Using cultural hybridity as an analytic lens for missiological research

2021 ◽  
pp. 009182962110435
Author(s):  
Peter T. Lee
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Research ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Social Processes ◽  
Cultural Hybridity ◽  
Social Phenomena ◽  
Analytic Tool ◽  
Social Theories ◽  
Multiple Levels ◽  
Hybridity Theory

This article considers cultural hybridity as a concept that helps interpret complex social phenomena found in various intercultural contexts in missions. The concept of cultural hybridity is better used as an analytic tool rather than an object of analysis in order for it to have an interpretive power. Adopting cultural hybridity in missiological research requires focusing on its active, dynamic, and processual nature found in the verb form, “hybridization,” rather than a stationary concept depicted by the noun form, “hybridity.” When using cultural hybridity in empirical studies, the mission researcher needs to develop a framework using the concept by immersing in the prior and current scholarly discussions, analyze social processes at multiple levels, utilize the hybridity theory in conjunction with other relevant social theories, and close the gap between the theory and data by focusing on how things work rather than forcing meanings out of the data. These practices may aid missiologists in their empirical research and increase their understanding of challenging intercultural issues.

Empirical Research on Populations of Adaptive Individuals

2020 ◽  
pp. 141-153
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Research ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Theory Development ◽  
Organization Change ◽  
Laboratory Studies ◽  
Design Studies ◽  
Entire Process ◽  
Levels Of Organization ◽  
Model Based ◽  
Multiple Levels

This chapter studies how modeling supports empirical research. The benefit of integrating modeling and empirical research has long been recognized: theorists and modelers pose hypotheses that empirical researchers then design studies to test, and empirical research informs the development of new hypotheses. Such integration may be particularly valuable in frameworks that include multiple levels of organization, from individuals to populations to communities. But does working across levels of organization change the relationships of theory, modeling, and empirical research? What kinds of field and laboratory studies do we need, and at what levels of organization, to support modeling? The chapter assesses these questions. Thinking about the relation between modeling and empirical research requires one to address the entire process of model-based research, which is usefully characterized as a modeling cycle. The chapter then explores how the kind of modeling and theory development presented in this book can contribute to empirical studies and research.

scholarly journals The Analytical Procedures of Grounded Theory Methodology in Research on the Human Body

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 56-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominika Byczkowska-Owczarek
Keyword(s):  
Grounded Theory ◽  
Human Body ◽  
Social Research ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Social Processes ◽  
Research Strategy ◽  
The Body ◽  
Medical Work ◽  
Social Phenomena ◽  
Grounded Theory Methodology

The purpose of this article is to look into the problem of grounded theory methodology (GTM) application in social research on the human body. First, the theoretical roots of GTM in symbolic interactionism are enumerated and their consequences for applying the research strategy are described. The author presents examples of her research as an illustration of how GTM procedures enable the researcher to ingrain the body in social processes, and explains what it actually means to embed physical body in social phenomena and processes. The conclusions concerning the practice of GTM research are based on a series of empirical studies conducted by the author in the fields of dance, physical therapy, and medical work. The author argues that GTM expounds on specific procedures, which offer both methodological discipline and flexibility that is necessary for studying as challenging phenomenon as that of the human body.

Computational Methods for Socio-Computer Interaction

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wai-Tat Fu ◽  
Mingkun Gao ◽  
Hyo Jin Do
Keyword(s):  
Computational Methods ◽  
User Interfaces ◽  
Social Processes ◽  
Computational Techniques ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Design Features ◽  
Social Phenomena ◽  
Online Social Media ◽  
Social Opinions ◽  
Computer Interaction

From the Arab Spring to presidential elections, various forms of online social media, forums, and networking platforms have been playing increasing significant roles in our societies. These emerging socio-computer interactions demand new methods of understanding how various design features of online tools may moderate the percolation of information and gradually shape social opinions, influence social choices, and moderate collective action. This chapter starts with a review of the literature on the different ways technologies impact social phenomena, with a special focus on theories that characterize how social processes are moderated by various design features of user interfaces. It then reviews different theory-based computational methods derived from these theories to study socio-computer interaction at various levels. Specific examples of computational techniques are reviewed to illustrate how they can be useful for influencing social processes for various purposes. The chapter ends with how future technologies should be designed to improve socio-computer interaction.

scholarly journals Osteopathic empirical research: a bibliometric analysis from 1966 to 2018

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chantal Morin ◽  
Isabelle Gaboury
Keyword(s):  
Bibliometric Analysis ◽  
Empirical Research ◽  
Scientific Literature ◽  
Case Reports ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Body Part ◽  
The United States ◽  
Mesh Terms ◽  
Research Designs ◽  
System Body

Abstract Background Despite the increasing use of osteopathy, a manipulative complementary and alternative medicine therapy, in the general population, its efficacy continues to be debated. In this era of evidence-based practice, no studies have previously reviewed the scientific literature in the field to identify published knowledge, trends and gaps in empirical research. The aims of this bibliometric analysis are to describe characteristics of articles published on the efficacy of osteopathic interventions and to provide an overall portrait of their impacts in the scientific literature. Methods A bibliometric analysis approach was used. Articles were identified with searches using a combination of relevant MeSH terms and indexing keywords about osteopathy and research designs in MEDLINE and CINAHL databases. The following indicators were extracted: country of primary author, year of publication, journals, impact factor of the journal, number of citations, research design, participants’ age group, system/body part addressed, primary outcome, indexing keywords and types of techniques. Results A total of 389 articles met the inclusion criteria. The number of empirical studies doubled every 5 years, with the United States, Italy, Spain, and United Kingdom being the most productive countries. Twenty-three articles were cited over 100 times. Articles were published in 103 different indexed journals, but more than half (53.7%) of articles were published in one of three osteopathy-focused readership journals. Randomized control trials (n = 145; 37.3%) and case reports (n = 142; 36.5%) were the most common research designs. A total of 187 (48.1%) studies examined the effects of osteopathic interventions using a combination of techniques that belonged to two or all of the classic fields of osteopathic interventions (musculoskeletal, cranial, and visceral). Conclusion The number of osteopathy empirical studies increased significantly from 1980 to 2014. The productivity appears to be very much in sync with practice development and innovations; however, the articles were mainly published in osteopathic journals targeting a limited, disciplinary-focused readership.

scholarly journals First-Generation College Students and Family Support: A Critical Review of Empirical Research Literature

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 294
Author(s):  
Samantha LeBouef ◽  
Jodi Dworkin
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Family Support ◽  
Empirical Research ◽  
First Generation ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
First Generation College Students ◽  
Research Literature ◽  
Empirical Literature ◽  
First Generation College ◽  
Research Narrative

The majority of empirical literature on first generation college students (FGCSs) in the U.S. asserts that because their parents did not attend college, FGCSs are lacking important resources to be successful in college. However, this results in a deficit-based approach to the study of FGCSs that tends to highlight the differences between first-generation and continuing-education students. However, FGCSs possess a wealth of resources from parents and families that make them successful, and that are often ignored in research. Asset-based approaches to the study of FGCSs are becoming more frequent in the form of books, book chapters, and white papers; however, published empirical research has yet to adopt this approach. As a result, a deeper understanding of FGCSs’ experiences is essential to advancing diversity and equity in higher education. To begin to address this gap, a systematic literature review of empirical studies following the PRISMA framework was conducted on first generation college students and family support; the literature was critically reviewed and future directions for the field were identified. Applying a critical, cultural, and familial lens to the study of first-generation college students will contribute to reframing the research narrative towards an asset-based narrative.

scholarly journals Fixity and flux: A critique of competing approaches to researching contemporary Jewish identities

2018 ◽  
Vol 65 (1) ◽  
pp. 97-113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maxim GM Samson ◽  
Robert M Vanderbeck ◽  
Nichola Wood
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Research ◽  
Jewish Identity ◽  
Social Processes ◽  
Internal Dynamics ◽  
Personal Significance

Jewish identities are becoming increasingly pluralised due to internal dynamics within Judaism and wider social processes such as secularisation, globalisation and individualisation. However, empirical research on contemporary Jewish identities often continues to adopt restrictive methodological and conceptual approaches that reify Jewish identity and portray it as a ‘product’ for educational providers and others to pass to younger generations. Moreover, these approaches typically impose identities upon individuals, often as a form of collective affiliation, without addressing their personal significance. In response, this article argues for increased recognition of the multiple and fluid nature of personal identities in order to investigate the diverse ways in which Jews live and perform their Jewishness. Paying greater attention to personal identities facilitates recognition of the intersections between different forms of identity, enabling more complex understandings of the ways in which individuals both define their own identities and contribute to redefining the boundaries of Jewishness.

The Big-Fish-Little-Pond Effect

2005 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 137-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulrich Trautwein ◽  
Oliver Lüdtke
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Research ◽  
Educational Outcomes ◽  
Reference Group ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Large Body ◽  
Self Concept ◽  
Achievement Level ◽  
Educational Implications ◽  
Reference Group Effects ◽  
Group Effects

Summary: Reference group effects on self-concept have been examined in a multitude of empirical studies in various educational settings. Effects of this kind have been most rigorously demonstrated by Herbert W. Marsh, who introduced the term big-fish-little-pond effect (BFLPE) to describe the finding that students' self-concept is negatively affected by the achievement level of other students in the same class or school. The phenomenon of the BFLPE is supported by a large body of empirical research. In this contribution, we first discuss mechanisms underlying the BFLPE. Second, we address reference group effects on educational outcomes other than self-concept. Finally, we briefly discuss educational implications of the BFLPE.

scholarly journals Social Sciences, Complexity and Sociology of the Present in Edgar Morin

2019 ◽  
pp. 41-52
Author(s):  
Alex Galeno ◽  
Fagner Torres de França
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Empirical Research ◽  
Social Phenomena ◽  
Open Method ◽  
Complex Thinking ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Matrix ◽  
Narrative Ability ◽  
Epistemological Basis

The article intends to revisit the contribution of the french thinker Edgar Morin (1921-) to the construction of a plural and open method of research in Social Sciences. We will have as theoretical-epistemological basis the sociology of the present, an approach of social phenomena developed by the author during three decades, from the 1940s to the 1970s, constituting the matrix of complex thinking. The present work defends the idea that the central categories of the present sociology, such as phenomenon, crisis and event, as well as the so-called living method of empirical research are still fundamental today in the sense of proposing an opening of the social sciences to phenomena increasingly more complex and multidimensional. This presupposes the researcher's subjective and objective engagement, narrative ability, and sensitivity to grasp revealing detail.

scholarly journals Propagation of Economic Inequality Through Reciprocity and Reputation

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 604-613 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leor M. Hackel ◽  
Jamil Zaki
Keyword(s):  
Reinforcement Learning ◽  
Side Effect ◽  
Formal Model ◽  
Economic Inequality ◽  
Social Processes ◽  
Social Phenomena ◽  
Potential Side Effect ◽  
Economic Games ◽  
Broad Scale

Reciprocity and reputation are powerful tools for encouraging cooperation on a broad scale. Here, we highlight a potential side effect of these social phenomena: exacerbating economic inequality. In two novel economic games, we manipulated the amount of money with which participants were endowed and then gave them the opportunity to share resources with others. We found that people reciprocated more toward higher-wealth givers, compared with lower-wealth givers, even when those givers were equally generous. Wealthier givers also achieved better reputations than less wealthy ones and therefore received more investments in a social marketplace. These discrepancies were well described by a formal model of reinforcement learning: Individuals who weighted monetary outcomes, rather than generosity, when learning about interlocutors also most strongly helped wealthier individuals. This work demonstrates that reciprocity and reputation—although globally increasing prosociality—can widen wealth gaps and provides a precise account of how inequality grows through social processes.

TERRITORIAL COMMUNITIES IN A SPACE OF A METROPOLIS. ON THE QUESTION OF TERMS

2020 ◽  
pp. 102-111
Author(s):  
Evgenia I. Gromova ◽  
◽  
Alexandra O. Lazukina ◽  
Valeria I. Terentieva ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Literature ◽  
Modern Society ◽  
Social Processes ◽  
Special Significance ◽  
Social Phenomena ◽  
The Social

The article analyzes scientific literature on the topic of the significance of the transformation of territorial communities in the space of a metropolis. It is shown that there are systemic difficulties in the analysis of a number of social phenomena due to the lack of generally accepted formulations of such concepts as “territorial communities”, “megalopolis space” and the differences between the concepts of “territory” and “space”. It is concluded that the aforementioned definitions should be determined by the social processes that occur in modern society, since today they acquire special significance as independent scientific categories in assessing both individual events caused by short-sighted decisions of the authorities and growing negative social phenomena in the form of protest behaviors that result from them.

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