bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
What we can learn about emotion by talking with the Hadza
Authors: Hoemann Katie , Gendron Maria , Crittenden Alyssa N. , Mangola Shani Msafiri , Dussault Èvelyne , Endeko Endeko S. , Barrett Lisa Feldman , de Mesquita Batja Gomes
Published: February 2022

Instances of emotion are typically understood as internal mental experiences centering on individuals’ subjective feelings. This conceptualization has been supported by studies of emotion narratives, or the stories people tell about events that they understand as emotions. Yet these studies, and contemporary psychology more generally, often rely on observations of educated Europeans and European-Americans, constraining psychological theory and methods. In this paper, we present observations from an inductive, qualitative analysis of emotion narratives of the Hadza, a community of small-scale hunter-gatherers in Tanzania, and juxtapose them with those drawn from Americans from North Carolina. While North Carolina narratives largely conformed to the assumptions of psychological theory, Hadza narratives foregrounded embodied actions involving social others, focused on the sensory environment and immediate needs, and worked outward from situated events as the motivation for behavior. These observations suggest that subjective feeling and internal mental experience may not be the organizing principle of emotion the world-around. Qualitative analysis of emotion narratives from outside of an American (and western) cultural context has the potential to discover additional diversity in meaning-making, offering a descriptive foundation on which to build a more robust and inclusive science of emotion.
How Public Trust and Healthcare Quality Shape Blood Donation Behavior: Comparative Evidence
Authors: Graf Caroline , Suanet Bianca , Wiepking Pamala , Merz Eva-Maria
Published: February 2022

Blood donors are indispensable for enabling a myriad of medical procedures and treatments. Although blood donation takes place in a medical setting within the larger healthcare system, little is known about how (perceptions of) these healthcare systems shape an individual’s decision to donate. In this study, we examined how public trust in the healthcare system and indicators of healthcare quality relate to individuals' likelihood of donating blood across Europe. We employed large-scale survey data on blood donation behavior from representative samples of 28 European countries (N = 27,868). This dataset was combined with country-level data on public trust in the healthcare system and healthcare quality. We used multilevel models to examine the effects of individual- and country-level factors on individual-level blood donation behavior. Our preregistered analyses revealed that public trust was positively associated with donating blood. That is, individuals living in countries where trust in the healthcare system is higher were more likely to have donated blood. However, we found no clear evidence that healthcare quality predicted blood donation. Notably, most countries exhibited a decrease in public trust in the healthcare system while healthcare quality increased over time. Our results suggest that subjective perceptions of the healthcare system (i.e., public trust), rather than the objective state of healthcare, play a role for blood donation behavior. We highlight the implications of our findings for vital blood collection efforts in light of the observed erosion of public trust over time.
Communicating COVID-19 Exposure Risk with an Interactive Website Counteracts Risk Misestimation
Authors: Sinclair Alyssa Hannah , Taylor Morgan , Brandel-Tanis Freyja Alice , Davidson Audra , Chande Aroon T. , Rishishwar Lavanya , Andris Clio , Adcock R. Alison , Weitz Joshua S. , Samanez-Larkin Gregory Russell , Beckett Stephen J
Published: February 2022

During the COVID-19 pandemic, individuals have depended on risk information to make decisions about everyday behaviors and public policy. Here, we assessed whether an interactive website influenced individuals' risk tolerance to support public health goals. We collected data from 11,169 unique users who engaged with the online COVID-19 Event Risk Tool (https://covid19risk.biosci.gatech.edu/) between 9/22/21 and 1/22/22. The website featured interactive elements, including a dynamic risk map, survey questions, and a risk quiz with accuracy feedback. After learning about the risk of COVID-19 exposure, participants reported being less willing to participate in events that could spread COVID-19, especially for high-risk large events. We also uncovered a bias in risk estimation: Participants tended to overestimate the risk of small events, but underestimate the risk of large events. Participants from liberal-leaning counties were more likely to use the website tools and more responsive to feedback about risk misestimation, indicating that political partisanship influences how individuals seek and engage with COVID-19 information. Lastly, we explored temporal dynamics and found that user engagement and risk estimation fluctuated over the course of the Omicron variant outbreak. Overall, we report an effective large-scale method for communicating COVID-19 exposure risk; our findings are relevant to broader research on risk communication, epidemiological modeling, and risky decision-making.
A Brief Guide for Using Cognionics HD-72 Wireless EEG System: Noninvasive Method of Measuring the Brain’s Electric Fields in Psychophysiological Research
Authors: Perera-W.A. Hiran
Published: February 2022

The primary goal in cognitive neuroscientific research is to investigate the underlying neurobiological mechanisms that inaugurate various behaviors and executive functions. A multitude of methodologies exists today that can be used to measure cortical electrical activities. Electroencephalography (EEG) has now been established as an essential noninvasive measure for investigating cortical electric fields. The use of Cognionics dry-mobile wireless EEG system has become widely popular in cognitive neuroscientific research due to its portability, ease of setting-up, and easy access to the raw data for further processing. This paper presents a brief guideline for exploiting Cognionics HD-72 wireless EEG systems in psychological research without incurring a performance penalty during data collection. A careful investigation of the components in the EEG system will allow researchers to utilize the system effectively when conducting EEG research.
The Temperament Trait of Environmental Sensitivity is Associated with Connectedness to Nature and Affinity to Animals
Authors: Setti Annalisa , Lionetti Francesca , Kagari Rachel , Motherway Liam , Pluess Michael
Published: February 2022

Heightened sensitivity to the environment characterizes approximately 30% of the population and is associated with a higher reactivity, positive or negative, to the surrounding environment. Little attention has been devoted to study the association between this trait and the response to nature and animals, despite the potential benefits of the natural environment for highly sensitive individuals. In the present two studies we assessed the association of sensory processing sensitivity (SPS), measured with the Highly Sensitive Person scale, with nature and animal affinity. In both studies, we found SPS to predict higher connectedness to nature. In addition, whilst there was no association between high SPS and attachment to pets in Study 1, in Study 2 SPS was predictive of a higher animal affinity, assessed in terms of stewardship and protection of animals. The present studies provide the first quantitative empirical evidence that highly sensitive individuals are more connected with nature and animals, therefore opening the possibility to explore nature based solutions to improve the quality of life in individuals scoring high in SPS.
Is Risk Propensity Unique from the Big Five Factors of Personality? A Meta-Analytic Investigation
Authors: Highhouse Scott , Wang Yi , Zhang Don C.
Published: February 2022

Meta-analysis of 6,644 correlations from 133 independent samples (N = 69,125) was conducted to examine whether risk propensity is subsumed by or independent of the traits comprising the five-factor model (FFM) of personality, and whether risk propensity has predictive utility above and beyond the FFM. Analyses revealed weak to modest relations between risk propensity and the FFM traits. The strongest observed relation was found for openness to experience (ρ =.30), and the combined FFM traits accounted for 22% of the variance in risk propensity. Together with the earlier investigations of risk propensity and the FFM, the evidence strongly suggests that risk propensity is largely independent of the FFM, and predicts risky outcomes (especially adaptive ones) over and above the FFM.
Social media and well-being at work, at home, and in-between: A review
Authors: Klingelhoefer Julius , Meier Adrian
Published: February 2022

With increasing relevance of collaborative technologies in the workplace and flexible work arrangements, concerns and hopes about associations between social media use and well-being arise. Social media can introduce content and demands from the work context into the home and vice-versa. This narrative review of k = 39 publications addresses work-inconsistent and home-inconsistent social media use, particularly during remote work. The reviewed studies show that social media use can be associated with negative outcomes such as stress. At the same time, many studies found associations with beneficial outcomes such as higher job satisfaction. These conclusions are limited by the predominantly cross-sectional survey designs and inconsistent conceptualization and measurement of social media use. We suggest improvements and call for more longitudinal and experimental studies to advance the understanding of social media use and well-being at the work-home interface.
When do we know that we do not know? An Examination of Metacognitive Processes in Visual Working Memory
Authors: Krasnoff Julia , Oberauer Klaus
Published: February 2022

This work investigates how people make judgements about the content of their visual working memory (VWM). Some studies on long-term memory suggest that people base those metacognitive judgements on the outcome of a retrieval attempt. In contrast, Son and Metcalfe (2005) observed that people identify poorly remembered items immediately, presumably by the lack of familiarity for the retrieval cue. We tested these two hypotheses in the context of metacognition in VWM. In Experiment 1-3, we investigated participants’ response behavior in a color reproduction task with a hidden color wheel, which partially externalizes the search for the intended response. We assumed that instant awareness of the inability to retrieve an information would be reflected in selecting the first, random color, rather than search for a particular color in the wheel. Although participants provided a substantial number of low-confidence responses, results of an adapted mixture modelling analysis yielded little evidence for quick guesses. In contrast, participants consistently searched for a color (even with unfamiliar retrieval cues in Experiment 2), and only quickly guessed when being cued with objects at test that were not previously presented (Experiment 3). In Experiment 4, we tested whether the order of color reproduction and confidence judgements influences reaction times (RTs) for these tasks. We observed shorter RTs for whichever response was given second, as would be expected if reproduction and confidence judgments shared a retrieval attempt. We conclude that people usually engage in retrieval attempts for providing judgements about their VWM, even when information is poorly remembered.
Unique Contributions of Perceptual and Conceptual Humanness to Object Representations in the Human Brain
Authors: Grootswagers Tijl , McKay Harriet , Varlet Manuel
Published: February 2022

The human brain is able to quickly and accurately identify objects in a dynamic visual world. Objects evoke different patterns of neural activity in the visual system, which reflect object category memberships. However, the underlying dimensions of object representations in the brain remain unclear. Recent research suggests that objects similarity to humans is one of the main dimensions used by the brain to organise objects, but the nature of the human-similarity features driving this organisation are still unknown. Here, we investigate the relative contributions of perceptual and conceptual features of humanness to the representational organisation of objects in the human visual system. We collected behavioural judgements of human-similarity of various objects, which were compared with time-resolved neuroimaging responses to the same objects. The behavioural judgement tasks targeted either perceptual or conceptual humanness features to determine their respective contribution to perceived human-similarity. Behavioural and neuroimaging data revealed significant and unique contributions of both perceptual and conceptual features of humanness, each explaining unique variance in neuroimaging data. Furthermore, our results showed distinct spatio-temporal dynamics in the processing of conceptual and perceptual humanness features, with later and more lateralised brain responses to conceptual features. This study highlights the critical importance of social requirements in information processing and organisation in the human brain.
Mathematics for the masses: Door-to-door missionaries of math and twelve-step recovery programs
Authors: Helman Daniel S.
Published: February 2022

Conversion of strangers, or proselytizing, is a feature of a range of groups for religious, organizational and other aims. In twelve-step recovery programs, such as Alcoholics Anonymous, belief in a higher power is a requirement for working the steps to recovery. People are encouraged to find a higher power of their own understanding. This paper presents a model for using mathematics as a higher power, and shows how recovery works with mathematics in that role instead of a more traditional higher power such as God. A contemplative definition of math is given along with a description of a three-categoried epistemology: mathematics, science, and the personal. This epistemology is shown to be sufficient to work the Twelve Steps, with mathematics as a higher power. Proselytizing is not required.
Examining the role of Mononormative Beliefs, Stigma, and Internalized Consensual Non-Monogamy Negativity for Dehumanization
Authors: Rodrigues David L. , Brooks Thomas R. , Balzarini Rhonda Nicole , Moors Amy Catherine , Lopes Diniz
Published: February 2022

Interest in consensually non-monogamous (CNM) relationships has been increasing in the general population in recent years. However, given the cultural dominance of monogamy and the normative expectations often imposed through socialization (i.e., mononormativity), people in CNM relationships may experience negativity, which can become internalized and harm their individual and relationship health. The present study investigates if mononormativity beliefs and CNM relationship stigma were associated with more dehumanization and if internalized CNM negativity was an underlying mechanism for these associations. Results showed that participants who endorsed more mononormative beliefs and CNM relationship stigma also reported more internalized CNM negativity. In turn, participants who experienced more internalized CNM negativity attributed more negative (vs. positive) emotions to themselves and treated their partners as more immature, unrefined, exploitable, and emotionless. These results show that mononormativity and internalized negativity can shape the attitudes, perceptions, and behaviors of CNM individuals toward themselves and their partners.
Beyond Defending or Abolishing Criterion A: Comment on Morey et al. (2022)
Authors: Zimmermann Johannes
Published: February 2022

In their target article, Morey et al. (2022) provided a comprehensive overview of research on Criterion A of the alternative DSM-5 model for personality disorders over the past 10 years. Although this overview is undoubtedly informative and helpful, it offers little guidance on both certain weaknesses of Criterion A and research gaps and needs. A structural reason for this could be that the scientific field is divided into 2 camps with respect to Criterion A: Some authors focus mainly on confirmatory results and want to defend Criterion A in its current form, whereas others take the same results as an opportunity to call for its abolition. In this situation, there is little room for a nuanced and constructive discussion of the empirical and conceptual strengths and weaknesses of Criterion A. In this commentary, I use 2 examples to illustrate what research aimed at revising Criterion A might look like. From an empirical point of view, studies that take into account the peculiarities of the latent structure of the Level of Personality Functioning Scale are important because they can reveal local misspecification and challenges for the assessment of single cases. From a conceptual point of view, a more consistent definition of Criterion A in terms of impairments in “capacities” could allow for a more coherent distinction from maladaptive “traits”. This commentary hopes to strengthen a discourse that moves beyond the alternatives of defense or abolition towards the concrete improvement of Criterion A.
Is combined action observation and motor imagery the optimal simulation technique for acquisition of a team-based soccer corner routine in novices?
Authors: Khan Adam , Greene Andrew , Frank Cornelia , Bruton Adam Mark
Published: February 2022

Action observation (AO) and motor imagery (MI) are common simulation techniques used to facilitate skill acquisition and motor skill performance in sport. Over the past decade, research has also demonstrated improvements in performance when the two simulation methods are used in synchrony, termed ‘combined action observation and motor imagery’ (AOMI). There is a lack of research assessing the use of AOMI in a team sport setting with existing studies focusing on individual sports and skills. The purpose of the current study is to test the effects of an AOMI intervention on novice learning of a team-based corner routine in soccer. Self-efficacy, collective efficacy, and mental representations will be measured as key psychological and cognitive factors associated with skill learning. The effectiveness of AOMI will be compared against AO, MI, and control conditions. A sample of 64 novice soccer players from the host university will be recruited for participation in this study. It is hypothesized that participants assigned to teams in the AOMI intervention condition will experience the greatest positive changes in performance outcomes, efficacy beliefs, and mental representation structures between pre- and retention-test phases, indicative of improved skill acquisition for this intervention.
Anxiety may alter the role of fronto-striatal circuitry in adolescent risky decision-making
Authors: Baker Amanda Elina , Padgaonkar Namita Tanya , Galván Adriana , Peris Tara
Published: February 2022

Background: Anxiety disorders often emerge in adolescence and are associated with risk aversion. Risk aversion is at odds with the typical adolescent propensity for heightened sensation-seeking and can interfere with learning and contribute to further anxiety development. Methods: We investigated the neural and behavioral correlates of risk avoidance in 137 diverse early adolescents (MAge=11.3, SDAge=1.41; 61 girls) during a decision-making task involving risk-taking and cognitive control during fMRI. Voluntary cautious choice was compared to successful response inhibition to isolate the neural systems underlying risk avoidance and identify their relation to risk-taking and anxiety in adolescents. Results: Risk-taking frequency was not related to anxiety severity; however, higher anxious youth spent relatively longer making voluntary cautious choices than inhibiting when instructed. All youth showed widespread neural activation in decision-making and salience network regions when making cautious choices. Greater recruitment of the left inferior frontal gyrus during cautious choice was associated with greater risk-taking in high anxious youth and greater risk avoidance in low anxious youth, while greater striatal connectivity during cautious choice was associated with heightened risk-taking in those with low anxiety and risk avoidance in those with high anxiety. Conclusions: Relative to non-anxious adolescents, anxious adolescents take longer to make decisions in the face of approach-avoidance conflict and demonstrate unique brain-behavior associations during decision-making. Together, results from this study identify a unique role of fronto-striatal circuitry in risky decision-making among adolescents who struggle with anxiety.
Socrative as a Formative Assessment Tool in English for Specific Purposes Course
Authors: Kolisnyk Maryna , Kornytska Yuliya , Ogurtsova Olga , Sokyrska Olga
Published: February 2022

Many factors influence the development of the educational system, and today it is a global COVID-19 pandemic. Stakeholders in the educational process need to adjust to a new distant reality without compromising the quality. The formative assessment proved to be a suitable approach to overcome existing challenges, and one of the most popular tools to facilitate it is Socrative. The study aims to 1) investigate student attitudes and the correlation between academic achievements in ESP and majors and 2) present our experience in utilizing Socrative for formative assessment in a distant mode in the settings of the National Technical University of Ukraine “Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute.” To achieve the goals of our study, we have developed and validated a questionnaire, collected quantitative data, analyzed and interpreted the qualitative data; the study sample included 137 students. The obtained results have shown the general positive student attitude towards the usage of Socrative within the course of ESP due to its efficacy, personalization, and responsiveness. The results can be a perspective for further investigation despite some limitations.
Perceptions of University Faculty of Saudi Arabia towards Online Classes Conducted During the Covid-19 Pandemic
Authors: Chatta Bala Swamy , Haque Mohammad Imdadul , Rao M. Madhu Sudhan
Published: February 2022

The study aims to find out the perceptions of university faculty who taught the courses online during the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020. The purpose is to highlight the issues of students and faculty involved in the new context of teaching and learning and prepare them to face the technical and academic challenges. A questionnaire is circulated among the faculty of universities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The majority of the university faculty who taught the courses online from the middle of the semester are satisfied with their teaching. However, they prefer face-to-face instruction to online instruction. A few of them are in favor of blended learning. The faculty accepts technical and academic issues and issues related to the trust and the value of online instruction. The study is helpful for all the educational institutions, teachers, and students across the world to understand how to conduct online education during crises and calamities to eradicate the technical and academic problems present in the online mode of teaching, and to update and accept the changing trends and developments in the field of education. The article is original because it studies the perceptions of the regular university faculty who taught half of the course face-to-face and the other half online. The novelty lies in finding out how they participated in online teaching during the lockdown period of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Teaching the Challenging Content of Phonology during Covid-19 Pandemic
Authors: Alshehri Awad H.
Published: February 2022

This study aims to find the impact of the abrupt transition from traditional teaching to remote teaching of the phonology courses and how stakeholders dealt with such a shift. To this end, a descriptive approach was used, and data were collected using a questionnaire. The sample included students at English language programs (ELP) in some Saudi universities at levels 5 and 6 since they took the phonetics and phonology course at the beginning of the pandemic. There was an educational challenge during the coronavirus that compelled the conventional system of education to accept the status quo where educators found themselves obliged to shift abruptly from a traditional, face-to-face educational environment to fully online instruction. However, most of our Saudi academic institutions were not prepared for such a sudden and quick change. During the COVID-19 lockdown, language teachers in English Departments at Saudi Universities (ELP) resorted to the different type of teaching which depended mostly on technology where internet-wired personal computers or tablets played a significant role, and which expanded the scope of the teaching process and practically increased orientation on the teachers’ part. Moreover, students’ independence and self-teaching seemed to have increased, which could have influenced their cognition and skills. This study discussed the way language teachers in ELP dealt with the challenging content of the phonology course during Covid-19. The findings show that there were some problems at the beginning moving from traditional to virtual classes, where the students depended upon themselves and adapted to the change. The findings also showed that the teaching aids were not satisfactory enough to suit the purpose of the course.
A Profile of National and State-level Marriage Rates in the U.S., 1880-2018: A Research Note
Authors: Westrick-Payne Krista Kay
Published: February 2022

This paper investigates national and state-level trends in the adjusted marriage rate in the United States spanning nearly 140 years. While dramatic shifts in American family throughout the 20th century is a widely touted phrase, the trends in the geographic variation in marriage rates remains unknown. Using data from numerous Government publications we present visual representations of the adjusted marriage rate in the U.S. over a long historical time span (1880-2019) disaggregating the marriage rate by state. Our goal is to highlight both spatial (at the state-level) and temporal variation in marriage patterns in the U.S.
Sustainability of Foreign Language Education at a Slovak University during COVID-19 Global Pandemic
Authors: Hundarenko Olena , Leláková Eva , Bačová Beatrix
Published: February 2022

The current paper scrutinizes the students’ voice on the educational COVID-19 based changes that occurred at the Department of English Language and Literature, Faculty of Humanities, University of Žilina, Slovakia. The respondents’ study program is Teaching English Language and Literature. The significance of the study lies in the urgent need of today’s educators to detect students’ views on new modes of studying applicable these days to find beneficial solutions for the provision of high-quality education services. The focal point has been placed on the students’ voice, i.e., on the students’ comparative approach towards current online and traditional classroom mode of studying/learning. The research has been supported by a questionnaire with 11 EFL-related statements to test the hypotheses of this study. Hence, the objectives of the research have been to compare the quality of education performed through the online and offline classroom frameworks, evaluate the effectiveness of the students’ language skills development, and track students’ level of satisfaction with the running online model of studying – all this viewed and uttered by students themselves. The current research employs “mixed methods” that imply the integration of quantitative and qualitative data within a single inquiry. Overall, 61.6% of the surveyed students expressed their satisfaction with the blended learning system and their readiness to apply it in further teaching practice. This research is not exhaustive and might broaden into a comparative study of the students’ language-related feedback of the online/offline education among other European and non-European English language departments, building a substantial basis for policy decisions.
Do Online Classes help EFL Learners Improve their English Language skills? A Qualitative Study at a Saudi University
Authors: Albogami Mohammed Madi
Published: February 2022

The unprecedented time of COVID-19 has called schools and educators worldwide to think of transferring education from face-to-face based to become more digital oriented. This transformation has pros and cons. Scholars in the field are questioning investigating the challenges that online learning entails; however, one of the issues still not fully investigated in the literature is how effective online learning on improving the EFL learners’ language skills. Thus, the purpose of this study is to explore the perspectives of EFL learners toward how effective online learning on improving their English language skills. The participants involved were three students from the Community College at King Saud University. Semi-structured interviews were used to gather the data in the study. The results from the qualitative data showed that the participants reported some flaws associated with online learning. However, they preferred such learning methodology to face-to-face instruction as they feel more comfortable when attending their classes from home, saving their time and costs. Moreover, the findings showed that online learning helps the learners develop all their language skills, makes them more concentrated, confident, and encourages them to become autonomous learners. The results also suggested that online learning helps EFL learners develop their online learning skills. The outcomes of this research build on the current literature on using online learning in EFL classrooms during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Does gender inequality affect economic development? An evidence based on analysis of cross-national panel data of 158 countries
Authors: Ram Harchand , Moradhvaj  , Chakravorty Swastika , Goli Srinivas
Published: February 2022

The gender-inequality is a critical economic challenge that has a significant negative impact on global economic prospects. In this context, this study aims to investigate the association between gender inequality and growth outcomes in the form of gross domestic product (GDP hereafter) per-capita across 158 countries in the world during 2000-15. Our findings suggest that GII has a significant inverse correlation with GDP per-capita (r=-0.7886); While gender development index (GDI hereafter) shows a positive correlation with GDP per-capita (r=0.574). Results from the multivariate log-linear model show that country with a high level of gender inequality index (GII hereafter) is having significantly lower levels of GDP per-capita even after controlling for other covariates. This study evidentially suggests that the economic policy of the countries should prioritize autonomy, agency, and empowerment of women to improve their participation in the national economy. Unless countries reduce gender inequalities, achieving full economic potential is not possible.
A longitudinal perspective on the effects of Covid-19 on students' resilience. The Effect of the pandemic on the reading and mathematics achievement of 8th and 5th graders in Italy
Authors: Borgonovi Francesca , Ferrara Alessandro
Published: February 2022

We examine the effect of Covid-19 on students’ achievement in mathematics and reading in primary and lower secondary schools in Italy. We use longitudinal, population level data from the INVALSI assessment. We compare the math and reading achievement of students in grades 5 and 8 in academic year 2020-21 with the achievement of students in the same grades in 2018-19 (no administration took place in academic year 2019-20). We find that on average, the grade 5 Covid-cohort experienced small increases in math and reading achievement compared to the grade 5 Non-Covid cohort. By contrast, the grade 8 Covid-cohort experienced a sizeable reduction in math achievement and a smaller reduction in reading achievement compared to the Non-Covid cohort. We explore heterogeneity by students’ level of prior achievement, socio-economic status, gender and province of residence. The negative effects of the pandemic were generally greater for previously low achieving students, many of whom had a disadvantaged socio-economic condition. However, the pandemic reduced SES differentials in math and reading achievement among students with equal achievement and this effect was especially pronounced among higher achieving students. It also reduced gender gaps in mathematics among higher achievers in grade 8. At the national level, the pandemic reduced to a larger degree the achievement of students living in Northern provinces, where pre-pandemic achievement was higher. At the local level, the pandemic led to increases in achievement disparities in the South, where effects were either positive or less negative among the highest achievers, but it led to reductions in achievement disparities in the North because the effects were mostly concentrated among highest achievers.
Recent Trends of Blended Learning and Flipped Classroom in Malaysia
Authors: Tan Choy Soon , Zakuan Norhayati , Aziz Mohd Ismail Abd
Published: February 2022

The classroom is where the student and teacher interact, while traditional education uses a Face-to-Face classroom. The unprecedented COVID-19 forced education to shift into an online classroom. Still, numerous researches demonstrate that the pedagogical quality in online classrooms is thus compromised as the educators tend to convert existing face-to-face curriculum that less prioritize intellectual interaction into online ways. Blended learning is not a new yet effective teaching pedagogy, which seems suitable to overcome the challenges as mentioned above as it is a combination of traditional and online modes. Thus, this article summarizes the current trend of blended learning implementation in the Malaysian setting into valuable insight for the practitioner to redesign their pedagogy to meet new norms. This paper assessed and analyzed a total of 22 recent publications that extracted from the Web of Science Database based on three themes that are participant, instrument, and disciplinary. All researches address higher education context, mainly the students’ perspectives and neglecting other stakeholders’ perspectives. Blended learning is proven practical in multidisciplinary but independent curriculum, and pedagogy redevelopment is mandated. The quantitative methodology is preferable by the researcher in the identification of critical governing factors. Overall, the context of blended learning development in Malaysia remains progressively developing by time. In conclusion, the practice of blended learning implementation is getting diffused in Malaysia due to its flexibility and versatility. However, such effective pedagogy lay on collaborative efforts between various stakeholders, including educators, students, institutional management, policymakers, and parent.
What does it mean for an evaluation to be ‘valid’? A critical synthesis of evaluation literature.
Authors: Macklin Jennifer , Gullickson Amy
Published: February 2022

Validity is both a critical foundation for, and widely contested concept in the field of program evaluation. Given the wide and divergent treatment of the term, this article sought to enhance the field’s understanding and application of validity by systematically identifying, collating and integrating existing conceptions of validity. A critical interpretive synthesis approach was taken to combine the best elements of systematic literature searching with integrative review. We found that conceptions of validity could be roughly collated into three categories pertaining to the evaluation research, evaluative judgement and reporting, and beyond the evaluation proper. The result was a wide-ranging map of validity concepts against the various stages of the evaluation process. This made clear several gaps in the validity thinking, resulting in the development of comprehensive but not yet complete framework that weaves together related aspects identified into a cohesive whole. It is our hope that this initial iteration of a cohesive validity framework will be the starting point for a cooperative effort to improve professional evaluation practice.
Air Pollution, Avoidance Behavior and Labor Market outcomes: Evidence from the United States
Authors: Djoumessi Berenger Tiague
Published: February 2022

I estimate the effects of exposure to ambient air pollution on daily health-related behaviors, weekly labor supply, and workplace productivity among US individuals. Using an individual fixed-effects regression approach, I examine how daily changes in outdoor air quality influence the time spent on daily health-related activities. I find that only when the air quality index becomes very unhealthy or hazardous, there is a 21% decrease in the minutes spent on outdoor sport and exercise activities, and a 260% increase in minutes spent watching TV. The increase in physical inactivity can have long-term negative health consequences. I also implement an instrumental variable (IV) strategy using wind direction and atmospheric boundary layer height as exogenous shocks to satellite-based aerosols to understand how changes in air pollution affect weekly labor supply and productivity. I find that increase in the total aerosol optical depth (AOD) leads to no overall change in labor supply decisions, both on the decision to go to work and the weekly worked hours. There are also no overall significant effects on labor productivity proxied by weekly earnings. The effects across subgroups also suggest differential effects in avoidance behaviors across the income distribution, age groups, occupations, race, and ethnicity, especially when the air quality is very unhealthy or hazardous.
Does Sectarian Threat Weaken Support for Democracy in Egypt?
Authors: Williamson Scott , Blackman Alexandra Domike
Published: February 2022

Research indicates that concerns about political, social, and economic stability can undermine support for democracy. We extend this literature through a survey experiment implemented in Egypt that tests whether priming respondents on sectarian conflict in the country triggers more negative attitudes toward democracy by increasing perceptions of threat and disorder. Our study returned statistically insignificant results and if anything suggested that Egyptians primed on communal violence between Muslims and Christians became more supportive of democracy.
Transition to Online EFL Teaching in Saudi Arabian Universities during the COVID-19 Outbreak
Authors: Albaqami Saad Eid , Alzahrani Dhaif
Published: February 2022

As a result of the coronavirus crisis and the new restrictions and mandates set by governments around the globe, many educational institutions decided to suspend in-person classes and replace them with online instruction. Universities in Saudi Arabia shifted their entire delivery of teaching to the online platform and closed their doors. This unprecedented and unexpected online transition had several consequences. The present paper examines how instructors in Saudi universities reflected on this transition and the extent to which they were ready for such an unforeseen change. The current study is significant for helping instructors rise to the challenges resulting from the wholescale and ongling transition to online teaching and learning in the wake of COVID-19 and the subsequent suspension of face-to-face instruction. In addition, this study seeks to examine the attitudes and readiness of participants from eight universities in Saudi Arabia in the broader context. The results revealed that instructors have positive attitudes towards utilising online tools and were knowledgeable of the significant advantages of integrating online tools and content into their teaching of English language as a foreign language. (EFL); however, they reported that they were not adequately prepared and that they experienced distress and suffered due to the obligation to acquire new digital skills within a very short period.
Models of Authoritarian Regimes: A Critique
Authors: Przeworski Adam
Published: February 2022

The very idea that authoritarian regimes ("autocracies") may enjoy popular support is hard to fathom for democrats. Models of authoritarian regimes often entail tacit ideological assumptions and many are driven by methodological fashions. They fail to elucidate complex psychological mechanisms that shape people's postures toward these regimes. "Support" for any regime is difficult to asses.
Natural Justice vis-a-vis UAPA: Death Blow to UAPA is must
Authors: Goyal Karan
Published: February 2022

Principle of Natural Justice ensures human dignity and upholds the Rule of Law based on Justice, Equity and Good Conscience and gives base to our Constitution. Also, Dissent is something very dear to Democracy. UAPA (Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967) is adversary to these principles. On the substantial part it denies the right to dissent and on the procedural part is denies remedy as well. To cherish the goals of a democratic nation UAPA must be done away with.
The King Abdulaziz University COVID-19 e-vaccine: An Evaluation of the Emergency Training Knowledge Model
Authors: Bardesi Hisham Jameel , Garba Ibrahim
Published: February 2022

King Abdulaziz University (KAU) took extra measures in response to COVID-19 in March 2020. The current research evaluated an Emergency Training Session (ETS) Knowledge Model during the pandemic with the aim of identifying for the Deanship of e-Learning and Distance Education (DeLDE) to evaluate how the e-learning services support learning and teaching at KAU beyond the pandemic. The Knowledge Model gathered quantitative data regarding the learning management system (LMS) e-service usage from students (n=2359 female and n=1580 male) and teachers (n=414). Also, the model used insights from qualitative data that came from the critical reflections of the trainer-researcher. We offer critical insight from the review of the literature and the results of the evaluation. First, the evaluation outlines the importance of evaluators bringing some assumptions with them when evaluating programmes. In the case of DeLDE, the assumptions promoted the interest of DeLDE in generating knowledge from different perspectives regarding DeLDE’s e-learning services contextualised as the ETS Knowledge Model. The assumptions gave importance to behaviourist and constructivist learning theories and a goal and decision-making philosophy of evaluation. Finally, contextualising the participant-researchers as the Dean and trainer at DeLDE, the evaluation gained from the participants’ familiarity of the ETS Knowledge Model’s context.
Investigating the Electronic Examinations’ Quality from Faculty Members’ and Students’ Experiences and Perspective
Authors: Badawi Maria Altaib , Mohammed Faiza Abdalla Elhussien
Published: February 2022

The current qualitative and quantitative study methods intend to investigate the quality of electronic examinations and the obstacles of changing the examinations’ process from the participants’ experiences and perspectives. The study generates feedback to enhance the adoption and improvement of the e. examination process. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, electronic exams help much during the education interruption. The study employed two tools to answer the study’scentraln question: “To what extent did teachers and students reflect on the quality of electronic examinations’ criteria? They Were distributed among (n=165) undergraduates and (n=24) faculty members during 2020/2021. Findings from the e. questionnaire’s SPSS and interview’s content analyses indicated that most participants were satisfied with the e. exams’ flexibility, ease of use, clarity, fairness in grading, and feasibility in time, efforts, and money. Concerning challenges, few undergraduates complained about the Network problems, e. cheating, and the number of attempts to answer e. exams. Few faculty members have complained that some questions require different preparation methods, e. exams increase students’ scores without much effort. On the other hand, it opened the door for malpractices. To conclude, the results revealed that E. examinations are of high quality; they were responsible for undergraduates’ high performance, saved effort and time more than the in-class exams. The study recommends future research exploring families, especially parents, about their experience with kids regarding the quality of online examinations during the COVID- 19 pandemic. Moreover, research is needed to address how teachers deal with the validity and reliability of the electronic exams
Science Fiction Turned Fact (Again): Speculative Bioethical Discourse as a Crucial Tool for Proactively Assessing the Risks of Future Technologies
Authors: Jaynes Tyler Lance
Published: February 2022

The seemingly abrupt advances made by DeepMind’s AlphaFold project in 2020 appear not to be generating the wave of concern it ought to in the scientific community or extended ethical communities. Rather, the accuracy of protein-structure prediction attained by the system is receiving more praise than scepticism by researchers and journalists alike. The dialogue presented in this essay aims to re-centre bioethical focus on the need to develop productive, well-rationalised, speculative thought as a reaction to this recent development in medical technology—as its potential for abuse may not receive proper attention by the bioethical community for several more months (if not years). With the field’s current propensity to decry speculative thought as being misguided or too far-reaching, such a dialogue is vital to remind scholars of the benefits found in traditional, philosophically hypothetical, dialogues insofar as they are connected to feasible technological advances and real-world proof-of-concepts or ideas.
Google Meet during COVID 19 Pandemic: When Teachers Raise the Challenge
Authors: Souheyla Benmansour
Published: February 2022

Under the shade of coronavirus pandemic, schools and universities worldwide have moved towards online learning to assure the continuity of academic activities. Great interest was, hence, directed towards the opinions and stands of teachers about distant online education. It is of paramount importance to inspect teachers’ perceptions and attitudes. When they have positive perceptions about online education, teachers also adopt positive attitudes towards educational technology. Thus, they would accept the change and challenge the shift to online virtual classes. This research studies the online learning process and which mechanisms teachers have utilized to prop up virtual learning. The central questions that shape this study are: what are the perspectives and attitudes of EFL teachers about using Google Meet in online classes? Which challenges would make them resist the change? The present research work under inspection aims to give an in-depth look at online teaching and learning in the Algerian context during the Covid-19 Pandemic, by considering the department of English Language at Oran University as a case study. The study’s findings show that participants have overall positive perspectives and attitudes about using Google Meet during the ongoing pandemic with many challenges. Developing digital proficiency of teachers and students, enhancing students’ motivation, and assuring the quality of internet facilities were the leading suggestions for an effective shift to online education.