Reframing English language teacher education through multiliteracies in the digital age: A self-efficacy-mediated model of pedagogical competence.

A socioecological model of skilled birth attendant perspectives on gastroschisis in southwest Uganda.

Purpose This study aims to examine workplace learning and competence development in the Swedish mining industry amid the green transition and ongoing technical development, the dual transition. It explores how miners’ learning expectations are experienced, negotiated and enacted in everyday work. Design/methodology/approach Two qualitative studies were conducted at three mines operated by two companies, involving 14 interviews, six workshops and two focus group discussions with mining personnel. Findings Miners demonstrate a strong willingness to learn, driven by professional pride and a desire to contribute to both the collective and the green transition. Collective workplace learning enables adaptation, yet may also normalize uneven organizational conditions and mask structural limits to competence development. While collective workplace learning remains vital, emerging competence demands under the dual transition may exceed what informal, peer-based learning alone can sustain. Practical implications Clearer alignment between competence demands and organizational arrangements is essential to support miners’ long-term learning and competence development as mining work evolves under the dual transition. Originality/value This study empirically shows how macro-level transformations, meso-level organizational arrangements and micro-level collective practices interact to shape workplace learning under the dual transition. Furthermore, by engaging sociocultural perspectives, this study examines how collective participation and shared norms mediate the dual transition, illustrating how continuity and transformation coexist and are negotiated in everyday work practices.

ABSTRACT While sharing good teaching practice is at the core of most academic developers’ professional roles, little systematic evidence has been collected on this topic so far. This paper investigates if, how and for what specific purposes academic developers collect and share teaching artefacts. We report on an exploratory, survey-based study among academic developers from around the world. Our findings show that most respondents share artefacts, and many do so for specific purposes. We discuss our findings from a socio-cultural perspective to conclude that curating teacher-generated artefacts is an established practice which can be consciously applied to foster a teaching and learning quality culture. We end with recommendations for academic development practice.

This qualitative study examines how technology-enhanced academic writing instruction shapes the transition of Bedouin students enrolled in a pre-academic preparatory program in southern Israel. Positioned within scholarship on higher education transition and adult academic literacies, the study draws primarily on self-determination theory and sociocultural perspectives on learning to explore how motivation, identity, and participation are negotiated in digitally mediated environments. The research asks: (1) How do students experience technology-integrated academic writing during the pre-academic year? and (2) How does this experience influence their emerging academic identity and engagement? Data were collected from 15 Bedouin students through semi-structured interviews, reflective learning journals, and classroom observations over one semester. Findings indicate that students perceive the preparatory year as a transitional space in which technological tools – particularly mobile devices – both expand access and introduce new cognitive demands. Active, production-oriented tasks supported meaningful engagement with academic Hebrew, while collaborative learning reduced anxiety and strengthened self-efficacy, especially among first-generation participants. However, flexibility afforded by mobile learning also generated distraction and overload when not pedagogically structured. The study contributes a culturally contextualised analysis of technology-mediated academic transition and highlights pedagogical practices that can foster inclusive participation for students from socio-linguistic peripheries.

Paternity fraud, defined as the deliberate or inadvertent misattribution of biological fatherhood, has emerged as a critical social, legal, and psychological issue within contemporary Nigerian society. This study examines the causes of paternity fraud, the preventive strategies available, the counselling approaches and interventions required for affected individuals, and the mechanisms for victims’ compensation and legal redress in Nigeria. Adopting a descriptive and analytical approach, the study draws on existing literature, legal frameworks, and socio-cultural perspectives to explore the multifaceted dimensions of paternity fraud. The findings reveal that socio-economic pressures, weak legal enforcement, patriarchal family structures, stigma surrounding infertility, and limited access to affordable DNA testing significantly contribute to the occurrence of paternity fraud in Nigeria. Preventive strategies identified include public awareness campaigns, premarital and postnatal counselling, routine access to paternity testing, and strengthened legal and institutional safeguards. The study further highlights the importance of professional counselling in addressing the psychological trauma, identity disruption, and family instability experienced by victims. In addition, the paper examines gaps in Nigeria’s legal system concerning compensation and proposes policy reforms aimed at ensuring justice, restitution, and emotional rehabilitation for affected individuals. The study concludes that a coordinated response involving legal reform, counselling services, and public education is essential for addressing paternity fraud and safeguarding family integrity in Nigeria.

Artificial intelligence, as an emerging technological science, provides advanced methods for simulating and extending human intelligence. The technological convergence from various domains has been the focus of researcher community for the last few years. This study applies artificial neural network algorithms to examine sustainability indicators at UNESCO-declared heritage destinations in Pakistan. Data has been collected from 417 national tourists visiting key heritage sites, including the Heritage Remains at Moenjodaro, the Buddhist Remains of Takht-i-Bhai and the neighboring city at Sahr-i-Bahlol, the Fort and Shalamar Gardens in Lahore, the Historical Monuments at Makli (Thatta), Rohtas Fort, and Taxila. However to investigate the influence of sustainability indicators, this study intends to measure the satisfaction level of the national tourists in the targeted six UNESCO-declared heritage destinations in Pakistan. Tourists' satisfaction levels were measured using a five-point Likert scale. Using ANN algorithms the findings reveal that economic, perceptual, ecological, and socio-cultural factors have significant positive relationships with the sustainability of UNESCO heritage destinations in Pakistan. This study insights as the ecological perspective plays the most instrumental role in attaining sustainability in UNESCO-declared destinations in Pakistan. Further the tourists' perceptional perspective shows a positive impact in maintaining sustainability in heritage destinations. Furthermore the influential indicator is the socio-cultural perspective. The least influential factor for heritage destinations' sustainability is the economic perspective. For the policy-makers the data driven analysis provides ground for economic impact modeling, preservation, marketing and policy implementation.

ABSTRACT There is a growing interest in nature play within early childhood education and care. However, understanding how teachers in nature-based kindergartens manage the relationship between participating in and stepping back from this type of play remains limited. Drawing on nature’s affordances and a sociocultural perspective on play, this study aims to gather teachers’ insights into the significance of nature play and their practices for supporting children’s play. Five teachers from nature kindergartens in Norway were interviewed, using a vignette as a catalyst for reflection. Analysed thematically and addressing three research questions, the findings reveal that: (1) The natural environment influences teachers’ facilitation of play by nurturing a sense of calm and playfulness. (2) Teachers evaluate the connection between their role and that of nature in accordance with effortless engagement and deeper connections, and (3) they support play by being an approachable, safe, and confident adult. The study suggests that teachers’ participation in and withdrawal from children’s nature play reflect a balancing act within active modes of engagement and proposes implications for educational researchers, ECEC teachers, and policymakers.

Although centralized education systems mandate uniform curricula, the enactment of these policies varies across institutional contexts. Drawing on a sociocultural perspective of curriculum enactment and teacher cognition, this multiple-case study investigates how English language instruction is conceptualized and enacted in one public and one private middle school in Istanbul, Turkey, both operating under the same Ministry of National Education (MoNE) framework. Participants included two vice-principals and nine English teachers. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, document analysis (MoNE’s 2018 ELT curriculum and institutional documents), and examination of visual and spatial representations of school environments. Using inductive qualitative content analysis and systematic cross-case synthesis, the study identified four overarching themes: (1) learning environment as a pedagogical message, (2) institutional conceptions of English instruction, (3) teacher cognition and beliefs about language learning, and (4) curriculum enactment tensions between policy and pedagogy. These findings indicate that while both schools endorse communicative and learner-centered principles at a discursive level, enactment differs substantially. In the public school, English instruction is shaped by exam-oriented pressures, large class sizes, and pragmatic instructional adaptations. In contrast, the private school enacts the curriculum through enriched programs, process-oriented pedagogies, and institutional support. The study demonstrates that differences in ELT practices stem not from curriculum design but from institutional conditions mediating curriculum enactment, highlighting the need for context-sensitive curriculum policies and leadership practices with implications for curriculum policy, school leadership, and teacher education.

ABSTRACT The expansion of generative artificial intelligence (GAI) is reshaping everyday interactions, services, and communication, raising new challenges for aging societies. While existing research has focused on younger populations or instrumental uses of AI, less is known about how older adults understand, experience, and engage with generative AI in their daily lives. This study examines older adults’ knowledge, uses, and perceptions of GAI from a sociocultural and critical perspective, with particular attention to trust, ethics, and digital inclusion. A mixed-methods design was employed, combining a survey of 795 participants enrolled in Spanish university programs for older adults with three focus groups. Findings reveal an ambivalent pattern of engagement characterized by the coexistence of curiosity and caution. Although participants demonstrate widespread awareness of GAI and recognize its usefulness for accessing information and supporting every.day tasks, their understanding of algorithmic processes, corporate interests, and data governance remains limited. Qualitative results highlight concerns related to privacy, corporate power, and emerging forms of critical reflection. The study contributes to aging studies by conceptualizing older adults’ engagement with generative AI as a process of ‘negotiated agency,’ understood as the selective and context-dependent appropriation of technology. Findings should be interpreted in light of the study’s non-probability sampling, the educationally engaged profile of participants, and the specific context of university programs for older adults.

Abstract In the field of developmental and educational psychology, much of the research on cognitive processes of older adults has focused on the disorganization and decline of mental functions. Such an approach, however, tends to overlook the potential for learning and psychological development in seniors when they engage in activities that draw on competencies acquired in earlier phases of their life. Adopting a sociocultural and dialogical perspective, this paper examines the competencies mobilized and further developed by seniors involved in volunteer work within associations in the French-speaking part of Switzerland. More specifically, we provide a detailed analysis of how one volunteer’s competencies are enacted in her engagement within an association. By highlighting the different dimensions of the competencies she brings into play, this study contributes to a definition of competence grounded in a sociocultural psychological framework, as well as to a discussion of the methodological conditions required to study it. More broadly, this paper advances our understanding of how older adults mobilize their competencies in practice and shows the essential role these competencies play for society.

This study engaged Taiwanese undergraduate English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students in digital adaptations of science fiction and fantasy (SFF) literature to foster literary competence. Participants collaboratively adapted SFF narratives into digital stories to address social issues. Analysis of surveys, videos, and interviews, using an adapted literary competence framework, revealed enhanced literary knowledge, deeper interactions with texts, learner empowerment, and nuanced socio-cultural perspectives. The study also expanded the theoretical framework of literary competence to encompass digital SFF adaptations.

<p>This article examines the crucial role of different alternative protein sources in improving global food systems to address twenty-first century challenges such as population growth, climate change, resource scarcity, and the environmental impact of conventional animal production. The aim was to assess how these alternative sources contribute to food security, reduce ecological footprints, and facilitate systemic transitions toward environmental sustainability. The study employs a systematic review approach, analyzing scientific literature and institutional reports published between 2010 and 2025 from major databases. It evaluates five main categories of alternative proteins—plant-based, fungal, microbial, entomological, and cultivated—from environmental, nutritional, technological, economic, and sociocultural perspectives. The findings indicate that alternative proteins have smaller land, water, and greenhouse gas footprints compared to conventional red meat, although their performance varies by category and depends on energy sources, scalability, and regulatory conditions. Plant-based proteins are currently the most scalable and socially accepted, while fungal and microbial proteins offer high efficiency and industrial adaptability. Insect-derived proteins demonstrate high feed conversion efficiency and potential for the circular economy but face cultural barriers. Cultured meat represents a disruptive innovation with long-term environmental potential; however, significant technological and economic challenges remain. The study concludes that protein diversification does not represent an isolated substitution but rather functions as a systemic transformation strategy that depends on alignment with the energy transition, regulatory coherence, investment in research and infrastructure, and the design of inclusive policies.</p>

While research on students’ development in thesis writing has recently proliferated and much has been revealed about their intramental development and mediating resources, little is known about how students learn and develop from the intermental to the intramental plane with expert others’ assistance. To fill in this gap, the study uses Vygotsky’s sociocultural approach to development and speaking/thinking system as the conceptual framework and examines two Master’s students’ thesis writing process with data collected from interviews, stimulated recall, process logs, and multi-drafts of their theses. The findings show that the participants mainly made sense of teachers’ meanings, meanings in literature, and their own meanings as they developed from expert others’ mediation to self mediation and internalization. These three processes seemed to be intricately interwoven and together contribute to the participants’ development of znachenie slova and systems of concepts in their speaking/thinking system, with making sense of meanings in literature particularly challenging for them. The factors that facilitated and constrained their sense making are discussed and pedagogical implications are drawn.

ABSTRACT Background As digital tools become prevalent in preschool settings, more research is needed on how preschool teachers and children engage with science content through these tools. Purpose This study aims to explore how preschool teachers and children interact when engaging with science content supported by digital tools during science activities. Guided by a sociocultural perspective, this study views science teaching and learning as a social practice that involves essential artefacts, such as digital tools, for interaction. Sample The qualitative data consists of eight video-recorded science activities involving eight teachers and 22 children across three Swedish preschools where digital tools were used. The tools included smartphones, tablets, a digital microscope, projectors and digital resources such as films and applications. Design and Methods Teachers developed science activities based on pedagogical considerations using content representation (CoRe). The use of CoRe supported teachers in articulating key ideas for teaching science content by prompting consideration of appropriate methods, tools and children’s learning needs. Scienceactivities involving digital tools were then video-recorded and analysed. Results Our findings show that teachers used digital tools to create learning environments for engagement, recreating and extending engagement, visualising abstract phenomena and facilitating communication about science content. Additionally, digital tools enable real-time engagement and support further learning by connecting previous experiences with new ones, thereby enabling sustained engagement across contexts. Conclusion Our findings confirm digital tools as significant mediators of science content and suggest further research on their role in supporting science teaching and learning in preschool science contexts.

Coordination among health professionals across levels of care is essential for safe treatment, yet fragmented digital systems complicate the obtaining and sharing of patients' medication information. This ethnographic study explores how medication information is coordinated in everyday work and how tools are involved. We observed 145 hours of work and conducted 24 interviews with physicians, pharmacists, and nurses in Norwegian primary and specialized care. Data were analyzed thematically, informed by sociocultural and boundary work perspectives. We found that coordination is continuous, situated work that can be supported, but not replaced, by digital tools. The observed health professionals engaged in both competitive and collaborative boundary work. Competitive strategies (disengagement, opposing established responsibilities, and delegating work tasks) rendered coordination of medication information "dirty work." Collaborative strategies (requesting information, cleaning up, and preventing discrepancies) restored alignment and enabled the sharing of accurate information. Digital medication lists operated as boundary objects: they facilitated the sharing of patients' medication use but sometimes failed to align perspectives, contributing to fragmentation and the construction of "dirty work." Conceptually, we extend boundary work understandings by documenting the defense against jurisdiction as a competitive strategy and by demonstrating how this boundary work may produce "dirty work." This study thus contributes to understanding the interplay between structural fragmentation, professional practices, and digital tools in healthcare coordination. Policy and system design should recognize and support the boundary work that enables the coordination of medication information.

Purpose This study aims to approach the meat paradox – the conflict between meat consumption and concern for animals – from a sociocultural perspective, exploring the sociocultural meanings assigned to animals by those who have made the choice to reject meat and adopt plant-based diets. Design/methodology/approach A netnographic study was conducted, analysing publicly available writings from 26 bloggers who self-identified as vegans or vegetarians. This rarely used approach in meat paradox research captures natural discussions about confronting the dilemma, deepening our understanding of its sociocultural meanings. Findings The study identifies three key meanings – viewing animals as unique beings, as equal beings and as cared-for beings. It underscores that animals and human–animal relationships play a central role in shaping dietary choices, particularly when those choices challenge prevailing social norms. The study also details sub-meanings within these broader meaning categories. It shows that respect for animals’ existence, recognition of their moral equality, and belief in their right to compassion and welfare are nuanced and deeply embedded in the cultural practices surrounding meat consumption. Practical implications The study encourages marketers and policymakers to address consumers’ dilemmas concerning both animals and dietary choices. Promoting plant-based diets should highlight animals’ individuality, equality and welfare, using integrated communication and social support to make compassionate, plant-based eating a socially accepted and sustained norm. Originality/value The study contributes to the meat paradox literature by adopting a sociocultural perspective, particularly addressing how animals and human–animal relationships frame consumers’ perspectives on plant-based dietary choices.

This paper examines the complex interplay of identity and desire in the selected novels of Namita Gokhale, with particular reference to Paro: Dreams of Passion and Things to Leave Behind. Situated within the broader framework of Indian English literature, the study explores how women characters negotiate their sense of self within shifting socio-cultural and historical contexts. While Paro: Dreams of Passion portrays the lives of urban women navigating modernity, sexuality, and social performance, Things to Leave Behind presents women embedded in the rigid structures of nineteenth-century colonial society marked by caste, tradition, and reformist influences. Through a comparative analysis, the paper highlights the continuity and transformation in women’s experiences across time. It argues that despite differences in setting, both novels reveal the persistent influence of patriarchal norms that shape female identity and regulate desire. The study further demonstrates that Gokhale’s female protagonists are neither passive victims nor wholly liberated individuals; instead, they occupy complex spaces of negotiation where agency is expressed through both resistance and accommodation. Drawing upon feminist and socio-cultural perspectives, the paper analyses how desire emotional, intellectual, and sexual functions as a driving force in the construction of identity. It also examines how cultural frameworks, whether traditional or modern, simultaneously enable and constrain women’s choices. Ultimately, the study establishes that Gokhale’s fiction offers a nuanced portrayal of women’s lived realities, revealing the layered processes through which identity is continuously shaped, challenged, and redefined.

During the Southern Song period (1127–1279), the relocation of the capital to the south and the concurrent shift of economic power led to the flourishing of tea culture. Tea emerged as both a vital symbol of cultural refinement and an integral component of economic and social life across various strata of society. The tea-themed paintings of Liu Songnian serve as visual representations of this cultural phenomenon, embodying not only exceptional artistic techniques but also distinct social narrative functions. This study undertakes a systematic analysis of Liu Songnian’s tea paintings from both artistic and socio-cultural perspectives. On the artistic level, it focuses on the stylistic characteristics reflected in compositional arrangement, the depiction of figures in motion, and attention to detail. On the social level, it explores how the paintings portray interactions among individuals of varied social roles—such as literati, monks, and attendants—revealing the complexities of Southern Song social structures and the richness of its cultural life. By comprehensively examining Liu Songnian’s tea paintings, this article aims to uncover their embedded cultural meanings and to deepen our understanding of tea culture’s multifaceted role in Southern Song society—ranging from interpersonal communication and economic activity to broader processes of cultural transmission.

ABSTRACT The study examined awareness and gaps in gendered household property ownership from a sociocultural perspective, focusing on equality in economic empowerment. The situation currently sidelines women from household property ownership, widening the existing gender gap, affecting the achievement of SDG5 by 2030 and the national gender policy. This convergent mixed-methods design collected data from 207 participants through in-depth interviews and questionnaires from seven wards in a northern part of Tanzania. Findings indicate that, although awareness of gender differences in household property ownership is high due to education and legal frameworks, the actual gender gap in household property ownership is large. Findings report obstinate gender disproportions in household property ownership, with men prodigiously advantaged as a result of sociocultural norms, discriminatory inheritance acts and limited legal awareness among women. Inconsiderate enforcement of laws, regulations, frameworks, and deeply rooted customs perpetuates restrictions on women’s access to and control over household assets. The study highlights the need for a holistic strategy that integrates education for awareness creation, enforcement of legal frameworks, and the promotion of practical gender-equality customs to uproot systemic hurdles to gender equality in household property ownership.