Teachers’ Opinions on the Competency of Primary School Administrators in Kosovo

In this study, it is aimed to determine the teachers’ opinions on the school administrators’ competency in Kosovo, who work at primary schools. The data of the study were collected in the 2020-2021 academic year by using the School Administrators Competencies Inventory (SACI). In the analysis of the data, findings were obtained by using statistical analyses such as Correlation, T-test and MANOVA. Based on the findings, it was found that the school administrators' competencies inventory is adequate in all dimensions. No significant difference was found based on the variables of the teachers' opinions, gender and educational level. A significant difference was found in the dimensions of preparing a convenient school building and environment and professional service as a result of the ethnic analysis. A significant difference was found in the dimension of the curriculum development under the views on the school administrators’ competency based on age. Based on the results, it is recommended that school administrators can be encouraged to engage in personal and administrative activities and provide more opportunities, with a central systemic support, in order to have more positive effects on their competencies.

Who do They Tell? College Students’ Formal and Informal Disclosure of Sexual Violence, Sexual Harassment, Stalking, and Dating Violence by Gender, Sexual Identity, and Race

Disclosure of interpersonal violence (i.e., sexual violence, sexual harassment, dating violence, and stalking) is often the first step toward receiving social and systemic support. Research demonstrates that sexual assault and dating violence survivors on college campuses are more likely to disclosure to informal sources (i.e., friends and family) than formal sources (e.g., police, Title IX, counseling centers). However, there is limited research examining disclosure rates after other forms of violence (i.e., stalking, sexual harassment), and little is known about the impact of the survivors' identities on disclosure. Utilizing four academic years (2016-2019) of aggregated campus climate data from a large Southeastern university, the current study examined rates of disclosure across experiences of sexual violence, sexual harassment, dating violence, and stalking while identifying whether the prevalence and type of disclosure (formal versus informal-only) differed by gender, sexual orientation, and/or race/ethnicity. Of 8,017 participants, 4.6% reported sexual violence, 18.9% reported sexual harassment, 12.3% reported dating violence, and 11.3% reported stalking in the past academic year. Results of multinomial logistic regression indicated that, across all four types of violence, men (as compared to women) had lower odds of disclosing both informally-only and formally. Bisexual as compared to heterosexual students had higher odds of formal disclosure of sexual harassment and stalking while gay/lesbian students had higher odds of formally disclosing sexual harassment. Individuals of another race/ethnicity (compared to White students) had lower odds of informal-only disclosure of dating violence. Findings underscore the need to implement programs to improve the social reactions of friends and family members receiving disclosures, and to increase culturally-tailored service provision.

Innovative Economy and Economic Growth

The article examines relationship between innovation and economic development in the framework of new technological structures, as well as implementation of an innovative macro-strategy in the context of modern credit and banking system, supported and stimulated by the state and by transnational corporations. The function of an entrepreneur is to contribute to prosperity of both an individual business and the country's economy as a whole. In the absence of entrepreneurs, budget financing of projects often involves irresponsible decision-making (economically ineffective), bureaucracy and business degeneration. Systemic support for the development of entrepreneurial innovation is needed, and macroeconomic management tools should be stimulatory. Modern legal regulation does not comply with new technological possibilities. Technological change can have both positive and negative social consequences. Growing unemployment is considered one of the serious social threats. A well-thought-out state policy should be aimed at neutralizing the negative social consequences of the economy technological transition. It is necessary to use international experience in implementing credit issue in order to stimulate investments in innovative sectors of economy. The role of the Central Bank in targeting the growth of corporate incomes and incomes of the population is important, as well as implementation of the program for innovative development of the economy under the state support.

INTEGRAL ASSESSMENT OF THE BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL STATUS OF OLDER CITIZENS AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE SYSTEMIC SUPPORT COMPONENTS

В статье рассмотрены проблемы определения нуждаемости граждан старших возрастных групп в комплексной медико-социально-психологической помощи в рамках реализации персонифицированного подхода к предоставлению услуг. Вводится понятие интегральной оценки биопсихосоциального статуса пожилых граждан и предлагается алгоритм ее проведения, основанный на ранжировании обследуемых по степени снижения функций организма вследствие старения и развития ассоциированных с возрастом заболеваний. Обоснована возможность и показаны особенности использования этого алгоритма на примере Санкт-Петербурга как модельного региона с учетом его технического, кадрового и организационного потенциала. Сформулированы требования по реализации составляющих системной поддержки оказания комплексной медико-социально-психологической помощи пожилым гражданам в процессе организационно-технического обеспечения интегральной оценки их биопсихосоциального статуса. The article discusses the problems of determining the need of citizens of older age groups in complex medical, social and psychological assistance in the framework of the implementation of a personalized approach to the service provision. The concept of an integral assessment of the biopsychosocial status of older citizens has been introduced. Based on the ranking of subjects according to the degree of decrease in body functions due to ageing and the development of age-associated diseases, an algorithm for the implementation of the assessment has been proposed. The possibility of using this algorithm has been substantiated, and its features have been shown on the example of St. Petersburg as a model region, taking into account its technical, personnel and organizational potential. The requirements for the implementation of the systemic support components for the provision of comprehensive medical, social and psychological assistance to senior citizens in the process of organizational and technical support for an integrated assessment of their biopsychosocial status have been defined.

Leading system transformation: A work in progress

Internationally, the COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly disrupted the education sector. While NSW has avoided the longer periods of remote learning that our colleagues in Victoria and other countries have experienced, we have nonetheless been provoked to reflect on the nature of schooling and the systemic support we provide to transform the learning of each student and enrich the professional lives of staff within our Catholic learning community. At Catholic Education Diocese of Parramatta (CEDP), a key pillar of our approach is to create conditions that enable everyone to be a leader. Following the initial lockdown period in 2020 when students learned remotely, we undertook an informal teacher voice piece with the purpose of engaging teachers and leaders from across our 80 schools in Greater Western Sydney to reflect on and capture key learnings. This project revealed teachers and leaders reported very high feelings of self-efficacy, motivation and confidence in their capacity to learn and lead in the volatile pandemic landscape. These findings raised the question: how do we enable this self-efficacy, motivation and confidence in an ongoing way? This paper documents the systematic reflection process undertaken by CEDP to understand the enabling conditions a system can provide to activate everyone to be a leader in the post-pandemic future and the key learnings emerging from this process.

Barriers, Enablers and Perceptions on Dietary Salt Reduction in the Out-of-Home Sectors: A Scoping Review

In this review, we have investigated the perceptions, barriers, and enabling factors that were responsible for a dietary salt reduction in the out-of-home sectors. For this purpose, we examined different knowledge databases such as Google Scholar, Ebscohost, MEDLINE (PubMed), Ovid, and Cochrane Library for research articles from September to December 2020. The inclusion criteria for the research articles were that they had to be published in English and had to be a qualitative or quantitative study that was conducted after 2010. These studies also had to report the various enablers, barriers, and perceptions regarding salt reduction in the out-of-home sectors. After implementing the inclusion criteria, we successfully screened a total of 440 studies, out of which 65 articles fulfilled all the criteria. The perceived barriers that hindered salt reduction among the out-of-home sectors included lack of menu and food variabilities, loss of sales due to salt reduction, lack of technical skills for implementing the salt reduction processes for cooking or reformulation, and an absence of environmental and systemic support for reducing the salt concentration. Furthermore, the enablers for salt reduction included the intervention programs, easy accessibility to salt substitutes, salt intake measurement, educational availability, and a gradual reduction in the salt levels. With regards to the behavior or perceptions, the effect of organizational and individual characteristics on their salt intake were reported. The majority of the people were not aware of their salt intake or the effect of salt on their health. These people also believed that low salt food was recognized as tasteless. In conclusion, the enablers, barriers, and perceptions regarding salt reduction in the out-of-home sectors were multifaceted. Therefore, for the implementation of the strategies, policies, and initiatives for addressing the barriers, the policymakers need to encourage a multisectoral collaboration for reducing the salt intake in the population.

Ranked Choice Voting in Australia and America: Do Voters Follow Party Cues?

Ranked choice voting (RCV) is experiencing a surge of interest in the United States, highlighted by its 2018 use for Congressional elections in Maine, the first application of a ranked ballot for national-level elections in American history. A century ago, the same system was introduced in another federal, two-party continental-sized democracy: Australia. RCV’s utility as a solution to inter-party coordination problems helps to explain its appeal in both countries, underscoring the potential benefits of a comparative analytical approach. This article examines this history of adoption and then turns to a comparison of recent RCV elections in Maine with state elections in New South Wales and Queensland, the two Australian states which share the same form of RCV as that used in the United States. This comparison shows how candidate and party endorsements influence voters’ rankings and can, over time, promote reciprocal exchanges between parties and broader systemic support for RCV. Such cross-partisan support helps explain the stability of RCV in Australia, with implications for the system’s prospects in the United States.

MEDICAL STAFF IN THE CARE OF A PREGNANT PATIENT DIAGNOSED WITH FETAL DEFECT

The aim: The research conducted aims at evaluating the way the medical staff functions in the care of the pregnant patient diagnosed with fetal defects. Material and methods: 158 midwives took part in the study. The MINI-COPE standardized questionnaire and author’s questions were used. Results: During the period when the care was provided for the pregnant patients diagnosed with fetal defects, nearly 50% of the midwives under examination complained about the decline of their wellbeing. 75,3% of the respondents seek help and advice on how to deal with a stressful situation. Ideal for providing a systemic support, the midwives most often chose a psychologist and a psychotherapist. The surveyed who reported no need for a systemic support for the medical staff at the workplace, as the causes of their attitude pointed to their diminished trust in the ward nurse and no place for honest conversations. Most of the midwives surveyed during the care of the patient with the fetal defects experienced stress and bigger mental exhaustion. Over half of the surveyed reported lack of systemic psychological support provided for the medical staff at the workplace. Conclusions: The research indicates the need to introduce courses and training on topics related to how to deal with stressful situations into the education system of medical staff.

Improvement of organization of ecological housing construction in the Moscow region

The paper substantiates that the development of ecological construction in Russia is currently progressing at an insufficiently high rate, which is primarily due to the lack of effective systemic support from the state at the legislative and executive levels. The author emphasizes that without the formation of a proper legislative base and state programs that stimulate ecological construction, all attempts to build by introducing innovative ecological solutions will not give the expected effect. The need for state incentives for business entities in the residential real estate market, the creation of legal and economic mechanisms that will be the engine of ecological housing construction in modern Russia is argued as a development perspective for the segment of the national economy studied in the work.

“It gave me the strength and will to continue and to overcome”: police officers constructing resilience while under threat from criminals

PurposeThe study aims to contribute an insider's view of how members of law enforcement and their families cope with life-threatening situations.Design/methodology/approachThe study at hand is guided by a descriptive phenomenological perspective, which is utilized to describe and analyze the experiences of five police officers living under high levels of threat from criminals.FindingsThe analysis presents a multifaceted picture of the officers’ experience of threat. The findings suggest that life under extreme threat is experienced by the officers as an upheaval of identity and loss of the structure of self. Yet with the aid of various individual protective factors as well as community and systemic support, the officers are able to mentally reframe this experience of vulnerability as one of personal agency. They demonstrate acceptance of the threat as part and parcel of their professional roles, a praxis of responsibility that gives them a sense of control. Emotional strain is ever-present as the reality of the threat infiltrates their personal lives and those of their families, yet the return to their core identity as protectors rather than victims allows for a reintegration of the self and is the foundation of their emerging resilience.Originality/valueThis novel identity-focused model can serve as the basis for a heuristic for interpreting responses to risk and fostering resilience and as the conceptual foundation for the development of practical interventions designed to foster resilience in those exposed to critical and traumatic circumstances both inside and outside the police community.