Poly- and/or Multiculturality of Future Teachers in Foreign Language Instruction: Methodological Facet

The article considers some methodological approaches that underlie the research and study of questions connected to education and cultivation of polyculturality and multiculturality of / with future teachers in foreign language instruction in higher education. In particular, the focuses are with the study and discussion of the culturological and axiological approaches to complement synthesis and analysis, induction and deduction, etc. It is believed that it is philosophy, which seeks to act as a coordinator of interactions between others and their own - the implementation of the subjects’ understanding of their practical value, normative and cognitive behaviors in the general cultural space. To this part, philosophical thinking converges with the social action theories, where the purpose is to create a productive exchange of meanings, values ??and concepts between subjects in an interaction, in which such subjects are seen ‘engaged agents’ rather than ‘puppets’ of the society.

An Account of Intensional and Extensional Actions, and its Application to Belief, Nondeterministic Actions and Fallible Sensors

In general, an agent may have incomplete and inaccurate knowledge about its environment. As well, actions may not turn out as intended or may have nondeterministic effects, and sensors may on occasion give incorrect results. We present a general, qualitative approach to reasoning about action and change in such a setting. The approach is expressed as an extension to basic action theories in the situation calculus, where an agent's epistemic state is modelled by a set of situations, where each situation is assigned a non-negative integer representing its plausibility. The agent's epistemic state is updated by modifying these plausibility values after the execution of an action, taking into account the possibility of unexpected results. To this end, we consider actions to have an intensional aspect, under the control of and determined by the agent, and an extensional aspect, not directly accessible to the agent and controlled by "nature". This leads to two distinct but related related notions of belief, an extensional "bird's eye" view which models an agent's beliefs wrt actually-executed actions, and an intensional view representing beliefs from the agent's point of view. We argue that the approach is significantly more general and comprehensive than previous accounts, and leads to a unified view of failed actions and nondeterminism with respect to physical and sensing actions.

Design Science Research to Produce Instrumental Knowledge for Evidence-Based Practice in OCD

Evidence-based practice (EBP) is a promising approach to improve professional action. EBP is the use of the best available knowledge in professional problem-solving, in particular the best available knowledge produced by research. EBP has much promise for organizational change and development (OCD). However, for successful EBP, one needs a well-developed knowledge base of instrumental knowledge (i.e., knowledge-to-act). Unfortunately, academic OCD research is strong in developing conceptual knowledge (i.e., knowledge-to-understand) but rather weak in instrumental knowledge. In this chapter, design science research (DSR) is discussed: a research strategy to develop instrumental knowledge in the form of designs for effective interventions, processes, or systems to improve present practices. These designs are developed through experiential learning by executing a number of problem-solving projects in the messy “swamp of practice,” often executed in partnerships with professionals. Embedded-in-action theories can be powerful inputs for EBP, thus improving the practice of OCD.

Witgenstein on intention and theory of action

In the article we examine Wittgenstein's notes on several action theories in general context of intentional states. We show (based on the articles of Michael Scott) that the kinesthetic theory of action and theories of innervation, which were the object of criticism of Wittgenstein, do not play an essential role for understanding Wittgenstein's texts and therefore in this case the influence of historical and philosophical reconstruction on the understanding of Wittgenstein's corresponding notes can be considered insignificant. Late Wittgenstein's texts are directed against comparatively universal methodological and metaphysical principles. And therefore, criticism of theories of action can only serve as an optional illustration and an optional precondition for interpretation and understanding.

Rethinking Suicide Risk With a New Generation of Suicide Theories

BackgroundSuicide is a global concern to nurses and other health-care providers. However, deaths by suicide are only part of the spectrum of suicide, as suicidal thinking and behaviors may precede a suicide attempt. Theoretical models are used infrequently in research to explain how the individual progresses from suicidal ideation to a suicide attempt. Thus, there is a critical need to advance the study of suicide with useful theoretical models to describe and explain processes whereby suicidal thoughts transition to attempts and to suicide.PurposeThis article provides a conceptual discussion and scoping review comparing historical and contemporary ideation-to-action theories of suicide.MethodSystematic reviews and meta-analyses from three databases (CINAHL, JSTOR, and PsychINFO) were reviewed to find literature describing suicide theories.ResultsHistorically, theory applications have limited capacity to differentiate between those individuals with suicidal ideations and those who attempt suicide. Newer theories, grounded in the ideation-to-action framework, propose distinct processes explaining what moves an individual from suicidal ideations toward suicidal behaviors.Implications for PracticeThe ideation-to-action theories can guide health-care providers' assessment of at-risk individuals beyond merely asking about suicidal thinking.ConclusionThe new generation of suicide theories suggest that suicidal ideations are only one component of risk. The common factor in ideation-to-action theories that distinguishes ideators from attempters is the acquired capability for suicide.

Under What Conditions are Students Willing to Protest? Selective Incentives, Production Functions, and Grievances

This article tests a theory of student protest based on collective action theories. Drawing on rational choice theories of selective incentives, critical mass theories of production functions, and social psychological theories of protest, the present article specifies a theory of willingness to protest. To test our model, we administer a factorial survey experiment of student protest to a random sample of undergraduate students. We find that both the perceived likelihood of a protest’s success and one’s intention to protest are affected by the magnitude of the grievance, selective rewards and punishments, and the number of participants. The latter effect suggests a decelerating production function. Finally, we find that the likelihood of success mediates much of the effect of social context on intention to protest, implying that actors consider the effects of incentives not only on their own behavior but also on the behavior of others.

Rational Powers in Action

Human actions unfold over time, in pursuit of ends that are not fully specified in advance. Rational Powers in Action locates these features of the human condition at the heart of a new theory of instrumental rationality. Where many theories of rational agency focus on instantaneous choices between sharply defined outcomes, treating the temporally extended and partially open-ended character of action as an afterthought, this book argues that the deep structure of instrumental rationality can only be understood if we see how it governs the pursuit of long-term, indeterminate ends. These are ends that cannot be realized through a single momentary action, and whose content leaves partly open what counts as realizing the end. For example, one cannot simply write a book through an instantaneous choice to do so; over time, one must execute a variety of actions to realize one’s goal of writing a book, where one may do a better or worse job of attaining that goal, and what counts as succeeding at it is not fully determined in advance. Even to explain the rational governance of much less ambitious actions like making dinner, this book argues that we need to focus on temporal duration and the indeterminacy of ends in intentional action. Theories of moment-by-moment preference maximization, or indeed any understanding of instrumental rationality on the basis of momentary mental items, cannot capture the fundamental structure of our instrumentally rational capacities. This book puts forward a theory of instrumental rationality as rationality in action.

Análise de limites dos sistemas de contabilidade e controle para o enfretamento do problema da corrupção sistêmica no Brasil: lições dos casos da Suécia e da Itália

This article seeks to understand the reasons for the persistence of corruption in the Brazilian federal government, despite strong public accounting and financial control systems in the country. More than two-thirds of the states in the world, including Brazil, face the challenge of plundering public finances by political, economic, and bureaucratic elites. In this context, the exclusive use of the dominant approach of economic theories for the structuring of public control systems is limited. It is more appropriate to consider corruption as a problem of collective action. Hence, the theoretical reference chosen includes Bourdieu’s theory of practice and Tocqueville’s and Ostrom’s collective action theories, as they have been understood respectively by Mungiu-Pippidi and Rothstein. The methodological strategy adopted is an exploratory analysis of the cases of contemporary day Brazil, based on the lessons learned from nineteenth-century Sweden, and Italy in the 1990s. The results indicated that overcoming systemic corruption requires more than control systems. It demands, at least, a trigger to disrupt the perverse social imbalance, institutional capacity to offer normative effectiveness and a cohesive and active civil society.

Resisting Democratic Backsliding: Malawi’s Experience in Comparative Perspective

Why does collective resistance to democratic backsliding emerge in some contexts and not others? The experience of Malawi in 2011–2012 offers an opportunity to explore this question. In the face of attacks on democratic rights and institutions, large-scale popular and civil society mobilization challenged the government’s authoritarian tendencies. Drawing on collective action theories and comparing Malawi’s experience to that of Zambia, VonDoepp argues that Malawi’s resistance arose in an environment that was favorable to its emergence. Economic conditions had generated grievances against government, polarization remained modest, and civil society organizations benefitted from credibility and the presence of allies that facilitated activism.