Themata in science and in common sense

Human thinking is heterogeneous, and among its different forms, thinking in dyadic oppositions is associated with the concept of themata. Gerald Holton characterises themata as elements that lie beneath the structure and development of physical theories as well as of non-scientific thinking. Themata have different uses, such as a thematic concept, or a thematic component of the concept; a methodological (or epistemological) thema; and a propositional thema. Serge Moscovici has placed the concept of themata in the heart of his theory of social representations which is based on ‘natural thinking’ and on forms of daily knowing, including common sense. In this article I shall explore some features of thematic concepts and of methodological themata in scientific theories and in common sense. More specifically, I shall refer to the significance of the methodological (or epistemological) thema the Self and Other(s) in common-sense thinking and in social practices

Contemporary challenges to dialogicality

In contrast to perspectives fragmenting individuals into elements and studying disengaged cognition, ‘neutral’ and ‘objective’ knowledge, the dialogical approach is holistic, focusing on interactions and interdependencies between the Self and Others (the Ego-Alter). It studies engaged action and experience, daily knowledge, and communication in ordinary life. Interactions involve learning about and acting upon objects. Thus from the Ego-Alter as an irreducible ethical and ontological unit we arrive at the Ego-Alter-Object as an irreducible unit of dialogical epistemology. In this article I discuss two challenges to dialogical epistemology. One concerns the different degrees of commitment within the Ego-Alter-Object relationship. The second challenge refers to the replacement of the epistemological triangle the Ego-Alter-Object of knowledge by the consumerist triangle the Ego-Alter-Thing of desire. I discuss the latter challenge with respect to contemporary bureaucratization of academic and education institutions

Effects of Academic and Non-academic Instructional Approaches on Preschool ELLs\u27 English Language Development

The population of English Language Learners (ELLs) in the United States has been growing at an increasingly rapid rate (U. S. Census Bureau, 2010), and nowhere is this growth more evident than in U.S. public schools. As of school year 2010-11, nearly 25% of all students in the California public schools were English Language Learners (California Department of Education, 2013). The focus of this study was to explore to what extent this growing number of ELLs was developing English language in different types of preschool activities. The study investigated whether bilingual preschool children would engage more and use more of their second language (English) during teacher-structured (academic) or free play (non-academic) activities. In addition, the researcher investigated the perceptions of preschool teachers and parents of bilingual preschool children regarding the effects of academic and non-academic instructional approaches on student engagement and English language development. Study participants consisted of eight bilingual preschool children, twelve preschool teachers, and eight parents of the children participants. The children were between the ages of three and five. The ethnic background of the children varied and included Japanese, Portuguese, Mexican and Indonesian. The researcher utilized both quantitative and qualitative research approaches in this study. Data sources included 285 preschool observations made at one preschool in Northern California, teacher and parent surveys, and teacher and parent interviews. Data analysis consisted of descriptive statistics that included frequencies/percentages, means, and standard deviations. In addition, children\u27s observed scores were also analyzed by normative scales using standardized z-scores. The findings of this study indicated that bilingual children engaged and interacted dramatically more during free play (non-academic) preschool classroom activities than during teacher-structured (academic) activities. The free play activities during which children were the most engaged and used their second language, English, the most were: pretend play, free play, and monkey bars. Results demonstrated that unstructured free-play activities served as an affordance for building language, academic skills, and cultural capital. The teacher and parent survey and interview findings indicated that preschool teachers and parents perceive free play (non-academic) preschool activities as being more beneficial toward children\u27s engagement and English language development than academic (teacher-structured) activities. The study\u27s major implication is that free play (non-academic) activities may be much more helpful in developing preschool ELL students\u27 English language skills compared to teacher-structured (academic) activities. Greater English language development in the early preschool years may help students become more successful as they enter Kindergarten. Moreover, the importance of free-play activities may extend beyond preschool classrooms, and the researcher recommends that more unstructured social-based activities for ELLs be implemented in K-12 classrooms

Consumer Attitudes and Purchase Intentions toward Second-hand Clothing Online and through Social Media Platforms: Does Gender and Income Matter?

Second-hand shopping as a segment in the retail industry has grown rapidly over the years. Apparel resale is expected to grow 6% by 2025, showcasing $25 billion chunk of the$425 billion retail industry in 2025 (Sutter, 2016). The primary purpose of this study was to examine second-hand shopping purchase intentions online and through social media. The secondary purpose was to analyze consumer attitudes, behaviors, and purchase intentions toward second-hand shopping online and through social media based on consumers’ gender and income level. Correlation testing results found statistically significant relationship between attitudes toward purchasing second-hand clothing online as well as through social media platforms and purchase intentions. Respondents indicated that they would buy secondhand clothing online and through social media if the sizing was more accurate and true to present day (r=.695), if the site provided images on how to best style the fashion item (r=.445), and if the second-hand shopping online platform was fast and convenient (r=.645). Additionally, low income female (vs. male) consumers indicated that they buy more second-hand clothing items per month than middle and high income consumer groups

The influence of social media and fashion magazines on body image of culturally and racially diverse young women

Mass media is considered to be the most pervasive cause of body dissatisfaction (Tiggemann, 2011). Body image and physical attractiveness are typically determined by weight and body type and the ideals for an attractive physique vary from culture to culture. The primary purpose of this study was to focus on female individuals and the effects that media exposure (in fashion magazines and a variety of social media) has on their body image. The secondary purpose was to examine differences in body image perceptions based on ethnic background (African-American, Asian-American, Arab-American, Euro-American, Hispanic-American, and mixed race). The sample consisted of 742 females between the ages of 19 and 25 years old. The body dissatisfaction findings present a convincing argument that the increase in body dissatisfaction in females is mostly prevalent when exposed to certain media outlets such as Facebook, Instagram, and fashion magazines, and not when exposed to YouTube and Pinterest. Results of chi-square analysis showed that African-American and Arab-American young females were found to have significantly more positive body image than Euro-American, Asian-American, and Hispanic-American females

Effects of Synchronous and Asynchronous Online Instructional Approaches on English-Learning Undergraduate College Students: An Exploratory Study

Although the significance of the use of online classes remains evident due to their growing prevalence at US universities, they still remain an untested experience for countless English learners (ELs). This research explores EL students’ perceptions of the opportunities for interaction in synchronous and asynchronous online university classroom modalities. It also examines how socioacademic relations and Bandura’s social learning theory can explain the interactions between students and instructors that influence EL students’ literacy development. Participants (n=105) were selected from a large sample pool of 261 EL undergraduate student participants aged 18 to 35. A mixed methods design was utilized in this study. Quantitative data was analyzed using paired sample t-tests, and Cohen’s d effect size was evaluated. Results indicated that EL students perceived synchronous courses to provide more opportunities for interaction (language input and language output) than asynchronous online courses. Research implications are thoroughly discussed

A fabricação da teoria de representações sociais [The making of the theory of social representations]

This paper presents the theory of social representations as a model of social scientific theory. In doing so, it attempts to reconstruct the foundations of the theory of social representations by focusing on intellectual resources that were available to Serge Moscovici during the time he was developing the theory. These resources shaped his epistemology, and firmly distinguished the theory of social representations from other social psychological approaches. The focus on these intellectual resources draws attention to two issues. First, in contrast to what Moscovici often called ‘one or two sentence theories’ in social psychology based on the manipulation of variables, the theory of social representations is built on a rich set of presuppositions. Second, an explicit recognition of presuppositions of social representations in their application in professional practices like education, politics and health, among others, enables a unique contribution to social sciences and humanities