scholarly journals Concept of Increase Enrolment: Its effect on teachers in Ghana

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 167
Author(s):  
Hansen Akoto-Baako ◽  
Prem Jotham Heeralal ◽  
Bernard Kissi-Abrokwah
Keyword(s):  
Classroom Management ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Classroom Interaction ◽  
Work Load ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Head Teachers ◽  
Quantitative Phase ◽  
Work Related ◽  
The Government ◽  
Qualitative Phase

This study investigated the effects of increase in enrolment on teachers in second cycle institutions in Ghana. The effects of increase enrolment on teacher’s work load, classroom management, health, social life and classroom interaction. The study employed the pragmatic paradigm and mixed method approach. Concurrent triangulation comprising descriptive survey for the quantitative phase and a case study for the qualitative phase.  Self-developed questionnaire and semi-structured interview schedule were used to collect data from respondents. A total of hundred and forty-seven (147) respondents were used for the study. It was made up of one hundred and forty (140) teachers used at the quantitative phase and seven (7) head teachers used in the qualitative phase. The study found out that increase enrolment increased the workload of teachers significantly, and exposed teachers to health challenges. The study also revealed that increase enrolment made it very difficult for teachers to manage their classrooms and interact with students during instructional periods. The study recommended that teaching assistants be assigned to all teachers, government should set up a special body which is made up of occupational counsellors, psychologists, physicians who will tasked to organize programs on monthly bases to educate teachers on how to manage work related stress they encounter. Finally, the government should build more schools and make it a priority to train more teachers.   Received: 15 September 2021 / Accepted: 16 October 2021 / Published: 5 November 2021

scholarly journals The Multifaceted Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Dentists in Tamil Nadu, India: A Qualitative Study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nesa Aurlene ◽  
R Sindhu ◽  
A Haripriya
Keyword(s):  
Focus Group ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Tamil Nadu ◽  
Dental Treatment ◽  
Group Discussion ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Dental Clinics ◽  
The Government

Introduction: India has become the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) epicentre with the highest number of COVID-19 cases being reported each day. This has caused a major impact on healthcare workers including dentists across the country. Most dental clinics in Tamil Nadu were closed during the initial two months of draconian lockdown enforced by the Government of India (GOI). As partial lockdown measures were introduced over the subsequent months, dental clinics have started functioning and receiving patients for emergency dental treatment. Aim: This study was done among dentists practicing in Tamil Nadu amidst the COVID-19 pandemic to understand how the pandemic has impacted their professional and personal lives. Materials and Methods: A qualitative study using online focus group discussion was conducted among 32 dentists practicing in Tamil Nadu, India using a structured interview guide in the month of July 2020. After data collection, the focus group discussions were transcribed manually and an inductive thematic analysis was performed using Braun and Clarke’s six phases for thematic analysis. Results: Three major themes were identified after the thematic analysis namely limitations of off-campus distance learning, challenges faced in dental practice during the COVID-19 pandemic and social life impacts of COVID-19 among dentists. Conclusion: Dentists in this study felt that the COVID-19 pandemic was negatively impacting their dental practices owing to lack of clarity in COVID-19 protocols, lack of patient awareness, high cost of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), increasing overhead expenses, ergonomic difficulties in treating patients while wearing PPE, patients’ unwillingness to pay higher charges for treatment under COVID-19 protocols and fear of contracting COVID-19. Majority of participants in this study did not report any negative impacts of social isolation as many of them had stayed with their families during the lockdown.

scholarly journals Factors of Reduced Level of Affective Commitment: Evidence from the Banking Sector

2019 ◽  
Vol IV (II) ◽  
pp. 173-181
Author(s):  
Amen Imran ◽  
Sundus Wasai ◽  
Henna Gul Nisar
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation ◽  
Affective Commitment ◽  
Banking Sector ◽  
Climatic Factors ◽  
Organizational Outcomes ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Open Communication ◽  
Quantitative Phase ◽  
Equation Modelling ◽  
Qualitative Phase

Affective Commitment (AC) is a key determinant of positive organizational outcomes. However, certain climatic factors like lack of leader openness to voice (LLV), lack of open communication opportunity (LOC), defensive norms of organizational culture (DNO) and defensive silence (DS) may lead to low level (AC). A mixed method, sequential explanatory design based on quantitative phase followed by qualitative phase is used. The quantitative phase used the probability sampling, questionnaire, structural equation modelling, whereas the qualitative phase used a semi-structured interview, thematic coding and causal networking for sampling, data collection and interpretation respectively. All hypotheses were supported by evidence and explanation was provided for why such relationships exist in the banking context of Pakistan. The implications, future guidelines and study limitations are also discussed.

scholarly journals A qualitative exploration of the perspectives of international medical students residing in university hostels amid COVID-19 pandemic lockdown

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sitaram Khadka ◽  
Muhammad Usman ◽  
Mohammad Saleem ◽  
Moshin Ali ◽  
Huma Rasheed ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
International Medical ◽  
Personal Hygiene ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
The Government

ABSTRACTBackgroundCOVID-19 pandemic has portentously frightened the existence of life all over the world. The lockdown approach was adopted as a containment strategy as the disease itself has manifested severe social, economic, and psychiatric implications.ObjectivesTo explore the perception and preparedness of international medical students residing in university hostels amid the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.DesignA semi-structured interview guide was developed in this qualitative study design. All the interviews were audio-taped, transcribed verbatim, and then analyzed for thematic contents by standard content analysis framework.SettingInterviews were conducted in university hostels in Punjab, Pakistan.ParticipantsA total of 11 international medical students were interviewed face-to-face through the purposive sampling technique to obtain in-depth individual viewpoints.ResultsThe thematic content analysis yielded five major themes: Familiarity with COVID-19, Perceptions and attitudes towards COVID-19, Preparedness for safety against COVID-19, Barriers to lifestyle, and Psychological perspectives. A better general perception and preparedness among international medical students regarding COVID-19 was found. Good knowledge regarding the overview of COVID-19; adequate preventive approaches such as social distancing, use of masks, gloves, and sanitizers; and compliance with the lockdown measures were reported by the respondents. The pertinent issue raised by the respondents is the disturbance in normal routine due to distortion in social life and isolation that may cause psychological stress.ConclusionsThe findings from this study lighten the people’s perspectives that help the government to prepare public health strategies based on population-focused approaches. The present study demonstrates the respondents’ opinion on COVID-19 management by personal hygiene, social distancing, and complying with the lockdown measures. Furthermore, it demands that timely and evidence-based teaching-learning techniques should be adopted for students’ engagement which ensures mental health and self-motivation as well. Therefore, they can utilize their time productively which could have a long-term effect on their careers and healthcare services.

scholarly journals INFLUENCE OF PRE-MARITAL COUNSELLING ON SUSTAINABILITY OF MARRIAGES IN GREATER ACCRA REGION, GHANA

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (8) ◽  
pp. 538-549
Author(s):  
Bernard Kissi-Abrokwah ◽  
Isaac Aboyom Anontise
Keyword(s):  
Standard Deviation ◽  
Mixed Method ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Land Mines ◽  
Quantitative Phase ◽  
Mixed Method Design ◽  
Qualitative Phase ◽  
Greater Accra Region ◽  
Potential Land

The study focused on elements discussed during pre-marital counselling and how those elements mediate on the sustainability of marriages in Greater Accra Region. Concurrent triangulation mixed method design was chosen for the study. For the quantitative phase 100 marriage people were randomly selected from 10 churches. At the qualitative phase 4 head pastors were conveniently selected from the 10 churches. Mean and standard deviation was used to analysed the questionnaire for the quantitative phase while the semi-structured interview scheduled was thematically analysed to explain issues as they emerged in the study. The study showed conflict resolution, communication, adjusting to individual difference, sex and romance, family lifecycles in marriage and separation from past-memories and families were some elements discussed during pre-marital counselling to help sustain the marriages. Again, respondents were of the view that pre-marital counselling is vital for the sustainability of marriages and should be made compulsory for new couples. Lastly, it was revealed the philosophy of pre-marital counselling is not only being aware of potential land mines in their relationship, but to equip married people to learn the skills necessary to successfully deal with challenges throughout their marriage which help in the sustainability. Therefore, it was recommended that the churches should employ professional counsellors who understand the principle of marriage counselling to perform the act of counselling and follow-up service should be done to check if the elements discussed during pre-marital counselling are being put into practice.

scholarly journals The Interaction between Insurance Organizations and Health System: The Insurance Mechanism based on Game Theory

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohsen Pakdaman ◽  
Milad Shafiei ◽  
Sara Geravandi ◽  
Ali Hejazi ◽  
Farhad Abdi
Keyword(s):  
Game Theory ◽  
Health System ◽  
Effective Interaction ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Behavioral Strategies ◽  
Quantitative Phase ◽  
Interactive Behaviors ◽  
Insurance Mechanism ◽  
Two Phases ◽  
Qualitative Phase

Introduction: In order to achieve the highest level of effective interaction between the insurance organizations and the health system, efforts should be made to identify existing communication challenges for policymakers and decision makers. The present study was conducted to identify interactive behaviors aimed at designing an insurance mechanism based on game theory to cover the existing gaps. Methods: This study consisted of two phases of qualitative and quantitative. In the qualitative phase, data were collected and classified by a semi-structured interview with a number of insurance professionals in insurance organizations and the health system. In the quantitative phase of the study, interactive behaviors between the two organizations were studied. Finally, with the help of Gambit software, the insurance mechanism was designed. Results: In the qualitative phase, the data were collected in three main categories: behavioral and communicative, structural and financial and deductibles and 11 sub-categories. In the quantitative phase, 35 optimal interactive behavioral strategies were delineated. Conclusion: The best behavioral strategy for interaction between insurance organizations and health system, to fill gaps in insurance system and to improve the interaction between the two organizations, was introduced in the form of 35 strategies to provide an insurance mechanism.

scholarly journals Barriers and Facilitators that Influence on Adopting Healthy Lifestyles in People with Cardiovascular Disease

2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Natalia Saavedra Espinosa ◽  
Martha Yelitza Rodríguez Malagón ◽  
Sara Pamela Londoño Granados ◽  
Oscar Stiven Alméziga Clavijo ◽  
María Camila Garzón Herrera ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Stress Management ◽  
Healthy Lifestyle ◽  
Nursing Intervention ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Lifestyle Changes ◽  
Barriers And Facilitators ◽  
Healthy Lifestyles ◽  
Quantitative Phase ◽  
Qualitative Phase

Objective. To measure lifestyle changes and describe the barriers and facilitators perceived that influence on adopting healthy lifestyles in people with cardiovascular diseases. Methods. Mixed study of concurrent execution in the public health center of the municipality of Tausa, Colombia. The quantitative phase corresponded to a longitudinal analytical method in which the FANTASTICO instrument was applied to 28 patients in this program between 0 and 120 days after a brief nursing intervention (face-to-face meetings and telephone calls). The qualitative phase was carried out with a micro-ethnographic approach applying a semi-structured interview to 12 out of 28 participants, 120 days after the intervention. Results. During the quantitative phase, a statistically significant change (p < 0.05) was the improvement of the total score and in the domains of activity, type of personality and insight between day 0 and 120. During the qualitative phase, 13 categories arose regarding barriers and facilitators to adopt a healthy lifestyle: four facilitators and one barrier for physical activity, three facilitators and three barriers for feeding, and two facilitators for stress management. By integrating the results, it is possible to explain that, for the change in eating behaviors, physical activity and stress management, personal biological and psychological factors, interpersonal and situational influences coincide with the assumptions and propositions of the Health Promotion Model by Nola Pender. Conclusion. The participants’ lifestyles changed positively in three of the domains and the total of the instrument, which can be explained by simultaneous triangulation, by the facilitators and perceived barriers as influential on adopting behaviors to acquire a healthy lifestyle.

scholarly journals Working from Home During Covid-19: Doing and Managing Technology-enabled Social Interaction With Colleagues at a Distance

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Banita Lal ◽  
Yogesh K. Dwivedi ◽  
Markus Haag
Keyword(s):  
Social Interaction ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Digital Media ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Work Lives ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Work From Home ◽  
Working From Home ◽  
Time Basis

AbstractWith the overnight growth in Working from Home (WFH) owing to the pandemic, organisations and their employees have had to adapt work-related processes and practices quickly with a huge reliance upon technology. Everyday activities such as social interactions with colleagues must therefore be reconsidered. Existing literature emphasises that social interactions, typically conducted in the traditional workplace, are a fundamental feature of social life and shape employees’ experience of work. This experience is completely removed for many employees due to the pandemic and, presently, there is a lack of knowledge on how individuals maintain social interactions with colleagues via technology when working from home. Given that a lack of social interaction can lead to social isolation and other negative repercussions, this study aims to contribute to the existing body of literature on remote working by highlighting employees’ experiences and practices around social interaction with colleagues. This study takes an interpretivist and qualitative approach utilising the diary-keeping technique to collect data from twenty-nine individuals who had started to work from home on a full-time basis as a result of the pandemic. The study explores how participants conduct social interactions using different technology platforms and how such interactions are embedded in their working lives. The findings highlight the difficulty in maintaining social interactions via technology such as the absence of cues and emotional intelligence, as well as highlighting numerous other factors such as job uncertainty, increased workloads and heavy usage of technology that affect their work lives. The study also highlights that despite the negative experiences relating to working from home, some participants are apprehensive about returning to work in the traditional office place where social interactions may actually be perceived as a distraction. The main contribution of our study is to highlight that a variety of perceptions and feelings of how work has changed via an increased use of digital media while working from home exists and that organisations need to be aware of these differences so that they can be managed in a contextualised manner, thus increasing both the efficiency and effectiveness of working from home.

scholarly journals Perception and Preference for Home-Based Telework in the COVID-19 Era: A Gender-Based Analysis in Hanoi, Vietnam

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 3179
Author(s):  
Minh Hieu Nguyen ◽  
Jimmy Armoogum
Keyword(s):  
Gender Inequality ◽  
Sustainable Development Goal ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Home Based ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Government ◽  
Gender Based ◽  
Using Data

The rapid and widespread of COVID-19 has caused severe multifaceted effects on society but differently in women and men, thereby preventing the achievement of gender equality (the 5th sustainable development goal of the United Nations). This study, using data of 355 teleworkers collected in Hanoi (Vietnam) during the first social distancing period, aims at exploring how (dis)similar factors associated with the perception and the preference for more home-based telework (HBT) for male teleworkers versus female peers are. The findings show that 56% of female teleworkers compared to 45% of male counterparts had a positive perception of HBT within the social distancing period and 63% of women desired to telework more in comparison with 39% of men post-COVID-19. Work-related factors were associated with the male perception while family-related factors influenced the female perception. There is a difference in the effects of the same variables (age and children in the household) on the perception and the preference for HBT for females. For women, HBT would be considered a solution post-COVID-19 to solve the burden existing pre-COVID-19 and increasing in COVID-19. Considering gender inequality is necessary for the government and authorities to lessen the adverse effects of COVID-19 on the lives of citizens, especially female ones, in developing countries.

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