Search Results (20)

This study examines the relationship between attitudes toward artificial intelligence (AI) and AI dependency among Ecuadorian university students. A cross-sectional design was used, applying two validated instruments: the Artificial Intelligence Dependence Scale (DAI) and the General Attitudes Toward Artificial Intelligence Scale (GAAIS), with a sample of 540 students. Structural equation modeling (SEM) assessed how both positive and negative attitudes predict dependency levels. Results indicate a moderate level of AI dependency and an ambivalent attitudinal profile. Both attitudinal dimensions significantly predicted dependency, suggesting dual-use behaviors shaped by perceived utility and ethical concerns. Urban students reported higher dependency and greater sensitivity to AI-related risks, highlighting digital inequalities. Although the SEM model showed adequate comparative fit (CFI = 0.976; TLI = 0.973), residual indicators (RMSEA = 0.075) suggest further refinement is needed. This study contributes to underexplored Latin American contexts and emphasizes the need for equity-driven digital literacy strategies in higher education. Findings support pedagogical frameworks promoting critical thinking, ethical reasoning, and responsible AI use. The study aligns with Sustainable Development Goals 4 (Quality Education) and 10 (Reduced Inequalities), reinforcing the importance of inclusive, learner-centered approaches to AI integration. Full article

Timber construction is increasingly promoted in Chile as a route to low-carbon, energy-efficient housing, yet public acceptance remains decisive for its diffusion. This study reports the first large-scale perception survey of timber buildings in Greater Concepción (N = 200) and contrasts key results with an earlier identical survey in Valdivia. Concepción residents strongly recognise timber’s thermal comfort attributes and associate wood housing with lower winter heating demand, a perception markedly stronger than in Valdivia. Conversely, 73% of Concepción respondents believe timber homes burn easily, but a majority also accept that modern engineering can mitigate this risk, indicating scope for targeted technical communication. Environmental perceptions are more ambivalent: although respondents value wood’s renewable origin, 42% doubt that timber construction reduces climate change, and many equate it with deforestation, echoing controversies around Chile’s plantation model. Cluster analysis reveals a techno-optimist subgroup coupling enthusiasm for energy savings with confidence in fire-safety innovations, suggesting a strategic constituency for demonstration projects. By situating end-user attitudes within national decarbonisation goals, this paper argues that region-specific outreach—emphasising verified energy-efficiency gains, certified sustainable forestry and visible fire-safety performance—can convert passive approval into active demand and accelerate Chile’s transition to a net-zero housing stock. Full article

This paper examines the narratives of consumers who aspire to adopt a simpler, less excessive, and more sustainable lifestyle but struggle to achieve this goal. The analysis reveals that one of the key barriers to downshifting consumption lies in a deep-seated ambivalence: material excess is experienced as both burdensome and evocative, cyclical consumption practices as simultaneously meaningless and pleasurable, and the omnipresent marketplace as both frightening and captivating. This ambivalence is sustained through key mechanisms, including the rationalization of consumption choices using self-care and care for others and hope for a tipping point. The discussion suggests that efforts to promote sustainable consumption cannot rely solely on moral prescriptions and rational appeals. Instead, a more nuanced approach is needed, one that acknowledges the emotional complexities of consumption and the deeply ambivalent nature of consumer–market relationships in affluent societies. Full article

Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) technologies based on big language models are becoming a transformative power that reshapes the future shape of education. Although the impact of GenAI on education is a key issue, there is little exploration of the challenges and response strategies of GenAI on the sustainability of education from a public perspective. This data mining study selected ChatGPT as a representative tool for GenAI. Five topics and 14 modular semantic communities of public attitudes towards using ChatGPT in education were identified through Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) topic modeling and the semantic network community discovery process on 40,179 user comments collected from social media platforms. The results indicate public ambivalence about whether GenAI technology is empowering or disruptive to education. On the one hand, the public recognizes the potential of GenAI in education, including intelligent tutoring, role-playing, personalized services, content creation, and language learning, where effective communication and interaction can stimulate users’ creativity. On the other hand, the public is worried about the impact of users’ technological dependence on the development of innovative capabilities, the erosion of traditional knowledge production by AI-generated content (AIGC), the undermining of educational equity by potential cheating, and the substitution of students by the passing or good performance of GenAI on skills tests. In addition, some irresponsible and unethical usage behaviors were identified, including the direct use of AIGC and using GenAI tool to pass similarity checks. This study provides a practical basis for educational institutions to re-examine the teaching and learning approaches, assessment strategies, and talent development goals and to formulate policies on the use of AI to promote the vision of AI for sustainable development in education. Full article

The reflection on sacred places continues to assume significant relevance today in urban space production. The public value of sacred buildings has consolidated over time an aggregating sense of community, representing spaces for meeting and sharing. Their historical relevance as spaces for meditation represents for mankind places of personal reflection, while they have always played an important role in the city and in its symbolic and spatial structure. Thus, starting from the hypothesis that the sacred space is affirmed as an interface, because it welcomes the individual and serves the community, we examine the architectural features that enhance this ambivalence, exposing transition systems between private and collective spaces, seeking to systematize essential composition matrices for new urban spaces for public use. Assuming Lisbon as a framework, this article proposes a comparative reading between two paradigmatic buildings—Sagrado Coração de Jesus Church and the New Mosque of Lisbon—with similar goals according to the relationship between architecture, place sacrality, and the urban public space. Methodologically, drawing is used as an interpretative tool and, through formal decomposition, this article tries to demonstrate that these buildings are the result of a reflection deeply determined by the value of the place’s identity in the city’s public space system. According to these case studies, sacred buildings are conceived based on formal and spatial links that are rooted in Lisbon’s urban layout. It is sacred buildings that are at the origin of urban places for public use. Each one of these buildings share an idea of architecture with an urban and public role which integrates the objects with the shape of the city and contradicts the tendency for the dissociation between urban elements. In a way, they can be considered paradigmatic examples of architecture with an urban vocation. Full article

In the diverse multiethnic setting of colonial New Spain, women faced challenges in separating themselves from marriages they considered unendurable. The Catholic Church, which exercised hegemony over definitions of marriage in the colony, controlled access to permanent, formal separation or “ecclesiastical divorce”, while secular courts offered shorter-term separations generally aimed at reunifying couples. Outside of these options, flight, concealment, and bigamy, or “self-divorce,” offered the only recourse for women seeking to leave an untenable relationship. While it is well known that few women sought (and even fewer were granted) ecclesiastical divorce, it is clear that many women sought separation through formal and informal means. Using ecclesiastical petitions for divorce, this paper investigates the experience of deposit (depósito) for New Spain’s separated women. Deposit was likely a primary goal of women’s divorce petitions. Moreover, the hegemony of marriage was less complete in reality than in ideology; the number of single women in the colony is now known to be vast, and their networks substantial. Building on Bird’s and Megged’s insights on separation and singleness, this paper argues that studying deposit reveals a custom that offered women of all classes a substantial degree of respite and agency in separation, particularly in the early colony, when institutional options were less formalized. Sometimes, depósito permitted lengthy separations that blurred into permanency, while at other times it served as a crucial safety valve. Nonetheless, the practice was a contested terrain on which husbands also sought to exercise power and control. Deposit, therefore, was a highly ambivalent form of “separation” in Latin America. This was undoubtedly true both in the early-colonial period and thereafter, but as colonial society matured and institutional deposit became more possible and common, men’s power was enhanced. Studying the practice before the late seventeenth century therefore reveals some of the ways that early colonial societal flux authorized female agency. Full article

Wastewater management in Bogor, Indonesia faces significant challenges in achieving sustainability. The success of the development of wastewater management requires an analysis of the characteristics of the actors related to the relationship between actors, the attitude of actors toward development goals, and the possibility of alliances and conflicts that arise. The research aims to identify the actors’ typologies based on the strengths and relationships between the actors’ and the actors’ attitudes toward managing fast-growing areas in self-help settlements based on domestic wastewater management for the area of Bogor Town, Indonesia. This research uses a case study approach, and data were collected through observation, interviews, and focus group discussions. Data analysis used the MACTOR method (Matrix of Alliances and Conflicts Tactics, Objectives, and Recommendations) to identify the stakeholder actors’ strengths, relationships, and patterns of alliances. The results showed that the most influential actors in wastewater management are the Housing and Settlements Agency (DISRUMKIM), Regional Drinking Water Companies (PDAM), entrepreneurs (PUSAHA), MEDIA, the Regional People’s Representative Council (DPRD), Regional Development Planning Agency (BAPPEDA), Public Works and Spatial Planning Service (DPUPR), and the Health Service (DINKES). In addition, the highest divergence value was 35, which occurred in Sub-District Tanah Sareal (KEC. TANSAR) to PUSAHA. There are four actors with a high level of ambivalence, namely Sub-District Bogor Selatan (KEC BOSEL), Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), MEDIA, and Environment Service (DLH). These findings form the basis for developing a pattern of collaboration between all stakeholders necessary for the development of sustainable wastewater management in Bogor, Indonesia. In addition, this finding allows it to be used as relevant information, and it can be implemented in other cities with the same characteristics as Bogor Town is facing similar challenges in wastewater management. Full article

Becoming committed to a new health-related goal and pursuing it is difficult for many people. The present study (a) developed and tested the psychometric properties of a brief Goal Ambivalence Scale (GAS) in a sample of dieters and (b) tested the effectiveness of providing dieters with feedback on their scores on the GAS. In Study 1, dieters (n = 334, 74% females) completed the GAS and a measure of Health-Related Concerns and Actions (HRCA). The standardization of the GAS was supported by CVR and CVI, the results of a PCA, and strong reliability and validity statistics. In Study 2, the experimental group of dieters (n = 107; 67.50% female) received feedback on their GAS scores, but the control group did not (n = 111; 62.30% female). Compared with the control group, the experimental group reported a greater need for information, greater readiness to change, and higher perceived situational confidence in resisting food that was inconsistent with their dieting goals. To conclude, the GAS could be used in health settings to provide clients and providers with an objective, fast measure of commitment to achieving health-related goals. Moreover, immediate feedback on health-related goals may improve change motivation. Full article

French Enlightenment philosophe Voltaire’s ambivalence vis-à-vis the biblical text is well documented. On the one hand he highlights irregularities and contradictions in Scripture to undermine the clergy’s authority and legitimacy. On the other, he clearly was fond of reading it and the sheer volume of his work devoted to it confirms that he was certainly not indifferent to its content. This article shows how Voltaire’s use of different biblical scholars, particularly the seventeenth-century French biblical critic Richard Simon, informed his understanding of Scripture and how it manifested in his works, both those of a satirical and of a serious tone. This analysis problematizes the role of religion and of biblical criticism in French seventeenth and eighteenth-century literature. If Richard Simon’s method was not always welcomed during his lifetime, his main goal was to pursue truth. Voltaire, however, used the tools of Simon to undermine traditional Christianity and to emphasize his own understanding of what religion entails. Full article

Due to anticipated energy shortages and the need to achieve climate goals, there is an urgent requirement for transition towards a green, resilient system of energy provision. This transition is hampered because important players in energy markets (governments and oligopolies), while supporting large-scale solutions, avoid or block systemic changes. This rejection of systemic change is strengthened by the dominant social paradigm, which ignores systemic vulnerabilities, treating resources as solutions and the environment as a sink. In its turn, the dominant social paradigm is contested by the new ecological paradigm and by attitudes towards sustainable business practices. Understanding this framework may be relevant for identifying decision-makers’ perception of system risk, and thus for supporting a transition towards a more decentralized and resilient energy supply. In this context, this paper presents an empirical study among Polish students of a business university (N = 393), trying to discover the relationship between the social paradigms, perceptions of environmental resources and sinks, and systemic risk in large-scale energy production (i.e., nuclear power plants). Although the explained variance is limited, results show that various elements of the dominant social paradigm are related to problem denial. Technological optimism and belief in markets are predictors of optimism about resource shortages and neglect of system risk. This optimism is counteracted by political liberalism, and respondent attitudes towards sustainable business practices. Belief in market forces has an ambivalent effect, tempering technological optimism regarding nuclear energy but also political acknowledgement of the limited resources and sink capacities of the environment. Although the influence of the dominant social paradigm on energy transition can be identified, the results may indicate a decline in belief in market forces and liberal democracy, implying a rethinking of the dominant social paradigm may be needed. The existing relationship between these aspects warrants a critical review and discussion of the central role of the dominant paradigm in current management training. The results indicate that a lack of political liberalism and a negative attitude towards sustainable business practices amplify system risks in, e.g., large-scale nuclear energy projects. Full article

Campaigns supporting victims of gender harassment and abuse, such as #MeToo, have made and still make significant contributions to achieving the fifth UN Sustainable Development Goal aimed at eliminating “all forms of violence against all women”. In two correlational studies, we examined possible antecedents of people’s willingness to participate in the #MeToo campaign by focusing on the role of ambivalent beliefs toward women and men and the perceived effects of the movement. Men (Study 1) and women (Study 2) were asked to answer questions concerning hostile and benevolent beliefs about women and men, respectively, their perception of the beneficial and detrimental effects of #MeToo, and their intentions to participate in the campaign. Study 1 showed that men’s hostile sexism toward women was associated with fewer intentions to actively support the #MeToo campaign and that the reduced beliefs that the movement had beneficial effects mediated this relation. Study 2 revealed that women’s stronger benevolent beliefs about men were associated with decreased perception that the #MeToo campaign had a beneficial impact. In turn, such a perception was related to lower intentions to participate in supporting the campaign. Moreover, women’s hostility toward men explained the intention to join the #MeToo movement through the mediation of the perception that the campaign was beneficial. The findings suggest that to foster participation in a feminist movement that promotes women’s rights, it is necessary to eradicate traditional gender roles and the related ideologies that legitimate men’s dominant position in society. Full article

Ageism refers to stereotyping (how we think), prejudice (how we feel), and discrimination (how we act) against people based on their age. It is a serious public health issue that can negatively impact older people’s health and quality of life. The present protocol has several goals: (1) adapt the Ambivalent Ageism Scale for the general Portuguese population and healthcare professionals; (2) assess the factorial invariance of the questionnaire between general population vs. healthcare professionals; (3) evaluate the level of ageism and its predictors in the general population and evaluate the level of ageism and its predictors in healthcare professionals; (4) compare the levels of ageism between groups and the invariance between groups regarding the explanatory model of predictors of ageism. This quantitative, cross-sectional, descriptive, observational study will be developed in partnership with several Healthcare Professional Boards/Associations, National Geriatrics and Gerontology Associations, and the Universities of the Third Age Network Association. The web-based survey will be conducted on a convenience sample recruited via various social media and institutional channels. The survey consists of three questionnaires: (1) Demographic data; (2) Ambivalent Ageism Scale; (3) Palmore-Neri and Cachioni questionnaire. The methodology of this study will include translation, pilot testing, semantic adjustment, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, and multigroup analysis of the Ambivalent Ageism Scale. Data will be treated using International Business Machines Corporation (IBM^®) Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software and Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS). Descriptive analysis will be conducted to assess the level of ageism in the study sample. The ageism levels between the two groups will be compared using the t-student test, and two Structural Equation Modeling will be developed to evaluate the predictors of ageism. Assessing ageism is necessary to allow healthcare professionals and policymakers to design and implement strategies to solve or reduce this issue. Findings from this study will generate knowledge relevant to healthcare and medical courses along with anti-ageism education for the Portuguese population. Full article

Urban retail systems in Poland have been changing constantly during the last 30 years. When it seemed that the consumption lifestyle of Poles became stable, and likewise the relations within the urban retail system, it was placed under the strain of the shock of the pandemic. The aim of the study is to discuss challenges that the urban retail systems face as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, how the relationships within those systems have changed and how the resilience of entities that create urban retail systems has changed. The article focuses on the case study of Poland, the largest and the fastest growing country in Central and Eastern Europe. To achieve the research goal, a broad and detailed critical literature review was used: literature, scientific articles, reports and daily press with a business profile were analyzed. Complementary to a qualitative approach was an analysis of quantitative data from the Central Statistical Office of Poland and Eurostat regarding the period from 2007 to 2021. The COVID-19 pandemic constitutes a unique occasion in which to conduct a stress-test of the concept of retail resilience in the lively organism of a city; it also delivers a useful framework for analyzing processes occurring in the Polish retail trade. The undertaken research contributes to these concepts by indicating how the shock of COVID-19 could affect components of the urban retail system in ambivalent ways as they express different levels of resilience. Some elements of the system had no problems with adjustments to the shock of the pandemic, whereas others with more rigid structures had problems with adaptation. Full article

The development of a suitable public charging system for electric vehicles relies on inputs from many complementary organizations that need to synchronize interdependencies across different activities, organizations, and industries. Research on temporal fit has focused on synchronizing activities within or external to the organization, rather than exploring synchronization across multiple organizations with highly interdependent yet colliding temporal structures and multiple time-givers. Drawing on a case study of a collaborative effort to create a national charging infrastructure for electric vehicles, we theorize the interplay between various highly interdependent actors. The resulting theory posits that actors combine and shift between different innovation practices to organize time and explains how multiple, yet interdependent actors engaging in temporal work attempt to accomplish temporal fit. Three entrainment dynamics are identified: (1) temporal tug-of-war through ecosystem configuration; (2) temporal dictating through group politics; and (3) ecosystem navigation through temporal ambivalence. These dynamics arise both between and within groups of actors when they coordinate innovation practices across multiple temporal structures and time-givers. Together, the simultaneous pursuit of synchronization within and across these different coalitions appears to constrain the realization of the collective goal. Full article

Warlpiri communities in Australia’s Northern Territory (NT) have long advocated for the inclusion of Warlpiri language, values and knowledge in their government-run schools. After the first bilingual programs were established in the NT in the 1970s, educators and community members from four Warlpiri communities formed a professional network known as the Warlpiri Triangle, a platform for meetings and professional development focusing on teaching and learning in and of Warlpiri language in schools. On these platforms, educators have consistently articulated the goal of the Warlpiri programs as maintenance of Warlpiri pirrjirdi, ‘strong Warlpiri language’. In this paper we seek to explore the development, refinement and consolidation of a consensual ideology around teaching and learning of and in Warlpiri pirrjirdi, ‘strong Warlpiri language’ that has informed Warlpiri language-in-education management. We analyse interviews with five Warlpiri educators at Yuendumu school in 2018/9 and a body of grey literature from four decades of Warlpiri educator professional development activities that has been less widely acknowledged and visible in local education policy discourse. We draw on the theoretical concept of communities of practice to understand the ways in which Warlpiri educators negotiate ideological and implementational spaces for inclusion of Warlpiri language teaching in the context of an ambivalent language-in-education policy environment. The results of this study exemplify the reiteration and reproduction of language-in-education goals through a community of practice in a sustained arena of action, the Warlpiri Triangle. The findings render more visible the vital efforts of Warlpiri educators and their professional networks in shaping language-in-education policy and practice to realise community aspirations of Warlpiri language maintenance in the school context. Full article