Speculative Design as a Collaborative Practice: Ameliorating the Consequences of Illiteracy through Digital Touch

This article and the design fictions it presents are bound up with an ongoing qualitative-ethnographic study with Imazighen, the native people in remote Morocco. This group of people is marked by textual and digital illiteracy. We are in the process of developing multi-modal design fictions that can be used in workshops as a starting point for the co-development of further design fictions that envision the local population's desired digital futures. The design fictions take the form of storyboards, allowing for a non-textual engagement. The current content seeks to explore challenges, potentials, margins, and limitations for the future design of haptic and touch-sensitive technology as a means for interpersonal communication and information procurement. Design fictions provide a way of exposing the locals to possible digital futures so that they can actively engage with them and explore the bounds and confines of their literacy and the extent to which it matters.

Recognition of Emotions for People with Autism: An Approach to Improve Skills

Autism spectrum disorder refers to a neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by repetitive behavior patterns, impaired social interaction, and impaired verbal and nonverbal communication. The ability to recognize mental states from facial expressions plays an important role in both social interaction and interpersonal communication. Thus, in recent years, several proposals have been presented, aiming to contribute to the improvement of emotional skills in order to improve social interaction. In this paper, a game is presented to support the development of emotional skills in people with autism spectrum disorder. The software used helps to develop the ability to recognize and express six basic emotions: joy, sadness, anger, disgust, surprise, and fear. Based on the theory of facial action coding systems and digital image processing techniques, it is possible to detect facial expressions and classify them into one of the six basic emotions. Experiments were performed using four public domain image databases (CK+, FER2013, RAF-DB, and MMI) and a group of children with autism spectrum disorder for evaluating the existing emotional skills. The results showed that the proposed software contributed to improvement of the skills of detection and recognition of the basic emotions in individuals with autism spectrum disorder.

How Is Cultural Intelligence Related to Human Behavior?

Cultural intelligence is an individual’s ability to recognize, understand, and adapt to cross-cultural contexts in order to change his or her self-capacity. Hence, this study explores the relationship between cultural intelligence and interpersonal communication, psychological capital (PsyCap), and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) among teachers in Indonesia and investigates the possibility of finding relevant new models. A Likert questionnaire was used to collect research data. The research participants included 450 Indonesian junior high school teachers selected by accidental sampling. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used for data analysis, supported by descriptive statistics and correlational matrices. The results indicate that cultural intelligence is significantly related to teachers’ interpersonal communication, PsyCap, and OCB. Additionally, this study also produces a new model regarding the relationship between cultural intelligence and a teacher’s OCB, mediated by interpersonal communication and PsyCap. Therefore, researchers and practitioners can discuss and adopt a new empirical model to increase cultural intelligence.

Analysis of instagram's influence on cyber literature among millenial generation

This research covers Instagram social media problems that have an impact on the development of cyber literature among the millennial generation. In the digital era that is growing rapidly, communication technology cannot be damned. Today's technology is certainly inseparable from the human need to communicate and socialize. The development of global technology allows a change in human lifestyle in socializing, which was limited initially to interpersonal communication through face-to-face. Still, it is now developing by utilizing communication media such as smartphones or through other social media such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, which allows users to be registered on a site. Service-based to create profiles. This study aimed to determine the influence of Instagram social media on cyber literature among the millennial generation. This study will use data analysis through observations and references to previous research as a reference by comparing, analyzing, and then combining them before being used to complete the material for this research. The author will describe the results of observations regarding the millennial generation in dealing with the phenomenon of cyber literature, which is facilitated through the social media Instagram.

Analysis of Academic Interpersonal Communication Factors in the Covid-19 Pandemic Period of Buddhist College Students

This study aims to determine the factors influencing interpersonal communication of Buddhist College students, in the online learning process during the covid-19 pandemic, and (2) know the indicators that affect the student's interpersonal communication factors. This study uses a mixed-method. Qualitative methods are used to describe the data descriptively, while quantitative methods are used in factor analysis. Respectively, the most influential factor on interpersonal communication is the motivation in communicating in the academic field, with a score of 0.81, followed by self-confidence with a score of 0.67, and lastly, openness, with a score of 0.67. Each factor is composed of four indicators as follows. For example, confidence is composed of belief, a sense of responsibility, objectivity, and rationality. The strongest indicator of the self-confidence factor is the belief in one's abilities. Meanwhile, achievement motivation factors are mostly composed of such indicators as a willingness to learn, adaptability, the desire to excel, and the existence of communication efforts. The indicator of the strongest motivational factors is achievement motivation. In addition, the openness factor is composed of indicators of equality, environmental interaction, mutual trust, and values. The strongest indicator of the openness factor is the value of interpersonal communication, especially in online learning processes. Received: 31 October 2021 / Accepted: 3 December 2021 / Published: 3 January 2022

Are Pakistani Business Schools Fulfilling the Requirements of Pakistan’s Growing IT Industry?

Even with its expanding nature, IT industry in Pakistan has been neglected by the researchers and no research has been conducted to understand the needs of this industry with regards to the required employability skills in business school graduates. This is research conducted to understand the extent to which business schools are satisfying the needs of the IT industry for which 15 IT firm HR managers were interviewed. It can be concluded that the most important and sought after employability skills by IT firm HR managers are interpersonal communication skills and lifelong learning skills. It was surprising to note that even though IT firms realized the high standard of foreign universities they felt that graduates from high ranking Pakistani universities were a better option for them as they understood the dynamics of Pakistani market. Even though all firms were dissatisfied by low ranking business schools, there were still those that gave equal opportunity to all business school graduates and gauged them in isolation regardless of their business school. The paper at the end provides recommendations for Pakistani business schools that would help them to place themselves among world’s top ranking business schools.

“…All of a sudden, I realized I was not well prepared for the transition”: A Qualitative Exploration of University Students’ Perspectives on the Emergency Distance Education amidst the COVID-19 Crisis in Jordan

Our current study aimed at exploring the university students’ perspectives on the emergency distance education strategy that was implemented during the COVID-19 crisis in Jordan, one of the countries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. Utilizing a qualitative design supported by Moore’s theory of transactional distance, a total of 17 semi-structured interviews were conducted with university students of various study levels and disciplines. Data were inductively analyzed using thematic analysis as suggested by Braun and Clarke. Seven themes have emerged, including, (i) psychological response, (ii) digital preparedness and equality, (iii) technical competencies and technostress, (iv) interpersonal communication, (v) learning materials, (vi) non-reliable evaluation methods, and (vii) opportunities. Our findings provide evidence that the sudden transition from traditional on-campus to the online distance education was significantly challenging in many aspects and was not a pleasant experience for many participants. Various factors under the jurisdiction of academic institutions and decision-makers are considered main contributing factors to the students’ educational experiences amid the pandemic crisis. Therefore, better planning and more sustainable utilization of educational resources have paramount importance in providing a high-quality education. Additionally, more dedicated efforts in terms of equitable, reliable, and credible evaluation systems should be considered in Jordan’s distance education strategy.

Disaster communication of the Merapi slope community

This research aims to examine disaster communication performed by the community of Turgo, Purwobinangun, Pakem. Sleman. The research was conducted utilizing a qualitative method, and the data were collected through interviews and Focus Group Discussions. The research objects include the community members living in Turgo consisting of teenagers, adults, the elderly, the search and rescue (SAR) team, and village heads. The research results show that the people living in Turgo utilize many sources of information in accessing disaster information, including surveillance and reconnaissance posts (wastai posts), social media, interpersonal communication, and group communication. The information is delivered through Whatsapp Group, Youtube, Twitter, Instagram, direct/ face-to-face communication, traditional bamboo slit drum (kentongan), motorcycle horns, and speakers. In addition, the resident's response is very positive in responding to any call/order from the authorities. In other words, no citizen rejected the call given. Also, opinion leaders do not have a significant role in disaster communication. The SAR team has a higher position than the opinion leader as they know the conditions in the field better

An Integrated Approach (Social and Health) in the Elderly With Diabetes

The research in question arises from the need to elaborate a work of reflection capable of contributing to one of the intervention responses with the focus of attention, integrated care in various areas of society (social and health), sensitivity to the older people, between health and the social sector, based on assertive interpersonal communication, clear and positive, which function in a holistic view of the older person, as a game of balance. This chapter aims to offer and promote some clues about the importance of the social sector's communion with the health sector in an integrated and inclusive logic for citizens. The model, Assertividade Clareza e Positivity, being an increase in health literacy, was the motto for the methodology of the chapter, in a perspective of communication facilitating the field of human relations. The results point to a better understanding and analysis of a strategy, focused on the integrated approach in the elderly with diabetes.