Institutional Differences in Individual Wellbeing in China

An imbalanced distribution of income and welfare characterizes a developing or transitional economy such as China’s. Even after forty years of reform and rapid economic growth, there is still considerable disparity in wellbeing across different institutional settings in China. Major inequalities exist between rural and urban areas, public and for profit sectors, and state-owned and private enterprises. This paper presents the descriptive differences in individual wellbeing across these kinds of institutional settings from objective and subjective perspectives, enabled by the five waves of the Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS; the years of 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2015). The results show that: (1) people in urban China enjoy more objective wellbeing than people in rural China, but less subjective wellbeing; (2) people who work for the public sector enjoy more objective and subjective wellbeing than those for the for profit sector; (3) people who work for the state owned enterprises enjoy more objective wellbeing than those for the for profit sector, but subjective happiness is not significantly different. Furthermore, people’s perception of subjective wellbeing not only relies upon substantive objective wellbeing, but also an affiliation with a certain type of institution.

INVESTIGATING LEARNER AUTONOMY OF EFL AND ESP STUDENTS AT THE TERTIARY LEVEL: CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Learner autonomy is a concept developed to reiterate the need for life-long learning that goes beyond the prescribed curriculum and institutional settings. In addition, learner-centered approach shifts the burden of responsibility from teachers to learners, as learners are now obliged to take charge of their learning. In that respect, students at the tertiary level of education are expected to know how to learn, inclusive of what to learn and where to learn. In other words, they should be trained to organize their own learning, control and monitor their progress, and evaluate the results, whereas the current educational settings should be given the task to contribute to the development of learner autonomy that paves the way for life-long education. The participants in the research are EFL students from the department of English Language and Literature at Faculty of Philosophy, University of Priština in Kosovska Mitrovica, and ESP students from the Academy of Technical and Pre-School Vocational Studies Niš, Department Vranje. A Learner Autonomy Questionnaire developed by Zhang and Li (2004) was administered to measure students’ learner autonomy level. The aim of the paper is not only to outline the significance of taking control of one’s learning, but also to use certain tools in the EFL classroom that contribute to the process of building learner autonomy, as its pedagogical implication, including language learning strategies, project-based tasks, reflective journals, etc.

Hybrid Knowledge and the Historiography of Science

Originating in the field of biology, the concept of the hybrid has proved to be influential and effective in historical studies, too. Until now, however, the idea of hybrid knowledge has not been fully explored in the historiography of pre-modern science. This article examines the history of pre-Copernican astronomy and focuses on three case studies—Alexandria in the second century CE; Baghdad in the ninth century; and Constantinople in the fourteenth century—in which hybridization played a crucial role in the development of astronomical knowledge and in philosophical controversies about the status of astronomy and astrology in scholarly and/or institutional settings. By establishing a comparative framework, this analysis of hybrid knowledge highlights different facets of hybridization and shows how processes of hybridization shaped scientific controversies.

Assessing dynamic risk factors in institutional settings using STABLE-2007

Assessing dynamic risk factors for persons who reside in an institution can be a challenge. Conceptualizing and scoring dynamic risk factors is more difficult when environments are restricted and opportunities for those being assessed to demonstrate changes in behaviour may be few and far between. Additionally, because dynamic risk measures rely partly on file information scoring is dependent on the training and backgrounds of the people who record information and their personal decisions as to what they consider important enough to include in records. This may mean that scoring under research conditions based only on file review does not reflect the reliability of the measure under clinical conditions. Despite these challenges the present paper argues that there is sufficient evidence to support the use of STABLE-2007 as a reliable and valid measure of dynamic risk factors in institutional settings under both clinical and research conditions. Tips are provided on how to conceptualize institutional behaviours in a manner relevant to dynamic risk factors and how to weigh historical versus more recent information. Finally, recommendations are made for implementing a thoughtful system of checks and balances relevant to the assessment process in institutional settings.

Do the Dark Triad Personality Traits Buffer against Stress? A Study among Students of Higher Education in Malaysia

Stress and anxiety are prominent mental-health issues among students worldwide. The current students of higher education are digital natives who are accustomed to immediate feedback and instant gratifications. Therefore, they are susceptible to stress differently compared to the previous generations. Given the seriousness of the stress-related issue in higher education, this study was conducted to examine the role of dark triad personality (Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy) as a buffer against stress. The socially aversive and interpersonally adaptive nature of dark personality traits makes them ideal candidates for further investigation on the influence of personality on stress. The Dark Triad Dirty Dozen and Perceived Stress Scale were used to collect data from 549 respondents. Data were analyzed in two stages using Partial-Least Square-Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). The study revealed that the only dark triad personality that has a role in the increased level of stress is psychopathy. However, the finding was significant among men but not for women. The current study cannot statistically account for the population of different institutional settings since it only captured samples within higher education institutions in Malaysia. Therefore, future research should be extended to wider populations that cover individuals in certain practices or those with a leadership position in any profession.

Institutional characteristics of education systems and inequalities: Introduction II

The second special issue of International Journal of Comparative Sociology (IJCS) on the role of education systems as institutional settings on the reproduction of inequalities includes three papers that focus on stratification of the education system as key driver of educational inequalities, the role of digital inequalities in the school and beyond, as well as how students navigate through the institutional setting of the Taiwanese education system. While we already elaborated on the research program, conceptual framework, and methodological challenges in the first introduction (published in January 2021), we will deal with the current state-of-research in this second introduction.

Care-Arbeit und Care-Berufe

Care work can be provided in various forms and in differing institutional settings, ranging from private households over social networks and charitable organizations to public or private entities employing professional care persons. All these forms of care work create a value-added, but are subject to very different economic conditions. Focusing on professional care and building on German micro-data, the article shows preliminary evidence that there might be a »care wage-gap«, i.e., a systematic disadvantage of care workers compared to other professions in terms of their remuneration. It points out how this presumption could be thoroughly scrutinized and suggests possible reasons - among other things, the existence of informal care - that could be tested in subsequent steps.

Challenges for Children 65+ Caring for Parents 90+ With Dementia During COVID-19

With the rise of the novel coronavirus, family caregivers of persons with dementia have been tasked with adapting to an entirely new caregiving landscape. Adult children caring for parents in the ‘oldest old’ age group bear an additional burden. Namely, children that are older adults themselves are navigating the joint vulnerability of both their own and their parents’ aging-related issues (e.g., health problems). The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of dementia caregivers during COVID-19 from the unique perspective of children aged 65 and older caring for parents aged 90 and older. Participants were 30 caregivers from the Boston Aging Together Study with whom we conducted in-depth interviews between March 2020 and February 2021. Thematic analysis revealed key challenges related to COVID-19. Children were worried about the prospect of their parent contracting the virus and took steps to minimize their parent’s exposure, such as discontinuing use of formal supports (e.g., home health aides) or assistance from other family and friends. Forgoing these supports often created greater responsibilities for caregivers as well as contributed to greater social isolation for both child and parent. In situations where parents resided in institutional settings, children were often unable to provide necessary help and support to parents due to restrictions. Caregivers also faced difficulties due to their parent not understanding or practicing COVID-19 regulations and in utilizing alternative means of communication with their parent (e.g., video conferencing). Supports and services should be designed in light of the unique challenges of this group.