Healthcare Workers Attitudes, Practices and Sources of Information for COVID-19 Vaccination: An Italian National Survey

Vaccination of healthcare workers (HCWs) is a crucial element to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this survey was to assess attitudes, sources of information and practices among Italian Healthcare workers (HCWs) in relation to COVID-19 vaccination. Methods: From 19 February to 23 April 2021, an anonymous voluntary questionnaire was sent to the mailing list of the main National Health Service structures. Data were collected through the SurveyMonkey platform. Results: A total of 2137 HCWs answered. Hesitancy towards COVID-19 vaccination was more frequent in females, in those with lower concern about COVID-19, and in nurses, auxiliary nurses (AN) and healthcare assistants. Hesitant professionals were more likely to not recommend vaccination to their patients or relatives, while a high concern about COVID-19 was related to an increased rate of recommendation to family members. HCWs were mostly in favor of mandatory vaccination (61.22%). Female sex, a lower education level, greater hesitancy and refusal to adhere to flu vaccination campaigns were predictors influencing the aversion to mandatory vaccination. All categories of HCWs referred mainly to institutional sources of information, while scientific literature was more used by professionals working in the northern regions of Italy and in infection control, infectious diseases, emergencies and critical areas. HCWs working in south-central regions, nurses, AN, healthcare technicians, administrators and HCWs with a lower education level were more likely to rely on internet, television, newspapers, and the opinions of family and friends. Conclusions: Communication in support of COVID-19 immunization campaigns should consider the differences between the various HCWs professional categories in order to efficiently reach all professionals, including the most hesitant ones.

Critical Factors Responsible for Time Overruns in Nigeria Building Construction Industry

Time overruns are major problems facing the Nigerian construction industry. It’s of high concern to those who are involved in the construction industry. This study was carried out to identify the major causes of time overruns in the Nigerian building construction industry, by means of a literature review and a questionnaire survey. A total of twenty (20) time overrun causative factors were obtained from the literature. The questionnaire survey was distributed to randomly selected respondents from a combination of clients, consultants, contractors, site engineers, project managers and sub-contractors. In all, one hundred and forty-one (141) questionnaires were distributed to randomly selected respondents (clients, consultants, contractors, site-engineers, project-managers and sub-contractors), one hundred and thirty-two (132) questionnaires were returned out of which three (3) questionnaires were found incomplete and invalid. Only one hundred and twenty-nine (129) questionnaires were found consistent and valid for use in this research. Relative Importance Index (RII) and Severity Index were used to carry out a ranking analysis. Based on the data received, the five (5) most severe factors influencing project handling overtime in Nigeria construction industries are Inaccurate evaluation of projects time/duration (91.9%), Risk and uncertainty associated with projects (91.6%), Complexity of works (87.6%), Weak regulation and control (86.8%) and Lack of financial power with severity (86.3%).

Three C’s conception of giftedness: A call for paradigm shift

Most conceptions of giftedness overly focus on the gifted “individual” and leave out the social and global context in which the individual grows. However, human lives are intricately interconnected. An individual’s actions can have large effects on other individuals, societies, and nature. In this article, I argue a paradigm shift is needed in the way giftedness is construed today. I draw on the three C’s conception of giftedness in which gifted behaviors are seen as an interplay of competence in action, commitment to task, and concern for others. I discuss seven profiles of gifted behaviors: Profile 1—competent (high competence); Profile 2—committed (high commitment); Profile 3—concerned (high concern); Profile 4—indifferent expert (high competence and commitment); Profile 5—amateur altruist (high commitment and concern); Profile 6—uncommitted thinker (high competence and concern); and Profile 7—fully developing talent (high competence, commitment, and concern). Further, I discuss how this taxonomy can inform education and identification practices in gifted education.

Life Experiences of Construction Sector Workers in the COVID Context in Lalitpur, Nepal

The COVID-pandemic has hit hard on Nepali's economy and the lives of construction- sector workers. The purpose of this research is to explore the life experiences of construction-sector workers during and post COVID-pandemic. This research adopts a qualitative approach under the socio-constructionism paradigm. Data gathered from in-depth interviews with three participants in the sectors of masonry, house-painting, and plumbing have been used for making out the meaning of the research. The findings of this research reveal that the COVID-pandemic has brought new resilient strategies in the lives of the construction workers such as keeping high concern on personal safety, family’s well-being and exploring employment opportunities through informal networks. Living with the COVID has become possible due to the resiliency and social capital of the workers. This research is helpful to TVET practitioners and academicians to understand the survival strategies of the construction sector workers and plan TVET programs accordingly.

Does Knowledge about Climate Change Predict Concern? Concern for Climate Change and the Knowledge-Deficit Theory

<p>The knowledge-deficit theory suggests that if people are not concerned about climate change, it is because there is a deficit in their knowledge of climate change—they do not properly comprehend the scientific consensus. So do people with higher levels of knowledge about climate change feel more concerned than those with lower knowledge levels? Existing research has been inconclusive but suggests differences between perceived and actual knowledge. This thesis comprises two studies. Study 1 tests the effect of perceived knowledge on concern for climate change with a nationally representative, randomly selected sample of 269 New Zealanders. Study 2 tests the effect of actual knowledge about climate change on concern with a sample of 452 New Zealanders recruited via snowball sampling. Results supported the knowledge-deficit theory for concern for climate change, but only when actual knowledge was tested. Participants in both Study 1 and Study 2 with high perceived knowledge did not have correspondingly high levels of concern, but Study 2 participants with high actual knowledge of climate change did also have high levels of concern. Other variables tested that consistently predicted high concern for climate change were perceived efficacy (the perception that one's actions will influence group outcomes) and environmental values. Demographic variables were not strong or consistent predictors of concern, but overall, younger female participants tended to display higher levels of concern than older male participants.</p>