Theoretical Perspectives Research Articles

The Impact of Arts on Mental Health and Well-Being

This paper examines the complex relationship between the arts and mental health, examining its historical roots, theoretical frameworks, and empirical evidence. Artistic expression has long been associated with mental health, providing opportunities for self-expression, emotional release, and psychological recovery. From early civilisations to modern therapeutic techniques, art has been recognised for its ability to improve mental health in a variety of cultures. Theoretical perspectives, such as expressive arts therapy and neuroesthetics, shed light on how creativity influences emotional and cognitive processes. According to empirical studies, participating in artistic activities helps relieve anxiety, sadness, and stress while increasing social support and empowerment. This study addresses the value of interdisciplinary methods, combining lived experiences with research to investigate how art may be used as a powerful tool in mental health interventions such as art therapy and creative practices in community settings. Keywords: Art therapy, Mental health, Emotional well-being, Expressive arts, Creative interventions.

The Impact of National Big Data Pilot Zones on the Persistence of Green Innovation: A Moderating Perspective Based on Green Finance

Enhancing the persistence of corporate green innovation is crucial for promoting sustainable societal development. As big data technologies and related policies advance, digitalization emerges as an effective enabler of green innovation in enterprises. This study, grounded in resource-based theory and corporate ecology theory, examines the impact of national-level big data pilot zone reforms on the persistence of corporate green innovation, utilizing data from China’s A-share-listed companies from 2011 to 2021. It also explores the moderating effect of green finance development. Empirical results indicate that (1) the implementation of national-level big data pilot zones positively influences the persistence of green innovation, with robustness and endogeneity tests confirming these findings. (2) The development of regional green finance positively moderates this relationship. (3) A mediation analysis reveals that national-level big data policies enhance innovation persistence by alleviating financing constraints, promoting talent aggregation, and facilitating industrial upgrading. (4) The heterogeneity analysis shows that the positive impact of these reforms is more pronounced in non-state-owned, non-heavy polluting firms, those receiving high subsidies, and in regions with stringent environmental regulations. This study offers a novel theoretical perspective on and empirical evidence for digital transformation from the angle of national policy, supporting societal green development and contributing to policy enhancement aimed at achieving sustainable growth.

Love is Glorious: The Analysis of Emotional Education Culture of Film “To Our Youth That Is Fading Away”

About the educational films, most of the existing studies in academia and culture are based on the construction of theoretical perspectives, or the discussion of the narrative content and the transformation of themes of a certain genre, but there is a lack of important educational issues based on the analysis of film texts. As a popular narrative genre of educational films in China since the beginning of this century, “youth narrative” has a wide range of communication audiences, but for the audience, there is a need for more in-depth discussion of its educational meaning. Therefore, it is necessary to select typical case of “youth film” in China, describe the emotional education in detail, and try to put forward the theoretical category of “emotional education culture”, to show that for teenagers, the complex, mutual, reverberative and dislocated relationship of emotional space poses a great challenge to education.

Theoretical perspectives: sociology and the conservation of scientific heritage

Theoretical perspectives: sociology and the conservation of scientific heritage

Shifting perspectives: the potential of rich, ill-structured problems in legal education

ABSTRACT Messy, real-world problems that haven’t yet been framed into a single, neat narrative contain a richness that makes them a powerful tool in legal education. This paper explores the practices of three law teachers who use ill-structured problems to help law students develop the capacity for problem setting, enabling them to structure and restructure problems from different doctrinal, conceptual and theoretical perspectives. In each course, the confrontation of legal rules or reasoning with the concrete realities of a specific situation serves as a catalyst for insight, teaching students the value of seeing and staying with complexity to gain deep understanding and potentially generate new ideas.

How Can Drama Tasks Interact with Second Language Learners’ Willingness to Communicate? A Theoretical Perspective

If oral communication in a second language (L2) is considered a skill to be prioritized, it is also particularly anxiety-provoking for L2 learners. This is why their willingness to communicate, predicted in particular by the emotions experienced, has been the focus of recent studies to examine its evolution and factors likely to interact with it. However, little research has focused on how pedagogical tasks could support L2 learners’ willingness to communicate by creating a constructive and positive learning environment. This article focuses on drama as a pedagogical task that could potentially support L2 learners’ willingness to communicate. It thus aims to develop a theoretical framework to demonstrate how drama can help learners overcome barriers to L2 communication by interacting with situated affective factors, motivational propensities, affective and cognitive context, and social and individual context. This demonstration is particularly relevant for making more explicit the potential of experiential tasks in L2 learning to provide more positive and constructive learning experiences. We conclude this paper by emphasizing pedagogical implications to support L2 learners better and promote more research into drama.

Circular motion and particle collisions in ergoregion of rotating and twisting charged black holes

The presence of clouds of strings, quintessential fields, and NUT charges has significant consequences for spacetime geometry, and their study is much more important from an observational and theoretical perspective. Hence, in this article, we aim to explore the rotating and twisting charged black holes with the cloud of strings and quintessential field through horizons, ergoregions, photon regions, circular motion, and energy efficiency. First, we derive the equation of motion and the expressions for studying the photon region. To investigate circular motion, we derive the mathematical expressions of energy and angular momentum. The cloud of stings reduces the stability of angular momentum and energy in prograde particle motions and shifts their minima from the black hole’s center to the right. Static black holes with clouds of strings have the greatest angular momentum in prograde orbital motion, while rotating ones without clouds of strings have the least. Furthermore, we examine the efficiency of energy extraction through the Penrose process. The known energy extraction efficiency of the Penrose process for an extreme Kerr black hole is about 21%, but in the presence of clouds of strings, it exceeds 100%.

P-type doped AlxGa1-xAs nanowire photocathode: A theoretical perspective on structural and optoelectronic properties

In this work, the effect of p-type doping on the structural, electronic, and optical properties of AlxGa1-xAs nanowires are investigated by first-principles calculations. Different doping elements (Be, Mg, Zn), doping methods (interstitial and substitution doping) and doping concentration are considered. The calculations of formation energy suggest that the structural stability of p-type AlxGa1-xAs nanowires is gradually weaken as the rise of doping concentration and Al composition. Besides, the difficulty of forming substitution doping for different doping elements obeys the following order: Be<Mg<Zn. In addition, the substitution doping atom tends to replace Ga atom rather than Al atom to form substitution doping structure. After substitution doping, all energy bands shift to higher energy region due to the orbital hybridization of electronic states induced by impurity atom and nanowire atoms. Moreover, the substitution doping leads to the Fermi level entering into the valence band, resulting in obviously p-type conductivity. The p-type modulation doping is indeed effective in the axial type AlxGa1-xAs nanowires with p-type carrier concentration varying between 1.85×1020 cm-3 and 4.42×1020 cm-3, and the conductivity will be further enhanced with increasing substitution doping concentration or Al composition. Finally, the optical absorption of AlxGa1-xAs nanowire photocathodes can be effectively enhanced through BeGa doping. Our findings not only present a comprehensive understanding of p-type doping mechanism of AlxGa1-xAs nanowires, but also provide a theoretical basis for preparing AlxGa1-xAs nanowire based photoelectric devices with p-type properties.

The Human Side of Generative AI: Creating a Path to Productivity

The rapid rise of generative artificial intelligence (AI) presents both opportunities and challenges for organizations. While generative AI offers transformative potential to boost productivity through new forms of data creation, its implementation also brings significant human impacts that require thoughtful leadership. This article explores the human side of generative AI from both theoretical and practical perspectives, focusing on change management, people-centered design, and responsible implementation. Key areas include managing cognitive, emotional, and behavioral responses to AI-driven change, as well as fostering cultures of transparency, learning, and accountability. The article highlights best practices such as early stakeholder involvement, iterative evaluation, and robust governance to ensure generative AI aligns with human needs and ethical standards. Case studies, including Anthropic’s AI safety efforts, illustrate how leaders can promote responsible innovation by integrating human-centered practices throughout the technology lifecycle. By proactively addressing the human dimensions of AI adoption, organizations can achieve sustainable productivity gains while maintaining trust, well-being, and ethical integrity.

Therapeutic approaches and conceptions of practice of osteopaths in Australia - a national cross-sectional study and exploratory factor analysis of the Osteo-TAQ

BackgroundHealth professionals develop their own approach to patient care based on education, experience and philosophical stance. Literature suggests that this practice approach informs patient care, and clinical outcomes. The Osteopaths’ Therapeutic Approaches Questionnaire (Osteo-TAQ) is a novel 36-item instrument developed from qualitative grounded theory research with osteopaths in the United Kingdom. The aim of the study was to develop evidence for the structural and construct validity of the Osteo-TAQ in the Australian osteopathic profession and provide initial descriptive data about the therapeutic approaches of osteopaths in Australia.MethodsA cross-sectional study design was used to collect data from registered osteopaths in Australia using the Osteo-TAQ and analysed with Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA). The EFA utilised parallel analysis to determine the number of factors to extract and McDonald’s omega calculated as the reliability estimation statistic.Results691 Australian osteopaths provided data for the study, representing 25% of the Australian osteopathic profession. Empirically the number of factors to extract based on the parallel analysis was seven. Two- and three-factor solutions were evaluated given the underpinning theory identifying two conceptions of practice and three interrelated therapeutic approaches. Both the two- and three-factor solutions were consistent with the underpinning theory with acceptable reliability estimations for each factor. Descriptive data suggested the most common element of the therapeutic approach of Australian osteopaths was establishing rapport, while the least common was ‘only talking’ with their patients.ConclusionsThis study provides evidence for the structural, content and construct validity of the Osteo-TAQ in an Australian osteopathic practitioner population. The results support both a two- and three-factor structure for the Osteo-TAQ in an Australian osteopathic population, with each factor demonstrating acceptable reliability estimations supporting the items comprising each factor as measuring a single construct. From a theoretical and empirical perspective, it can be inferred that the Osteo-TAQ tool encapsulates an osteopaths’ conception of practice (professional artistry and technical rational) and three main therapeutic approaches to patient care: Educator, Communicator and Treater. Further research is required to explore each of these therapeutic approaches to better understand how they relate to an individual osteopath’s conception of practice, and their associations with other measures of practice including clinical outcomes.

Ultralow magnetic susceptibility in pure and Fe(Bi)-doped Au-Pt alloys improved by structural strain regulation

Designing and manufacturing multi-component alloy samples with ultralow magnetic susceptibilityχ(<10-6cm3mol-1) is crucial for producing high-quality test masses to successfully detect gravitational wave in the LISA and TianQin projects. Previous research has idenfified AuPt alloys as a potential candidate for test masses, capable of achieving ultralow magnetic susceptibility that meets the requirements from both theoretical and experimental perspectives. In this study, we discover that the structural strain regulation (i.e. tensile and stress) can effectively optimize and further reduce the ultralow magnetic susceptibility of AuPt allpys, while fully understanding their underlying physical mechanisms. More importantly, even when doped with trace elements such as Fe or Bi impurity, strain regulation can still effectively reduce the magnetic susceptibility of the doped AuPt alloy to the desired range. Our theoretical calculations also reveal that, when the strain ratioηis controlled within in a relatively small range (<2.0%), the regulaton effect on the ultralow magnetic susceptibilities of pure or doped-AuPt alloys remains significant. This property is beneficial for achieving ultralow or even near-zero magnetic susceptibility in real AuPt alloy samples.

The influences of virtual-reality- and animation-supported gamified learning processes on students’ learning achievement and behavioral intention in retailing management courses

The application of virtual reality (VR)/animation-enhanced technologies to various educational settings has received increasing attention from academics and educators. However, empirical investigation of this issue using an integrated theoretical perspective is scarce in management education. Additionally, prior studies that specifically investigate the influences of the technological attributes of VR/animation-enhanced technologies and learners’ perceptions and experiences in management education contexts are scarce. This study thus investigates this issue by adopting the viewpoints of technological attributes and individual perceptions and experiences to comprehend students’ situated experiential learning. Therefore, to examine whether such a learning method improves learning achievement by enhancing long-term memory, this study conducted a quasi-experiment to understand how technological attributes influence students' cognitive and affective responses, confidence, and satisfaction, thus affecting behavioral intention and learning achievement. A total of 230 students participated in this study. The stimulus-organism-response model, situated learning theory, and flow theory were integrated in this study to explore the relationships between the factors of psychological state and students' experiential learning processes. All hypotheses were supported, except confidence did not significantly influence students' behavioral intention and learning achievement after four weeks. The implications for theory and practice of this study are subsequently discussed.

Black Homeschooling: A Response to Racialized Educational Terrain

ABSTRACT This paper explores how Black parents’ school choice, particularly through homeschooling, intersects with the racialized educational terrain. Challenging the view of homeschooling as solely market-driven, the literature review emphasizes race, class, and gender’s roles in this decision-making. Unlike Averett and Stewart, who focus on gendered and racial dynamics in school choice, this study proposes Diamond’s racialized educational terrain and Cooper’s motherwork as frameworks to understand Black homeschooling. This paper aims to shift theoretical perspectives on Black homeschooling, advocating for a more nuanced, intersectional approach to studying school choice.

VISUAL ARGUMENTATIVITY FOR DEAF PEOPLE: THE IMAGE MEDIATING WRITING IN PORTUGUESE LANGUAGE

Argumentativeness and discourse are interconnected and reveal persuasive power through the linguistic actions performed. From the theoretical perspectives of Visual Pedagogy and the relationship between argumentativeness and image, we investigated the relevance of these components for correlation, comprehension and writing in Portuguese Language (PL) in the education of deaf people. Such skills require the establishment of a connection of meanings between images and the texts related to them for the exercise of visual argumentativeness. We analyzed reports and activities applied in Portuguese Language classes at the Pedagogical Support Center of Ipiaú – CAPI using the methodology of document analysis. The collected data were subjected to content analysis as a heuristic function, verifying the content in a qualitative approach by delimiting the presence or absence of characters common to the writing process of deaf people in PL. We hope that these results contribute to the effective participation of deaf people in the various literate environments in which they live.

Beyond "post," "traumatic," "growth," and prediction in research on posttraumatic growth.

Thirty years after the introduction of posttraumatic growth (PTG), research on the concept has expanded dramatically. Novel theoretical perspectives included in this special issue, however, demonstrate that nearly every element of PTG requires revision. "Post" implies a definitive before and after adversity that simply does not exist, either empirically or in the everyday navigation of adversity, especially for marginalized people. "Trauma" is appropriately scaled to the gravity of some forms of adversity, yet the term is often overly pathologizing or flattening of individual experience. And "growth" is often misleading, difficult to operationalize, and always value-laden. Studying PTG requires grappling with these claims in a way that can inspire pessimism. What is left in PTG after we question the P, T, and G? In asking this question, we ultimately encounter the limits of empiricism. Drawing insights from contemporary research in lifespan development, we suggest that it may be impossible to prospectively predict, using individual-level variables, how people grapple with adversity and develop after it. There are limits to our understanding of PTG that may simply be insurmountable. But complementary perspectives in narrative research, especially those espoused in this issue, as well as in the humanities and the arts, offer a way forward. Retrospectively understanding adverse events and taking an idiographic and qualitative perspective on the ways in which people navigate them can both humanize and bolster inclusivity in PTG research. We conclude by suggesting a period of enhanced divergent exploration, one that embraces disciplinary humility and epistemological and methodological pluralism to further understand PTG. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Qualitative and Quantitative Handling of Collective Labor Disputes and Strikes With the Help of Artificial Intelligence: an Inter- and Trans-disciplinary Theoretical Approach to Modern Industrial Relations

In today’s context of rapid technological evolution, this article explores from a purely theoretical perspective how artificial intelligence (AI) can be used as a tool for qualitative and quantitative manipulation of collective labor disputes and strikes. Beyond the simple use of modern technologies, this article examines the theoretical and epistemological foundations of integration (IA) in the analysis and prediction of labor conflicts. A theoretical framework is proposed that combines the theory of social conflict and the theory of industrial relations with contemporary approaches in the field of artificial intelligence, thus offering a new way to conceptualize and understand the dynamics of labor relations in the global economy. In conclusion, the paper discusses the epistemological, ethical and social implications of such an interdisciplinary approach.

A mixed-method approach to study the impacts of energy micro-generation combined with appliance-level feedback on everyday practices

Energy feedback is recognized in energy literature as vital for altering and curbing energy usage. However, recent studies highlight the limitation of energy feedback, questioning its real capacity to promote energy-saving behaviours. Meanwhile, micro-generation, such as photovoltaic panels (PVs), is deemed more effective in reshaping daily practices by encouraging time-shifting of activities, as a way to reduce the load of energy consumed in the grid, while increasing the one from renewable resources. This study explores the impacts of appliance-level consumption feedback combined with micro-generation on everyday practices; it adopts a practice theoretical perspective, viewing households as practitioners rather than mere rational agents. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected between 2022 and 2023 in households with PVs on two islands located off the west coast of Ireland. Smart plugs were installed and connected to different home appliances to collect energy data and provide feedback on their energy usage through a webapp. Our analysis focuses on pre- and post- plugs’ installation and feedback delivery periods, to assess households’ responses both in relation to their practices and to PV usage. While appliance-level feedback showed potential in enhancing PV use and practice changes, heightened awareness does not guarantee change, and households’ responses to feedback depend on various influencing factors deeply embedded in everyday practices – including the (non) negotiability of practices, app design, household dynamics and previous experience with the PV system. Our findings suggest opportunities for energy research to develop more tailored strategies for cutting energy consumption, taking into consideration people’s practices.

ASSESSING THE IMPLICATION OF UNCONTROLLED PROLIFERATION OF SMALL ARMS AND LIGHT WEAPONS USED FOR KIDNAPPING AS A THREAT TO NATIONAL SECURITY IN NIGERIA

The proliferation of small arms and light weapons (SALW) has become one of the most urgent security and developmental challenges globally. However, in Africa, the uncontrolled proliferation and widespread availability of small arms is a development that is affecting virtually every country within the continent and poses threats to domestic or national security. The objective of this work is to examine the implications of the proliferation of small arms and light weapons for kidnapping as a national security challenge in Nigeria. This study approaches the study from the state fragility theoretical perspective. Secondary method of data collection was employed. The finding from the research points to the fact that one of the major reasons for arms proliferation in Nigeria is the porosity of the borders. This is because the border security is compromised and there is a lot of shady dealing between the personnel and smugglers. The issue of proliferation of small arms and light weapons through the porous borders will continue to pose serious challenge to the Nigeria’s national security due to the fact that there is always interagency rivalry at vast border points. Another finding is that most of the proliferation of small arms and light weapons into the country are from neighboring countries and they used to exacerbate kidnapping in the country. Based on the above, the paper recommended that the Nigerian government should adopt the application of technology in her national security policies. E-border management and other advanced surveillance mechanism should be introduced by the government; patrol vehicles and other scientific materials should be procured for monitoring of both governed and ungoverned vast border area.

The directed nature of social stereotypes.

Stereotypes are strategically complex. We propose that people hold not just stereotypes about what groups are generally like (e.g., "men are competitive") but stereotypes about how groups behave toward specific groups (e.g., "men are competitive toward")-what we call directed stereotypes. Across studies, we find that perceivers indeed hold directed stereotypes. Four studies examine directed stereotypes of sex and age (Studies 1 and 2; N = 541) and of race/ethnicity (of Asian/Black/Latino/White Americans; Studies 3 and 4; N = 769), with a focus on stereotypes of competitiveness, aggressiveness, cooperativeness, and communion. Across studies, directed stereotypes present unique patterns that both qualify and reverse well-documented stereotype patterns in the literature. For example, men are typically stereotyped as more competitive than women. However, directed stereotypes show that women are stereotyped to be more competitive than men, when this competitiveness is directed toward young women. Multiple such patterns emerge in the current data, across sex, age, and racial/ethnic stereotypes. Directed stereotypes also uniquely predict intergroup attitudes, over and above general stereotypes (Study 4). The idea of directed stereotypes is compatible with multiple theoretical perspectives and intuitive. However, they have been unexamined. We discuss the implications of the current work for thinking about the nature and measurement of social stereotypes, stereotype content, and social perception more broadly. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Theoretical Perspective on the Sensing Mechanism of a Pyrazinium‐Based Fluorescent Probe Towards 2,4,6‐Trinitrophenol

ABSTRACTRapid detection of chemical explosives plays a critical role in national security and public safety. An in‐depth study of the sensing mechanism is particularly urgent for the development of highly efficient, sensitive, and selective chemical sensors for the precise detection of chemical explosives. Density functional theory (DFT) and time‐dependent DFT approaches were used in this work to examine the sensing mechanism of a novel fluorescent probe 1‐benzyl‐3,5‐di (thiophen‐2‐yl)pyrazin‐1‐ium bromide (BTPyz) for the detection of 2,4,6‐trinitrophenol (TNP). A comprehensive theoretical exploration was carried out, and a different interaction mode between the probe and TNP from that in the original experiment was proposed. The π–π stacking was established to be the recognition interaction between BTPyz and TNP anion, and the active site was determined from the three potential sizes according to the Gibbs free energy analysis results. The rationality of the reaction mode and the π–π stacking product between the BTPyz and TNP (BTN) was further confirmed by the fluorescence properties (absorption and emission spectra). According to the findings of frontier molecular orbitals (FMOs), photoinduced electron transfer (PET) is the intrinsic mechanism through which TNP quenches the probe's fluorescence.