Micro-entrepreneurship, sustainable development goal one and cultural expectations of Ghanaian women

Purpose Using functional contextualism, this study aims to explore how Ghanaian micro-entrepreneurship of women (MEW) impacts on the achievement of four targets of sustainable development goal 1 (SDG) (income, social protection, economic resources and resilience) with the cultural factors of women as a mediator. Design/methodology/approach Using a mixed methods approach, semi-structured questionnaires were used to collect data from 171 micro women entrepreneurs in Tema. The data collected was analyzed using thematic and multiple regression techniques. Findings The study reveals that micro women entrepreneurship relates significantly to earning incomes and procuring economic resources. These targets cannot be achieved without the significant effects of cultural factors. Originality/value This paper contributes to the literature on micro women entrepreneurship and sustainable development goals by indicating that a better appreciation of the relationship of micro women entrepreneurship and achievement of SDG 1 targets will have to be examined within the cultural setting of women. The theoretical contribution is in showing that MEW to be an enabler for achieving the earning of income and procuring economic resource targets of SDG 1. Micro women entrepreneurship is both a process (earning income) and outcome (procuring economic resources) for achieving SDG 1 targets.

Positive behaviour support in South African Foundation Phase classrooms: Teacher reflections

Background: The positive behaviour support (PBS) model is a model of response to address challenging behaviours of learners in schools that has proven to be effective in developed countries. Given its human rights and functional contextualism lens, the PBS model is particularly relevant to and of value within the South African context.Aim: Since learner challenging behaviours are a key contributory factor to learner exclusion in schools, an inclusive education module on the PBS model was developed and evaluated for its effectiveness in the South African context.Setting: The study is set within an interpretivist paradigm and utilises a generic qualitative research design.Methods: Qualitative data were collected through module evaluations – 11 focus group interviews with 144 candidates (4th-year in-service Limpopo teachers) followed by four classroom observations and interviews with the teachers from the classroom observations.Results: The thematic analysis revealed that participants had developed new insights about ecosystemic challenges that impact behaviour and were critically reflexive about their changed practices resulting from their participation in the inclusive education PBS model. Participants valued PBS strategies as good and useful for excellence in teaching. This evidences a pocket of success in relation to the value of the PBS model.Conclusion: The professional development of pre-service teachers with the skills and knowledge of the PBS model for classroom practice is advocated for. Recommendations are made for further research.

Gestalt Breastfeeding: Helping Mothers and Infants Optimize Positional Stability and Intraoral Breast Tissue Volume for Effective, Pain-Free Milk Transfer

In the past decade, biological nurturing and activation of maternal and infant instincts after birth have constituted a major advance in clinical breastfeeding support. Yet, physiologic breastfeeding initiation is not enough to ensure ongoing pain-free and effective breastfeeding for many pairs. Current interventions, including “hands-off” mammalian approaches, do not improve breastfeeding outcomes, including in randomized controlled trials. Back-arching, difficulty latching or staying on the breast, and fussing at the breast are common signs of infant positional instability during breastfeeding. These cues are, however, often misdiagnosed as signs of medical conditions or oral connective tissue abnormalities, and underlying positional instability is not addressed. New clinical approaches are urgently required. This article offers a clinical approach to fit and hold (or latch and positioning)— gestalt breastfeeding, which aims to optimize positional stability and intraoral breast tissue volumes for pain-free effective breastfeeding. The word gestalt (pronounced “ger-shtolt”) means a whole that is more than the sum of its parts. Gestalt breastfeeding builds on the theoretical foundations of complexity science, physiologic breastfeeding initiation, and new understandings of the biomechanics of infant suck elucidated in ultrasound studies. It also integrates simple psychological strategies from applied functional contextualism, popularly known as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, empowering women to attend mindfully to breast sensations and their infant’s cues. Gestalt breastfeeding can be reproduced for research purposes, including in comparison studies with oral surgery, and has the potential to improve breastfeeding outcomes.

Biofeedback and the Illusion of Self-Control: A Functional Contextual Perspective

Physiological self-regulation through biofeedback may be seen as a metaphor for generalized self-control expectancies. Using a model based on functional contextualism and relational frames theory, self-control efforts are seen as a convenient fiction or illusion, with physiological coherence and the sense of coherence associated with improvements in health and behavior.