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(De)Polarization Entrepreneurs? : Think Tanks and Pernicious Polarization in Central Europe
No full textPernicious polarization is an antagonistic Us versus Them division, where the other group is perceived as an existential threat. It is often intertwined with the erosion of democratic norms and institutions. Although studies on polarization abound, there are still some blind spots to be filled. Our contribution is the focus on the mesolevel of civil society and the theoretical development of (de)polarization mechanisms at this level. Empirically, we study think tanks, a special type of civil society organization, in the context of democratic backsliding in Hungary and Poland. The analysis is based on 53 interviews with Hungarian and Polish think tankers conducted between 2020 and 2022. We contend that through a shift in perceptions of Us, Them, and the middle ground, think tanks contribute to both polarization and depolarization. Rather than being passive receptors of polarization dynamics, we show casethink tanks’ agentic roles as they emerge through these three mechanisms and through think tanks resorting to specific patterns of discourse and interactions.CC BY 4.0</p
Crafting an ultrashort workplace incivility scale and determining cutoffs for varied risk levels through item response theory
No full textWorkplace incivility (WI), characterized by disrespectful or rude behavior in the workplace, is linked to poor mental health and overall well-being. The Workplace Incivility Scale (WIS) is a popular 7-item measure for assessing WI. There is a current need for an ultrashort conceptually clear version of the WIS. In addition, the cutoffs for varied at-risks of WI, requiring intervention, remains unknown. Using data from 426 employees across diverse organizations, we employed item response theory (IRT) to create an ultrashort WIS and establish cutoffs for high, moderate, low, and at-not risk of WI. Confirmatory factor analyses were utilized to validate WIS construct validity. In supporting convergent validity, WIS was correlated with workplace bullying and poor health-related quality of life. All items demonstrated adequate severity threshold parameters with very high discrimination and good reliability parameters except for item WIS7. We successfully developed an ultrashort and valid 3-item WIS, specifically comprising items WIS2–4, and identified cutoffs for varying levels of WI risk. This streamlined measure aims to reduce response burden and foster a healthier organizational culture. In essence, cutoff points streamline the classification process, allowing for quicker and more standardized identification of at-risk employees. This concise, valid, and reliable ultrashort WIS holds potential for use in intervention studies conducted by organizational and occupational health psychologists, ultimately promoting employee well-being and cultivating a positive workplace environment. The current study further advances the existing theoretical framework rooted in the social interactionist perspective by delineating WI as a distinct and independent construct. CC BY</p
Automated test case generation from software requirements using ChatGPT : A comparison of generative methods in black-box unit testing
No full textThree-Dimensional Non-Homogeneous Microstructure Representation Using 2D Electron Backscatter Diffraction Data for Additive-Manufactured Hastelloy X
No full textAdditive manufacturing (AM) methods like powder bed fusion–laser beam (PBF-LB) enablecomplex geometry production. However, understanding and predicting the microstructural properties of AM parts remain challenging due to the inherent non-homogeneity introduced during the manufacturing process. This study demonstrates a novel approach for 3D microstructure representation and virtual testing of non-homogeneous AM materials using 2d electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) data. By employing the representative volume element (RVE) method, we reconstruct the 3D microstructure from 2D EBSD datasets, effectively capturing the grain morphological characteristicsof PBF-LB-produced Hastelloy X. Using validated RVE data, we artificially generate combinations of two grain textures to gain deeper insight into locally affected areas, particularly the stress distribution within the interfaces, as well as global material behavior, exploring non-homogeneity. Computational homogenization (CH) utilizing a crystal elasticity finite element (CEFE) method is used to virtually test and predict directional elastic properties, offering insights into relationships between microstructure evolution and property correlation. The experimentally validated results show a strong correlation, with only 0.5–3.5% correlation error for the selected grain tessellation method.This consistency and reliability of the methodology provide high confidence for additional virtual tests predicting the properties of non-homogeneous, artificially generated combined-grain structures. CC BY 4.0</p
The Construction and Negotiation of Social Identities Following a School Desegregation Initiative in Sweden
No full textSwedish schools are highly segregated along the lines of non-im/migrants and im/migrants and their descendants. In this study we explored the processes involved in the negotiation of social identities following a school desegregation initiative in Sweden, aimed to create schools with more heterogeneous student bodies. We conducted 58 interviews with students and school staff at the closing and receiving schools, before and following the initiative. Drawing on identity theories at the intersection of macro- and micro-levels, we a) descriptively explored the identity labels at each level, and b) analyzed how these identities were negotiated in relation to prevailing power hierarchies. Results showed macro-level identities related to nationality, background, and overarching norms and narratives, while micro-level identities included labels related to “old” and “new” schools/classes/friends, to in-groups based on differences in language proficiency, academic levels, and social needs. The initiative triggered identity negotiation for all students. However, while students already attending the receiving schools mainly negotiated identities at the micro-level, the dispersed students had to (re)negotiate their identities in relation to both the macro- and micro-levels. Thematic analyses showed four themes of macro-micro negotiations: rejection, accommodation, positioning, and conditioning, where identities at one level restricted possible identities at the other level.CC BY 4.0</p
Från myndighetsuppdrag till samverkanskultur
No full textI detta kapitel beskrivs framväxten av en modell för samverkan mellan gymnasieskola och lärosäte, yrkesutbildning och forskning samt mellan lärledare och forskare. Lärledare och forskare har tillsammans analyserat processen över tid samtnuläget. Kapitlet är ett resultat av ett gemensamt arbete och samskrivande. Vi inleder med en bakgrundsbeskrivning.Book abstract: Cooperation with various partners in society is one of the main missions for the university, alongside teaching and research. For the purpose of strengthening practice-based research and cooperation with external partners, the Department of Education and Special Education at the Faculty of Education, University of Gothenburg, initiated an effort to develop models for such collaboration in 2019. In this report, the models developed in cooperation between researchers at the department and external partners are described and discussed. The partners include teachers and school organizers at preschool, primary and secondary schoollevel, as well as employees at the Swedish Migration Agency.The models were based on three principles: Both parties should benefit from the collaboration, sustainability should be in focus (i.e. long-lasting results), and finally, a critical approach should pervade the projects. When researchers and professionals cooperate, practice-related questions and issues are addressed through theoretical lenses. New perspectives and ways forward may be identified, and trough this, both research and practice can be strengthened. In the six chapters, the development of collaborative models is described and problematised, and examples of results from the cooperation are given
Absent the Silently Invisible : Rethinking Model Victimhood under the “Comfort Women” System
No full text(Re)visiting the testimony exhibition part of Women’s Active Museum on War and Peace in Tokyo, I focus on one testimony in particular. This testimony was given by a survivor of the “comfort women” system, a state-sponsored regime of military sexual exploitation and core institution in the Empire of Japan’s expansion 1932–1945. The testimony was then withheld before the exhibition opened. I approach this “withheld testimony” as an invocation of rupture to the time, space, and positionalities informing the museum narrative. The paper interrogates the interplay of the survivor’s act of withholding her testimony, the curatorial decision to represent the absence that followed on the withholding, and the disruption to the museum narrative that the withholding prompts. By exploring the withheld testimony as a speaking silence, visible emptiness, and present absence, the paper offers a rethinking of model victimhood under the comfort women system. CC BY 4.0</p
Militär själavård som personalvårdande insats inom Försvarsmakten
No full textRésumé We live in a time of profound social and existential upheaval. Global concerns about existential threats are increasingly prevalent in media coverage, particularly in relation to the war in Ukraine and the conflict between Israel and Hamas. Personnel in the Swedish Armed Forces are not immune to the stress caused by this turbulent environment. One approach to alleviating the stress experienced by military personnel is the introduction of military soul care management as part of a staff care initiative. This method draws on Viktor Frankl’ s logotherapeutic techniques, including Socratic dialogue, paradoxical intention, and de-reflection. The goal of military soul care management is to recognize army personnel as holistic beings – physically, psychologically, and spiritually – and to strengthen their resilience.Open Access</p
Which strategies do teachers in grades 4–6 use when they teach mathematical conversation?
No full textBakgrund: Vi ser ett behov att forska i matematiska samtalsstrategier för att förbättra elevernas förmåga att föra matematiska resonemang och argumentera logiskt. Trots att kursplanen betonar vikten av dessa färdigheter, visar forskning att elever sällan engagerar sig i varandras resonemang i helklassituationer. Forskning kan hjälpa oss att utveckla och arbeta med strategier som möjliggör för elever att delta mer aktivt i diskussioner, utmana varandras tankar samt tillsammans utveckla sitt matematiska tänkande. Detta är nödvändigt för att de ska kunna anpassa och förändra sina tankemönster utifrån nya situationer och utmaningar, vilket är en grundläggande färdighet i läroplanen. Dessutom är förbättrade samtalsstrategier avgörande för att uppnå kursplanens långsiktiga mål om att kommunicera matematiskt. Syfte: Syftet med vår studie att undersöka och förstå hur lärarna i årskurs 4–6 genomför undervisning kring matematiska samtal. Genom att observera och intervjua lärare hoppas vi få en djupare förståelse för vilka strategier lärare använder i undervisningen. • Vilka samtalsstrategier använder lärare i årskurserna 4–6 när de undervisar i matematiska samtal och hur fördelas dessa? • Hur beskriver lärare att de arbetar med samtal i matematikundervisningen? Metod: För att besvara studiens frågeställningar användes strukturerade observationer och semi-strukturerade intervjuer som metoder. Fyra lärare observerades vid fyra tillfällen och vid fyra tillfällen hölls efterföljande intervju. Resultat: Vi kan se i våra resultat från både observationerna och intervjuerna att det finns en variation i hur samtalsstrategier används i undervisningen av matematiska samtal. Flera lärare är inte medvetna om vilka specifika samtalsstrategier de använder. Trots detta visar vår data att lärarna förstår syftet med matematiska samtal och använder olika typer av frågor för att främja interaktionen i klassrummet
Introduction to the Minitrack on Learning Analytics 2024
No full text[Introduction]: In the digital age, education has undergone a significant transformation. With the proliferation of technology in learning environments, the education sector has witnessed a dramatic increase in the generation of digital data. Consequently, over recent decades, learning analytics (LA) and educational data mining have evolved into significant areas of research, with the purpose of enhancing education at all educational levels (Deeva et al., 2021). . . .CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0</p