No Participant Left Behind: Conducting Science During COVID-19

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stella F. Lourenco ◽  
Arber Tasimi

Cognitive scientists have ramped up online testing in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Although research conducted online solves the problem of data collection, a lack of internet access among low-income and minority communities may reduce the diversity of study samples and, thus, impact the generalizability of scientific findings.

Author(s):  
Anthony F. Heath ◽  
Elisabeth Garratt ◽  
Ridhi Kashyap ◽  
Yaojun Li ◽  
Lindsay Richards

Unemployment has a wide range of adverse consequences over and above the effects of the low income which people out of work receive. In the first decades after the war Britain tended to have a lower unemployment rate than most peer countries but this changed in the 1980s and 1990s, when Britain’s unemployment rate surged during the two recessions—possibly as a result of policies designed to tackle inflation. The young, those with less education, and ethnic minorities have higher risks of unemployment and these risks are cumulative. The evidence suggests that the problems facing young men with only low qualifications became relatively worse in the 1990s and 2000s. This perhaps reflects the dark side of educational expansion, young people with low qualifications being left behind and exposed in the labour market.


2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 86 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brandon Rodriguez ◽  
Veronica Jaramillo ◽  
Vanessa Wolf ◽  
Esteban Bautista ◽  
Jennifer Portillo ◽  
...  

A multidisciplinary science experiment was performed in K-12 classrooms focusing on the interconnection of technology with geology and chemistry. The engagement and passion for science of over eight hundred students across twenty-one classrooms, utilizing a combination of hands-on activities to study the relationships between Earth and space rock studies, followed by a remote access session wherein students remotely employed the use of a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) to validate their findings was investigated. Participants were from predominantly low-income minority communities, with little exposure to the themes and equipment used, despite being freely available resources.  Students indicated greatly increased interest in scientific practices and careers, as well as a better grasp of the content as a result of the lab and remote access coupling format.  


2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Georges V. Houngbonon ◽  
Julienne Liang

Abstract Digital technologies like the Internet can affect income inequality through increased demand for employment in manual and abstract jobs and reduced demand for employment in routine jobs. In this paper, we combine city-level income distribution and jobs data with broadband data from France to investigate the impact of broadband Internet access on income inequality. Using an instrumental variable estimation strategy, we find that broadband Internet reduces income inequality through increased employment in manual jobs. These effects increase with the availability of skilled workers and are significant in cities with a large service sector or high-speed Internet access. Further, the diffusion of broadband Internet comes with relatively greater benefits in low-income cities compared to high-income cities. Several robustness checks support these findings.


2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 1012-1027 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mastura Omar ◽  
Anuar Nawawi ◽  
Ahmad Saiful Azlin Puteh Salin

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the causes and impact of employee fraud, focusing on one particular industry, namely, the automotive industry. Design/methodology/approach One company was selected as a case for the study. Qualitative data analysis was used for the study, with two techniques for data collection. First was the content or document analysis on various reports, such as employee fraud reports and records of disciplinary action, and second was a series of interviews with employees from different levels and various departments of the company. Findings This study found that the most popular type of fraud is misappropriation of assets, including theft of cash and inventories. No significant differences were seen in terms of fraudster position, as they can come from both the lower and the executive level. However, majority of the fraudsters come from the operational and sales department. This study also found that majority of the fraudsters in the case study were male, new employees and young adults. Their motivations to commit fraud include lack of understanding about fraud behavior, opportunity to commit fraud and lifestyle and financial pressure. Research limitations/implications The results provide further confirmation of the Fraud Triangle Theory and Fraud Diamond Theory on the causes of the fraud. They are also consistent with much prior research and surveys conducted by global professional firms on fraud and its related causes and implications. This study, however, was conducted on only one company with several series of interviews and three years of document analysis. Future research should collect and analyze data from a higher number of companies with more respondents for interviews and longer period for document analysis to get more accurate results. Practical implications This study provides some recommendations for fraud prevention in the future based on real fraud cases and those that involved managing cases up to and including disciplinary decision. These include closed supervision, fraud awareness training, clearer job descriptions, cultivation of a pleasant working environment and improved security control. Social implications This study found that some of the causes of fraud include social factors like lifestyle and financial pressure due to low income. Policy adjustments, such as an effort to push people beyond the poverty line with higher minimum wages, need to be made to prevent low-income workers from seeing their company as another source of illegal income. Originality/value This study is original, as it focuses on a company that operates in the automotive industry, which is rare in fraud literature, particularly in developing markets. In addition, the company is new, so analysis can be conducted on how the company evolved and learned from the fraud analysis for prevention in the future. Furthermore, this study used two techniques of data collection, so that verification of the findings may be made for better reliability.


2012 ◽  
Vol 114 (12) ◽  
pp. 1-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brianna L. Kennedy-Lewis

Background Federal zero-tolerance policies require the exclusion of students exhibiting violent behaviors, with the intent of maintaining a safe school environment for other students to learn. In California, legislation has been passed that provides for the placement of expelled students in community day schools (CDSs). Purpose This study examines the daily practices of teachers in one CDS in order to begin to build a literature base about these contexts. Drawing from the theory of pastoral care, the study examines the way teachers implement casework, classroom management, and curriculum and instruction. Setting Data collection for this study occurred at Vista Hermosa Community Day School (VHCDS), which serves at least 100 district students throughout the course of a given school year and represents a typical urban CDS. During the semester that data collection occurred, enrollment ranged from 21 to 52 students. Participants All the teachers, administrators, counselors, and support staff at Vista Hermosa agreed to participate. In comparison with the district and state, students at Vista Hermosa are disproportionately male and from low-income, ethnic minority backgrounds. Conversely, teachers are disproportionately Caucasian, though also disproportionately male. Research Design and Data Collection This study used a multiple case study approach by first analyzing individual teachers’ practices at one urban CDS and then generalizing across classrooms to draw conclusions. Seventy-five hours of school-based observations, semi-structured interviews with 9 teachers, 17 students, 14 counselors and administrators, and relevant documents provided data for analysis. Data Analysis Codes for this study drew directly from the theoretical framework of pastoral care. Case reports for each teacher provided material for interpretive analyses. The creation of narrative case summaries finalized the data reduction process and then became material for cross-case analyses. Findings Data show that casework, curriculum, and classroom management mutually reinforce each other in educating persistently disciplined students at this school. This finding is significant because it suggests that teachers’ success or failure in CDS contexts depends on their attention to, and successful implementation of, all three areas of practice. Typically, each of these constructs stands alone in discussions regarding teaching and learning. Conclusions This study suggests that CDS teachers need access to high-quality, relevant professional development tailored to the CDS context. Providing such support as a prevention strategy to teachers in comprehensive schools rather than after students commit disciplinary offenses may successfully preclude their exclusion from comprehensive schools.


2008 ◽  
pp. 3374-3390
Author(s):  
Colin R. Latchem

Dial-up Internet access, wireless mobile services, cybercafés, etc., are fundamentally changing the nature of communications and knowledge and information access for millions around the globe. However, many remote, rural, and disadvantaged urban communities in low-income nations still lack access to the very ICT tools that can help to improve their lives. Many governments lack the commitment or capacity to provide the infrastructure, and many communities lack the resources or technical expertise to use the technology. For example, excluding the more developed regions of South Africa and northern Africa, only one in 250 Africans can access the Internet, compared to one out of every two persons in North America and Europe. Similar digital divides plague the Asia-Pacific region and Latin America (NUA, 2004).


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. e002094 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Smith ◽  
Michelle Helena van Velthoven ◽  
Nguyen Duc Truong ◽  
Nguyen Hai Nam ◽  
Vũ Phan Anh ◽  
...  

BackgroundWe systematically reviewed the evidence on how primary healthcare workers obtain information during consultations to support decision-making for prescribing in low and lower middle-income countries.MethodsWe searched electronic databases, consulted the Healthcare Information For All network, hand searched reference lists, ran citation searches of included studies and emailed authors of identified papers. Two reviewers extracted data and appraised quality with relevant tools.ResultsOf 60 497 records found, 23 studies met our inclusion criteria. Fourteen studies were observational and nine were interventional. Frequently mentioned sources of information were books, leaflets, guidelines, aids and the internet. These sources were sometimes out of date and health workers reported being confused which to use. Internet access varied and even when it was available, use was limited by technical issues. Of the five electronic tools that were assessed, four had positive outcomes. Tools assisted prescribers with medicine selection and dosage calculations, which increased prescribing accuracy. The quality of reporting varied but was overall low.DiscussionStudies indicated a lack of up-to-date and relevant medicine information in low and lower middle-income settings. Internet-based sources appeared to be useful when it is possible to download content for offline use and to update when there is internet access. Electronic tools showed promise, but their accuracy needs to be validated and they should focus on giving actionable advice to guide prescribers.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42018091088.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. 279-279
Author(s):  
Amy Sharn ◽  
Leah May ◽  
Miranda Westrick ◽  
Ashley Walther ◽  
Carolyn Gunther

Abstract Objectives Assess the impact of an 8-week Head Start family meals intervention (Simple Suppers) on participating caregiver's weight status and health outcomes. Methods This is a single arm pre- to post-test study. The intervention is occurring during the 2019–20 school year (fall, winter, and spring sessions) at 3 Head Start sites. Caregiver outcomes include: BMI (kg/m2), waist circumference (cm), blood pressure (mm Hg), and mental health measures (depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9)), perceived stress (Perceived Stress Scale (PSS)), and anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7))). Regression models factoring in attendance will be used to examine pre- to post-test changes. Results Nineteen caregivers completed data collection for the fall session. 55.6% of families were low-income and 21.1% had low/very low food security. Mean (SD) caregiver age was 37.6 (12.1) yr, 94.7% were female, and 84.2% were non-Hispanic Black. There were no significant changes in BMI, blood pressure, waist circumference, depression, or perceived stress from pre- to post-test according to attendance level, however anxiety significantly decreased with increasing attendance (P < 0.05). Data collection for the remaining sessions will be completed in spring 2020. Conclusions This study can be expected to have a positive impact by understanding the role of healthy family mealtime routines in caregiver's physical and mental health among racial minorities residing in low-income households. Funding Sources USDA NIFA.


2020 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 1093-1112
Author(s):  
Jeffrey Omari

This article explores the ideals of open Internet governance in Brazil. I examine Brazil’s Internet law, the Marco Civil da Internet (MCI), which promotes the right to Internet access, online privacy, and net neutrality. The MCI’s ideals of a free and open Internet are challenged by Internet companies, such as Facebook, which offer “zero-rating” promotions that provide limited, free mobile data to low-income subscribers. I juxtapose the ideals of openness embodied in the regulatory sphere of the MCI with those of Brazil’s cultura livre (free culture) movement to show the ascendance of open values in Brazilian governance and culture. Accordingly, I employ the rhetorical question, “Is Facebook the Internet?” to demonstrate the ways in which commitments to open Internet governance, expressed in both the cultural and regulatory realms, run counter to the more proprietary ideals of the transnational tech community.


2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
George Okello ◽  
Sassy Molyneux ◽  
Scholastica Zakayo ◽  
Rene Gerrets ◽  
Caroline Jones

Abstract Background Routine health information systems can provide near real-time data for malaria programme management, monitoring and evaluation, and surveillance. There are widespread concerns about the quality of the malaria data generated through routine information systems in many low-income countries. However, there has been little careful examination of micro-level practices of data collection which are central to the production of routine malaria data. Methods Drawing on fieldwork conducted in two malaria endemic sub-counties in Kenya, this study examined the processes and practices that shape routine malaria data generation at frontline health facilities. The study employed ethnographic methods—including observations, records review, and interviews—over 18-months in four frontline health facilities and two sub-county health records offices. Data were analysed using a thematic analysis approach. Results Malaria data generation was influenced by a range of factors including human resource shortages, tool design, and stock-out of data collection tools. Most of the challenges encountered by health workers in routine malaria data generation had their roots in wider system issues and at the national level where the framing of indicators and development of data collection tools takes place. In response to these challenges, health workers adopted various coping mechanisms such as informal task shifting and use of improvised tools. While these initiatives sustained the data collection process, they also had considerable implications for the data recorded and led to discrepancies in data that were recorded in primary registers. These discrepancies were concealed in aggregated monthly reports that were subsequently entered into the District Health Information Software 2. Conclusion Challenges to routine malaria data generation at frontline health facilities are not malaria or health information systems specific; they reflect wider health system weaknesses. Any interventions seeking to improve routine malaria data generation must look beyond just malaria or health information system initiatives and include consideration of the broader contextual factors that shape malaria data generation.


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