The Impact of COVID-19 on Older Adults

Background The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically influenced the health and well-being of older adults. Changes in lifestyle patterns has required reframing communication habits and learning new skills to maintain social connections and access healthcare. Objectives: To assess 1) well-being measured prior to and during the COVID-19 era; and 2) use and comfort level of technology for social interactions and telehealth visits during this time. Methods A mailed survey to a randomly selected national sample (>65) during the summers of 2018, 2019, and 2020. Measures included mental and physical well-being and various psychosocial measures. For 2020, questions related to COVID-19 and the use of technology were included. Results A total of 4,696 (2018), 3,976 (2019) and 2,726 (2020) responded to these surveys (response rate ~27%). Overall, most constructs remained stable despite the ongoing pandemic. Most respondents reported average or high resilience (90%), high purpose (48%), stable social networks (76%), and low stress (55%). However, loneliness increased during 2020 (57%). Respondents who used technology were more likely to connect with family and friends. Only 43% reported high comfort with using technology, with older age (>75) less comfortable. At the time of the survey 37% had not seen a healthcare provider through telehealth services, and 15% felt their healthcare needs were not met by a telehealth experience. Conclusion Results demonstrate that respondents were doing well during COVID-19. Yet increases in loneliness and greater technology needs to stay socially connected and to access healthcare may result in negative long-term health outcomes.

The communication networks used by special librarians in solo and small libraries

<p>This study is an exploration of how isolated special librarians communicate with other professionals in the library field. It examines the means in which they connect with librarians for professional development and social reasons; the value they place on this interaction; and the barriers that hinder this communication. The qualitative study used semi-structured, in-depth interviews with a representative sample of seven special librarians in New Zealand. The specific population was professionals at special libraries with either a solo staff member or a very small staff. There were several common themes among the interviews. Most interviewees were members of at least one professional library association such as LIANZA, but were more likely to be active in groups that were targeted at their field or at special librarians. When faced with a need for information, advice, or collaboration, the librarians interviewed were most likely to call upon colleagues they had met or worked with in the past, rather than an organised network or purpose-created group. There were several barriers identified that kept librarians from communicating with others, being active in the library field, and engaging in professional development activities. These included lack of support from their managers, lack of support from professional associations, feelings of isolation, and personal responsibilities such as raising a family. The common concerns raised by the special librarians could be taken into consideration by professional associations, organisers of communication networks, and the librarians’ managers. For a clearer picture of special librarians’ communication habits, a quantitative survey could be conducted, with survey questions informed by the results of this study.</p>

The communication networks used by special librarians in solo and small libraries

<p>This study is an exploration of how isolated special librarians communicate with other professionals in the library field. It examines the means in which they connect with librarians for professional development and social reasons; the value they place on this interaction; and the barriers that hinder this communication. The qualitative study used semi-structured, in-depth interviews with a representative sample of seven special librarians in New Zealand. The specific population was professionals at special libraries with either a solo staff member or a very small staff. There were several common themes among the interviews. Most interviewees were members of at least one professional library association such as LIANZA, but were more likely to be active in groups that were targeted at their field or at special librarians. When faced with a need for information, advice, or collaboration, the librarians interviewed were most likely to call upon colleagues they had met or worked with in the past, rather than an organised network or purpose-created group. There were several barriers identified that kept librarians from communicating with others, being active in the library field, and engaging in professional development activities. These included lack of support from their managers, lack of support from professional associations, feelings of isolation, and personal responsibilities such as raising a family. The common concerns raised by the special librarians could be taken into consideration by professional associations, organisers of communication networks, and the librarians’ managers. For a clearer picture of special librarians’ communication habits, a quantitative survey could be conducted, with survey questions informed by the results of this study.</p>

The effect of dispute on the development of students’ spiritual qualities and communication habits as a type of oral speech

Tərbiyəvi tədbirlər sırasına disputlar da daxildir ki, tələbələrin mənəvi keyfiyyətlərinin formalaşmasında bunlar əhəmiyyətli rol oynayır. Disput özünün məqsədi, məzmunu, ideya istiqaməti cəhətindən təlim prosesinin davamıdır. Disputlar yanlış əxlaqi təsəvvürlərlə düzgün əxlaqi təsəvvürləri qarşılaşdırmağa və müxtəlif əxlaqi görüşlərin bir-biri ilə müqayisəsi əsasında, onların hansının düzgün olub-olmadığını müəyyən etməyə imkan verir. Disput şifahi təbliğatın asan və maraqlı formasıdır. Disputun əsas məqsədi tərbiyə prosesini mənəvi keyfiyyətlərə yönəltməkdən ibarətdir. Disputların müntəzəm, mütəşəkkil, sistemli təşkili və keçirilməsi cansıxıcılığı və formalizmi aradan qaldırır. Disputlar gənclərin dünyagörüşünün formalaşmasına görə lazımdır. Onların şifahi nitqinin inkişafına təsir etməklə, həm də onlarda prinsipiallıq tərbiyə edir. Açar sözlər: ünsiyyət, şifai nitq, mənəvi, disput, mübahisə

Remote qualitative interviews

Aim. The aim of this article is to contribute towards a wider analysis of remote qualitative interviews taking into consideration the context of qualitative research as a social practice, which is often overlooked in the body of literature. Methods. The study is based on twelve in-depth interviews with qualitative researchers conducted by the author. The data is analysed with the focus on social aspects of qualitative interviews which engage the interviewee and the interviewer alike. Results and conclusion. The analysis shows that, from the perspective of the researcher, the social aspects of qualitative interviews constitute an important part of the research method. The interview is a meeting that combines methodological features with the attitude of involved people. Researchers are accustomed to in-person interviews and from that perspective, they evaluate possible losses caused by remote research. However, as they self-reflect, this is not always an inherent feature of the new media but rather a question of how they are used and by whom. The interview is a meeting that utilises communication habits and experiences from both sides of the conversation – the interviewer and the interviewee. It is important to take this fact into consideration while analysing the potential of remote interviews, especially when social isolation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic is changing our communication habits. Cognitive value. The remote qualitative interviews are often described from the perspective of usability and effectiveness. This article describes researchers as a part of the research process who have their own attitudes and experiences in conducting research. From the perspective of social practices, these are almost as important as the knowledge and attitude of interviewees and they also affect the results of the research process.

Impact of COVID-19 on Communication

The Corona virus disease, or pandemic, as we often use, has changed our entire daily life, professional life, and both personal and social routines. This change also caused the communication codes to change. None of us could have predicted that this rapid transformation would take place in just a few months, as we would be able to adapt so quickly. While social distance, masks, the anxiety caused by the virus and various prohibitions in interpersonal communication have reshaped our communication habits, meetings, interviews and corporate routines have been added to these issues in organizational communication.

Awareness and Behaviors Regarding COVID-19 among Albanian Undergraduates

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to the adoption of restriction measures that have had notable consequences on the health and wellbeing of individuals. This survey was carried out on a sample of 905 Albanian undergraduates to assess their knowledge about COVID-19 and their health-related behaviors and communication changes during lockdown. The students were invited to complete a pre-validated questionnaire during lessons. The results show that the majority of the surveyed students were able to answer correctly about the main epidemiological features of the disease. The level of knowledge was proven to be proportional to the students’ education level (enrollment year and age). No considerable relationship emerged with respect to diet or smoking. On the other hand, a relevant portion of the sample (37.6%) declared decreased physical activity (PA). Finally, a notable increase in the intensity and frequency of communication with their peers and with their parents was declared by 34.7% and 50.8% of the sample, respectively. Lifestyle variables were found to be mutually related, as were communication outcomes. The participants showed a satisfactory awareness regarding the COVID-19 epidemic. However, the registered reduction in PA may represent a public health issue and should be addressed with adequate policies. The use of electronic media seems to have increased communication habits in this population group.

Mūsdienu komunikācijas paradumu maiņa starp skolēniem un skolotājiem dažādās paaudzēs

The research over the past decade demonstrates that modern technology have incredibly changed the communication habits – more than ever before, however they differ between generations. The research shows that the views on the role and importance of education also significantly differ between the generations, thus the change of communication habits can potentially lead to conflict situations between students and teachers. The aim of this study is to determine the differences between the desired communication methods based on the common generational distance in Latvian schools between students and teachers: Baby Boomer Generation (BP), born between 1946–1964, Generation X (XP), born between 1965–1980, and Generation Z (ZP) born between 1996-2010. For the research purposes, a semi-structured interview was developed and three research questions were analysed, and as a result it was concluded that there are statistically significant differences between generations in their preferred forms of communication – the younger the generation, the more technology-mediated communication is employed. It was found that the teachers prefer using technology-mediated communication more in business communication setting, but the younger generation often does it also in the context of personal communication. The study found that there are no statistically significant differences between generations in the perceived quality of communication. These results suggest that a potential split is possible between perception of communication between students and teachers. The additional research would be necessary on the perception of the distance-learning situation among all participants in the educational process.

MAINTENANCE OF JAVANESE JONEGOROAN LANGUAGE IN BOJONEGORO STUDENTS IN BRAWIJAYA UNIVERSITY, MALANG

Javanese of East Java dialect has several subdialects, one of which is the Jonegoroan subdialect. Jonegoroan Javanese Language (BJJ) is still spoken by a group of Bojonegoro students in the University of Brawijaya Malang in their daily communication. This study aims to 1) interpret language cases; 2) variation patterns, and 3) reveal the reason for the use of BJJ by Bojonegoro students in UB Malang. This research is a qualitative descriptive study. Data collection uses observation, interview, recording, and listening techniques. Data analysis in this study used a sociolinguistic approach with several theories, including the theory of language retention and the theory of word change. The results of this study are 1) cases of linguistics that often arise in speech use are apheresis; 2) BJJ variation patterns include forms of suffix changes and several other terms that are distinguishing or indicating BJJ identity toward Javanese in other regions; and 3) the reasons for saying BJJ is expression of regional spirit, compulsion, bonding solidarity, ethnic existence, ease of communication, habits, pride, awareness of norms, and language loyalty.