The emotional costs of computers: an expectancy-value theory analysis of predominantly low-socioeconomic status minority students’ STEM attitudes

There is a strong push to increase American students’ interest in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematic (STEM) careers. However, minority and female students remain underrepresented in the STEM fields. Therefore, it is essential that we continue to examine the potential factors that both incite and dissuade STEM interest. We apply Expectancy-Value Theory (EVT) to examine STEM attitudes of predominantly low-socioeconomic status minority elementary school students over the course of a computing intervention. Furthermore, we integrate the digital inequality mental access conceptualization of ‘emotional costs’ into the EVT model in order to predict students’ negative STEM attitudes. Data are from a large-scale computing intervention that took place in a primarily minority, high poverty, urban elementary school district located in the southeastern USA. Results indicate that positive expectancies for success and subjective task values predict students’ positive STEM attitudes. Emotional costs toward technology primarily predict negative STEM attitudes. Students’ expectancies/values and emotional costs may have a ‘push-and-pull’ effect on the formation of STEM attitudes. This study successfully links digital disparities to STEM disparities by integrating the digital inequality concept of emotional costs. Practically, we conclude that future computing interventions should increase students’ academic-related expectancies and values while also minimizing their emotional costs in order to address both digital and STEM inequalities. Theoretically, we conclude that broad conceptualizations of emotional costs should be included in future studies to help explain negative attitudes/motivations toward STEM-related topics.     

University gatekeepers’ use of the rhetoric of citizenship to relegate the status of students with disabilities in Canada

Despite affirmation that students with disabilities should have equal access to education, individuals with disabilities are still not participating to the same degree as individuals without disabilities, particularly within postsecondary institutions. Students in Health and Human Service (HHS) programs experience many unique challenges and disadvantages. In-depth focus groups and interviews were conducted with 14 university stakeholders in HHS programs regarding their perceptions and experiences of working with students with disabilities. We found that the rhetoric of citizenship, specifically notions of rationality, autonomy, and productivity, interacts with beliefs about students with disabilities to allow stakeholders to justify their exclusion or limited participation. Our findings demonstrate how taken-for-granted beliefs can limit the inclusion of students with disabilities in ways that seem natural and unproblematic.     

Influence of the gregarious instinct and individuals’ behavior patterns on macro migrations: Simulation experiments

The objective of the model is to simulate the migrations of social groups over certain geographical regions, influenced by the gregarious effect and individual behavior patterns. The people move in search of better work opportunities and welfare. The model components are regions and individuals belonging to certain social groups. A region is characterized by more than 30 parameters, such as geographical data, actual population statistics, education facilities, and work opportunities. For the social groups, the parameters include the demographic and educational statistics. The simulated individuals attempt to optimize their welfare by moving over the model map. Spontaneous migration, without apparent goal, is also considered. The region parameters change owing to the number and the parameters of incoming individuals, which provides a dynamic and nonlinear feedback. The qualitative results reveal that the model never reaches a steady state and that the social groups remain in periodical movement. The simulations are agent-based. No differential equations (like in the System Dynamics approach) or any extant theory or mathematical model is used.     

How much culture is enough? Inuit teachers’ perceptions on the state of Inuit culture in Nunavik classrooms

This paper highlights findings of a survey conducted with the Kativik School Board, Canada, to gain insight into the perceptions of Inuit teachers concerning how Inuit culture is taught in the classroom. While findings indicate that teachers are integrating Inuit culture to varying degrees, roughly half of respondents suggest that not enough Inuit culture is being taught. Responses additionally suggest that attempts to articulate culture in schools should consider teachers’ access to cultural knowledge, the creation of effective learning spaces, and the inclusion of community Elders.     

‘A city is not a company,a flat is not a commodity’: urban movements and defenders of tenants’ rights in Poland

This article describes urban and tenant movements that have been created in Poland in response to the commercialization of urban space and the complete commodification of the right to housing. On the one hand, spatial segregation in Polish cities was fully approved by the state; on the other hand, it became a source of income for new owners of acquired buildings, who often used criminal methods to intimidate tenants. Brutal evictions encountered social resistance from the emerging tenant movement, non-institutionalized left-wing communities and endangered tenants, who were often pensioners and members of the lower classes. The author mentions undertaken and possible methods of social self-defence such as eviction blockades and rent strikes. He also raises the question of whether urban movements can become part of a broader social movement for systemic change.     

Invisible landscapes: students’ constructions of the social and the natural in an engineering course in South Africa

This paper examines the discourses that students draw on and propagate in a course on rural development in a first‐year engineering foundation programme. It looks at the way ‘rural’ is often constructed as ‘lack’ and therefore ‘other’, the dangers of constructing development as linear, the ways nostalgia and utopianism feed into discourses of development and how ‘propriety’ serves to maintain boundaries between nature and people, society and individuals. Different modes and media, coupled with the degree of regulation in the classroom, may enable alternate discourses to emerge or to be suppressed. This paper argues that the curriculum needs to engage with students’ views in order to understand, interrogate and critique the kinds of realities they feed into.     

The historicization of nostalgia,locality and quotidianity: on the changes in Lim Kim Chern’s gastronomic writing

This article seeks to shed light on Lim Kim Chern’s gastronomic writing, by ensconcing this individual case in the context of Modern Chinese Prose as an enduring literary tradition, in order to elicit the attribute of locality with diasporic discourse in quotidian life, that distinguishes it as part of a work in Malaysian Chinese Literature than the others. We will further this quest, by comparing the gastronomic writing of Lim before and after the changes in his literary pursuit in gastronomic writing, namely, by the comparison of the literary hierarchy of high-brow literature and the sub-genre of literature that post-positions the literariness, in order to examine whether or not it is a revelation, or even a harbinger of the fate of Malaysian Chinese Literature being minor literature.     

Inequalities in students’ union leadership: the role of social networks

Drawing on a national survey of students’ union officers and staff, and a series of 24 focus groups involving both union officers and institutional senior managers, this article explores the characteristics of those who take up leadership roles in their (higher education) students’ union. We show that, in several areas – and particularly in relation to gender, ethnicity and age – union leaders do not represent well the diversity of the wider student body. In explaining these inequalities, we argue that friendship groups and other peer networks play a significant role in determining who does and does not take up leadership positions. Moreover, as friendship groups are often formed on the basis of ‘differential association’ and are thus frequently socially homogenous, inequalities tend to be perpetuated. Wider institutional cultures and societal norms are also implicated.     

The stranger the better: support and solidarity in the 2011 students’ protests in Chile

This paper analyses the legitimation dynamics of the student protests in Chile 2011, explaining how the support of ‘strangers’ strengthened its position and endurance. By analysing interviews with both activists and uninvolved citizens, I describe a steady pattern whereby they express the strength and legitimacy of the movement by assessing the ‘abstraction’ of the link between protesters and their supporters. The more abstract these relations – the stranger supporters are – the most relevant and meaningful is their support. Beyond establishing the worthiness of protesters’ claims, strangers provide protesters with a mandate, fostering the movement’s cohesion and thus affecting its ability to endure through the conflict. While the literature has mostly looked at adherents as only potential (or failed) constituents, I argue that support that remains external plays a crucial role in social movements’ chances of success. This support needs, however, to avoid being framed as insufficient engagement. Further analysis shows that the distinction between protesters and strangers often requires active boundary work, allowing the movement to maximize the benefits of strangers’ support while managing its risks. The relation between these boundaries, the efficiency of different contention tactics and their adaptation is analysed here. The study argues that strangeness can involve very different, even opposed phenomena, which are often confounded, namely ‘otherness’ and ‘abstraction’. Critically drawing upon Simmel, I explain how it is ‘abstraction’ in particular that helps our understanding of the role of strangers in social movements and consider how this distinction could enrich research on the symbolic aspects of contentious politics.     

‘Just choose the easy option’: students talk about alcohol use and social influence

Previous research into young people’s drinking behaviour has studied how social practices influence their actions and how they negotiate drinking-related identities. Here, adopting the perspective of discursive psychology we examine how, for young people, social influences are bound up with issues of drinking and of identity. We conducted 19 focus groups with undergraduate students in Australia aged between 18 and 24 years. Thematic analysis of participants’ accounts for why they drink or do not drink was used to identify passages of talk that referred to social influence, paying particular attention to terms such as ‘pressure’ and ‘choice’. These passages were then analysed in fine-grained detail, using discourse analysis, to study how participants accounted for social influence. Participants treated their behaviour as accountable and produced three forms of account that: (1) minimised the choice available to them, (2) explained drinking as culture and (3) described resisting peer pressure. They also negotiated gendered social dynamics related to drinking. These forms of account allowed the participants to avoid individual responsibility for drinking or not drinking. These findings demonstrate that the effects of social influence on young people’s drinking behaviour cannot be assumed, as social influence itself becomes negotiable within local contexts of talk about drinking.     

‘It's afforded us a huge flexibility’: the impact of ‘Disabled Children's Access to Childcare Pilots’ on families with a disabled child in England

For many parents of disabled children, finding affordable and suitable childcare that meets their needs is very challenging. Research in the UK has shown that parents with disabled children experience barriers not just with cost, but also accessibility, the attitudes of childcare providers and in getting good information about sources of childcare. The Disabled Children's Access to Childcare (DCATCH) pilots was an initiative designed to improve access to childcare for disabled children in England. As part of an evaluation of DCATCH, qualitative interviews were carried out with 38 members of 22 families who had received support from the initiative. All of the families reported positive outcomes and highlighted: a beneficial impact on the parents' capacity to work; enjoyable experiences for the disabled child; increased confidence and independence for both parents and children; and the creation of time for parents to pursue other activities. The results of the DCATCH initiative support other research which argues that whilst cost is a significant factor around childcare choices for families with a disabled child, having confidence in the childcare provider's ability to meet specific needs (including complex health care needs) and providing positive experiences for the disabled child are also key, determining factors.     

‘Unjust,inhumane and highly inaccurate’: the impact of changes to disability benefits and services – social media as a tool in research and activism

This article details research carried out as part of an MA in Social Research at the University of Leeds (UK). The research was concerned with two key issues: documenting the impact of recent cuts in benefits and services on disabled people; and the role of disabled people’s organisations in responding to this impact. It also explored the use of social media in recruiting research participants. Working with Hammersmith and Fulham Action on Disability, the experiences of 95 disabled people were gathered using focus groups and an online questionnaire distributed via social media. The use of social media to gather participants is something I felt was particularly interesting in relation to disabled people, especially in light of social media’s role in current disability rights campaigns, and a method I feel should be explored further.     

Minority students’ psychological adjustment in the school context: an integrative review of qualitative research on acculturation

The present study aims at systematically analyzing the findings reported in qualitative research on acculturation and psychological adjustment in the school context. Content analysis was conducted using the deductively developed and inductively enriched system of categories. The results of the study provide insights into youths’ acculturation and their psychological adjustment in the school context as well as schools’ mechanisms and strategies for responding to minority youths’ needs in the process of the cultural transition.     

Gambling is not a capitalist conspiracy: a critical commentary of literature on the ‘industry state gambling complex’

Research into the political economy of gambling, arising particularly from the fields of sociology and geography, has made many much-needed contributions to gambling studies. It has highlighted the association between gambling and social disadvantage and also highlighted the conflict of interest that arises when governments who liberalize gambling also benefit from the resultant taxation revenue. This has led a number of authors to argue that the global gambling industry, as well as many governments and academics, are party to a modern capitalist conspiracy that (a) redistributes wealth and subjugates the disadvantaged and (b) pathologizes problem gamblers to deflect blame from the industry. This article provides a critical appraisal of these arguments with reference to papers from some of the leading authors in this area. It argues that the important contributions of this area have been tarnished by the overuse of politicized and polemical language in academic/scientific contexts, by the use of conspiracy-style arguments and by unjustified criticism of the behavioural and medical sciences. It also argues that the field of gambling studies is strengthened when generalizations about the role of industry are always supported by tangible examples and evidence at each stage of the critique.     

‘The dying of the light’: the impact of the spending cuts,and cuts to employment law protections,on disability adjustments in British local authorities

Adjustments to working arrangements and the working environment have enabled organisations to recruit and retain valuable staff and helped disabled individuals to work and progress in their careers. The qualitative study reported in this paper indicates that generally good adjustments-related practice across 33 British local authorities was beginning to deteriorate under the impact of government spending cuts; and was at further risk from the dismantling of legal protections. The findings have implications for local authorities, but also for national policy-makers and those wishing to influence them.     

Community perceptions of people with disabilities in the North West region of Cameroon: what is the impact on their access to services?

Community perceptions of people with disabilities are not uncommon and also have impact on access to services. This article discusses the results from interviews, participant observations as well as field notes with 62 participants (people with disabilities, families of people with disabilities, regular school teachers and principals, community-based rehabilitation personnel, non-governmental organization personnel, traditional leaders, religious leaders and social workers) regarding their perceptions of people with disabilities and the impact on access to services. The findings from the study revealed that community’s perceptions of people with disabilities are both negative and positive and have an impact on their access to schooling, health and rehabilitation services. The discussions/conclusions include difference in perspectives, beliefs and practices, impact of perceptions as non-linear, sensitization/flow of information and context difference.     

Eux autres versus nous autres: adolescent students’ views on the integration of newcomers

Focus group interviews with secondary school students in Quebec reveal assimilationist discourses concerning the integration of newcomers. The first part of the study involved interviews with immigrant students. In the second part of the study, reported here, host society youth describe fears of losing their cultural identity. Interview data indicate influences of exclusionist discourses from the media and society at large in an era of cultural protectionism in Quebec, a society struggling with the delicate balance between increasing cultural diversity and protecting French language and culture. This study indicates a need to implement intercultural education and promote intercultural communication to bring together the two separate worlds of immigrant and host society adolescents.

Des entrevues de type groupe de discussion avec des élèves du secondaire au Québec mettent en évidence des discours assimilationnistes concernant l’intégration des élèves néo‐canadiens. La première partie de l’étude est constituée d’entrevues réalisées auprès d’élèves immigrants. Le présent article constitue la seconde partie de l’étude où les jeunes de la société d’accueil décrivent leurs peurs de perdre leur identité culturelle. Les données indiquent l’influence des discours exclusionnistes de la société et des médias dans une époque d’équilibre fragile entre l’augmentation de la diversité culturelle et la protection de la langue et de la culture distincte au Québec. Cette étude démontre le besoin d’implanter l’éducation interculturelle et de promouvoir la communication interculturelle.     

Visual social media and affectivity: the impact of the image of Alan Kurdi and young people’s response to the refugee crisis in Oslo and Sheffield

This article focuses on the reception of the image of Alan Kurdi by a group of young volunteers in Oslo and Sheffield, and their understanding of the subsequent civic and political engagement. Methodologically, the study draws on a series of in-depth interviews conducted with a group of young volunteers who saw the photograph when it went viral on Twitter and who had followed the media coverage and participated in on- and offline activities related to the case. To analyse the views of the research participants on the Alan Kurdi case, I draw on feminist theoretical perspectives on affectivity, theoretical literature relating to news images and iconic photography, and online social movement theories. The study shows that the iconic image of Alan Kurdi offered a way of transforming complex and unsettled aspects of the refugee crisis into something concrete and understandable, contributing to galvanize affective resonance and immediate public response among the involved subjects. The infrastructure of social media, enabling the rapid global circulation of the image, contributed to shaping social assemblages to which connective emotions and common meanings were ascribed.     

‘There is Nothing that is Difficult’: History and Hardship on and after the Ho Chi Minh Trail in North Vietnam

The North Vietnamese Army considered the Ho Chi Minh Trail a key part of their victory during the Vietnam War against the United States. The trail was often defended by encouraging large numbers of lowland Vietnamese villagers to show their patriotism by moving to the uplands. Ho Chi Minh himself said of the enormous task of making the trail, ‘There is nothing that is difficult’. Based on fieldwork in Ha Tinh province, where the trail began, this paper addresses what happened after the war to the many migrants who had moved to defend and support the trail. After 1975, many families had expected increased government support as a thank you for their tremendous patriotism and sacrifice during the war. Instead, they became gradually disillusioned with collective farming, and later with the retreat of state services, and incidences of social protest and discontent have been increasingly clamorous in the post-war era.