Homogeneous View Research Articles

Dynamics of Russians’ perception of the situation in various spheres of life: from assessments to requests for social policy

The article analyzes the dynamics and specifics of Russians’ assessments of the ongoing changes in various spheres of life. Based on the data of studies conducted by the Institute of Sociology of FCTAS RAS in different years, it is shown that the most significant improvements have occurred over the past almost two decades in terms of the level and quality of life of the population, as well as education and health care. In particular, the share of positive perception of the situation with unemployment and expansion of opportunities for earning, with the availability of housing and pre-school institutions is growing. “Cautious” positivity is noted with regard to the situation with social justice, living standards, as well as secondary and higher education. However, the dominance of positive assessments is not recorded in any of the spheres. This signals the persistence of separate problems in them, relevant for different groups of the population. Assessments of the situation in the spheres related to collective security deserve special attention, in respect of which a sharp increase in negative assessments is recorded. The groups with relatively homogeneous views on the dynamics of the situation in different spheres of life in society were considered. Among them, Russians with pessimistic and moderately optimistic views of the ongoing changes are approximately equal in number. It has been noted that the key differences between these groups, and, accordingly, their requests for changes in certain spheres, are formed under the influence of factors mainly of a subjective nature. They are related to the perception of their own well-being, the number and nature of problems experienced in the last year, as well as some “we-identities”. In particular, it is shown that the request for qualitative changes for pessimists is formed largely spontaneously and under the effect of the cumulative negative impact of many factors on their lives. Requests for further improvements in key areas of life are more differentiated among moderate optimists and “stability-oriented” part of society.

Patterns of self-regulation and emotional well-being among Syrian refugee children in Lebanon: An exploratory person-centered approach.

This study explores patterns of self-regulation and emotional well-being among Syrian refugee children in Lebanon, employing a person-centered approach, responding to theoretical challenges articulated by Dante Cicchetti and other psychologists. Using latent profile analysis with data from 2,132 children, we identified seven distinct profiles across cognitive regulation, emotional-behavioral regulation, interpersonal regulation, and emotional well-being. These profiles showed significant heterogeneity in patterns of self-regulation across domains and emotional well-being among Syrian children. Some profiles consistently exhibited either positive ("Well-regulated and Adjusted") or negative ("Moody and Frustrated") functioning across all domains, while others revealed domain-specific challenges, e.g., particularly sensitive to interpersonal conflict. This heterogeneity in the organization of self-regulatory skill and emotional well-being challenges the traditional homogeneous view of child development in conflict settings. The study also underscores the profiles' differential associations with demographic characteristics and experiences, with school-related experiences being particularly salient. We discuss the implications of these findings for future research in developmental psychopathology on self-regulation and emotional well-being in conflict-affected contexts. In addition, we advocate for tailored interventions to meet the diverse needs of children affected by conflict.

Analyst cliques coverage and the speed of leverage adjustment: Evidence from China

This study examines how analyst cliques influence firm leverage adjustment by investigating the potential echo chamber effect within complex analyst networks. Using a multilayer network framework based on information exchanges—such as teammate cooperation, cross-team communication, and stock co-coverage—we apply the Louvain algorithm to identify analyst cliques, where analysts are likely to have similar perspectives. Our findings indicate that firms covered by a higher number of analyst cliques experience slower leverage adjustment. This result remains consistent after addressing potential endogeneity concerns. The delay in leverage adjustment is attributed to the echo chamber effect within cliques, where analysts share homogeneous views that significantly diverge from those of other cliques, creating a chaotic information environment. Furthermore, from the perspective of moderating effect, we find that the negative effects of analyst cliques on leverage adjustment become more pronounced in firms with weaker governance structures and higher financing constraints. This research offers new insights into the relationship between the information environment and leverage adjustment within the dynamic trade-off model, providing valuable implications for regulators and investors in understanding the role of analyst networks in emerging financial markets.

Surviving, thriving, and resisting: Reimagining the ordinary gendered lives ofTESOLers

AbstractThe guest editors introduce five studies in this special issue on gender equality. The five articles address the gender disparities in English language teaching as they intersect with learner and teacher identities. Despite progress made in the field for the past 20 years, we are reminded that women and queer individuals in our educational spaces, such as students and practitioners, continue to experience gender‐based oppression such as recent bans on abortion, control over their bodies, lack of access to education, basic needs such as food and housing security (Kendall, 2020), gender violence, homophobia and transphobia, and the silencing of teachers' racial and queer justice efforts in schools. Patriarchy, misogyny, and sexism—systems predicated on a gender binary and hierarchies—materialize in our educational contexts through homogenous views of identity and language that erase difference. These systems reward competition and hierarchical thinking while punishing creative border‐crossing practices. Therefore, understanding how social issues make their way into our language classrooms becomes important for all TESOLers and other educators as they directly shape students' learning, pedagogical practices, curriculum design, etc.. However, the authors of these studies also demonstrate that women and people with non‐conforming gender identities are still here and very much present in English language classrooms, surviving, resisting, and reimagining collective action for all to learn in more equitable conditions. This article builds on the studies presented in the special issue to suggest additional professional practices in order to mitigate gender‐based oppressions in the field.

Conceptualising “the more-than-migrant child”

PurposeUsing a feminist, post-structural and posthuman theoretical framing the paper argues for elevating the complexity of conceptions of migrant children’s engagements with and contributions to their own lives.Design/methodology/approachThis conceptual paper responds to contemporary concerns with research involving migrant children and childhoods in an Australian context. With researchers and teachers’ attention being drawn to enhancing the cultural wellbeing, identity and belonging of young children, it asks: who is “the migrant child”? In our response to this question, we disrupt expectations of simplistic, homogeneous views of children of migrant families or backgrounds, including confronting notions such as vulnerability, neediness and deficit.FindingsPotential ways in which “the migrant child” is implicated by diverse social, environmental and political factors underlie the many ways in which children might exercise their autonomy and participation. In Australia, contemporary migration remains clouded by such policies as the only relatively recently overturned “White Australia” policy and so-called “boat turnbacks”, whilst, and especially in post-Covid times, Australian society simultaneously depends on migrant workers in many areas of employment. At the same time, Australia seems to openly celebrate what is seen as “successful” multiculturalism.Originality/valueThese multiple perspectives offer a deeply concerning social and policy environment for researchers and educationalists. It is in this context that we raise questions and speculate towards potential conceptualisations of “the migrant child” which recognise, rather than negate, the powers and insights arising from the child’s experiential, relational and deeply entangled onto-epistemological perspective/s.

Portraits of Swedish natureculture identity – entanglements of (gender) equity and integration in early childhood education

ABSTRACT Photographs of children are used on a daily basis in Swedish preschool practice. Although the preschool curriculum prescribes gender equality and celebration of diversity, photographs of indoor activities have shown to display a homogenous view of children and an emphasis on masculine-coded productions and accomplishments. This article examines 325 photographs of outdoor activities from Swedish preschools with diverse ethnic compositions. Our results reveal a Swedish natureculture identity that is more explicitly performed in the multi-ethnic preschool classes. Since ideals of gender equality and closeness to nature connect to the image of Swedishness, this can be understood as compensatory pedagogy. Moreover, the natureculture identity appears to be neutral in relation to ethnicity and gender, which risks rendering diversity invisible. However, the displayed neutrality is also possible to understand as working towards equity where conventionally feminine values such as care, empathym and sensitivity are underscored as desirable for everyone.

User Feedback on Plain Language Summaries

Plain Language Summaries (PLSs) describe scientific studies in a lay friendly way. This study investigates user feedback on PLSs based on a conceptual PLS framework. Our aim was to explore the users’ perspective on PLSs and to verify whether the topics named by users correspond to the categories of the conceptual framework. In an online study, we presented German PLSs of psychological studies to participants. They were asked for their feedback in three open questions. We received 2032 responses from 1098 participants, which were coded by two raters based on the conceptual framework. Participants had homogeneous views on some topics (e.g., the content of the PLSs). These results provide direct indications for users’ expectations towards PLSs. We observed diverging views on other topics (e.g., text length). These results indicate different needs among users. We conclude that a good fit between PLS and target group is important. The presentation of PLSs should allow users to choose information according to their needs. Finally, not all of the framework’s categories were mentioned by the participants. Implications of this finding are discussed.

Normative Pluralism and Sporting Integrity

ABSTRACT Official documents, such as the Word Anti-Doping Code (WADC), argue that sport can be deemed a homogenous and unitary concept. Even where different sports have varying characteristics, the homogenous view of a given sport (‘a sport’ or ‘the sport’) persists. The WADC, international and national sport associations aim to protect the spirit of (the) sport. In this picture, the intersection of sporting integrity and legal processes occupies a vital place. The article will posit that, from a legal perspective sport is heterogeneous due to its governance, regulation, adjudication, and enforcement structures. International and national associations, such as sport federations and leagues, have separate normative orders. These normative orders lead to differences in ensuring sporting integrity. A plural normative environment is inherent in sport; thus, we need to deal with it. The article will conclude that although harmonising norms and interpretations related to sporting integrity through national and global institutions may be acceptable, these must be achieved by promoting good governance and human rights.

Unpacking micro-CSR through a computational literature review: An identity heterogeneity view of internal stakeholders

The role of individuals in corporate social responsibility (CSR), or micro-CSR, has garnered increasing scholarly attention. This emphasis of this research is on internal stakeholders (i.e., employees) who design, implement, and structure CSR activities. While theoretically internal stakeholders contain multiple sub-categories of employees (e.g., top management, middle-level managers, or lower-level employees), extant micro-CSR literature has taken a homogenous view of internal stakeholders – that is, it ignores the critical hierarchical and socio-psychological differences among employees. To provide a comprehensive view of micro-CSR scholarship, we employ a novel computational literature review design to analyse the abstracts of 461 research articles published between 1970 and 2021. Our further in-depth analysis of 190 representative papers unravels how micro-CSR research is fragmented and clustered across four sub-fields within management sciences – organisational behaviour, human resource management, corporate governance, and leadership. Building on an identity heterogeneity view of internal stakeholders, we propose a comprehensive research agenda to advance micro-CSR research.

Discoursing disciplinarity: A bibliometric analysis of published research in the past 30 years

Diverging from the long-held homogeneous view of academic discourse, the issue of disciplinarity has come to the forefront in EAP teaching and discourse analysis. Although disciplinary discourse is a well-established and expanding line of inquiry, there has been limited retrospective analysis to unpack its evolutionary nuances. This bibliometric study maps its evolution from 1990 to 2022, tracing its journey from a fringe component within applied linguistics and language pedagogy to a globally recognized field. Using 921 articles retrieved from the Web of Science's core collection, our analysis reveals enduring scholarly interest in disciplinary literacy, writing, and socialization, with a marked shift since 2006 towards exploring the interplay between disciplinary knowledge-making practices and interpersonal features, such as stance, identity, and function. These studies, often using corpus approaches, highlight how these themes both reflect and are shaped by the disciplinary epistemology and ideology inherent in communities of practice. Emerging areas include student writing, spoken English, multimodal resources, and the temporal and interdisciplinary dynamics in various disciplines. The diverse authorship and geographical sources across various fields further underscore the global relevance of these topics. This overview could serve as a valuable resource for researchers, educators, and practitioners navigating this dynamic and significant field.

Evaluation of the Adhesion between Aggregate and Asphalt Binder Based on Image Processing Techniques Considering Aggregate Characteristics.

Aggregate-asphalt adhesion plays an important role in the water stability of asphalt concrete. In various test standards of different countries, it is evaluated via the subjective judgment of testers using the boiling water test. The subjective judgment in the test method is detrimental to the accuracy of the adhesion evaluation. However, there is no quantitative evaluation method for the aggregate-asphalt adhesion in existing studies. Moreover, the effects of aggregate shape on adhesion are also not discussed and stipulated. Hence, an innovative method based on the Chinese boiling water test and image processing technique is put forward to quantificationally evaluate the aggregate-asphalt adhesion. Moreover, the effects of aggregate shapes on adhesion are also investigated via the proposed method from a view of aspect ratio and homogeneity. Results show that the peeling of the asphalt membrane on the aggregate surface is more serious as the complexity of the aggregate shape increases after the boiling water tests, while the effect degree gradually decreases. The effect of aspect ratio on the peeling status of asphalt membrane is lower than that of aggregate homogeneity.

Application of Digital Engineering Methods in Order to Improve Processes in Heterogeneous Companies

In the presented article, the initial phase is focused mainly on familiarization with the production focus of individual enterprises and their financial security, which provides a basis for the proposal of possible solutions to shortcomings. A more detailed study of production through simulation studies using Process Simulate software provides a more comprehensive view of production in the assessed enterprises, where the current course of production at workplaces is evaluated in detail, and suggestions are then offered to improve the revealed shortcomings. In the end, there is an assessment of the companies from the point of view of homogeneity, so that it is then possible to make an inter-industry comparison of the revealed errors and shortcomings, with the result of finding common recommendations for a wide industrial spectrum.

Reflexões sobre o Popular no Contexto do Grupo Mamulengo de Cheiroso de Teatro de Bonecos

ABSTRACT Reflections on the Popular in the Context of the Grupo Mamulengo de Cheiroso de Teatro de Bonecos – This article presents and discusses the notion of popular culture and theater based on the experience of the Grupo Mamulengo de Cheiroso de Teatro de Bonecos (Aracaju/SE), a popular nucleus with a specific relationship with the academic space. The study is a partial result of a master’s research and makes extensive use of literature review, primary sources, and interviews. Through these discussions, a critical view of popular theater is obtained, which can manifest itself in different places, modes, and contexts, deviating from a stereotyped and largely homogeneous view of these phenomena, resulting from literary production that approaches history from the perspective of lettered culture.

IMPROVEMENT OF REINFORCED CONCRETE ENVELOPES FOR LOW-RISE BUILDINGS

Problem statement. A perspective direction to ensure modern requirements for thermal protection of buildings without a significant increase in material and labor resources and, most importantly, cost is the application of multilayer reinforced concrete panels, using efficient thermal insulation. In 2012−2013, some experience in the use of modern prefabricated three-layer reinforced concrete panels in cottage construction is obtained. This experience has revealed some shortcomings of such panels using on the building site and the need to modernize their production technology. In addition, improvements in joint construction and the use of aggregate concrete from recycled concrete scrap are relevant. The purpose of the article is to develop constructive solutions for low-rise buildings using multilayer reinforced concrete panels with effective insulation and to determine directions for further modernization of the developed structures. Conclusions. The developed constructive solutions for low-rise construction of houses using multilayer reinforced concrete panels with effective insulation are modern and exceed the standards for heat saving and are relevant today given the cost of energy. The developed constructive solutions of wall panels together with interpanel seams construction from the point of view of thermal homogeneity are the most homogeneous today in comparison with analogs. The panel joints construction is considered taking into account the conditions of durability and thermal conductivity. The directions of the developed constructions further modernization for wall panels and floor slabs are defined. The developed constructive solutions for panel house-building and factory production of wall panels and floor slabs reduce the time and cost of construction.

Faithful Stewards of God’s Creation? Swedish Evangelical Denominations and Climate Change

Studies from the United States (U.S.) show that opposition to climate policy is strong among some Christian groups, especially White evangelical Protestants. Much of this opposition is channelled through organisations such as the Cornwall Alliance, which argue against climate measures on religious, economic and what they claim to be science-based grounds. In the present study, we investigated to what extent these convictions were present among Swedish evangelical denominations. Representatives from the Evangelical Free Church, the Pentecostal Alliance, the Swedish Alliance Mission, and the Seventh-day Adventist Church were interviewed to identify the denominations’ views on the scientific underpinnings of climate change and the moral implications of climate policy. Our data show that the denominations’ views differ markedly from those expressed by climate-oppositional evangelical groups in the U.S. The denominations held homogenous views on the legitimacy of climate science, expressed a clear biblical mandate for climate policy based on the notion of human stewardship, and believed that climate change was inextricably linked to poverty and, thus, had to be addressed. Our results point to the need for further studies on the factors behind acceptance and denial of climate science within and between faith-based and other communities in different countries.

Performance in the Zócalo: Constructing History, Race, and Identity in Mexico’s Central Square from the Colonial Era to the Present

Performance in the Zócalo: Constructing History, Race, and Identity in Mexico’s Central Square from the Colonial Era to the Present

How to Use the Italian Astronomical Heritage for the Dissemination of Scientific Knowledge in the Society

Astronomical Observatories are the most ancient scientific institutes in Italy. They preserve an incredible treasure made by rare books, astronomical sketches, documents and letters, and a noteworthy instrument collection used to realize discoveries and studies in the fields of classical astronomy and astrophysics. In the last few years the National Institute for Astrophysics has promoted a project to preserve, catalogue, and present a great part of the Italian astronomical heritage on the web with “Polvere di stelle”, the gate to arrive at the origin of modern astronomy in Italy. The studies made by some Italian researchers on the history of observatories, on the development of the astronomical instruments, on astronomers and their discoveries, activities, and scientific journeys, have revealed a complex pattern of relationships with other scientific and cultural communities, politicians and the society of their time. So you can study the foundation of Padua and Naples Observatories and you have to talk of Napoleon, Murat, and the Congress of Vienna. You can trace the birth of astrophysics and run into the events of the unification of Italy. Or you can be involved in the biographical study of Schiaparelli and you find yourself talking about archeology and fashion. And vice versa.To disseminate the scientific culture, and valorize the Italian astronomical heritage in a much wider context, we have realized exhibits, laboratories, and theatrical experiences to give life to cultural heritage. Through a powerful emotional involvement, these methods of non-formal communication of science establish a strong relationship between performers and spectators and give a more homogeneous view of the work of astronomers, and the cultural heritage they have left behind.This paper illustrates the projects we have created and the results obtained to transform the history of astronomy into the men’s stories.

Exploring students’ expectations of learning analytics: A person-centered approach

In order to successfully implement learning analytics (LA), we need a better understanding of student expectations of such services. Yet, there is still a limited body of research about students’ expectations across countries. Student expectations of LA have been predominantly examined from a view that perceives students as a group of individuals representing homogenous views. This study examines students’ ideal (i.e., representing their wanted outcomes) and predicted expectations (i.e., unveiling what they realistically expect the LA service is most likely to be) of LA by employing a person-centered approach that allows exploring the heterogeneity that may be found in student expectations. We collected data from 132 students in the setting of Swedish higher education by means of an online survey. Descriptive statistics and Latent Class Analysis (LCA) were used for the analysis. Our findings show that students’ ideal expectations of LA were considerably higher compared to their predicted expectations. The results of the LCA exhibit that the Swedish students’ expectations of LA were heterogeneous, both regarding their privacy concerns and their expectations of LA services. The findings of this study can be seen as a baseline of students’ expectations or a cross-sectional average, and be used to inform student-centered implementation of LA in higher education.

Steely determination? Constructions of masculinity in a former UK steelworker community

AbstractThrough qualitative interviews and overt non‐participant observation with 15 former steelworkers and their sons, changes in perceptions of masculinity are explored across a generation in a deindustrialized community in Sheffield, UK. Despite some policing of their behavior by the fathers, heterogeneity in both options and choices regarding employment and life outside of work resulted in the sons conceptualizing masculinity in different and often complex ways. The younger men are found to orientate to, modify, or reject tenets of traditional masculinity depending upon what best aligns with their personal circumstance, which naturally changes over time. The evidence does not point to a crisis of masculinity, more plausibly a crisis in masculinity as what constitutes acceptable masculine behavior—in a community characterized as having relatively homogenous views—changes, but the gender binary, importance of masculinity to young men's identity, and the patriarchal dividend remain intact.

The Additional Representative Images for Legacy (ARI-L) Project for the ALMA Science Archive

The Additional Representative Images for Legacy (ARI-L) project is a European Development project for ALMA Upgrade approved by the Joint ALMA Observatory (JAO) and the European Southern Observatory (ESO), started in 2019 June. It aims to increase the legacy value of the ALMA Science Archive (ASA) by bringing the reduction level of ALMA data from Cycles 2–4 close to that of data from more recent Cycles processed for imaging with the ALMA Pipeline. As of mid-2021, more than 150,000 images have been returned to the ASA for public use. At its completion in 2022, the project will have provided enhanced products for at least 70% of the observational data from Cycles 2–4 processable with the ALMA Pipeline. In this paper, we present the project rationale, its implementation, and the new opportunities offered to ASA users by the ARI-L products. The ARI-L cubes and images complement the much-limited number of archival image products generated during the data quality assurance stages (QA2), which cover only a small fraction of the available data for those Cycles. ARI-L imaging products are highly relevant for many science cases and significantly enhance the possibilities for exploiting archival data. Indeed, ARI-L products facilitate archive access and data usage for science purposes even for non-expert data miners, provide a homogeneous view of all data for better data set comparisons and download selections, make the archive more accessible to visualization and analysis tools, and enable the generation of preview images and plots similar to those possible for subsequent Cycles.