Children left behind by migration: training their caretakers

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 170-184 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martha Givaudan ◽  
Marco Barriga ◽  
Jacquelyn Kercheval ◽  
Susan Pick

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present a sustainable, community-based action model to improve the care and protection of children between the ages of zero and eight years who have been left behind due to migration. One facet of the program is to train community leaders to teach an experiential program to facilitate and increase the likelihood of the development of life habits in children, caretakers, teachers, mothers, and fathers that will improve the caretaker-infant relationship. Design/methodology/approach Community leaders were evaluated via a pre-training questionnaire and a post-training questionnaire. Findings The evaluation of the training of the community leaders revealed the following statistically significant results: an increase in the level of a number of life habits, which include self-awareness, management of emotions, empathy, assertive communication, decision-making, critical thinking, conflict negotiation and resolution, and teamwork; a reduction in the degree to which psychosocial barriers hinder personal development; an increase in the level of autonomy and self-efficacy; an increase in the level of knowledge that participants have about the topics of the workshops: child development, child-rearing and academic potential, as well as migration; and positive changes in the attitudes that they have regarding certain topics related to child development. Originality/value The program was conducted in Hidalgo, Mexico, a state whose high rates of migration put the children at greater risk for developmental delays if they lack adult support.

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cut Maghfirah Faisal ◽  
Sherly Saragih Turnip

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to compare loneliness between the left-behind children of migrant workers and the non-left-behind ones, and identify the most significant predictors of loneliness among the left-behind children. Design/methodology/approach Incidental sampling was performed to select 629 participants aged 11–16 from 5 schools in the rural areas of Karawang and Lombok in Indonesia. They filled in paper-and-pencil self-report inventories. Findings Left-behind children were significantly lonelier than their counterparts were. Emotional loneliness was more affected by parental absence compared to social loneliness. Left-behind children would be more susceptible to experience loneliness if they had more access to entertainment gadgets, experienced less support and intimacy from friends, had been left by their migrant parents more than once, were female, had low self-esteem, experienced emotional difficulties and rarely communicated with their parents. Research limitations/implications Qualitative research was needed to provide more elaborative explanation about the findings. Practical implications Parents needed to consider the psychological cost and benefit of working abroad to their children. Governments could intervene by limiting the duration and frequency of work among the migrant workers. Social implications Some beneficial implications to prevent and reduce loneliness among left-behind children were provided, such as by maintaining the frequency and quality of communication with the children, motivating and guiding the children to interact with their peers and spend less time on entertainment gadgets, as well as encouraging the children to engage in several positive activities to enhance their self-esteem. Originality/value This study enriched the understanding about complex relationship between parental presence and adolescents’ mental health despite the fact that adolescents seemed to be more interested in relationships with peers.


2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-65
Author(s):  
Damodaran Rajasenan ◽  
M. S. Jayakumar ◽  
Bijith George Abraham

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to link the multifarious problems of the elderly in a socio-economic and psychological framework. Design/methodology/approach – The universe of the sample is elderly left behind in emigrant households in Kerala. In total, 600 samples were mustered using multistage stratified random sampling method. The paper, with the aid of factor analysis, χ2 and correspondence analysis, blemish the principal factors responsible for the migration-induced exclusion of the elderly. Findings – The empirical result derived from the study shows that migration-induced exclusion is all pervasive in Kerala. The elderly left behind yearn for the presence of their children rather than the emigration and concomitant remittances. Research limitations/implications – The findings of the study are helpful to the policy makers to understand the issues faced by the elderly and include all stakeholders concerned to find a solution to tackle these problems faced by the elderly due to emigration of their children. Practical implications – The study is practically relevant in developing appropriate policy framework in Kerala as it illumines the role of the government to overcome the exclusionary trend and other manifold problems of the elderly. Social implications – The study sheds light to a new social problem developing in the state in the form of elderly exclusion owing to emigration of the young working groups in regional dimensions, demographic levels, community angles and the emerging culture of old age home in the Kerala economy and society. Originality/value – The study is a unique one and tries to situate the principal factors responsible for the emigration-induced exclusion of the elderly in Kerala with empirical evidence.


2014 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 131-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzanne Quinney ◽  
Leo Richardson

Purpose – Part One of this duo of papers outlined the appreciative inquiry (AI) philosophy, a strengths-based “positive psychology” and organisational development (OD) approach which is intrinsically creative and generative, and has been found to work well in many fields. The purpose of this paper is to describe its application in homeless hostels and demonstrates the benefits of using AI with the staff and residents, as both a personal development and an OD tool for hostels who want to become a psychologically informed environment (PIE). Design/methodology/approach – This is a case study exploring a new approach to the development of a PIE. The background of the approach and the way it contributes to a PIE as described in Part One is briefly summarised, and the implementation pilot project is discussed; the appreciative conversation and the 5 D cycle are key AI “tools” which were used. The inclusion of positive psychology approaches is referenced. In addition, in the spirit of evidence-generating practice in PIEs, preliminary quantitative and qualitative findings are reported to identify the outcomes of the approach – including client motivation, desire to build positive relationships, and increased emotional awareness. Findings – Residents responded very well to the approach, and a high proportion continued to apply their learning, making major steps towards independent living. This was backed up by quantitative data demonstrating effective outcomes for the supported housing sector, and qualitative themes start to illuminate the psychological processes behind the outcomes. The openness of PIEs to alternative psychologies is further demonstrated. The model was rolled out to other Westminster hostels. Originality/value – AI is well-established as an OD process and less well known as a personal development approach; but has not previously been articulated as a tool for working with hostel residents or for developing PIEs. This strength-based approach is an alternative to some of the problem-based psychological approaches that have been used. In addition, the AI intervention illustrated defining features of a PIE such as reflective awareness.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirk Chang ◽  
Sylvain Max ◽  
Jérémy Celse

Purpose Employee’s lying behavior has become ubiquitous at work, and managers are keen to know what can be done to curb such behavior. Managers often apply anti-lying strategies in their management and, in particular, the role of self-awareness on lying intervention has drawn academic attention recently. Drawing on multi-disciplinary literature, this study aims to investigate the efficacy of self-awareness in reducing lying behavior. Design/methodology/approach Following the perspectives of positivism and deductive reasoning, a quasi-experimental research approach was adopted. Employees from Dijon, France were recruited as research participants. Based on the literature, different conditions (scenario manipulation) were designed and implemented in the laboratory, in which participants were exposed to pre-set lying opportunities and their responses were analyzed accordingly. Findings Unlike prior studies which praised the merits of self-awareness, the authors found that self-awareness did not decrease lying behavior, not encouraging the confession of lying either. Employees actually lied more when they believed other employees were lying. Practical implications This study suggests managers not to rely on employee’s self-awareness; rather, the concept of self-awareness should be incorporated into the work ethics, and managers should schedule regular workshops to keep employees informed of the importance of ethics. When employees are regularly reminded of the ethics and appreciate its importance, their intention of lying is more likely to decrease. Originality/value To the best of the atuhors’ knowledge, the current research is the first in its kind to investigate lying intervention of employees in the laboratory setting. Research findings have brought new insights into the lying intervention literature, which has important implication on the implementation of anti-lying strategies.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ludmila Sokorutova ◽  
Natalia Prodanova ◽  
Inna Ponomareva ◽  
Oleg Volodin

PurposeThe most important problem for higher education in the post-COVID period is the production of highly qualified specialists for the labor market. The purpose of this study is to determine effective criteria for assessing the quality of training of future specialists and the adequacy of their readiness to solve real problems of the future specialty.Design/methodology/approachA study was carried out among students in order to determine some of the most important characteristics of them as future specialists. Based on the survey results, non-academic indicators were identified that participants perceive as significant for a highly professional employee. The empirical study included 300 undergraduate students from four universities (66% women and 34% men aged 20–21). All participants represent full-time training.FindingsThe survey showed that the participants identified the ability to learn and personal development as the most significant personal qualities.Originality/valueMany criteria for assessing the quality of training of specialists in different professional fields have not been precisely defined. Several ways of solving this problem can be proposed: developing criteria for assessing quality in hiring; revising the methods of work of universities; presenting to students the criteria for development in the profession or adopting international criteria for assessing pedagogical quality.


PEDIATRICS ◽  
1960 ◽  
Vol 26 (5) ◽  
pp. 729-732
Author(s):  
John A. Rose

The Case material presented in the paper by Kennell and Rolnick in this issue of Pediatrics illustrates some of the problems encountered in a project for the study of child rearing, particularly in reference to the unanticipated high incidence of cases in which the survival of a newborn infant was threatened by a health complication. In a way, the project might be said to have had bad luck in encountering such complications in two out of three cases, rather than in one out of five, as might have been expected. However, tile statistical mischance, which would have tended to correct itself as the number of cases in the sample increased has served a useful purpose by calling attention to a problem that is becoming more and more important for pediatric training and practice, as well as for studies in normal child development.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Guy Major Ngayo Fotso

Purpose The proliferation of studies on leadership competencies have not yet provided a consistent set to guide the work of researchers and practitioners. This paper aims to generate a clear, literature-based overview of the relevant leadership competencies for the twenty-first century. Design/methodology/approach The paper is an integrative literature review and identifies four strands of literature on leadership, reaching back to traditional works. It reviews each strand to establish which leadership competencies remain relevant for the twenty-first century. Findings This paper shows it is essential to clarify and harmonize terminology used in leadership literature. It identifies 18 groups of leadership competencies required for the twenty-first century. The research reveals that leaders of the twenty-first century must be able to combine a strong concern for people, customer experience, digitalization, financialization and the general good. Research limitations/implications This paper is based on a non-exhaustive list of literature derived from studies published in Western journals, written in English. Future research should include papers beyond the confines of Western academia and entail fieldwork to test the comprehensive framework derived here. Practical implications This paper will help practitioners develop leadership training curricula and transform the leadership culture in their organizations. The competency list can be useful in recruitment and selection processes for leadership positions. Professionals will find it helpful as an index in self-diagnosis and personal development for their career decision choices. Originality/value The paper addresses the growing need for clarity on the required leadership competencies for the twenty-first century.


Significance At least in the EU’s eleven eastern member states (EU-11), there has been significant if slow progress in lifting standards of living across the board in the past decade. However, progress is uneven and the impact of the economic slowdown due to lockdowns in the past year may well have affected disproportionately already poorer regions. Impacts Some governments, notably Hungary’s, will put political loyalty above need in directing recovery funds to the localities. People in ‘left-behind’ regions may seek a better life in relatively prosperous capital cities or abroad. There is scope for countries and regions to learn from each other given clear cases of significant development in the past decade.


2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 264-276 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valarie A. Zeithaml

Purpose By examining my personal development and career trajectory, I hope to share some insights into life as an academic. My particular path has contained, as most paths do, twists and turns. As I look back, they all seem somehow related to each other, but they were not all planned. Design/methodology/approach I will discuss my life and career in chronological order, then reflect on my career and research philosophy. I will also discuss several of my most cited articles and how they emerged. Findings I emphasize research that is both academically rigorous and relevant to business. I also show that passion for a subject, even one that is risky and not encouraged by others, has resulted in lifelong interest and inspiration for me. While not appropriate for all because of the risk, I found it worth taking a chance, largely because I was highly inspired by the subject. Practical implications Research that is programmatic has benefits because it allows a scholar to own an area. Also, working with the right co-author teams – sometimes ones where different talents are distributed across the team is effective. Originality/value The story and opinions are mine alone.


2014 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 152-172 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Carter ◽  
Amy Chu-May Yeo

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate similarities and differences between the UK and Malaysian undergraduates in terms of perceived social and emotional competencies (SEC), their effect on academic performance and to make recommendations on curriculum development or teaching and learning interventions to make students more SEC equipped for the “real” world. Design/methodology/approach – This study employed a positivist approach via a survey instrument to measure the perceived SEC. Descriptive and inferential statistics, including standard multiple regression analyses, were used to test the hypotheses. Findings – The analysis highlighted specifically, individual competencies (e.g. conscientiousness) rather than competency domains. Striking differences were observed between the two data sets, e.g. the regression analysis revealed that among the UK students, “Self-Awareness” domain and “Service Orientation” competency contributed uniquely to academic performance. However, no significant results were found for the Malaysian students. Research limitations/implications – Using GPA scores for performance measurement is complex which might have the potential to affect the accuracy of the comparative results. Practical implications – The findings serve as a practical guide for education providers and employers which they could use to train young and inexperienced undergraduates and provides suggestions for education providers to “build in” specific intra- and interpersonal SEC in their assessment criteria and curriculum activities and modules. Originality/value – The transnational comparison helps to add a new dimension to support the paucity of the SEC effect on academic performance and suggests which specific individual competencies and which competency cluster to emphasise in two different institutions and countries.


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