Self-regulated learning, self-determination theory and teacher candidates’ development of competency-based teaching practices

Self-regulated promoting practices foster students’ development of metacognition, motivation and strategic action. These underlying learning competencies improve students' academic, social, emotional and career outcomes. Although beneficial, the development of self-regulated promoting practices is challenging, particularly for teacher candidates. This article describes self-regulated learning practices and how motivational supports for teacher candidates' self-determined motivation creates contextual conditions that foster teacher candidates’ development of these practices. The article concludes with suggestions for future research.

An Assessment Framework for the Transformation of Mobility 4.0 in Smart Cities

Investing in digital transformation turns out to be a strategic action to tackle contemporary issues and to improve competitiveness for enterprises. The high variability of options in the digital transformation process enforces a higher complexity level in configuring and setting up objectives and goals based on cities’ needs; hence, a systematic approach is required to assist decision makers for better and sustainable transformation. A reference model is described in this paper to support decision makers with comprehensive assessment data for digital transformation cities transport. The proposed reference model assesses the cities based on digital transformation of transport services to assist policy makers for better decisions in transforming the Mobility 4.0. The proposed model in this study functions as a knowledge-based systematic framework for assessing the capabilities of the cities, diagnosing their needs under given circumstances and identifying the best fitting workflow for digital transformation of urban transportation systems and related services. The reference model takes on board a group of smart city indices with respective assessment criteria in determining a smartness level of transportation components. A conceptual 4-tier smartness scale has been proposed to establish a consistent assessment subject to cities circumstances in many respects. The reference model has been formalised into a mathematical model to characterise the assessments. The mathematical model encompasses strategic assessments by experts to identify priorities of investments in the digitalization process, which are aligned with strategic goals and policies of cities’ management.

Financial self-sufficiency of local budgets in the context of realization of financial decentralization reform

The article highlights the current state of the formation of local budgets in the context of decentralization of financial resources, taking into account the changes made to the budget and tax legislation, the analysis of the revenue and expenditure parts of the local budget is carried out. On the basis of the study, the problems and ways of strengthening the financial base of local self-government bodies have been identified. The main tasks of budget decentralization have been formulated. The sources of filling and problems in the field of formation of local budgets in Ukraine are indicated. According to the Strategic Action Plan of the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine for 2018–2021. the key priorities of Ukraine in the field of public finance management are the efficient execution of budgets and the optimization of resource allocation between the levels of the budgetary system. The fulfillment of these tasks is also the focus of the reform of financial decentralization, which began in Ukraine in 2015 and is aimed at strengthening the financial self-sufficiency of territorial communities. Over the first five years of the implementation of this reform, the share of local bud gets in the consolidated budget of Ukraine has increased from 18.5 % in 2015 to 23.3 % as of June 1, 2020, the share of local budgets' own revenues in GDP – from 5, 1 % to 6.7 % over the same period. However, despite certain positive developments, local budgets are still more than 46 % dependent on transfers from the state budget, which indicates the need for further transformation of the local finance system aimed at strengthening the independence and financial self-sufficiency of local budgets. At the same time, the revealed patterns also indicate the existence of problematic aspects in the formation of the revenue side of local budgets, which actualizes the need to revise the structure of local taxes and fees, as well as the powers of local governments in the field of their appointment, increase deductions from national taxes and fees to local budgets., and, at the same time, popularization of local borrowing and carrying out mass explanatory work on the organizational aspects of this process and optimizing the use of borrowed funds. These measures will increase the level of concentration of funds in local budgets and, accordingly, balance the processes of decentralization of income and expenditure, turning territorial communities into more independent and autonomous participants in budgetary and economic relations.

Bring Your Own Politics: Life Strategies and Mobilization in Response to Urban Redevelopment

This article contributes to social movement literature and theories of strategic action by making the case for an analytic distinction between habitual and intentional life strategies, namely the ways in which people pursue what they value in life. Housing strategies are one example of life strategies. The distinction helps explain how political players, including social movements, bring about social change (or preserve the status quo) by changing or reinforcing people’s minds and their preferred ways of action. They can achieve their goals by first recognizing these habitual strategies, and then prompting people to articulate or adjust them during interactive, group-level situations. My analysis relies on a qualitative study of Renovation, a controversial urban renewal project in Moscow. I examine how Muscovites revisited, articulated and sometimes revised their housing strategies in response to the surprising, and for some, shocking announcement of the relocation project.

Creative regulatory practices to develop stem-cell technology: the way forward for Malaysia

Malaysia aspires to develop regenerative medicine through stem-cell technology. It needs a regulatory system that could facilitate development and prevent unethical practices. A comparative legal analysis on the regulation of stem-cell technology, with a focus on stem-cell research in Malaysia and selected Commonwealth countries that are experienced in regulating this complex technology, demonstrates that the selected Commonwealth countries have adopted a hybrid of different regulatory mechanisms. This paper argues that Malaysia should consider adopting a similar approach to equip relevant authorities with different regulatory mechanisms that are able to promote innovation in stem-cell research activities and cultivate a successful and profitable regenerative medicine industry in the future. Such a strategic action can produce an optimal regulatory outcome and help Malaysia to realize its aspiration.

Using Test Positivity Rate (TPR) as an Indicator for Strategic Action in COVID-19: A Situational Analysis in Kerala, India

Administrators and policymakers have relied on test positivity rate (TPR) for making policy decisions regarding local, regional, and national lockdowns. It has the advantage of easily available data with an easy technique for calculation on day-to-day basis. However, concerns are being raised regarding its use as a sole indicator for determining movement restrictions and lockdowns. The present review provides a perspective of the alterations in TPR in Kasaragod district of Kerala during the first half of 2021. The variations in the number of antigen and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (rt-PCR) tests along with the trend of proportion of rt-PCR test are depicted. In places like Kerala where primary care system and contact tracing is comparatively robust than several other regions, testing the appropriate persons in a timely fashion alone is sufficient to cause an upswing in the TPR. Rather than daily change, the overall change in a larger time frame of 1 to 2 weeks could give early warning regarding the emergence of a new wave. TPR alone may not be able to reflect the transmission patterns of COVID-19. Using 7-day median value of TPR along with weekly tests done per 10,000 population, 7-day rolling average of active cases per 10,000 population, or daily number of new positive cases per 10,000 population could bring out a more composite indicator. Such an indicator reflecting the disease dynamics at regional levels will enable people to improve their livelihood without compromising on COVID-19.

Making ideas actionable in institutionalism: the case of trade liberalization in Kennedy's foreign economic policy

This article challenges exclusively rationalist accounts of and offers a complementary explanation for the emergence of liberal trade policy in the Kennedy administration. I draw on recent insights in constructivist institutionalism to emphasize the need to take agency seriously in institutionalist research. Using archival records, I analyze the decisive role Kennedy's advisers played as carriers of ideas in advocating for liberal trade policy by ‘constructing the national interest’, thus convincing a reticent president to support attempts aimed at achieving closer economic integration, culminating in the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. Insights from their role as advisers can help in specifying the role of agency in the ideas and institutional change literature, through strategic action which shaped a political leader's belief and put political issues on the agenda. By grasping agency in terms of making ideas actionable, an important step is taken in advancing endogenous approaches of institutional change.