Finding a Silver Lining in the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic caused an unprecedented shift towards educational technology around the world. Teachers began exploring digital tools, which contributed to their professional development. This ethnographic research studied a teacher online Facebook community in Georgia from a participant-observer perspective to understand its social interactions and discussions, using both qualitative insights collected through observation, and quantitative data using various digital tools. The chapter attempts to find a silver lining in the middle of the pandemic: it argues that the adaptation to educational technology during the pandemic gave teachers new opportunities to explore teaching online. Peer-led teaching and learning, sharing experiences, and best practices appeared to be productive. This chapter contributes to understanding the Georgian context during the early waves of the pandemic, and can serve as a unit of comparison with similar online communities elsewhere.

Assessing the macro and micro elements of the Akbarieh World Heritage Garden using participant observer method in a continuous/stop-motion

PurposeThis study aims to assess each of the seven segments of the Akbarieh Garden as the World Heritage Cultural Landscape. First, we wanted to identify the macro elements that dominated one's perception within each area. Then, we wanted to identify the micro elements that support the vista in its entirety.Design/methodology/approachTo acquire data, we used a Participant Observer (PO) method as part of a Continuous/Stop-Motion (CSM) procedure. The identification of macro elements came from retrospective recollections derived from the continuous walk method—the stop-walk method allowed for the identification of micro elements. The data gained from this method is then used to understand how one interprets and responds to large—multi-segmented sites such as the Akbarieh Garden.FindingsThe results of this study show the Continuous/Stop-Motion method yielded predictable results with macro elements and elements of interest being easily recalled. However, the use of photographing for the stop-walk method revealed a similar focus on the macro element. We had hypothesized that the micro elements would be the elements of fascination and discovered when the person remained in the area to photograph scenes of interest. However, the PO photographed the macro elements. It wasn't until the post photo analysis that the PO identified some of the micro elements would be the elements of fascination and discovered when the person remained in the area to photograph scenes of interest. However, the PO photographed the macro elements. It wasn't until the post photo analysis that the PO identified some of the micro elements. The post photo discoveries suggest that real-time experience of micro elements is undervalued.Originality/valueThere is no general discussion on this topic yet amongst professionals. The initiative of the Participant Observer (PO) method as a tool for perception the historic gardens and landscapes identified that gap and its related necessity to provide guidance. As is true for exploratory studies, these results provide a foundation for further study. The use of the Continuous/Stop-Motion method was ideal for this study.

SURVIVAL STRATEGIES OF WOMEN FISHER IN MUARA SELOTONG

This paper aims to identify and describe the survival strategies of women fishers in meeting the needs of family life in Muara Selotong and the distribution of marine products. In their role, women fishers do not only play a role in the domestic space but also participate to fulfill and increase income, so that they are sufficient for the family economy. This research uses a qualitative method with an ethnographic approach, research techniques include; participant observer and in-depth interviews. The results of the field research show that in helping the family's economy, women fisher in Muara Selotong work looking for shellfish, crabs and helping their husbands in looking for fish and shrimp. The technique of looking for shells and crabs uses the traditional way, namely by using a “Gancu” tool and watching the tides. For the sake of getting additional economics, some dare to do this work, even though they are not good at swimming. Economic demands and low levels of education are the main reasons for women to participate in helping the family economy because the income earned by men as heads of households is deemed insufficient. Women also have wider access and networks than men to distribute marine products. because women take on roles from the production stage to distribution in the market. It can be seen that the dual role of women is very helpful to meet the needs of the family.

Gay: Dalam Citra dan Dinamika Pertemanan

Relasi pertemanan merupakan hal yang penting dalam kehidupan manusia khususnya dalam kehidupan sosial kaum gay, hingga saat ini belum banyak penelitian mengenai relasi pertemanan para kaum gay. Penelitian ini bertujuan melihat relasi pertemanan kaum gay baik dari sisi gambaran hingga dinamikanya. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode penelitian kualitatif dengan menggunakan pendekatan fenomenologi. Fenomenologi adalah sebuah metode strategi kualitatif dimana peneliti mengidentifikasi esensi pengalaman manusia tentang fenomena yang diungkap oleh seorang subyek dalam sebuah penelitian. Responden dari penelitian ini yakni para gay yang berasal dan tinggal di Yogyakarta. Metode pengumpulan data menggunakan wawancara bertahap dan mendalam (in depth interview) dan observasi partisipasi (participant observer). Partisipan pada penelitian ini adalah pria yang memiliki ketertarikan sesama jenis, memahami orientasi seksualnya sejak kecil, saat ini berusia 26 hingga 56 tahun, berprofesi sebagai wiraswasta, memiliki pasangan gay, dan memiliki sahabat dan memiliki karyawan non gay. Hasil wawancara dibuat dalam bentuk transkip dan dianalisis untuk menemukan kumpulan unit tema. Hasil dari penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa kebersamaan dan kecocokan menjadi kunci untuk menghasilkan resiprositas dalam pertemanan, seperti sharing, hubungan timbal balik, dan kerjasama

The Kadazans and Sabah Politics

<p>The Kadazans - the indigenous non-Muslim tribal people of what was North Borneo under Chartered Company rule and is now Sabah, a state of Malaysia - have for the most part throughout their history been governed by others than themselves. Before European contact Muslim overlords from Brunei or the Sulu archipelago exercised a tenuous sovereignty; the London-based Chartered Company was concerned to extract wealth for shareholders and to keep the indigenes quiescent; and since the formation of Malaysia, with the covert or overt support of the federal government in Kuala Lumpur, for the greater part of the time Muslim rule has prevailed. This thesis is a detailed examination of the last quarter-of-a-century's political life in Sabah, with particular reference to the role of the Kadazan community therein. The growth of Kadazan consciousness or "nationalism" is traced, and the evolution of their political parties and fortunes. Political and socio-economic developments within the state are linked always to the federal framework within which they take place and must be understood. The author has been and is a participant-observer in the history with which he deals having been both newspaper editor and Radio Sabah commentator; back-bench M.P. in opposition and front-bench Cabinet Minister in Government; grass roots activist in villages and legal advisor to the present Government of Sabah headed by a Kadazan, Datuk Joseph Pairin Kitingan.</p>

The Kadazans and Sabah Politics

<p>The Kadazans - the indigenous non-Muslim tribal people of what was North Borneo under Chartered Company rule and is now Sabah, a state of Malaysia - have for the most part throughout their history been governed by others than themselves. Before European contact Muslim overlords from Brunei or the Sulu archipelago exercised a tenuous sovereignty; the London-based Chartered Company was concerned to extract wealth for shareholders and to keep the indigenes quiescent; and since the formation of Malaysia, with the covert or overt support of the federal government in Kuala Lumpur, for the greater part of the time Muslim rule has prevailed. This thesis is a detailed examination of the last quarter-of-a-century's political life in Sabah, with particular reference to the role of the Kadazan community therein. The growth of Kadazan consciousness or "nationalism" is traced, and the evolution of their political parties and fortunes. Political and socio-economic developments within the state are linked always to the federal framework within which they take place and must be understood. The author has been and is a participant-observer in the history with which he deals having been both newspaper editor and Radio Sabah commentator; back-bench M.P. in opposition and front-bench Cabinet Minister in Government; grass roots activist in villages and legal advisor to the present Government of Sabah headed by a Kadazan, Datuk Joseph Pairin Kitingan.</p>

Tertiary Teachers Strike (TTS) and e-Learning Deficit amidst Covid-19 Crisis in Nigeria

Amid the raging Covid-19 pandemic across the world and the debilitating tertiary teachers strike in Nigeria, this study’s objective seeks to examine the prevailing un-lived experiences of Nigerian tertiary students in e-learning. The study argues that Covid-19 has widened the digital divide between Nigerian universities and other universities in other parts of the world on the one hand and between public and private tertiary institutions in Nigeria on the other. This e-learning deficit is worsened by university teachers’ strikes, constituting a twin inhibition into which higher education is consigned in Nigeria. The study identifies poor funding of education as a major constraint to virtual learning and instruction faced by public tertiary students especially in the era of the pandemic. Data collection for the study will be carried out through oral interviews basically focus group discussion (FGD) from a sample population of 50 university students (male and female) in three universities across the southeast region of Nigeria, newspaper reports, and participant-observer methods of research analysis.

Persuading Pre-Professionals to be Participant Observers: Reflections on Teaching Anthropology and Education to Professional Teacher Candidates

This paper explains how I design and teach an Anthropology and Education course within a professional teacher education program. After establishing how some teacher candidates might initially imagine that this course is irrelevant to their professional education, I argue that anthropological knowledge and being able to think anthropologically enables teacher candidates to become better teachers. Specifically, I argue that becoming a participant observer of one’s own and others’ practices provides an easily accessible crossover between an anthropological method and mindset, on the one hand, and teacher actions like instruction, observation, assessment, and reflective practice (Schön 1982), on the other. To support this claim, I describe how I teach teacher candidates concepts and theory from anthropology that are applicable to the study of education, and can be used to inform their work on a video ethnography of a classroom (Hester 2012) that I assign to develop their practice of professional participant observation. I then describe how I prepare teacher candidates to consider the context of that video, especially as it offers an encounter with ideological diversity within the teaching profession and schools. The conclusion explains how I encourage the candidates to continue using the participant observer concept to inform their professional work post-graduation.

Maddulo Kamu: traversing the social life patterns of the Ibanags

The purpose of this research is to discover, characterize, and analyze the social life patterns of the Ibanags in Nassiping, Gattaran, Cagayan. The descriptive case study approach was utilized, which included current information regarding the nature or status of this cultural group, as well as other phenomena. 100 clients were chosen from conception until death or burial based on their understanding of facts and information about Ibanag beliefs, traditions, and rites. The participant-observer technique, in which the researcher participated in the practices, rituals, and other ceremonies while simultaneously observing and seeing them, necessitated her staying among the people for several months. The researcher also studied reference materials or documents, as well as other demographic data on the community and its population. Farming and fishing are the most common jobs, however, some of them also work in carpentry and have their businesses. The Ibanag people have traditional beliefs and habits that are at variance with what teachers teach in schools from conception to death. On the other side, the problem of value conflicts can be solved by shifting unfavorable ideas and practices to more favorable ones, which can be attributed to people's education and willingness to change

Texas wildfire survivors’ narratives and the meaning of everyday objects

This study suggests the importance of focusing on lost objects after disasters and gauging the emotional registers and impacts of object loss to best understand and assist in wildfire victims' recovery process. Because objects and materiality are a focus of research in the sociology of culture and the sociology of emotions, I assess these sub-field of interest in object and emotion, along with surveying the various fields dealing with disasters and their aftermaths. Participants were from a small, semi-rural community in the central hill country of Texas. A participant-observer design allowed for working alongside fire survivors. Grounded theory and situational analysis frameworks were used to analyze 54 survivors' narratives related to the importance of everyday household objects in their recovery– things resurrected from the wildfire. The findings suggest that it would be wise to ponder material objects in situated context—in a new manner and with new respect.