Context and Catholicity in the Science and Religion Debate. Intercultural Contributions from French-speaking Africa, written by Klaas Bom and Benno van den Toren

Abstract This article explores the importance of “action research” and “participatory research” (ar and pr) for intercultural theology. After introducing these research strategies, it provides a theological rationale for their use in intercultural theology: (1) they move beyond false dichotomies between theoretical and practical theology; (2) they understand professional theologians as part of communities of believers; and (3) they allow for intercultural encounters which approach “the other” as partners in research rather than merely objects of research. Using the example of a research project which studies attitudes to the interface between science and Christian faith among African university students and academics, the article considers three crucial issues for the value and use of ar and pr in intercultural theology: (1) the intrinsic motivation of the partners for intercultural research projects, (2) the role of shared visions of change and (3) the question of truth implied in visions of human flourishing.1

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‘A Fresh Pentecostal Engagement with the Sciences’ from French-speaking Africa

Exchange ◽

10.1163/1572543x-12341509 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 48 (1) ◽

pp. 51-72

Author(s):

Klaas Bom

Keyword(s):

Science And Religion ◽

Limiting Factors ◽

Research Project ◽

Cultural Contexts ◽

The Us ◽

French Speaking

Abstract Although US Pentecostalism has traditionally been characterized by unease towards science, due to socio-economic positioning and theological stances, Pentecostals like James Smith and others have recently launched a ‘fresh engagement with the sciences’. The feasibility of his proposal is discussed in this article. Based on the contributions of four Pentecostal participants in the research project “Science and Religion in French-speaking Africa,” the author argues that their perspectives are not coloured by naturalism, which according to Smith is one of the main limiting factors to traditional US Pentecostal engagement with science. Consequently certain expressions of African Pentecostalism would be open to Smith’s proposal. Nevertheless, the author argues that both the African and the US cultural contexts need to be taken into account more seriously. Such an approach reveals that in both contexts the possibilities for a fresh Pentecostal engagement with the sciences are more limited than Smith suggests.

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Setting the Scene for the Project ‘Science and Religion in French-speaking Africa’

Context and Catholicity in the Science and Religion Debate ◽

10.1163/9789004420298_002 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-14

Keyword(s):

Science And Religion ◽

French Speaking

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Psychometrical Properties of a French Version of the General Self-Efficacy Short Scale (ASKU)

Swiss Journal of Psychology ◽

10.1024/1421-0185/a000233 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 79 (1) ◽

pp. 15-25

Author(s):

Jean Philippe Décieux ◽

Philipp Emanuel Sischka ◽

Anette Schumacher ◽

Helmut Willems

Keyword(s):

Self Efficacy ◽

Factor Model ◽

German Version ◽

French Version ◽

Context Variable ◽

Confirmatory Factor ◽

French Speaking ◽

German Speaking ◽

Valid Instrument ◽

General Self Efficacy

Abstract. General self-efficacy is a central personality trait often evaluated in surveys as context variable. It can be interpreted as a personal coping resource reflecting individual belief in one’s overall competence to perform across a variety of situations. The German-language Allgemeine-Selbstwirksamkeit-Kurzskala (ASKU) is a reliable and valid instrument to assess this disposition in the German-speaking countries based on a three-item equation. This study develops a French version of the ASKU and tests this French version for measurement invariance compared to the original ASKU. A reliable and valid French instrument would make it easy to collect data in the French-speaking countries and allow comparisons between the French and German results. Data were collected on a sample of 1,716 adolescents. Confirmatory factor analysis resulted in a good fit for a single-factor model of the data (in total, French, and German version). Additionally, construct validity was assessed by elucidating intercorrelations between the ASKU and different factors that should theoretically be related to ASKU. Furthermore, we confirmed configural and metric as well as scalar invariance between the different language versions, meaning that all forms of statistical comparison between the developed French version and the original German version are allowed.

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Self-Promoting and Modest Job Applicants in Different Cultures

Journal of Personnel Psychology ◽

10.1027/1866-5888/a000034 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 70-77 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Marianne Schmid Mast ◽

Denise Frauendorfer ◽

Laurence Popovic

Keyword(s):

Cultural Background ◽

Job Applicants ◽

Presentation Style ◽

Interview Situation ◽

French Speaking ◽

Different Cultures

The goal of this study was to investigate the influence of the recruiter’s cultural background on the evaluation of a job applicant’s presentation style (self-promoting or modest) in an interview situation. We expected that recruiters from cultures that value self-promotion (e.g., Canada) will be more inclined to hire self-promoting as compared to modest applicants and that recruiters from cultures that value modesty (e.g., Switzerland) will be less inclined to hire self-promoting applicants than recruiters from cultures that value self-promotion. We therefore investigated 44 native French speaking recruiters from Switzerland and 40 native French speaking recruiters from Canada who judged either a self-promoting or a modest videotaped applicant in terms of hireability. Results confirmed that Canadian recruiters were more inclined to hire self-promoting compared to modest applicants and that Canadian recruiters were more inclined than Swiss recruiters to hire self-promoting applicants. Also, we showed that self-promotion was related to a higher intention to hire because self-promoting applicants are perceived as being competent.

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