Exploring Experiences of Accounting Student Teachers with Digitally Mediated Learning: A Phenomenological Perspective

Conducted against the backdrop of forced online learning imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, this study sought to explore the learning experiences of accounting student teachers with digitally mediated learning. Anchored in phenomenological research design, focus group interviews were used to generate qualitative data from purposefully selected accounting student teachers while member checking was used for validation. Content analysis of data revealed sufficient concurrence in the phenomenological voices of students that they experienced anxiety, stress, isolation, demotivation and lack of contact with their classmates. In mitigation of these experiences, the study recommends that lecturers need to develop learning material with which students can interact meaningfully, and create and maintain a live, interactive virtual learning environment in which student learning is monitored and evaluated continuously. The students appreciated the flexibility of digitally mediated learning and its provision for real opportunities for learning beyond the physical learning environment. The study found that digitally mediated learning creates a platform for a creative, innovative and non-contact learning environment in the new educational dispensation of the COVID-19 pandemic era. It therefore calls for a radical paradigm shift in the pedagogical assumptions and practices of lecturers towards a student-centred virtual learning environment which thrives on digital technology.

Perceived Impact of COVID-19 on Older Adults’ Mental Health and Barriers to Mental Health Care

COVID-19 disproportionately impacted older adults in terms of fatalities, but also increased stress, isolation, and loneliness (Chen, 2020). We examined older adults’ anxiety, depression, and barriers to mental healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic and their perceptions of these variables prior to the pandemic. Further, we explored whether any perceived changes differed based on geographical location (rural, suburban, urban). Data were collected online between mid-June and mid-July of 2020 from 244 individuals aged 65-82 years (M=68.3, SD=3.5). The sample was primarily White (91%) and female (60%); most (n=119) lived in suburban settings, with 63 in urban and 60 in rural settings. Repeated-measures ANOVAs at alpha=.01 showed that depressive symptoms, measured by the CESD-10 (p<.001), and anxiety symptoms, measured by the GAD-7 (p<.001), increased during the pandemic as did mental healthcare barriers related to transportation (p=.004) and beliefs that depression is a normal part of aging (p<.001). Only transportation concerns differed based on where older adults lived; those in rural (p<.001) and urban (p=.004) settings reported greater transportation barriers than those in suburban settings. No differences over time were found for barriers related to help-seeking (p=.403), stigma (p=.156), knowledge/fear (p=.180), finding a therapist (p=.030), ageism (p=.302), psychotherapist qualifications (p=.265), physician referrals (p=.207), or finances (p=.818). These findings highlight the impact of COVID-19 on older adults’ perceptions of changes in their psychological well-being as well as their experience navigating mental health services.

Concerns regarding the effects of the COVID19 pandemic on children health

Introduction. The unexpected situations (lockdown, online school, social distancing) introduced from March 2020 to stop the spread of COVID-19 in most countries worldwide, have affected every citizen. Currently, after more than a year and a half, one of the most affected categories are the children. There is growing concern among researchers about the pandemic impact on the physical, mental development and health of children. Material and methods. A quantitative research was conducted among parents and their children from a gymnasium school in Bucharest regarding the way they perceive how the pandemic restrictions changed their habits. The research methods used were online, using questionnaires created and applied through Google forms. No sample methods could be applied and about 40% of them responded in pairs parent-child. Results. The results showed that the impact of online schooling is not only about the learning effectiveness, but mostly related to the health and development of children who are at risk from the increased time spent on the Internet. Health issues like sedentary lifestyle, obesity, vision and posture impairment, spine problems have increased, being doubled by psychical and mental disorders: stress, isolation, anxiety, depression, lack of attention and concentration, as well as an increase in the number of children exposed to cyberbullying and other online risks. Conclusions. The study analysis showed that there are differences between parents and children's perceptions of the collateral side effects of the pandemic both on physical and mental health of children.

AN OVERVIEW OF POST WAR SOCIAL PROBLEMS IN SYRIA

Addiction is a disease that alters the behaving and thinking of the brain of a person. When a person starts using drugs, it starts getting addicted to them and gradually it can’t help but act on the impulse to use them regardless of the damage caused to the body of addicted person. Drug isn’t about just illegal drugs. A person can get addicted to alcohol, painkillers, nicotine and other legal substances. Drug addiction is a deathly disease found in almost every year of age. The disease is mostly carried by people who are mentally frustrated, physically or mentally abused, facing financial problem or family problems and is desperate to get some sort of relief that comes with the high of drugs even if it proves to be grim for their health in the long run. Addiction starts with the continuous use of dosage of any drug, until the point that an individual starts feeling anxious without the availability of them. Slowly and painfully, these drugs starts making a person totally relied on them and it is basically impossible for the individual to survive without them. There can be many reasons as to why an individual decides to go on this path of addiction. Economic problems, state of utter sadness in case of the death of a loved one or a closed one, societal stress, isolation, aggression, bad or wrong company, in state of depression and anxiety are the most likely situations in which a person starts taking drugs. Along with many other factors, families often play a vital role in pushing an individual towards seeking comfort and relief from the drugs. Developing countries like Pakistan and many others are facing the problem as there are not many effective and active rehabilitation centers. In this research article, the role of families contributing in an individual’s drug addiction is elaborated. This research article is done with the help of many researches, as well as some interviews were conducted regarding certain factors and the answers were given according to the observation and views of responders. The conclusion is drawn with the help of articles and personal opinions and observations regarding how a person leans toward substance or drug usage because of certain family issues and problems.

The changing landscape of friendship in the pandemic: Males, younger people, and less educated people experience more negative effects of the pandemic on their friendships

Friendships are important for social support and mental health, yet social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic have limited people’s ability to interact with their friends during this difficult time. In August of 2020, we asked participants about changes in their friendships as a result of the pandemic - including changes in the quality of friendships and people’s feelings about their friends - as part of a larger longitudinal study. We found that people who are younger, male, and less educated reported more negative effects on their friendships as a result of the pandemic, including feeling lonelier and less satisfied with their friends, while people with higher subjective socioeconomic status (SES) wanted to make more and shallower friends than those with lower subjective SES. We also found that feelings of stress, isolation and guilt around friendship are associated with greater COVID-related social risk taking, such as being motivated to make new friends and visit friends in person. Males, who reported more negative effects of the pandemic on their friendship than females, also reported a greater likelihood than females that they would attend large parties. These results show that the pandemic is affecting friendships differently across demographic groups and suggest that the negative impacts of COVID-19 on friendships might motivate some COVID-related social risk taking in order to try to maintain friendships or build new ones.

Compassion Fatigue in Laboratory Animal Personnel during the COVID‑19 Pandemic

Compassion Fatigue (CF) is commonly observed in professions associated with human and animal care. The COVID-19 pandemic compelled laboratory animal research institutions to implement new work practices in order to maintain essential animal care operations. These modifications ranged from shift changes to last-resort measures, such as culling animal colonies, to accommodate reduced staffing. Such changes could cause personnel to experience increased stress, isolation, and helplessness—all of which can increase CF risk. In the current study, 200 persons involved with animal research completed an online survey to gauge whether CF among laboratory animal personnel had increased during the pandemic. The survey examined professional quality of life, self-assessed levels of CF, institutional changes, perceived changes in animal welfare, and institutional measures intended to alleviate CF. A total of 86% of participants had experienced CF at some point in their career, with 41% experiencing a CF event (new or worsening symptoms of CF) during the pandemic. In addition, 90% of participants who reported a CF event also reported subsequent effects on their personal or professional lives. Health, employment, and animal-related stress that arose due to the pandemic were all found to influence CF scores significantly. Although 96% of respondents were considered essential workers, 67% did not feel as valued for their work as other essential personnel. Furthermore, 88% of personnel responsible for the euthanasia of healthy animals who experienced a CF event reported that CF also affected their personal life, professional life, or both, and 78% responded that interventions from internal CF programs or leadership did not help to alleviate symptoms of CF. The COVID-19 pandemic and resultant institutional changes will likely have lasting effects on persons and organizations. By determining and subsequently mitigating sources of CF, we can better assist the laboratory animal community during future crises.