Initiatives and Responses to Migrant Workers during the Lockdown

This narrative describes an initiative of the National Service Scheme team at Andhra Loyola Institute of Engineering and Technology. It highlights initiatives to address the situation of migrant workers during the pandemic lockdown in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh in India. In the Krishna District of Andhra Pradesh, migrant laborers were forced to walk home, sometimes hundreds, even thousands of kilometers, to reunite with their families. It was hard to ignore these images, especially those who carried the elderly on their shoulders, and small children slumped over rolling suitcases. Most used any means of transport they found, even bicycles. Some succumbed to accidents and exposure to heat. In the midst of the lockdown, the NSS team quickly came together and planned an outreach/relief camp for migrants in Krishna District. It was chosen since many villagers were migrants and the lockdown had affected in multiple ways. The relief camp took place in the month of April, a time when temperatures soar in southern India. The students and the faculty members joined hands to reach out to the Migrants in the most despairing moments. The students commented that they saw their education from a different perspective, one that integrated curriculum and good citizenship for marginalized persons. One of the ways of infusing relevance into education is to embed it within meaningful service learning. This paper is an attempt to exhibit the Initiative and Responses to the Migrant workers during the Lockdown.

Preparación y Usos de la Harina de Maíz en Antojitos Regionales en el Municipio de Escárcega, Campeche, México

Corn, as it is said in Mexico (Zea mays L.) is an annual grass native to America, specifically from the central-western region of Mexico. There is a great diversity of varieties of corn. Ethnic groups and farmers have selected this crop for thousands of years for different uses, and have created and preserved the right types of corn for specialized uses. Based on all of the above, the objective of this research was to identify the processes of the preparation of corn flour (masa) and its uses in the gastronomy of the southern state of Campeche, Mexico. In order to achieve the research, a total of 28 establishments were visited, 10 dedicated to the production of corn flour (masa) and 18 focused on the preparation of regional snacks based on corn masa. Basically two ways of preparing corn flour were observed. Similarly, for the preparation of the dough to make regional snacks, four styles were identified. In the city of Escárcega 14 different types of regional snacks are sold. Fried or comal empanadas are the ones in greatest demand. The south of the state of Campeche presents a gastronomic wealth in the preparation of regional snacks, since it has influences from the central and southern communities of Mexico, so it is important to consider the area as an area rich in its gastronomy. El maíz, como se dice en México (Zea mays L.) es una gramínea anual originaria de América, concretamente de la región centro Occidente de México. Existe una gran diversidad de variedades de maíz. Los grupos étnicos y agricultores han seleccionado este cultivo por miles de años para diferentes usos, y han creado y conservado los tipos adecuados de maíz para usos especializados. Con base en todo lo anterior, el objetivo de la presente investigación fue identificar los procesos de la preparación de la harina de maíz (masa) y sus usos en la gastronomía del sur del estado de Campeche, México. Para el logro de la investigación se visitaron en total 28 establecimientos, 10 dedicados a la elaboración de la harina de maíz (masa) y 18 enfocadas a la preparación de antojitos regionales a base de masa de maíz. Se observaron básicamente dos formas de preparar harina de maíz. De igual forma para la preparación de la masa para elaborar antojitos regionales fueron identificados cuatro estilos. En la ciudad de Escárcega se comercializan 14 tipos diferentes de antojitos regionales. Las empanadas fritas o al comal son las de mayor demanda. El sur del estado de Campeche presenta una riqueza gastronómica en la preparación de antojitos regionales, ya que presenta influencias de comunidades centro y sur de México, por lo que es importante considerar al área como una zona rica en su gastronomía.

Contextual knowledge co-production and capacity building for sanitation planning: experience from Kerala, India

Small towns in the global South face huge infrastructure deficits in sanitation due to the lack of technical, institutional and financial capacity to establish treatment systems. This knowledge gap and capacity deficit are a socio-ecological challenge that requires knowledge co-production by both science and society. This work focuses on a transdisciplinary initiative on capacity building and knowledge co-production called CANALPY in Alleppey, a town located in the southern state of Kerala, India. The project recognises the need for data and knowledge for developing a fine-grained understanding of the sanitation situation in the town and also raises awareness about canal pollution to arrive at participatory solutions. This study analyses the drivers of co-production of knowledge with its enabling conditions as well as the challenges associated with it. The initiative has been instrumental in creating a space and platform for collaborations, dialogues and discussions on problems of sanitation, water quality and pollution. CANALPY has ensured the dissemination of findings among a larger audience and has inspired new thinking and action. It is also important to take into critical consideration the different practical, socio-political, institutional and competence-related challenges that impede the project's goal of knowledge sharing and capacity building.

Sentencing Females Convicted of Sex Offenses: Examining Measures of Perceived Dangerousness and the Decision to Incarcerate

From media attention to legislative actions, individuals convicted of sex offenses are often perceived as dangerous and a threat to society. Previous research, however, has demonstrated that perceived dangerousness is gender-specific, often minimizing culpability for women convicted of sex offenses. Consequently, previous research on sentencing outcomes of these individuals have largely been male-only samples, leaving a gap in the literature as it pertains to females convicted of sex offenses. The current study sought to fill this gap by examining the impact that those convicted, victims, and offense characteristics had on sentencing outcomes for women convicted of sex offenses. We analyzed a sample of 262 females convicted of a sex offense in a Southern state. The results demonstrated that official case characteristics, along with victim characteristics, play an influential role in the judicial decision to impose an incarceration sentence.

“It Would Be Nice If”: Analysis of Transition Experiences Through Grand Challenges

The adult outcomes of youth with disabilities continue to lag behind those of their peers without disabilities, especially for youth living in rural communities. Interdisciplinary teaming is identified as an important component of effective transition planning. Transition planning and collaborative teaming are challenged further in rural communities due to lack of resources, distances between services and providers, and access for youth and their families. Social workers, given their multisystem perspective on aligning youth and family needs with resources, may be well poised, though currently underutilized, to address the challenges of transition in rural contexts. Through the transition experiences of 20 families and young adults with high need disabilities from a rural southern state, this study analyzes the potential alignment between the tenants of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act for transition and the priorities of social work described in the Grand Challenges. Implications for practice and policy for special education transition planning in rural communities are offered.

Mathematics Teachers' Perceptions of Effective Instructional Practices and Engaging the iGeneration

The purpose of this study was to examine 3rd through 5th grade mathematics teachers' demographic information and investigate their perceptions regarding effective instructional practices and their abilities to use technology as an instructional tool in the mathematics classroom in a southern state in the United States. The study revealed that, overall, teachers had positive perceptions about effective instructional practices and their abilities to use technology as an instructional tool in the mathematics classroom. Additionally, there were statistically significant differences found among demographic variables based on the teachers' responses to certain statements from the online survey. The findings in this study provided information for administrators in one Central Mississippi school district to increase student engagement and improve statewide test scores in mathematics.

Online and Distance Learning (ODL) and Hybrid Learning in COVID-19 era: The Effects of Pandemic to Undergraduate Students

Undergraduate students are facing challenges during COVID-19 pandemic where teaching and learning (T&L) are completely migrated to online and distance learning (ODL). Most of the countries worldwide are under lockdown. Regardless of the shock faced, education is one of the main sector where it is important and can be continued to operate completely online, and perhaps combined with face-to-face (F2F) into Hybrid Learning when the pandemic rate is going under control. However, many feedback received from the students especially from various sources including students themselves, parents, and educators on real situation in ODL. Thus, this study is taking an initiative to gather systematic and objective feedback on three main factors; Autonomy, Competence and Relatedness. The undergraduate students of the higher institutions of learning in southern state of Malaysia are the respondents in this study consists of 321 students from multiple faculties representing different fields of studies. As a result, the factors under investigation had effects on students’ motivation, interaction, communication, and online accessibility in continue enrolling to pursue their study using ODL and Hybrid Learning. Learning environment and preferences can be further explored to support the students in a more comprehensive manner in post-COVID-19 pandemic.

Performing the Argument

This chapter elaborates on a predominantly oral performance tradition called Talamaddale which is linked to the popular traditional form of Yakshagana performed in the southern state of Karnataka, India. Unlike the song, dance, and spectacle of Yakshagana, Talamaddale is known for the improvisatory verbal skills of actors who engage in intricate debates around specific characters and situations from the Ramayana narrative and other puranas. Highlighting the performative aspects of Talamaddale, the chapter interrelates three layers of texts which are illustrated with vivid examples: the written prasaṅga or narrative; the songs from the prasanga sung by the bhāgawata or lead singer; and dialogues that are improvised between the actors in each performance. Focusing on the relationship between Talamaddale and the Ramayana narrative tradition, the chapter shows how episodes from the source texts are selected, elaborated, interpreted, and textured into argumentative performances in which different episodes from diverse versions of the Ramayana narrative come alive through debating techniques and verbal repartee.