The Impact of National and School Contextual Factors on the Academic Performance of Immigrant Students

The issue of immigration has become central to the politics of nations across the world, impacting many aspects of life over the last decade. Researches investigating educational achievement through a cross-national lens have found that immigrant children tend to exhibit lower academic achievement than their native born peers, and that these differences are exacerbated by both family level variables (e.g., socioeconomic status) as well as the school climate. The goal of the current study was to build on earlier work in this area by investigating the nature and degree to which national attitudes towards immigration have changed over time, and whether any such changes were associated with academic achievement for immigrant and native born students. In particular, the relationship between changing attitudes towards immigration and the achievement gap between native and immigrant students. Results of the study demonstrated that nations with more negative attitudes towards refugees in general, and those for which these attitudes became more negative over time had greater achievement gaps than did those nations with more positive attitudes. In addition, these change trajectories moderated relationships between teacher attitudes towards multiculturalism and academic achievement.

National attitudes of medical students towards mandating the COVID-19 vaccine and its association with knowledge of the vaccine

Background With the introduction of the novel COVID-19 vaccine, public hesitancy is being experienced with many turning to healthcare professionals for advice. As future physicians, medical students play a critical role in the public’s view of the vaccine. Objectives To determine the attitude of U.S. medical students toward mandating the COVID-19 vaccine to healthcare workers and patients, as well as whether their knowledge of the vaccine plays a role in their view. Methods The authors emailed a survey link to all U.S. medical schools with request to distribute it to their medical students. The survey remained open from 02/09/2021 to 03/15/2021 and included questions to determine the attitude of the medical students toward recommending the COVID-19 vaccine, and general knowledge questions about the vaccine. Chi square, Fisher’s exact test, and linear regression were conducted to determine associations between willingness to recommend the COVID-19 vaccine and general knowledge of the vaccine. Results Among the 1,899 responses from medical students representing 151 U.S. medical schools, 57.82% approved of making the COVID-19 vaccine mandatory to healthcare workers, and 16.27% approved of making it mandatory to patients. Additionally, those who tested most knowledgeable of the vaccine were less likely to approve of making the vaccine mandatory for patients (66.67% vs. 72.70). Those that tested most knowledgeable were also more likely to personally receive the vaccine (72.35% vs 62.99%) as opposed to those that tested the least knowledgeable who were less willing to personally receive the vaccine (4.12% vs 14.17%). Conclusions The data revealed that a slight majority of medical students support a vaccine mandate toward healthcare workers while a minority of medical students support a vaccine mandate toward healthcare workers. Additionally, medical students that had relatively high knowledge of the vaccine correlated with not approving of making the vaccine mandatory for patients. However increased knowledge of the vaccine correlated with increased willingness to personally receive the vaccine.

The rules of the game: Healthcare systems and cross-national attitudes about healthcare provision

In recent years, healthcare typologies are increasingly scrutinized. Prevailing healthcare system categorizations draw on comparative–institutional welfare state arrangements that constitute the “rules of the game” for healthcare provision. Challenging these perspectives, health policy perspectives suggest that ongoing policy changes shifted the “rules of the game” in ways that are not adequately captured by traditional comparative–institutional typologies. As a result, new questions arise about which categorization is most salient for understanding public attitudes about healthcare. We adjudicate between these two perspectives by examining the association between healthcare system typology and two different and important types of attitudes about healthcare provision: government responsibility and spending. Using hierarchical linear models, we find that traditional welfare state conceptions of healthcare systems are more closely associated with public opinions about healthcare provision. In general, respondents in countries with healthcare systems that have greater state involvement and rely more on public financing, which are traditional, institutional–comparative factors, report greater support for government responsibility in and spending on healthcare. We highlight how rallying broad public support for changes to healthcare systems in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic will require that researchers and policy makers understand what the public has come to expect about healthcare, as well as the institutional arrangements around healthcare that set the “rules of the game.”

We do not measure what we aim to measure: Testing Three Measurement Models for Nationalism and Patriotism

The measurement models for both nationalism and patriotism originally developed by Blank and Schmidt are broadly established. Despite their widespread usage in Germany and beyond, concerns have been voiced about the operationalisation of these nation-related concepts. However, in previous scholarship little attention has been devoted to systematically reviewing the models’ validity. This paper’s major goal is to contribute substantially to research on operationalising national attitudes by thoroughly examining how both nationalism and patriotism are measured and how valid the predominant measurement models really are. By running a confirmatory factor analysis, three measurement models based on the ISSP data of 2003 are replicated and empirically reviewed. By conducting a single-country analysis, the models are tested for the German case, including the evaluation of measurement invariance for both Eastern and Western Germany. Although the selected measurement models yield satisfying results, the paper identifies considerable shortcomings with regard to the way both nationalism and patriotism are empirically approached. It calls for a reconceptualising of the prevailing concept of pride and thus challenges the predominant operationalisation.

The Snake Study: Survey of National Attitudes and Knowledge in Envenomation

Despite recent reviews of best practice for the treatment of Australian venomous bites and stings, there is controversy about some aspects of care, particularly the use of antivenom. Our aim was to understand current attitudes and practice in the management of suspected snake envenoming. A single-stage, cross-sectional survey of Australian emergency care physicians who had treated snake envenomation in the previous 36 months was conducted. Hospital pharmacists were also invited to complete a survey about antivenom availability, usage, and wastage in Australian hospitals. The survey was available between 5 March and 16 June 2019. A total of 121 snake envenoming cases were reported, and more than a third (44.6%) of patients were not treated with antivenom. For those treated with antivenom (n = 67), 29 patients (43%) received more than one ampoule. Nearly a quarter of respondents (21%) identified that antivenom availability was, or could be, a barrier to manage snake envenoming, while cost was identified as the least important factor. Adverse reactions following antivenom use were described in 11.9% of cases (n = 8). The majority of patients with suspected envenoming did not receive antivenom. We noted variation in dosage, sources of information, beliefs, and approaches to the care of the envenomed patient.

Cross-national Attitudes about Paid Parental Leave Offerings for Fathers

Using cross-national data from the 2012 International Social Survey Programme (N = 33,273), this study considers institutional, self-interest, and ideational factors in analyzing public opinions about the provision, length, and source of paid parental leave offerings for fathers. We find substantial support for generous leave offerings. Multilevel regression results reveal that being a woman, supporting dual-earning expectations, and realizing more family strains lead to support for more generous leave offerings. Endorsing separate spheres and intensive mothering attitudes reduces support for more generous leave offerings; although, gendered attitudes interact with one another in predicting leave preferences, too. Finally, country-level indicators of female empowerment and father-specific leave offerings are positively associated with preferences for more generous leave offerings. Overall, public opinions about fathers’ leave offerings across OECD countries largely support policies that provide opportunities for more involved fathering, but preferences continue to be gendered and linked to family strains and country-level contexts.

MENILIK KEGIATAN PRAMUKA YANG BERPERAN DALAM MENANAMKAN SIFAT KEBANGSAAN PADA GENERASI MUDA MESKIPUN DI ERA PANDEMI

This research aims to (1) national attitudes that can be applied from scouting activities, (2) Pancasila values ​​that are implemented from scouting activities, (3) instill a spirit of nationalism and nationality, (4) foster a sense of love for the country, (5) see what positive things are obtained from scouting activities, and (5) the influence of covid-19 in the implementation of scouting activities. For this reason, a study with a quantitative approach was carried out by distributing questionnaires (surveys) to scout members at the Cimahi City Branch Kwartir base and reporting the results descriptively. Scouting is important in shaping a nation so that it has an attitude of love for the country. Looking at the community, scouting activities aim to increase the resources of young Indonesians and increase the sense of nationalism which in the current era of globalization feels faded. Scouts teach each member to always obey all applicable regulations. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk (1) sikap berbangsa yang dapat diterapkan dari kegiatan pramuka, (2) nilai-nilai Pancasila yang diimplementasikan dari berkegiata pramuka, (3) menanamkan jiwa nasionalisme dan kebangsaan, (4) menumbuhkan rasa cinta tanah air, (5) mengetahui hal positif apa saja yang didapatkan dari kegiatan pramuka, dan (5) pengaruh covid-19 dalam pelaksanaan kegiatan pramuka. Untuk itu, dilakukan sebuah penelitian dengan pendekatan kuantitatif dengan membagikan kuisioner (survei) kepada anggota pramuka di pangkalan Kwartir Cabang Kota Cimahi dan melaporkan hasilnya dengan deskriptif. Kepramukaan dianggap penting dalam membentuk generasi bangsa agar memiliki sikap cinta tanah air. Melihat dari tujuannya, kegiatan pramuka bertujuan untuk meningkatkan sumber daya kaum muda Indonesia dan meningkatkan rasa nasionalisme yang pada era globalisasi seperti saat ini terasa telah memudar. Pramuka mengajarkan setiap anggotanya untuk selalu patuh terhadap segala peraturan yang berlaku.

International Policing, Wartime, and Innovations

This chapter addresses the impact of the First World War on police development. During this period, there was a gradual increase in the introduction of women police, often just to fill the gaps filled by men but occasionally, and especially in Britain, to relieve men of the task of having to police women and children. The war also encouraged the use of some technological innovations such as motor vehicles and radio. In the United States, some forces stressed mechanization and the need to train policemen as professionals. At the beginning of the twentieth century, there were moves to bring police institutions together to deal with international threats and problems, but in the interwar period, different national attitudes tended to split such links. Equally, such attitudes impacted upon the way that the police of different states dealt with similar problems. The chapter then considers international policing.