American Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities

Reframing the reintegration of trafficked children, centering the role of family and community

Ifeyinwa Mbakogu — 2025-09-15

Reintegration programs and policies informing them in West Africa are framed within Western notions of childhood and child development, which fail to account for relationships within family and community contexts that influence a child’s movement away from home. The paper is informed by ongoing research with trafficked children from West Africa, residing in shelters, or who have returned home to their identified family members or guardians. It draws on interview data and personal narratives that highlight both the diversity and complexity of children’s experiences across trafficking, rescue, and reintegration phases. The study found that on returning home, survivors are confronted with the trauma of their trafficking experiences, familial blame, silencing, shame, exclusion, and pressure to endure exploitation for the benefit of family honor and survival. The paper calls for reintegration practices for survivors of trafficking to be context-dependent processes that interrogate family and community interactions rather than assuming that they are supportive of survivors and their recovery. It emphasizes that reintegration efforts should be survivor-informed, culturally grounded, and designed to accommodate the unique needs of each child. The findings support family-and-community-inclusive interventions that transcend reunification to prioritize survivor narratives, address histories of power imbalances, stigma and coercion, and the nature of family obligations.

The teaching method of “siplaecec” in language learning: The conditional role subject to need climate within a self-determination theory framework

Qi Zhang — 2025-09-15

This study investigates, framed within Self-Determination Theory (SDT), how need climate (Need-supportive versus need-thwarting) and teaching method (“Siplaecec” featuring scaffolded interactive play, ludic autonomous engagement, and competence-embedded context versus “traditional method” through didactic instruction) interact to influence language learning outcomes. A two-way ANCOVA measures the interaction effect, controlling for pre-intervention performance, to examine the potential synergistic relationship between the need climate and teaching method. The results demonstrate that the need climate alone has a significant main effect on learning outcomes, with need-supportive environments outperforming need-thwarting conditions. In contrast, the teaching method alone reveals a non-significant main effect, indicating that innovative pedagogy does not necessarily facilitate learning in isolation. Notably, the results highlight a disordinal interaction effect. Explicitly speaking, learners in the group of “siplaecec” employed in need-supportive climates have achieved the highest outcomes, while those in the group of “siplaecec” employed in need-thwarting climates have achieved the lowest outcomes. Traditional methods have yielded relatively stable effects regardless of need climates. These findings suggest the conditional efficiency of pedagogical innovation, the potential persistence-stimulating role of need frustration, and the resilience of traditional methods in buffering against the debilitating influences of unsupportive environments. This study extends the principles of SDT and presents the climate-sensitive implementation of play-related pedagogies.

Papua New Guinean literature: A unique narrative under multiculturalism

Yan Yang — 2025-09-25

The purpose of this paper is to explore the dynamic evolution of Papua New Guinean literature amid the collision and fusion of its indigenous traditions and diverse foreign cultural elements, and to further clarify how this literature articulates authentic indigenous voices and constructs a distinct national identity within a complex multicultural context. To achieve this goal, the paper adopts a literature research method: it systematically collects and analyses academic papers, literary monographs, and critical reviews related to Papua New Guinean literature, and based on this, conducts an in-depth analysis of three core dimensions of the literature—its historical development process from oral traditions to written works, representative authors and their works, and its evolutionary path under the dual influence of Western and Eastern cultures. The study finds that Papua New Guinean literary tradition not only vividly mirrors the country’s societal transformations and inherent national ethos but also plays a pivotal role in preserving, inheriting, and promoting indigenous cultures in the age of globalization. Furthermore, the practical implications are that this research on Papua New Guinean literature is expected to offer novel perspectives for understanding the diversity and unique value of Pacific Island literature as a whole, thereby enriching regional literary studies and providing references for the exploration of indigenous literary identities in global multicultural contexts.

Relational versus instrumental pathways of apology: The roles of performative sincerity, strategic presentation, and trust restoration in behavioral outcomes of relationship Repair

Qi Zhang — 2025-10-14

Apologies, as central components of relationship repair after interpersonal or organizational conflicts, are analyzable regarding their effectiveness based on the form and perceived apology intent. Thus, this study investigates how two contrasting forms of apology expression, i.e., performative sincerity (PS) and strategic presentation (SP), affect behavioral outcomes (BO) and to what degree these effects are mediated by trust restoration (TR). Adopting survey data and analyses through structural equation modeling (SEM), this study examines direct, indirect, and total effects of the proposed pathways. According to the results, PS exerts a significant indirect effect on BO through TR, whose mediation accounts for 72.5% of the total effect. In contrast, SP exerts a significant direct effect on BO, without significant mediation through TR. Additionally, the direct effect of PS on BO and the indirect effect of SP on BO via TR are non-significant. These findings offer empirical evidence for two distinct mechanisms of apology effectiveness. Explicitly speaking, PS operates a prompt of a relational-trust, spontaneity-oriented pathway, which can promote sustainable reconciliation through trust rebuilding. In contrast, SP functions as a trigger of an instrumental-behavioral, external-factor-driven pathway, which can drive immediate outcomes without substantial relational healing. This study contributes to theoretical differentiation between relational and instrumental logics of apology effectiveness and practical implications on the consistency between apology strategies and long-term goals of authentic relationship repair.

Work-life conflict and intention to leave among teachers: The role of working time arrangements

Sarah Nogues — 2025-11-13

Attrition is a salient issue in the teaching profession, which also observes important work-life conflict. This paper assesses the influence of working time arrangements on teacher work-life conflict and intention to leave. Our descriptive results indicate that teachers experience high levels of work-family conflict and indicate moderate intention to leave. We ran ordinal logistic regressions to assess the impact of various working time arrangements onto teacher work-family conflict and intention to leave. After adjusting for sociodemographic variables, effective use of flexible hours was associated with lesser odds of experiencing conflict, while unavailability of reduced working time and study leaves was associated with greater odds of experiencing conflict. Access to, and effective use of personal/family leaves was associated with less intention to leave. However, not being able to reduce one’s work hours or to access a study leave was associated with increased intention to leave. Overall, our results point to a need for more control over the amount of hours they work, to attend to non-work needs. Our findings shed light on the reasons behind teacher attrition with regards to work-life conflict. These findings reinforce the necessity for a greater access to leaves, voluntary reduced working time and flexible hours for teachers. Investing in these key resources may reduce teacher work-life conflict and intention to leave, and thus contribute to teacher retention in the profession.

Human-machine teaming perspective on college English speaking classroom design: Targeting the enhancement of students' willingness to communicate

Zhong Linling — 2025-11-13

This review article examines the integration of human-machine teaming principles into college English speaking classroom design with the specific objective of enhancing students' willingness to communicate. As educational technology continues to evolve, the convergence of human expertise and artificial intelligence capabilities presents unprecedented opportunities for language learning pedagogy. This comprehensive review synthesizes current research across multiple domains including second language acquisition theory, educational technology, human-computer interaction, and artificial intelligence to propose a novel framework for classroom design. Through systematic analysis, the research identifies key HMT components that directly impact WTC: adaptive feedback mechanisms, empathetic AI interactions, collaborative task design, and personalized learning environments. The findings indicate that well-designed human-machine partnerships can significantly reduce speaking anxiety, increase learner autonomy, and enhance communicative competence. The review proposes a multi-layered theoretical framework that positions educators as orchestrators of human-AI collaboration rather than sole content deliverers, while AI systems serve as adaptive learning partners providing real-time feedback, conversation practice, and anxiety-reducing interventions. Key recommendations include implementing transparent AI systems that build trust, designing collaborative speaking tasks that leverage both human creativity and AI analytical capabilities, and developing teacher training programs for effective HMT integration. This work contributes to the growing body of knowledge on AI-enhanced language education and provides practical guidelines for educators seeking to modernize speaking instruction through human-machine collaboration.

A cultural linguistic approach to friedrich holderlin’s poem bread and wine

Juan Wang — 2025-12-01

Cultural linguistics examines discourse through integrating the culturally-defined, conventional, and contextually situated meaning with the dynamic, momentaneous, and emerging meaning. The poem of Friedrich Hölderlin engages themes such as divinity, homecoming, and the natural world, embodying great philosophical, poetic, and aesthetic value by manifesting the truth of human existential being. From a cultural-linguistic perspective, this paper aims to examine the application of cultural cognitive models in the meaning construction of Hölderlin’s poem Bread and Wine. We first introduced the development of cultural linguistics and its integration into cognitive linguistics theories, and then identified and analyzed four major cognitive models: the propositional model, image-schematic model, metaphoric model, and metonymic model manifested in the poem within the cultural contexts, exploring how they contribute to the poetic meaning construction process. The findings of this paper show that the poetic discourse's meaning is greatly shaped by human cognitive structures and cultural contexts, and different cognitive models rooted in the poet’s embodied experience with the surrounding environment govern the meaning construction process and demonstrate the core poetic themes of humanity, spirituality, and divinity. This study may provide readers with both cognitive and cultural pathways into poetic discourse interpretations. Further research is expected to explore a more comprehensive cultural linguistic model that governs the meaning construction of poetic discourses.

Social-comparison-based pedagogies for language learning through ludicization technology: Effects of pluralist learning and conformity-driven designs on performative and affective factors

Qi Zhang — 2025-12-01

This study investigates how three social-comparison-based pedagogies: autonomous competitive framing (ACF), autonomous competitive framing with social reinforcement (ACF-SR), and pluralist learning (PL), influence performative and affective dimensions of educational-technology-supported language learning. Grounded in Social Comparison Theory, these pedagogies are compatible with ludicization settings implemented by Habitica as the educational technology. The empirical pedagogical interventions elicit the comparative analyses of the performative factor (Post-intervention language learning outcomes) and affective factors (openness, agency, and engagement). The one-way ANCOVA controlling for pretest performance demonstrates that learners in the PL group achieve the highest language performance, followed by those in the ACF, and finally by those in the ACF-SR groups. The K-means clustering analysis produces emergent affective profiles significantly aligning with the predefined pedagogical grouping. The Kruskal-Wallis analysis based on the three distinct affective configurations indicates that learners in the PL achieve higher openness, agency, and engagement than those in ACF, which features low agency, and ACF-SR, which features the lowest levels of all affective factors. Theoretically, these findings address how visibility, authority, and conformity pressures reshape social comparisons under ludicized learning conditions. Regarding pedagogical discussions, this study reflects on how social comparison can be reconstructed into performative and affective empowerment through ludicization as a holistic social-psychological process based on educational technology. In conclusion, this study reflects the facilitation of diversity-featuring pluralist learning in educational-technology-mediated language learning enhancement and the debilitation of conformity-driven designs in learning initiatives without performative or affective empowerment.

A study of language varieties in once upon a time in America from the perspective of sociolinguistics

Caixia Wu — 2025-12-10

This study adopts a sociolinguistic theoretical perspective, focusing on the phenomenon of language variation in the classic film Once Upon a Time in America. It delves deeply into the core role of language in shaping characters' social identities, transmitting cultural heritage, and constructing power relations. By systematically analyzing the dialogues and linguistic patterns of key characters in the film, the study emphasizes the multifaceted functions of regional dialects, sociolects, and ethnolinguistic features in advancing the narrative and characterizing individuals. It reveals how different language varieties precisely convey characters' social class differences, cultural belonging, and interpersonal interaction dynamics. Through meticulous interpretation of representative scenes and dialogue excerpts from the film, the study finds that language serves not only as a communicative tool among characters but also as a clear reflection of the complex social hierarchy and profound cultural conflicts in early 20th-century America, becoming an important medium for showcasing the historical context. The research findings further enrich academic discussions on the interactive relationships among language, society, and cinema, providing a deep and broad analytical perspective for interpreting the sociolinguistic implications of language variation in filmic representation, and offering certain reference value for subsequent research in related fields.