Journal of Advanced Research in Social Sciences

The Agenda–Instrument Gap in SDG 5: An Intersectional, Cross-Context Assessment

Juairia Hossain — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This study critically examines global implementation of SDG 5 through an integrated lens of intersectionality, postcolonial and feminist theory, Critical Race Theory, and social justice/capabilities frameworks. Using a qualitative multiple case approach and secondary data across India, Nepal, Ghana, South Africa, and the United States, it identifies persistent gaps between gender rhetoric and redistributive instruments; crisis guidance that recognizes harms yet avoids macro structural reform; and capability constraints shaped by disability and place. Findings highlight unpaid care burdens, racialized and caste-based exclusions, and urban-centric leadership pipelines that reproduce inequality despite formal commitments. The paper advances a reform agenda: disaggregated, context sensitive metrics; participatory co-design with marginalized communities; protection for informal labor and care work; and resource backed, accountable governance. Achieving SDG 5 requires coupling recognition with redistribution and centering substantive outcomes such as autonomy, dignity, safety, and equitable access rather than representational counts.

Individual Agency in the Digital Age: Exploring Attention Stewardship, Privacy Literacy and Misinformation Susceptibility

Keisha C D Covington — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

In an increasingly digital world, concerns about online privacy and the spread of misinformation have become central to public discourse. These challenges highlight the potential role of intentional attention management in shaping digital behaviors, such as enhancing privacy literacy and discerning misinformation. While much focus has been placed on the influence of technology companies and platform design, less is known about individual-agency, specifically how people manage their attention and engagement in digital spaces. This study explores whether a lack of attention stewardship, the ability to intentionally regulate focus and critically engage with digital content is linked to lower privacy literacy and increased susceptibility to misinformation. Rather than emphasizing external tools, the study focuses on the internal architecture of the individual’s ability to recalibrate and respond naturally to evolving challenges. The study is grounded in the Cognitive Versatility Theory (CVT) conceptual framework with a mixed method design. Linear regression analysis revealed that attention stewardship significantly predicted both misinformation susceptibility (R2 = .345, p < .001) and privacy literacy (R2 = .581, p < .001). Qualitative findings further supported the hypothesis, with participants demonstrating low cognitive agency and limited activation of self-awareness, emotional regulation, interpersonal skills, and problem-solving in simulated digital dilemmas. This research investigates the relationship to advance conceptual understanding on personal digital habits that may shape or influence broader societal issues.

Identity and Belonging: Moroccan Youth Perspectives on Multicultural Education in the Diaspora

Abdelaaziz El Bakkali, Nadia Oufhim — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This qualitative study examines how the Moroccan diaspora students in Canadian schools experience cultural recognition, difference and belonging within multicultural educational settings. Despite Canada’s long-standing reputation as a multicultural nation that is formally committed to diversity and inclusion, relatively little is known about how students from North Africa and specifically Moroccan backgrounds experience these policies in the schooling system. This study aims to address this critical gap by foregrounding Moroccan diaspora students’ perceptions and lived experiences of multicultural education in Canada, with particular emphasis on how their identities are acknowledged, recognised, and supported within the sociocultural dynamics of the school environment. The sample consisted of eight male and female participants living in Montreal. Data were collected through online semi-structured interviews conducted in accordance with research ethics protocols that ensure confidentiality and anonymity of all responses. Findings reveal that recognition of Moroccan identity is manifested mainly through occasional practices that provide a momentary sense of pride and visibility that do not form part of the curriculum. Although formal equality in learning opportunities is widely acknowledged, curriculum contents engage with visual diversity that marginalize cultural realities, resulting in tokenistic representation. Overall, the study highlights that while commitments to multiculturalism promote institutional equality and respect, more far-reaching forms of recognition and identity validation for Moroccan diaspora students remain partially addressed.

Examining the Reasons Behind Street Children Working and Staying on the Streets in Pakistan: A Narrative Analysis

Bushra Ayub, Joseph Adonu — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This study explores the underlying reasons that compel children in Pakistan to live and work on the streets, using a narrative analysis approach. While poverty is often cited as a major factor, this research reveals a more complex interplay of cultural, emotional, and societal influences. Conducted in Lahore, Pakistan, the study involved semi-structured interviews with 25 street children, allowing their lived experiences to guide the investigation. Through narrative analysis, three central stories emerged—Born into Poverty, Parental Death/Illness, and Going to School and Working on the Streets—each reflecting overlapping but distinct realities. Six key themes were identified: Becoming the Parent, Being Poor and Helpless, Familial Relations, Educational Aspirations and Realities, Societal Reflections, and Lost Childhood to Hopeful Future. These narratives shed light on issues such as disrupted family structures, dissatisfaction with the public education system, abuse by authorities, and the children’s emotional resilience. Despite their harsh circumstances, many children expressed hope and a desire to support their families, reflecting the collectivist values of Pakistani culture. This study emphasizes the need for more qualitative research into the mental health and socio-cultural realities of street children in Pakistan, with implications for developing culturally sensitive support and intervention programs.

Social Construction and Acting "Gendered" Networks in Science Communication

Magdalini Laina, Eirini Gkouskou — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This article presents a research focus on key theories concerning the concept of social construction within the context of Science and Technology, with a particular focus on the relationship between gender and science. Our aim, through qualitative research that combines a literature review with the analysis of Science and Technology Museum reports, non-participant observation of educational programmes and interviews with professionals and parents, is to explore whether Science and Technology; as socially constructed domains; contribute to the formation and/or reinforcement of concepts that are shaped more by social than by cognitive or technical factors, and which inherently carry gender stereotypes. It was therefore observed that Science and Technology are socially constructed concepts, whose meanings are shaped by the networks and contexts within which they are framed. These networks; whether originating within the scientific community or involved in the communication of scientific concepts; shape both the production and the consumption of scientific knowledge. They interact with, interpret, and integrate scientific data into society through the lens of the social stereotypes they embody, both as individual units and as interconnected systems. In doing so, they contribute to the maintenance of a gendered culture that normalises the absence of the female gender from scientific discourse and information.

Examining Public Service Motivation (PSM) and Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) Theory: Insights from the Sabah Department of Labour, Malaysia

Mohamad Kamis Bin Baharuddin — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Past studies have shown that employee motivation is closely related to performance; hence, Public Service Motivation (PSM) is an important factor influencing employee commitment and effectiveness. According to the Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) Theory, the quality of the relationship between leaders and members is important for employee motivation and performance. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between PSM and LMX among civil servants. It also examined how high-quality leader exchange, characterised by respect, trust, and obligation, could enhance civil servants’ contribution to organisational performance and public. This study adopted a quantitative approach to analyse the questionnaire data collected from 80 civil servants from the Sabah Department of Labour. The result of this study revealed that six dimensions of PSM namely 1) Attraction to Policy Making, 2) Commitment of the Public Interest, 3) Social Justice, 4) Civic Duty, 5) Compassion, 6) Self-Sacrifice have a low to moderate correlation on the relationship between superiors and subordinates based on the LMX Theory dimensions such as obligation, respect, and trust. The attraction to policy making, commitment of public interest, social justice, and compassion dimensions showed low correlations. At the same time, civic duty and self-sacrifice had moderate correlations and significant relationships with LMX. Dimension attraction to policy making showed limited evidence of a relationship and dimension compassion showed no meaningful relationship with LMX.