Toward the Promise

Those in higher education stand on the cusp of an opportunity—an opportunity to fulfill the promise that higher education will provide access to liberty, freedom, resources, respect, ownership, and the ability to pursue happiness. The dominance of Eurocentric and Western knowledge, practices, beliefs, and perspectives in organizational leadership programs has yet to be disrupted. Consequently, many doctoral programs reinforce colonialism and White superiority instead of affirming and preparing students to work in a diverse and pluralistic society. This chapter presents some practical ways structural racism in higher education can be interrupted through a program overhaul and redesign to center justice and equity in all aspects of the program.

“Known to be unhealthy” - How social epidemiology produces health differences

Inspired and informed by contemporary research within Science and Technology Studies (STS), this essay discusses how social epidemiological research serves to create and produce health inequalities in society. Focusing in particular on how social epidemiology establishes the relationship between socio-economic status and health, it examines how the accumulation of different studies relying on different indicators and measures results in the construction of new facts and generalizations concerning the health of people with a lower socio-economic status. By identifying groups “known to be unhealthy”, the essay presents social epidemiology as participating in the co-production of the social and political infrastructures underlying policy decisions. To increase awareness within social epidemiology of the politics of its own knowledge practices, it concludes by recommending new interdisciplinary collaborations.

Perceptions of their knowledge, practices and competence in sports injury prevention recognition and management by physical education teachers in Yogyakarta, Indonesia

During a Physical Education (PE) class, students may encounter risks of injury. PE teachers, therefore, should possess competent knowledge and skill levels in sports injury prevention as well as good self-awareness of their abilities to manage any injury. This study aimed to evaluate the perceived knowledge, practices, and competence in the area of sports injury prevention, recognition, and management of PE teachers in Yogyakarta Special Province. The associations between PE teachers’ sociodemographic characteristics and their self-perceptions were also investigated. Subjects were Senior High School PE teachers who were willing to complete the questionnaire developed by the research team. 191 PE teachers voluntarily participated in the study. The results showed the lowest scores were found for: 1) the teachers’ practice in recording students’ medical history and assessing injury risk when starting a new academic year; 2) the teachers’ practice in evaluating the condition of first aid kits and Basic Life Support (BLS) devices; and 3) the teachers’ perceived competence in splinting. Only greater knowledge of the PRICE principle was associated with the teachers’ level of education and training experience and splinting competence with years of teaching. BLS training experience had the stronger association with perceptions of knowledge and skills in the recognition and treating of injuries.

The Calcutta Chromosome: An Acknowledgement of Indigenous Caliber and Extrapolation upon the History of Malaria Parasite Discovery

Amitav Ghosh novel The Calcutta Chromosome: a Novel of Fevers, Delirium and Discovery is considered, - an outstanding literary work in which the writer reveals a discourse of science versus counter-science from the earlier world of social, cultural and ethnical history of Indian subcontinent. India is home to the oldest continuous civilization, nevertheless, the long invasive rule of the Mughals and the Britishers has framed minds to undervalue the indigenous knowledge, practices, customs and discourses. Amitav Ghosh novel denies the Western supremacy in every field and puts a question mark in the invention of Anopheles maculipennis as the cause of malaria. Dr. Ronald Ross received the prestigious Nobel Prize in 1902 for his discovery of malaria parasite but Ami- tav Ghosh supports the contribution of Indian assistants Mangala and Laakhan who were not acknowledged by the British researchers. The novel reflects a postcolonial approach to interpret Western scientific mechanism, posits the question to unethical exploitation of native workers by the English and gives voice to the traditional knowledge of the subalterns. An integral part of Ghoshs approach in this novel is to illuminate the richness of ideas and complexity of Indigenous life, and to create a place where aboriginals are acknowledged for their remarkable contributions.

Knowledge, Practices and Attitude of Health Care Support Personnel on COVID-19: A Comparative Study Bhutan and Sri Lanka

Background: Health care support personnel are more vulnerable to COVID-19 due to the nature of their work. Their comparatively lower education qualifications, the important service they provide and associated risks of infection to themselves and others are high. This study attempts to explore and compare the knowledge, practices, and attitude of health care support personnel in Bhutan and Sri Lanka. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study using a purposive stratified sampling method with a questionnaire administered on knowledge, practices, and attitude was conducted from September 2020 to June 2021. The analysis was run using SPSS 21. Results: There were 775 (383 Sri Lankans, 392 Bhutanese) respondents. They consist of attendants (204), health care assistants (labourers) (355), cleaners (140), ambulance drivers (35) and security guards (41). Their levels of education were Grade 12 (24.5%), Grade 10 (41.2%), Grade 8-5(22.2%), and no formal education (12.1%). The majority (66.3%) had a ‘good’ knowledge level of COVID-19. Sri Lankan and Bhutanese mean knowledge score is 7.55 and 7.44 respectively (p<0.05). Overall, not much difference is observed in Practice related to COIVD-19 in both countries. Sri Lankans reported less fear of contact with COVID patients than Bhutanese (p<0.05), but more Bhutanese feel safe at work than Sri Lankans (p<0.05). More Bhutanese (90.8%) report satisfaction with measures taken by their hospital compared to Sri Lankans (49.3%). Conclusion: Sri Lanka reports slightly higher knowledge test means compared to Bhutan. While more Bhutanese report fear of contact with COVID-19 patients, more Bhutanese report satisfaction with measures taken by their hospitals for their safety, comparatively. It is important to explore the low levels of appreciation perceived, fears reported, and study ways to improve the psychological well-being of healthcare support staff.

VIDA DOCENTE CONTEMPORÂNEA: ENTRE SABERES, PRÁTICAS, ANGÚSTIAS E SOFRIMENTOS / Contemporary teaching life: between knowledge, practices, anguish and suffering

Nossas jornadas como professores têm nos mostrado que muitos de nossos alunos, por exemplo, não almejam nenhum tipo de relação com o trabalho docente. Em nossa perspectiva, essa triste e alarmante constatação está relacionada a dois fatores principais. O primeiro deles é o atual cenário brasileiro que vê, nos professores, constantes inimigos da sociedade, não valorizando e respeitando seus quefazeres, em virtude de seu trabalho crítico e com vistas à democracia. O outro aspecto é o fato de a classe docente sofrer demasiadamente com um trabalho que há muito deixou de ser relacionado somente aos saberes pedagógicos, uma vez que o mesmo tem incorporado cada vez mais aspectos burocráticos e administrativos, levando diversos professores a um constante esgotamento, não só físico e mental, mas também emocional. Neste trabalho, portanto, através dos pressupostos da Linguística Sistêmico-Funcional (HALLIDAY, 1994; HALLIDAY; MATTHIESSEN, 2014) e do Sistema de Avaliatividade (MARTIN; WHITE, 2005; VIAN JR., 2010), analisamos três excertos de uma conversa informal pré-pandemia entre amigos professores, de modo a tecer reflexões sobre como a educação tem se tornado um mercado (PALMER, 2012), o qual tem sucateado o trabalho docente, trazendo sofrimento e angústias (CÔRTES, 2017). Este texto se configura, ainda, como um manifesto que visa alertar sobre a necessidade de se discutir a respeito dos rumos que a vida docente contemporânea no Brasil tem tido, bem como a urgência de se investigar o papel que as emoções desempenham no ensino e no trabalho docente (ZEMBYLAS, 2003; 2005).

An Assessment of Impact of Higher Education on Oral Health Knowledge, Practices and Lifestyle habits

Aim: To assess impact of higher education on oral health related knowledge, practices, and lifestyle habits among faculty of King Faisal University, Saudi Arabia. Methods: In this descriptive study, a self-administered questionnaire including socio-demographic, oral health awareness, practices, and oral health status questions was distributed among faculty. Descriptive statistics, linear correlation, ANOVA, Independent t-test and logistic regression analysis were used using SPSS. A two-sided significance level of ≤ 5% was implied. Results: Fifty eight percent were males and 91% married. Mean age was 42.8±8.07 years. 66.5% had PhD, 42% were assistant professors. 22% had hypertension, 13.5% diabetes mellitus and elevated cholesterol (23%) and 10% were current smokers. 21% consumed soft drinks, 67% dairy products and 71% fruits daily. Most of the faculty (≥81%) showed a robust oral health related knowledge and 75% practiced oral hygiene measures and 65.5% visited dentist regularly. Almost half (49%) reported dental caries, 66% fillings, 31% gum bleeding, 55% missing teeth, and 24% had artificial teeth. There was a statistically significant difference between females and males regarding lifestyle habits and oral hygiene practices with a mean difference of (p<0.001). Logistic regression analysis showed a significant difference (p<0.001) with respect to gender, income. Conclusion: In this study, majority of the University faculty had an acceptable oral health related knowledge, and demonstrated good oral hygiene practices with a significant impact of gender on oral hygiene practice and life style. Key words: higher education, oral health knowledge, practices, lifestyle, university faculty.

Democracy Movement and Alternative Knowledge in Hong Kong

This chapter’s author discusses the role of social movement in producing alternative knowledge based on the case of the Umbrella Movement of Hong Kong. This set of knowledge includes at least the definition of a problematic situation, the problem’s causes, and possible solutions. It is alternative/counter knowledge because it involves the unlearning of dominant discourses and the learning of counter-discourses. This learning is particularly intense when people are involved in social actions. Social movements as “repertoires of knowledge practices,” as suggested by della Porta and Pavan, foster the coordination of disconnected personal experiences and rationalities within a shared cognitive system to provide a common orientation for making claims and producing change. In this chapter, the author analyzes the mobilization period (March 2013–September 2014) of the Umbrella Movement to demonstrate how the movement affected public agenda setting, interpretation of law, and formulation of reform proposal.

Storying place: A tok stori about relationalities in Oceanic education and development

<p>Education and development are intimately connected and highly contested in Oceania, in theory and in practice. Indigenous Oceanic notions and practices of both education and development are fundamentally relational, and are expressions of culture, identity, kinship, and embeddedness in place. Oceanic peoples are engaged in ongoing resistance and negotiation with externally imposed models of education and development, at a variety of scales. This study is an inquiry into relationalities at the intersection of education and development in Oceania. It is a body of work that has emerged from the author’s extensive relationships in East New Britain province, Papua New Guinea. The research has an explicit decolonising agenda, reflected in the use of the relational practice of tok stori as the primary methodological framework, in order to centre the knowledge, practices and interests of Oceanic peoples. The relational space created by storying with Gunantuna/Tolai elders, educators, development practitioners, and other community members in East New Britain, brought forth uniquely place centred insights about the ways development and education are articulated, contested, negotiated and reclaimed by Indigenous peoples at the local level.</p>