Thematic Content Research Articles

Midwives’ account of virtual reality childbirth education

In Finland, prenatal clinics and birthing hospitals struggle with resources to provide expectant parents with childbirth education (CBE) and a tour of the hospital birthing unit. Not preparing for birth is common, and not knowing how and where to give birth causes parents unnecessary stress during pregnancy. One new possibility to complement CBE is using virtual reality (VR) to deliver content. The aim of this study is to describe midwives' views of the status of parents' preparation for birth and provide information on the VR CBE program's advantages and challenges from the midwife's perspective. The study consisted of two focus group sessions with seven participants. Participants were midwives with experience from a hospital birthing ward and had provided childbirth education. The data was analysed using a thematic content analysis approach. According to the midwives, the parents do not prepare for birth well enough. Preparing for birth affects the parents' knowledge about childbirth, their cooperation with the healthcare personnel, and how they trust the birthing process, themselves, and the healthcare personnel. Preparation can also have adverse effects if the birthing person is trying to give birth with a detailed plan or has false expectations. Parents should focus on knowledge, attitude, and mental and physical exercise in preparing for childbirth. By preparing from trusted sources, parents can make informed decisions. They have the skills to stay calm, relaxed, and open-minded during labour and birth. Physical and mental exercise will help them cope with labour and relax their mind and bodies during birth. Midwives see VR as offering great potential for concrete, realistic, and flexible childbirth education that can address current challenges. They were also worried that VR could replace face-to-face contact. However, since there is minimal such contact in the current CBE, VR could enhance childbirth education and offer a realistic and concrete image of birth and a hospital tour. Midwives want families to prepare better for birth and work on their knowledge, attitude, and exercise. By preparing, parents understand childbirth, trust themselves, the birthing process, and the midwives; cooperation works better. Midwives see VR as an excellent addition to childbirth education by offering realistic and concrete online childbirth education. VR should not replace face-to-face contact.

Examination as knowledge development: A case study from vocational education and training

Post-graduate and further education can easily be overlooked as a contribution to collective knowledge and practice development in a field of practice. An overarching theme of this article is how the organisation of a post-graduate and further education initiative can influence collective knowledge in vocational education and training. This article aims to inquire about what teachers and school managers in vocational education and training experience with an examination format where the teachers conduct a university exam at their school, with their management as audience and potential participants. This case study is based on qualitative data from four focus group interviews with teachers and five focus group interviews with school managers at five vocational training schools. The teachers participated in the ‘Vocational Teacher Training Initiative programme’ (YFL) in Norway. ‘The third space’ is used as the overarching theoretical framework. Through a thematic content analysis, the findings were crystalised into three categories. 1) The examination format facilitated a proximity to practice. 2) Knowledge sharing appeared as concrete actions. 3) The examination format revealed new possibilities for co-creation with higher education. The result is that the examination format seemed to function as a bridge between conventional teaching practices in higher education and collective development in vocational education and training. Minor changes in the examination format appeared to open the door to what is termed ‘a third space’ between higher education and schools.

Devastating effects of gender inequality on female students in South African higher education

Gender inequality is a concept of much relevance and is continuously gaining momentum. The diversification of different genders is pivotal to be able to address the effects of gender inequality. Globally, gender inequality has attracted a lot of interest and has huge effects on the social, academic and psychological. Although there is a nurturing environment for gender inequality, it is important to neutralize the playing fields for all genders to avoid negative effects on the victims of this phenomenon. The aim of this paper is to investigate the effects of gender inequality on South Africa’s higher education Students. It further seeks to challenge the perception contributing to gender inequality. Gender inequality is a universal problem affecting students throughout institutions of higher learning. The study used the qualitative research approach with exploratory research design adopted for the paper. The paper explored the effects of gender inequality on students from higher education institutions in South Africa. A sample of 15 students from institutions of higher learning who have been exposed to gender inequality was chosen for data collection process. A semi-structured face to face interviews was used during the data collection process with purposive sampling used to select participants to the study. The study used thematic content analysis to analyze data. The study applied feminist theoretical framework to understand the effects of gender inequality.

Group work and translanguaging as coping strategies for content learning in English-medium higher education contexts

Abstract English as a medium of instruction (EMI) has been increasingly used in Higher Education institutions in countries where English is spoken as a second or foreign language (ESL/EFL). Research over the last decade has predominantly focused on EMI implementation, perceptions, and attitudes of stakeholders towards EMI as well as the challenges experienced by both teachers and students. However, little research, thus far, has focused on the coping strategies used by students to overcome challenges and manage their EMI study. The present study duly aims to fill this gap and contribute to the advancement of EMI research and pedagogy in this under-researched area. The study particularly attempts to explore group work and translanguaging as coping strategies that students employ to overcome content learning challenges and succeed in their EMI study. The study adopted a qualitative methodology and semi-structured interviews were used as the main method of data collection. Twenty participants voluntarily took part in the study. The data were analysed thematically and inductively. Results showed that students utilised several coping strategies to overcome EMI learning challenges and described these strategies as being helpful for them to understand EMI subject content. The pedagogical implications are discussed.

Developmental trends of military sociology IN Russia (based on the analysis of publications in Sociological Studies, 2014–2023)

The article presents an analysis of the state and prospects of military sociology in Russia, reflected in Sociological Studies for the period 2014–2023. The article is a logical continuation of the previously begun work on the analysis of military sociology institutionalization in Russia for the period 1974–2013. Thus, the results of the 50-year activity of the journal’s editorial board on the support and development of military sociology in Russia are summarized. Based on the thematic content analysis of publications and an analysis of quantitative and qualitative authorship characteristics, conclusions are drawn about a decrease in the number of studies of army problems in the last ten years, an increase in the number of materials on historical issues and prospects for the formation of the sociology of war as a new field of interdisciplinary knowledge. The authorship is being transformed to wards expanding regional and international diversity, reducing the number of authors representing the military department. Such problematic issues of military sociology development as the closed nature of research results in the military and the narrowing of traditional military sociological issues are stated. The potential of military sociology in the study of wars and armed conflicts remains unrealized, finding expression in the coverage of peripheral topics.

Wanting to be "accepted and heard": Perspectives about cessation messages from LGBTQ+ individuals who dual use cigarettes and e-cigarettes.

Dual use of cigarettes and e-cigarettes is especially prevalent among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ+) adults in the US. This is concerning as health risks of dual use may be as high or higher than exclusive smoking. We sought to learn about people who dual use and identify as LGBTQ+'s perspectives about dual use, quitting, and cessation ads. Nineteen LGBTQ+ adults who dual use participated in virtual semi-structured interviews in North Carolina in 2022. We asked about perceptions of smoking and vaping in LGBTQ+ communities, their thoughts about quitting, and their opinions on four cessation ads. The ads advocated quitting one or both products. Transcripts were coded using ATLAS.ti and reviewed using a thematic content analysis approach. Participants described how within LGBTQ+ communities, smoking and vaping are common and accepted and are used to cope or to socialize. Most participants made past quit attempts. Many said they were not ready to quit both products, but some were open to quitting smoking. Some thought e-cigarettes may be as harmful as cigarettes, reducing their motivation to quit smoking cigarettes due to the lack of perceived health benefits. Participants sought cessation ads that explicitly address dual use and are representative and supportive. They disliked ads that felt stereotypical or patronizing. Dual use in LGBTQ+ communities appears driven by both internal and external pressures. Participants were generally open to quitting cigarettes, and LGBTQ+ smoking cessation may be best encouraged with authentic ads that explicitly address both products. These qualitative findings about smoking and vaping among LGBTQ+ individuals provide guidance for communication ad campaign design to help reduce the high dual use rates among LGBTQ+ young adults.

Fathers' engagement in a parenting program primarily intended for female caregivers: An early qualitative process evaluation in Western Kenya.

Parenting programs predominantly target one caregiver of the child or most commonly the child's mother. However, fathers are also important caregivers whose engagement in interventions can benefit child health, nutrition, and development. In August 2023, a qualitative process evaluation was conducted during the first quarter of implementation to assess initial fidelity, quality, and outcomes of a parenting program in rural Western Kenya. In-depth interviews were conducted with female and male caregivers along with in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with program delivery agents. This secondary analysis specifically focused on stakeholders' perceptions of father involvement in the program and aimed to identify barriers and facilitators to fathers' participation, initial program impacts when fathers were involved, and recommendations for increasing father inclusion. Thematic content analysis was conducted, and data were triangulated across stakeholder groups. Overall, relatively few fathers participated in the program. Nevertheless, for the rare cases of participating fathers, stakeholders highlighted positive changes in fathers' caregiving attitudes and practices. Key barriers to fathers' program engagement included restrictive gender norms and perceived opportunity costs. Stakeholders suggested several strategies for better reaching fathers, including providing financial incentives and flexible scheduling of sessions. Overall, we found that fathers' participation and program experiences were starkly different from those of mothers. Gender-responsive program adaptations and father-targeted implementation strategies are likely to increase the fathers' engagement in parenting programs, which in turn may facilitate greater program impacts on family caregiving and child outcomes. Future evaluations of parenting programs should combine qualitative and quantitative approaches to more comprehensively assess program impacts on fathers and over time.

The polysemy of the lexeme “bread” and its functioning in the Russian folk riddle

In this article, the authors examine the polysemy of the lexeme bread, which can be found in a Russian folk riddle. The proverbs recorded in the collection “Riddles” prepared by V. V. Mitrofanova served as a material for the analysis. The paper analyzes the uses of the polysemantic lexeme bread both in the answer and in the text of the riddle itself. The designation of the original denotation using the lexeme bread is based on the denotative meaning, while the most popular are two main lexical-semantic options: ‘a food product baked from flour’; ‘grains (rye, wheat, etc.)’. The polysemy of the word influences the division of the riddles with the answer bread according to thematic content into two sections of the collection: “Food, drink”, “Arable land, mowing, sowing and processing of bread”. In the question part of the lexeme, bread is used both in literal and figurative meaning. The derived meaning that arises on the basis of the metaphor is due to associative features that are not semantically essential for ideas about bread. The lexical ambiguity of the word bread serves as a linguistic means of realizing the playful nature of the riddle process. The peculiarities of the use of lexical-semantic variants of the lexeme bread in the question and answer parts indicate that polysemy is a genre-forming property of this type of proverb.

Explanatory models in real-world clinical interactions at a pediatric cancer center in Guatemala.

Explanatory models (EMs) are used in medical anthropology to characterize individual understandings of illness. This study investigated how interdisciplinary clinical interactions elicited caregiver EMs at a pediatric cancer center in Guatemala. This qualitative study included caregivers of 20 children with newly diagnosed cancer at Unidad Nacional de Oncología Pediátrica (UNOP) in Guatemala City, Guatemala. UNOP's diagnostic process includes social work intake, psychoeducation with a psychologist, and a diagnostic conversation with an oncologist and psychologist. Audio-recordings from the diagnostic process and a semi-structured interview were obtained, transcribed, and translated from Spanish. Transcripts were coded using a priori codes based on the five explanatory model (EM) components (occurrence, causation, pathophysiology, course of sickness, and treatment), as well as disease, and illness accounts. Thematic content analysis explored the EM framework as applied to diagnostic interactions between families and clinicians. All five components of the EM were addressed during the diagnostic process at UNOP. Clinicians, particularly psychologists, initiated conversation about the EM more than caregivers. When prompted, caregivers discussed all aspects of the EM but only rarely mentioned pathophysiology. Disease accounts were primarily described by clinicians, while caregivers used illness accounts to describe cancer causation. Clinicians validated existence of both disease and illness accounts. UNOP's interdisciplinary team elicited families' beliefs and facilitated in-depth discussion of all aspects of the EM, leading to a shared understanding of cancer and its treatment. Utilizing the EM framework in clinical practice may support culturally-competent pediatric cancer care.

Resisting ‘Universal Nursery Policy Project’ in Chile: Early Childhood Education Professional Associations and Unions reconceptualizing neoliberal professionalism

ABSTRACT This article unpacks ECE professional associations and unions (ECEPAUs) pathways of resistance to a ‘Universal Nursery Policy Project’ (UNPP) and how ECEPAUs have reconceptualized the professionalism of the nursery within the Chilean neoliberal agenda. Drawing on a post-qualitative methodology, with three datasets of participant observations, in-depth interviews, discussion groups, and inductive thematic content analysis, findings show three resistance pathways building professionalism: 1) Working mother critique and lobbyist creations rebuilding technical professionalism; 2) Babies’ forgotten right to education critique and walkouts for ground-up professionalism; and 3) Nursery marketization critique and dialogic creations for democratic and social justice professionalism. Finally, we discuss how pathways of resistance to UNPP entangle critique and creation to build coexistant technical and alternative professionalisms. Though ECEPAUs’ resistance to UNPP does not transform neoliberal professionalism, it envisions the professionalism of the nursery as a common good, reconceptualizing it in the public dialogue for greater justice from the cradle.

Perception of father absence in family assessment and intervention: are they not involved because they don’t want to be?

ABSTRACT Child protection services intervene with mothers, leaving fathers on the sidelines. However, fathers’ involvement is beneficial. The aim is to explore fathers’ and professionals’ perceptions of the factors influencing fathers’ involvement in family assessments and interventions. A qualitative design was used and 5 focus groups with 9 professionals, 10 mothers and 8 fathers, and 6 in-depth interviews with 6 fathers were carried out in Gran Canaria (Spain). A thematic content analysis was carried out using QSR NVivo 12. The category Determinants of paternal involvement in family assessment and intervention was obtained, made up of 3 subcategories: Personal characteristics of the father, Social characteristics and Influence of the mother on the father’s decision. Fathers claim that fathers’ personal characteristics condition their involvement, while professionals argue that it is due to mothers’ influence. Implications for professional practice and work with men are discussed. This study is part of a funded research project.

"Death is Not a Dirty Word:" A Qualitative Study of Emergency Clinician End-of-Life Communication.

Pediatric patients with life-limiting diagnoses frequently seek care in the pediatric emergency department (PED) during times of acute illness, or at end-of-life (EOL) . Although the population of patients with life-limiting diagnoses is heterogenous, clinician expertise in EOL communication is essential to providing family-centered care. In this study, we explored PED physician and nurse experiences with communication when eliciting EOL values, including factors specified to the PED environment, clinician perceptions of family supports and preferences, and clinicians' self-reflection of their skills and challenges in this sphere. We performed a prospective qualitative study using semistructured interviews of PED physicians and nurses recruited from a quaternary care center. Thematic content analysis was performed on the transcribed interviews to identify codes and, ultimately, themes. We interviewed 17 emergency department clinicians, including 10 physicians and 7 nurses. Thematic content analysis revealed 6 salient themes. The first theme related to contextual factors of the emergency department environment. Two additional themes related to patient and family characteristics, including unique patient and family factors and clinician interpretation of parental/family needs. Lastly, we found 3 clinician-focused themes including knowledge gaps in EOL communication, communication styles and priorities in EOL conversations with families, and coping with ethical challenges. PED clinicians report communication-related challenges to providing optimal care for families and patients with life-limiting diagnoses. Participants self-identified gaps in communication skills in this area. Future studies should focus on clinician educational interventions on the basis of this needs assessment and include family perspectives to develop best practice.

Скачена с x-хромозомата рецесивна наследственост интердисциплинарен урок по биология, история и английски език

The lesson “X-linked recessive inheritance” is interdisciplinary, part of the curriculum of the innovative subject of Science and technology. It is based on Content Language Integrated Learning and not only combines subject content and foreign language skills, but unites more than one scientific field. In our case, we examined a biological process through the lens of the English language and in a historical context. This provided a deeper understanding of the processes in our surroundings, proving that nothing operates in isolation, but in constant and predictable connections with the world around us. The topic deals with basic concepts of genetics in English, tracing the ability of recessive genes on the X-chromosome to be inherited only by the female descendants. We worked with VIII grade students, for whom this lesson was their first encounter with genetics. The content of all lesson material is adapted to the age and grade of the students.

¿Cómo se forman les docentes de economía en Argentina?

What is the training of economics teachers in Argentina? What situation is observed in the curriculum in the different jurisdictions? What epistemological bias predominates in study the plans? This work proposes to provide a snapshot of teacher training in economics at the Argentine non-university higher level, from an exploration and analysis of the study plans. A comparative analysis of the “field of specific training” of the different economics curricula in the districts that offer the degree and of the contents of the initial subjects of the discipline is presented. The orthodox epistemological bias that predominates in most of the study plans is shown there. This is observed both in what specifically refers to the names of the curricular units of each plan and the contents of the initial subjects, as well as the formation of the curricular mesh of the “field of specific training.” The methodology used was qualitative and consisted of the analysis of official documentation (regulations and jurisdictional curricular designs).

Understanding health needs of professional truck drivers to inform health services: a pre-implementation qualitative study in a Canadian Province

ObjectivesLong-haul truck drivers experience multiple challenges, including increased health risks. A large percentage of professional truck drivers (PTDs) suffer from numerous chronic physical health conditions such as obesity, hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, sleep disorders, etc.) as well as poor mental health and social challenges. Furthermore, this population experiences numerous barriers related to accessing health care services including primary care and resources to improve their health. PTDs living in rural and remote areas are at higher risk. The objective of this study is to understand the views of PTDs and the trucking industry on health and personalized healthcare interventions and services.MethodsIn-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with twenty-six individuals with contextual knowledge and experience in the trucking ecosystem, to better understand the needs, expectations, and preferences of PTDs based in New Brunswick (Canada), related to their health (physical, mental, and social). Analysis of the audiotape recording was conducted using thematic content analysis.ResultsThree major themes emerged from the qualitative analysis describing PTDs’ health needs, existing health and preventive services, as well as recommendations for personalized healthcare interventions and services to be implemented: (1) “My life as a trucker!” Understanding needs and challenges, (2) “Taking care of myself, do you think it is easy while you’re on the road?” Describing drivers and motivators for better health, and (3) “Can you hear what we need?” Translating needs into recommendations for tailored health services and preventative services.ConclusionA highly demanding work environment and lack of timely access to integrated primary care negatively affect PTDs’ health. Results of this study shed light on how to tailor primary care to improve its responsiveness and adequacy to PTDs’ needs and realities. PTDs-sensitive integrated services, including multicomponent interventions (health education, coaching for lifestyle changes, and social support), are still lacking within the New Brunswick health system.

The Impact of Headline Characteristics on Clicks: A Case Study of a Chinese Local Medium

ABSTRACT This paper addressed the question of whether the headline characteristics of a WeChat post affect its click counts. The research collected more than 40,000 posts from the WeChat official accounts of two local Chinese media outlets, scrutinizing headline features such as headline length, clickbait-type punctuation marks, and Arabic numeric symbols, and controlling for sharing amounts, content themes, and emotion words in titles. It found that the headline length and whether it contained clickbait-type punctuation marks had a significant impact on the number of clicks. Among them, the shorter the headline, the more likely it was to get a higher number of clicks, and the higher chance for the post to become a “100,000 + clicks” content. Moreover, an interesting finding was that headlines containing positive emotional words seemed to have a negative impact on click-through rates.

A systematic scoping review on group non-written reflections in medical education

BackgroundMedical education is tasked with shaping how medical students and physicians think, feel and act as professionals, or their Professional Identity Formation (PIF). This process has traditionally rested upon imparting knowledge; integrating sociocultural, professional and organizational expectations and codes of conduct; inculcating program and practice beliefs, values and principles (belief systems); and imbuing shared identities – quintessential elements that, together, comprise the socialization process. Key to supporting this socialization process is reflective practice. However, regnant approaches to mobilizing reflective cycles are faced with resource, personnel and time constraints, hindering efforts to nurture PIF. Group non-written reflections (GNWR) – broadly defined as facilitator-led discussions of shared reflective experiences within groups of learners – may prove to be an effective compromise. To address diverse approaches and a lack of effective understanding, we propose a systematic scoping review (SSR) to map the current use of GNWR in medical training and its role in shaping PIF.MethodsGuided by the Systematic Evidence-Based Approach (SEBA)’s constructivist ontological and relativist epistemological position, this SSR in SEBA searched for articles on GNWR published in PubMed, Embase, Psychinfo, CINAHL, ERIC, ASSIA, SCOPUS, Google Scholar, Open Grey, GreyLit and ProQuest databases. The data found was concurrently analyzed using thematic and direct content analysis. Complementary themes and categories identified were combined, creating the domains that framed the discussion.ResultsOf the 8560 abstracts and 336 full-text articles reviewed, 98 articles were included. The four domains identified were: (1) Indications of use and their value; (2) Structure and how they can be used; (3) Models of reflective practice in GNWR; and (4) Features of communities of practice and the socialisation process.ConclusionThis SSR in SEBA concludes that GNWR does impact PIF when effectively structured and supported. The Krishna-Pisupati Model for PIF platforms a model that explains GNWR’s effects of PIF and advances fourteen recommendations to maximize GNWR use.

Use of telemedicine for trauma care since the Russian invasion of Ukraine: A qualitative assessment.

Ukraine's health and trauma system has been detrimentally impacted since the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022. Use of telemedicine became critical to providing timely medical care. As such, the aim of this study was to describe telemedicine's use in the health and trauma system of Ukraine following the full-scale invasion. We conducted qualitative key informant interviews with military and civilian health care workers using an expanded version of the Global Trauma System Evaluation Tool which had components focusing on telemedicine use. Thematic content analysis was used to derive key telemedicine themes from interviews. We conducted 36 key informant interviews. Most respondents described using telemedicine through informal means of communication such as messaging apps to meet patient care needs. Concerns and challenges with use of telemedicine included weapons targeting, internet connections and safety of communications from Russian hackers. A unified system for telemedicine would greatly improve use in country both during and post conflict. Telemedicine use has rapidly increased in Ukraine during the current conflict particularly in the scope of providing trauma care when numerous specialties are needed. Development of a unified, secure telemedicine system with mechanisms for integrating multinational medical support would aid in providing swift medical care to persons injured in the conflict or unable to access a specialty provider in their proximity.

Navigating Dilemmas on Advance Euthanasia Directives of Patients With Advanced Dementia

ObjectivesThis study revisited the complexities faced by physicians in meeting due care criteria for euthanasia in patients with advanced dementia in The Netherlands. Despite increasing cases and legal provisions for advance euthanasia directives (AEDs), physicians encounter challenges with ethical issues, including patient communication and assessing unbearable suffering in patients who lack decisional capacity. This study examines the perspectives of older adult care physicians (ECPs), support and consultation on euthanasia in The Netherlands (SCEN) physicians, and euthanasia expertise center (EEC) physicians. DesignA multimethod descriptive study using a questionnaire with both closed and open-ended questions. Setting and ParticipantsThis study explores the complexities faced by physicians in handling AED-based euthanasia requests of patients with advanced dementia. MethodsBaseline characteristics of physician subgroups were analyzed descriptively, and subgroup variations were assessed using univariate regression. Qualitative data underwent thematic content analysis. ResultsWith a 13.8% response rate, the study included 290 participants: 108 ECPs, 188 SCEN physicians, and 53 EEC physicians. Some had combined roles: ECP and SCEN physicians (n = 29), ECP and EEC physician (n = 1), SCEN physicians and EEC physicians (n = 17), and ECP, SCEN physicians, and EEC physicians (n = 6). ECPs received most AED-based euthanasia requests but only 7 EEC physicians and 1 SCEN physician performed euthanasia. All subgroups stressed the importance of patient communication. ECPs found euthanasia ethically justifiable only when communication was possible, highlighting the need to understand current euthanasia wishes and verify unbearable suffering. Effective communication was deemed crucial for confirming request relevance, identifying obstacles, involving patients, fostering trust, and alleviating fears. Physicians generally agreed that unbearable suffering could be assessed through patient expressions, observations, and family input. Conclusions and ImplicationsDespite receiving AED-based euthanasia requests, few physicians proceeded. Subgroup analysis showed varying views, with ECPs emphasizing communication and EEC physicians focusing on determining unbearable suffering. All subgroups highlighted the importance of current patient expressions and involvement in the decision-making process.

En busca de la audiencia: materialización del rol cívico, de infoentretenimiento y de servicio en las noticias

Basado en un análisis de contenido de noticias de 12 medios de comunicación en España (n = 6 088), el trabajo analiza la presencia de los roles periodísticos que abordan las audiencias: de servicio, infoentretenimiento y cívico. Los resultados han puesto de manifiesto que el rol de infoentretenimiento es el más presente, y que es muy similar la presencia de los roles de servicio y cívico. Se ha concluido que los medios periodísticos conceptualizan a sus audiencias como espectadores. Respecto a los factores que explican la mayor presencia de cada rol, la temática noticiosa es el más relevante.