Radboud Educational Repository (Radboud Univ.)
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Better jobs for volunteers and family members: How do Informal Caregivers experience their Job Demands, Control and Support?
No full textDue to the aging population and an increased reliance on non-professionals in the healthcare system, informal caregivers now play a crucial role in elderly-care in the Netherlands. However, high stress rates and time consuming workloads illustrate an unsustainable future for this solution to the increasing gap between care supply and demand, due to the straining conditions. A popular model to assess such job strain is the Job Demands-Control-Support model, which is an extension to Karasek’s Job Demands-Control model, both are widely used. The model proposes that job demands cause increased strain as a result of the work, whereas control and support help to decrease this strain. However, no attempt was found that translates this model, rooted in organizational psychology, to the conditions of informal caregivers. In a qualitative study with a hybrid design, this thesis aimed to explore how these concepts of demands, control and support are experienced by informal caregivers, through interviews. Using a thematic analysis, utilizing both deductive and inductive strategies, a comprehensive set of subthemes was identified, which were organized into themes, forming subdimensions for each main dimension. These results provide an accurate tool to evaluate caregiver strain, and therefore a framework to adequately decrease caregiver strain and improve the quality of care provided
Den Wald vor lauter Bäumen sehen: A Textual Analysis of Forest Bathing Practices in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW)
No full textIn recent years, forests have become a setting for Shinrin-Yoku, also known as forest bathing, a practice that focuses on mindful immersion in nature. The practice originated in Japan, however, it has gained popularity in Western countries in recent years. Several researchers have investigated the effects of forest bathing on health and mental state, however, little is known regarding the discourse on forest bathing. The present study aimed to fill this gap in the literature by conducting a discourse analysis of 13 websites offering forest bathing in North Rhine-Westphalia (Germany). The central question of this research was to find out how businesses that offer forest bathing in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) construct the practice in their official online discourse. To answer this question, a textual analysis examining the representation of the forest and the self was conducted. The analysis shows that the forest is presented as a safe space and a contrast to modern life. It appears as a space for healing, health, silence, connection and finding meaning. Additionally, it is also depicted as a place to slow down, feel good and as a place that is our home, a natural habitat and a place for childhood. Furthermore, the websites construct the self as stressed, alienated, longing, and overstimulated, who can rediscover its inner balance, mindfulness and identity by reconnecting with nature. Further research could look into the visual representation of forest bathing programmes. In addition, a comparison with other federal states in Germany or international contexts could provide new insights.
Keywords: Forest bathing, Shinrin Yoku, North Rhine-Westphalia, Discourse analysis, Website
Flood adaptation measures in urban area developments
No full textThe consequences of climate change in the Netherlands are expected to result in a range of pressures, particularly concerning rising sea levels, increased river discharges, and changing rainfall patterns, which especially occur in urban areas. On the contrary, there is a mismatch between flood risk management (FRM) needs and investments related to FRM in urban areas. The overall financial outlay required for measures to mitigate the consequences of flooding ranges from €36 billion to €73 billion in the Netherlands. This research investigates real estate developers’ willingness to invest in flood adaptation measures to anticipate rising FRM costs.
This research is based on Ajzen’s (1991) Theory of Planned Behaviour and the four factors related to the development of adaptation strategies by Nilsson (2016). Through semi-structured interviews, a literature review, and the analysis of policy documents, the main question will be answered: “What factors influence real estate developers’ willingness to invest in flood adaptation measures in urban developments?”. The objective of this research is to understand developers’ willingness to invest in FRM and the factors that influence this willingness. This understanding is critical to enhance flood adaptation measures for urban developments to improve water safety
Narratieven en HPV-complottheorieën: de rol van perspectief en emotionele verschuiving.
No full textDe aanhoudende verspreiding van complottheorieën over vaccinatie verzwakt het vertrouwen
in gezondheidsbeleid en vormt een risico voor de volksgezondheid. Deze studie onderzoekt
hoe narratieve counterspeech, als alternatief voor factchecking, overtuigingskracht kan
vergroten bij het weerleggen van HPV-gerelateerde complottheorieën. Vanuit het
Entertainment Overcoming Resistance Model (EORM) werd verwacht dat narratieve
kenmerken zoals perspectief (eerstepersoonsperspectief vs. derdepersoonsperspectief) en
emotionele verschuiving (wel vs. geen) de emotionele betrokkenheid, tegenargumentatie en
attitude van ontvangers beïnvloeden. Een 2x2 between-subjects experiment (N = 137) toetste
deze effecten. Respondenten lazen één van vier narratieven en vulden aansluitend een
vragenlijst in.
De bevindingen suggereren dat een ik-perspectief de emotionele betrokkenheid bij
narratieve tegenspraak vergroot, maar dat dit op zichzelf onvoldoende is om
tegenargumentatie te verminderen of attitudes te beïnvloeden. Dat emotionele verschuiving
geen effect had, kan samenhangen met de aard van de verschuiving (angst naar woede), de
beperkte relevantie voor de doelgroep of individuele verschillen in emotionele
ontvankelijkheid
Reviving Post-War Physically Degraded Neighborhoods: Municipal Collaboration in Self-Organized Initiatives
No full textIn recent years, municipalities in the Netherlands have focused on the urban renewal of post-war, physically degraded neighborhoods. De Hogenkamp in Zwolle faces these issues, like backlogged maintenance and a need for sustainability measures.
While municipalities are expected to play a facilitative role through collaborative governance and supporting self-organized neighborhood initiatives, a gap remains in understanding how they can effectively engage in neighborhoods where initiatives are driven by Homeowner Associations with fragmented ownership. The complexity of public-private collaboration in this context is underexplored.
This study examines municipal collaboration strategies that support self-organized initiatives, enhancing the living conditions in the Zwolle neighborhood. These collaboration strategies differ in terms of their approach, which involves directing, facilitating, or distancing. This research examines the governance dynamics, participation barriers, and financial mechanisms associated with urban renewal. An evaluation framework is developed to assess proposed strategies based on the broad welfare implications of the municipal interventions.
With the help of one case study, interviews, workshops, and desk research, interventions are analyzed, providing actionable insights on collaboration strategies for self-organized initiatives in post-war, physically degraded neighborhoods. Developing this framework will strengthen municipal support and contribute to academic discourse on urban renewal, participatory governance, and sustainable spatial planning
Samenwerking op de proef gesteld: Water en Bodem Sturend en het nieuwe ‘rekening houden met water en bodem’ in de praktijk
No full textKlimaatverandering en toenemende druk op het water-bodemsysteem vormen een groeiende dreiging voor de welvaart en waterveiligheid in Nederland. In 2022 verscheen daarom de Kamerbrief Water en Bodem Sturend. In 2024 werd dit gewijzigd naar het minder dwingende ‘rekening houden met water en bodem’. In dit onderzoek zijn verschillen in ervaringen en perspectieven van gemeenten, waterschappen, provincies en onderzoeksinstellingen rond deze beleidsverandering onderzocht. Aan de hand interviews met experts wordt geanalyseerd hoe deze instanties samenwerken en hoe zij de vertaalslag van beleid naar praktijk ervaren. De Kamerbrief Water en Bodem Sturend functioneert voor overheden voornamelijk als discoursversterker: Het biedt een solide basis voor een verhaal dat bewustwording en samenwerking stimuleert, maar waarvan de daadwerkelijke implementatie afhankelijk lijkt van een tweestrijd tussen politieke prioritering en een pragmatische houding op lokaal niveau. Terwijl het Rijk terughoudender lijkt, blijven lokale overheden meer actief betrokken en voortrekkers in klimaatadaptieve ruimtelijke ordening. Verschillen in politieke kleur, institutionele cultuur en regionale problematiek lijken verklarend te zijn voor de mate van goede samenwerking en beleidstoepassing op dit gebied. De bevindingen benadrukken het belang van een consistente beleidsdiscours en actieve betrokkenheid van alle overheidslagen om de opgaven rond Water en Bodem Sturend te blijven waarborgen
What is the influence of internet use on language comprehension?
No full textAs internet use has become deeply integrated into daily life, it is essential to monitor and
examine its effects on human cognition and potential consequences. This study investigates
how internet use may influence reading comprehension by promoting a reliance on goodenough language processing. This influence was explored by analyzing the reading
comprehension performance of high and low internet users in an experiment involving texts
of two difficulty levels. The results implied that internet use did not have a significant
influence on participants’ reading comprehension, and that there was no relation between
internet use and text difficulty. Although no significant effects were found, this study offers
insights and suggestions for future research on the topic
Bridging the Gap: Digitalization’s Strategic Role in Healthcare to Address Current Gaps in Moldova Normative Decision‐Tree Cost and Patient‐Benefit Analysis of Traditional Primary Healthcare vs. Telemedicine Options in Urban and Rural Moldova
No full textAbstract Thesis: "Bridging the Gap: Digitalization’s Strategic Role in Healthcare to Address Current Gaps in Moldova"
This study investigates the strategic role of digitalization in improving current healthcare deficiencies in Moldova. The research employs a normative decision-tree framework and cost-effectiveness analysis to compare messaging-based and platform-based telehealth pathways against traditional primary care in both rural and urban areas of Moldova. The analysis specifically focuses on patient-incurred costs, patient-perceived quality (satisfaction), and diagnostic accuracy for a "sick episode".
The findings reveal significant advantages for telemedicine over traditional primary care. In the base-case scenario, the Tele-Message modality emerged as strictly dominant, achieving improvements in perceived quality and diagnostic accuracy without incurring additional costs. The Tele-Platform modality was also found to be cost-effective, delivering meaningful gains in quality and accuracy at a modest incremental cost. Rural patients experienced larger absolute gains due to a higher initial prevalence of "No-Care" episodes, underscoring telemedicine's potential to address rural access disparities. Furthermore, scenario analyses demonstrated that both telemedicine modalities consistently delivered cost savings while improving perceived quality and accuracy across realistic adoption levels. Tele-Message consistently outperformed platform-based alternatives in terms of quality gains and cost savings, indicating its superior fit for Moldova’s infrastructure and digital usage patterns. Sensitivity analyses confirmed the robustness of these conclusions.
In conclusion, the study provides compelling evidence that telemedicine, particularly asynchronous messaging, offers a strategically powerful, cost-effective, and patient-preferred pathway for enhancing access and quality within Moldova’s primary care system. The findings suggest that policymakers should prioritize digital literacy, infrastructure investments, user-centred platform design, and financial incentives to ensure equitable implementation and strengthen the resilience of the healthcare system across both urban and rural communities
ADAPTATION STRATEGIES FOR RIVERBED SCENARIOS IN THE WAAL BENDS AND PANNERDENSCH CANAL
No full textThis thesis explores adaptive scenarios for managing riverbed elevation in the Waal Bends and Pannerdensch Canal, addressing challenges such as riverbed erosion, fluctuating water levels, drought, economic resilience and ecological degradation. The study evaluates the impacts of 8 riverbed elevation scenarios, ranging from a 35 cm decrease to a 35 cm increase, on groundwater levels, inundation frequencies, and land-use functions. Using Geographical Information System (GIS)-based analyses and cost-benefit evaluations, two adaptation strategies are developed: a nature-focused scenario that transitions unsuitable agricultural land to natural ecotopes and an agriculture-focused scenario emphasizing drought-resistant crops like Miscanthus.
The findings highlight the complex interplay between hydrological boundaries and land-use suitability. Higher riverbed elevations generally support agricultural and economic stability, while lower elevations risk significant agricultural losses. However, neither scenario fully resolves the area’s hydrological challenges, with wet ecotopes remaining suboptimal across all conditions. The results emphasize the need for more extreme measures, such as higher riverbed elevations, floodplain lowering and stakeholder engagement to align agricultural practices with ecological objectives.
This research contributes to sustainable floodplain management by providing actionable insights for policymakers under programs like Integral River Management (IRM) and Programmatic Approach for Large Water Bodies (PAWG). The findings underscore the importance of balancing ecological and economic goals in adaptive planning, offering a framework for addressing long-term climate and environmental challenges in river systems
The influence of home country culture on firm performance Do Born Globals differ from traditional MNEs?
No full textCulture is an important factor in shaping international business performance. This Master’s thesis investigates how home country culture influences the performance of internationally operating firms, with a particular emphasis on the differences in outcome between Born Globals (BGs) and traditional Multinational Enterprises (MNEs). Drawing on Hofstede’s cultural framework—specifically the dimensions of masculinity, long-term orientation, and indulgence—and firm-level data sourced from the ORBIS and LSEG databases, this study employs a panel data regression with random effects to measure the relationship between home country culture and performance outcomes, as measured by the firm’s Return on Assets.
The results indicate that indulgence has a significant negative impact on MNE performance, while masculinity and long-term orientation exhibit no significant effects. Furthermore, the moderation of BGs on the direct relationship between culture and MNE performance shows no significance either. These results indicate that home country culture impacts distinct types of international businesses in more similar ways than theorized, regardless of their diverging internationalization strategies. The study contributes to a broader understanding of the phenomenon of Born Globals and offers practical guidance for managers seeking to align their strategies to their home country cultural contexts