International Journal of Social Science Research and Review

Building Committed Teachers Through Authentic Leadership: Evidence and Implications for Educational Policy, Western Province, Zambia

Mulambwa Kamizhi Ephraim — 2026-08-06

Teacher retention, commitment, and organizational effectiveness represent intersecting policy challenges facing Zambia’s educational systems. This mixed-methods study, drawing on Authentic Leadership Theory and Social Exchange Theory, examines authentic principal leadership as a mechanism for building teacher affective commitment and enhancing school organizational effectiveness. Quantitative data from 402 teachers across five districts were analyzed using Structural Equation Modelling; qualitative data from 20 Headteachers were analyzed thematically. The SEM demonstrated that authentic leadership exerts an exceptionally strong effect on affective commitment (β = 0.963, p < .001) and, through this commitment, significantly drives organizational effectiveness (indirect β = 0.364; 95% CI [0.285, 0.448]), accounting for 46% of the total leadership-effectiveness relationship. Contrary to prevailing policy assumptions grounded in Herzberg and Locke, job satisfaction did not independently predict organizational effectiveness (β = 0.009, p = .825) when modelled alongside authentic leadership and affective commitment. Qualitative findings revealed four barriers to authentic leadership: cultural paternalism rooted in Lozi leadership traditions, resource constraints, systemic policy incoherence, and a mis-specified accountability framework that prioritises examination results over relational conditions. The paper proposes the CARE Policy Framework (Culturally Adaptive, Relationally Authentic, Effectiveness-Broadened) for principal leadership development and school accountability reform in Zambia.

ADHD in Context

Ruhaan Gulati — 2026-08-06

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neuro-developmental disorder, affecting around 7.1 % children in India, but its diagnosis and recognition is largely influenced by cultural, structural and gendered contexts that are not fully captured by the standardised and westernised diagnostic tools like DSM-5. The study investigated the applicability of the criteria for ADHD diagnosis as presented in DSM-5 in the Indian sociocultural context with the viewpoints of clinical psychologists as well as those of adolescents diagnosed with ADHD. A qualitative research design was used and included conducting semi-structured online interviews with five psychologists (aged 25–29 years, and with one to four and a half years of clinical experience) and four adolescents (aged 16–19 years) from India. Interviews were audio recorded and analysed using an inductive and semantic thematic analysis method. The psychologist interviews yielded thirteen themes and the adolescent interviews yielded twelve themes. Four main convergence points were present in both groups: that emotional dysregulation is a clinically significant but unrecognized feature of ADHD; that masking and delayed diagnosis, especially among girls, is common; that there is pervasive stigma and mislabelling of ADHD symptoms as behavioural or moral problems; and the school system is both a venue of diagnosis and a primary locus of impairment. The DSM-5 also was found to be very westernized and psychologists suggested the need for an Indian specific clinical interview protocol, while the adolescents focused on the emotional, social and identity aspects of life with ADHD. The results overall reflect the need for a culturally responsive, gender-sensitive, strengths-based approach to assessment and intervention for ADHD in India.

Social Acceleration in Late Modernity

Carlos F. De Angelis — 2026-08-06

Social acceleration is not an accidental feature of contemporary societies but the organizing principle of a modernity that must continuously increase its rates of production, change, and innovation in order to sustain its own conditions of existence. This article examines whether qualitatively different temporalities can be produced within this structure, allowing for a relationship with time that is not reducible to the logic of optimization. The argument unfolds on three interconnected levels. First, acceleration is analyzed as a form of temporal domination that affects distinct social groups differently and colonizes the subjective experience of time in ways that go beyond mere scarcity. Second, the two most influential responses in contemporary theoretical debate, resonance theory and the theses of polar inertia and exhaustion, are examined with attention to both their specific contributions and the limitations they share. Third, religious and contemplative traditions are explored as systems of temporal organization that operate through mechanisms of decoupling from capitalist speed, and this dimension is articulated within the sociological perspective of plural temporalities. The article draws on the sociology of religion, Berger's concept of the sacred canopy, Taylor's account of secular modernity, Casanova's analysis of public religion, Hervieu-Leger's notion of religion as a chain of memory, and the phenomenology of religious experience developed by James and Otto, arguing that religious traditions do not persist in modernity despite acceleration but because they offer precisely what an accelerated society cannot produce from within its own logic: collective pause, structured silence, anxiety-free waiting, non-linear cycles, and transcendence as a horizon of meaning irreducible to utility. A critical account of religious formations compatible with or reinforcing acceleration, from prosperity theology to corporate mindfulness, is incorporated to qualify the argument and to specify the conditions under which temporal decoupling is genuine rather than compensatory.

Socioeconomic and Geographic Barriers to Healthcare Access for Older Adults in Rural Bangladesh

Marup Hasan — 2026-08-06

The ageing demographic has emerged as a major public health challenge around the world as well as in Bangladesh, particularly in rural areas where there is poor access to healthcare services. Older adults experience numerous socioeconomic and geographic barriers to sufficient healthcare services. Hence, this study was conducted with the aim to explore the socioeconomically and geographical barriers affecting health care seeking behavior of elderly population in rural Bangladesh. A quantitative cross-sectional research design was used; data was collected from 400 respondents above the age of 60 years through a purposive-convenience sampling method by means of structured face-to-face interviews. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation analysis, one sample t-test and posterior distribution analysis were the methods of choice to process the aggregated data utilizing SPSS software. The results showed transport difficulties, distant health care facilities, expensive and time-consuming travel were the main barriers to accessing healthcare services. Respondents also only had access to nearby health facilities, accessible healthcare providers, older person-friendly services and core medicines in moderate levels. The study concludes that rural health infrastructure, transportation system and age-friendly healthcare organizations need to be improved so that older people in rural Bangladesh can access basic healthcare services, enhance healthcare access and ultimately better health outcomes.

A Comprehensive Assessment of Customer Engagement in Digital Banking Services in Afghan Banks

Abdul Rahman Hassain Khail — 2026-08-06

Digital transformation has significantly reshaped banking systems worldwide; however, the adoption and utilization of digital banking services in Afghanistan remain constrained by infrastructural limitations, low digital literacy, and security concerns. This study investigates customer engagement with digital banking services across ten major Afghan commercial banks using a mixed-methods research design. Quantitative data were collected from 401 banking customers through structured questionnaires, while qualitative data were obtained through semi-structured interviews with branch managers and information technology managers. Reliability analysis demonstrated excellent internal consistency of the measurement scale (Cronbach’s α = 0.95). Exploratory Factor Analysis revealed a single-factor structure explaining 66% of the variance in digital banking engagement. Descriptive findings indicated that online and mobile banking services were the most frequently used digital channels. Comparative analyses showed that male respondents, urban residents, and customers with higher educational attainment reported significantly greater engagement with digital banking services. Multiple regression analysis identified education level and urban residence as significant predictors of digital banking engagement. Qualitative findings reinforced the quantitative results by highlighting ease of use, trust, service availability, and infrastructure quality as major determinants of engagement. Key barriers included limited internet access, inadequate digital literacy, and concerns regarding cybersecurity and system reliability. The study recommends strengthening digital infrastructure in rural areas, enhancing cybersecurity frameworks, promoting digital literacy initiatives, and establishing minimum digital banking service standards. The findings contribute to the growing literature on digital financial inclusion in developing economies and provide practical implications for policymakers, banking institutions, and development partners seeking to improve digital banking adoption and customer engagement in Afghanistan.

Indonesia’s Military Court Law Reform :

Tamara Setiana — 2026-08-06

The issue of which court has the authority to prosecute military personnel who commit general crimes remains a problem in the Indonesian criminal justice system. This problem arises from differences in regulations between the Military Courts Law and the Criminal Procedure Code regarding the judicial forum authorized to prosecute military personnel. This article aims to identify the normative conflicts arising from this phenomenon and to formulate arguments regarding the urgency of reforming the Military Courts Law. This article employs a normative legal research method using statutory and conceptual approach. The results indicate that there is a normative conflict between the Military Courts Law, which requires that military personnel who commit general crimes be tried in Military Courts, and the 2025 Criminal Procedure Code, which requires cases to be resolved based on the principle of connectivity through General Courts. Normatively, trials of military personnel who commit general crimes should be conducted in General Courts to ensure equality before the law and avoid the perception of preferential treatment due to the tendency for lighter sentences to be handed down in Military Courts. Furthermore, the demand for reform aligns with the evolving paradigm of Indonesian criminal law, which prioritizes restorative justice, namely, punishment that focuses not only on punishing the perpetrator but also on restoring the victims' losses and interests. Therefore, reforming the Military Courts Law is an urgent need to achieve legal certainty, justice, and harmonization of the national criminal justice system.

Implementation of the Online Single Submission System based on Government Regulation Number 28 of 2025 in East Java: A Legal Overview

Nanik Deritanti — 2026-08-06

The reform of public services in the field of business licensing through the implementation of Government Regulation Number 28 of 2025 concerning the Implementation of Risk-Based Business Licensing has brought a significant change to legal business. This policy was established to simplify licensing bureaucracy, increase investment, provide legal certainty, and accelerate public services through the digital Online Single Submission (OSS) system. The purpose of this article is to review the application of the OSS system in facilitating business licensing in East Java Province, along with its obstacles. The article employs empirical legal research methods with a legislative and sociological approach to examine the facts of legal implementation as they exist in society. Data collection techniques were carried out through interviews with three staff members of the Investment and One-Stop Integrated Service Office located in Surabaya City, who were involved in the implementation of the OSS system. The results of the study indicate that the implementation of the OSS system in East Java still encounters a number of obstacles that significantly affect system performance. Factors contributing to the suboptimal implementation of the OSS system include technical constraints, such as frequent system errors and maintenance issues, overlapping coordination between agencies, and low public awareness, particularly among Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), regarding the use of digital-based licensing systems. Therefore, improvements in the quality of facilities and infrastructure, strengthening human resource capacity, and increasing public legal awareness are needed to ensure the OSS system can be implemented more optimally.

Don’t Let Him Die: A Critical Exploration and Psycho-Humanistic Analyses of Some Selected Lucky Dube’s Reggae Songs (Part I)

Saldin Kimangale — 2026-08-06

The famous young South African Reggae Star, Lucky Dube, met his untimely death on the 18th of October 2007. When this news was made public panic gripped the entire Black people of South Africa. Indeed, the magnitude of fear that that news came with caused mental anguish on the generality of his fans all over Africa. Following his demise, many scholars of African psychology started to ask and wonder interiorly about the grounds for Dube’s enormous popularity and stardom in the reggae music industry in which he had excelled. The key questions that came to mind at that time included the issue of what about his music that makes his variety of fans, both young and old, to place him in such a high esteem. Could this be due to the captivating melody and creative lyrics of his music or rather the superior quality and energetic flow of his reggae music performance? Whatever answers that one gives to these questions will surely depend on how much one knows about music as an art form, and the history and psychology of Dube as a human artist. However, what has remained an enigma is the fact that up to today sufficient attention has not been extended to the task of examining the psychological dimensions that embed his music, the story of his life up to the time of his death, and the key socio-cultural/political messages populating his major songs. The central purpose of this article is to response to this need.

Don’t Let Him Die’: A Psychological Interpretation of Lucky Dube’s Reggae Songs (Part 2)

Saldin Kimangale — 2026-08-06

Lucky Dube is one of Africa’s most influential reggae artists who created music that transcended mere entertainment to reveal deep emotional wounds and survival mechanisms. This article, a Part 2 of a previous one on the same theme, explores how Dube’s lyrical narratives and life experiences reflect key psychological patterns associated with trauma, identity disturbance, and borderline personality traits. After conducting a humanistic textual analysis on new other four of his Reggae songs, apart from the earlier ones explored in Part 1 of this study, the authors discovered indications of emotional expressions of abandonment, emotional dysregulation, and self-fragmentation in Dube’s musicThe authors were able to identify these psychological dimensions in his songs because instead of engaging in diagnosing Dube’s life through his songs, they aimed at understanding his music as a medium of emotional testimony and resilience. The findings of this exploration suggest that Dube’s music served as both an outlet for personal pain and a voice for reflecting the impact of collective trauma; all of which emerged as a multiplier effect of the implementation of the Apartheid policy in the South African context, where systemic violence, family disintegration, and social despair left lasting psychological scars on the Black population in particular. The authors see the need for greater recognition of artists’ works in Africa as psychological testimonies and consequently advocate for developing culturally sensitive mental health outreach to musicians whose art reveals hidden cries for help.

Corporate Social Responsibility and Human Capital Development in Mining Host Communities

Nyanda Josiah Shuli — 2026-08-06

This study examined the influence of corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices on community-level human capital development in mining host communities in Tanzania. While existing human capital research in the mining sector has largely focused on workforce preparedness and organisational productivity within mining firms, comparatively limited attention has been directed toward the role of CSR in supporting broader community capability development. Informed by Resource-Based Theory and CSR-development literature, the study conceptualised CSR as an external investment mechanism for community-level human capital formation. A quantitative cross-sectional research design was adopted using primary survey data collected from mining host communities in the Geita, Mara, and Kagera regions. Data were obtained through structured household interviews involving 332 valid respondents selected through stratified random sampling. CSR practices were modelled across four dimensions - economic, legal, ethical, and philanthropic - and analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). The findings indicate that CSR practices do not contribute uniformly to community-level human capital development. Legal, ethical, and philanthropic CSR practices demonstrated positive and statistically significant effects, whereas economic CSR practices showed a positive but statistically insignificant effect. Philanthropic CSR practices emerged as the strongest predictor, highlighting the important contribution of voluntary investments in education, vocational training, health services, youth empowerment, and community development programmes. The findings further suggest that governance-oriented, ethical, and community-focused CSR interventions contribute more effectively to strengthening local capabilities than purely economic-oriented CSR initiatives. The study contributes to CSR and extractive-industry literature by extending understanding of CSR beyond philanthropy and corporate legitimacy toward its developmental role in supporting community-level human capital formation. The findings also provide practical insights for mining companies, policymakers, and development stakeholders seeking to design capability-oriented CSR strategies that strengthen community resilience and promote sustainable development in mining host communities.

The Concept of Dominant Position in the Practice of Digital Business: A Legal Analysis on the Improvement of Indonesia’s Business Competition Law

Pandu Setia Gautama — 2026-08-06

The growth of the digital economy has introduced new forms of market dominance that cannot be addressed by Indonesia’s conventional competition law frameworks. Law No. 5 of 1999 on the Prohibition of Monopolistic Practices and Unfair Business Competition employs quantitative market share thresholds 50% or 75% as the primary indicator of dominant position. In the digital era, market dominance is no longer determined by traditional market share, but rather by control over user data, algorithmic systems, and technological infrastructure. Based on this issue, the article aims to analyze the extent to which the dominant position concept in Law No. 5 of 1999 can reach these new forms of digital dominance. This article employs normative legal methods with conceptual, statutory, and comparative approaches. In addition, the article also uses Satjipto Raharjo’s Progressive Law Theory as a tool for an in-depth legal analysis. Finally, our study concludes that there are three fundamental limitations to the current legal framework regarding business competition: (1) a dominant position definition relying solely on quantitative market share; (2) the absence of data market, algorithmic dominance, and gatekeeper concepts within its normative framework; and (3) an ex-post approach incapable of responding to the rapid dynamics of digital markets. Drawing on Rahardjo's theoretical framework, it is recommended to expand the meaning of dominant position so that law can function preventively and curatively within the digital economic ecosystem.

Beyond the Classroom: Socioeconomic and Community Factors Shaping Educational Attainment

Saesha Agarwal — 2026-08-06

This study assesses the correlation between unemployment rate, poverty rate, median household income, broadband subscription, library visits, and education attainment to gain insight into the relationship between socioeconomic and community-level factors and education outcomes. The main research objective of this study is to see if these factors account for any disparities in education attainment between states between 2014 and 2024. A quantitative correlational research design was employed using state-level secondary data and examining the relationships using scatter plots, correlation analysis, multiple linear regression and diagnostic testing. The findings indicate that there is a positive association between median household income and library visits, and a negative association between poverty rate and educational attainment. Unemployment rate and library visits don’t have significant relationships with educational attainment. The results for broadband show a more complex picture: There is a positive simple correlation between broadband and educational attainment, but the regression coefficient is negative once other factors are entered. The outcome illustrates that there are interrelated economic, digital and public-resource influences on educational attainment. This research is a contribution to the existing research by considering correlated variables that are less frequently studied but are important to the study such as library visits and broadband subscription along with the commonly studied variables.