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“To be Queer, to be in dating apps, to be Queer in dating apps”:biographical queerness and the creation of safety strategies in online dating behind stigma and fears of Italian LGBTQ+ young adults
No full textThis study examines the experiences of Italian LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and/or Queer) young adults (aged 19-35) navigating safety in online dating apps in the context of growing sociocultural challenges. Situating itself in the study of digital intimacies, the research explores how platform affordances, societal norms, and individual identity journeys shape digital dating safety practices and their perceptions among LGBTQ+ users. Drawing on eight focus groups with 39 people, in this article we employ thematic analysis to uncover users' experiences of risks, fears, and strategies for navigating safety on dating apps. These findings expand on Babcock et al.'s (2024) Safety Spectrum Theory Model by introducing the concept of "Biographical Queerness," which captures the dynamic and evolving relationship between LGBTQ+ users' identities, their digital practices, and the idea of modality spectrum between offline and online safety practices. The findings reveal that Italian LGBTQ+ young adults frequently face risks such as harassment, fetishisation, unsolicited explicit content, and the fear of being outed in both digital and physical spaces, based on their gender (identity and perception), and sexual orientation.. These risks are compounded by Italy's current sociocultural climate, which often stigmatises LGBTQ+ identities, making digital visibility a precarious endeavour. To mitigate risks, participants report employing a range of safety strategies spanning in-app, multi-app, and offline practices. Users’ approaches in the apps to safety are shaped by what we describe as their Biographical Queerness, which reflects their evolving gender and sexual identities and their sociocultural and biographical contexts. These strategies intersect with the Safety Spectrum Theory's (Babcock et al., 2024) categories of strict, fluid, and relaxed safety protocols, demonstrating how users adapt their behaviours based on perceived risks and contextual factors. By examining the interplay between LGBTQ+ identities, digital practices, and cultural contexts, this study nuances understanding of safety negotiation in digital dating spaces for LGBTQ+ users in Italy. This paper seeks to highlight the significance of identity-specific risks, platform affordances, and the sociocultural landscape shaping LGBTQ+ digital intimacy and safety practices.<br/
Understanding the value of information in the everyday life of a small-scale marine fishing community in Bangladesh
No full textPurpose – The purpose of this study is to identify the factors that influence the perceived value of information in a small-scale marine fishing community in Bangladesh. It investigates the use of information by the communityand its function in different purposes of everyday life, such as making decisions for livelihood security, fostering social cohesion and well-being and facilitating access to social benefits.Design/methodology/approach – This research utilised an interpretative phenomenological approach. Ethnographic fieldwork was used to conduct focus groups and interviews with community members. Participants were asked about their various information needs, the sources they rely on and their interactions with these sources in daily life. The analysis centred on identifying themes that shape their use of information.Findings – The study found that in the daily lives of this fishing community, the perceived value of information is influenced by key factors, including reliable access through formal institutions, accuracy, affordability and ease of access, the capacity to reduce uncertainty and clarify outcomes, societal acceptance, shared benefits and educational relevance. These elements play a pivotal role in shaping the perceived value of information within the community.Originality/value – This research is the first to investigate the perceived value of information within a marginalised community in a developing nation. It highlights that information solutions tailored to the unique needs and preferences of such communities can offer sustainable empowerment, providing benefits that extend beyond conventional material-focused interventions
Adaptive and accessible user interfaces for seniors through model-driven engineering
No full textThe use of diverse mobile applications among senior users is becoming increasingly widespread. However, many of these apps contain accessibility problems that result in negative user experiences for seniors. A key reason is that software practitioners often lack the time or resources to address the broad spectrum of age-related accessibility and personalisation needs. As current developer tools and practices encourage one-size-fits-all interfaces with limited potential to address the diversity of senior needs, there is a growing demand for approaches that support the systematic creation of adaptive, accessible app experiences. To this end, we present AdaptForge, a novel model-driven engineering (MDE) approach that enables advanced design-time adaptations of mobile application interfaces and behaviours tailored to the accessibility needs of senior users. AdaptForge uses two domain-specific languages (DSLs) to address age-related accessibility needs. The first model defines users’ context-of-use parameters, while the second defines conditional accessibility scenarios and corresponding UI adaptation rules. These rules are interpreted by an MDE workflow to transform an app’s original source code into personalised instances. We also report evaluations with professional software developers and senior end-users, demonstrating the feasibility and practical utility of AdaptForge.</p
Recordkeeping for Organisational Development:The Case of Community Organisations in Rural Bangladesh
No full textThis qualitative study discusses recordkeeping practices of community organisations (COs) in rural Bangladesh. Although recordkeeping plays a key role in this process, the academic literature has hardly looked at the role recordkeeping plays in the organisational development of COs. The analysis showed the presence of proactive and reactive recordkeeping practices within these organisations. Organisations that are performing better demonstrate proactive recordkeeping practices influenced by leadership vision, digital practices and a strong urge for independent identity. The research has implications for CO development through recordkeeping practices as well as for the non-government organisations and government departments that are supporting COs in developing countries such as Bangladesh.</p
Generative AI, learning, Buddhism and Nietzsche:developing a philosophical approach
No full textIn this conceptual article, I investigate the philosophical intersections between generative AI technologies in education and Buddhist thought, offering a framework for navigating AI's transformative impact on learning. As generative AI simultaneously disrupts and enhances educational practices, it fundamentally challenges traditional notions of agency, creativity, and knowledge acquisition. This article examines how Buddhist philosophical concepts provide unique insights for educators navigating this technological transition. Through the lens of dukkha (suffering/dissatisfaction), I consider the anxiety and resistance accompanying AI integration while recognizing opportunities for transcending educational limitations. The concept of anatta (non-self) offers a perspective for reconceptualizing student and teacher agency as relational rather than autonomous in AI-enhanced environments. Karma (intentional action with consequences) provides a framework for ethical implementation, emphasizing mindful integration rather than deterministic adoption. Connections are also drawn to Nietzschean perspectives on creative destruction and the will to power. I explore how AI might catalyze educational change while respecting human dignity and purpose. This philosophical approach moves beyond binary perspectives of AI as either educational savior or threat, instead offering a middle path that acknowledges impermanence and interdependence as fundamental educational principles in developing literacy practices that meaningfully incorporate generative technologies while preserving educational values and human connection
Bringing together the HOW and WHY of GenAI in OSCE preparation through Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology
No full textIntroduction: Generative Artificial intelligence (GenAI) use in Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) preparation has not yet been deeply explored. This study investigated how and why pharmacy students use or choose not to use GenAI in OSCE preparation. Methods: A retrospective cohort study. The study retrospectively collected OSCE scores and the seven criteria in the OSCE communication rubric for the primary care (community) station and responses regarding student AI use from a mandatory written self-reflection; students were not privy to the research project when writing their responses. Pharmacy students from second to fourth-year (over 2023-2024) undergraduate pharmacy degrees at Monash University across Australia and Malaysia campuses were included. A summative content analysis converted qualitative data from the OSCE reflections to quantitative data. Qualitative data were deductively coded to The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model to understand reasons for use. Wilcoxon rank sum and t-tests compared quantitative data from reflections to OSCE scores, whilst Fisher exact tests compared categorical themes. Results: Of 997 student reflections, 163 used GenAI for OSCE preparation. Non-AI and AI users on Australian and Malaysian campuses performed similarly overall. However, non-AI users excelled in four of seven rubric criteria. Six themes were identified, with themes 1-3 focusing on AI use for creating OSCE simulations and receiving instant feedback, while themes 4-6 discussed reasons for not using AI. Mapping students who used AI to the UTAUT model showed a large alignment with the belief that students would consequently improve their OSCE grades. Conclusion: The study showed that using open AI for OSCE preparation led to overall similar academic success in OSCEs, suggesting educators still have a role in guiding students to optimise AI use. Further research is needed surrounding how students use AI for OSCEs
A tale of two students:unpacking undergraduate mathematics students’ mathematical identities using the Listening Guide
No full textThe lived experiences of university mathematics students are an emerging area of mathematics education research. In this article, we discuss findings from a study about the experiences of undergraduate students in mathematics degree programs at two Australian universities. We analyzed two participants’ interview data using the Listening Guide method, in order to unpack the various aspects, or voices, of each participant’s mathematical identity. Notably, when reporting our findings, we did not reveal the participants’ genders, to increase the focus on individual, rather than membership, identities. Although the participants had similar educational backgrounds and some commonalities in their mathematical identities, the ways that they enacted their mathematical identities differed widely. We argue that the Listening Guide is a valuable tool to draw out aspects of mathematical identities that may not otherwise be easily observed. Understanding the different ways that university mathematics students identify with and experience the field of mathematics during their university studies is a critical aspect of providing support for students. That is, it is only through understanding these identities and experiences that targeted, responsive supports can be provided.</p
Behavioral adaptation to improved environmental quality:evidence from a sanitation intervention
No full textThis paper investigates behavioral adaptation to local improvements in environmental quality. Using exogenous variation in village sanitation coverage generated by the randomised allocation of financial incentives to latrine construction in Lao PDR, we find that the generalized adoption of improved sanitation led to significant reductions in the practice of boiling water for drinking. Our analysis suggests that this change is likely a behavioral response to a reduction in the health benefits associated with treating water, which decline and eventually become negligible as local adoption of improved sanitation increases. Estimates of the value of time savings associated with the reduction in water boiling suggest that this adaptation is an additional important benefit of sanitation investments, most of which likely accrues to girls and women.</p
Storytelling in Intelligence:Theoretical Foundations
No full textIntelligence analysts frequently generate and assess “stories” to describe and explain what is going on in some situation. This activity has had little theoretical attention. The term narrative abduction is used for the processes by which reasoners estimate the plausibility of explanatory stories. This article provides a theoretical framework with analyses of key concepts, including narratives, narrative truth, narrative plausibility, and explanation. It then presents a normative proto-theory based on the idea that the ideal rational analyst would assess plausibility by reference to four epistemic criteria: explanatory power, narrative development, substantiation, and durability. It also presents a descriptive proto-theory, grounded in prior work in the cognitive science of intelligence analysis, which holds that analysts acquire an intuitive, holistic sense of the plausibility of candidate narratives over the course of attempting to identify and develop the strongest candidate; these intuitive assessments can be crystallized into explicit judgments and rationalized using selected considerations as arguments. These points are illustrated with a new kind of diagram for displaying the structure of narrative abduction challenges. Finally, it sketches the kinds of further research that would be needed to develop proper theories building on the theoretical framework and proto-theories.</p
A systematic review of multifaceted silence in social psychology
No full textThis article, conforming to the 2020 PRISMA checklist, presents a systematic review of silence within the realm of social psychology, utilizing research-driven insights. Silence can be interpreted through both interpersonal and intrapersonal lenses; that is, it can originate from external social interactions or be a personal choice. While external silence reflects responses to societal stimuli, internal silence focuses on individual decisions. The piece contends that silence possesses sociological dimensions—when an individual communicates through silence (such as expressing resistance or alienation), they not only convey personal sentiments but may also represent broader collective concerns. Drawing upon the concept of sociological imagination, it posits that what may seem like an individual issue can mirror shared societal struggles, thus highlighting how personal experiences resonate with community dynamics. By examining diverse perspectives of silence, the article elucidates its complexity and significance within social environments