatomy and physiology course. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the student and instructor perspectives of integrating this new polling tool into this course. The overall aims for the integration of the tool itself were to increase student engagement, provide real-time feedback, and facilitate deeper understanding of complex concepts in a subject area that has historically been taught in traditional and often didactic face-to-face modalities. Anonymous feedback gathered from two different cohorts of students from 2023 and 2024 regarding their experiences using the polling tool was overwhelmingly positive – particularly in terms of enjoying the interactivity, opportunities to improve comprehension of difficult subject matter in real-time and overall learning. This paper discusses the features of the polling tool itself, its application in different classroom scenarios such as lectures, laboratories and workshops, and how it supported both the students and the instructor to change their approaches to exploring anatomical and physiological concepts based on shared understanding and experiences.

The Case for Compulsory Music Education in U.S. K-12 Schools: A Path to Fostering Cultural Identity and Inclusivity

This paper investigates the possible advantages of having music education as a required part of the U.S. K-12 curricula, particularly relating to how it can help develop cultural identities and encourage social cohesion. Music education helps develop cultural identity in that it creates shared experiences, preserves heritage, and encourages intercultural understanding. Questions of practical implementation—equity disparities, curricular prejudices, and lack of finances—fall into place as some of these challenges. It is contended in the paper that compulsory music education, far from these challenges, has rich cultural and educational rewards and for that matter prescribes remediating through legislative advocacy and public-private partnerships, and culturally responsive teaching practices.

Menopause Legacies: Designing to Record and Share Experiences of Menopause Across Generations

Menopause is often overlooked or medicalized, consequently devaluing individual experiences and failing to support individuals experiencing this life event. Family dynamics, death, and taboo further mean that individuals often miss out on information that could help them contextualize their experiences. We examine participant experiences with menopause and explore designs of digital and non-digital legacies for sharing menopause experiences across generations. We conducted semi-structured interviews and design sessions with 17 participants who experienced or are experiencing menopause. We report participant information needs and sense-making practices, including what personalized information participants wish to pass down and preferred formats for intergenerational sharing. Findings highlight the potential of using storytelling and life-logging to create 'holistic' memories of the menopause journey, to support self-reflection, and for using legacies to initiate conversations about marginalized health experiences. We identify future design and research opportunities for the HCI and CSCW communities to support intergenerational sharing of non-medicalized and stigmatized health experiences.

The UPFRONT project: tailored implementation and evaluation of a patient decision aid to support shared decision-making about management of symptomatic uterine fibroids

ObjectiveTo evaluate implementation of a patient decision aid for symptomatic uterine fibroid management to improve shared decision-making at five clinical settings across the United States.MethodsWe used a type 3 hybrid effectiveness-implementation stepped-wedge design and the Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, Maintenance (RE-AIM) planning and evaluation framework. We conducted clinician training, monthly reach tracking with feedback to site clinical leads, patient and clinician surveys, and visit audio-recordings. Implementation strategies included assessment of organizational readiness for shared decision-making, synchronous clinician training, audit and feedback of decision aid reach, and access to multiple decision aid formats. Outcomes and analyses included patient-level reach, clinician-level adoption, and associations of patient-reported decision aid exposure (as treated) and setting-level implementation (intention-to-treat) with patient-reported (collaboRATE measure) and observed (OPTION-5 measure) shared decision-making. We also designed and assessed setting-level plans for sustainability and other factors impacting sustained decision aid use.ResultsThe decision aid was adopted by 72 of the 74 eligible gynecologists (97%) and reached 2553 patients across five settings. CollaboRATE scores improved among patients who reported receiving the decision aid (as-treated analysis, 69% vs. 59%; OR 1.6, 95% CI 1.16–2.27). CollaboRATE scores remained consistent before and after setting-level decision aid implementation (intention-to-treat analysis, 64% vs. 63%; OR 0.86, 95% CI 0.61–1.22). Participants would prefer to receive a decision aid at multiple time points (91.9% before the visit, 90.7% during the visit, 86.5% after the visit). Shared decision-making experiences did not improve when comparing pre vs. post-implementation collaboRATE scores across included settings (intention-to-treat, 64% vs. 63%; OR 0.86, 95% CI 0.61–1.22).ConclusionWhen patients with symptomatic uterine fibroids are given decision aids, they report higher shared decision-making scores. However, the differences we observed between the as-treated and intention-to-treat results suggest that unaddressed implementation challenges continue to limit the extent to which patients receive decision aids and likely hinder their overall impact. Future efforts to implement decision aids should explore enhancing their integration into clinical workflows and standard operating procedures, supported by organizational incentives that prioritize shared decision-making.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT03985449; registered 6 June 2019.

Visual arts as a catalyst for social change: Communicating powerful messages

This study examines the crucial role of Visual Arts as a catalyst for social change, focusing on its potential to communicate powerful messages that provoke thought, inspire action, and foster empathy. By investigating various contemporary art forms, such as street art and digital art this research aims to highlight the ways in which artists harness their work to address pressing social issues and promote positive change. Through an analysis of case studies featuring renowned artists and their impactful pieces, the study illustrates how visual arts can transcend language barriers, evoke emotional responses, and inspire individuals to engage in critical reflection and dialogue. In addition, this research underscores the potential of visual arts to create shared experiences and unite diverse communities around common causes, ultimately fostering understanding and paving the way for transformative societal advancements. In doing so, the study seeks to emphasize the unique and potent ability of visual arts to communicate powerful messages, drive social change, and cultivate a more informed, empathetic, and connected global community by leveraging various forms of visual communication, including linguistic signs and symbols, to convey meaning and provoke thought.

Exhibiting lived experiences of disability in a hospital workplace: A qualitative evaluation

BackgroundBeyond the Stigma (BTS) was an exhibition of stories about staff with physical and hidden impairments at the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, UK. ObjectiveEvaluative research aimed to examine BTS's long-term impact on participants who publicly shared lived experiences of disability in their hospital workplace. It also sought to discover how arts-based interventions can effectively identify and promote nuanced disability understandings and the wellbeing of disabled people working in healthcare. MethodsInterpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) interviews were conducted with six hospital staff. Transcripts were analyzed in depth. ResultsThree superordinate themes emerged from the data, Process of Hesitancy and Comfort, Perceptions of Impact and Contribution, and Journeying with Disability Understandings. These captured personal narratives of how it felt to disclose impairment and perceptions of the project's impact. Long-term benefits of taking part in BTS were identified as increased self-confidence, openness, self-acceptance, and empowerment. Shifts in participants' personal disability views pointed to improved quality of life inside and outside the workplace through new awareness of diverse and shared experiences, new ease with disability definitions, language, self-identity, and community participation. ConclusionStudy findings exposed levels of risk, resilience, and compromise associated with sharing personal experiences of disability, and how these can be managed effectively in the workplace. BTS offers a model for health promotion and community participation across disabled and non-disabled communities that can be repeated and adapted to support employment strategies, shift understandings, and promote notions of disability gain and disability pride across healthcare settings.

Development of the preschool teachers’ partnership competence

The aim of this research was to study the current level of preschool teachers’ partnership competence in the aspect of interacting in the teaching staff. During the research, questionnaires and statistical methods of analysis were conducted. The results of the study show that 82% of the respondents describe the psychological climate in the team as moderately favourable, 6% note its high level, 9% feel low favourableness, and 3% see it as unfavourable. The conducted research revealed a positive moderate correlation between the partnership competence level and the psychological climate level in the team of preschool teachers. Therefore, a positive psychological climate, characterized by mutual understanding, support and openness, contributes to creating a favorable environment for partnership interaction. When teachers feel comfortable and supported in the team, they are more inclined to work together, share experiences and provide mutual support. The area of further research is to identify the relationship between the professional development of teachers and their partnership competence, as well as to study the impact of distance learning on partnership interaction between teachers and ways of its development in the digital environment.

WHAT IS THE LINGUISTIC PICTURE OF A WORLD IN COGNITIVE LINGUISTICS?

This article delves into the fascinating world of cognitive linguistics, an interdisciplinary field that explores the intricate relationship between language, thought, and conceptualization. Like a vibrant tapestry woven with threads from cognition, pragmatics, and function, cognitive linguistics views language as a powerful cognitive tool, encoding and transmitting information through symbols and signs. Within the depths of the human mind, concepts take shape, forming a mosaic of interconnected ideas that find expression in the rich tapestry of language. Cultural experiences, customs, and historical contexts add hues and shades to this linguistic picture, creating a diverse and captivating conceptosphere that reflects the beauty and complexity of our shared human experience.