Sociocultural Turn Research Articles

A critical sociocultural turn in deaf education: operationalizing the Enduring Principles of Learning within the bright triad

A critical sociocultural turn in deaf education: operationalizing the Enduring Principles of Learning within the bright triad

From “Carrier” to “Creator”: The re-construction of national identity in more inclusive terms

ABSTRACT Background The sociocultural turn redefined learning in terms of shifting identities. In recent years, learning scientists have explored the connections between learning and various types of identities, including disciplinary identity, gender, race, and more. In this article we focus on national identity, to understand how it is constructed and how it might be made more inclusive through learning. Methods Drawing on sociolinguistics and discourse analysis methods, we present a telling case study aimed at elucidating previously obscure theoretical relations by providing a rich and detailed account of a single student whose national identity shifted over the course of a school year. Findings Our analysis shows how Joshua, a 9th grade secular Jewish-Israeli student, constructed his national identity. Joshua’s identity developed across three stages, which were marked by a shift from an essentialist disposition to a constructionist one and by an increasing sense of belonging. Contribution We highlight a connection between learners’ views on the continuum between essentialism and constructionism and their degree of belongingness. Our findings suggest that a constructionist approach to identity can translate into a greater sense of belonging and help ameliorate some cases of social marginalization.

A Sociocultural Rationale for an Explicit-Inductive Approach to Grammar Teaching in L2 Teacher Education

ABSTRACT Explicit knowledge of language is posited as a core component of language teachers’ professional knowledge, as it impacts on their classroom practice, cognition and professional reflection. In response to a sociocultural turn in teacher education, this paper presents a sociocultural rationale for the implementation of an explicit-inductive approach to grammar teaching in L2 teacher education. In an explicit-inductive approach, students are guided to induce and articulate grammatical rules for themselves. A tripartite analysis of: teacher educator as pedagogue, student language teacher as teacher-learner and pedagogy as process within an explicit-inductive approach is presented, to form a sociocultural model for the teaching of explicit knowledge in L2 teacher education. It is argued that an explicit-inductive approach which is grounded in praxis has the potential to develop student language teachers’ (SLTs’) content knowledge, i.e., their declarative knowledge of grammar, as well as their pedagogical knowledge of how to teach grammar. The paper calls for further discussion and critical reflection on the teaching of explicit knowledge in L2 teacher education.

The early oblivion of the firstAeneidin Turkish: aiming at a moving target

AbstractThe first complete translation of Vergil’s Aeneid into Turkish was published in 1935–36, during the first decades of the Turkish Republic. The translator Ahmed Reşid (1870–1955) was an intellectual and statesman who not only witnessed but also played active roles in arguably the most radical sociocultural turn in the country’s long history. As Reşid did not know Latin, he used an intermediary French translation as his source text. If this alone might seem from a normative viewpoint an obstacle to success, a broader perspective that considers various approaches in current translation criticism reveals a more complete and nuanced image of Reşid's translation project. My aim here is to contextualize historically and to critically discuss this carefully made but too soon forgotten Vergil translation, by using a case-specific plurality of methods. I argue that Antoine Berman's hermeneutical model is especially useful for studies on classical reception including Vergil translations.

A systematic review of research on pre-service TESOL teachers’ emotions

The study of pre-service teachers’ emotions has long been marginalized within the field of teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL). Yet, with the advent of a sociocultural turn in the field and an emotional turn in educational science, there has been growing interest in the role of emotions in would-be teachers’ professional learning. The purpose of this study is to examine the demographic (i.e. year of publication, contributing countries and methodologies used) and topical trends concerning pre-service teacher emotionality in TESOL teacher education. For this purpose, studies published in journals that were included in Social Science Citation Index (SSCI) were reviewed and a total of 19 research articles were analyzed using both deductive and inductive analysis techniques. Concerning the demographic trends, the findings revealed that there has been an increase in the number of research articles within the last decade. Turkey and China are among the major contributing countries and the most frequently used research methodology is qualitative method. As to topic trends, “Emotions and Identity Formation”, “Emotions in relation to Language Learning” and “Emotional Responses to University Coursework” are found to be as the most popular research topics. As a result of the analysis, current gaps in research on TESOL education are identified and suggestions are made for future work.

The missing link: Towards an integrated health and information literacy research agenda

Information forms one of the main commonalities shared between definitions of health literacy. However, information literacy research, which centres how people become informed within a specific setting, has been almost completely sidelined from health literacy scholarship. This oversight risks limiting understanding of how health literacy is practised as well as narrowing research discourses. It also forms a missed opportunity as the recent sociocultural turn creates a valuable point of synergy between each field. This paper carries out a narrative literature review to identify key areas where information literacy research could help to extend understanding about how people interact with information within health contexts. Centred on exploring theoretical and empirical work, the paper uses examples from literature to suggest that assumptions related to how information, models of information use, social dynamics of information environments, the outcomes of information activity and critical approaches to information practice are understood impact the scope and the reach of health literacy research and practice. The goal of this paper is to establish an initial, shared research agenda that places health and information literacy in dialogue rather than in isolation from each other.

Towards a Socio-Cultural Turn in Translation Teaching: A Canadian Perspective

While current translation theory is beginning to reconcile cultural and linguistic approaches to translation, this is far from the case in translation pedagogy and curriculum. This paper will argue in favour of a socio-cultural turn in translation pedagogy and curriculum design with specific reference to the Canadian/Quebec context where the social, political and economic dimensions of the practice of translation, and its place within the broader area of inter-cultural communication in Canada differ depending on whether one is working into English or into French. Issues examined include redesigning curriculum to highlight the socio-cultural functions of translation, integrating culture and pedagogy, and identifying the theoretical implications of a cultural turn in translation teaching.

Rethinking learning contexts through the concept of atmosphere and through contemporary art

ABSTRACT The notion of learning context has been central in the research related to the socio-cultural turn that has been carried out in the field of Education during the last decades. Context is afundamental element in the learning process– aprocess that must be understood in relation to the context in which it occurs. In this article we show areconceptualization of the notion of learning context through our teaching practice, which is based in the methodology of learning through contemporary art. This takes place within the framework of two Initial Teacher Education courses: Geography and Pedagogy-Processes and Educational Contexts, Faculty of Education, Psychology and Social Work, University of Lleida, Spain. Our starting point is the notion of the learning context as theorized by Vygotsky and the Cultural-Historical Activity Theory, which has taken us to the notions of situation proposed by Dewey and constructed situation by Situationists and Letterists. We conclude by showing the possibilities that understanding learning contexts from the notion of atmosphere offers. This permits us to suggest the term “learning atmospheres” to overcome some of the limitations and contradictions of Situationist and Letterist discourses and practices, and to put them in tune with the contemporary educational needs.

Social representation of PR activism: Perceptions of early career public relations professionals in South Africa

A critical, socio-cultural turn in the public relations research agenda has shifted attention away from a predominately organisational focus to include the individual practitioner, and their symbolic power relationships (Curtin & Gaither, 2005). This has resulted in critical interrogation of issues such as dissent, power and activism in professional role enactment with an emergent, activist stance that actively questions and resists existing power structures and normative practices (Holtzhausen, 2012). This turn requires PR as well as in a diverse range of other disciplines to find new forms of addressing some of the wicked problems of our time, such as the social and cultural influences that public relations practitioners are subject to in enacting culturally sensitive public relations roles in their practice. The positioning of the critical-cultural and postmodern paradigms lends itself to the application of social representation theory (SRT) as a framework for analysis and understanding (Bauer & Gaskell, 2008; p. 351). However, to date limited research has been conducted on the social influences public relations practitioners are subject to in enacting culturally sensitive public relations roles in their practice, especially in respect of public relations practitioners who occupy junior to mid-level positions in formal employment contexts. In particular, individual influence and agency of entry level or early career public relations practitioners in South Africa has been under researched. It is against this background that this study aims to determine the perceptions of early-mid career South African PRPs on how they socially represent their activism in a poly-contextual and diverse cultural context. This is especially important in a context where PRPs are required to justify the value their actions have in achieving social change. The findings suggest that South African activist public relations practitioner (PRP) role enactment may not only entail promoting the interests of those who are marginalised and excluded from social contexts, but also requires advocating for the legitimacy of their own activist role in their contexts of practice.

Halkla İlişkileri Sosyo-Kültürel Perspektiften Değerlendirmek: Kültürel Aracı Bir Meslek Olarak Halkla İlişkiler

Pendant plusieurs années, le domaine des relations publiques était sous l’influence du paradigme de gestion. La considération des relations publiques en tant qu'outil de « gestion » cause l’affaiblissement des relations entre le domaine et la culture. Cependant, après les années 2000, il est possible d’observer que les études sur ces relations augmentent. L’augmentation des recherches et des études axées sur la culture, a entraîné un débat sur une éventuelle transformation « socio-culturelle » dans le domaine des relations publiques. Cet article a pour objectif de discuter les points de vu qui considèrent les relations publiques comme un métier « intermédiaire culturel ». Dans ce contexte, tout d'abord, les critiques envers le paradigme de gestion par les points de vu considérant les relations publiques sous des perspectives alternatives, ont été soulignés. Ensuite, il a été discuté de ce que l'on entend par transformations socioculturelles dans le domaine des relations publiques, et les approches considérant les relations publiques comme intermédiaires culturels ont été recueillies. Finalement, l'idée selon laquelle les relations publiques sont considérées comme intermédiaires culturels contenant une violence symbolique, a été discutée.

The sociocultural movement in psychology, the role of theories in sociocultural inquiries, and the theory of sociocultural models

This special issue presents the theory of sociocultural models (TSCM) and its applications in diverse areas of psychology, including education, health care, clinical practice, gender relations, and general research. As many theories already exist in the social sciences, some readers may ask: “Why do cross‐cultural, cultural, and indigenous psychologists need another theory?” This question is comprised of two aspects: culture/cultural and theory/theoretical. Therefore, to answer it, it is important to clarify both issues. The first relates to cultural and its relation to psychological. The second, theory, considers its relation to cultural and psychological. These issues have long‐range implications for all culture and psychology disciplines as they pose many questions: What role does culture play in the mental functioning of people? How is culture constituted? Is cultural related to social? Does people’s mental functioning exert reciprocal influences on their cultural and social functioning? While working toward answering these questions, researchers quickly determine that more questions arise: What role should theories play in answering these questions? What constitutes theory in culture and psychology disciplines? How should such a theory (or such theories) address the triad of cultural, social, and mental? Consequently, in an effort to provide an overview of the TSCM and to begin to answer these questions, this introduction consists of two parts. The first part addresses the sociocultural turn in modern psychology; this part discusses its implications for research in culture and psychology disciplines. The second segment examines the topic of the theoretical backgrounds of cultural and cross‐cultural research and connects the philosophical paradigms of interpretivism and realism with the theory of sociocultural models. This introduction concludes with a brief overview of the articles included in this issue.

Methodological Foundations of the Sociocultural Turn in Ukrainian Studies

Taking into account the latest works on the historiosophy and methodology of humanities, the article clarifies the objective need, motives, essence, features, and consequences of the sociocultural change in Ukrainian studies. It is interpreted as a certain break in the methodology, reorientation of scientific research strategies; shifting emphasis on the research of the prioritized role of the man, culture, and spirituality in social development; changing the optics of scientific knowledge and updating its methods based on civilization theory of J. Herder, O. Danylevskyi, H. Mirabeau, A. Toynbee, S. Huntington, O. Spengler, K. Jaspers, etc., synergetics and interdisciplinarity. Sociocultural interpretation of the historical process is regarded as an alternative to Marxist monism and the party-class approach towards culture. The emphasis is laid on the cultural traditions of Ukrainian as an integrative system of knowledge about Ukraine and Ukrainians, introduced in the works by V. Antonoyych, M. Hrushevsky, M. Kostomarov, P. Kulish, V. Lypynskyi, I. Lysiak-Rudnytskyi, I. Ohiienko, I. Franko, D. Chyzhevskyi, S. Shlemkevych, and others; shows the value of its powerful cognitive potential for further study of history, content, and ideological bases of culture and education, overcoming and prevention of the negative consequences caused by social communization and postmodern mass culture.The article reveals the interaction of sociocultural turn with the civilizational paradigm and the anthropologism of Ukrainian studies as prerequisites for affirmation of human-centrism and further integration into the global scientific and informational space. At the epicenter of the newest Ukrainian studies by V. Andrushchenko, L. Huberskyi, V. Horskyi, P. Kononenko, V. Krysachenko, M. Popovych, O. Rafalskyi, V. Sheik, M. Yurii, and others is a Ukrainian as the highest value and the immediate carrier of national and civilizational identities of the society, as well as an algorithm of interaction between people, culture and society as a system of values, moral and ethical norms, and mentality. The study analyzes new challenges facing Ukrainian studies, their intellectual potential against the background of globalization, the prolonged military and hybrid aggression of Putin’s Russia against Ukraine, activation of the imperial paradigm of the “Russian World”, Kremlin scientists’ efforts to deny the distinctiveness of the Ukrainian people and impose manipulative myths about the so-called “common history” and “artificiality” of the Ukrainian statehood.

Turning to the Beginning of the Lithuanian Folksong Publication

Turning to the Beginning of the Lithuanian Folksong Publication

Revisiting learning communities: innovations in theory and practice

Research on learning communities has been largely influenced by the sociocultural turn in educational scholarship approximately three decades ago. Here, we present a wider history of research and practice on learning communities as we revisit this highly generative and central topic in the learning sciences. Using this to frame our perspective, we examine several central themes in learning communities by comparing and contrasting four cutting-edge conceptions and innovations. We conclude by asking and providing preliminary answers to three key questions in scholarship on learning communities: (1) Where are the learning and instructional sciences going? (2) Where is education going? (3) Where is the world going? Altogether, this paper can serve as an orientation to the topic of learning communities as research and practice moves forward.

Z powrotem do oikos nomos, z powrotem do rzeczywistości… Materialistyczna transformacja kultury Zachodu a zwrot społeczno-kulturowy w ekonomii

Michał A. Michalski, Z powrotem do oikos nomos, z powrotem do rzeczywistości… Materialistyczna transformacja kultury Zachodu a zwrot społeczno-kulturowy w ekonomii [Back to oikos nomos, Back to Reality… Materialistic Transformation of the Western Culture and Socio-Cultural Turn in Economics] edited by W. Banach, M.A. Michalski, J. Sójka, „Człowiek i Społeczeństwo” vol. XLVI: Między Chinami a Zachodem. Pytanie o źródła chińskiego sukcesu gospodarczego [Between China and the West. An inquiry into the sources of the Chinese economic miracle], Poznań 2018, pp. 203–215, Adam Mickiewicz University. Faculty of Social Sciences Press. ISSN 0239-3271.In this article, I put forward the thesis that the current socio-economic situation is to a large extent caused by the changes that have taken place in Western culture over the last few centuries. This means that, to a large extent, the considerations discussed here refer to the perspective of economic culture. The reason for undertaking this issue is paradoxical situation of socio-economic stagnationand recourse in the contemporary West which has achieved unprecedented level of social, scientific and technological development.In order to explain this problem, the article proposes to analyse the process of materialisation of the Western culture which means that the materialistic point of view colonizes at the same time capitalist and socialist concepts and policies. It becomes evident e.g. in the prioritizing economic policy and economic development as the universal solution to all social challenges and marginalizing metaphysical aspects of human and social existence. According to the conclusion of the article it is necessary to understand the influence of materialisticpoint of view in order to rethink and analyse contemporary shape of Western culture and condition of Western civilization.

Online political public relations as a place-based relational practice: A cultural discourse perspective

This study introduces the theoretical and methodological approach of Carbaugh’s (2007) cultural discourse analysis (CuDA) to advance the research agenda on political public relations. I discuss how CuDA, as an extension of the ethnography of communication (EoC), provides clues to unexpected success in an election campaigning. Using the 2016 Hong Kong lawmakers’ election as an empirical example, the most discussed Facebook posts of an election candidate, and 6800 online comments from the public are studied. I identify the socio-cultural meanings that are used and can be used to engage public-to-public election canvassing. This study shows that the prominent discursive hubs of dwelling and relation organize networked publics to canvass. Responding to the socio-cultural turn of the literature, this study grounds the theorization of political public relations in practice. The evaluation of different approaches to discourse also moves the field forward methodologically.

Research into practice: planning intercultural moments in the additional language classroom

With the socio-cultural turn in Applied Linguistics, the last few decades have seen a growing interest in the intercultural dimension of language pedagogy exemplified on seminal writings, such as Kramsch (1993, 1998), Byran (1997), and lately Liddicoat and Scarino (2013). Due to that, a vast range of research has been theorizing on how language and culture should be dealt in the classroom. However, despite the relevant theoretical framework developed so far, the influence these studies have had on teaching practices is still debatable (Baker, 2015, p. 130). Bearing that in mind, a research group – REAL-LCI – was created with the aim to promote empirical research about the relationship between language and culture on English teaching practices from different educational contexts in Brazil. This article aims mainly at discussing how interculturality can be constructed through planned activities in the classroom. In order to do so, we will briefly discuss some concepts related to interculturality, review some contributions from empirical research conducted by the research group, and propose some methodological movements for the design and implementation of intercultural activities. Finally, the windows of a real classroom will be opened to show how the insights and possibilities presented here can actually be enacted.

Organizational listening: Addressing a major gap in public relations theory and practice

ABSTRACTAn extensive body of literature theorizes public relations as two-way communication, dialogue, and relationships between organizations and their publics. Although there are alternative views, including public relations as advocacy, most theories emphasize dialogue, co-orientation, and relationships incorporating satisfaction, trust, and control mutuality—even to the extent of symmetry. Critical perspectives propose a sociocultural turn that further emphasizes stakeholders’ and societal interests. This analysis draws on a three-country study that reveals a major theory-practice gap and proposes a significant expansion of public relations theory in relation to listening to realize normative notions of public relations and give effect to claims of dialogue and engagement.

Institutional Innovation in the Management of Pro-Poor Energy Access in East Africa

This paper articulates a new theoretical perspective on the management of rural mini-grids for facilitating pro-poor electricity access in developing countries. Bridging the literature on common pool resource (CPR) management/collective action (including its application to irrigation systems) with the hydraulic analogy for explaining the behaviour of electricity in closed electrical circuits, a refined theoretical framework is produced for analysing the socio-cultural institutional conditions for sustainable management of rural mini-grids. The utility of the framework is demonstrated via empirical analysis of mini-grids in rural Kenya. This yields insights on socio-cultural approaches to addressing challenges relating to sustainable mini-grid management, e.g. seasonality of demand and fair allocation of limited amounts of electricity to different consumers, in ways that are acceptable to, and to some extent also enforced by the entire group of diverse resource users. The paper contributes to both the literatures on sustainable CPR management/collective action and the literature on pro-poor sustainable energy access in developing countries, providing a novel theoretical and empirical contribution to the emerging socio-cultural turn in the latter.

An Individual Rural Geography

To date, only limited research has focused on the individual in rural geography compared to the importance given to the rural community. With the sociocultural turn and moral positions in rural geography, however, the individual is acquiring more relevance but encapsulated in analytical traditions of locality community and of marginal situations and people. This article synthesizes the most significant works about the individual, especially within rural geography, and its key dimensions are identified: citizenship (political and normative dimension), emotional aspects (the extraordinary moments in peoples' lives), everyday life (the relationship between the individual and the rural place), and difference and otherness (between and within others). To develop an individual rural geography, these four dimensions, which reflect different aspects of the rural individual, must be used in a complementary manner. The relevance of each dimension suggests different types of individualities in rural areas. Ultimately, this article proposes a “new humanism” in contrast with antihumanistic poststructural approaches.