Characterizing social problem-solving skills in STEAM activities among preschool children enacting different social positions

Always on duty - Fostering climate resilience in the nursing profession: A discussion paper.

Exploring social connections and mental well-being among members of a sober active community: A social network analysis.

Variation in three pregnancy attitude measures and changes from 2019-2020 to 2022-2023 in Arizona, New Jersey, and Wisconsin.

This study examines the extent to which individuals’ adherence to various principles of justice leads them to evaluate their income as (un)fair. We analyse individuals’ evaluations of income (un)fairness in relation to their own subjective social position, based on their declared identification with a vignette representing a given social stratum, paying special attention to the predominant evaluation of unfairness. Based on an overview of various principles of justice, we analyse responses to an open question in order to establish whether adherence to any of these principles is associated with that subjective assessment. We compare this with the influence of the individuals’ socio-economic characteristics relative to their objective social position. We use qualitative and quantitative data from a survey applied in 2024 to a statistically representative sample of 562 employed individuals from the province of Palena in Chile, selected randomly by district, household and individual. Results show that the principle of meritocracy based on education and entrepreneurship tends to be used to justify income inequality, while the opposite occurs with merit based on effort at work and the principle of need. However, some respondents’ socio-economic characteristics – in particular, having lower levels of income or education – are also associated with the likelihood that they will rate their income as unfair

Social mobility remains a central concern in sociological research, particularly in relation to the role of education in shaping individuals' social positions and status. Modernization theory posits that educational institutions facilitate upward vertical social mobility by providing equal opportunities for advancement. However, critical conflict approaches challenge this assumption, arguing that educational systems perpetuate existing inequalities and contribute to the reproduction of an inegalitarian stratification order. Empirical investigation is essential to assess these competing theoretical claims, particularly in research on social mobility and educational opportunity. This study examines intergenerational social mobility among students at the Faculty of Medicine, Dokuz Eylül University, employing both quantitative and qualitative research methods. By measuring mobility across three generations—comparing the education, occupation, and income of grandparents, parents, and children in terms of education, occupation, and income—our findings reveal that while elements of both modernization theory and its critique hold empirical validity, neither framework remains immune to critical reassessment. This study thus contributes to a more nuanced understanding of the complex relationship between education and social mobility, challenging deterministic accounts of either structural constraint or unrestricted mobility.

The formation of preschool teachers’ readiness for inclusive activities is founded on specific pedagogical regularities, which ensure that the training process is systematic, purposeful, and continuous. These regularities derive from the essence of the pedagogical process, the mechanisms of teacher activity, and the requirements of inclusive education. Effective training encompasses not only pedagogical knowledge and skills but also the teacher’s social position, psychological state, value system, and professional behavioral strategies. Approaches to inclusive education and teacher preparation differ across countries, shaped by diverse scientific schools. The European model emphasizes social justice, equality, human rights, and school transformation, examining teacher preparation in the context of the interplay between societal demands and pedagogical activity. The Russian model focuses on the theory of teacher activity, developmental psychology, and the pedagogical potential of social interaction, prioritizing personality-oriented development, individualized growth, and systematic performance capacity of teachers. In the United States and several Western countries, preparation centers on social relationships, motivation, activity-based learning, and the implementation of inclusive pedagogical technologies, aiming to enhance teachers’ psychological and social positions, behavioral strategies, and pedagogical adaptability. Several key regularities underpin a systematic and coherent approach to preparing preschool teachers for inclusive activities. These include the interrelation of parts and the whole, hierarchical structure, necessary diversity, and system development. The interrelation of parts and the whole ensures balance and consistency among different training components and integrates individual skills with general professional qualities. The hierarchical structure grounds teacher preparation at both general educational and individual levels, following the principle of interaction. The law of necessary diversity emphasizes that teachers must possess broad and continuous knowledge, skills, and approaches to adapt to various situations. The system development regularity ensures that training is continuously updated and aligned with evolving pedagogical requirements. The foundational principles of training are divided into general and specific principles. General principles include a humanistic approach, democratization of education, scientific rigor, systematicity, content and structural integrity, and multidisciplinarity. The humanistic approach fosters teachers’ ability to consider each child’s individual development and to promote tolerant attitudes in inclusive settings. The democratization principle ensures equal opportunities by addressing children’s individual educational needs. Scientific rigor facilitates the practical application of theoretical knowledge and the use of innovative methods in inclusive education. Systematicity organizes the interaction among psychological and pedagogical components, ensuring coherence in the training process. Specific principles include professional context alignment, diagnostics, prioritizing the social model of disability, value-content competence, preventive adaptation, identification and compensation of difficulties, teamwork, and professional pedagogical practice. Professional context alignment involves modeling concrete pedagogical situations, developing adaptive skills, and mastering practical activities in inclusive groups. Diagnostics enable monitoring of individual development, identification of strengths and weaknesses, and timely corrective measures. The social model of disability emphasizes individualized approaches and the implementation of inclusive values. Preventive adaptation and difficulty compensation strengthen teachers’ psychological and pedagogical readiness for future challenges. Teamwork and professional practice cultivate integrative cooperation skills, facilitating effective performance in inclusive environments. In conclusion, the preparation of preschool teachers for inclusive activities is multidisciplinary, complex, and integrative. It requires harmonizing pedagogical, psychological, and social regularities. The purposeful application of these principles promotes the development of the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary for effective performance in inclusive educational environments while accounting for teachers’ individual characteristics. Thus, this concept provides a scientific and pedagogical foundation for systematically, coherently, and sustainably preparing teachers for inclusive activities, fostering both practical and theoretical competencies.

Abstract Mass media and sociopolitical and academic discourses on ageing are characterised by a diffuse and often essentialist use of the concepts of age, ageing, and generation. Based on an interview with Bourdieu on “Youth Is Just a Word” and philosophical reflections on the semantics of age and ageing, the social-ontological status of age and generation classifications as arbitrary segmentations of a temporal continuum will therefore first be discussed. However, the life phase of old age was not the focus of Bourdieu’s work, so his scattered statements on old age are too undifferentiated and stereotypical for an approach based on the sociology of ageing. In order to gain further building blocks for a critical gerontology “with Bourdieu and beyond him”, additional sociological and gerontological perspectives on the social construction of age are presented. On this foundation, a model of the dialectic of symbolic and material constructions of age is presented, which regards “age” as a symbolic means for the field-specific inclusion and exclusion of individuals, “ageing” as a lifelong process of opening and closing life chances, and “generations” as socially constructed groups of adjacent age cohorts that compete for access to resources and social positions. The social construction of age, ageing, and generations is conceived of as an institutional, cultural, interactional, and individual process that builds on the material and physical basis of class-specific living conditions and in turn influences and changes them.

BackgroundAlthough social position plays a pivotal role in cognitive aging, most dementia prevention strategies and risk prediction models continue to emphasize biomedical and genetic factors (particularly APOE status). This disconnect raises critical questions about how social environments may shape the effect of genetic risk on dementia. We examined how APOE alleles interact with social adversity to determine dementia risk.MethodsWe conducted an observational analysis using two large cohort studies—the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) and the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA)—including individuals aged 55 years or older without dementia at baseline. A social adversity index was constructed based on the five domains of social determinants of health outlined in the Healthy People 2030 framework: education access, economic stability, healthcare quality, neighborhood environment, and social context. Participants were classified as having low (APOE-ε2), intermediate (APOE-ε3/ε3), or high (APOE-ε4) genetic risk of dementia. Dementia was ascertained via clinical diagnosis, cognitive testing, or validated caregiver report. Cox proportional hazards models were used in each cohort, and estimates were pooled using random-effects adjusting for covariates.ResultsA total of 9,849 participants (HRS = 5,797; ELSA = 4,052) were followed for up to 12 years. Genetic effects were most pronounced among individuals with social advantage (reference: APOE-ε3/ε3 with social advantage; APOE-ε2 HR = 0.67, 95%CI = 0.48–0.93; APOE-ε4 HR = 1.68, 95%CI = 1.37–2.06). In contrast, those experiencing high social adversity had elevated dementia risk regardless of genotype (reference: APOE-ε3/ε3 with social advantage; APOE-ε2 HR = 3.26, 95%CI = 2.06–5.16; APOE-ε3/ε3 HR = 3.12, 95%CI = 2.47–3.95; APOE-ε4 HR = 3.21, 95%CI = 2.34–4.41). Notably, individuals with high genetic risk but social advantage had a lower dementia risk than those with low genetic risk but high social adversity.ConclusionsThe influence of genetic risk on dementia appears shaped by social position. Addressing social adversity may reduce dementia risk across genotypes and enhance equity in dementia prevention strategies.

Multiple social positions and well-being among Nordic adolescents: An intersectional MAIHDA analysis of the interplay between gender, age, immigrant background, family structure, and perceived socioeconomic status.

Since the digital economy was elevated to a national strategy, the process of enterprises breaking through growth bottlenecks through digital transformation has implicitly involved profound changes in corporate governance logic. This study preliminarily reveals that the value of a board's social network position has transcended traditional internal oversight and structural regulation, becoming a core variable driving transformation. By deconstructing its network centrality mechanism through perspectives like social network theory and validating its link to financial performance via case studies of Haier Smart Home and Midea Group, this research provides empirical support for governance shifting from “structure-oriented” to “relationship-oriented” in the digital era. However, these conclusions are currently limited to the home appliance sector and do not account for the moderating effect of property rights. Future research could extend to the new energy sector or incorporate property rights variables to deepen studies on digital governance. Translated with DeepL.com (free version) So, what are the specific pathways of influence? Research shows that board network centrality positively drives digital transformation through four pathways: information acquisition, resource integration, decision-making efficiency, and risk aversion, and that digital transformation also partially mediates the relationship between the two. Data from listed companies in the home appliance industry from 2019 to 2022 further supports this finding: for every one-unit increase in board degree centrality, the level of digital transformation increases by 0.32 units, which in turn leads to a 0.0896-unit increase in return on equity. Ultimately, the credibility of these conclusions is based on data verifiability-the data and cases used are all from the annual reports of listed companies, the Guotai An database, and the public reports of the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, which also provides theoretical support and practical guidance for companies to optimize their board networks.

Abstract Early medieval brooches were far more than mere clothing accessories, conveying information on the social position and wealth of their owners. Mask brooches, a variant of the large family of bow brooches, were popular throughout the seventh century AD; their ethno- or socio-archaeological interpretation has been the focus of heated debate in research into the Early Middle Ages in Central and Eastern Europe. This study, presenting a mask brooch recently found at Tura, together with a comprehensive evaluation, is an attempt to draw the attention of Hungarian research to this controversial topic.

ABSTRACT Using recently available, nationally representative data on loneliness among older individuals in England, we ask: do the foreign born and their children have higher levels of loneliness than otherwise similar individuals without a migration background, and how are differences in loneliness related to both minority and immigrant experiences? In contrast to theoretical predictions, we do not find higher loneliness among the foreign born and their descendants as compared to the white British majority. However we do find that a minoritised social position, in particular exposure to discrimination, is associated with greater loneliness among those with a migration background. Immigrants who arrived later in the life course, and originated from outside the EU, are also lonelier in older age than those born in the UK or who arrived at younger ages.

In the digital age, the technological design of social media platforms has had a twofold effect on communication, diversifying the social conversation and intensifying the dynamics of social power and position. This study examines this duality through a qualitative analysis of 200 openly accessible Instagram profiles of Spanish traperas–young women whose fashion style incorporates elements of trap culture. The study aimed to examine how class position manifests in the digital communication practices of self-presentation among this sample of social media users. After identifying the communicative principles and aesthetic conventions of Instagram, the analysis explores the specific uses–appropriations–that traperas made of the visual tools and functionalities of the platform in their self-presentation, paying particular attention to class-related differences. The results indicate a digitally mediated repositioning of the elements that constitute social class, questioning claims for the dissolution of class boundaries on social media platforms.

Purpose This study aims to investigate the emerging phenomenon of “binge delivery” among digital natives, defined as individuals born between 1997 and 2012, and explore its impact on food-related well-being. Drawing on Uses and Gratifications Theory (UGT) and Veblen’s theory, this research conceptualizes binge delivery as a multidimensional behavioral practice driven by utilitarian, emotional, symbolic and status-related gratifications in the context of phygital online-to-offline (O2O) platforms, such as food delivery apps. Design/methodology/approach This study adopts a qualitative research design to examine binge delivery behaviors among digital natives. Through in-depth exploratory interviews and portrait analysis, it identifies key drivers, characteristics and outcomes associated with food delivery app usage, highlighting the hybrid phygital consumption context enabled by O2O platforms. Findings Results reveal that binge delivery behaviors are influenced by a blend of functional, emotional and symbolic factors that shape digital natives’ food consumption experiences. While binge delivery fosters convenience and gratification, it also introduces vulnerabilities, such as excessive consumption and emotional dependence. This study expands UGT by incorporating phygital ecosystems, illustrating how binge delivery reflects both empowerment and disempowerment in shaping consumer well-being. In addition, Veblen’s theory is applied to highlight conspicuous consumption behaviors within phygital food ordering, emphasizing its role in social positioning and peer-group identity. Research limitations/implications Future research should refine the construct of binge delivery by exploring its addictive dimensions and the impact of socioeconomic and demographic factors. Longitudinal studies are recommended to examine the evolution of binge delivery behaviors as digital natives transition into adulthood. Further research should also assess cross-cultural variations in binge delivery behaviors in the phygital setting, examining how local food cultures and socioeconomic conditions influence adoption patterns. Practical implications Developers and marketers can enhance O2O platforms by incorporating features that balance utilitarian and experiential values, such as gamified rewards or eco-friendly practices. New app features, such as shared carts, group ordering options or augmented reality dining experiences, can foster social bonding and enhance symbolic consumption dynamics. Policymakers are encouraged to promote educational programs and transparency in app usage to mitigate vulnerabilities, including overconsumption and unhealthy dietary habits. Originality/value This study introduces and defines binge delivery as a novel consumption behavior, enriching binging-related literature while addressing its implications for food well-being. By integrating phygital consumption dynamics and expanding UGT into phygital marketplaces, the research provides actionable insights for fostering healthier and sustainable app-based consumption experiences among digital natives.

As populations age and urbanize, there is a need for housing and neighborhoods that support healthier, happier lives for older adults. While “Aging in Place” policies enable seniors to remain in their homes and communities, critics argue they overlook the complex physical, social, and psychological factors necessary for positive aging. Particularly, policies that focus on the dwelling or proximity to care and failure to address older adults’ holistic needs. Positive alternatives, such as the “Age-Friendly Environments,” proposed by the World Health Organization, emphasize public health interventions that create neighborhoods where older people maintain social connections and live in supportive environments, regardless of accommodation type. This research, drawing on UK Understanding Society survey data, utilized Smallest Space Analysis (SSA) to identify what influences older adults’ preferences to stay or move. Findings suggest that a significant predictor of housing choice was the neighborhood as a social “place.” Specifically, it is a location with which individuals identified, attached, and embedded. This outcome held more weight than individual attributes like house type, financial status, or social position. Results highlighted the need for further empirical investigation into the centrality of neighborhood identification in older adults’ housing decisions.

The digital transformation has reached a stage where digital solutions are an integral part of daily life. Yet little attention has been paid to which social groups and locations benefit from this transformation and which are left behind. This article examines digital transformation by focusing on peripheral rural areas, with a focus on older populations. The study draws on expert interviews with key actors working and communicating with older residents in four rural municipalities in Estonia – a country globally recognised for its advanced digital governance. In these settings, a condition of ‘ double exclusion ’ emerges: inadequate digital infrastructure fails to fully reach remote locations, even within a highly digitalised society, while older rural residents often lack the skills and trust to engage with the state-led project of a ‘digitally powered nation’. Paradoxically, peripheralisation trends have reversed the progress made in the late 1990s and early 2000s in providing nationwide Internet access by the standards of the time, even to the most remote settlements. Since then, the peripheralisation process – closure of local anchor institutions – has eroded opportunities for the ageing rural population to socialise and build trust in the digital society.

Abstract Universities are increasingly expected to contribute to societal development by promoting equality, inclusion and diversity, while preparing ethical individuals capable of navigating uncertain futures. In post-conflict contexts, marked by reconciliation efforts, oppressive legacies and intergenerational trauma, the imperative to transform higher education becomes critical to consolidating fragile democracies. This paper examines how middle managers in universities, who are strategically positioned to drive institutional transformation, experience, enact and interpret their agency. It explores how their gender and social location shape this agency, and how institutional structures both enable and constrain their capacity to act. The study draws on 14 in-depth interviews with mid-level managers from three universities in South Africa and Northern Ireland. Thematic analysis using NVivo revealed that participants’ sense of agency is situated at the intersection of their views of transformation as either a personal-political process or an instrumental task. We argue that the confluence of historical legacies, contemporary issues and identity significantly shapes mid-level managers’ transformative agency. In response to structural barriers and entrenched university hierarchies, their agency manifests through a form of transversal politics—characterised by both symbolic and practical micro-actions. We employ the concepts of ‘constructive interference’ and ‘domino effect’ to describe how mid-level managers’ ‘transversal agency’ may initiate incremental yet meaningful disruptions within hegemonic institutional structures. We conclude that while agency for transformation remains precarious—particularly under the weight of racial, colonial and neoliberal capitalist pressures—mid-level manager micro-affective interventions hold significant potential for enacting non-hegemonic and justice-oriented transformations in higher education.

The concept of the right to the city has been central in urban studies and social justice movements, yet it frequently neglects the intersectional inequalities experienced by marginalized groups. This article examines the right to the city through the lens of intersectionality, focusing on how overlapping oppressions related to gender, race, class, and migration status shape urban experiences. Using a qualitative methodology of in-depth interviews and Relief Maps with 30 non-cisgender individuals living in Barcelona, we explore how multiple social positions intersect to produce specific forms of exclusion and negotiation within urban space, considering both public and private spaces as interconnected sites where these exclusions and negotiations unfold, challenging spatial hierarchies in urban studies. By foregrounding how these categories intersect, our research moves beyond essentialist understandings of marginalization and challenges rigid binaries of inclusion and exclusion. Instead, it highlights the complex, shifting, and sometimes contradictory ways individuals navigate urban life. In doing so, we position the right to the city within broader debates in urban theory, particularly the tensions between more economic perspectives and those rooted in feminist, postcolonial, and queer critiques. This perspective is particularly relevant in Southern Europe, where colonial histories, migration, and racialization follow different logics than those dominant in Anglo-American urban theory. We argue for a reimagined right to the city that dismantles exclusionary hierarchies by embracing the relational nature of urban experiences, recognizing that belonging and access to the city are shaped by a complex interplay of social categories.

The role of bias-based bullying in regular cannabis use among adolescents.