Construction Research Research Articles

Employees Perceive Planned Organizational Change: Insights from a Workspace Change Project in the German Insurance Industry

Based on a symbolic–interpretive and social–constructivist research approach, this longitudinal study explores how employees perceive workspace changes. Rich empirical processual data that were continuously collected during the change process were used to analyze workspace changes as a new type of organizational change, thereby contributing to sensemaking research. Three types of change recipients from employees’ responses to a workspace change based on differences in their underlying cognitive, behavioral, and affective patterns throughout the sensemaking process were identified: those with positive attitudes and perceptions, those with negative attitudes and perceptions, and those exhibiting a change toward positive attitudes and perceptions. As a practical contribution, change agents and leaders can gain insights and guidance for managing different employees by considering the individual patterns that trigger changes in employees’ perceptions throughout the change process. These insights about sensemaking also contribute to organizational development and change management research.

Challenges of Leadership in the Implementation of the National Children’s Policy of Ethiopia at Bahir Dar City Administration Women, Children and Social Affairs Department

The purpose of this research was to identify the major challenges of Leadership in the implementation of the national children’s policy of Ethiopia, at Bahir Dar City Administration Women, Children and Social Affairs Department. To identify the major challenges of leadership in the implementation of the policy, constructivist research paradigm, qualitative research approach and phenomenological research design were employed. Interviews and focus group discussions were the basic tools of data collection. Purposive sampling technique and thematic data analysis are employed. The challenges of leadership in the implementation of the national children’s policy in the study area are multi-faceted. But according to the findings of this study, they are grouped into four themes. These are: economic challenges, socio-cultural challenges, lack of awareness and political and legal problems. To overcome the challenges of leadership in the implementation of the policy, the following recommendations were given. These were: providing education and health facilities for children, providing school feeding for children, creating awareness about the rights of children for all stakeholders, increasing the economic level of families, building recreational centers for children, allocating enough financial and human resources for children affairs, increasing children role and participation in decision making processes affecting them, giving due attention for the rights of children by the government and providing effective justice system for children.

Bangladesh's national education policy for English teaching: Policy direction and gaps over the last decade

This study aims to demonstrate the perceived differences between the direction and the gaps in the execution of Bangladesh's National Education Policy (NEP) for English Teachers. It specifically examines the changing requirements of English teachers over the past decade by enhancing their proficiency and teaching methodologies. In this study, we show that communicative language teaching (CLT) approaches significantly modify the existing structure of educational policy in Bangladesh. The present study is grounded in the constructivist research paradigm and utilized a qualitative case study approach from diverse sources. The data was gathered via document analysis, classroom observations, and interviews with six secondary school English teachers from a pool of educators representing four schools in different areas of Bangladesh. The data was analyzed using theme analysis via NVivo 11 software. The findings indicate several areas where the objectives of Bangladesh's NEP could be better aligned with their practical execution. These areas include reforming elementary and secondary schools and restructuring school leadership, teacher education, teacher status, and classroom pedagogy. Furthermore, this study is a valuable contribution toward advancing a more robust and efficient education policy at the national level, which can effectively improve the standard of education for all to provide quality teaching.

Professional identity formation of medical students in relation to older persons’ healthcare: exploring the views of older persons living in the Netherlands – a qualitative study

ObjectivesGiven the growing population of older persons, medical students need to develop an appropriate professional identity to comply with older persons’ healthcare needs. In this study, we explored the needs...

"Just a knife wound this week, nothing too painful": An ethnographic exploration of how primary care patients experiencing homelessness view their own health and healthcare.

Community health needs assessments (CHNA) involving qualitative techniques help tailor health services to the specific needs of the population groups for whom they are designed. In light of increasing health disparities amongst people experiencing homelessness (PEH)-and to ensure the integration of their voices into a larger CHNA-this study used an ethnographic approach grounded in a social constructivist research paradigm to explore the perspectives of PEH attending a primary care and addiction service in Ireland on their priority health and healthcare needs. Participant observations and informal interviews were conducted with clients experiencing homelessness attending the service for three hours every Monday morning between October 2022 and April 2023. Field note data from active participant observation and informal conversations were collected, anonymised, and analysed using inductive thematic analysis in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and the researchers' institutional Research Ethics Committee. Three main themes emerged from the analysis: self-identified priorities, satisfaction with health services, and migrant health. Clients' priority concerns relate to their mental health and personal safety, strengthening ties with children and families, finding a sense of purpose, and feeling better physically. These challenges differ from those of the general population in terms of their severity observed both prior to and during experiences of homelessness, coupled with disproportionately high levels of loss, fear, pain, fatigue, social stigma and other barriers to accessing satisfactory housing. In terms of services, clients are satisfied with their ability to access primary care and harm reduction in a social environment where positive exchanges with friends and providers take place. Conversely, barriers to accessing mental health and addiction services persist including the internalised belief that one is beyond help, lack of access to information on available services and their entry requirements, and lingering stigma within a health system that treats addiction as separate to health. Moving forward, health practitioners may consider holding more regular and open conversations with clients experiencing homelessness about the care they are receiving, its rationale, and whether or not changes are desired that can be safely made. The health needs of migrants and asylum seekers entering homelessness in Ireland are urgent and should be prioritised in future research.

Peranan Media Sosial Tiktok Dalam Menyebarkan Berita Terkini Inspira Tv

The emergence of new media, one of which is the social media TikTok, in mass communication has had a significant impact, especially on the dissemination of news information on this new media, so that many news media have taken part in using TikTok as an alternative forum for spreading their news, such as the Inspira TV news media. This research aims to show the role of TikTok as an alternative forum for disseminating news information for Inspira TV. This research uses a qualitative approach method and the study used is a case study with a constructivist research paradigm and is assisted by new media theory. Research data was collected using in-depth interviews and online observations. The results of this research are that the strategy used by Inspira TV is in the information processing process which is made straightforward and clear, as well as in the implementation process using several elements contained in the new TikTok media. The comments on the Inspira TV news account are varied, including positive, negative and zero feedback. The difference felt by the Inspira TV news media in disseminating its news is its affordability, the dissemination process, and the content of the news. So Inspira TV as a news media considers that the role of social media TikTok in disseminating the latest news. Inspira TV is still not effective enough, because it still has limitations and shortcomings in processing news..

Factors affecting the use of e-banking services among customers of Algerian banks: A qualitative study

This study aims to identify the factors influencing the use of e-banking services among clients of Algerian banks. To this end, a theoretical model was proposed based on the technology acceptance model (TAM) and the concept of electronic word of mouth (eWOM). To validate the variables of the proposed model in the Algerian context, we conducted a qualitative study using semi-structured interviews, which were carried out with 17 clients from various cities across Algeria, including those in the east, west, north, and south of the country. The data collected were subjected to thematic content analysis using a constructivist research approach. The results revealed significant effects of perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, perceived trust, and electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) on the use of e-banking services among clients of Algerian banks. The results also uncovered other variables that are expected to have a significant effect on e-banking use in Algeria, namely perceived costs and perceived service quality.

Innovative governance for transformative energy policy in sub-Saharan Africa after COVID-19: Green pathways in Egypt, Nigeria, and South Africa

Learning from innovations that fail is imperative for innovations that succeed. The theoretical underpinnings for this innovative framing are reflexivity, transformative unlearning, and intelligent failure. This framework proposes a definition of “transformative governance” as governance that creates structural equities. Governments rebuilding their economies after the COVID-19 pandemic seek equitable green transformations; that are gendered, structural, and sustainable, learning from the implemented gender-sensitive responses (hereafter referred to as policy innovations). This paper argues that transformative practices, beliefs, values, assumptions, policies, and systematic learnings are complementary to post-crisis transformations. The aim is to promote systematic learnings from innovation governance failure regarding energy policy through the analysis of COVID-19 practices and the unlearning of policy innovation beliefs, values, and assumptions that are not transformative. I ask: how gender-equitable, structurally equitable, and green-transformative were the COVID-19 policy innovations? The study's approach is qualitative and situated within the constructivist research paradigm. It uses reflexive thematic analysis combined with innovative coded policy narrative and a transformative index-matching technique, to identify the gap within transformative interventions. The study included 58 policy innovations (n = 58) collected from the UNDP, KPMG, government reports, and news flashes from the three most populous nations in sub-Sahara Africa: Egypt, Nigeria, and South Africa. The study found that policy innovations were inequitable in terms of gender, structure, and sustainability whereas the derived transformative pathways are equitable and gender-transformative, structurally transformative, and green-transformative. The rationales behind a transformative approach to policy reflect the systemic failures across key areas: market dynamics, research and development, and green transformation. Policy innovators can align transformative pathways for innovative governance that implements transformative energy policy. To address the needs of multiple fragile and vulnerable identities, the derived post-pandemic framework is an intersectional plan with 10 policy learning pillars. The plan includes local energy transformation and reinforcement of energy justice components, such as the localization of the energy industry, community power, and social norms, including Ubuntu, which translates to “I am because we are.” Reengagement in global supply chains requires South-South trade relations to be restrategized.

Thai Higher Education Institutions: Roles and Challenges in Attracting International Talent to Accelerate Thai Competitiveness in the Main Economy and Industry

The growth and development of potential in nationally targeted industries based on the “Thailand 4.0” strategy requires highly skilled labor in specific areas to build new knowledge and competitive capacity in global competition. The formulation of policy, systems, and mechanisms in workforce production and development was the qualified mechanism for attracting and promoting talent to support the systematic mobilization of the national economy. Therefore, this research was aimed at studying the issues and recommendations regarding the roles of Thai higher education institutions (HEIs) in attracting foreign talent to work in Thailand as the mobilization of competitive capacity in main economic sectors and industries. This study was conducted using the constructivist research paradigm and the phenomenological research strategy. The key informants were representatives from 23 organizations whose roles involve talent attraction from foreign countries. Informants were selected through the purposeful sampling method and participated in in-depth interviews. Data were analyzed using content analysis and ensured by triangulation. Issues in attracting foreign-born talent to work in Thailand were summarized based on the findings and classified into three dimensions: (1) bridging gaps of national policies; (2) supporting industry development; and (3) integrating mechanism. Thai HEIs can perform their roles based on the identified components to formulate the policy and develop the talent attraction system. Future research should focus on implementing these recommended strategies in diverse contexts to assess their effectiveness and further refine approaches for attracting international talent to Thailand.

Dealing with risk in stakeholder dialog: identification of risk indicators in a public service media organization's conversation and discourse with citizens

PurposeThis study operationalizes risks in stakeholder dialog (SD). It conceptualizes SD as co-produced organizational discourse and examines the capacities of organizers' and stakeholders' practices to create a shared understanding of an organization’s risks to their mutual benefit. The meetings and online forum of a German public service media (PSM) organization were used as a case study.Design/methodology/approachThe authors applied corpus-driven linguistic discourse analysis (topic modeling) to analyze citizens' (n = 2,452) forum posts (n = 14,744). Conversation analysis was used to examine video-recorded online meetings.FindingsOrganizers suspended actors' reciprocity in meetings. In the forums, topics emerged autonomously. Citizens' articulation of their identities was more diverse than the categories the organizer provided, and organizers did not respond to the autonomous emergence of contextualizations of citizens' perceptions of PSM performance in relation to their identities. The results suggest that risks arise from interactionally achieved occasions that prevent reasoned agreement and from actors' practices, which constituted autonomous discursive formations of topics and identities in the forums.Originality/valueThis study disentangles actors' practices, mutuality orientation and risk enactment during SD. It advances the methodological knowledge of strategic communication research on SD, utilizing social constructivist research methods to examine the contingencies of organization-stakeholder interaction in SD.

Police as an Interpretative Community in the Policies of Combating Violence Against Women

The focus of this study is on the challenges that police encounter while combating violence against women, serving as the implementing entity with roles and responsibilities defined by Law Number 6284, also known as 'The Law on the Protection of the Family and Prevention of Violence Against Women,' and other relevant legislation. Rather than delving into detailed legislative discussions, this article treats the legal context and legislation as political documents. The concept of 'frame conflicts,' a term within interpretative policy analysis, has been employed to explore issues such as the meanings police attribute to the problem in practice, how they implement the policy within the framework of their defined roles, and the difficulties they encounter in this process. While combating domestic violence and violence against women, the practices developed by the police in their professional socialization process and the meanings constructed through these practices provide a 'mapping architecture of interpretation and meaning,' regarding the implementation process of the policy as referred in the interpretative perspective, especially concerning the police. It is believed that this type of analysis will fill an important gap in the literature. A sequential explanatory mixed method has been employed in this study. In this regard, exploratory quantitative research was conducted to define the problem. Qualitative research, built upon the problem areas/themes identified through the findings from the quantitative research, was completed by following the constructivist research process defined by grounded theory.

Friluftsliv literacy-a contribution to physical literacy for health throughout the life course.

This article illuminates and discusses the concept "friluftsliv literacy" in relation to physical literacy for health throughout the life course. A literal translation into English of "friluftsliv" would be "free-air life" - or "outdoor life." We obtained stories and interview data from older adult people who could help us by providing insights into friluftsliv literacy through a number of life phases. The research questions were: What can describe friluftsliv literacy from the perspective of experienced friluftsliv practitioners and generate understandings of friluftsliv literacy from childhood to old age, and how can friluftsliv literacy contribute to the conceptualization of physical literacy for health throughout the life course? We designed the study according to a constructionist research tradition and followed six analytical phases of reflexive thematic analysis of the interview data. We developed four themes from the data material and argue that friluftsliv literacy includes an existential phenomenological and idealist dimension in the way it offers a view on the active subject in friluftsliv through the various life phases and promotes nature experiences through the whole life. Moreover, friluftsliv literacy promotes "pure" friluftsliv experiences based on internal motivation and desire, voluntariness, and freedom. We also argue that throughout the life course friluftsliv literacy promotes important social values, especially within family contexts, social values that enhance the quality of life. Friluftsliv literacy also includes a pragmatic dimension and contributes to the conceptualization of physical literacy for health in the way that it promotes people learning to like friluftsliv at a young age, an attitude that can then be nurtured and maintained throughout one's entire life by practising friluftsliv and adapting to individual capacities and life phases.

Research collaboration with older people as a matter of scientific quality and ethics: a focus group study with researchers in ageing and health

BackgroundSociety is placing increasing demands on collaboration with actors outside the academia to be involved in the research process, and the responsibility for turning this into reality lies with the researchers. As research collaboration is a way to increase the societal relevance of research and since older people have the right to be actively involved in research that concerns them, this study is addressed to researchers who work with and for older people. The purpose of this article is to explore researchers’ experiences of research collaboration with the heterogeneous group of older people, from healthy to frail.MethodsThe focus group method was applied based on a qualitative approach that is based on a social constructivist research tradition. It differs from other qualitative methods, such as interviews, in that it encourages interaction between research participants and contributes to shedding light on a collective understanding of the world. A total of 14 researchers participated in four focus groups (three to five participants/group).ResultsThe results provided support for the overall theme: “Good scientific quality and ethics are balanced against the needs and abilities of older people”. This means a balance between the researcher and the older people collaborating with them to receive the best possible scientific quality. This is highlighted in the core category “Positioning for research collaboration” with the subcategories “Involvement or not”, “Traditional or innovative thinking” and “Selectivity or representativeness”, and the core category “Research collaboration – an ethical issue of power” with the subcategories “Research collaboration a risk for freedom of research”, “Research collaboration a risk of abuse of power” and “Discriminatory academic power structures create ethical issues”.ConclusionsAddressing the balancing act of collaborating with older people in research, the findings contribute with an understanding of the importance of researchers’ awareness of social and academic structures to minimise the risk of epistemic injustices in research on ageing and health. We want to highlight the researchers’ voice and clarify the role that researchers have in terms of the opportunities for older people to become part of the collective understanding of ageing and health and make their voices heard.

‘More than likely the men come first. That’s just very frustrating’. A qualitative exploration of contextual factors affecting the implementation of injury prevention initiatives and the provision of effective injury management in elite-level women’s club football in Ireland

ObjectivesThe aim of our study was to explore the contextual factors that affect the implementation of football injury prevention initiatives and the provision of effective injury management in the Irish...

The Third-Way Trap? Constructivist Perception of Sanctions

The study examines whether it is relevant to use constructivist research instruments in order to study the sanctions and the so-called countersanctions that were imposed on Russia and then by Russia after the events in Crimea in 2014 and February 24. I develop the arguments that were presented in the work “Sanctions in IR: Understanding, Defining, Studying” in an attempt to assess the explanatory capabilities of the three leading paradigms in IR. The question posed is: do realism, liberalism and constructivism coherently and consistently explain the nature of the fast-growing scope of sanctions that tend to be implemented without the UN Security Council’s approval? The third way (constructivist one) seems to be efficient since there are difficulties with studying sanctions from the perception of the overwhelming rationality. To be concrete, I test the concept of self-fulfilling prophecy that obtained proponents in psychology and the theory of decision-making as well but hasn’t been actively promoted in IR studies. Nevertheless, it seems to be useful to explain the sustainability of sanction’s regime, which - paradoxically - from the first glance brings no profit but harm to each party involved. Moreover, it corelates with realist scholars’ perception of IR nature (particularly, security dilemma). Finally, four basic and one extra preconditions for self-fulfilling scenarios in the international arena are outlined, applicable not just to the “sanction’s” field, but also to the current principles of cross-state interactions.

HOW TO BUILD HR CONTROLLING METRICS, SIMPLY & EASY-TO-USE?

The descriptive field study showcases how the HR controlling “Key Performance Indicators” of an industry leading company (Ongropack Ltd.) have evolved step by step from the state without professional history to the professional level. The milestones are presented in a clear tabular form. Finally, I set up a simple, transparent and efficient dashboard version of the KPI structure (completed with rarely published real company data). The sole source of the field study is the data collection from company databases and HR documents, according to the social constructionist research methodology.

SAFETY AND SECURITY OF WOMEN ON TRANSPORT: A CASE OF RIDE-HAILING SERVICES IN GAUTENG, SOUTH AFRICA

Women, particularly in developing countries, rely heavily on public transport for their daily commute. This study explores the safety and security of women using ride-hailing services in Gauteng. Specifically, the study seeks to understand women’s experiences using ride-hailing services, which might influence their mobility. This study employed a constructivist research philosophy, utilizing qualitative, semi-structured interviews to explore the experiences of women who use ride-hailing services. The study findings reveal several disturbing incidents reported by female passengers using ride-hailing services; however, it is important to note that not all drivers exhibit inappropriate behaviour. Some drivers make inappropriate remarks, while others exhibit rude behaviour. The study found that some drivers use longer routes, leading to higher fares, which can be seen as exploitation. The study also reports some incidents where ride-hailing drivers almost kidnapped some female passengers, indicating a severe safety concern. The study contributes to the ongoing discourse on gender and transport studies, providing empirical evidence on the experiences of women using ride-hailing services in Gauteng, South Africa.

Expectations related to home-based telemonitoring of high-risk pregnancies: A qualitative study addressing healthcare providers' and users' views in Norway.

A pregnancy can be evaluated as high-risk for the woman and/or the fetus based on medical history and on previous or ongoing pregnancy characteristics. Monitoring high-risk pregnancies is crucial for early detection of alarming features, enabling timely intervention to ensure optimal maternal and fetal health outcomes. Home-based telemonitoring (HBTM) is a marginally exploited opportunity in antenatal care. The aim of this study was to illuminate healthcare providers' and users' expectations and views about HBTM of maternal and fetal health in high-risk pregnancies before implementation. To address diverse perspectives regarding HBTM of high-risk pregnancies, four different groups of experienced healthcare providers or users were interviewed (n = 21). Focus group interviews were conducted separately with midwives, obstetricians, and women who had previously experienced stillbirth. Six individual interviews were conducted with hospitalized women with ongoing high-risk pregnancies, representing potential candidates for HBTM. None of the participants had any previous experience with HBTM of pregnancies. The study is embedded in a social constructivist research paradigm. Interviews were analyzed using a thematic approach. The participants acknowledged the benefits and potentials of more active roles for both care recipients and providers in HBTM. Concerns were clearly addressed and articulated in the following themes: eligibility and ability of women, availability of midwives and obstetricians, empowerment and patient safety, and shared responsibility. All groups problematized issues crucial to maintaining a sense of safety for care recipients, and healthcare providers also addressed issues related to maintaining a sense of safety also for the care providers. Conditions for HBTM were understood in terms of optimal personalized training, individual assessment of eligibility, and empowerment of an active patient role. These conditions were linked to the importance of competent and experienced midwives and obstetricians operating the monitoring, as well as the availability and continuity of care provision. Maintenance of safety in HBTM in high-risk pregnancies was crucial, particularly so insituations involving emerging acute health issues. HBTM requires new, proactive roles among midwives, obstetricians, and monitored women, introducing a fine-tuned balance between personalized and standardized care to provide safe, optimal monitoring of high-risk pregnancies.

Becoming a physician for older patients: exploring the professional identity formation of medical students during a nursing home clerkship. A qualitative study

BackgroundTo prepare medical students for the growing population of older patients, an appropriate professional identity formation is desirable. The community of practice of medical school is primarily hospital-based and disease-oriented which will lead to the development of a physician who is mainly focused on cure. This focus alone however is not always appropriate for older persons’ health care. The aim of this study is to explore the influence of participating in a nursing home community of practice on the professional identity formation of medical students.MethodsA qualitative study based on a constructivist research paradigm was conducted, using individual semi-structured, in-depth interviews and a visual narrative method (drawing) as a prompt. Thematic analysis was applied to structure and interpret the data. The study population consisted of fifth-year medical students participating in a six-week nursing home clerkship. Thirteen participants were purposefully sampled. The clerkship took place in nursing homes in the South-West of the Netherlands.ResultsThe medical students described the nursing home as the living environment of the patients. Actively participating in the patients’ care and experiencing the daily life of the patients was meaningful for the physician the students want to become in five ways: (1) a physician with a complete picture; (2) a physician who is close; (3) a physician who is in dialogue; (4) a physician who is able to let go and (5) a physican who collaborates.ConclusionsCaring for older patients in the nursing home influences the professional identity formation of medical students. Patient-centeredness, personal, holistic and tailored care, approachability and collaboration are important characteristics in becoming a physician for older persons’ health care. The context of this care provides relevant learning experiences for this development and the becoming of a physician in general.

Challenges of Disposal and Access to Electronic Records in the Midlands Province of Zimbabwe

Disposal of electronic records is a challenge in many developing countries due to a number of factors such as deficiencies in skills, infrastructure, and legal and policy frameworks. Irresponsible, premature and uninformed destruction, preservation and transfer of electronic records directly affect access to the same now and in the future. Using the theoretical framework of the intergenerational equity theory, this study examines electronic records disposal practices and how they impact upon access to electronic documentary heritage now and in the future. This qualitative study was informed by the constructivist research paradigm and used the case study of government ministries in the Midlands province of Zimbabwe. Fifty-five out of 88 purposively selected public officers participated as interviewees. Data were also collected through personal observation where researchers observed electronic records disposal and access practices in ministries where access was granted. It was established that there were a number of challenges with regard to disposal of electronic records at a time when both the National Archives of Zimbabwe and the government ministries were incapacitated to properly preserve electronic records. Issues of infrastructure, skills and electronic records policies should be attended to so that the present and future generations may equally benefit from the nation’s electronic documentary heritage.