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ART AS A TOOL FOR ACHIEVING SOCIAL INCLUSION: AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL PRACTICES IN MIGRANT CONTEXTS
Get PDFThis paper examines how migrant artists employ autobiographical art to navigate displacement, negotiate their identities, and promote a sense of belonging in new cultural contexts. In migration settings, art extends beyond fairness, functioning as a site of memory, resilience, and activism that links personal experience with broader social narratives. Adapting a constructivist epistemology, the study combines in-depth interviews with practising artists, autoethnographic reflection, and analysis of creative works. This qualitative approach highlights both individual trajectories and shared challenges, positioning the voices of migrant artists at the centre of interpretation. Findings identify five key themes: Artistic Journeys, shaped by migration, education, and career transformation; Autobiographical Art as Identity, Healing, and Resistance, where art becomes a tool for recovery and advocacy; Heritage and Cultural Continuity, which sustains traditions across transnational spaces; Social Challenges and Structural Barriers, including discrimination and institutional inequities; and Cross-Cultural Collaboration and Social Responsibility, reflecting artists’ commitments to dialogue, community-building, and social change. The analysis draws on Bhabha’s Third Space Theory to illuminate hybrid identities, Narrative Identity Theory to emphasise storytelling and resilience, and Critical Race and Intersectionality Theory to examine structural inequities. Levitt’s notion of Social Change through Art further demonstrates how creative practices catalyse dialogue and collective empowerment. By situating migrant artists’ autobiographical works within these theoretical frameworks, the study demonstrates that art serves not only as a means of survival and identity construction but also as a powerful tool for promoting social awareness and inclusion. It argues that creative practices play a critical role in fostering intercultural exchange and generating transformative change within multicultural societies.
THE ROLE OF ECONOMIC POLICY UNCERTAINTY AND ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES IN SHAPING ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY: EVIDENCE FROM BRICS NATIONS : Received: 3rd April 2025, Revised: 12th May 2025, Accepted: 20st May 2025, Date of Publication: 12th November 2025
No full textThe intensity of environmental pollution has contributed to an immense depletion in our ozone layer and a recession in the global economy. Factors such as uncertainties in economic policies have resulted in the changes in fiscal and monetary policies, serving as limitation for environmental sustainability. However, this study seeks to explore how economic policy uncertainty (EPU) can interact with environmental policies (EPI) to enhance environmental sustainability in BRICS countries. It employs the clustered pooled least square (PLS) and Fixed-effect (FE) models to analyze data from 2000-2022. The findings indicate that EPU increases carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions whiles EPI reduces CO2 emissions. However, integrating EPU and EPI mitigates CO2 emissions in BRICS nations. The study therefore asserts that policymakers can stabilize environmental commitment by implementing long-term, legally binding frameworks, ensuring that environmental policies remain consistent and unaffected by political or economic uncertainties
PROTECTIONISM OR PROTECTION? NEW WESTERN ECONOMIC POLICIES AGAINST THE BACKDROP OF THE CURRENT GEOECONOMIC SCENARIO
Get PDFIn this article I discuss the current situation in which many Western countries are reconsidering the supply chain and free trade policies they embraced until not so long ago, when leadership in technologically advanced products was firmly in their hands. This paradigm shift is claimed to be dictated by the need to protect Western economies from the potential threat from China in particular, rather than adopting protectionist policies with the simple (and understandable) motivation of shielding domestic producers from foreign competitors. This means that the change in the policies of Western countries is not the result of a revision of the theoretical principles that have guided their economic policies in the past, as these principles are believed to retain their full validity. Instead, the revision would be induced by an exception that has always been admitted by orthodox economic theory, namely protection from a military and external security threat. My main claim is that the need to adopt what can unequivocally be called standard protectionist policies, instead, should stem from a serious revision of the previously adopted theoretical paradigm, given the many negative outcomes derived from its blind application. Moreover, justifying the adoption of overtly protectionist policies with the need for protection, something that is far from proved, risks triggering a negative self-fulfilling process, thereby fuelling a dangerous confrontation between separate blocs, something which does not promise anything good for our future
BARRIERS TO VIRTUAL REALITY ADOPTION IN ENGINEERING SAFETY TRAINING: A DELPHI CONSENSUS STUDY
Get PDFVirtual Reality (VR) supported by Artificial Intelligence (AI) offers immersive, data-driven opportunities to improve safety training in high-risk engineering environments. Yet, large-scale corporate deployment remains sporadic. This study applies a three-round Delphi process with 15 academic and industry experts from the University of New South Wales (UNSW), China Railway 25th Bureau, and Zhongyifeng Construction (Suzhou 2nd Bureau) to prioritise the obstacles that prevent VR adoption. Eighteen barriers extracted from Round 1 were rated in Rounds 2‑3. Consensus, assessed with Kendall’s coefficient of concordance (W), rose from 0.32 to 0.52, indicating strong convergence. High initial cost, inadequate IT infrastructure, limited management support, scarcity of domain-specific VR content, and lack of integration standards emerged as the top‑five critical barriers. Secondary constraints included workforce resistance, cybersickness, trainer preparedness, and technical compatibility issues. The paper offers evidence-based recommendations, including financial modelling, staged infrastructure upgrades, executive engagement strategies, content‑sharing consortia, and standard‑setting initiatives to accelerate safe, scalable deployment of AI-enhanced VR training in engineering organisations
ENGAGING MINDS: EXPLORING STUDENT PREFERENCES IN GAMIFIED LEARNING
Get PDFAs educators explore innovative methods to foster student engagement and comprehension, gamified learning platforms have gained considerable attention. This study investigates the effectiveness of two popular gamification tools in education, focusing on their impact on student engagement, learning retention, and overall preferences. Data was gathered from Monash University Foundation Year students enrolled in Chemistry through standardized feedback instruments. The participants represented a diverse student population, consisting of local and international students from urban backgrounds. Findings indicate that the gamified platform, Blooket is favored by students for its ability to enhance understanding (42%), improve information retention (46%), and clarify complex concepts during lessons (46%). Furthermore, Blooket stood out as the preferred platform during class activities (54%), offering ease of use (39%) and a high engagement factor (58%). Students also reported finding Blooket more enjoyable, with 65% stating that it made learning more fun, while 49% felt it motivated them to participate actively. Qualitative feedback highlighted Blooket’s competitive elements, which students believe contribute positively to their grasp of Chemistry. The findings suggest that Blooket holds promise as a tool for improving learning engagement, and offers an accessible interface for diverse learning styles. Future research could expand on the benefits of gamification by exploring other learning contexts and assessing the long-term impact of such platforms on knowledge retention and student performance. This study reinforces the role of gamified learning as a beneficial supplement to traditional educational methods
MODERN VISUALLY EFFECTIVE TOOLS FOR BUILDING QUANTITATIVE CONCEPTS IN KINDERGARTEN CHILDREN: Received: 15th July 2025, Revised: 08th September 2025, Accepted: 10th November 2025, 20th November 2025, Date of Publication: 27th November 2025
No full textDigitalization and the rapid development of information and communication technologies over the past decades have significantly changed social life and the conditions in which preschool education is carried out. By using different aids for visualization in teaching, the contradiction between the abstract nature of mathematical concepts that children learn in kindergarten and their concrete-active and visual-imaginative thinking is overcome. The modernization of education in mathematics in kindergarten is related not only to the application of innovative technologies and approaches but also to the contemporary tools that are used. The problem of selecting them and using them adequately in methodological work exists and is significant.
The aim of the research work is to analyze and systematize theoretical concepts related to modern visual-active tools and to develop and test methodological options for their application in building quantitative understanding in children in kindergarten. The empirical study was conducted with 128 children from a kindergarten in the town of Stara Zagora. The obtained results show that the use of modern visual-active tools supports the development of children's knowledge and skills regarding the quantitative and ordinal value of numbers up to 10, the formation and comparison of sets through the relations "as many as," "more," "less," the subtraction or addition of 1 or 2 elements from a given set, and the modeling of numbers up to 10. The new educational paradigm requires the application of modern visual-active tools in preschool education in mathematics, which contributes to improving the level of knowledge and skills of children in the educational Cluster "Quantitative Relations," as well as their interest, activity, and motivation
ROLE OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROACTIVITY IN PERFORMANCE OF MANUFACTURING FIRMS: A MODERATING EFFECT OF FIRM SIZE
Get PDFThis study investigates the effect of environmental proactivity on the performance of firms. The performance of firms has been checked through the relationship between environmental proactivity with operational performance as well as perceived financial performance. The study is also investigating the moderating effect of firm size between performance of firm and environmental proactivity. The data has been collected from adopted questionnaires which are being used by previous researchers. Questionnaires are being used for investigation of this study. Middle level managers of manufacturing firms of cities including Lahore, Sheikhupura, Faisalabad and Kasur are being used for filling questionnaires. All manufacturing firms has been used for this investigation which may affect the environment because of their procedures of production. Closes ended questions are used in this study. Although, open ended single question was being included for specific answer for the measurement of firm size. Companies have been selected in this study on the basis of convenient sampling. Cronbach Alpha is used for checking the reliability of scale. Composite reliability is also checked. To test the hypothesis of effect of environment proactivity on firms’ performance and moderating role of firm size, partial least square structural equation modelling is being applied. Among environment proactivity and firm performance, significant and positive relationship has been found. It has been found that there is weak moderation effect of firm size among environment proactivity and firm performance. Especially, there is more effective moderation with operational performance than perceived financial performance of firms. The study has suggested to investigate the compliance of ISO 14001 within context of Pakistan for further studied
PETRI NET-BASED MODELLING FOR THE DESIGN OF COORDINATED UNIVERSITY CURRICULUM
Get PDFThe work discusses the current challenges of university curriculum shaping for pre-service specialists’ training and issues of synchronization of courses learning. Elaborating the approach to the building the synchronized curriculum for pre-service specialists’ training, we applied the theoretical fundamentals of curriculum design and disciplines structuring, artificial intelligence models of knowledge representation (frames and semantic networks) as well as the theoretical basics of Petri nets which have proper properties and facilities for different processes synchronization. On purpose of solving of the said problems, it is proposed the approach to university curriculum simulation based on Petri nets apparatus. The procedure of the learning elements grouping in frames is elaborated. In particular, the precedence relations of various kinds for the learning elements are determined. Based on these relations, there was built Petri net model of the process of learning elements’ mastering. Applying the operations of Petri nets modifications and learning elements’ precedence relations of different kinds, it was created a model of curriculum subject mastering as a whole. Obtained Petri nets models allow to simulate the process of the curriculum disciplines learning by trainees. Synchronization of the learning elements mastering is determined by the rules of Petri net modifications and running. In addition, there were elaborated and presented core stages of design of the Petri nets-based software component that allows to simulate the holistic and coordinated curriculum building. Resting on the theoretical framework, made by the holistic educational paradigm and authors’ approach to the modelling of holistic and coordinated curriculum for the specialists’ training based on Petri nets apparatus, the software module for the automatization of the said coordinated curriculum modelling and the features of its design are characterized. The software module’s structure components are distinguished and the set of requirements in terms of their design are formulated according to the logic of the components work. The groups of the software classes are specified and described. The benefits and practical applications of the depicted approach to the shaping of synchronized curriculum for potential specialists’ training are covered and analysed
ENERGY EFFICIENCY THROUGH COMBUSTION SYSTEM OPTIMIZATION IN REHEATING FURNACES
Get PDFReheating processes, which constitute a critical stage in steel industry production, hold significant importance in terms of energy efficiency due to their high energy consumption. In reheating furnaces, by-product gases, natural gas, or fuel oil are typically utilized. The walking beam reheating furnace examined in this study heats billets to the required temperatures— depending on product size and type—through 32 burners positioned in different furnace zones, providing stepwise heating. However, the imbalance in heat transfer within the furnace and the non-uniform distribution of heating rates lead to deviations from the target heating curve, thereby intensifying the scaling problem that causes production losses. The primary aim of this study is to reduce unnecessary natural gas consumption and minimize the carbon footprint by improving the control of the air–fuel mixture inside the furnace through burner optimization and automation systems. As a result of the implemented measures, considering the annual production capacity, a total of 1,950,000 Sm³ of natural gas savings was achieved, corresponding to approximately 3,705–3,900 tons of CO2 equivalent emission reduction. These findings demonstrate a successful large-scale industrial application aimed at enhancing energy efficiency in reheating furnaces while mitigating environmental impacts
DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE LIDI DITENUN MODULE FEATURE IN MOTIF MERGING AND COLORING, AND EVALUATION METHOD
Get PDFPreserving woven fabric cultural heritage requires digital innovation to appeal to younger generations. This research presents the Lidi Module on DiTenun website, enabling digital combination and coloring of woven motifs using traditional lidi techniques. Developed with Waterfall method and User Centered Design, the module underwent iterative usability evaluation through heuristic and participatory evaluation by experts and users. The System Usability Scale scored 82.5, indicating very good usability. Results show the Lidi Module effectively supports digital motif creation, combination, and coloring with intuitive workflow, demonstrating significant potential for preserving and innovating traditional weaving culture through digital platforms