Practice Theory Research Articles

Testing the Deliberate Practice Theory: Does Practice Reduce the Heritability of Musical Expertise?

The deliberate practice (DP) theory claims that expertise essentially reflects the accumulated amount of deliberate practice, and that with sufficient practice, genetic influences on expertise will be bypassed. Thus, a core prediction of the DP theory is that genetic effects on performance decrease as a function of practice. Here, we test this prediction using music as a model domain. Musical expertise (measured with a musical auditory discrimination test) and lifetime practice hours were determined in 6471 twins including 1302 complete twin pairs. We fitted a bivariate Cholesky decomposition with practice hours as a moderator to determine to what extent genetic and environmental influences on musical expertise are influenced by practice hours. On average, 50% of individual differences in musical expertise were due to genetic influences, whereas shared environmental and residual influences each explained about 25%. Importantly, music practice significantly moderated these estimates. Variation in musical expertise decreased with more practice hours due to decreased shared environmental and residual variance. In contrast, the overall genetic component was unaffected by the number of practice hours. Consequently, the relative genetic contribution (heritability) increased with more practice hours. These findings are in contrast with predictions from the DP theory and suggest that genetic predisposition remains important for musical expertise even after prolonged practice.

EXPLORING THE IMPACT OF MENTORS OBSERVATION FEEDBACK ON POSTGRADUATE PRESERVICE TEACHERS’ DEVELOPMENT

The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of mentors observation feedback on postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE) pre-service teachers’ development of the necessary competencies. The study which was qualitative in nature generated its data from 32 PGCE pre-service teachers using semi-structured interview protocol and this was analysed thematically. The findings of the study revealed that, the application of Hagger and Mclntyre’s theory of modelling, practice and feedback highlighted the positive impact of mentor-teacher observation feedback on PGCE pre-service teachers development of the necessary competencies required of a professional educator. The competencies revealed include lesson preparation and planning, pedagogical and content delivery techniques, classroom management promotion of inclusivity in the classroom, and grounding in disciplinary content knowledge among others. It was concluded that mentor-teacher observation feedback has the potential to improve and impact on pre-service teachers’ development of the necessary competencies required of a professional educator.

The method and application of social practice in the clubhouse.

The theory of social practice describes a therapeutic community process for people living with serious mental illness, while the methods involve engaging people to become collaborators and contributors to a social environment. Confusion in the mental health field surrounding the applied methods of social practice-as occurring within the clubhouse model-has not been sufficiently addressed. This article aims to outline the methodology of social practice, as well as provide guidance on its practical application. Specific constructs of social practice are defined, and empirical support is provided to emphasize how practices to support recovery are applied in the clubhouse. Five key elements of social practice-that is, transformational social design, engagement, relationship development, natural feedback and intervention, and transitional environments-are described. Practical examples of therapeutic techniques associated with each element are also provided. Social practice addresses the social determinants of health by focusing on five key elements that support individual and community recovery. Here, we detail social practice techniques utilized in the clubhouse as a way of unifying theory, providing practical guidance to mental health professionals and improving the measurement of community as therapy for serious mental illness. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Literacy learning and changing social practices in a community art project for women with experience of the criminal justice system

ABSTRACT This article seeks to understand what a group of women with experience of the criminal justice system learned through taking part in a community art project, particularly in terms of their literacy. It draws on an ethnographic study of a community art project carried out by the Collectif Art Entr’Elles which took place in a halfway house in Montreal (Canada) where prisoners can apply to complete their sentence and prepare for their social reintegration. Using a non-linear narrative structure, the collaborative sound work produced sought to break down prejudices by making these women’s voices heard in public space. Drawing on Lave’s (2019) theory of social practice, we explore in more detail the experience and learning journey of one of the women involved. Our analysis indicates that non-formal education, especially when it takes the form of community arts projects, can play a positive role in the diversification and enhancement of literacy practices that are key to the social reintegration and wellbeing of women with experience of the criminal justice system. As such, non-formal community arts education can be an important vehicle for social justice.

Disrupting deliberation? The impact of the pandemic on the social practice of deliberative engagement

The coronavirus pandemic disrupted established ways of doing democracy. This was particularly the case for citizens’ assemblies that have been increasingly commissioned by public authorities to help tackle complex policy problems. The social restrictions adopted in response to the coronavirus pandemic disrupted the ‘deliberative wave’, making the in-person participation of citizens’ assemblies unviable. It forced deliberative practitioners to rethink their standard mode of operation. In this paper, we adopt social practice theory to make sense of how the meanings, competencies and materials associated with the practice of deliberative mini-publics were challenged and, at times, reformulated as practitioners were forced to adapt to digital delivery. Our findings highlight that while aspects of deliberative practice such as inclusivity were rethought, the established identity and competencies of practitioners played a constraining role in the choices and applications of technology.

Unisex Fashion as a Social Practice: A Comparative Study Between Young Heterosexual Consumers in the United States and China

Using Alan Warde’s tripartite model of practice theory (understanding, procedure, and engagement) as our theoretical framework, we compare how young heterosexual consumers in the United States and China understand, follow the perceived rules of, and engage with unisex fashion, and how different socio-cultural values and political ideologies in these two countries shape consumers’ gendered perceptions and practice of unisex style. We interviewed 15 participants in each country. Our findings suggest that unisex fashion is a more routinized practice for US participants, who appreciate gender fluidity due to a long history of fighting for gender equality and the current political emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion. Chinese participants, however, demonstrate a more deliberate and reflexive attitude. While they claim to embrace unisex fashion to express their gender identity, they are still restricted by a heteropatriarchal definition of gender, particularly with the recent revival of traditional gender ideologies advocated by the Chinese leadership. This comparative study of a gender-related fashion practice contributes to a reappraisal of cultural meaning within practice theories. We hope this study will stimulate further intellectual interest in the intersections of fashion studies, consumption research, and cultural sociology.

Care and circularity: how the enactment of care enables and shapes the circular consumption of clothing

In a circular system, consumers need to acquire, use, look after and part with products in ways that recirculate or reuse materials and minimise waste. Thus, although seldom made explicit, consumer care is built into the circular economy project. In this article, we aim to contribute to the emerging body of sociological work on circular consumption by foregrounding the role of care in the performance of circular clothing practices. Theoretically, we combine previous care literature with theories of practice. The analysis builds on an ethnographically inspired study of 24 households’ circular clothing consumption. Our findings suggest that accomplishing circularity in everyday clothing consumption involves developing care awareness and taking on responsibility for the care of clothes as a way of caring for distant others. We also show that multiple care struggles and care dilemmas complicate the accomplishment of care in this context. The article ends by outlining the possible contributions of developing an awareness and understanding of how care and circular consumption are intertwined.

Examining Power Through Practice in Continuous Improvement in Education

In this conceptual article, we argue for the need to examine power relations in continuous improvement (CI) in education. Specifically, we contend that examining power in CI requires an examination of practices that constitute the work of CI. Drawing on practice theory, we conceptualize practice and power and use these constructs to examine a CI effort on improving mathematical proficiency in an elementary school. From this case, we draw out three power moves to illustrate how examining power through practice in CI can generate insight into the varied power dynamics in a CI effort. We end by arguing for more examinations into the practice of CI work to understand power relations and the enactment of CI efforts in education broadly.

Meeting Basic Psychological Needs: One Coach’s Application of Self-Determination Theory in Practice

According to self-determination theory, particularly basic psychological needs theory (BPNT), creating social environments, which support the basic psychological needs of competence, autonomy, and relatedness, are associated with individuals’ mental and physical well-being. Therefore, coaches have been encouraged to enact coaching behaviors in their programs based on BPNT. However, few examples exist demonstrating how coaches actually do this. Therefore, the purpose of this paper was to provide insight into one collegiate coach’s endeavors to support holistic athlete development and promote thriving by using coaching behaviors which align with BPNT in a Division III swim program.

Socio-Digital Co-Design Practices

Studies of architectural design practices have shown that building projects take shape through the intricate interactions between human designers and various technological tools. In present-day’s architectural practice, these interactions are increasingly being reconfigured by two major trends that are affecting the future of construction: digitalisation and the imperative to make building processes and the built environment sustainable. Against this backdrop, the paper presents insights from an ethnographic case study on socio-digital co-design practices in the planning and preconstruction phase of an ambitious building project. This research explores how digital tools reconfigure design practices and highlights the ‘reverse salient’ that has limited the realisation of the integrative potential of socio-digital design processes. Using a practice theory approach centred on ‘socio-digital co-design’, the study shows that digital tools reorganise, but do not take over, the coordination practices in early design necessary to achieve coherent results and sustainability outcomes.

Behavioural Factors Influencing Consumer Acceptance of Sustainable Healthy Food: A Review and Research Agenda

ABSTRACTHuman and planetary health goals have coalesced within consumer food choices. Food‐based dietary guidelines provide expert recommendations on what to eat, however, adherence is low and few include sustainability recommendations. This systematic review sought to extract consumer behavioural findings specifically related to ‘healthy sustainable diets’ to gain insights into the levers of food‐related behavioural change. Data analysed from 57 studies reveal that while 27 discrete behavioural theories underpinned conceptualisation of research, just three dominate this literature: Theory of Planned Behaviour, Transtheoretical Model and Social Practice Theory. Correspondingly, studies were mainly concerned with motivation, attitudes, intentions and practices. Promising research directions are emerging from investigations into the roles of emotions, meat attachment and types of knowledge. Those sustainable healthy food behaviours (SuHeFB) most investigated were meat consumption reduction, plant‐based food consumption, and alternative‐to‐animal protein food product acceptance. In addressing the perplexity surrounding consumer inertia in altering dietary habits, this review provides a comprehensive SuHeFB construct typology and a justification for directing research attention towards the phenomenon of amotivation. In addition, 31 future research questions are posited under six related SuHeFB themes.

Food choice, activity level, and carbon footprint: exploring potential for sustainable food consumption practices in young adults.

This study aims to explore climate consciousness in relation to food consumption in young adults, examining its relationship with physical activity level and gender. A mixed-method approach is utilized, integrating seven-day food records and semi-structured interviews, employing social practice theory in our analytical framework. Our cohort of 47 participants (25 women, 22 men) displays varied diets, from omnivores to vegans. Moderately-active women show the lowest carbon footprint, favoring climate-conscious choices related to lower energy needs and plant-based preferences. Highly-active individuals consume more energy, resulting in a higher carbon footprint. Gender differences are evident, women were inclined to climate-conscious food practices motivated by animal ethics and health concerns. Conversely, men demonstrated a tendency for meat consumption. Participants share an understanding of carbon footprint, reflecting a solid awareness of food-related climate impact but differ in priorities; performance for highly-active, and economy for moderately-active. This highlights a mix of commonalities and distinctions, informing flexible, sustainable food practices. Higher activity levels are linked to greater energy needs and a higher carbon footprint. Moderately-active women show the most climate-conscious food choices, leading to the lowest carbon footprint. Our findings indicate that highly-active individuals and men have significant potential to improve climate-adapted food consumption.

Theorizing epidemiology, the stories bodies tell, and embodied truths: a status update on contending 21st c CE epidemiological theories of disease distribution.

This critical review considers the status of 21st-century epidemiological theories of disease distribution, updating to 2024 prior analyses published up through 2014, and discusses the implications of these theories for research, practice, and pedagogy. Three key trends stand out: (a) the continued dominance of individualistic biomedical and lifestyle theories; (b) growth and elaboration of social epidemiological alternatives; and (c) the ongoing inattention to epidemiologic theories of disease distribution in the training of epidemiologists and public health professionals and in current efforts to improve the rigor of epidemiological research and causal inference. In a context of growing global political polarization, climate crisis, broader environmental and ecological crises, and stubbornly persistent health inequities within and between nations, producing actionable knowledge relevant to improving the people's health and advancing health justice will require much greater engagement with social epidemiologic theories of disease distribution in research, pedagogy, and practice. At issue is critically engaging with the embodied truths manifested in the stories bodies tell in population patterns of health, disease, and well-being.

“RadioActive”: an exploration of the critical role of materiality in shaping participatory spaces

ABSTRACT Materiality plays a critical role in determining participatory spaces within social and behaviour change communication (SBCC) interventions focused on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, this role remains under-examined. This article draws inspiration from social practice theory to steer away from dominant individual-centred approaches. We focus on the material dimension of social practices to examine how materiality is involved in enabling or hindering participation, with the Rwandan “Itetero” Radio Listening Club (RLC) as case study. This research draws on one year of ethnographically inspired participant observations that involved attending 12 listening club sessions, 12 group discussions, and semi-structured interviews with 45 RLC participants (2019–2020). We provide insight into how the materiality of the RLC – understood here as infrastructure, architecture, and technology – shaped attendants’ ability to participate. We argue that acknowledging the material entanglements of people and (material) space might allow SBCC project implementers to develop more contextually appropriate and inclusive participatory spaces.

Implementasi Teori Hukum Keadilan Bermartabat Dalam Hukum Investasi

Investment plays a crucial role in the economic development of a nation and the welfare of its people. Investment law governs the norms and regulations that encompass the possibilities, requirements, protections, and directions of investment to achieve such welfare. In the context of Indonesia, economic development and societal well-being are regulated by the Constitution, with the government having legislation that regulates both domestic and foreign investment. The theory of dignified justice, based on the values of Pancasila, serves as a fundamental principle in investment law, aiming for absolute justice, fair certainty, and utility as primary objectives. A case study on investment fraud in the mining sector illustrates the application of dignified justice theory in legal practice. This research aims to analyze the implementation of dignified justice theory in investment law in Indonesia, focusing on the principles of investment and case studies of investment fraud. The research method employed is juridical normative and literature review. The findings demonstrate that dignified justice serves as the main guideline in upholding the law and providing certainty for economic actors. Dignified justice reflects how the law addresses injustice, with the hope that existing regulations ensure fair certainty for all parties. Thus, investment law in Indonesia embraces the principle of dignified justice to bring about shared prosperity within society.

How platformisation shapes sports betting consumption practices and implications for harm

In this paper, we explore how platformisation facilitates potentially harmful consumption practices of sports betting. Our research draws on ideas from the platformisation and social practice theory literature and features a netnographic study of a sports betting community of practice hosted on the English-language platform Reddit. We consider how platformisation shapes sports betting consumption practices, and the implications for consumers. Our findings demonstrate how platformisation facilitates harmful sports betting consumption practices by causing: (1) intrusion of these practices into work, time, and the consumption of sport; and (2) competitive intensification among and between consumers, against the gambling industry, and against consumers themselves. We discuss the implications from our research findings for platformisation theory, the platformisation of consumption practices, and sociocultural perspectives on gambling. Further, we offer suggestions for how policy and practice can ameliorate gambling harms that are facilitated through platformisation, and identify opportunities for further research.

Organisational Flexibility: Core Business, Interdependence and the Timing of Energy Demand

Abstract Discussions of flexibility in organisations generally focus on labour relations, corporate agility, and long-term survival. In much of this writing, flexibility is conceptualised as a feature of organisations and their environments, of organisational strategy and form, and an outcome of characteristics that can be defined and measured. By contrast, we argue that capacities to adapt depend on interpretations of ‘core business’ which is defined by institutional connections established both outside organisations and reproduced within them. This account is informed by social practice theory, the literature on strategy-as-practice, process studies of organisations, and by empirical research conducted in three secondary schools and three hospitals in Northern England. Interviews with thirty-three managers and employees help us to show how the scope for adaptation is constituted and reproduced in the ways that many organisations connect, and in related rhythms and patterns of social life. There are many contexts in which this insight will be important. We focus on the significance of this analysis for the need to modify the timing of energy demand in a lower carbon future. As we show, the relative ability of specific organisations to adapt depends on a broader nexus of interlinking social practices, temporal arrangements, and cross-cutting commitments.

Introduction to the special issue “environmental criminology in crime prevention: theories for practice”

In this special issue, five articles demonstrate the impact of contemporary Environmental Criminology theory on the understanding of crime and the development of crime prevention practices in both urban and rural contexts. The articles exemplify the development of Environmental Criminology as a field that extends beyond crime in physical spaces to encompass offenses in cyberspace, illustrating the field’s adaptability and relevance in an increasingly digital world. Authored by environmental criminologists from diverse disciplinary backgrounds, these articles offer a range of international perspectives, thereby contributing to the field of security while addressing broader social issues.

Challenges and opportunities for early career researchers: using the theory of practice architectures to unpack enabling and constraining conditions

ABSTRACT Globally, there are growing examinations of what it means to be ‘early career’ in contemporary academia. Across international contexts, the experiences of early career researchers appear to be similar. This paper explores the similarities and differences of the Australian early career experience, through the lens of pathways to the academy and career stage. We use the autoethnographic reflections of two early career researchers, one following the ‘traditional’ pipeline to the academy and the other as a ‘second career’ academic. We use the theory of practice architectures to frame the study and to generate and analyse our reflections: we identify the enabling and constraining conditions and how these differ depending on previous life and professional experiences. The autoethnographic reflections illuminate how practices are shaped by the organisational arrangements within the site of the institution. This study makes a theoretical contribution by using the theory of practice architectures to illuminate early career researcher experiences. By using a practice theory, our analysis and insight provide guidance for institutional policy, professional learning, and development strategies for early career researchers.

О некоторых проблемах уголовно наказуемого уклонения как длящегося преступления на примере злостного неисполнения судебного акта (ст. 315 УК РФ)

In this article, through the prism of one of the decisions of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation, the problems of malicious non-execution of judicial act as a continuing crime are considered, in connection with which the issues of the criminal-legal significance of an unfulfilled duty in the structure of a continuing crime are analyzed, as well as determining the moment of the end of malicious non-execution of a judicial act. To this end, the theory of criminal law and judicial practice are studied. The author substantiates the conclusion that, contrary to the position of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation, the application of criminal law norms on evasion within the framework of the construction of continuing crimes entails a violation of the principle of prohibiting the repeated conviction of the guilty person for the same crime.