Institutional Policies Research Articles

OER based capacity building to overcome staff equity and access issues in higher education

Open educational resources (OER) have already impacted educational systems around the world. In higher education more specifically, it has benefited learners, and has influenced institutional strategic plans and policies. Additionally, the benefits of OER also extend to staff in higher education, such as academic staff. For this group, OER can provide opportunities for collaboration, promote curriculum innovation and student led content development, as well as contribute to university teachers’ much needed continuing professional development. In this paper, we examine the potential of OER to build capacity of academic staff in higher education, in particular to overcome some equity and access issues that they may face. It also examines some existing activities and strategies for professional development in higher educational institutions and provides some recommendations for academics, academic developers, institutions, and the sector in general.

‘I Am a Broken Policy’: A Critical Reflection on Whiteness and Gender Anti-Black Racism in Institutions of Higher Education and Social Services

This personal narrative is a critical reflection and affirmation letter to Black women. Throughout this commentary, at the end of each section, I have included what I call “gems”. I hope they serve as a manifesto for our collective healing from working in institutions that center on the ideologies and practices of dominance. This piece particularly focuses on the dominant ideology and practice of “whiteness” within institutions as a surveillance tool through policy that directly impacts Black women’s wellbeing through gender anti-black racism. Through storytelling and drawing on Black feminist scholarship, this narrative exposes the challenges I faced with institutional policies and practices as I pursued my career in both academia and social service work. Throughout this narrative, I highlight how the undercurrent of whiteness is embedded in the foundation of institutional policy and practices. This narrative serves as a demand for institutional accountability and reckoning with the coloniality of epistemology and ontology. There is a great emotional toll for Black women who are confronting and resisting gendered anti-black racism with deep internal struggles and triumphs. The violent institutional practices seek to eclipse Black women’s ability to dream, imagine and create. Whiteness is centered in institutional infrastructure, serves as a distraction, and impedes our ability to conceptualize the world we desire. We deserve to have imagination in our work. This narrative is a reflection of the harm of whiteness, a guide for Black women academics, a manifesto for change, and a testament to our humanity.

Ideologies of teachers and students towards meso-level English-medium instruction policy and translanguaging in the STEM classroom at a Malaysian university

Abstract English medium instruction (EMI) as a language policy in higher education is based on monolingual conceptions and limits the use of the full linguistic repertoire of bilinguals/multilinguals in the university classroom. Informed by the constructs of language ideology (Spolsky, Bernard. 2009. Language management. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press), translanguaging (Li, Wei. 2018. Translanguaging as a practical theory of language. Applied Linguistics 39(1). 9–30) and pedagogical translanguaging (Creese, Angela & Adrian Blackledge. 2010. Translanguaging in the bilingual classroom: A pedagogy for learning and teaching? The Modern Language Journal 94(1). 103–115), this case study aimed to examine the ideologies held by micro-level stakeholders (i.e., teachers and students) towards institutional English-only EMI policy, translanguaging, and the significance and scope of pedagogical translanguaging in EMI classrooms. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six teachers and 10 students at a public research university in Malaysia. Also collected were a variety of publicly accessible institutional documents, including the focal university’s programme brochures, promotional materials and policy statements on its website. Analyses of the interviews and documents revealed that although EMI was officially adopted in the programmes, both teachers and students advocated for translanguaging and underscored its important role in the transmission of new information, effective communication, and scientific meaning-making. In light of these findings, the study concludes that an inclusive language policy is required that allows teachers and students to access all their linguistic resources.

Resilience, Burnout and Mental Health in Nurses: A Latent Mediation Model

Background/Objectives: The burnout syndrome in nurses has been related to the development of mental health problems. On the contrary, resilience is related to adequately coping with stressful situations and better mental health. The objective was to analyze the relationship between resilience and mental health problems in nurses and estimate the proportion mediated by burnout in the association. Methods: In 2021, a total of 1165 Spanish nurses were selected through a stratified random sampling method. Participants anonymously filled in the Resilience Scale (RS-14), the Maslach Burnout Inventory Survey, and the General Health Questionnaire. To test the hypothesis proposed and explain the mediating effect of burnout empirically, structural equation modeling (SEM) was applied. A latent mediation model was computed. Results: Resilience was negatively related to burnout and mental health problems. The direct relationship between burnout and the latent health variable was positive. In addition, in view of the total effect of resilience on mental health problems and the magnitude of the indirect effect, we stated that the proportion of this effect mediated by burnout ranged from 0.486 to 0.870. Conclusions: This study reveals that fostering resilience in nurses directly and indirectly reduces burnout and improves their mental health. The implementation of resilience programs and supportive institutional policies is recommended to improve working conditions and the quality of patient care.

A competência em informação no enfrentamento ao plágio no ambiente acadêmico

This article discusses information literacy in the face of plagiarism in academia. It reflects on the causes of plagiarism, such as the little incentive for students to produce authorial content and the absence of institutional policies that guide such productions. As a response to this context, the article suggests an education for authorship based on information literacy. Information literacy, among others, promotes a healthy relationship between people and the information universe. Thus, the objective is to discuss how promoting information literacy contributes to combating academic plagiarism and establishing authorship. The method involves bibliographical research in databases in the area of Information Science and argumentative construction in which the concepts of plagiarism and information literacy are related. The results include a demonstrative guide on how information literacy can be used in the production of academic work and guidelines for teachers to recognize and avoid plagiarism. The work concludes that the skills generated within the relationship between individuals and information can benefit the construction of authorship and be an effective element in combating plagiarism.

Impact of Entrepreneurial Orientation and Technology Acquisition on Technology Startups

Since the advent of the fourth industrial revolution, the global economy has been led by big tech companies based on technology startups. In this situation, it is very timely to investigate the antecedent factors for the performance enhancement of technology startups that can play a big role in driving economic growth. We investigate the effect of entrepreneurial orientation and technology acquisition on the financial and non-financial performance of technology startups. In order to achieve these research goals, we collected data from 121 Korean technology startups to examine the effects. Our results support that both entrepreneurial orientation and technology acquisition improve the performance (financial and non-financial) of technology startups. In addition, the entrepreneurial orientation of technology startups has a significant indirect effect on performance (financial and non-financial) through technology acquisition. Overall, our study contributes to improving the understanding of the antecedent factors for the achievement of the performance of technology startups in the field of entrepreneurship research by presenting a new research model of the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation, technology acquisition and the performance of technology startups. In addition, this study provides the basis for the need for technology acquisition support policies for technology startup support institutions to nurture technology startups.

Euro area banks' asset‐liability dependency and unconventional monetary policy over the years 2013–2021: Does size matter?

AbstractFocusing on a sample of euro area commercial banks, we investigate the evolution of the asset‐liability dependency over the years 2013–2021, characterized by the introduction of monetary, supervisory and institutional policy measures that shaped a business environment never experienced before. We find that large banks show a stronger asset‐liability dependency than small banks, and that the linkages between the two sides of the balance sheet experience a general upward trend over time for both groups of intermediaries. We report evidence of the presence of two transmission channels of the unconventional monetary policy, namely, the direct pass‐through and the portfolio rebalancing.

Workers united: a non-assimilatory approach to Indigenous leadership in higher education

Indigenous leaders in higher education are restive, disaffected, and dissatisfied with the slow gyrations of change. Using Interest Convergence Theory, this paper will unravel the constraints inherent in institutional reform that delimit the influence of Indigenous senior leaders in the sector. Positioned amidst the burgeoning impact of neoliberalism, an architecture of colonial governance models, and systemic resistance to change, Indigenous leaders are affecting reform. By providing examples of reform-driven agential actions shouldered by senior Indigenous leaders across Canada, Aotearoa, America and Australia, this paper, underpinned by relationality, details how Indigenous leaders are engaging with Indigenous Institutional work and Entrepreneurship, speaking back to interest-driven institutional policies and practices in the sector with a pronounced focus on nation building. Drawn from an international, comprehensive qualitative study, we investigate how Indigenous leaders in higher education are disrupting systemic racism to promote equity and justice within higher education amid macro-level resistance to change.

Language teacher candidates’ representation of Türkiye's East and West: A critical discourse analysis of online discussions in a telecollaboration

This study explores data collected from a telecollaboration project between two universities in Türkiye and the US. We draw upon the notion that how language teacher candidates from Türkiye (LTCTs) situate themselves contextually pertain to their professional learning and practices and future language teacher identity. Focusing on their telecollaboration discourse, we specifically examine these LTCTs’ construction of Türkiye's multiculturalism through an oversimplistic and stereotypical East-West binary. We analyzed the data using Fairclough's three-dimensional CDA model. We found that when discussing multiculturalism, the LTCTs socio-politically constructed framing of Türkiye's East and West has been influenced by meso level institutional policies and macro level nation-state ideologies. Next, our findings showed that the LTCTs avoided controversial sociopolitical issues when talking specifically about the East refraining from any connotations of separatist discourses. We suggest teachers educators foster critical analysis within teacher education programs to help understand and prepare teacher candidates for their future practice.

One rotten apple or a rotten tree: football leaders’ perceptions of racism in European football

ABSTRACT Despite efforts by key stakeholders to address racial discrimination in international football, racially charged behaviour persists, particularly in the European context. To explore this phenomenon, our paper employs Critical Race Theory as a central framework and links empirical research to racism and inclusion while keeping institutional football and policy concerns at the forefront of its investigation. Primary questions underlining the study concern practices and actors that enable or sustain exclusionary practices in the football industry. To better understand the nature of racial discourse among football leaders and how it potentially facilitates or acts as a barrier to inclusion in football, qualitative interviews were conducted with leaders from eight European countries. The interviews revealed conflicting tensions in the football industry. Tensions between corporatized football practices and equality policymaking, discrepancies in views on discriminatory actions and their connections to larger structural issues and resistance to change from predominantly White, male leadership.

The mediating effect of health behaviors on the association between job strain and mental health outcome: a national survey of police officers.

Police officers often face emotionally challenging interpersonal situations and numerous studies have demonstrated that policing is a stressful occupation. A study revealed a significant positive correlation between emotional demands among police officers and emotional dissonance, as well as burnout. Health-promoting behaviors can contribute to better overall health outcomes and reduce the risk of developing health problems, but there is limited research evaluating the association of job strain and health behaviors with mental health outcomes in police officers. The objective of this study was to assess the job strain associated with mental health mediated by health behaviors in Taiwanese police officers. This was a cross-sectional quantitative study conducted in Oct 2016. A total of 41,871 police officers (response rate was 79.7%) participated questionnaire that consisted of demographic information, job characteristics, health behaviors, and mental component summary (MCS) scores of the Short-Form Health Survey. Independent t-tests and one-way analysis of variance (One-way ANOVA) were conducted to assess the differences in mean MCS scores across various demographics, health behavior, and job characteristics. Multivariate regression analyses were used to assess the relationship between job strain and health behaviors with mental health outcomes. MCS scores were associated with job characteristics and health behaviors among police officers except for gender. After adjusting for covariates, multivariate analysis indicated that police officers with high job demands and high job strain index exhibited poor MCS scores. Job strain was significantly associated with MCS mediated by health behaviors (consumption of fruits and vegetables, and physical activity) in Taiwanese police officers. Since regular physical activity and increased vegetable and fruit consumption might alleviate the effects of job strain on mental health status, it is recommended that institutional policies be established to promote health-enhancing behaviors among police officers.

유아교사의 유아교육기관 ESG 인식 및 중요도에 따른 교육 요구도 분석

Objectives The purpose of this study is to explore the educational needs of early childhood educators based on the analysis of their current awareness levels and perceived importance of ESG, utilizing the Borich needs assessment and The Locus for Focus model. Methods For this purpose, a study was conducted with 202 kindergarten teachers in the metropolitan area(Seoul, Gyeonggi Province, Incheon) using SPSS 23.0 and Excel programs. Through IPA analysis, we identified areasin need ofimprovement and areasofexcess. We conducted a t-test to examine the difference between the current level and importance of ESG. Additionally, we determined the top priority for educational support by comparing the Borich needs assessment and The Locus for Focus Model. Results The main results are as follows, First, within the IPA framework, HH was categorized into four areas, all of which fall under the “S” domain. HL comprised a total of three areas, with two falling under the “E” domain and one falling under the “G” domain. LL also had a total of three areas, with one falling under each of the “E”, “S”, and “G” domains. LH consisted of four areas, with two categorized under the “E” and “G” domains. Second, The analysis of the difference between the current perception levels and importance of ESG items revealed statistically significant differences in the “E” domain. Specifically, there were significant differences inthe items related to ‘waste recycling in early childhood education institutions,’ ‘implementation of environmental management policies in early childhood education institutions,’ and ‘establishment of environmental performance evaluation systems in early childhood education institutions.’ In the “S” domain, there were statistically significant differences observed for the items related to the establishmentand implementation of policies for employee stability within early childhood education institutions, as well as the establishmentand implementation of fair trade, anti-corruption, and ethical management policies for cooperation with suppliers within early childhood education institutions. Similarly, in the “G” domain, statistically significant differences were found for the items related to ‘public disclosure of management activities’ onthe website of early childhood education institutions and ‘prevention of inappropriate succession methods in early childhood education institutions.’ These differencesindicatethat these items are perceived as more important than the current level of awareness. According to the Borich Needs Assessment, the priority areas were ranked as follows:‘wasterecycling in early childhood education institutions,’ ‘prevention of inappropriate succession methods in early childhood education institutions,’ ‘implementation of environmental management policies in early childhood education institutions,’ ‘public disclosure of the management activities on the early childhood education institution’ swebsite, ‘and’ establishmentand implementation of fair trade, anti-corruption, and ethical management policies for cooperation with suppliers within early childhood education institutions.' Third, According to the analysis of The Locus for Focus model, the HH domain consists of 5 items, including ‘waste recycling in early childhood education institutions,’ ‘implementation of environmental management policies in early childhood education institutions,’ ‘establishment and implementation of policies for employee stability within early childhood education institutions,’ and ‘establishment and implementation of fair trade, anti-corruption, and ethical management policies for cooperation with suppliers within early childhood education institutions,’ as well as ‘prevention of inappropriate succession methods in early childhood education institutions.’ Fourth, The results indicate a common priority for the followingitems

Reverse logistics and sustainability: the case of the Federal Institute of Acre, Brazil

The implementation of sustainable practices in the educational context is fundamental to foster a culture of environmental and social responsibility. This study investigates reverse logistics practices at the Rio Branco Campus of the Federal Institute of Acre (IFAC), aiming to identify implemented actions, challenges faced, and propose strategies to strengthen the institutional commitment to sustainability. Using a mixed-method approach, we combined documentary analysis of the internal regulations and the Institutional Development Plan (IDP) with semi-structured interviews with members of the academic community. The documentary analysis revealed institutional alignment with sustainable practices, evidenced by environmental and social responsibility goals in IFAC's IDP. However, the lack of specific guidelines for post-consumer reverse logistics suggests the need for improvement. Interviews highlighted employees' awareness of sustainability and reverse logistics as positive, but pointed to the lack of clear guidelines as a gap. Although the Rio Branco Campus of IFAC demonstrates a commitment to sustainability, there is room for improvement in integrating post-consumer reverse logistics practices. We recommend the inclusion of specific goals and strategies for solid waste management in the IDP, as well as a more comprehensive approach to sustainability in institutional policies. These final considerations establish a basis for future research and practical improvements, aiming to strengthen the institutional commitment to sustainability at IFAC.

부모의 방임적 양육태도가 다문화청소년의 학업중단의도에 미치는 영향 -사회적 위축과 성취동기의 이중매개효과를 중심으로-

The purpose of this study was to investigate the dual mediating effects of social withdrawal and achievement motivation on relationship between parent’s neglecting attitude and school dropout intention of multicultural adolescents. To achieve this, the dual mediating analysis was conducted on 1,197 multicultural adolescents using 8th year of Multicultural Adolescents Panel Study(MAPS) data collected by the National Youth Policy institute. The results were as followed. First, parent’s neglecting attitude has directly a positive effect on school dropout intention among multicultural adolescents. Second, higher levels of parent’s neglecting attitude are associated with higher levels of social withdrawal, which, in turn, are associated with higher levels of school dropout intention. Third, higher levels of parent’s neglecting attitude are associated with lower levels of achievement motivation, which, in turn, are associated with higher levels of school dropout intention. Fourth, parent’s neglecting attitude has an indirect effect on school dropout intention through social withdrawal and achievement motivation. Based on these results, practical strategies for preventing neglecting attitude and social withdrawal and improving achievement motivation are discussed to reduce school dropout among multicultural youths.

ROLE OF MODERATION OF THE INTERNAL CONTROL SYSTEMS OF THE GOVERNMENT TO STRENGTHEN THE IMPACT OF REGULATIONS ON THE SECURITY OF GOVERNMENT'S WORK AND SERVICES (LKPPS) TO THE ACCOUNTABILITY OF GOODS AND SERVICES (STUDY AT THE PROCUREMENT OFFICE OF BANTEN PROVINCE)

The aim of this research is to determine the influence of regulations on the accountability of goods and services procurement at the Goods and Services Procurement Bureau in Banten Province and to find out whether the Government's Internal Control System can moderate regulations on the accountability of goods and services procurement at the Goods and Services Procurement Bureau in Banten Province. The analytical method used in this research is a quantitative method. The data collection method used a questionnaire with a total of 60 respondents. Data analysis in this research uses Partial Least Square analysis via SmartPLS 3.0 software. The results of statistical tests show that there is a positive and significant influence of Government Goods and Services Procurement Policy Institution Regulations on accountability, the Government Internal Control System can moderate and significant influence of Government Goods and Services Procurement Policy Institution regulations on accountability.

결혼이주여성의 문화적응과 초등학생 자녀의 학교적응 간의 구조적 관계: 학교활동참여와 양육효능감 매개를 중심으로

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of the cultural adaptation types (assimilation and integration) of marriage immigrant women on their children's school adjustment, mediated by school activity participation and parenting efficacy. For this purpose, data from the first year of the Multicultural Adolescents Panel Study(MAPS) 2nd cohort(MAPS 2) conducted by the Korea Youth Policy Institute were utilized, involving 2,224 households with fourth-grade elementary school students. Descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and structural equation modeling using AMOS 22.0 were conducted, and path analysis utilizing phantom variables was performed to verify the influence of each path. The main findings of this study are as follows: First, the cultural adaptation type of marriage immigrant women had a significant effect on school activity participation, but had negative effects on parenting efficacy, and had no effects on school adjustment. Second, in the relationship between the cultural adaptation assimilation type of immigrant women and school adjustment of their children, both school activity participation and parenting efficacy were found to have significant dual mediating effects. Furthermore, parenting efficacy was found to have a significant partially mediating effect in the relationship between cultural adaptation assimilation type and school adjustment of their children, while it had a significant statically mediating effect in the relationship between cultural adaptation integration type and school adjustment of their children. Based on the findings, educational implications were discussed.

Towards conceptualizing ‘demographic agency’ in Family Language Policy

This article investigates the success story of language maintenance in Arab families in Iran. Taking Fishman’s (1991) emphasis on micro face-to-face interactions in language maintenance processes as our point of departure, it argues that language maintenance requires that families live in a sociolinguistic milieu in which face-to-face interactions are facilitated by demographic patterns of settlement. Despite unfavorable institutional policies towards minority languages in Iran, the specific geographical makeup of the country has historically pushed speakers of minority languages to settle in certain regions (Katouzian, 2009). Drawing on Sealey and Carter’s (2004) concept of ‘demographic agency’, this article argues that such a demographic settlement of Arabs in southern cities and towns in Iran has given them a collective power to maintain their language, which takes the form of laissez-faire interactions in Arabic at home. The findings, based on interviews with families and recordings of interactions at home, suggest that, although parents express concern regarding their children’s academic achievement and socioeconomic mobility, which requires higher proficiency in Persian, this concern does not readily translate into language practices in Persian at home.

College Student Sex Work: A Qualitative Content Analysis of U.S. Higher Education Sex Work Policies

ABSTRACT Using content analysis methodology, we explore sex work policies at 255 U.S. colleges and universities as articulated in codes of student conduct to understand the potential impact of those policies on college student sex workers. The findings indicate U.S. colleges and universities largely do not articulate clear policies for students involved in sex work. However, many policies include language and framing that potentially governs some sex work. These articulations often rely on flattening differences in sex work, trafficking, and carceral logics, which result in misalignment between research, rhetoric, and policy at some institutions. Such ambiguities in institutional policy may result from the conflation of sex work with sex trafficking at the federal or state policy level. In addition to the marginalization imparted to student sex workers, unjustified exposure to stigma and shame on their respective college campuses negatively impacts students’ well-being. We recommend the current laissez-faire approach by institutional policymakers be replaced with a more intentional approach whereby the well-being of all students is maintained at its core and unclear policy language clarified.

Prominence, Promotion and Positioning of the ‘Thesis by Publication’ in Six Countries

AbstractThe international nature of doctoral education creates interesting tensions where national systems, institutional policies, disciplinary customs, individual supervisor preferences, and doctoral researcher needs meet. The Thesis by Publication (TBP), a model where published works are included within the thesis, is available to doctoral researchers in many disciplines and institutions, but it is not a universally accepted format or approached in a homogeneous way. Policy has been known to shape practice, yet we know little about how institutional policies shape TBP practices across different national contexts. This study presents a content analysis of policy documents related to the TBP in public universities across six countries: Australia, Japan, New Zealand, South Africa, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Our goal is to understand the prevalence of the TBP and related policy documentation in different contexts, and how the model is promoted and positioned within the doctoral landscape. Findings from our study challenge the often-stated notion that the TBP is a universally understood format. Our findings also show the risks in the absence of explicit policies, as well as the possible inequalities that may arise as a result of a lack of policy transparency and synergy within and across contexts.

Climate change adaptation policies and institutional arrangement: Agriculture and fishery sector in India

<p>India’s agriculture and fishing sectors confront significant challenges due to climate change because of its distinctive geographical location and predominantly agrarian economy, highlighting the urgent need for institutional frameworks and effective adaptation strategies. This study delves into the current state of institutional structures and policies aimed at climate change adaptation within these key sectors in India. Through an exhaustive analysis of literature, official reports, and policy documents, the research evaluates the policies and interventions implemented to mitigate the impacts of climate change on agriculture and fisheries. Several policies are in abode to facilitate the planning, establishment, and implementation of adaptation programs at the national and regional scales in the country. However, given India’s broad geographical size and varied socio-cultural settings, the adaptation requirements of diverse sectors and susceptible populations are still not sufficiently recognized and addressed. Key areas under scrutiny include crop diversification, water management techniques, technological advancements, and community-based adaptation approaches.<em> </em>Furthermore, the study evaluates the effectiveness of existing institutional arrangements including governmental bodies, academic institutions, and community organizations in fostering climate resilience across different domains. By synthesizing insights from diverse sources, this research aims to offer valuable perspectives on the institutional dynamics and policy landscape shaping climate change adaptation efforts in India’s agriculture and fisheries sectors to build resilience and sustainability.<strong><em> </em></strong>This research paper highlights some of the evolving as well as existing adaptation requirements and suggests how new research, policy, and practice engagements could meet these requirements.<strong></strong></p>