Social-cultural Context Research Articles

Exploring patient-provider interactions and the health system\u2019s responsiveness to street-connected children and youth in Kenya: a qualitative study

BackgroundIn Kenya, street-connected children and youth (SCY) have poor health outcomes and die prematurely due to preventable causes. This suggests they are not accessing or receiving adequately responsive healthcare to prevent morbidity and mortality. We sought to gain insight into the health systems responsiveness to SCY in Kenya through an in-depth exploration of SCY’s and healthcare provider’s reflections on their interactions with each other.MethodsThis qualitative study was conducted across 5 counties in western Kenya between May 2017 and September 2018 using multiple methods to explore and describe the public perceptions of, and proposed and existing responses to, the phenomenon of SCY in Kenya. The present analysis focuses on a subset of data from focus group discussions and in-depth interviews concerning the delivery of healthcare to SCY, interactions between SCY and providers, and SCY’s experiences in the health system. We conducted a thematic analysis situated in a conceptual framework for health systems responsiveness.ResultsThrough three themes, context, negative patient-provider interactions, and positive patient-provider interactions, we identified factors that shape health systems responsiveness to SCY in Kenya. Economic factors influenced and limited SCY’s interactions with the health system and shaped their experiences of dignity, quality of basic amenities, choice of provider, and prompt attention. The stigmatization and discrimination of SCY, a sociological process shaped by the social-cultural context in Kenya, resulted in experiences of indignity and a lack of prompt attention when interacting with the health system. Patient-provider interactions were highly influenced by healthcare providers’ adverse personal emotions and attitudes towards SCY, resulting in negative interactions and a lack of health systems responsiveness.ConclusionsThis study suggests that the health system in Kenya is inadequately responsive to SCY. Increasing public health expenditures and expanding universal health coverage may begin to address economic factors, such as the inability to pay for care, which influence SCY’s experiences of choice of provider, prompt attention, and dignity. The deeply embedded adverse emotional responses expressed by providers about SCY, associated with the socially constructed stigmatization of this population, need to be addressed to improve patient-provider interactions.

Fragile Families in Quebec and the Rest of Canada: A Comparison of Parental Work-Life Balance Satisfaction

We address how social policies and cultural context impact the association of marital status with parental work-life balance satisfaction. To accomplish this goal, we examine how this association differs between the francophone province of Quebec and the Rest of Canada (all other provinces combined), as these regions have distinct cultures and family-related social policies. The study uses a sample of 15,870 working parents with at least one dependent child from the Canadian General Social Surveys of 2010 to 2016. Using multivariate regression, we compare satisfaction with their work-life balance among cohabiting, divorced, and single parents with that of their married counterparts. The results indicate significant work-life balance satisfaction advantages for married mothers across Canada, except in the province of Quebec. For fathers, no consistent marital status-related gap is found, regardless of the region of residence. Various implications are discussed, and venues for further research are proposed.

Hope and anxiety: The study of female embodied experience with assisted reproductive technology

Assisted reproductive technology (ART) is hailed as “the holy grail” for infertile patients in the mainstream narrative. The existing studies have clearly demonstrated how external social factors shape how ART is to be used, but they ignore the recipients of the technologies, and especially the experiences of women. Based on an investigation conducted in Z hospital’s reproductive center, this article regards embodiment as the methodological orientation for integrating socio-cultural context with female embodied experience in order to show their bio-social entanglement. As fieldwork evidence indicates, ART in practice is far from simple “hope technology”; instead, it throws women into a paradoxical world in which hope and anxiety coexist. Embodied experience, hope, and anxiety are transmitted through the bodies of women, which reveals the inscription of social-cultural context and technical uncertainty on the female body and, meanwhile, women actively learn strategies by which to cope with the technical uncertainty and moral pressures from local culture (including healing the body, folk religion, etc.), so as to hold onto infertility treatment with hope.

An examination of socioeconomic and racial/ethnic disparities in the awareness, knowledge and utilization of three colorectal cancer screening modalities.

While colorectal cancer (CRC) mortality rates have been decreasing, disparities by socioeconomic status (SES) and race/ethnicity persist. CRC screening rates remain suboptimal among low SES and racial/ethnic minority populations, despite the availability of multiple screening modalities. Understanding awareness, knowledge, and utilization of common screening modalities within different racial/ethnic and SES groups is critical to inform efforts to improve population screening uptake and reduce disparities in CRC-related health outcomes. Through the theoretical lenses of diffusion of innovation and fundamental cause theory, we examined the associations of race/ethnicity and SES with awareness, knowledge, and utilization of three guideline recommended CRC screening strategies among individuals at average risk for CRC. Data were obtained from a survey of a nationally representative panel of US adults conducted in November 2019. The survey was completed by 31.3% of invited panelists (1595 of 5097). Analyses were focused on individuals at average risk for CRC, aged 45–75 for awareness and knowledge outcomes (n = 1062) and aged 50–75 for utilization outcomes (n = 858). Analyses revealed racial/ethnic and SES disparities among the three CRC screening modalities, with more racial/ethnic and SES differences observed in the awareness, knowledge, and utilization of screening colonoscopy and mt-sDNA than FIT/gFOBT. Patterns of disparities are consistent with previous research showing that inequities in social and economic resources are associated with an imbalanced adoption of medical innovations. Our findings demonstrate a need to increase awareness, knowledge, and access of various CRC screening modalities in specific populations defined by race/ethnicity or SES indicators. Efforts to increase CRC screening should be tailored to the needs and social-cultural context of populations. Interventions addressing inequalities in social and economic resources are also needed to achieve more equitable adoption of CRC screening modalities and reduce disparities in CRC-related health outcomes.

Perceived benefits from agroforestry landscapes across North-Eastern Europe: What matters and for whom?

Agroforestry landscapes are crucial to human wellbeing; however, they are in sharp decline across Europe. Improved understanding of the complexity of agroforestry landscapes within different biophysical, social-cultural, economic and governance contexts is essential for designing effective policy and management interventions that are more tightly aligned with societal expectations and aspirations. This paper identifies and compares values that people attribute to agroforestry landscapes across North-Eastern Europe, using case studies in Sweden, Latvia, Belarus, and the Russian Federation. We apply the multiple-value approach developed for the conceptual framework of the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services to an assessment of agroforestry landscapes. Using data from a total of 1634 face-to-face structured interviews, we (i) analyse and explore the preferences of diverse groups of respondents for agroforestry landscapes; (ii) identify a broad range of nature’s contributions to people (NCP) that were attributed to agroforestry landscapes by respondents; and, (iii) analyse values of agroforestry landscapes across different contexts in NorthEastern Europe. We found that a highly heterogenous group of people – broadly irrespective of age, education, gender, place of residence, as well as political, economic, or social-cultural context – perceive agroforestry landscapes to be important to their quality of life. Respondents attributed multiple NCP to agroforestry landscapes, and non-material NCP are the most frequently assigned in all four countries. An absolute majority of respondents across all case studies considered relational values of agroforestry landscapes to be important for their quality of life with identity as the most often associated with agroforestry landscapes.We discuss how relational values might be incorporated in policies and practices related to agroforestry landscapes in North-Eastern Europe.

System-level barriers to personal recovery in mental health: qualitative analysis of co-productive narrative dialogues between users and professionals.

No co-productive narrative synthesis of system-level facilitators and barriers to personal recovery in mental illness has been undertaken. To clarify system-level facilitators and barriers to personal recovery of people with mental illness. Qualitative study guided by thematic analysis. Data were collected through one focus group, which involved seven service users and three professionals. This group had 11 meetings, each lasting 2 h at a local research institute, between July 2016 to January 2018. The analysis yielded three themes: barriers inhibiting positive interaction within personal relationship networks, roots of barriers from mental health systems and the social cultural context, and possible solutions to address the roots. Barriers were acknowledged as those related to sense of safety, locus of control within oneself and reunion with self. The roots of barriers were recognised within mental health services, including system without trauma sensitivity, lack of advocacy support and limited access to psychosocial approaches. Roots from social cultural context were also found. There were no narratives relating to facilitators. A possible solution was to address the roots from systems. Social cultural change was called for that makes personalised goals most valued, with an inclusive design that overcomes stigma, to achieve an open and accepting community. The analysis yielded system-level barriers specific to each recovery process. Roots of barriers that need transformation to facilitate personal recovery were identified within mental health services. Social interventions should be further explored to translate the suggested social cultural changes into action.

«НЬЮГЕЙТСКИЙ КАЛЕНДАРЬ»: ПСИХОЛОГИЧЕСКАЯ РЕКОНСТРУКЦИЯ АНГЛИЙСКОЙ КРИМИНАЛЬНОЙ БИОГРАФИИ XVIII СТОЛЕТИЯ

The author of the article refers to one of the intellectual aspects of the genesis of English penitentiary reforms of the 18th century. The progressive increase in crime rate, which English society faced in the 18th century, became a popular trend in social discourse, being left off “board” of historical penology that developed till the middle of the 20th century in the line of the normativism approach. Historiographic schools traditionally treated the evolution of English criminal justice system of the 18th century as the history of sanctions and led complicated social processes to forming severe “vertical of subordination”. The dislocation of the vector of historical researches to interdisciplinary anthropological field led to the emergence of new methods of reconstructions of historical world. The author applied theoretical aspects and tools of “cultural-intellectual and new social history” and it helped to consider imperious relationships in the epoch of the reforming of criminal justice system in the mirror of representation in historical narratives in social-cultural context and reality of Great Britain in the 18th century. The aim of the following research is to analyze criminal biographies from the Newgate Calendar for comprehension of the psychology of a crime both in the point of view of its direct subjects and through the prism of literary and personal interpretation. To reach the goal the author solves the following tasks: - considers the phenomenon of crime from the point of view of their subjects, on the one hand, and the public in the search for universal forms of neutralization of criminal aggression and ways of realization of the punishment in the stated period, on the other; - analyzes the criminals’ psychological state and emotional reactions taking into account classical studies in criminal psychology; - shows the specifics of the manifestation and perception of violence and “crime and retribution” interpretation in the social and spiritual-intellectual contexts of the period In the framework of the study, the author resorts to both special historical and source study methods (biographical, historical synthesis, discursive analysis, interpretation of texts and sources), as well as to the tools of related humanitarian disciplines such as psychological anthropology (reconstruction of a criminal biography involving fundamental works of Z. Freud, E. Fromm, Yu.M. Antonyan). We conclude the following: First of all, Newgate histories performed the edifying function, reminding us of the inevitability of punishment and compulsory repentance of a criminal. Moralistic component helped the “Calendar” to create the reputation of reading, elevating the spirit and it frequently held pride of place on the bookshelves near the Bible. Secondly, The Newgate Calendar made the attitude to the essence of violence in human nature as a part of public discourse. It was a successful commercial project of replication of the examples of antisocial behavior: violence, fraud, adultery, sexual inversions were boldly included into the sphere of public representation. In fact, the combination of didactic discourses and narrative passages created compositional structure of every biography in proportion, fitting such criteria as provocativeness of the material, eccentricity of a criminal’s personality and the degree of his discrepancy to conventional social norms.

Politieke pedagogiek

Abstract Political pedagogy: In search for predictors of susceptibility to antidemocratic orientations The traditional movement toward educational reform at the beginning of the last century emphasized the individual child and his or her experiential world. The current paper addresses the question why reform schools such as Rudolf Steiner’s Waldorf schools could easily be incorporated in the National-Socialist political movement in the thirties of the last century. After the Second World War the crucial issue for pedagogues and educators was how children could be guided to become less susceptible to the ideological temptations of Nazism and of totalitarianism in general. The initiators of the Frankfurter Schule (Horkheimer, Adorno) focussed on psychoanalytic determinants of vulnerability for this totalitarian seduction and introduced the concept of ‘the authoritarian personality’. Instead of psychoanalysis we use here Piaget’s and Kohlberg’s theory and research on moral development to address this same question of susceptibility to anti-democratic racist, sexist, militarist and nationalist movements, following pathfinding work of the second generation Frankfurters Habermas and Lempert. Social-psychological experiments and cultural anthropological studies are consulted to examine what role social-cultural context plays. In most social settings people can be easily nudged into conformism and thus triggered into uncritical acceptance of authoritarian leadership. Individuals with some resilience against such pressures might be characterised with a high level of moral reasoning. Some studies linking moral argumentation to political orientation suggest ways in which a ‘political pedagogy’ might contribute to harnessing such findings for anti-fascist educational applications.

Superdiversity: reconfiguration of cultural complexity of the contemporary contexts

Conceptualization of the social-cultural contexts of the 21st century in terms of superdiversity implies diversification of the current diversity due to the changing patterns of global migration and transnationalization. The concept of superdiversity introduced by S. Vertovec means a new way for describing and analyzing contemporary social and cultural processes. The author considers three interrelated aspects of superdiversity: descriptive, methodological and practical (political). As a rule, superdiversity implies new immigrants who move from a larger number of countries than before, including those that did not have colonial relations with the places attracting immigrants. The emerging contexts of superdiversity are not limited to the growth of diversity in terms of ethnicity - a multidimensional approach to superdiversity allows it to reflect patterns of social inequality, creolization and the experience of social contacts determined by diversification of migration channels and social statuses of immigrants, of their ethnic, gender and age characteristics. Under the permanent mobility, multiple identities and diverse transnational practices, not everything can be represented in terms of we-they, majority-minority, inside-outside. Therefore, superdiversity is not related to the Other or minorities but presents a new framework for all residents of the country, regardless of their origin. Moreover, in local contexts, cultural diversity is increasingly perceived as a norm. Thus, the concept of superdiversity contributes to the development of a new cultural narrative that would replace the outdated concepts of assimilation and multiculturalism.

Intrinsic motivation of rural adolescents in China: How individuation influences?

• Intrinsic motivation of rural Chinese adolescents. • Explore how individuation influences rural Chinese adolescents’ intrinsic motivation? • Explore how cultural context influences rural Chinese adolescents’ intrinsic motivation? According to the self-determination theory, intrinsic motivation is very essential for adolescents’ development as it can yield many positive outcomes. Therefore, this study focuses on rural adolescents’ intrinsic motivation, an issue that has not received sufficient attention in previous studies. This study also considers the effects of the natural intrapsychic process and the social-cultural context on rural adolescents’ intrinsic motivation from the ecological perspective. The data used in the study are from a survey of 995 rural adolescents in China. The results showed that individuation and traditional Chinese culture had positive effects on rural adolescents’ intrinsic motivation, although their interaction effect was negative on their intrinsic motivation. These findings imply a need to boost rural adolescents’ intrinsic motivation and balance it with traditional Chinese culture.

Contextualization of Qiwamah Meaning: Reflection on Abdullah Saeed, Application and Consistency

<p class="06IsiAbstrak"><em>Textual interpretation potentially emerges conflict because it denies the social cultural context in which Al-Qur’an is used a way of life in the present context. Especially if the verse interpreted textually is related to the division of roles and rights that must be fulfilled in a family relationship. This article aims to examine the principles of interpretation, application and consistency of Saeed’s contextual interpretation in the qiwamah verse. This research is a library research with a data collection model and is presented in an analytical descriptive. The results of this study found that: First, Saeed’s contribution in contextual interpretation was a theoretical-methodological contribution by establishing nine principles in treating texts. Secondly, Saeed has applied three hermeneutical stages in interpreting verses related to male and female relationship, but it is not entirely consistent with the contextual interpretation model he initiated, especially in the third (meaning for the first recipient) and the fourth (meaning for the present). He explores the opinions of pre-modern to modern scholars more to describe the shift in context and the possibility of radically changing interpretation but he tends not to convey his personal opinion regarding the meaning of qiwamah. </em></p>

Educational perspective on interreligious relations among Muslims, Christians and Kaharingan adherents in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate how do Muslims, Christians and Kaharingan adherents conduct interreligious relations among them in their everyday lives in Central Kalimantan; why do these religious communities observe interreligious relations as such; and what makes this model of interreligious relations.Design/methodology/approachThe corpus for analysis comes from in-depth interviews with 20 persons, which took place between August and October in 2016 in Palangka Raya city and Kotawaringin Timur Regency in Central Kalimantan Province, Indonesia. The informants were selected from groups believed to be lay members and elites of Muslim, Christian and Kaharingan communities using snowball sampling technique facilitated by local research assistants. These informants are mainly mainstream Muslims, Christians and Kaharingan adherents.FindingsThe way to peaceful and co-existence life lived by religious communities in Indonesia is closely related to its rich treasures and precious tradition of cultural heritage: Indonesian communalism, Indonesian community spirit as seen in terms such as “tradisi hidup bersama,” “semangat kebersamaan” and “satu keluarga.” Instead of emphasizing the divisive differences among communities with various religious backgrounds, Muslims, Christians and Kaharingan adherents in Central Kalimantan create “third spaces,” common grounds shared by these religious communities at individual, institutional and societal levels.Originality/valueBased on empirical findings, this research argues that the practices of peaceful and co-existence life lived by diverse religious communities in Indonesia relate to their particular social-cultural contexts of rich treasures and precious tradition of cultural heritage in the forms of Indonesian communalism and community spirit. Instead of emphasizing the divisive differences among themselves, various religious communities in Central Kalimantan create third spaces, common grounds between them and are shared by them at individual, institutional and societal levels.

Stigma toward small babies and their mothers in Ghana: A study of the experiences of postpartum women living with HIV.

Infants born to HIV-infected mothers are more likely to be low birthweight (LBW) than other infants, a condition that is stigmatized in many settings worldwide, including sub-Saharan Africa. Few studies have characterized the social-cultural context and response to LBW stigma among mothers in sub-Saharan Africa or explored the views of women living with HIV (WLHIV) on the causes of LBW. We purposively sampled thirty postpartum WLHIV, who had given birth to either LBW or normal birthweight infants, from two tertiary hospitals in Accra, Ghana. Using semi-structured interviews, we explored women’s understanding of the etiology of LBW, and their experiences of caring for a LBW infant. Interviews were analyzed using interpretive phenomenology. Mothers assessed their babies' smallness based on the baby's size, not hospital-recorded birthweight. Several participants explained that severe depression and a loss of appetite, linked to stigma following an HIV diagnosis during pregnancy, contributed to infants being born LBW. Women with small babies also experienced stigma due to the newborns' "undesirable" physical features and other people's unfamiliarity with their size. Consequently, mothers experienced blame, reluctance showing the baby to others, and social gossip. As a result of this stigma, women reported self-isolation and depressive symptoms. These experiences were layered on the burden of healthcare and infant feeding costs for LBW infants. LBW stigma appeared to attenuate with increased infant weight gain. A few of the women also did not breastfeed because they thought their baby's small size indicated pediatric HIV infection. Among WLHIV in urban areas in Ghana, mother and LBW infants may experience LBW-related stigma. A multi-component intervention that includes reducing LBW incidence, treating antenatal depression, providing psychosocial support after a LBW birth, and increasing LBW infants’ weight gain are critically needed.

Η εννοιολογική αλλαγή στη μάθηση της φυσικής και ο ρόλος της σχετικής με τη φυσική προσωπικής επιστημολογίας

The present paper presents a skeletal theoretical model for understanding the role of physics-related personal epistemology in conceptual change in physics learning. It is argued that personal beliefs regarding the nature of knowledge and knowing in physics can function as constraints on the knowledge acquisition process, just like ontologicalpresuppositions and other beliefs of a motivational and affective character can do. Beliefs about knowledge and knowing can have a direct impact on the kind of new information that is picked up from the physical and social-cultural context and the way it is explained. They can also have an indirect impact on picking up and explaining information, by influencing certain mediating cognitive and metacognitive functions, such as study strategies used to accomplish learning goals and self-regulation of knowledge acquisition. Evidence from a number of studies supporting the theoretical model is presented.

Can social cohesion improve the resilience of individuals and health providers during the COVID-19 quarantine?

Dear Editor We read the published papers on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) with a focus on the psychological effects of quarantine. The results of studies showed that COVID-19, which was first observed in late December 2019 in Wuhan, China, has rapidly spread. On 19 February 2020, Iran reported its first confirmed cases of infections in Qom. The disease has rapidly spread around the world, and in March 2020 the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 to be a pandemic (1). The rapid spread of the virus, along with the absence of effective medicines or vaccines against COVID-19, has prompted health policymakers in many countries to introduce quarantine policy as the most effective way to control the epidemic (2). Quarantine has been considered an important early health measure in the epidemic of diseases, especially infectious diseases in the past (3), and investigated in several studies for its negative psychological effects, such as anxiety, depression (4), and isolation. In addition, the persistence of psychological symptoms is reported after the termination of quarantine. Researchers recommend interventions, such as remote counseling, web-based training (5) and other training activities, awareness, and transparency of information by health professionals and policymakers, for the reduction of anxiety and other psychological symptoms to lessen the effects of quarantine (6). In these types of epidemics, anxiety management is one of the most important factors affecting society and practicing health interventions and guidelines (4). At the time when the corona crisis has become a public and pervasive issue and common danger to all individuals in society, although not everyone is equally affected, there is a greater sense of solidarity and no conflict of interest. In this situation, individuals try to help each other in various ways, such as providing the correct information about the condition of the disease and related issues (7) and singing at certain hours from the windows of buildings to relieve the loneliness and attention of each other (8). Studies over the past 20 years on the effects of pandemics on social cohesion can help observe the effects and best responses to COVID-19, especially in developing countries (9). Social solidarity in Iranian society has always increased in the face of adverse events, such as wars, floods, and earthquakes. Following the outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic in Iran, popular spontaneous measures were aimed at helping in difficult epidemic conditions and leading to social cohesion in Iranian society. These measures may include renting out rentals, making jokes about COVID-19 shared on social networks leading to increased resilience, and appreciating the dedication and hard work of nurses and doctors. Various ways also include lighting candles on balconies, going home to distribute disinfectants in disadvantaged areas, disinfecting ATMs, street surfaces, and passages by volunteers, and providing needs and shopping items for the elderly and disabled. It is suggested to carry out studies on the psychological effects of quarantine with regard to issues, such as cohesion and social cohesion, cultural context, and positive dimensions of the issues. It seems that the consideration of these issues can provide valuable data for the formulation of health and even treatment policies and programs focusing on social capital (as a hidden force in the relationships between individuals in a society). This letter to the editor was approved by Gonabad University of Medical Sciences and is listed in the Research System (no.: A-10-1813-2).

KONTEKS PRAGMATIK DALAM PERSPEKTIF CYBERPRAGMATICS

It is always possible to combine the field of language with other fields which may be irrelevant, but there is a possibility to develop the fields synergistically. Cyberpragmatics can be seen as a transdisciplinary field, because it includes complex dimensions, namely language, pragmatics, technology, media, internet, and possibly other dimensions as well. This article aims to describe contexts in cyberpragmatics. The data was collected from utterances in various domains which contained context entities. The substantive data source was taken from authentic texts in various social media which also contained context. As for the locative data source, it was from social media that could be reached within the time of research. The data was collected by applying listening method and interview method. The researcher also used his intuitive judgment given the fact that he is a native speaker of Indonesian language. The data analysis method applied in this research is distributional analysis method in order to reach the linguistic aspects of this research. The dominant analytical method used is the extralingual type of extralinguistic method of analysis. The analysis showed that various pragmatic contexts were found, which include social context, societal context, cultural context, and situational context. The diverse contexts may change and shift over time. The context of the past cannot be the same as the context of the present and future. The elements and functions of the context will definitely shift and change so that the meaning of speech intentions in cyberpragmatics will also change.

Interview with Julio Valdez

An interview with the acclaimed Dominican artist Julio Valdez, conducted by Ron Scapp, contributing editor to the Ethnic Studies Review, in which the artist talks about his work by situating it within the personal and social-cultural context in which it was created.

Brazilian translation, cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the MG Composite scale and Quantitative Myasthenia gravis testing form: a multicentric study protocol.

Introduction: Myasthenia gravis (MG) is a chronic and inflammatory disease characterized by progressive weakness of the skeletal muscles due to changes in the synaptic junctions between nerves and muscle fibres. Typically, patients have a history of progressive weakness and fatigue in skeletal muscles, which occurs during sustained or repeated activities and improves after rest. Scoring systems to assess the degree of disease severity are commonly used in clinical drug trials. Further, specific instruments to assess health-related quality of life (HRQOL) have been designed to measure self-perception of symptoms and wellness during the disease or after disease treatment. HRQOL is an important component of patient evaluation, as some individuals can tolerate severe impairment and disability, while others may be very unhappy even with less severe symptom profiles. The objective of the proposed study is to translate and perform a cultural adaptation and validation of two specific instruments for assessing the clinical course of patients with MG. These instruments include the Quantitative Test for Myasthenia gravis (QMG) and Myasthenia gravis Composite Scale (MGC). Methods and analyses: The study design will follow a multi-method approach, and will be conducted in three stages consisting of translation, cultural adaptation, and validation of the QMG and MGC for Brazilian Portuguese patients. This multi-step process will consider aspects of construct and predictive validity as well as reliability and structure of the instrument. The entire process will follow the procedures proposed and developed in other linguistic and social-cultural contexts based on previous studies. Ethics: This study has received approval from the Human Research Ethics Committee of Nove de Julho University (Brazil) under process no. 360.488 based on the Helsinki declaration and is registered with the World Health Organization (WHO) under Universal Trial Number (UTN) U1111-1147-7853 and the Brazilian Registry of Clinical Trials (REBEC) RBR -7ckpdd.

Participant Chinese teacher and student perceptions of an international teaching practicum with Australian pre-service teachers

ABSTRACT Insights into local Chinese teacher and student views of an international teaching practicum with Australian pre-service teachers are the focus of this paper. A qualitative content analysis was undertaken on teacher and student accounts captured through individual interviews with four teachers and questionnaire survey with 186 students. The paper uncovers how teachers and students perceived what they experienced in the practice of intercultural communication on teaching and learning. Emphasised in the analysis is the importance of situating discussions within the Chinese social cultural context, acknowledging the influence of traditional Chinese cultural values and educational conceptions on their teaching and learning practice. The findings reveal meaningful insights into intercultural comprehension involving teaching strategies, learning content and assessment and classroom management. The study’s findings highlighted that this international teaching practicum was a beneficial and valuable experience for participant Chinese students and teachers. The study also highlighted a potential gap in the preparation of Australian pre-service teachers and the Chinese students and Chinese teachers, regarding culturally specific and culturally aware competencies.

From takeover to debacle: An analysis of the Nympghate network using Twitter data

On January 26, 2018 the painting Hylas and the Nymphs was temporarily removed from the Manchester Art Gallery’s walls and taken underground to its store. The removal was part of a ‘takeover’ event that questioned the relationships between historic works of art and contemporary social-cultural contexts. The following days saw a barrage of online comments accusing the Gallery of censorship, of ‘feminism gone mad’, and of inadequacy. In this article I use Twitter data and Actor Network Theory to explore how a community and a narrative took shape around the takeover. The analysis shows how this Nymphgate network was influenced by a series of human and non-human actors, as well as by Twitter’s technological affordances. This study is part of a larger project, as such it leads to question the potential effects of this mediatized debacle to the Gallery’s organizational strategy — including the roles of, and relationships between, decision-makers, social media, and visitors within it.