ShodhKosh: Journal of Visual and Performing Arts

STRATEGIC HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AS A DRIVER OF SUSTAINABLE COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE

2026-04-29T08:10:22+00:00

In increasingly complex, uncertain, and competitive business environments, organizations are compelled to seek sources of sustainable competitive advantage that extend beyond traditional tangible assets. Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM) has emerged as a critical organizational capability that aligns human capital systems with long-term strategic objectives, thereby enabling sustained superior performance. Drawing primarily on the Resource-Based View (RBV) and complementary strategic management theories, this conceptual research article critically examines the role of SHRM in creating, developing, and sustaining competitive advantage. The article synthesizes extant literature to analyze how strategically aligned HR practices enhance workforce capabilities, organizational learning, innovation, and resilience. A comprehensive conceptual framework is proposed that links SHRM practices to sustainable competitive advantage through mediating organizational processes. The paper contributes to the strategic HRM literature by clarifying mechanisms through which HR systems generate value that is valuable, rare, inimitable, and non-substitutable. Implications for theory, practice, and future research are discussed.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN ADDRESSING ENGLISH LEARNING DISABILITIES: A COMPREHENSIVE STUDY ON DYSLEXIA, ADHD, DEAFNESS AND VISUAL IMPAIRMENT

2026-04-29T07:05:50+00:00

Background: English language acquisition, involving reading, writing, listening, and speaking, presents significant cognitive and sensory challenges for children with disabilities such as dyslexia, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), deafness, and visual impairment. Traditional pedagogical methods often assume uniform cognitive abilities, marginalizing these learners.
Objectives: This paper critically examines the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in creating inclusive, adaptive, and personalized English learning environments for these four disability groups.
Methods: Adopting a qualitative systematic review approach, the study synthesizes findings from peer-reviewed journal articles (2018–2026), AI in education research, and assistive technology studies, grounded in Cognitive Load Theory, Baddeley’s Model of Working Memory, and Universal Design for Learning (UDL).
Findings: AI-driven technologies including Natural Language Processing (NLP), speech recognition, computer vision, and adaptive learning systems significantly enhance early diagnosis, individualized instruction, and multimodal learning. For dyslexia, AI improves phonological decoding; for ADHD, it segments content to manage attention; for deaf learners, real-time captioning bridges auditory gaps; and for blind learners, screen readers and OCR enable text access.
Conclusion: AI, when aligned with inclusive pedagogy and human-centered design, holds transformative potential for equitable English language education. However, success depends on addressing ethical concerns (data privacy, algorithmic bias), technological inequities (digital divide), and pedagogical integration (teacher training). AI should empower, not replace, educators.

SHAPING MACHINES IN OUR IMAGE: THE INFLUENCE OF SCIENCE FICTION CINEMA ON PUBLIC PERCEPTION OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

2026-04-29T06:12:30+00:00

This exploratory study investigates how science fiction cinema influences public perceptions of Artificial Intelligence (AI) among students at the Central University of Jammu. Grounded in Medium is the Message, Cultivation, and Reception theories, the research examines the role of film in shaping understanding of AI’s societal impact. A survey of 151 students across Computer Science and Humanities disciplines was conducted, utilizing statistical tools like ANOVA and Pearson correlation for data analysis. Findings indicate that 67.5% of participants acknowledge Sci-fi movies as a primary influence on their views. While Hollywood films were more frequently consumed, both domestic and international cinema significantly shaped opinions. Results reveal a dualistic perception: respondents are optimistic about AI’s potential in healthcare and automation, yet remain deeply concerned regarding ethical misuse and loss of control. Notably, the study found that media exposure bridges the knowledge gap between technical and non-technical students. While limited by its specific demographic, the study suggests that Sci-fi acts as a critical cultural lens. Future research should employ longitudinal designs to further explore the causal relationship between sustained media consumption and evolving AI attitudes.

CONTEXT-AWARE NATURAL LANGUAGE PROCESSING AND DEEP LEARNING SYSTEM FOR EMOTION RECOGNITION IN HUMAN-COMPUTER INTERACTION

2026-04-29T08:11:46+00:00

Emotion recognition in human–computer interaction (HCI) is a complex yet essential task with wide-ranging applications in mental health monitoring, intelligent systems, and user experience enhancement. This research proposes a context-aware Natural Language Processing (NLP) and deep learning-based framework for accurate detection of emotional states (ES) from human communication. Unlike traditional approaches that rely solely on acoustic or lexical features, the proposed system integrates contextual semantics, linguistic patterns, and speech characteristics such as pitch, rhythm, and prosody to achieve a more comprehensive understanding of emotions. The model leverages hybrid deep learning techniques, combining transformer-based NLP models with Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) networks to effectively capture both contextual meaning and temporal dependencies in data. Additionally, attention mechanisms are employed to highlight emotionally significant features, improving classification performance. The system is trained and evaluated on diverse, well-annotated datasets representing multiple emotional states, ensuring robustness and generalization. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed approach outperforms conventional methods in terms of accuracy, precision, and reliability. This study contributes to the advancement of emotion-aware intelligent systems and offers promising applications in adaptive interfaces, virtual assistants, sentiment analysis, and psychological assessment.

DIGITAL LEADERSHIP IN ARTS EDUCATION FOR TRANSFORMING TEACHING AND LEARNING IN HIGHER EDUCATION

2026-04-26T08:11:35+00:00

This study examines the role of digital leadership in transforming teaching and learning in arts education within higher education in Vietnam. A mixed-method approach was employed, combining survey data from 212 students with semi-structured interviews involving 20 lecturers and academic leaders across three universities. The findings indicate that digital leadership was implemented at a moderate to high level (M = 3.67) and significantly influenced pedagogical transformation (β = 0.58, p < .001). Qualitative results reveal that digital leadership promotes student-centered learning and digital creative practices, but its implementation remains uneven and often relies on individual initiatives. Key challenges include limited digital culture, insufficient professional development, and difficulties in adapting practice-based arts education to digital environments. The study proposes a multidimensional framework of digital leadership and highlights the need for a context-sensitive approach that balances technological innovation with the experiential nature of arts education in Vietnam.

A SOCIOLOGICAL STUDY OF IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON YOUNG GENERATION WITH REFERENCE TO MORADABAD DISTRICT

2026-04-29T11:39:05+00:00

Social media are digital platforms that enable people to create, share, and exchange information, ideas, professional interests, and multimedia content within online communities. These platforms rely on internet and mobile technologies to support interactive environments where users not only consume content but also actively participate in its creation, discussion, and modification. Through this participatory nature, social media has significantly transformed how individuals, organizations, and communities communicate and interact with one another. The impact of social media is central to the growing field of techno self-studies, which examines how technology influences human identity, behavior, and social relationships. Unlike traditional or industrial media, social media offers greater reach, faster communication, increased accessibility, and continuous interaction. It allows content to be shared instantly and remain available over time, enhancing both immediacy and permanence. Another key distinction lies in the communication model. Social media functions through a dialogic system, where multiple users simultaneously act as both content creators and receivers. This many-to-many interaction contrasts with traditional media, which typically follows a monologic model in which information flows from a single source to a large audience.

ART THERAPY CURRICULUM: A CITE-SPACE-BASED LITERATURE REVIEW

2026-04-28T07:02:55+00:00

Art therapy is a psychological treatment technique that uses art as it’s primary medium to help individuals or groups address psychological issues and enhance mental resilience. Art therapy courses refer to curricula that integrate art therapy techniques to promote the development of various mental health literacies among students. By integrating these techniques into school curricula and aligning them with holistic teaching themes centered on students' psychological development, students' mental health can be effectively improved. Using CiteSpace, this study conducts a systematic review of the field and performs co-occurrence and keyword clustering analyses. By synthesizing representative academic achievements, several key themes are identified: research on the disciplinary knowledge and construction of art therapy curriculum systems; intervention studies on mental disorders and behavioral issues in children and adolescents; research on art therapy’s impact on adult mental health; the relationship between art therapy and traditional art education; intervention studies on the mental health of college students; the application of art therapy in special education for children and adolescents; and the integration of art therapy into mental health curricula in primary schools, secondary schools, and kindergartens. Based on the current state of research, this paper proposes future directions: first, expanding research on the standards and evaluation systems of school-based art therapy courses; second, strengthening practical case studies on positive-orientation art therapy courses; and third, enriching empirical research on art therapy courses using Chinese student samples.

SACRED SPACES, INSTITUTIONAL POWER, AND PERSONAL REVOLT IN THE DA VINCI CODE AND THE FRENCH LIEUTENANT’S WOMAN

2026-04-26T08:11:45+00:00

This paper offers a comparative reading of Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code (2003) and John Fowles’s The French Lieutenant’s Woman (1969), arguing that sacred spaces in both novels function as crucibles where institutional power and personal faith collide. It distinguishes between formal sacred spaces, churches, chapels, cathedrals, and symbolically sacred or liminal spaces such as The Cobb, the Undercliff, crypts, and museums. Formal sanctuaries embody institutional dogma and social control, while liminal spaces enable private epiphanies, feminist resistance, and existential self-discovery. Drawing on Kilde’s account of sacred space as culturally constructed, Van Huyssteen’s narrative theology, and existentialist perspectives from Tillich, Sartre, Beauvoir, and Taylor, the study shows how space in these narratives is never neutral but charged with theological and ideological significance. Both novels dramatise a broader cultural shift from publicly anchored, church-centred religion to privatised, experiential forms of the sacred. At the same time, the analysis acknowledges that ‘personal’ sacred spaces remain in dialogue with, and partly defined by, the religious institutions they contest. The paper argues that sacred spaces in these texts operate as ‘sites of tria’ where characters renegotiate the meaning of faith, authority, and freedom.

AI AND MACHINE LEARNING IN AUDIO-VISUAL MEDIA PRODUCTION: INTELLIGENT CONTENT CREATION, EDITING AND AUDIENCE ANALYTICS

2026-04-27T12:30:27+00:00

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) are increasingly redefining the paradigms of audio-visual media production by enabling intelligent content creation, automated editing, and data-driven audience analytics. This paper explores the transformative role of AI-driven technologies across the entire media production pipeline, including pre-production planning, generative content synthesis, post-production automation, and personalized content delivery. Advanced techniques such as deep learning, generative adversarial networks, and diffusion models facilitate high-quality video generation, sound enhancement, and real-time editing, thereby significantly reducing production time and cost. Furthermore, AI-powered analytics provide actionable insights into audience behavior, sentiment, and engagement patterns, enabling targeted storytelling and optimized content distribution strategies. While these advancements enhance creativity and efficiency, they also introduce critical challenges related to ethical concerns, intellectual property, bias, and content authenticity. This study presents a comprehensive academic perspective on the integration of AI and ML in audio-visual media, highlighting both technological innovations and socio-cultural implications. The findings emphasize the necessity for balanced adoption, combining human creativity with machine intelligence to achieve sustainable and responsible media production ecosystems.

FROM TRADITION TO INNOVATION: THE EVOLVING WOODEN HANDICRAFTS OF SAHARANPUR

2026-04-28T10:11:29+00:00

Wood carving in Saharanpur is a heart of India's cultural heritage. It is recognized for its glamorous designs and the craftsmanship of traditional artisans. This ancient art form connects the past with the present, offering a glimpse of India's rich artistic history. It also sets the stage for future generations to continue this admired tradition. Recently, there has been a rise in modern adaptations that merge traditional aesthetics with contemporary influences. Artisans are now creating innovative designs that appeal today's audience. Saharanpur’s wood-carving industry is transitioning from traditional Mughal and Kashmiri styles to modern practices, influences by changing global tastes and market demands.

Wood carving art form has seen a significant shift in today's society. Artists now blend this ancient craft with modern elements, creating wood art that appeals to innovative contemporary tastes. They use new techniques and viewpoints, making wood carving a reflection of our current culture and aesthetics. Artisans merge traditional skills with modern methods, producing pieces that honour their heritage while exploring new designs. These creations are not just functional but also express deep artistic sentiments. Exhibitions and galleries dedicated to this art have emerged, showcasing the range and creativity of wood art today. This on-going dialogue between tradition and modernity inspires both viewers and creators. It highlights the profound beauty and depth that wood carving can bring to our contemporary world.