The Cultural Cognitive Development of Personal Beliefs and Classroom Behaviours of Adult Language Instructors: A Qualitative Inquiry

The researcher employed personal belief system (PBS) theory as the theoretical foundation for this study because it holds that teachers’ PBSs may influence their teaching behaviours, teaching styles, and pedagogies in classroom practice due to cultural influences. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how teachers’ personal beliefs influence how they teach and how their approach may align with or diverge from cultural expectations in a private adult learning facility for English learning in Macau Special Administrative Region, China. The participants in this study were classroom teachers in a learning community who believe in collaborating to create environments for best practices. Two main research questions guided this study: (1) What is the relationship between teachers’ personal belief systems and their classroom practice; and (2) How does a teacher’s educational experience as a K-12 student affect their pedagogy in an adult English language learning program? Three types of data collection methods were employed: interview, classroom observation, and field note taking. The findings showed that teachers utilize their personal belief systems to engage their students through interactive teaching strategies, which was counter-intuitive for both teachers and students who had been taught with Eastern teaching styles. This study contributed to personal belief system theory and broadens the understanding of the perspectives and concepts of English teaching and supervision. The beliefs of teachers influenced their understanding of teaching and their classroom practices.

Factors Affecting Employees’ Religiosity at the Public Workplace in Kepulauan Riau, Indonesia

Currently, religiosity has become an emerging topic in the literature of public administration. Most research examines the dimensions of religiosity and their relationships with various organizational dimensions. Much less attention, however, has been paid to analyze the factors affecting employees’ religiosity, particularly in the context of public organization. Therefore, this study investigates the critical factors affecting employees’ religiosity. This study is conducted on 262 public servants in the Government of Kepulauan Riau Province. An extensive literature and questionnaire were used to identify the factors affecting employees’ religiosity. This study applied statistical methods with ranking and factor analyses to verify and analyze the factors. Ranking analysis results the most important factors, namely family religious activity. Factor analysis constructs 5 components, including personal belief system, implementing religious belief, family religiousness, religious practices, and belief on the death. Theoretical, methodological, and practical implications are provided in the light of these findings.

Self-Care is Soul Care

At the heart of soul care is self-care. Being able to love God and love others is rooted in how we love ourselves. Each person’s understanding of self-care is informed by their personal belief system and their implementation practices. This article will provide a multi-phasic model that describes the self-care journey and focuses on how to implement self-care practices. A key distinction of this model is that it is used in an ongoing fashion. To avoid confusion between beliefs and practice, attention will be given to the decision-making process for self-care implementation. Specific activities that address the physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and relational parts of people will be discussed. The article will also consider the nuances of assessing self-care and why it is important to value self-care, which is in keeping with the greatest commandments provided by Jesus in Mark 12:28–30.