Radboud Educational Repository (Radboud Univ.)
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A scientific approach to pivoting in startups; An exploratory study
No full textPurpose – While the concept of pivoting has gained traction among startup practitioners, still little is known about how startups approach a pivot and why they implement their approach. This study aims to address that gap by exploring the implementation of the scientific approach to pivoting in practice and identifying the factors that influence its intensity.
Design/methodology/approach – A team of seven researchers conducted a qualitative, exploratory study using retrospective semi-structured interviews with founders of Dutch startups that recently executed a pivot. The data was individually analyzed through thematic analysis to identify patterns in the implementation of the scientific approach and its antecedents.
Findings – The findings suggest that even though startups rarely fully implement the scientific approach, many do incorporate the core activities theorizing, testing, and evaluating into their operations in slightly more informal manners. Antecedents for the use of the scientific approach that were discovered were aggregated into four constructs: founder experience, resource availability, external support, and industry complexity.
Value/originality – By embedding the scientific approach in real pivot practices, this study contributes to the understanding of scientific decision-making in startups. It offers practical insights for academics and practitioners in dealing with entrepreneurial uncertainty by introducing new antecedents that refine the notion of scientific intensity
Montessori and 21st-Century Skills - A Study on the Experiences and Implementation by Montessori Teachers
No full textThis study explores how Montessori teachers experience and implement 21st-century skills in
their teaching practices and the challenges and opportunities they encounter in the current
educational context. Through qualitative research, in-depth interviews were conducted with
six Montessori teachers from the Netherlands, representing various grade levels and
professional backgrounds. The study examines key Montessori principles such as selfregulation,
collaboration, individualized learning, and freedom within limits, analyzing their
alignment with 21st-century skills, including creativity, critical thinking, problem-solving,
communication, collaboration, digital literacy, and media literacy.
Findings indicate that while many Montessori teachers naturally integrate 21st-century skills
into their teaching, there is variation in the explicit focus given to these competencies.
Collaboration and self-regulation emerge as core values, strongly supported by mixed-age
classrooms and self-directed learning. Creativity aligns with Montessori’s emphasis on
autonomy, while problem-solving is deeply connected to the use of Montessori materials.
Digital and media literacy, however, present significant challenges, particularly for older
educators who struggle with digital integration, despite efforts to introduce structured lessons
such as "Digidoeners."
The study also highlights challenges in Montessori education, including inconsistencies in
implementation due to the absence of mandatory Montessori training, the suitability of the
approach for all students, and the external pressures of standardized testing, which sometimes
push schools toward traditional teaching methods. Teachers' self-efficacy in teaching 21stcentury
skills varies, with experienced educators feeling more confident, while newer teachers
emphasize the importance of continuous practice and professional development.
This research contributes to the growing discussion on the modernization of Montessori
education by identifying gaps and opportunities for integrating 21st-century skills more
effectively. It recommends targeted professional development, standardized guidelines for
digital literacy, and greater collaboration among Montessori schools to support teachers in
adapting to contemporary educational demands while maintaining the core principles of the
Montessori method
Constructing the Crisis. Framing, fear, and the politics of asylum in Ter Apel
No full textThis study was conducted to gain insight into how the framing of asylum seekers in Ter Apel contributes to the legitimization of political decisions regarding the Dutch asylum system and the development of the registration centre in Ter Apel. A qualitative research design was employed, including interviews with experts and stakeholders involved with the centre, as well as a critical discourse analysis of media and news sources to uncover dominant narratives of politicians and media professionals. Visual materials, such as photographs, were also examined for their role in reinforcing particular frames.
The research shows that the overwhelming presence of negative framing, often linking asylum seekers to criminality and public nuisance, leads to the perception that the group as a whole can be characterized in this way. This facilitates an 'us versus them' mentality in which restrictive measures against this group become normalized, based not on individual behaviour but on structural and repetitive negative representations.
The findings also indicate that populist actors in Dutch politics exploit this dynamic for their own electorate by amplifying dominant frames and positioning themselves as saviours in the so-called asylum crisis. This framing justifies increased surveillance and securitization of a specific group in Ter Apel, reinforcing public fear and social distancing. As a result, asylum seekers are increasingly perceived not as individuals with potential to contribute to society, but as a threat that must be controlled. This contributes to a polarized society in which empathy, nuance, and recognition of individual agency are replaced by suspicion and exclusion
Background characteristics and their influence on consumer evaluations on English use in advertisements.
No full textThis study aims to investigate the influence of nationality their proficiency in English and emotionality in English on advertisement evaluations, based on the language used in the advert: native (Dutch/Spanish) or nonnative (English). This was done through an experiment in which a survey containing two adverts in either the L1 of the participant or the L2 (English) was used. Participants then filled out their evaluations of the adverts containing their attitude towards the product and the advert, as well as purchase intention, self-assessed English proficiency and emotionality in English. Overall, participants reported a high level of English proficiency, with no significant differences between nationalities. Emotionality in English aligned with prior research, as participants generally perceived their L1 to be more emotional than their L2. Nationality emerged as a significant factor affecting emotionality in English, purchase intention, and attitude toward the advertisement. However, the language of the advertisement itself did not significantly influence product attitude, advertisement attitude, or purchase intention
Annet Schaap: De veelbekroonde literaire laatbloeier
No full textIn 2017 werd de achtdelige literatuurgeschiedenisreeks van de Nederlandse Taalunie voltooid, die de Nederlandstalige literatuur tot en met 2005 in kaart brengt. Wanneer er anno 2025 een vervolgdeel zou verschijnen, mag de naam van Annet Schaap daarin niet ontbreken. Sinds haar debuut Lampje (2017) wordt zij immers door critici geroemd om haar schrijfstijl en oeuvre, en is haar werk veelvoudig bekroond. In dit bachelorwerkstuk wordt uiteengezet waarom Annet Schaap een plaats verdient in een geactualiseerde literatuurgeschiedenis. Daarbij wordt aandacht besteed aan haar carrière, de boeken die zij geschreven heeft en de vele prijzen die zij daarvoor ontvangen heeft
The influence of verbal anchoring in logos on donation intention towards non-profit organisations in France and The Netherlands.
No full textIn the current climate, non-profit organizations (NPOs) rely on donations, which leads to NPOs competing with each other for donations. This means they have to look for original ways to find fundings and stimulate donation intentions. In this article, the influence of verbal anchoring in a logo on donation intention is investigated, with a focus on differences in Tolerance of Ambiguity (ToA) between French and Dutch culture. Multiple dependent variables were measured during this experiment: comprehension, attitude towards the logo, attitude towards the organisation and the donation intention. Even though it was expected that more verbal anchoring would lead to a higher donation intention, the results did not confirm this. However, the results did show that the French participants had a higher ToA than the Dutch participants. These findings suggest that for well-known NPOs, verbal anchoring does not have an influence on the donation intention
Briseis: A Literary Reflection on the Social Position of Women and Enslaved People in Antiquity and Modern Times.
No full textThe aim of this research is to ascertain the extent to which one can learn about the social position of women and enslaved people based on different historical written versions of mythological narratives. This is examined through the character of Briseis in the mythological written (re)tellings of the Trojan War, the Iliad, the Heroides and The Silence of the Girls. These literary works are studied using historical sources to draw conclusions about the extent to which Briseis reflects the social position of women and enslaved people in their respective eras and societies
Fresh from the Source: How Shopping Practices Shape Perceptions of Local Food Healthiness
No full textThis thesis examines how shopping environments shape perceptions of local food healthiness. Although local food is often associated with health due to perceptions of freshness, minimal processing, and short supply chains, existing research often sees these as individual beliefs. This study adopts Consumer Culture Theory and uses Practice Theory as its enabling lens to examine how such perceptions are shaped through everyday routines and material contexts.
The research is based on semi-structured interviews with Dutch consumers and an analysis of newspaper articles on local food and health. The findings are structured using the Nested Practice Model, developed for this thesis, which identifies how materials (e.g., packaging, store layout), competences (e.g., food knowledge, label literacy), and meanings (e.g., trust, authenticity, moral values) interact to form health-related beliefs in shopping environments.
The results show that perceived healthiness is not defined only by nutrition labels or product ingredients. Instead, it is experienced through the practice of shopping in specific environments, involving interactions with physical spaces, sensory cues, and familiar routines. These experiences contribute to a broader sense of what is considered healthy, often involving emotional and cultural associations with local food.
This study contributes to marketing literature on local food consumption by offering a practice-based understanding of how health perceptions are shaped in everyday shopping contexts. It also contributes to Consumer Culture Theory by showing how meaning is sustained through routine practices. Additionally, it extends Servicescape Theory by demonstrating that shopping environments influence long-term beliefs, not just short-term behaviour. The findings offer practical implications for retailers, marketers, and policymakers by showing how store design, presentation, and communication shape trust and reinforce perceived health benefits
Gespierd, Gekleed of Gezien?
No full textDeze studie onderzoekt de impact van gespierdheid en naaktheid van mannelijke modellen op visuele aandacht, merkherinnering, merkherkenning, attitudes en koopintentie. Hiervoor is een mixed-design experiment uitgevoerd met behulp van eyetracking en een vragenlijst. De resultaten tonen aan dat gespierde modellen meer visuele aandacht trekken, maar dat die aandacht zich op het lichaam richt in plaats van op de merkelementen, waardoor dit ten koste gaat van de merkherinnering en merkherkenning. Advertenties met niet-gespierde modellen scoren hoger op merkherinnering en merkherkenning en krijgen positievere attitudes en hogere koopintenties dan advertenties met gespierde modellen. Bovendien blijken geslachtsverschillen invloed te hebben op de beoordeling: vrouwen hebben een positievere houding bij geklede modellen, terwijl dit bij mannen minder uitmaakt. De bevindingen tonen aan dat seksualiteit de aandacht beïnvloedt en daarmee de effectiviteit bepaalt. Voor adverteerders betekent dit dat wanneer merkherinnering en positieve attitudes en hoge koopintentie centraal staan, niet-gespierde, geklede mannelijke modellen doorgaans effectiever zijn
Climate adaptation in practice: heat stress and the environmental and planning act
No full textThis study examines how the Environmental and Planning Act (2024) influences the prioritization and implementation of blue-green infrastructure (BGI) to reduce urban heat stress in two Dutch municipalities: ’s-Hertogenbosch (Spoorzone) and Utrecht (Merwedekanaalzone). Using a qualitative multiple case study approach, data was collected through semi-structured interviews with municipal policymakers, project managers, and planners, alongside a document analysis. The findings indicate that the Act plays a limited role in initiating new climate adaptation strategies. Rather than serving as a driver of innovation, it tends to formalize existing ambitions. Although its integrative and procedural flexibility is recognized, the Act remains underutilized in routine decision-making.
The comparative analysis reveals that differences in BGI governance are shaped more by institutional context than by the legal framework. ’s-Hertogenbosch adopts a legal-structural approach, embedding BGI in formal instruments but struggles with interdepartmental coordination. Utrecht employs a more adaptive, project-based strategy, emphasizing political leadership and spatial experimentation, yet faces resource constraints and lacks enforceable mechanisms.
Heat stress is rarely addressed as an explicit policy priority, often treated as a byproduct of broader greening efforts. The study highlights that legal frameworks alone are insufficient; effective climate adaptation requires organizational capacity, cross-sectoral collaboration, and sustained resources