Search Results (14)

Environmental Education (EE) is increasingly relevant in the current context of environmental crises, requiring approaches that integrate Human Ecology (HE) and Environmental Psychology (EP) due to understanding the interdependent relationship between ecological and human systems. This study emphasizes corporeity as a fundamental dimension for reconnecting humans with nature and fostering ecological awareness. The study aimed to develop and evaluate a transdisciplinary intervention project based on bodily experiences with children and adolescents in a Brazilian public school, aiming to improve their connectedness with nature and ecological values. A diagnostic survey was conducted with 103 students aged 10–13 years, including open questions, and two instruments: the Inclusion of Nature in Self (INS) and the Values for Pre-adolescents scale (EVP). The results indicated that one 5th-grade class, which presented the lowest self-transcendence mean (4.07), was selected for pedagogical interventions. In the second stage, 20 students participated in workshops held in public parks and a school green area, combining sensory awareness and playful activities. The findings suggest that these experiences stimulated pro-environmental attitudes, including group care for nature, protective behaviors, and positive emotions such as peace, happiness, and freedom. Despite the small sample size, the results highlight the importance of strengthening embodied experiences in natural environments, increasing frequency and intensity to support the development of ecological values and deeper connectedness with nature. Full article

Background: Tinnitus has been increasingly reported during the COVID-19 pandemic, following both infection and vaccination. While these reports suggest that pandemic-related factors may influence the onset or worsening of tinnitus, the perceptual characteristics and functional consequences of such cases remain poorly understood. This study examined the nature, severity, and communication-related impact of self-reported tinnitus following COVID-19 vaccination. Methods: A total of 770 adults who self-reported new or worsened tinnitus after vaccination completed a structured online survey between August 2021 and May 2023. Standardized instruments included the Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI), the Speech, Spatial and Qualities of Hearing Scale (SSQ), and visual analog scales assessing loudness discomfort and hyperacusis-related symptoms. Analyses included descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, t-tests, and correlation matrices. Results: Respondents reported moderate to severe tinnitus-related distress, with the greatest impacts on emotional control, sleep, and relaxation. Many described communication difficulties in noisy or multi-talker environments, despite relatively preserved spatial hearing and sound quality. A substantial subset endorsed hyperacusis symptoms, including sound-induced annoyance, fear, and intolerance. Correlation analyses revealed strong associations between emotional, cognitive, and auditory domains, underscoring the multidimensional burden of tinnitus in this population. Conclusions: Self-reported tinnitus after COVID-19 vaccination was associated with distress, sleep disruption, and communication difficulties, mirroring patterns commonly observed in tinnitus more broadly. Although causality cannot be determined, these findings highlight the importance of comprehensive audiological and psychological assessment for individuals reporting auditory complaints after vaccination and support the inclusion of functional hearing outcomes in tinnitus evaluation protocols. Full article

The construction sector drives nearly half of global material extraction, energy use, emissions, and waste, yet environmental impact assessment (EIA) remains a static document, fragmented and disconnected from dynamic ecological systems. Here, we propose an upgrade to a five-dimensional (5D) EIA framework that integrates space-time analysis (3D + time = 4D) with real-time monitoring and impact quantification (5D) to account for environmental footprint and prevent irreversible impacts. The methodology included an analysis of over 100 EIA permits and reports, supplemented by interviews, reviews of technologies and process and systems analysis. Central to this approach is the inclusion of 4D building information models (BIM) and nature’s self-cleansing capacity, which is often overlooked in conventional assessments. The proposed Integrated Environmental Decision Support Information System (I-EDSIS) would enable continuous impact tracking, cumulative effect evaluation, and insights into patterns for adaptive mitigation. Drawing on a national-scale case study, we show that building permits correlate with NO_x and PM₁₀ (r = 0.96), while pollutant levels vary by up to 1.5–3 times across months and within a day, revealing potential for time-sensitive adaptive construction and less ecological disruption. This perspective argues for reframing EIA as a proactive tool for sustainability, transparency, active durability, cross-sectoral data integration, and resilience-based development. Full article

This article explores how gender biases in STEM education persist despite formal commitments to equality. Based on data from the Erasmus+ project STEMGenderIN, we analyze responses from lower-secondary school teachers (ISCED 2; ages 11–15), of STEM subjects, in Portugal, Italy, Belgium, and Romania using the TPGESE scale, which assesses three dimensions: perceived gender equality in education (PGEE), the awareness of the effects of gender segregation (AEGSE), and the naturalization of gender stereotypes (GSNGI). Findings show a consistent gap between teachers declared support for gender equality and their limited awareness of structural and cultural barriers faced by girls in STEM. While most teachers affirm equality in principle, many attribute girls’ underrepresentation to personal choice or aptitude, overlooking the influence of stereotypes, social expectations, and systemic inequalities. The results point to a paradox: formal recognition of gender equality coexists with low engagement in reflexive practice or institutional change. Differences between countries suggest varying degrees of critical awareness, with some contexts showing greater openness to questioning dominant narratives. This study highlights the urgent need for teacher training that goes beyond rhetoric, promoting deep pedagogical transformation and equipping educators to create more inclusive STEM learning environments. We argue that addressing the perception–practice gap is essential to closing the gender gap in STEM. To situate these findings, we also note how national cultural–political debates—such as Portugal’s public controversy around so-called “gender ideology” in Citizenship and Development—may shape teachers’ perceptions and self-reports, reinforcing the need for context-aware training. Full article

Fear modulates intergroup dynamics by amplifying biases, yet prior work predominantly examines integrated emotions (e.g., fear tied to intergroup conflict), neglecting incidental fear—transient states unrelated to group contexts. Furthermore, the reliance on Western samples limits insights into cultural variability, particularly in collectivist societies where group boundaries differ. Here, we conducted two experimental studies that involved Chinese participants and examined the effect of incidental fear on empathy for in-group and out-group members’ pain (operationalized as self-focused empathy, reflecting personal distress when witnessing pain, and other-focused empathy, reflecting compassionate concern for the sufferer). In Experiment 1 (N = 54), using a pain observation paradigm, incidental fear was elicited by randomly showing frightening images, while the differentiation between the in-group and out-group was based on natural ethnic differences (same races and other races). Experiment 2 (N = 52) replicated this using artificial social categorization (university affiliation). Fear reduced other-focused empathy for racial out-groups and socially defined out-groups. Self-focused empathy remained unaffected, suggesting fear selectively disrupts mentalizing-dependent processes. The Inclusion of Other in Self (IOS) scale revealed heightened psychological distance toward out-groups under fear, mediating empathy reduction. Incidental fear universally diminishes empathy for out-group pain across natural and artificial group boundaries, extending social identity theory to transient affective states. These findings highlight fear’s role in intergroup bias and underscore cultural generalizability beyond WEIRD populations. Full article

Background: Body image (BI) concerns in men—spanning thinness, muscularity, and other related constructs—are increasingly being recognized for their links to depression, anxiety, and self-esteem, yet measurement approaches remain unevenly aligned. Objectives: Our objective was to map the landscape of BI instruments deployed with cisgender men and women and to examine whether thinness-, muscularity-, and non-specific self-image satisfaction measures differentially relate to key mental health outcomes. Eligibility Criteria: Our eligibility criteria were peer-reviewed, quantitative studies published in English between January 2011 and December 2021. We only included studies with samples ≥30 cisgender men, psychometrically validated BI scales, results reported separately by gender, and U.S.-based investigations. Sources of Evidence: The source of evidence was a systematic search of PsycINFO. Charting Methods: Two reviewers double-screened titles/abstracts and full texts in EPPI-Reviewer. Data on measure orientation; validation sample characteristics; and effect sizes relating BI scores to depression, anxiety, and self-esteem were extracted. The effect sizes were transformed to r and averaged across the studies. Results: Of the 1178 records identified, 191 U.S. studies met the inclusion criteria. Fifty-five distinct BI instruments were used; twelve appeared in six or more studies and were classified as thinness-oriented, muscularity-oriented, or non-specific. The unweighted average correlations with depression ranged from r = 0.23 (muscularity) to 0.34 (non-specific), with anxiety at r = 0.16–0.25 and self-esteem at r = 0.20–0.57. The male samples showed greater heterogeneity of effect sizes, likely reflecting the sampling variability and the multifaceted nature of men’s BI concerns. Conclusions: This review confirms critical gaps in male BI measurement and interpretation. Although thinness- and muscularity-oriented scales each capture facets of men’s BI, exclusive reliance on thinness measures risks overlooking leanness- and musculature-focused pathology. The greater variability of BI–mental health associations in men than women underscore the need for a diverse measurement toolkit that, at minimum, assesses thinness, muscularity, and other appearance-related constructs. Full article

Evidence from studies in the global north has shown the beneficial effects of green spaces (GS) for our psychological and physiological health. In this study, we examine whether the connection between GS, wellbeing, and restoration is also applicable to low/middle-income countries (LMICs), using Tanzania as a case study. During May–July 2021, an online survey was conducted among 108 students and/or staff of the University of Dar es Salaam. Information was provided regarding exposure to campus’s green spaces (CGSs) measured by the NDVI and subjective questions relevant to accessibility/availability of CGS, duration and frequency of visits, as well as perceived greenness. Self-reported questions were also used for assessing the quality of CGSs and motives for using them. Mental wellbeing and restoration were measured with the Warwick–Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Short Scale ((S)WEMWBS) and the Restoration Outcome Scale (ROS), respectively, while the Nature Relatedness Scale (NR-6) was used to determine the feelings and thoughts of our participants towards nature. Generalized linear regression indicated a positive relationship between the need to be close to nature and relaxation as motivators for visiting CG; (S)WEMWBS (p < 0.05). The same correlation was observed for the ROS (p < 0.01). The ROS was also positively associated with the NDVI (p < 0.01), age group of 18–25 (p < 0.05), and employment status (full time p < 0.01, part time p < 0.05). Our findings confirm that GS can be considered an effective tool for promoting SDG 3 and SDG 11 in LMICs. More importantly, urban planners should focus on the motives for using such places in order to make them inclusive and multifunctional. Full article

Achievement goal theory has been a dominant motivation framework since the 1980s. The 3 × 2 achievement goal framework emerged in the literature in 2011. We aimed to conduct a systematic review with meta-analysis following the PRISMA guidelines of the 3 × 2 achievement goal research in education, sport, and occupation settings. We retrieved articles from searching EBSCOhost and Google Scholar platforms. Eligible articles contained the 3 × 2 achievement goal in education, sport, or occupation, were published in a peer-reviewed journal, and provided mean data or correlate data. We tested hypotheses concerned with (1) the overall pattern of achievement goal endorsement, (2) achievement goal differences by domain (education, sport) and compulsory nature of the domains or sub-domains, and (3) achievement goal relationships with correlates (e.g., learning strategies, motivations, performance). After screening, 56 articles met all inclusion criteria, providing 58 samples across education (n = 44), sport (n = 10), and occupation (n = 4) settings with 35,031 unique participants from 15 countries. Participants endorsed the task- and self-approach goals more than the counterpart avoidance goals, other-avoidance goals more than other-approach goals, and the intercorrelations and reliability coefficients were acceptable. Minimal impact results from examining within and across study bias statistics. Of importance, the domain (i.e., education, sport) and the compulsory nature of the domain or sub-domains (i.e., primary-secondary education, sport) moderated goal endorsement (group mixed-effects p < 0.05, g values medium to very large). These groupings also moderated the other goal differences. Concerning our correlates analyses, most meta-analyzed correlations among the achievement goals and correlates were small in meaningfulness with the largest correlations (0.30–0.42) between the approach goals merged and the task- and self-approach goals and facilitative learning strategies and desired motivations. In conclusion, the 3 × 2 achievement goals literature is diverse. Furthering the study and application of this model requires overcoming inherent limitations (i.e., consistent response scale sets), teasing out differences between the task- and self-goals, measuring performance outcomes, and cross-cultural collaborations. Full article

The main purpose of this study was to provide a critique of the depoliticising funding call for co-creation research on urban resilience and sustainability while advocating that urban sustainability should remain political and require a political sphere. This study illustrated the invisible costs of undertaking co-creation research and, more specifically, the power imbalance between different groups of co-researchers, which creates tensions. Our research on the case study of the Brussels Health Gardens (BHG) project illustrated how a policy instrument such as a funding call depoliticised urban sustainability and nature-based health knowledge and failed to integrate sufficient resources, such as the time needed to care for science, society, and the self. While previous research focused on successful applications across different scales and places, we illustrated the costs and tensions created by an application that was accepted and funded in the first stage and rejected in the second stage. Vulnerable groups, immigrants, and women tried to access the financial resources that were provided by a regional funding application to communicate nature-based health knowledge in their cities, neighbourhoods, and communities while working together with academic institutions. Two authors were involved in all phases of this project and contributed a collaborative autoethnography of the tensions that were experienced during the project co-creation and their perceived causes. The third author interviewed other co-researchers and focused on the tensions. Several tensions were linked with those observed in other co-creation research (inclusion versus control; impact versus solution; and the research topic of health, which is a boundary object), whereas some tensions were linked with the systems of Brussels (and beyond), ecological modernist priorities, and academic entrepreneurial system. The empirical data of both the lived experiences of the first and second authors, enriched with findings of interviews, contribute to the underexplored body of knowledge and critiques on the depoliticisation by ecological modernist research and policy priorities in Europe. Full article

Respiratory failure, malnutrition, aspiration pneumonia, and dehydration are the precursors to mortality in ALS. Loss of natural communication is considered one of the worst aspects of ALS. This first study to test the feasibility of a music therapy protocol for bulbar and respiratory rehabilitation in ALS employs a mixed-methods case study series design with repeated measures. Newly diagnosed patients meeting the inclusion criteria were invited to participate, until the desired sample size (n = 8) was achieved. The protocol was delivered to participants in their homes twice weekly for six weeks. Individualised exercise sets for independent practice were provided. Feasibility data (recruitment, retention, adherence, tolerability, self-motivation and personal impressions) were collected. Bulbar and respiratory changes were objectively measured. Results. A high recruitment rate (100%), a high retention rate (87.5%) and high mean adherence to treatment (95.4%) provide evidence for the feasibility of the study protocol. The treatment was well tolerated. Mean adherence to the suggested independent exercise routine was 53%. The outcome measurements to evaluate the therapy-induced change in bulbar and respiratory functions were defined. Findings suggest that the protocol is safe to use in early- and mid-stage ALS and that music therapy was beneficial for the participants’ bulbar and respiratory functions. Mean trends suggesting that these functions were sustained or improved during the treatment period were observed for most outcome parameters: Maximal Inspiratory Pressure, Maximal Expiratory Pressure, Peak Expiratory Flow, the Center for Neurologic Study—Bulbar Function Scale speech and swallowing subscales, Maximum Phonation Time, Maximum Repetition Rate—Alternating, Maximum Repetition Rate—Sequential, Jitter, Shimmer, NHR, Speaking rate, Speech–pause ratio, Pause frequency, hypernasality level, Time-to-Laryngeal Vestibule Closure, Maximum Pharyngeal Constriction Area, Peak Position of the Hyoid Bone, Total Pharyngeal Residue C24area. Conclusion. The suggested design and protocol are feasible for a larger study, with some modifications, including aerodynamic measure of nasalance, abbreviated voice sampling and psychological screening. Full article

The digital revolution has brought about many societal changes such as the creation of “smart cities”. The smart city concept has changed the urban ecosystem by embedding digital technologies in the city fabric to enhance the quality of life of its inhabitants. However, it has also led to some pressing issues and challenges related to data, privacy, ethics inclusion, and fairness. While the initial concept of smart cities was largely technology- and data-driven, focused on the automation of traffic, logistics and processes, this concept is currently being replaced by technology-enabled, human-centred solutions. However, this is not the end of the development, as there is now a big trend towards “design for values”. In this paper, we point out how a value-sensitive design approach could promote a more sustainable pathway of cities that better serves people and nature. Such “value-sensitive design” will have to take ethics, law and culture on board. We discuss how organising the digital world in a participatory way, as well as leveraging the concepts of self-organisation, self-regulation, and self-control, would foster synergy effects and thereby help to leverage a sustainable technological revolution on a global scale. Furthermore, a “democracy by design” approach could also promote resilience. Full article

The human-nature connection is an important factor that is frequently the subject of environmental education research and environmental psychology. Therefore, over the years, numerous measuring instruments have been established to quantitatively record a person’s connection to nature. However, there is no instrument specifically for children with cognitive limitations. For this reason, in this study, an established scale for connection to nature, the inclusion of nature in self scale (INS), was modified especially for the needs of this group. Study 1 investigated what students understand by the term “nature” in order to create an illustrated version of the INS. In study 2, the new instrument was tested on university students and compared with the original INS and the connectedness to nature scale (CNS). No significant differences between the original INS and the new developed scale were found (p = 0.247), from which it can be concluded that the illustrated INS (IINS) measures the connection to nature with similar accuracy as the original INS. In study 3, the instrument was tested together with other established nature connection instruments on the actual target group, students with disabilities. The correlation between the IINS, the CNS, and nature connectedness scale (NR) were in accordance with the expected literature values (r_IINS-CNS = 0.570 & r_IINS-NR = 0.605). The results of this study also prove effectiveness of the developed illustrated scale. This research thus provides a suitable measuring instrument for people with learning difficulties and can make a contribution to the investigation of human-nature connections and conservation education. Full article

Under the influence of urbanization, the relationship between human and nature gradually separated, therefore it is difficult for people to obtain the benefits of nature connectedness. In this paper, an IoT-based sharing plant factory is described to improve nature connectedness of people in an indoor environment. The ecological service process of indoor environments is studied through user interviews and surveys, to understand the contact points of ecological services and the design points of sharing plant factories. Based on these points, a product prototype is realized. Finally, the nature connectedness is tested by 13 users comparing the sharing plant factory with traditional plant pots through the revised Inclusion of Nature in the Self and Connectedness to Nature Scale. The results prove that the designed sharing plant factory can effectively improve a user’s nature connectedness. In addition, the efficiency of plant maintenance is greatly improved with the help of a sharing plant factory. The introduction of nature connectedness into ecological design can guide design to pay more attention to the service effect of products. In addition, the introduction of plant factory technology indoors can help ecological service products to function better and provide new ideas for the research of indoor ecological service products. Full article

In this review, the dielectric permittivity of dielectric mixtures is discussed in view of the spectral density representation method. A distinct representation is derived for predicting the dielectric properties, permittivities ε, of mixtures. The presentation of the dielectric properties is based on a scaled permittivity approach, ξ = (ε_e − ε_m)(ε_i − ε_m)⁻¹, where the subscripts e, m and i denote the dielectric permittivities of the effective, matrix and inclusion media, respectively [Tuncer, E. J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 2005, 17, L125]. This novel representation transforms the spectral density formalism to a form similar to the distribution of relaxation times method of dielectric relaxation. Consequently, I propose that any dielectric relaxation formula, i.e., the Havriliak-Negami empirical dielectric relaxation expression, can be adopted as a scaled permittivity. The presented scaled permittivity representation has potential to be improved and implemented into the existing data analyzing routines for dielectric relaxation; however, the information to extract would be the topological/morphological description in mixtures. To arrive at the description, one needs to know the dielectric properties of the constituents and the composite prior to the spectral analysis. To illustrate the strength of the representation and confirm the proposed hypothesis, the Landau-Lifshitz/Looyenga (LLL) [Looyenga, H. Physica 1965, 31, 401] expression is selected. The structural information of a mixture obeying LLL is extracted for different volume fractions of phases. Both an in-house computational tool based on the Monte Carlo method to solve inverse integral transforms and the proposed empirical scaled permittivity expression are employed to estimate the spectral density function of the LLL expression. The estimated spectral functions for mixtures with different inclusion concentration compositions show similarities; they are composed of a couple of bell-shaped distributions, with coinciding peak locations but different heights. It is speculated that the coincidence in the peak locations is an absolute illustration of the self-similar fractal nature of the mixture topology (structure) created with the LLL expression. Consequently, the spectra are not altered significantly with increased filler concentration level—they exhibit a self-similar spectral density function for different concentration levels. Last but not least, the estimated percolation strengths also confirm the fractal nature of the systems characterized by the LLL mixture expression. It is concluded that the LLL expression is suitable for complex composite systems that have hierarchical order in their structure. These observations confirm the finding in the literature. Full article