Social, Systemic, Individual-Medical or Cultural? Questionnaire on the Concepts of Disability Among Teacher Education Students

The individual-medical concept of disability, whereby disability is believed to be caused by some intractable impairment, is perhaps the most widely held view in society. However, other concepts exist with which teachers in inclusive schools should be familiar (e.g., social, systemic), to better inform teacher behavior, attitudes and understanding. We therefore developed an instrument to capture education students’ concepts of disability. We constructed the questionnaire according to four theoretical models of disability (individual-medical, social, systemic, and cultural concepts), which are commonly used in inclusive teacher education, and validated this on a sample of 775 education students. Additionally, we administered the Attitudes towards Inclusion Scale (AIS) and measured key demographic variables. The instruments, data and analysis code used are available online at https://osf.io/dm4cs/. After dropping redundant items, a shortened form of the questionnaire contained 16 items, with satisfactory psychometric values for scales pertaining to four concepts of disability (CFI = 0.963, TLI = 0.955, RMSEA = 0.037, SRMR = 0.039). These four concepts of disability showed small correlations with the AIS, indicating that our questionnaire measured an independent construct. The more experience education students had with disability and the more courses they had attended on inclusive education, the more likely they were to agree with the social concept of disability. The questionnaire shows promise in measuring concepts of disability and might be used to stimulate students’ critical reflection during teacher education.

Cultural Concept in Furniture Design: Perceptions, Issues and Challenges

Sarawak Borneo has long been known for its diverse culture and multi-ethnicity, which is reflected in its arts and crafts. Pua Kumbu and Orang Ulu are famous visual motifs that can be seen on many products from Sarawak, including textiles and paintings, which could potentially be integrated into furniture design as cultural elements. The purpose of this study was to identify the perception, issues and challenges of cultural concepts embedded in furniture design from the perspective of manufacturers, designers and the public. In-depth interviews, surveys and observation were the three qualitative research methods applied in this study at MIFF 2018 and MIFF 2019. In general, the findings from the surveys done in 2018 and 2019 show that manufacturers, designers and consumers agree that cultural elements can be a unique feature and a competitive advantage for furniture design. A range of furniture designs that feature different cultural elements, such as local materials, colors, stories and history, are discussed in this article, which is expected to inspire designers and manufacturers to experiment and explore this approach in furniture. However, to achieve this, manufacturers and designers have to have their own views and strategies on how they interpret cultural-related elements in furniture, based on their consumers’ interests and global market needs.

Intersections of class, race and place

This essay presents an analysis of place references in the spontaneous talk of young Londoners from a range of socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds. These place references function as ‘cultural concepts’ (Silverstein 2004) which index multilayered meanings well beyond their denotations, constituting important resources for speakers’ local and supralocal positionings. The essay argues that ‘place’ is an important filter for our experience of language, gender and sexuality and provides scholars with a valuable point of departure for explorations of intersectional identities.

The English - Indonesian Adaptation of Cultural Terminologies, Vocabularies and Phrases in Webster’s Reflection on Raden Ajeng Kartini

The aim of the research is to analyze the adaptation of terminologies, vocabularies and phrases from English to Indonesian. The research was descriptive qualitative research in order to answer the research problem definitely. The data of the study were taken from a biography written by Tracy Wright Webster entitled Reflection on Raden Ajeng Kartini, while the translation is done by the author itself. The total number of data found was 75 Javanese cultural concepts. Then, the data were grouped into several culture categories before presented in the analysis. The result shows that there are three basic aspects that determine the translator in carrying the adaptation strategy with the Javanese culture. Those aspects are cultural factor, linguistic factor and the translator's preference. The aspects influencing the translation strategy that the translator carries is language and Indonesian modern history. In conclusion, the translation strategy of adaptation that is carried by the translator is actually dynamic. It is because in translating the Javanese cultural concepts are alternated or even hybridized, depending upon the translator's intention whether she wants to introduce the cultural concepts to the TL reader or not. However, apart from the limitation of the biography of Reflection on Raden Ajeng Kartini translation, the English version is still important for foreigners to know more about Indonesian history, culture and society.

Bridging Cultural Concepts of Nature: Indigenous People and Protected Spaces of Nature

National parks and other preserved spaces of nature have become iconic symbols of nature protection around the world. However, the worldviews of Indigenous peoples have been marginalized in discourses of nature preservation and conservation. As a result, for generations of Indigenous peoples, these protected spaces of nature have meant dispossession, treaty violations of hunting and fishing rights, and the loss of sacred places. Bridging Cultural Concepts of Nature brings together anthropologists and archaeologists, historians, linguists, policy experts, and communications scholars to discuss differing views and presents a compelling case for the possibility of more productive discussions on the environment, sustainability, and nature protection. Drawing on case studies from Scandinavia to Latin America and from North America to New Zealand, the volume challenges the old paradigm where Indigenous peoples are not included in the conservation and protection of natural areas and instead calls for the incorporation of Indigenous voices into this debate. This original and timely edited collection offers a global perspective on the social, cultural, economic, and environmental challenges facing Indigenous peoples and their governmental and NGO counterparts in the co-management of the planet’s vital and precious preserved spaces of nature.

Teaching Culture through Language

One socio-cultural aspect of the Korean language that foreign learners may encounter early is the extensive use of kinship terms in communicative situations. Korean kinship terms are carriers of important cultural information, thus misunderstandings or even breakdowns in communication are likely to happen if one lacks exposure to the cultural conceptualizations of these terms. Following the paradigm shift towards emphasizing intercultural communicative competence development in foreign language classrooms, the present study explores why teaching kinship terms in a Korean language classroom is important. The study presents an overview of the kinship terminological system and its relation to the cultural concepts and value system of Koreans, examines the current teaching situation of kinship terms primarily through language textbooks, and considers specific aspects that may affect the teaching of these terms. The study finds that insufficient attention is given to kinship terms, even though they are one of the most frequently used terms of address and reference. It is proposed that greater emphasis should be given to teaching kinship terms; furthermore, it is suggested that teachers should actively guide students to acquire the essential cultural knowledge about kinship terms.

The Problems Of Translating Cultural Concepts into Another Language: On The Example Of Tuvan Cultural Concepts

The article presents an analysis of the problems of cultural transfer in the translation of two editions of M.B. Kenin-Lopsans monograph devoted to the description of Tuvan traditions in the Tuvan language Tyva chanchyl. Tyva chonnun ydyktyg chanchyldary [Tuvan traditions. Tuvan folk sacred traditions] 1994 and 1999, in the publication in Russian Tuvan folk traditions 2006. The authors note that cultural transfer causes changes in meanings, adaptations of information not only due to the fact that the translator does not have sufficient linguistic culture. The translator can be a natural bilingual who has been fluent in two languages since childhood, both linguistic cultures can be equivalent. Thus, the translated edition was prepared by two bilingual translators under the editorship of two Tuvan-Russian bilingual writers. But, nevertheless, the linguistic means of Russian culture cannot convey a number of Tuvan terms and expressions, and this imposes restrictions on translations. The authors show these examples by grouping the transformations of cultural transfer into four types of problems: distortion of meanings; incomplete transmission of information; disappearance of semantic constructions; inability to translate non-equivalent vocabulary. Phrases from the Tuvan text of M.B. Kenin-Lopsan, versions of the translated edition are given, and in some cases a more successful translation, according to the authors of the article, is proposed.

The Early Childhood Curriculum (2009) In Vietnam: Tensions In The First Three Years Of Implementation

<p>In 2009 the Vietnamese Government introduced the new Early Childhood Curriculum (ECC) to replace the Reformed Early Childhood Curriculum (RECC) that was in place between 1994 and 2009. The ECC presents a new image of the child as an agentic, competent, and self-directed learner for a globalised society. Recent research on the implementation of the ECC has focused on the teachers‘ reconceptualising of traditional ways of teaching to meet new official aspirations without acknowledging teachers‘ perceptions of intrinsic valued concepts within both the RECC and the ECC. In addition, there has been limited investigation of how this implementation has been carried out in practice. This study fills these gaps by investigating how teachers are experiencing the transition from the RECC to the ECC. A mixed-method approach was used, which involved a questionnaire sent to 472 respondent teachers followed by an in-depth exploration of six case-study teachers‘ experiences in three early childhood education centres. Data was interpreted using a socio-cultural approach and informed by the principles from Social Reconstruction ideology, which views education as a cultural, political and social tool to foster changes in society (Schiro, 2008). The study revealed that the teachers held dichotomous beliefs about the valued concepts in the ECC and used conflicting approaches within their theories of practice as they implemented the new curriculum. Teachers‘ age, qualification, and working position appeared to be significantly related to their implementation of the ECC in their early childhood centre. In addition, the study found the partnership between teachers and parents was not a strong one in jointly realising the Government‘s aspirations of preparing young children for life-long learning and holistic development. Hybrid forms of teaching practice emerged, illustrating the tensions for teachers created by the incompatibilities between the ideal and the reality as the implementation of the Western educational ideology in the ECC encountered deeply embedded Vietnamese cultural concepts. This study argues that despite teachers‘ acceptance of the aspirations of the ECC, traditional cultural concepts — including an emphasis on academic education, a traditional concept of collectivism and an ingrained social hierarchy — acted to create tensions, as well as challenges, for teachers who found themselves caught between the ideals of the new curriculum and the constraints placed upon them by their traditional working culture. Additionally, professional development for teachers and administrators were found to be a significant factor that either facilitated or reduced the tensions. Implications of how to improve the implementation of the ECC are presented.</p>

The Early Childhood Curriculum (2009) In Vietnam: Tensions In The First Three Years Of Implementation

<p>In 2009 the Vietnamese Government introduced the new Early Childhood Curriculum (ECC) to replace the Reformed Early Childhood Curriculum (RECC) that was in place between 1994 and 2009. The ECC presents a new image of the child as an agentic, competent, and self-directed learner for a globalised society. Recent research on the implementation of the ECC has focused on the teachers‘ reconceptualising of traditional ways of teaching to meet new official aspirations without acknowledging teachers‘ perceptions of intrinsic valued concepts within both the RECC and the ECC. In addition, there has been limited investigation of how this implementation has been carried out in practice. This study fills these gaps by investigating how teachers are experiencing the transition from the RECC to the ECC. A mixed-method approach was used, which involved a questionnaire sent to 472 respondent teachers followed by an in-depth exploration of six case-study teachers‘ experiences in three early childhood education centres. Data was interpreted using a socio-cultural approach and informed by the principles from Social Reconstruction ideology, which views education as a cultural, political and social tool to foster changes in society (Schiro, 2008). The study revealed that the teachers held dichotomous beliefs about the valued concepts in the ECC and used conflicting approaches within their theories of practice as they implemented the new curriculum. Teachers‘ age, qualification, and working position appeared to be significantly related to their implementation of the ECC in their early childhood centre. In addition, the study found the partnership between teachers and parents was not a strong one in jointly realising the Government‘s aspirations of preparing young children for life-long learning and holistic development. Hybrid forms of teaching practice emerged, illustrating the tensions for teachers created by the incompatibilities between the ideal and the reality as the implementation of the Western educational ideology in the ECC encountered deeply embedded Vietnamese cultural concepts. This study argues that despite teachers‘ acceptance of the aspirations of the ECC, traditional cultural concepts — including an emphasis on academic education, a traditional concept of collectivism and an ingrained social hierarchy — acted to create tensions, as well as challenges, for teachers who found themselves caught between the ideals of the new curriculum and the constraints placed upon them by their traditional working culture. Additionally, professional development for teachers and administrators were found to be a significant factor that either facilitated or reduced the tensions. Implications of how to improve the implementation of the ECC are presented.</p>

Ethno-Linguo-Cultural Specificity of Russian Official Concept “Court” in Europeanization Era

The article considers the nominative field of the concept "court" in the history of the Russian official language on the material of legislative documents of the 18 th century. The subject of the study is the relationship between the official segment of the concept "court" and the ordinary segment in the context of ethnic mentality. The hypothesis of ethno-cultural neutrality of the official segment has been tested. Special attention is paid to the evaluation nominations of the concept, their syncretsemia is revealed. The activity of non-terminological, morally and religiously marked nominations in relation to terms is found. Functional-semantic insufficiency of legal categories, their stable connection with moral and ethical categories in legal language consciousness is shown. Domination of semantic and conceptual constituents "truthful", "righteous / decent", "fair" over "legal" is established. The functional weakness of the conceptual sphere "law" is noted. The traditional ethno-specific perception of legal language consciousness is stated as predominance of moral and ethical concepts "truth", "righteousness", "fairness", "good", "conscience", "soul" over the "law". A high degree of ethno-cultural marking of the official segment of the concept "court" with a dominant meliorative valuation was noted. The analysis of the ordinary segment of the concept "court" in Russian paremiology revealed the above mentioned ethno-cultural concepts with a prevailing pejorative estimate. The coincidence of the justice pattern in the official and ordinary legal consciousness is noted.