Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences Studies

Crafting post-feminist women in contemporary western/horror

Bryan Edward Ott — 2024-06-10

The scarcity of creative work that engages the problematic issue of female marginalization in the western/horror hybrid space demonstrates the need to expand her limited framework and develop a new screenwriting approach that privileges the female perspective. Prevailing contemporary western and horror hybrid texts, such as and Bone Tomahawk (2015) adhere to traditional male-centred American myths that re-inform genre codes and conventions supporting patriarchal power. Female-centered western/horror hybrid narratives, such as The Witch (2015), Brimstone (2016), Mohawk (2017), and Prey (2022) move issues of female representation into lesser-explored territory, but, when read through a post-feminist lens, do not fully realize the fruitful craft potential that, as I will argue, genre hybridity and post-feminist screenwriting generates. That said, using Mohawk, as a detailed case study, I will analyze how post-feminism successfully informs the narrative and character construction, to advance female representation in mixed-genre form. In addition, this article proposes and explores a new approach to ‘writing’ strong female characters: one that expands the limits of power beyond the boundaries of the existing western/horror storytelling.

Integrating lean management into community-based tourism: Enhancing efficiency in tourism supply chains through value stream mapping concept

Wachiraya Tatiyanantakul — 2024-06-10

This study aimed to identify waste within the community-based tourism (CBT) management chain and enhance the efficiency of the CBT activities' supply chain by employing the value stream mapping (VSM) concept. Through a case study of a CBT destination in Kok Sathon, Thailand, a mixed-method research approach was utilized, combining qualitative and quantitative methods. The study incorporated a literature review, field surveys, interviews with 35 key informants, and questionnaires administered to 400 tourists. The findings reveal that waste in the CBT management process manifested in nine categories: non-participation/non-community involvement; lack of identity/storytelling; unclear communication; overproduction/over-processing; waiting/delay; transportation/motion; non-organization and management; defects; and tourism marketing. Following the implementation of improvements, a reduction in staff activities was observed by 33.33% and service process time by 5.61%. The research not only provides empirical evidence of waste in CBT supply chain management but also demonstrates the impact of applying lean principles to address inefficiencies. Furthermore, it offers insights into optimizing tourism resources in CBT operations and serves as a guide for enhancing efficiency in service organizations. This work introduces a new framework that challenges traditional compartmentalized problem-solving methods in tourism and emphasizes the importance of every step in the process—from inception to conclusion—to enhance understanding of the root causes of issues and facilitate necessary changes. These reductions in waste are directly aligned with the values desired by tourists, indicating a successful alignment of operational improvements with tourist expectations.

The expectations of lecturers and employers towards work-integrated learning in the fields of hospitality and tourism education

Sasipha Kanta — 2024-06-18

Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) is an instructional method that integrates the requirements of the employment sector into curriculum design, blending academic and practical training. The key drivers of this type of learning management are lecturers and employers. This study aims to compare expectations in WIL, classified by occupation and work experience. Data were collected from two groups of stakeholders, including lecturers from six higher education institutes using WIL learning management, and supervisors responsible for overseeing learners during their practical training period in the hospitality and tourism field. Fieldwork was conducted with employers in managerial positions at nine hotels in Thailand, using cluster random sampling to obtain the 19 participants. The research instrument was an assessment form evaluating the performance expected of learners upon graduation. The statistics used to analyze the data included mean (X̅), standard deviation (SD), and two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). The findings indicate that lecturers and employers have the highest expectations for WIL learning in the hospitality and tourism field (X̅ = 4.63, SD = 0.27), with different occupations and experiences having similar expectations for WIL learning. These results offer new insights into identifying stakeholder groups as informants for data collection and need analysis in designing or improving curricula. Additionally, the findings can guide curriculum developers in selecting main stakeholders for data collection and need analysis used in curriculum design.

Development of a training course to enhance the morality and ethics of student teachers at Champasack University, Lao People’s Democratic Republic

Kilaysone Asai — 2024-06-18

The objective of this research was to develop a training course for enhancing morality and ethics of student teachers at the Faculty of Education, Champasack University, Lao PDR. This mixed-method research utilized a three-phase research and development process. Phase 1 involved the analysis of relevant documents and research to obtain basic information for the training course development. Interviews were conducted with nine executives and teachers, and a questionnaire was administered to 369 participants, including executives, teachers, and undergraduate students from four departments. Phase 2 focused on the development of the training course, which was accomplished through the action research of two cycles, targeting 16 third-year student teachers from the four departments. In Phase 3, the quality of the training course was verified through a meeting of seven experts. The findings revealed that during Phase 1, there was a need to develop a training course for morality and ethics enhancement in all aspects: responsibility, volunteering, unity, and discipline with PNI_modified of 0.28, 0.27, 0.25, and 0.23 respectively. In Phase 2, 80% of the students passed the predetermined criteria. There was a notable difference in the test results before and after the training, with a statistical significance level of .05. The training content activity received a highest level of satisfaction (X̅ = 4.69, SD = 0.48). For Phase 3, the quality verification process and comprehensive course improvement identified ten components: (1) rationale, (2) principles, (3) goals, (4) objectives, (5) content structure and duration, (6) activities, (7) training methods, (8) media and equipment, (9) measurement and evaluation, and (10) expected outcomes.

Coping and resilience among the youth during the extended COVID-19 restrictions: Exploring lessons learnt from coaching-based interventions

Kanu Priya Mohan — 2024-06-19

According to research across various countries, the mental health and psychosocial well-being of the youth have been deeply impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Hence, it is imperative to address the rising problems and develop resources for future preparedness. Applying insights from their previous mixed methods research, the authors integrate a coaching framework within a qualitative approach to design an intervention to support young participants. This research had three aims: firstly, to explore the experiences of the youth affected by the extended pandemic restrictions; secondly, to utilise coaching to help participants explore their coping strategies; and thirdly, to synthesise the lessons learnt for future applications. Purposive sampling was utilised to invite participants from the target group of 21–35 years. Participation was voluntary and the ethical practices of research followed. Sixteen participants joined the in-depth interviews and research sessions from May to June 2021. These participants included seven Indians and nine Thai young adults. Thematic analyses of data revealed that while the participants experienced both challenges and stresses, they also reported strategies of adjustment to the extended pandemic restrictions. The emerging themes were consolidated and discussed within the theoretical frameworks of coping and resilience. The participants’ feedback on coaching confirmed its usefulness as an intervention in a challenging context. The implications of these findings are discussed to rethink the paradigms to support the psychosocial well-being of the youth dealing with challenges for future preparedness.