Exploring Racialized Factors to Understand Why Black Mathematics Teachers Consider Leaving the Profession

Research on the attrition of teachers of color suggests that, under certain organizational conditions, they leave teaching at higher rates than other teachers. Additionally, research has identified microaggressions experienced by Black teachers. Building on the literature, we explored how racism and microaggressions may help us understand Black mathematics teachers’ attrition. We designed and administered the Black Teachers of Mathematics Perceptions Survey and found that teachers’ experiences of microaggressions accounted for most of the variance in our modeling of teachers’ thoughts of leaving the profession. These data reveal that anti-Black, racist microaggressions should be addressed as organizational conditions to be mitigated. From a critical quantitative perspective, the data reveal sociocultural and sociopolitical influences that often go unnoticed in large-scale policy work.

Flattening the curve is flattening the complexity of covid-19

Since the February 2020 publication of the article ‘Flattening the curve’ in The Economist, political leaders worldwide have used this expression to legitimize the introduction of social distancing measures in fighting Covid-19. In fact, this expression represents a complex combination of three components: the shape of the epidemic curve, the social distancing measures and the reproduction number $$ \mathscr{R}_{0}$$ R 0 . Each component has its own history, each with a different history of control. Presenting the control of the epidemic as flattening the curve is in fact flattening the underlying natural-social complexity. The curve that needs to be flattened is presented as a bell-shaped curve, implicitly suggesting that the pathogen’s spread is subject only to natural laws. The $$ \mathscr{R}$$ R value, however, is, fundamentally, a metric of how a pathogen behaves within a social context, namely its numerical value is affected by sociopolitical influences. The jagged and erratic empirical curve of Covid-19 illustrates this. Although the virus has most likely infected only a small portion of the total susceptible population, it is clear its shape has changed drastically. This changing shape is largely due to sociopolitical factors. These include shifting formal laws and policies, shifting individual behaviors as well as shifting various other social norms and practices. This makes the course of Covid-19 curve both erratic and unpredictable.

Discourses on public sector accounting reforms in China: A brief history (1949–2019)

This article investigates China’s recent reform to adopt accrual accounting in its public sector. It aims to offer an understanding of the sociopolitical influences that have shaped the reform by contextualising it against a history of Chinese government accounting practice and its surrounding discourses. Based on archival and published materials from the PRC between 1949 and 2019, this article examines antecedent discourses on government accounting from academic, government and news media sources. It uses the accounting discourse as a vantage point to understand the intellectual developments and discursive shifts that have since come to explain the recent Chinese government accounting reforms in connection to the Chinese context. While discourses leading up to the reforms seem to echo Western concerns of New Public Management on the surface, the analysis of this article demonstrates how the reforms respond to distinctly local pressures, ideas and objectives.

Relational influences on experiences with assisted dying: A scoping review

Background: Family members and healthcare providers play an integral role in a person’s assisted dying journey. Their own needs during the assisted dying journey are often, however, unrecognized and underrepresented in policies and guidelines. Circumstances under which people choose assisted dying, and relational contexts such as the sociopolitical environment, may influence the experiences of family members and healthcare providers. Ethical considerations: Ethics approval was not required to conduct this review. Aim: This scoping review aims to identify the relational influences on the experiences of family members and healthcare providers of adults who underwent assisted dying and of those unable to access assisted dying due to the loss of capacity to consent. Methods: A literature search was conducted in four databases, including MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) and PsycINFO. The search retrieved 12,074 articles, a number narrowed down to 172 articles for full-text screening. Thirty-six articles met the established inclusion criteria. A feminist relational framework guided the data analysis. Results: Five key themes on the influences of family members’ and healthcare providers’ experiences throughout the assisted dying process were synthesized from the data. They include (1) relationships as central to beginning the process, (2) social and political influences on decision making, (3) complex roles and responsibilities of family members and healthcare providers, (4) a unique experience of death, and (5) varying experiences following death. Conclusion: The feminist relational lens, used to guide analysis, shed light on the effect of the sociopolitical influences and the relationships among patients, families, and healthcare providers on each other’s experiences. Addressing the needs of the family members and healthcare providers is vital to improving the assisted dying process. Including families’ and healthcare providers’ needs within institutional policies and enhancing collaboration and communication among those involved could improve the overall experience.

Acoustic Similarity of Inner and Outer Circle Varieties of Child-Produced English Vowels

Purpose This article compares acoustic data of normally developing children from two dominant and one nondominant variety of English in order to determine phonetic proximity. Method The study focuses on one variety of American English (AE), one British English (BE) variety, and one Jamaican English (JE) variety owing to the historical and sociopolitical influences of both dominant varieties on JE. The work examines the four corner vowels (/a/, /ɑ/, /u:/, and /i:/) of the specified varieties. Speech from children aged 8–11 years was processed to extract duration, intensity, and fundamental frequency as well as the first three formants (F1, F2, and F3) of each vowel. Results Analysis of the acoustic variables showed, for the first time, that child-produced JE is phonetically closer to the variety of BE studied, than it is to the American variety. The acoustic properties of the child-produced JE vowels were found to be similar to those of adult-produced vowels, suggesting that, as has been shown for adult speech, there appears to be a limited impact of AE on JE. Conclusions This is the first acoustic study of children's speech to show that, despite the proximity to BE, the Jamaican variety is clearly a distinct variety of English. As the first study comparing AE, BE, and JE, the article provides experimental evidence of the acoustic differences in the varieties and points to the implications for automatic speech recognition and educational applications for children who speak JE.

Operating in a Constricted Space: Policy Actor Perceptions of Targeting to Address U.S. Health Disparities

Policy actors design and implement targeted interventions to eliminate disparities that exist between groups. Although necessary for achieving health equity, the use of targeting as a policy tool carries the potential for political backlash and social debate, which may influence whether and how policy actors use it. In this research, the authors examine policy actor perceptions regarding the use of targeting in the implementation of health policy. The authors conduct elite interviews with policy actors to better understand their work to design and implement interventions to address health disparities. Findings identify key tensions and trade-offs faced by policy actors related to targeting and reveal sociopolitical influences that shape whether and how targeted programs are considered, who receives them, and by what means they are delivered. The authors discuss the implications of the findings for the use of targeting and related marketing practices by policy actors to address health disparities and other significant public health concerns.

The "Chinese Learner": A Historical and Cultural Biography

There are two main factors that have contributed to the emergence of a modern educational phenomenon known as the "Chinese Leaner." The "Chinese learner" is described as, "...being obedient to authority, passive in class, lacking in critical thinking, and adopting inadequate learning strategies" (Clark & Gieve, 2006, p. 54). The concept of the "Chinese Learner" cannot be understood without understanding the historical and cultural roots that precede its emergence. This paper will address the cultural and sociopolitical influences that may underlie the descriptions commonly associated with Chinese students. Although culture is deeply embedded and influences individuals in their educational contexts, it is crucial to acknowledge that the "Chinese Learner" only exists when contrasted and applied to Westernized standards and ideals of education and learning. The "Chinese Learner" presents a paradox since many Chinese students rise above the stereotype of being superficial learners and perform quite well in their studies. This prompts one to use a more critical lens when evaluating whether or not being a "Chinese Learner" is at an advantage or disadvantage in the classroom. The paradox of the "Chinese Learner" leads to the realization that this construct is only possible in Western educational settings. Without the contrast between the two, there would be no such concept. Therefore, in order to understand the phenomenon of the "Chinese Learner," it is important to explore the cultural traditions, sociopolitical changes, and Western educational practices that are intertwined that allow for people to establish such a concept within a group of specific learners in the first place.

Exploring Nurses’ Meaning and Experiences of Compassion: An International Online Survey Involving 15 Countries

Purpose: In recent years, there has been much focus on compassion in nursing care, and concern has been raised in a number of reports and media stories regarding decreased compassion. The aim of this study was to explore similarities and differences in the understanding and demonstration of compassion in nursing practice across 15 countries. Design: A total of 1,323 nurses from 15 countries responded to questions in relation to compassion, via an international online survey. Results: The data revealed the impact of sociopolitical influences on perceptions of compassion, and the conscious and intentional nature of compassion. Discussion and Conclusion: The study demonstrated shared understandings of the importance of compassion as well as some common perceptions of the attributes of compassionate care. The differences reported were not as significant as had been expected. Implications for Practice: Further research is needed to explore the country and culture differences in the enactment of compassion.

Scaffolding Critical Reflectivity in Graduate Students

This presentation details findings from a study in the Advanced Studies in Teaching and Learning (ASTL) program. We studied the development of critical reflectivity in our graduate students over the span of five courses. Critical reflection is the act of analyzing and challenging one's assumptions and predispositions. This act is often very difficult for students who have been socialized to consider their experiences at face value and not necessarily analyze the broader sociopolitical influences on, and consequences of, their actions and experiences (Brookfield, 1990). To foster critical reflection in students, ASTL's core courses actively engage students in formal inquiry. Faculty also explicitly teach students about critical reflection by introducing them to a three-tier model of inquiry that is continually returned to throughout their core coursework. We framed reflection as a tangible construct and a skill to be developed; this framing aided students in establishing critical reflection as a habit of mind. To examine the development of critical reflection, faculty collected and analyzed formal writings of students. While conducting the study, the analysis also drove instructional changes. This ongoing research by faculty positions critical reflection as an endeavor undertaken by all, not just students. By systematically analyzing students' reflective writings, faculty found themselves engaging in critical reflection about their own practice.