Digital Commons Network^™

Assessment Moderation: Is It Fit For Purpose?, Lenore Adie

2021-2030 ACER Research Conferences

This presentation outlines the different practices and purposes of assessment moderation and analyses the benefits and issues of these. Two projects are presented; each seeks to improve teacher judgement. Both attempt to redefine what we mean by moderation and how moderation can be conducted to reach diverse and dispersed groups. The first draws on a current Australian Research Council project that is exploring the development of scaled exemplars, the use of commentaries of judgement decisions, and the use of digital platforms to support teachers grading student work. The second draws on the work of the Graduate Teacher Performance Assessment (GTPA) …

The Transformational Change Of Adaptive Assessment, Jarrod Hingston, Toby Newton

2021-2030 ACER Research Conferences

Organisational change theory often discusses the differences between adaptive change and transformational change; adaptive change being the process of incremental shifts that are intended to drive improvement, while transformational change requires major alterations in processes. In 2019, ACER embarked on a mission to develop a new adaptive testing and reporting system, with the goal of delivering an assessment that would improve the precision of results for every student. While the intention was to introduce an adaptive change in the assessments, the project truly transformed the way that ACER delivers assessments and reports results, a result recognised by the project being …

Tips For Getting Started Accessing Data: Available Data On Economic Topics, Kim Davis

CPAR Presents: A Data and Research Series for Community Impact

• Economics of Census • Economic Programs • Economic Data Resources & Products • Quarterly Workforce Indicators Explorer • Resources & Contact Information

Global Fraud Detect, Simon Hopley

Defensive Publications Series

The present disclosure relates to a method and a system for aggregating card transactions to detect fraud globally, wherein transactions that take place when the issuer’s accounts are known to be in a sleep state condition or comparable condition. The present disclosure suggests collecting data from an issuer, where there is a failure to detect system-wide fraud. Thereafter, the issuers are enabled to share fraud findings that may include more than simply one card network’s cards. Also, the present disclosure enables cross-card program frauds to be detected and stopped considerably more quickly, consequently reducing the size of a fraud and …

Book Review: Hood Feminism: Notes From The Women That A Movement Forgot, Shauntey James

Journal of International Women's Studies

No abstract provided.

Book Review: The Education Trap: Schools And The Remaking Of Inequality In Boston, Gisselle Rodriguez Benitez

Journal of International Women's Studies

No abstract provided.

Film Review: Gaza Mon Amour, 2020. This Palestinian, Drama Film With Spanish Subtitles Was Directed By Brothers Arab Nasser And Tarzan Nasser And Written By The Brothers And Fadette Drouard. Produced By Rani Massalha, Marie Legrand, Michael Eckelt. Distributed By Versatile Films., Tucker Nadeau, Manal Al-Natour

Journal of International Women's Studies

No abstract provided.

Our Slaps, Meenakshi Verma

Journal of International Women's Studies

"Our Slaps" raises the question of whether and at all traumatized mothers, who once used to be abused daughters, can confess and escape their psychic hinterlands without being tricked into becoming abusive by subconsciously switching their role identity from a victim to a persecutor. The poem achieves this by boldly offering that rare chance to one such mother who ultimately dares to lay the first cornerstone of intention for a healthy legacy of unabused women. Despite being trapped in a hopeless vicious cycle, this mother struggles to allow her young daughter to keep her innocence intact by deliberately curbing her …

Grandma, Widowhood And Her Family, Prateeti Ghosh

Journal of International Women's Studies

The Sati Abolition Act (1829) followed by the Hindu Widow Remarriage Act (1856) could not wholly eradicate the discrimination against Bengali widows in their own families. After almost 300 years, in the 21^st century, as it is witnessed by the narrator, in a few Hindu Bengali patriarchal traditional families, widows are deprived of their basic human rights such as choice of food, clothing etc. Discrimination against widows i.e., gender inequality, as a matter of fact, originates from her own family or the in-laws’ family. To eradicate inequality, awareness education should be given to both the victims as well as …

Pakistan’S Heuristic Her-Story Via Lahore, Afiya Shehrbano Zia

Journal of International Women's Studies

Despite the reference to the ‘long Partition,’ the idea of Pakistan has a hurried history: the word originated in the 1930s, the Lahore Resolution of 1940 pledged to realize the Two-Nation Theory and shortly after, in 1947, Pakistan was created. Seventy-five years on, unresolved questions of national identities and the ‘woman question’ remain large and elusive and I propose, the palimpsest city of Lahore is deeply and symbolically representative of these irresolute matters. Regardless of the veracity of the claim that Lahore is Pakistan, the core struggles, victories and losses of the country’s her-story can easily be recalled through the …

Women And Land Snails Consumption In The Southwest Region Of Cameroon, Forka Leypey Mathew Fomine

Journal of International Women's Studies

Both marine and terrestrial species of snails are consumed in most countries worldwide, including Southwest Cameroon where it is an age-old practice among various ethnic groups. Before the introduction of snail farming in the Southwest Region of Cameroon in the 1990s, all the residents who ate snails acquired them through gathering.

There is significant internal variation in the history of land snail consumption among four ethnic groups: the Banyang, Mbo, Balung, and Bakweri. The long history of land snail consumption among the Banyang and Mbo can be attributed to their geographical proximity to the eastern region of Nigeria, where the …

Mothers And Daughters: Reclaiming The Besieged Body Of Woman In Ashapurna Debi’S Trilogy, Subhadeep Ray, Goutam Karmakar

Journal of International Women's Studies

This paper offers a close reading of the intergenerational trilogy by Ashapurna Debi, one of the first-canonized women-novelists of post-independence India: Pratham Pratisruti (The First Promise), 1965, Subarnalata, 1967, and Bakul Katha (Bakul’s Story), 1974. Reconstituting a history of almost two centuries and countering the colonial/postcolonial grand narratives, these novels act as a saga of Bengali Hindu lower and middle-class women’s plight under and resistance against a patriarchal social order operating at the most intimate levels of domestic relationships. Ashapurna Debi’s treatment of the intricacies of gender inequality and a woman’s response to the violence …

The Predicament Of The Vulnerable: Dalit Lives In Keeranur Hamlet, India, Jeeva M, Bijin Philip, Vinesh Raj V

Journal of International Women's Studies

Dalit people and Dalit women especially experience deep prejudice and pressures in Indian society. This paper highlights these challenges in a specific region of India, the village of Keeranur. The authors explore how to eradicate inequality and how Dalits can live with dignity in society as human beings. Both researchers and Dalits themselves as victims also propose alternative conditions to their current lives. We have gathered first-hand information from 67 Dalit women who reside in the village of Keeranur. In India, four states account for 50% of the Dalit population, according to the 2011 census. Tamilnadu and the hamlet of …

The Voices Of The Divorced: Reasons For Early Divorce Among Emiratis In Abu Dhabi, Fakir Al Gharaibeh, Muneera Majed Al Ali

Journal of International Women's Studies

There has been a growing interest, especially among Emirati organizations concerned with family development, in the rising rates of early divorce in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The purpose of this research is to identify the reasons for early divorce among Emiratis. The authors selected 2,162 Emirati early divorcees who were registered with the Family Development Foundation (FDF) in Abu Dhabi and who received services from the (FDF) between 2012 and 2018. Among those, 200 divorcees agreed to participate in this study. Quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS. Results found that the most common reasons for early divorce were the …

“Other” And “Othering” In The Intersectionality Of Inequalities: Alevi Women’S Experiences In Private And Public Spaces, Tuğba Metin Açer

Journal of International Women's Studies

Turkey is one of those geographies where ethnic and sectarian communities live together. Ethnic and sectarian differences in social life create a fragile structure in terms of "othering" and position groups against one another. Alevis are one of the several ethno-religious communities of Turkey that are positioned against Sunni Muslims. In Turkish literature, othering experiences of Alevis are discussed within the framework of totalizing discourses by reducing this issue to the category of sects, thus creating inequality in the social space which is generally related to the Alevis’ ethno-religious identity. Furthermore, it is observed that women’s experiences are ignored in …

Representations Of Arab Women In Hollywood Pre- And Post- 9/11, Eiman A. Eissa, Hala A. Guta, Rana S. Hassan

Journal of International Women's Studies

Many scholars argue that the image of Arabs in Hollywood has always been tainted by prejudice and stereotyping. However, little attention is paid to women's representation in general or the influence of 9/11 on that representation. This paper compares portrayals of Arab women in popular Hollywood films before and after 9/11. A purposive sample of 76 Arab female characters from 40 popular Hollywood films is used to conduct a content analysis, comparing portrayals in films released before and after 9/11. Popular Hollywood films are defined as films with at least 50,000 reviews that score seven or more on the International …

“Something Over And Beyond”: Victorian Women, Marriage And Independence In Anthony Trollope’S Can You Forgive Her?, Aleksandra Tryniecka

Journal of International Women's Studies

Anthony Trollope’s novel, Can You Forgive Her? offers a profound insight into a literary portrayal of Victorian femininity. The literary heroines in the novel (including Alice and Kate Vavasor, Arabella Greenow and Glencora Palliser) not only confront their hopes and ambitions with the principles of nineteenth-century society, but also offer an apt reflection on the universal notion of womanhood as incessantly suspended between and shaped by both social expectations and individual desires. I argue that Can You Forgive Her? offers a fully-fledged, multifaceted, literary vision of the Victorian woman, with her desires, dreams, fears and longings reaching beyond the nineteenth-century …

Revisiting Masculinity And Othering In Diasporic Fiction, Shilpi Saxena, Diksha Sharma

Journal of International Women's Studies

Contemporary literary discourse has extensively deliberated upon the construction of the ‘self’ and the ‘other’ that not only legitimizes the politics of othering but also gives rise to the crisis of masculinity in the context of diaspora. Against this background, this article aims to examine the aspects of masculinity in diasporic fiction with a special reference to Buchi Emecheta’s Second Class Citizen (1974), Joan Riley’s Waiting in the Twilight (1987), and Hanif Kureishi’s The Buddha of Suburbia (1990). Deliberating upon the intersection of othering and masculinities, the present article intends to examine the experience of ‘masculinity crisis’ among men of …

Advancing Livelihoods And Transformation Of Rural Women: The Role Of Critical Pedagogy In Bridging Gender Gap In South Africa, Sampson Tawiah, Itumeleng Setlhodi

Journal of International Women's Studies

The essence of advancing livelihoods is to heighten socio-economic transformation among the poor, especially rural women through education. The statement above suggests that locating these women as critical stakeholders and affording them opportunities to improve their skills and knowledge can advance values significantly. In the country in general, rural women generate less income as compared to men. Hence, educational practices geared toward women are to address this gap. Transformation, however, does not come cheap. It takes consented effort on educators, learners, and society to embrace educational provisions, programs, and new teaching methods for a sustainable change, especially for rural women. …

A Qualitative Exploration Of Women’S Self-Knowledge And Perception Surrounding Their Reproductive Bodies, Lauren Anderson, Marcia D. Nichols

Journal of International Women's Studies

This study examines what happens when a defined normal, in the sociocultural context of western civilization, does not align with women’s diverse experiences of their bodies throughout their reproductive lifespan. The study explores women’s frequent negative affects surrounding their reproductive bodies driven by western culture’s societal definition of normal. Using modified interview questions from Emily Martin’s 1987 study: The Woman in the Body, which help examine women’s perception of achieving womanhood through their corporeal experiences including menarche, menstruation, menopause, and pregnancy, this study strives to explore questions that women have about their bodies during their reproductive lifespan: How does …

Gender Mainstreaming Challenges And Opportunities In Government Agencies In Selected Government Offices In Fogera District, Ethiopia, Asrat Dagnew Kelkay

Journal of International Women's Studies

The main objectives of this study were to assess current gender mainstreaming practices and to identify opportunities and challenges in mainstreaming of gender issues in selected government offices in Fogera district, Ethiopia. The specific objectives of the study were to assess and analyze the practice of gender mainstreaming, to identify the existing opportunities for gender mainstreaming and to examine the major practical problems that inhibit gender mainstreaming. The study used qualitative research methods and case study research design. Consequently, purposive sampling was used to select the informants and discussants of the study. The findings showed that most participants of the …

Breaking Free From The Stringent Fetters Of Patriarchy: The Discourse Of Resistance In Vijay Tendulkar’S Silence! The Court Is In Session, Oliva Roy

Journal of International Women's Studies

For centuries, the Brahminical social order in India has endorsed hegemonic masculinity and reinforced as well as legitimized a pseudo-equal relationship between men and women in Indian traditional, orthodox society, where men exercise coercive power, authority and dominance over women. Throughout the past centuries, women have experienced marginalization, suffered exploitation, discrimination and subjugation in every sphere of life, notably in economic affairs, political activities and decision-making processes. Women have been labelled as the ‘inferior strata’, the ‘voiceless other’ and the ‘subaltern’ in our society. Vijay Tendulkar, the doyen of Marathi theatre, has portrayed women, not as weak and submissive victims …

Tips For Getting Started Accessing Data: Available Data On Housing For Nebraska, Mike Norton

CPAR Presents: A Data and Research Series for Community Impact

We are a national mission-driven financial institution that creates opportunity for underserved people and places through partnerships. We marshal the capital, analytics, and expertise necessary to build strong, healthy, and more equitable communities. Since 1985, Reinvestment Fund has made $2.7 billion in cumulative investments and loans. We are supported by 830 investors that include individuals, foundations, religious institutions, financial institutions, civic organizations and government.

Gendering The Diaspora: Experiences Of British-Pakistani Muslim Women, Aisha Anees Malik

Journal of International Women's Studies

Migration and settlement accounts have primarily been men’s stories within which women are either absent or represented by community spokespersons who again are largely men. The host community and state see their existence within policy perspectives regulating immigration. To fill this gap, this paper explores the gendered experiences of British-Pakistani Muslim women by investigating how they negotiate certain aspects of their diasporic lives. It builds on their narratives in matters related to education, employment, language, dress, and community associations. It discusses the pressures on women due to multiple systems of oppression created by their various identities and how women deal …

Prevalence Of Domestic Violence And Mental Health Symptoms Among South Asian Women In The United States, Shreya Bhandari, Uma Chandrika Millner

Journal of International Women's Studies

This study examines the prevalence of domestic violence, mental health outcomes and help-seeking behaviors among a cross section of 155 South Asians that participated in an anonymous survey. The findings indicate that 31% of the participants experienced some form of domestic violence; physical, emotional, financial or sexual abuse and about 88% of those abused experienced emotional abuse. Results indicate that the abused participants experienced mental health symptoms of sleeplessness, frequent crying spells, panic, feelings of helplessness and hopelessness, high stress, bouts of uncontrollable anger and loneliness. The results emphasize culturally sensitive services that address domestic violence as well as mental …

Negotiating Empowerment: Pakistani Women Exercising Agency In Domestic And Public Spheres, Laraib Qureshi, Saadia Abid

Journal of International Women's Studies

This article explores women negotiating empowerment in domestic and public spheres as beneficiaries of a women’s empowerment project. While these empowerment interventions are noteworthy, they are also misleading because they ignore the local expressions of agency, where women at home also exercise power and conscious decision-making in their own contexts, just as much as any other working women--which is equally significant when talking about empowerment. We argue that there are other expressions of empowerment that are neglected, trivialized, or unacknowledged by the mainstream discourse. In a similar context, we argue that local women, while understanding the NGO’s definition of empowerment, …

Transactional Sex In Nigerian Universities Among Female Students: Drivers And Safety Concerns, E. K. Oyeoku, N. E. Ibezim, P. C. Agwu, U. O. Okoye

Journal of International Women's Studies

Freedom away from parents and guardians for students in higher institutions could have effects on their sexual decisions and behaviours, which when not guided could portend devastating consequences. Such a decision could lead to indulging in transactional sex (TS), a kind of sexual relationship that is adopted in exchange for material and non-material benefits. In this study, we underscored why female students are involved in TS in some Nigerian universities and offer potential remedies that could mitigate or prevent associated negative consequences. The study relied on a qualitative research methodology, adopting in-depth interviews to source data from 40 female students …

Exposing The Use Of Fronting To Circumvent Mainstreaming Of African Women To Managerial Positions In The South African Private Sector, Motlhatlego Dennis Matotoka, Kolawole Olusola Odeku

Journal of International Women's Studies

This paper examines fronting practices within the private sector that are used to circumvent and bypass the law in South Africa. Fronting aims to present an illusion of compliance with laws that compel the broad mainstreaming of Black African women in managerial echelons and positions within the private sector. Companies that engage in fronting install women in managerial positions to convince law enforcers that they complied with the law, but the women are merely hired to “front” for the company. Most of these women lack the qualifications necessary for managerial positions, but they are included in reported statistics as women …

Women’S Labour Force Participation: Economic Growth Nexus In Sub-Saharan African Countries, Chinasa E. Urama, Ezebuilo R. Ukwueze, Divine N. Obodoechi, Oliver E. Ogbonna, Afamefuna A. Eze, Oluwaseun B. Alade, Paschaline N. Ugwu

Journal of International Women's Studies

Women’s labour force participation is an aspect of empowerment and a leeway to achieving the SDGs due to the contribution of women’s labour to economic growth. This study investigated the impact of women labour force participation on economic growth in sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries. Important lessons were drawn from Israel as to how Israel has been empowering and currently improving women’s labour force participation and economic growth in general. The study employed a two-step system Generalised Method of Moments (GMM) with panel data from 35 selected SSA countries. The findings showed a positive relationship between gross fixed capital formation, female …

The Rejection Of Women Imams In Indonesia: Between Religious And Socio-Cultural Texts, Nurun Najwah, Irwan Abdullah, Saifuddin Zuhri Qudsy, Ahmad Baidowi

Journal of International Women's Studies

Discourses regarding women as imams became widespread after Amina Wadud led communal Friday prayers in 2005. Academics have predominantly responded by analyzing religious doctrine and its exegesis, ignoring the fact that women's ability to lead worship is strongly influenced by their specific socio-cultural contexts and dynamics. This article will investigate how religious texts structure and are structured by the socio-cultural context of Indonesia. In this study, data were collected by identifying hadiths of leadership, then analyzing them using content analysis. It was found that religious doctrines tend to emphasize the primacy of men (as leaders) while underscoring the (physical, intellectual, …