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Research Article
Integrating Community-based Participatory Research Methods to Identify Leisure Preferences Among Newcomer Immigrant Women Aged 30-55 in Ottawa, Canada
Issue:
Volume 15, Issue 4, August 2026
Pages:
153-162
Received:
29 May 2026
Accepted:
18 June 2026
Published:
8 July 2026
Abstract: This paper explores the benefits of adopting a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach when designing leisure activities for newcomer Farsi-speaking immigrant women aged 30 to 55 in Ottawa, Canada. Immigrant women in this age range frequently navigate complex and overlapping demands related to paid employment, family responsibilities, caregiving, and unpaid labour, yet their leisure interests and access needs remain underrepresented in both the research literature and community programming. Through sustained collaboration with a local resettlement service organization, a bilingual (English/Farsi) leisure interest survey was administered to Farsi-speaking women who had arrived in Canada within the preceding five years and fell within the designated age range. The survey invited respondents to identify preferred leisure activities, accessibility requirements, language learning goals, and scheduling preferences. A total of 40 women submitted responses, and the findings were organized into three thematic leisure categories: (1) outdoor and movement-based activities, including yoga; (2) museum and gallery visits; and (3) social gatherings. This CBPR approach enabled these community members to articulate their leisure interests, assets, and specific needs, which in turn directly informed the development of culturally relevant and responsive leisure programming. Our discussion and conclusion emphasize that a pre-activity survey can serve as a meaningful methodological bridge between community-based participatory research and the design of culturally responsive leisure programs. Implications for researchers, community organizations, and practitioners working with newcomer populations are discussed.
Abstract: This paper explores the benefits of adopting a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach when designing leisure activities for newcomer Farsi-speaking immigrant women aged 30 to 55 in Ottawa, Canada. Immigrant women in this age range frequently navigate complex and overlapping demands related to paid employment, family responsibilities...
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Research Article
The Disgrace of the Unburied Dead: A Theological Exegesis of Ecclesiastes 6:3b
Eric Adjei Gyan*
Issue:
Volume 15, Issue 4, August 2026
Pages:
163-169
Received:
16 June 2026
Accepted:
25 June 2026
Published:
17 July 2026
Abstract: Ecclesiastes 6:3b contains one of the most arresting evaluative clauses in the Hebrew wisdom corpus: “and also he has no burial.” Qoheleth’s portrait of the wealthy man who begets a hundred children, lives many years, yet dies without burial represents a profound inversion of the conventional wisdom equating material abundance with divine favor. Despite its rhetorical prominence within Ecclesiastes 6:1–6, the burial clause has received comparatively little sustained theological attention in the commentary tradition, typically subordinated to the dramatic nephel (stillborn) comparison that follows in verses 4–5. This gap in the scholarly literature constitutes the background problem this article addresses. This article presents a focused theological exegesis of Ecclesiastes 6:3b, with particular attention to the clause “and also he has no burial” (Hebrew: w’gam-q’vurah lo-haytah lo). The study argues that this clause is not a biographical footnote but the theological climax of Qoheleth’s carefully constructed argument against the sufficiency of outward abundance without inward satisfaction, and that recovering its full theological force holds significant implications for both biblical scholarship and pastoral ministry. The study employs a combination of historical-grammatical analysis of the Hebrew text, canonical-theological reading across the Old and New Testaments, and socio-rhetorical examination of the burial motif within its ancient Near Eastern cultural context. Key lexical terms: nephesh (soul/life-force), qevurah (burial), and nephel (stillborn) are subjected to close exegetical analysis. Comparative analysis draws on Mesopotamian, Egyptian, and Israelite burial traditions, Hebrew prophetic judgment oracles, wisdom literature, and New Testament kerygmatic texts, supplemented by current Qoheleth scholarship. The study demonstrates that the denial of burial in Qoheleth’s framework functions simultaneously on three levels: as a marker of covenantal rupture within the Hebrew theological tradition, as an act of social and memorial erasure in the ancient Near Eastern context, and as an eschatological signpost that points beyond Qoheleth’s own literary horizon toward a final divine reckoning. Read canonically, the motif anticipates the New Testament theology of Jesus’ burial as the form of a death that holds resurrection hope. The article further draws pastoral and homiletical implications, arguing that the text constitutes a sustained theological summons to soul-satisfaction, relational legacy, and the disciplined contentment that alone can ensure a life of enduring worth.
Abstract: Ecclesiastes 6:3b contains one of the most arresting evaluative clauses in the Hebrew wisdom corpus: “and also he has no burial.” Qoheleth’s portrait of the wealthy man who begets a hundred children, lives many years, yet dies without burial represents a profound inversion of the conventional wisdom equating material abundance with divine favor. De...
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Research Article
The Evolution and Rationale of Integrated Results-Based Management Within the Zimbabwe Republic Police
Chigariro Tiki*,
Pfukwa Charles,
Makwerere David
Issue:
Volume 15, Issue 4, August 2026
Pages:
170-180
Received:
27 May 2026
Accepted:
11 June 2026
Published:
22 July 2026
Abstract: The aim of this study was to trace the evolution of Integrated Results-Based Management (IRBM) in the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP), with a particular focus on the Bindura Policing District in Mashonaland Central. The study adopted a convergent mixed-methods approach, and questionnaires, interviews, document analysis, and Focus Group Discussions were used to collect data. The study found that the evolution of the IRBM system in Zimbabwe followed national imperatives, and its genesis can be traced back to the year 2005. The study found that the evolution occurred at various levels, particularly the top/strategic level, the middle/tactical level, and the line/operational levels, and that it was well embraced at all levels. A direct implication of the adoption of IRBM was the splitting of the Bindura Policing District into two, with Mazowe emerging as a standalone Policing District. The evolution started with a pilot implementation at Chiwaridzo Police Station in Bindura Town. The study found that IRBM gave the ZRP Bindura District clarity of purpose, and the organization became more goal-oriented and efficient, leading to a significant reduction in crimes of concern in the District. However, the IRBM model in the ZRP can be more effective with greater resource deployment and continuous training on IRBM, whilst paying particular attention to monitoring and evaluation to allow for continuous learning and improvement.
Abstract: The aim of this study was to trace the evolution of Integrated Results-Based Management (IRBM) in the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP), with a particular focus on the Bindura Policing District in Mashonaland Central. The study adopted a convergent mixed-methods approach, and questionnaires, interviews, document analysis, and Focus Group Discussions w...
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Research Article
Determinants of HIV Status Disclosure to Adolescents in Western Kenya: Developing an Evidence-based Disclosure Guide
Ooko Obiero*,
Limkile Mpofu,
Lawrence Mwaniki
Issue:
Volume 15, Issue 4, August 2026
Pages:
181-195
Received:
6 May 2026
Accepted:
16 May 2026
Published:
27 July 2026
Abstract: HIV status disclosure to adolescents living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (ALHIV) is essential for adherence to ART treatment and psychosocial well‑being yet it remains delayed in high‑burden settings. This study examined the rate and timing of HIV status disclosure and identified individual, familial, and socio-cultural determinants influencing HIV status disclosure to adolescents in Western Kenya. A convergent parallel mixed?methods design was used. Quantitative data were collected from 310 caregivers of ALHIV aged 10–19 years attending three health facilities in Bondo Sub?County using structured questionnaires. Qualitative data were obtained through eight focus group discussions (64 caregivers) and 10 key informant interviews with healthcare providers. Quantitative data were analysed using multivariate logistic regression with quadratic age terms, while qualitative data were analysed thematically. Integration was achieved through joint displays and a weaving approach. The HIV status disclosure rate was 74.5%, yet disclosure was delayed in early adolescence: only 1.8% of adolescents aged 10–12 years had been disclosed to, compared with 60.5% of those aged 13–14 years and 96.3% of those aged 15–19 years (mean disclosure age: 11.8 years). Age demonstrated a strong non?linear association with disclosure (quadratic aOR = 0.70, 95% CI: 0.59–0.83; p < 0.001). Independent predictors of disclosure included caregiver training the strongest modifiable determinant (aOR = 15.61)—caregiver confidence in discussing HIV (aOR = 2.42), access to adolescent peer support groups (aOR = 3.33), facility of care (aOR = 2.96), and perceived adolescent emotional maturity (aOR = 1.52), while fear of psychological distress emerged as the dominant barrier (aOR = 0.27). Although 34.6% of adolescents experienced initial distress following disclosure, 93.9% demonstrated improved ART adherence and 92.6% improved emotional well-being. Findings showed HIV disclosure decisions depended on caregiver capacity and health system support. In Western Kenya, adolescent disclosure remains delayed beyond guideline recommendations, with age serving as a threshold. Effective disclosure requires alignment between adolescent emotional readiness, caregiver preparedness, and supportive health system structures. An evidence-based disclosure guide was developed comprising three-core components: readiness-based assessment integrated with caregiver capacity building, family-engaged disclosure planning, and health-system enabling with structured post-disclosure support. This framework reconceptualises HIV disclosure from an age-driven expectation to a system-dependent process. There is need to implement structured HIV disclosure approaches that integrate readiness-based assessment, systematic caregiver capacity building, and strengthened adolescent peer support systems. Disclosure should be initiated earlier through individualised, and informed planning. Lastly, trauma-informed post-disclosure follow-up should be embedded within routine care to address initial distress and sustain improvements in adherence and emotional well-being.
Abstract: HIV status disclosure to adolescents living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (ALHIV) is essential for adherence to ART treatment and psychosocial well‑being yet it remains delayed in high‑burden settings. This study examined the rate and timing of HIV status disclosure and identified individual, familial, and socio-cultural determinants influencin...
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Research Article
Probable Relationship Between Neoteny in Human Brain Development and the Ability of Working Memory to Represent Novel Stimuli
Lic Hernan Perez Ramos*
Issue:
Volume 15, Issue 4, August 2026
Pages:
196-212
Received:
11 April 2026
Accepted:
16 June 2026
Published:
6 August 2026
DOI:
10.11648/j.ss.20261504.15
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Abstract: In this review we detail a series of studies and investigations that lead us to ask: Is it possible that the neoteny experienced during our cognitive development could be related to the end of a General Learning process in non-human primates (a phase in which knowledge is acquired about the possibilities offered by objects and subjects in the environment and information about the possibilities offered by interactions with them, in addition to knowledge about the characteristics of the ecological and social environment in which we live)? Furthermore, the information analyzed in this work also leads us to ask: Is it possible that the end of this General Learning process in non-human primates could be due to the fact that their working memory could lose a significant part of its capacity to represent novel stimuli around the time of food independence? And if this were so, could the characteristic neoteny of human cognitive development (the condition presumably responsible for our exceptional cognitive ability) consist of H. sapiens maintaining the working memory capacity to represent novel stimuli active after youth, thus making General Learning possible during the adult stage of life? The analysis we have developed in this review leads us to give an affirmative answer to these questions, concluding that the capacity of working memory to maintain the representation of novel stimuli could have been, by continuing to function in the adult stage of life in the lineage of individuals that led to Homo sapiens, the necessary and sufficient quality for the distinct cognitive development that characterizes our species to begin.
Abstract: In this review we detail a series of studies and investigations that lead us to ask: Is it possible that the neoteny experienced during our cognitive development could be related to the end of a General Learning process in non-human primates (a phase in which knowledge is acquired about the possibilities offered by objects and subjects in the envir...
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Research Article
Dual-Pathway Mechanism of Socially Shared
Retrieval-Induced Forgetting: Shared Attention Theory Perspective and Applications in the Intelligent Era
Issue:
Volume 15, Issue 4, August 2026
Pages:
213-218
Received:
27 May 2026
Accepted:
27 June 2026
Published:
6 August 2026
DOI:
10.11648/j.ss.20261504.16
Downloads:
Views:
Abstract: At a time when artificial intelligence (AI) is profoundly reshaping the socioeconomic landscape, intelligent education platforms, social media recommendation algorithms, and multi-agent systems are increasingly intervening in human information processing and memory construction processes. While these technologies enhance cognitive efficiency, they may also trigger systematic social forgetting, profoundly affecting the formation and evolution of collective memory. Socially Shared Retrieval-Induced Forgetting (SS-RIF) refers to the forgetting effect that listeners exhibit toward related but unmentioned information due to monitoring speakers' selective retrieval during social interactions. Although this effect has been repeatedly confirmed across diverse material types and group situations, existing research has long relied on individual cognitive co-retrieval mechanisms to explain it, failing to fully account for its significant social situational dependence. Based on shared attention theory, this paper proposes a dual-pathway model to systematically elaborate the mechanisms underlying SS-RIF: the cognitive resource redistribution pathway and the social motivation regulation pathway. Through theoretical analysis and systematic literature review, this study distinguishes between cognitive-level shared attention and motivation-level shared reality, and analyzes the integrated roles of inhibitory and blocking mechanisms in this process. Furthermore, aligning with the conference theme of AI empowerment for economy, management and social sciences, this paper explores the application prospects of SS-RIF in intelligent education, smart justice, and multi-agent interaction. The findings suggest that SS-RIF is not merely a cognitive byproduct but a social cognitive strategy with shared attention at its core, providing a theoretical framework for understanding collective memory formation and social cognitive coordination in the intelligent era.
Abstract: At a time when artificial intelligence (AI) is profoundly reshaping the socioeconomic landscape, intelligent education platforms, social media recommendation algorithms, and multi-agent systems are increasingly intervening in human information processing and memory construction processes. While these technologies enhance cognitive efficiency, they ...
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