Suspecting the Figures: What Church Leaders Think About Government’s Commitment to Combating COVID-19 in Nigeria

Public trust in government can significantly determine the outcome of health policies in any society. Hence, studies have been gauging peoples’ level of trust in their governments’ commitment and capacity to win the fight against COVID-19. However, these studies have omitted religious leaders. This is despite the fact that religious leaders play key roles in the area of health in many societies. The present study, therefore, explored the opinions church leaders have about the credibility of the COVID-19 statistics and other government responses in Nigeria. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 18 church leaders drawn from Anglican, Catholic, and Pentecostal churches in Nigeria. A descriptive narrative approach was employed in the thematic organization and analysis of data. Findings show that only one participant expressed confidence in the credibility of the COVID-19 statistics and other government’s responses. The rest, with the exception of one participant who was uncertain, was distributed between those who believe the statistics and other government efforts are exaggerated and those who believe they are false. The study also found that denominational affiliation mattered with respect to the perceptions about the credibility of the COVID-19 statistics and other government responses. Implications of findings for policy and research are discussed.

Architecture, City and Home: A Personal Narrative of a Globetrotter

Based on a narrative approach, this contribution analyses a personal life journey to discuss the relationships between architecture, city and home.

Ethical Representation of Speech while Communicating in the Short Film “Pemean”

This study analyzes the ethics of one of the characters in the film "Pemean" through the speech and language he uses based on sociolinguistic studies. Background: this research departs from ethical problems in the use of speech used by the community when communicating in terms of the dialogues in the conversation of the film "Pemean". Objective: This study aims to provide understanding and skills in the use of speech and ethics that can be implemented properly in everyday life. Question: The question of this research is what is the relationship between speech and language through conversation used by the characters in the short film “Pemean”, which is based on people's reactions. Method: In this study, the researcher uses a qualitative method with a descriptive narrative approach, where the researcher analyzes the short film "Pemean" from the language side of the character's dialogue and relates the dialogue to the prevailing ethics in Indonesia, especially in the Java based on the results of questionnaires and interviews. Respondents are Javanese people aged between 15-30 years and understand the context of conversation and language use in the short film "Pemean". Research data: results of questionnaires and interviews as well as dialogues of the characters in the film "Pemean". Results: the analysis of this study resulted, 1) A person's speech reflects that person's behavior; 2) Most people choose to remain silent or ignore them when they find a figure like Mbak Sum's character. Recommendation: for further research, we hope that researchers can find out how a person's speech can reflect his behavior and the reason why people prefer silence in dealing with someone like Mbak Sum. Limitation: on the relationship between a person's speech and language with his behavior and attitudes taken by society in responding to similar problems as in the movie.

The Effectiveness of Using Narrative Approach in Teaching the Course of Interpretation (Tafseer) in Developing the First Intermediate Female Students’ Conceptual Understanding

This study aims at examining the effectiveness of using the narrative approach in teaching the Interpretation of the Qur'an course in the development of conceptual comprehension among first-grade middle school female students. To achieve the objective of this study, a quantitative quasi-experimental design has been used. The sample consisted of first-grade middle school female students at "the third middle school" in Buraidah city, as this school suits the objective of the study. A test of conceptual understanding has been built by the researchers according to a list of conceptual understating skills at a significance level of α ≤ 0.05. Results have shown that there are statistically significant differences at the level (α ≤ 0,05) between the mean scores of the experimental group and the control group students regarding the conceptual comprehension test in favour of the experimental group. Moreover, there are statistically significant differences between the mean scores of the experimental group students in the pre- and post-conceptual comprehension tests in favour of the post-test. Based on these results, the researchers have provided a set of related recommendations and suggestions, such as: accentuating the importance of using the narrative approach in constructing Sharia sciences courses in general and the interpretation of the Qur'an course in particular. Accordingly, the researchers have recommended conducting a study entitled the effectiveness of using the narrative approach in teaching the interpretation of the Qur'an course in developing the first-grade secondary school students’ conceptual comprehension.

Bring recovery to young people: the development of a “discovery college” in Ireland

Purpose Discovery Colleges are new, exciting innovations. The purpose of this paper is to describe the process of developing and implementing the first pilot of a Discovery College for young people in Ireland. This paper aims to assist in providing direction for future comparable projects. Design/methodology/approach The author takes a narrative approach to highlight the rationale for introducing the Discovery College model into an Irish context and to outline the project phases and participant feedback. Findings The pilot project is outlined and the key learnings are explained. Originality/value Recovery Education is a growing model both nationally and internationally, and this pilot was an innovative project, the first of its kind to bring Recovery Education to a younger audience in Ireland. This paper aims to assist in providing direction for future comparable projects.

Emotions in our lives: the evaluation of a user-centered training course »living e-Motions« in the context of recovery of people with mental health challenges

Purpose This paper aims to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of a training course »Living e-Motions« for people living with mental health challenges in the context of their recovery. The course was developed in the joint project of partners from Spain, Estonia, Slovenia and the UK. The curriculum of the course is focused on emotional education. It uses a narrative approach as a practical way for participants to explore and regulate their emotions and consequently take charge of their recovery. Design/methodology/approach Seventeen participants were included in the pilot training in Spain and Estonia. Impact of the training was assessed on measures of life satisfaction, emotion regulation, positive and negative affect and recovery at baseline and directly after training. Findings The analysis revealed that participants reported higher life satisfaction, emotion regulation skills, positive affect and recovery after the training. However, because of the small sample size, the mean differences did not reach statistical significance. Further studies on larger samples are needed to test the effectiveness of the training course. Practical implications Pilot study findings are encouraging and show that the developed training course has a potential for improving key competencies and abilities needed in daily life, concretely in emotion regulation, positive and negative affect, life satisfaction and recovery. Originality/value This paper presents a novel training course that uses a narrative approach and focuses on recovery and improvement of key competencies and abilities of individuals with mental health issues.

INNOVATION FAILURE IN SMEs: A NARRATIVE APPROACH TO UNDERSTAND FAILED INNOVATIONS AND FAILED INNOVATORS

While innovation is an attractive path, it is also a rocky path made up of numerous challenges, even failures. This study provides new knowledge for understanding innovation failure. It seeks answers to the question: What are the perceived factors of innovation failure in SMEs? Every individual who has experienced an innovation failure has a story to tell. Therefore, the research question of this study is answered based on these stories. The main data are collected through narratives produced by individuals who have been involved in the development of completely failed innovation initiatives. In addition, four expert interviews are conducted. The results demonstrate that the most common factor for innovation failure is the occurrence of several incidents during the innovation process that slowly contribute to complete failure. In addition, the results reveal three SME-typical narratives of failed innovations as narrators the Passionate Innovator, the Solo Innovator, and the Developer Innovator.

Crafting Emotions: The valence of time in narratives about the future of Europe in the Council of Europe (1949)

How are emotional narratives used to mobilise support for or opposition against policy ideas about the institutional set-up of European integration? This article systematically examines the first General Debate of the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe in 1949, which featured as a laboratory for the rise and demise of various blueprints for European integration. This article makes a threefold contribution. First, it introduces a narrative approach that combines the valence of emotions with their temporal dimension. Second, it demonstrates how these emotionally charged narratives of hope, redemption, fear and sacrifice provide the affective glue of an emerging (transnational) emotional community that cuts through nationality and political colour. Third, taking a historical approach this article points at the need to historicise the role of emotions in European integration.