scholarly journals ‘We need someone to deliver our voices’: reflections from conducting remote qualitative research in Syria

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yazan Douedari ◽  
Mervat Alhaffar ◽  
Diane Duclos ◽  
Mohamed Al-Twaish ◽  
Samer Jabbour ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Health Research ◽  
Research Institutions ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Travel Restrictions ◽  
Conducting Research ◽  
Study Participants ◽  
Meaningful Research

AbstractThe need to generate evidence in spaces considered insecure and inhabited by potentially extremely vulnerable individuals (e.g. conflict-affected people who may not have means to move) has led researchers to study conflict-affected settings remotely. Increased attention to remote research approaches from social scientists, due to COVID-19-related travel restrictions, is sparking interest on appropriate methods and tools. Drawing on several years’ experience of remotely conducting qualitative research in Syria, we discuss challenges and approaches to conducting more inclusive, participatory, and meaningful research from a distance. The logistics, ethics, and politics of conducting research remotely are symptomatic of broader challenges in relation to the decolonisation of global and humanitarian health research. Key to the success of remote approaches is the quality of the relationships researchers need to be able to develop with study participants without face-to-face interactions and with limited engagement ‘in the field’. Particularly given overdue efforts to decolonise research institutions and methods, lead researchers should have a meaningful connection with the area in which they are conducting research. This is critical both to reduce chances that it will be extractive and exploitative and additionally for the quality of interpretation.

scholarly journals Madrasah's Leadership Strategy in Improving the Quality of Online Learning During Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Rizki Syahputra ◽  
Sudirman
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Online Learning ◽  
Learning Process ◽  
Educational Institutions ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Leadership Strategy ◽  
The Media ◽  
Face To Face Learning ◽  
Ways Of Life

This study aims to determine how the headmaster's leadership strategy is in improving the quality of online learning during the Coronavirus Disease (Covid-19) pandemic at MTs Negeri 2 Langkat Regency. naturalistic which means observing a problem subject that arises naturally. The collected data are in the form of narration, text, written, spoken or in the form of pictures. Qualitative research is conducted to understand the activities, behavior and ways of life of other people, social or other natural symptoms. The strategy of the madrasah principal is the key to success in achieving the stated goals of the madrasah. The head of the madrasah as the highest leader in the education unit actually has visionary thoughts in developing the madrasah he leads, such as having a precise strategy in advancing his madrasah. Without a strategy, the madrasah program will not work. Strategy is the first and most important step when a leader intends to advance the madrasa. During the Covid-19 pandemic the learning process could not be stopped even though educational institutions were temporarily closed, face-to-face learning was not allowed, so online learning was implemented where activities were carried out from home. The strategy of the madrasa principal is to implement several applications such as 1) Zooom Meeting, 2) Google Classroom, 3) Google Meet, 4) WhatsApp Group, and 5) Email in supporting the online learning process at MTs Negeri 2 Langkat Regency. This strategy is a solution for students during the Covid-19 pandemic, students can learn from home online, so that they can interact via the media and can receive subject matter provided by the teacher.

scholarly journals How to navigate the application of ethics norms in global health research: reflections based on qualitative research conducted with people with disabilities in Uganda

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Muriel Mac-Seing ◽  
Louise Ringuette ◽  
Kate Zinszer ◽  
Béatrice Godard ◽  
Christina Zarowsky
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
Global Health ◽  
Research Ethics ◽  
Health Research ◽  
People With Disabilities ◽  
Global Health Research ◽  
Research Participants ◽  
Research Ethics Boards ◽  
Study Participants

Abstract Background As Canadian global health researchers who conducted a qualitative study with adults with and without disabilities in Uganda, we obtained ethics approval from four institutional research ethics boards (two in Canada and two in Uganda). In Canada, research ethics boards and researchers follow the research ethics norms of the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans (TCPS2), and the National Guidelines for Research Involving Humans as Research Participants of Uganda (NGRU) in Uganda. The preparation and implementation of this qualitative research raised specific ethical issues related to research participant privacy and the importance of availability and management of financial resources. Main body Our field experience highlights three main issues for reflection. First, we demonstrate that, in a global health research context, methodological and logistic adjustments were necessary throughout the research implementation process to ensure the protection of study participants’ privacy, especially that of people with disabilities, despite having followed the prescribed Canadian and Ugandan ethics norms. Data collection and management plans were adapted iteratively based on local realities. Second, securing financial support as a key aspect of financial management was critical to ensure privacy through disability-sensitive data collection strategies. Without adequate funding, the recruitment of research participants based on disability type, sex, and region or the hiring of local sign language interpreters would not have been possible. Third, although the TCPS2 and NGRU underscore the significance of participants’ privacy, none of these normative documents clearly express this issue in the context of global health research and disability, nor broadly discuss the ethical issue related to financial availability and management. Conclusions Conducting research in resource limited settings and with study participants with different needs calls for a nuanced and respectful implementation of research ethics in a global health context. We recommend a greater integration in both the TCPS2 and NGRU of global health research, disability, and responsible conduct of research. This integration should also be accompanied by adequate training which can further guide researchers, be they senior, junior, or students, and funding agencies.

scholarly journals Assessment of Rwandan diabetic patients’ needs and expectations to develop their first diabetes self-management smartphone application (Kir’App)

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
pp. 204201881984531 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudine B. Kabeza ◽  
Lorenz Harst ◽  
Peter E. H. Schwarz ◽  
Patrick Timpel
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Diabetes Education ◽  
Information Provision ◽  
Smartphone Application ◽  
Self Management ◽  
Diabetic Patients ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
And Coping ◽  
Study Participants

Background: Knowledge of and coping with diabetes is still poor in some communities in Rwanda. While smartphone applications (or apps) have demonstrated improving diabetes self-care, there is no current study on the use of smartphones in the self-management of diabetes in Rwanda. Methods: The main objective of this study was to assess the needs and expectations of Rwandan diabetic patients for mobile-health-supported diabetes self-management in order to develop a patient-centred smartphone application (Kir’App). Results: Convenience sampling was used to recruit study participants at the Rwanda Diabetes Association. Twenty-one patients participated in semi-structured, in-depth, face-to-face interviews. Thematic analysis was performed using Mayring’s method of qualitative content analysis. Conclusions: The study included 21 participants with either type 1 (female = 5, male = 6) or type 2 (female = 6, male = 4) diabetes. Participants’ age ranged from 18 to 69 years with a mean age of 35 and 29 years, respectively. Eight main themes were identified. These were (a) diabetes education and desired information provision; (b) lack of diabetes knowledge and awareness; (c) need for information in crisis situations; (d) required monitoring and reminder functions; (e) information on nutrition and alcohol consumption; (f) information on physical activity; (g) coping with burden of disease, through social support and network; (h) app features. This study provides recommendations that will be used to design the features of the first Rwandan diabetes self-management smartphone application (Kir’App). The future impact of the application on the Rwandan diabetic patients’ self-management capacity and quality of life will be evaluated afterwards.

scholarly journals The Human Factor in Automated Image-Based Nutrition Apps: Analysis of Common Mistakes Using the goFOOD Lite App (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria F Vasiloglou ◽  
Klazine van der Horst ◽  
Thomai Stathopoulou ◽  
Michael P Jaeggi ◽  
Giulia S Tedde ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nutrient Content ◽  
Fiducial Marker ◽  
Quality Data ◽  
User Friendliness ◽  
Daily Consumption ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Depth Analysis ◽  
Major Loss ◽  
Study Participants

BACKGROUND Technological advancements have enabled nutrient estimation by smartphone apps such as goFOOD. This is an artificial intelligence–based smartphone system, which uses food images or video captured by the user as input and then translates these into estimates of nutrient content. The quality of the data is highly dependent on the images the user records. This can lead to a major loss of data and impaired quality. Instead of removing these data from the study, in-depth analysis is needed to explore common mistakes and to use them for further improvement of automated apps for nutrition assessment. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study is to analyze common mistakes made by participants using the goFOOD Lite app, a version of goFOOD, which was designed for food-logging, but without providing results to the users, to improve both the instructions provided and the automated functionalities of the app. METHODS The 48 study participants were given face-to-face instructions for goFOOD Lite and were asked to record 2 pictures (1 recording) before and 2 pictures (1 recording) after the daily consumption of each food or beverage, using a reference card as a fiducial marker. All pictures that were discarded for processing due to mistakes were analyzed to record the main mistakes made by users. RESULTS Of the 468 recordings of nonpackaged food items captured by the app, 60 (12.8%) had to be discarded due to errors in the capturing procedure. The principal problems were as follows: wrong fiducial marker or improper marker use (19 recordings), plate issues such as a noncompatible or nonvisible plate (8 recordings), a combination of various issues (17 recordings), and other reasons such as obstacles (hand) in front of the camera or matching recording pairs (16 recordings). CONCLUSIONS No other study has focused on the principal problems in the use of automatic apps for assessing nutritional intake. This study shows that it is important to provide study participants with detailed instructions if high-quality data are to be obtained. Future developments could focus on making it easier to recognize food on various plates from its color or shape and on exploring alternatives to using fiducial markers. It is also essential for future studies to understand the training needed by the participants as well as to enhance the app’s user-friendliness and to develop automatic image checks based on participant feedback.

scholarly journals Supervised practice program guided by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics standards improves potential employability of nutrition/dietetics graduates: perspective of employers and preceptors

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiba Bawadi ◽  
Ghadir Fakhri Al-Jayyousi ◽  
Xiangyun Du ◽  
Vijay Ganji ◽  
Abdelhamid Kerkadi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Main Body ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Accreditation Standards ◽  
Self Confidence ◽  
Trained Interviewer ◽  
Didactic Knowledge ◽  
Study Participants ◽  
Nutrition And Dietetics ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background This study investigated employers’ perspectives on the impact of a supervised practice program (SPP), guided by international accreditation standards on the skill development and potential employability of dietetics students. Main body This study was based on qualitative research. Fifteen potential employers, who also served as SPP preceptors, participated in this study. Participants were interviewed using semi-structured questionnaire. All interviews were conducted face-to-face by a trained interviewer. Participates were invited to discuss their own experiences in the current SPP, their perceptions of the impact of SPP on skills and attributes of graduates, and their overall ideas of how SPP may contribute to the employability of graduates. This study found that the SPP program guided by international accreditation standards shaped the duties and responsibilities of preceptors/supervisors and promoted a beneficial relationship between preceptors and SPP students. The benefits to graduates include bridging the gap between classroom didactic knowledge and practice; improving workplace self-confidence; developing competencies such as critical-thinking, communication, interviewing, and counselling skills in various multidisciplinary and multicultural settings. In addition, the preceptors suggested that accreditation-guided SPP contributes to the employability of graduates. Also, they opined that it reduced the need for orientation and shortened the probation time because students were familiar with the work environment and work flow. This lead to the improved preparedness for work. Conclusion SPP based on set of competencies guided by international accreditation standards provides an up-to-date curriculum, improves the quality of the nutrition and dietetics services, and increases the potential employability of the graduates.

scholarly journals Menopause-Specific Quality of Life among Emirati Women

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda Smail ◽  
Ghufran Jassim ◽  
Anam Shakil
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Menopausal Status ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Common Symptom ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Sexual Symptoms ◽  
Study Participants

To investigate the quality of life (QOL) of menopausal Emirati women aged 40–64 years and determine its relationship with their sociodemographic characteristics. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 70 Emirati women using multistage stratified clustered random sampling. The participants were interviewed face-to-face using a structured questionnaire comprising sociodemographic variables, reproductive characteristics, and the Menopause-Specific Quality of Life (MENQOL) questionnaire. The most common symptom among the study participants was ‘aching in the muscles’. The participants had a moderate level of bothersome symptoms; in addition, vasomotor symptoms were reported by 61%, while sexual symptoms were only reported by one-third of the participants. There were no significant differences between the menopausal status in any of the four domains of the MENQOL questionnaire. Additionally, there were no significant differences between the mean scores of the four MENQOL domains and all predictors. This study highlights the importance of educating women about menopause and its symptoms.

scholarly journals proses dan teknik supervisi

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Siti Aliifah Deka Putri
Keyword(s):  
Educational Institution ◽  
School Personnel ◽  
Quality Of Education ◽  
Main Concern ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Study Materials ◽  
Conducting Research ◽  
The Many ◽  
Systematic Education

Articles should be arranged by methods and systematic steps to facilitate conducting research. In this article, the writer uses the method of collecting study materials and sources of material derived from books, articles, journals and other sources relating. School personnel who are adequately capable of being the main concern for each educational institution. Among the existing personnel, teachers are the front line in determining the quality of education. Teachers face to face every day with students in the learning process. Therefore qualified teachers are needed by every school. Improving the quality of education in schools requires professional and systematic education in achieving its goals. The effectiveness of educational activities in a school is influenced by the many variables (both related to personal, operational, and material aspects) that need to get coaching and sustainable development. The process of fostering and developing the whole situation is a study of educational supervision.

scholarly journals The Human Factor in Automated Image-Based Nutrition Apps: Analysis of Common Mistakes Using the goFOOD Lite App

10.2196/24467 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. e24467 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria F Vasiloglou ◽  
Klazine van der Horst ◽  
Thomai Stathopoulou ◽  
Michael P Jaeggi ◽  
Giulia S Tedde ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nutrient Content ◽  
Fiducial Marker ◽  
Quality Data ◽  
User Friendliness ◽  
Daily Consumption ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Depth Analysis ◽  
Major Loss ◽  
Study Participants

Background Technological advancements have enabled nutrient estimation by smartphone apps such as goFOOD. This is an artificial intelligence–based smartphone system, which uses food images or video captured by the user as input and then translates these into estimates of nutrient content. The quality of the data is highly dependent on the images the user records. This can lead to a major loss of data and impaired quality. Instead of removing these data from the study, in-depth analysis is needed to explore common mistakes and to use them for further improvement of automated apps for nutrition assessment. Objective The aim of this study is to analyze common mistakes made by participants using the goFOOD Lite app, a version of goFOOD, which was designed for food-logging, but without providing results to the users, to improve both the instructions provided and the automated functionalities of the app. Methods The 48 study participants were given face-to-face instructions for goFOOD Lite and were asked to record 2 pictures (1 recording) before and 2 pictures (1 recording) after the daily consumption of each food or beverage, using a reference card as a fiducial marker. All pictures that were discarded for processing due to mistakes were analyzed to record the main mistakes made by users. Results Of the 468 recordings of nonpackaged food items captured by the app, 60 (12.8%) had to be discarded due to errors in the capturing procedure. The principal problems were as follows: wrong fiducial marker or improper marker use (19 recordings), plate issues such as a noncompatible or nonvisible plate (8 recordings), a combination of various issues (17 recordings), and other reasons such as obstacles (hand) in front of the camera or matching recording pairs (16 recordings). Conclusions No other study has focused on the principal problems in the use of automatic apps for assessing nutritional intake. This study shows that it is important to provide study participants with detailed instructions if high-quality data are to be obtained. Future developments could focus on making it easier to recognize food on various plates from its color or shape and on exploring alternatives to using fiducial markers. It is also essential for future studies to understand the training needed by the participants as well as to enhance the app’s user-friendliness and to develop automatic image checks based on participant feedback.

scholarly journals Health Research Conducting Quality Perceptions of Medical Postgraduate Trainees

2021 ◽  
pp. 313-319
Author(s):  
Shanti Chouhan ◽  
Khalida Naz Memon
Keyword(s):  
Health Research ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Complete Response ◽  
Research Process ◽  
P Value ◽  
Basic Sciences ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Assessment Protocol ◽  
Conducting Research

Background: Health researchers in medical universities are surrounded by existing hurdles to the health research during the process of conduction which may affect the quality of conduction of health research undertaken by the medical trainees. The current study is conducted to determine the effects of barriers on the quality of conduction of health research. Study Design: Descriptive cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Research conducting postgraduate trainees in various disciplines in Liaqaut University of Medical & Health Sciences, Jamshoro from 1st September 2018 to 31st December 2018. Methodology: Two hundred & sixteen health research trainees were recruited for study                    through stratified sampling technique; the subjects included 79 males &137 females of age bracket of 24-50 years. After taking the consent, data was collected on a preformed questionnaire and analyzed in SPSS version 23.0 by computing proportions, mean ± standard deviation and using Chi-square test as statistical test of significance with the p-value of 0.05 taken as level of significance. Results: Overall, two hundred and fifty subjects were approached to obtain the complete response of the required sample of two hundred and sixteen. The response rate was 86.4%. The 72 (33.3%) trainees in medicine and allied sciences, 66 (92%) trainees experienced various barriers in quality of conducting of health research. From 42 (19.4%) trainees in surgery and allied sciences, 22 (51.2%) perceived effects of barriers on their health research conducting (HRC) quality. Amongst 33 (15.3%) trainees in basic sciences, 15 (45%) faced various hurdles while going through their research; surprisingly all the trainees conducting research in field of pharmacology faced various barriers during research process. Out of 67 (31.0%) postgraduate trainees in dentistry, 60 (90%) reported various barriers (p= 0.03). Conclusion: Quality conduction of health research affected by barriers is experienced by majority of medical researchers and trainees during their postgraduate training.  The majority of the postgraduate trainees conducting research from clinical fields face more effects on their research conducting quality as compared to the basic sciences researchers. Recommendation: Quality assessment protocol should be incorporated during research conducting process. Actions should be taken for reducing the barriers related to HRC quality. Collaborative health research amongst clinical and basic sciences fields can be done to improve the quality.

scholarly journals EFFECTS OF QUALITY OF BANK PRODUCTS AND SERVICES ON THE PERFORMANCE OF COMMERCIAL BANKS IN MAKUENI COUNTY

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 32
Author(s):  
Michael Nzuma Mutunga ◽  
Susan Njeri Wamitu
Keyword(s):  
Commercial Banks ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Target Population ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
Data Collection Process ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Quality Of Products ◽  
Study Participants

Purpose: The main purpose of this study was to determine the effect of enhanced quality of bank products and services on the performance of commercial banks in Makueni County. Methodology: This study adopted a descriptive research design. The target population was all the 219 employees from the commercial bank branches in Makueni County from which 130 study participants were sampled; 65 bank managers and 65 assistant managers. A questionnaire was designed, piloted and used to collect data from the study participants. All necessary ethical issues were considered during and after data collection process. Statistical Package for Social Scientists Version 21 was used in data analysis to generate both descriptive and inferential statistics. Findings: There was a positive relationship between the quality of services and products and performance of commercial banks in Makueni County. The regression results also revealed that quality of products and services had a significant influence on the performance of commercial banks at p = 0.015.  Unique contributions to theory, practice and policy: The quality of bank services and products is a major determinant of the performance of commercial banks in the area of study. The findings were similar to those of another study carried out by Odeny (2016).  Since contingency theory argues that there is no single best approach in the management of institutions, the study recommends that continuous research is necessary in commercial banks to establish areas of service and product improvement for their continued high performance.

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