Search Results (51)

With the accelerating globalization and rapid development of science and technology, scientific collaboration has become a key driver of knowledge production, yet its patterns vary significantly across disciplines. This study aims to explore the disciplinary differences in scholars’ scientific collaboration patterns and their underlying mechanisms. Data were collected from the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) database, covering papers from four disciplines: mathematics, mechanical engineering, philosophy, and sociology. Using social network analysis, we examined core network metrics (degree centrality, neighbor connectivity, clustering coefficient) in collaboration networks, analyzed collaboration patterns across scholars of different academic ages, and compared the academic age distribution of collaborators and network characteristics across career stages. Key findings include the following. (1) Mechanical engineering exhibits the highest and most stable clustering coefficient (mean 0.62) across all academic ages, reflecting tight team collaboration, with degree centrality increasing fastest with academic age (3.2 times higher for senior vs. beginner scholars), driven by its reliance on experimental resources and skill division. (2) Philosophy shows high degree centrality in early career stages (mean 0.38 for beginners) but a sharp decline in clustering coefficient in senior stages (from 0.42 to 0.17), indicating broad early collaboration but loose later ties due to individualized knowledge production. (3) Mathematics scholars prefer collaborating with high-centrality peers (higher neighbor connectivity, mean 0.51), while sociology shows more inclusive collaboration with dispersed partner centrality. Full article

Pregnancy-related discrimination at work is a concern for many employees who navigate the pregnancy and postpartum stages of parenthood while working in the early-to-middle stages of their careers. Although there is legislation prohibiting pregnancy-related discrimination and ensuring accommodations postpartum, empirical evidence indicates many pregnant and postpartum employees still experience such behaviors. In this narrative review, we focus on describing the range of behaviors assessed in studies on pregnancy-related discrimination in several cultures, situating the occurrence of discrimination within theoretical frameworks related to stereotypes and gendered expectations. We also review evidence of employees’ postpartum experiences with a focus on the transition back to work, along with breastfeeding challenges related to pumping and storing milk at work. Regarding coping with pregnancy-related workplace discrimination and postpartum challenges during a return to work, we review the importance of social support, including instrumental and emotional support from allies and role models. Full article

This conceptual article introduces an alternative perspective on the notion of the urban context for early-career researchers interested in developing academic writing through literary narratives. It brings together two distinct conceptualizations of context. The first is a philosophical approach rooted in interpretive traditions within the humanities and social sciences. The second is a spatial–societal approach commonly adopted in architecture, urban planning, and urban design. By bridging these perspectives, our article aims to enrich interdisciplinary discourse and support more nuanced understandings of urban environments in narrative-based research. The question posed by this conceptual article is given as follows: How can adopt a historical–philosophical contextual approach to literary narratives support the development of non-traditional narrative forms and offer a strategic foundation for early-career researchers? This study adopts a qualitative research approach to examine the role of context in knowledge production. A linear snowball sampling was employed to identify relevant sources, followed by qualitative content analysis to extract key insights. The outcomes integrate perspectives from historians, interpretive philosophers, and urban specialists. The findings provide practical strategies to support early-career researchers in developing historically informed, contextually grounded literary narratives, particularly within non-traditional academic formats. Full article

While small group learning through engineering design activities has been shown to enhance student achievement, motivation, and problem-solving skills, much of the existing research in this area focuses on undergraduate engineering education. Therefore, this study examines how small-group interactions influence design decisions within a sixth-grade engineering design-based English Language Arts unit for multilingual learners. Multilingual Learners make up 21% of the U.S. school-aged population and benefit from early STEM opportunities that shape future educational and career trajectories. Grounded in constructivist learning theories, the research explores collaborative learning in the engineering design process, using a comparative case study design. Specifically, this study explores student interactions and group dynamics in two small groups (Group A and Group B) engaged in a board game design challenge incorporating microelectronics. Video recordings serve as the primary data source, allowing for an in-depth analysis of verbal and nonverbal interactions. The study employed the Social Interdependence Theory to examine how group members collaborate, negotiate roles, and make design decisions. Themes such as positive interdependence, group accountability, promotive interaction, and individual responsibility are used to assess how cooperation influences final design choices. Three key themes emerged: Roles and Dynamics, Conflict, and Teacher Intervention. Group A and Group B exhibited distinct collaboration patterns, with Group A demonstrating stronger leadership dynamics that shaped decision-making, while Group B encountered challenges related to engagement and resource control. The results demonstrate the importance of small-group interactions in shaping design decisions and emphasize the role of group dynamics and teacher intervention in supporting multilingual learners’ engagement and success in integrated STEM curriculum. Full article

Objectives: To evaluate the patient-reported impact of retinitis pigmentosa (RP) in a large patient cohort to identify relevant disease-related disadvantages as key aspects for the improvement of ophthalmic and social care. Methods: Consecutive patients with molecularly confirmed RP older than 18 years of age were identified in two tertiary care centers in Germany. Patients were contacted to participate in an anonymized patient query regarding the impact of RP on their vocational training, professional career, and social, familial, and personal life, as well as their experience with ophthalmologic care. Results: Out of 241 contacted patients, 162 responded (67.2%; 52.5% female, 67.3% younger than 50 years of age). While the impact of RP on vocational training was limited, professional careers were frequently disrupted with early retirement rates of 39.8% (≥40 years of age) to 50% (≥50 years of age). Most respondents felt restricted in their participation in public life (66.3%). One-fifth complained about financial restrictions; however, one-third of this number did not obtain financial help. A negative impact on familial life (21.4%) was less frequently reported compared to personal impairments, especially anxiety (74.5%) and depression (24.2%). Most respondents considered their ophthalmic care as adequate; however, a delayed diagnosis (≥two years: 28.6%) and initial misdiagnosis (24.0%) were frequent. Insufficient psychological support was the major complaint about professional care. Conclusions: RP affects the lives of patients in multiple aspects. Ophthalmic and social care providers should focus on the acceleration of the diagnostic process, as well as easy access to financial assistance and psychological support, as key areas for improvement. Improvements in these areas are expected to reduce challenges for patients. They should have an impact on rehabilitation, participation in public life, and quality of life. Full article

This study presents the theoretical depth of urban research by proposing a four-stage contextual conceptual guide for integrating historical and societal contextual factors within the nexus of time and space. Addressing a critical gap in urban research, it focuses on early career researchers (ECRs), who often struggle to systematically incorporate contextual dimensions into their academic writing, particularly in theoretical discussions. The first two stages establish a foundation through historical inquiry and thematic analysis. These two stages also reveal how context is conceptualized across disciplines and highlight its active role in shaping human knowledge. Stage one examines the role of context in academic writing by analyzing six influential 20th-century thinkers (1900–2000). Stage two maps contemporary perspectives through a directed content analysis of 14 scholars (2000–2024) and six pivotal scholars in the social sciences. The third stage identified four interconnected factors that shape contextual interpretations: key concepts, context components, contextual factors, and thinkers’ contributions. These factors explain how context functions as an active and integral force for understanding texts, historical events, and linguistic phenomena. This stage also highlights four broader contextual factors: historical and societal contextual factors, conditions driving urban transformations, influential social dynamics, and inherent challenges that emerge from critical scholars’ analysis. The final stage operationalizes these insights into five fundamental guidelines for embedding contextual factors into high-quality academic writing, particularly in urban research. This calls for theorists to develop practical guidance for integrating context and text into academic writing by enhancing the theoretical depth, analytical consistency, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Full article

Emotional intelligence significantly influences various aspects of teachers’ professional and personal lives, notably affecting preschoolers’ social skills and emotional development during formative years. This study utilizes a network analysis approach to explore the complex relationships among four components of emotional intelligence: emotional labor, emotional regulation, professional well-being, and professional identity. Participants included 2069 frontline Chinese teachers (34 males, 2035 females; M = 28.64, SD = 5.98; M years of teaching = 6.88, SD = 5.29) with no leadership roles, categorized into three stages of their careers based on years of teaching experience: novice (0–3 years; n = 612), advanced beginners (4–6 years; n = 537), and competent (7–40 years; n = 920). Findings revealed that joy of teaching, role value, and professional value were identified as the most critical elements within the emotional state network of early childhood education teachers. The strongest connections in teachers’ emotional networks were found between school connectedness and joy of teaching (r = 0.474), surface acting behavior and natural acting behavior (r = 0.419), and professional value and professional behavior (r = 0.372). Furthermore, teachers across different career stages exhibited similar characteristics and intrinsic connections among emotional state components. These findings deepen our understanding of the emotional state networks of ECE teachers, highlighting shared features and interconnected mechanisms, and suggest that enhancing teachers’ emotional intelligence through targeted professional development can improve both teacher well-being and preschoolers’ social–emotional outcomes. Policies that foster strong school connectedness and reduce emotional labor are key to promoting sustained joy in teaching, particularly for novice and advanced beginner teachers. Full article

This longitudinal study examines the long-term impact of critical pedagogy on the academic and social development of students from a marginalized Mexican American borderland community, with a specific focus on their trajectories in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields. Drawing on in-depth interviews with three students who participated in a critical pedagogical approach during their formative elementary years, this case study explores how power, agency, and curiosity were cultivated in the classroom and how these elements influenced the students’ pursuit of higher education and careers in STEM ten years later. The findings reveal that an equitable distribution of power and the fostering of student agency through critical-based pedagogies empowered students to engage critically with their learning and to challenge systemic barriers. Furthermore, this study highlights the role of early curiosity in sustaining students’ interest in STEM, despite encountering obstacles in higher education environments dominated by market-driven influences. By situating this research within the broader context of critical pedagogy and its emphasis on social justice, the study underscores the transformative potential of education in shaping the futures of minoritized students in STEM disciplines. Full article

This article examines the life, theological career, exegetical development, and posthumous biographies of Johannes Oecolampadius as illustrative examples of the fact that the Swiss Reformation, with all its religious movements, was far from a uniform concept in terms of its origins, purposes, and methodologies. The article explains through Oecolampadius’s example an approach to reform that was ‘in progress’, traversing the nexuses of disparate methods and exegetical priorities. Oecolampadius’s experience occupied a position at the intersection between the authority of Patristics and the principle of sola scriptura, exemplifying a balance between the past and the present of Christian tradition. The path that led Oecolampadius to become a Protestant Reformer is characterised by a gradual transition, not abrupt, not radical. His example demonstrates the methodological and ideological diversity of the Reformation, which can be observed through the prism of a single life and its intellectual periods. His conversion offers insight into how these varied approaches shaped personal engagements with Scripture, and challenges the notion of an immediate or singular evangelical ‘calling’ or ‘conviction’. This article examines a specific phase within the broader and varied trajectory of the Swiss Reformation by analysing the transformation of Oecolampadius from a biblical scholar to a preacher, and eventually to a Reformer. This case study illustrates how disparate methodologies, whether rooted in humanism or Patristics, contributed to gradual and personal evolution, ultimately giving rise to distinctive individual stances on reform. This article presents a synthesis of three distinct perspectives on the question. The first part approaches the question through the lens of church history and intellectual history; the second one utilises the history of exegesis and New Testament scholarship; and the third draws upon the perspectives of Protestant historiography, from the standpoint of social history and the history of biographies in Early Modern times. Full article

Gen Z is well-recognized as the first generation to have lived through the full digital era. They are used to utilizing technology, have been on social media since they were young children, and have even developed an addiction to it because they grew up in a technologically advanced world. Preliminary research has looked at Gen Z’s educational preferences in the marketing and education realms, as well as product promotion techniques directed towards them. Furthermore, most of the early Gen Z research was conducted in the United States. Because there is a lack of reliable literature studies on HR and organizational research material related to Gen Z and their career-related objectives, organizations are ill-prepared to accept this new generation into the workforce. This study identifies the organizational values that the members of Generation Z find significant. The purpose of the study is to ascertain how closely the members of Generation Z align with corporate values and preferences. The research employs a quantitative methodology: 109 Turkish university students who were enrolled in classes were given a survey. Consequently, this identified the preferences of Generation Z members in Turkey. The literature lacks reliable studies regarding diverse investigations on Generation Z’s preferences conducted outside of the United States. This research will add to the literature about this topic. This study’s conclusions highlight how complex and multidimensional Generation Z’s views are regarding innovation and sustainability in the Turkish setting. The analyses did not show any significant mediating or predicting effects, contrary to the initial hypotheses that suggested a direct relationship between these attitudes, society contributions, educational attainment, and personal values. This implies that the variables influencing university students in Generation Z’s sustainability and innovation orientations are more complicated than previously thought and might not be directly impacted by the variables looked at in this study. Full article

In today’s complex labor market, social sciences graduates encounter various challenges and negative experiences in their current jobs and job transitions, which may threaten the sustainability of their careers. Possessing 21st-century skills is considered important in supporting their career sustainability. Employing a cross-sectional survey design, this study investigated which 21st-century skills help social sciences graduates build a sustainable career after their graduation. The sample consisted of 129 early-career social sciences graduates. We utilized both a variable-centered (path analysis) and a person-centered (latent profile) approach to data analysis. The path-analysis results showed that collaboration, creativity, and problem solving, but not communication and critical thinking, related to career sustainability. The results also revealed a suppressor effect of problem solving on the positive relationships between creativity and health-related problems, suggesting that problem solving may prevent creative individuals from developing health-related issues. Furthermore, latent-profile analysis demonstrated two profiles: sustainable and non-sustainable careers. While both profiles exhibited similar productivity levels, individuals from the non-sustainable profile reported lower happiness and higher health problems. Partly corroborating the path-analysis results, graduates with sustainable careers differed in communication and collaboration skills. This study enhances the understanding of 21st-century skills’ role in career sustainability and validates the model of sustainable careers. Full article

Previous research about postdocs has focused on the challenges they face in terms of pay and job security. This study expands upon this narrative to explore postdoctoral scholars’ experiences of connection and disconnection, or (dis)connection. The present study employed socialization theory in combination with a definition of professional socialization to frame how personal communities, institutions, and professional disciplines/associations facilitated postdocs’ sense of (dis)connection. Interviews with 30 postdocs demonstrated the ways in which postdocs described both connection and support alongside disconnection and isolation when asked about their experiences. The present study extends theory on socialization to consider postdocs and has implications for institutions employing postdocs. Full article

Education is a complex system with implications for educational policy and management. Education systems that are more comprehensive generate more equal outcomes, fostering access to opportunities for all children. On the other hand, systems with early selection and tracking are more stratified and register higher inequalities in educational outcomes. Educational inequalities imply unequal access to education and, subsequently, career opportunities. The present study employs classification techniques, such as decision trees, in order to highlight lines of stratification and inequality in the upper secondary education system in Romania, focusing on the selection of students in general or vocational programs. Our results show that the education of parents and area of residence are factors that influence the stratification of students in the Romanian secondary education system, and the selection process contributes to the reproduction of social inequalities. The conclusions of this study are consistent with the cultural capital theory in education. Policy and strategic management implications are discussed in light of our results. Full article

In this article, we outline a transnational project shaped by Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 10: “Reduce inequality within and among countries”. SDG 10 provides a cross-cutting approach insofar as the targets refer to income inequality, discriminatory practices and policies, migration policies, and development aid and assist researchers as well as policymakers and community leaders with implementation. The project builds on two online courses for researchers early in their careers: one that covers the research context and one that covers preparing a research question and approach. Community-based participatory research (CBPR) is an impactful method of exploring social inequalities and applying research to solve practical problems. For students to learn the basic steps of CBPR, a workshop was conducted with a rural NGO in India that included researchers from three countries, staff members, and community members. The topic, “waste management”, was chosen by the local NGO and integrated with the university program through a CBPR methodology workshop. This article describes the background, learning process, and results of the participatory research workshop and focuses on the collaboration of students, staff, and community members as well as the application of research for action. Full article

Investigations into career development revealed the significant influence of social and cultural determinants, notably familial factors, on children’s professional aspirations. Such aspirations are moulded by their milieu, individual interests, academic environments, and socio-economic contexts. South Africa’s unique socio-political history introduces complexity into career development pathways. The intricate relationships between ethnicity, gender, and socio-economic backgrounds vis-a-vis career outcomes of South African youth remain underexplored. This research aimed to understand these influences within the construction domain, emphasising cognitive facets such as self-efficacy and societal endorsements. The Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) served as the foundational framework, with structural equation modelling employed for causal analysis. A focus was given to early university students, predominantly from Construction Management. The study showcased pathways for informed career decisions in construction and underscored the relevance of the SCCT, especially for women in traditionally male-dominated sectors. The study culminated in unveiling pathways for informed career decisions in construction, reinforcing the pertinence of the SCCT framework, especially concerning women in traditionally male-dominated spheres like construction. Acknowledging the scarcity of empirical studies using SCCT within the construction sphere is pertinent. Full article