Drawing on Internal Strengths and Creating Spaces for Growth: How Black Science Majors Navigate the Racial Climate at a Predominantly White Institution to Succeed

A participatory action research approach was used to identify the community cultural wealth Black science majors use to navigate the racial climate at a predominantly white institution (PWI). Black science students use their internal strengths to succeed in their majors, and they create spaces where they share support and resources to thrive at a PWI.

Barriers and Facilitators to Accessing Digital Health Tools Faced by South Asian Canadians in Surrey, British Columbia: Community-Based Participatory Action Exploration Using Photovoice

Background South Asian community members in Canada experience a higher burden of chronic disease than the general population. Digital health innovations provide a significant opportunity to address various health care challenges such as supporting patients in their disease self-management. However, South Asian community members are less likely to use digital tools for their health and face significant barriers in accessing them because of language or cultural factors. Objective The aim of this study is to understand the barriers to and facilitators of digital health tool uptake experienced by South Asian community members residing in Canada. Methods This study used a qualitative community-based participatory action research approach. Residents from Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, who spoke 1 of 4 South Asian languages (Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu, or Tamil) were invited to participate in focus group discussions. A subsample of the participants were invited to use photovoice methods in greater depth to explore the research topics. Results A total of 197 participants consented to the focus group discussions, with 12 (6.1%) participating in the photovoice phase. The findings revealed several key obstacles (older age, lack of education, and poor digital health literacy) and facilitators (social support from family or community members and positive attitudes toward technology) to using digital health tools. Conclusions The results support the value of using a community-based participatory action research approach and photovoice methods to engage the South Asian community in Canada to better understand digital health competencies and needs. There were several important implications for policy makers and future research, such as continued engagement of community leaders by health care providers and administrators to learn about attitudes and preferences.

Developing Confident Computational Thinking through Teacher Twinning Online

In view of the current focus on computational thinking in schools, professional development is needed so that teachers can help students acquire the requisite skills. Enhancing teachers' confidence is one important aspect. This article describes a project which offers teachers a playful, supportive introduction to computer programming, using the language Scratch. The project, CTwins (“Coding Twins” or “Computational Thinking wins”), entails teachers working in pairs called ‘twins' to produce an artefact, by communicating and reflecting in an online environment. The theoretical framework uses research on pair programming and working in online communities. An evaluative action research approach in two cycles was undertaken, the first being a pilot. For each cycle, teachers completed surveys to measure confidence pre- and post-participation, posted to the online environment, and participated in a focus group. The article then outlines implementation of the CTwins strategy, presents the findings – teachers' confidence showed gains overall-– and discusses possibilities for future work.

SILACAK: Bagaimana Penggunaan Aplikasi Pelacakan Kasus Kontak Erat COVID-19 di Indonesia

COVID-19started outbreaks in Indonesia from March 2020, with a large spread rate making not only Indonesia, but all exposed countries in the world find the difficulties to deal with it. The advance of technology has been used to overcome the COVID-19 cases. The Ministry of Health supported by Health Information System Programme (HISP) Indonesia adopted the DHIS2 platform in the development of a contact tracing application called SILACAK. In this study, we will discuss the development of the SILACAK application which is used as a COVID-19contact tracing application in Indonesia. The method in this study is a qualitative method with an action research approach. The use of SILACAK starts from the primary healthcare level by utilizing health workers and collaboration with volunteers and The Indonesian National Military and The Indonesia National Police. The use of SILACAK was used in stages and in July 2020 it was used by 34 provinces. Currently SILACAK is used as a tool for tracking and monitoring close contact, in which close contact tracing (at least 80%) and the ratio of close contact to confirmation cases are used as a national reference (1:15). However, for some regions there are those that cannot exceed this provision because tacthe number of close contacts does not exceed the specified limit. So that, another assessment was also carried out to see the performance of contact tracing, which consisted of: close contacts who conducted entry and exit tests, close contacts who were monitored and completed the monitoring.Keyword: SILACAK, DHIS2, COVID-19, contact tracing applicationAbstrakCOVID-19 memasuki Indonesia di bulan Maret 2020, dengan laju penyebaran yang besar membuat tidak hanya Indonesia tapi seluruh negara yang terpapar di dunia merasa kesulitan dalam menghadapinya. Kecanggihan teknologi dimanfaatkan untuk menanggulangi COVID-19. Kementerian Kesehatan didukung oleh Health Information System Programme (HISP) Indonesia mengadopsi platform DHIS2 dalam pengembangan aplikasi Pelacakan Kasus Kontak COVID-19 yang disebut SILACAK. Dalam penelitian ini akan membahas perkembangan aplikasi SILACAK yang digunakan sebagai aplikasi pelacakan kontak COVID-19 di Indonesia. Metode dalam penelitian ini dengan metode kualitatif dengan pendekatan action research. Pemanfaatan SILACAK dimulai dari level puskesmas dengan memanfaatkan tenaga Kesehatan dan berkolaborasi dengan relawan serta TNI dan POLRI. Penggunaan SILACAK digunakan secara bertahap dan di bulan Juli 2020 dimanfaatkan oleh 34 provinsi. Saat ini SILACAK dijadikan sebagai alat untuk pelacakan dan pemantauan kontak erat, yang mana pelacakan kontak erat (minimal 80%) dan rasio kontak erat dengan kasus konfirmasi yang dijadikan sebagai acuan Nasional (1:15). Namun beberapa daerah belum bisa memenuhi angka tersebut di karena kan angka dari jumlah kontak eratnya tidak memenuhi sampai angka tersebut. Sehingga dalam menilai suatu kinerja dari keberhasilan pelacakan kontak suatu daerah juga dapat mempertimbangkan dari kontak erat yang dilakukan entry tes dan exit tes, kontak erat yang dilakukan pemantauan dan menyelesaikan pemantauannya.Kata Kunci: SILACAK, DHIS2, COVID-19, aplikasi pelacakan kontak

The Use of Classical Guidance to Increase High School Students' Understanding About Drug Abuse

This research aimed to increase understanding about drug abuse through classical guidance in class XI High School students in Sewon Bantul 1 during the 2018/2019 academic year. A guidance and counseling action research approach was employed with two cycles. This consisted of three meetings for each cycle, and media such as pamphlets and videos were used. Classical guidance was performed following operational guidelines on guidance and counseling. 21 participants were involved in this study and they were recruited by purposive sampling. The validity of the test instrument was analysed using the Product Moment formula and the Cronbach Alpha formula was used to assess its reliability. The data were analysed using a t-test to compare participants’ understanding before and after treatment. The results showed that before classical guidance, the average value of understanding about drug abuse was 10.190% and this value increased to 16.762% after the second cycle of action, which represented an average increase of 6.572 points. Classical guidance that was carried out six times made a highly positive impact on students. Therefore, it can be concluded that classical guidance can be used as prevention by providing students with information about the dangers of drugs. Keywords: dangers of drug abuse, classical guidance, guidance and counseling, drug abuse, high school students

Collaboration, movement and change: An intra-active action research approach

This article elaborates an intra-active approach to action research, with examples from a recently started action research project carried out in collaboration with three preschools. The aim of the article is to contribute to the discussion about how practice-based research for change can take shape. Therefore, these questions are asked: Which concepts are central and what is produced in intra-active action research? Which potentialities for change are enabled via an intra-active approach to action research? New materialism theories, starting with Barad, are used to rethink action research, focusing on collaboration, movements, and change. An analysis workshop within the project, starting in circular and horizontal movements, inspired by Deleuze and Guattari through the work of Lenz Taguchi, is revisited. The intra-actions in the workshop produce both generative and undermining processes. Therefore, the intra-active action research approach implies that staying in the complexity of practices, rather than seeking to reduce the ‘messiness’, holds potentialities for change that unwind from the middle.

Social Norms Diagnostic Tool: Young Women's Economic Justice

The tool’s methodology is rooted in a feminist and youth-led participatory action research approach to diagnosing social norms. It uses participatory and transformative methods to engage young people and other community members not just as research participants, but as agents of change identifying solutions to arising issues. The exercises recognize and examine unequal power inequalities through questions around who makes key decisions, whose opinions matter the most, who the most influential people are and the nature of their influence. hese exercises were developed for Oxfam’s Empower Youth for Work (EYW) programme for primary research from 2017-2019. This version of the tool was originally developed for use in the EYW programme in Bangladesh.

A Method to Develop Critical Thinking: Playing the Devil’s Advocate

The ability to think critically is at the foundation of an equitable and just society. One aspect of critical thinking (CT) is the ability to create and develop structurally sound arguments. Curricular requirements often restrict addressing this issue. Furthermore, students arguing their own opinions often assume agreement and therefore do not see a need to fully explain. As such, I examined how CT can be developed through the use of a timed-writing activity wherein the students argue against their own positions. I employed an action research approach to compare CT development in the intervention class with another class that did not receive the intervention. Analysis of the data suggested that this method was effective, and that encouragement of dissociation has a positive effect on CT development in students.

Investigating self-regulation in the context of a blended learning computing course

PurposeMassive open online courses (MOOCs) provide an innovative educational technology, which has become widely used for distance learning by independent learners. However, there has been little work so far to study the effects of using MOOCs as part of a blended classroom approach in which learning activities take place both online and in a traditional classroom setting. The purpose of this study is to investigate the aspects of blended MOOC usage in the context of a computing course for first-year undergraduates at a UK university.Design/methodology/approachThe MOOC was implemented on a purpose-built platform that supports learners to make informed choices about their learning path. This research investigates students’ capacity for self-regulated learning (SRL) and understands their preparedness for independent study, profile the general areas of SRL strength and weakness, which may affect their ability to learn effectively in a self-directed environment. An existing survey instrument, based on a six-dimensional conceptualization of SRL was adapted to investigate the self-regulation in the MOOC study.FindingsThe results demonstrate that the dimensions of self-evaluation and time management represent particular areas of weakness for these students. Furthermore, profiles of SRL for individual students show considerable differences in capability within the study. However, the deficiencies in SRL dimensions contrast with the students’ of generally high levels of attainment. This leads us to question the validity of the existing SRL. Furthermore, a high level of social interaction and help-seeking was reported in relation to the MOOC study indicating the increasing importance of social learning and the importance of co-regulation for SRL.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough this study presents findings from a small data sample, it points to a number of areas for future implementation and exploration. Firstly, in line with the action research approach, students’ SRL could, in the future, be tested early in the course with the MOOC component being ideally placed to provide personalised support for each student in aspects which they may benefit from developing further. Secondly, for students in the cohort studied in this paper, a longitudinal study will track how their SRL develops as they progress through the degree. We feel that it is important to gain further qualitative data to understand how students work in practice and the strategies they adopt when confronted with different modes of learning. Finally, it is necessary to consider the conceptualisation of SRL to understand if existing instruments could be adapted to provide a more accurate assessment of the effectiveness of learners’ self-regulation.Originality/valueThere has been little research on the effects of using a MOOC as the online component of a blended classroom learning approach. This study has used a theoretical perspective of SRL to investigate the approaches to self-regulation adopted by undergraduate computer science students studying in a blended MOOC environment. The MOOC used for this purpose was developed on the innovative eLDa platform, allowing students to determine, track and visualise their individual path through topics and materials offered in the MOOC.

Learning from an Incident Reporting System: Developing a Strategy to Prevent Medication Errors Among Nursing Students

Medication errors occur during clinical learning for nursing students. This study aimed to develop learning cases to prevent medication errors using analysis of data from an incident reporting system. This study utilized an action research approach to develop learning cases. These learning cases were implemented with problem-based learning (PBL) method and self-learning materials strategies. The results showed that repeated occurrences of medication errors and near misses were reduced after implementing the new teaching strategy.