Active Dialogue Research Articles

DiSSCo Flanders: A regional natural science collections management infrastructure in an international context

DiSSCo Flanders aims at developing a standardised natural science collections management infrastructure, ensuring proper long-term conservation, and future re-usage of the collections. Meise Botanic Garden coordinates the Flemish consortium. This four-year project, funded by the FWO (Research Foundation – Flanders), started in January 2021. The consortium brings together both the more classical ‘museum’ collections (Meise Botanic Garden, Ghent University Museum), with research collections (Research Institute for Nature and Forest, Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Flanders Marine Institute, universities), and living collections (Belgian Association of Botanic Gardens and Arboreta, Zoo of Antwerp (Poo 2022)). Many of the research collections are smaller orphan collections, lacking a (full-time) curator, for which collection management is not the core business of the hosting institute. The Belgian federal DiSSCo members are associated with the project, allowing close collaboration between European, national and regional (digital) collection management inititatives. Building on the expertise of the European DiSSCo-related projects, an initial high-level inventory and assessment of the collections has been made and will provide a better understanding of the collections landscape in Flanders (Van Baelen 2022). This step in the digitization will increase the findability of the diverse regional collections and highlight the available knowledge to the research community. Close collaboration with the TDWG Collections Descriptions interest group and the development of the Latimer Core standard (Woodburn 2021) will ensure maximal interoperability of the collection data. In order to be relevant for research, the Flemish collections need to be more interconnected and linked to other data sources. To ensure that collection data is adhering to the FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Resuable) and ready to connect to the DiSSCo research infrastructure, DiSSCo Flanders will have a large focus on the collection(s) management system (CMS). Depending on the needs and specificities of each collection, a strategy will be chosen to implement and/or collection data will be migrated to (an) optimised system(s). Parallel to the digital inventory and CMS choice, the consortium addresses specific themes in the format of working groups. Most of the institutes have identified that their molecular collection (DNA, tissues) has not been properly acknowledged as a separate long-term collection. Challenges such as the storage and curation of e-DNA and environmental samples (e.g., soil) have been identified. Very often it will only be feasible to add basic data in the CMS and essential data is not available to the researchers. DiSSCo Flanders invests in the enrichment of specimen data to ensure that a maximal amount of information becomes available to the community. This can be accomplished either through the use of citizen science/crowdsourcing using the DoeDat platform (Groom 2018), or by using machine learning techniques performed by the IDLab at Ghent University (Thirukokaranam Chandrasekar 2021). Besides the technical aspects of the DiSSCo research infrastructure, the consortium is covering topics such as data publication, legal aspects of collections, standard operating procedures, etc. through knowledge sharing and active dialog.

Community adaptation strategies in Nairobi informal settlements: Lessons from Korogocho, Nairobi-Kenya

Informal settlements are often the hotspots of vulnerability as evidenced by the recurrent environmental and climate-related shocks and stressors. Despite this exposure and susceptibility, their role in spearheading disaster risk preparedness and response is often overlooked. This exploratory research profiles four local community initiatives for climate mitigation and adaptation within Korogocho informal settlement in Kenya. Findings from 10 purposefully sampled key informants and 30 stratified sampled residents across nine villages within the informal settlement demonstrated the impact of locally led initiatives in creating awareness and developing the absorptive, adaptive and transformative capacity of communities for climate resilience. The research findings elaborate on the outstanding performance of community derived initiatives, whilst putting emphasis on the need for active dialogue and collaboration between communities, policy makers and practitioners. Additionally, the climate agenda ought to be able to simultaneously promote environmental benefits and the socio-economic wellbeing of the people. This study accentuates the role of smart approaches to climate literacy based on existing community structures that leverage on local experiential knowledge. These include digital storytelling, comics, art, music, local radio stations, community opinion leaders and chief barazas. A key takeaway is the significant role of children in transformative climate resilience. This is facilitated by the fact that they may comprehend climate change implications better than adults augmenting the possibility of human behavioral change toward pro-environmental deeds1.

Teachers Views on the Challenges of Teaching Arabic Language Through Distance Learning in the Aftermath of the COVID 19

The purpose of the study was to indicate the challenges that Arabic language teachers face in using distance learning through the COVID 19. The study applied a descriptive approach, through using a survey instrument. The survey was applied to a stratified random sample, consisting of 348 participants including 182 male and 166 female teachers in the Hail región in Saudi Arabia. The results showed that there are several challenges faced by teachers, most notably: poor internet connection, high financial cost of providing devices for learners, poor attendance and difficulty in developing skills that need direct interaction. In addition to the absence of statistically significant differences towards the study axes between the average responses of the study sample, according to the number of training courses in the technical field and years of experience. The study recommended spreading the culture of collective participation and active dialogue, using motivating teaching strategies, and developing a clear vision for teaching the Arabic language from a distance.

Access to Remedy and the Construction of Collective Memory: New Perspectives in the Realm of the Colombian Transitional Justice Project

This article intends to explore how the production of collective memory within transitional justice processes could be considered as a feasible avenue to advance the instrumentalization of the Access to Remedy Pillar of the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs). This account considers that collective memory is a fundamental component of transitional justice as the attainment of both victims reparation and national reconciliation require the emergence of a shared historical narrative that fixes an explanation as to the implications of violence on the trajectory of the affected society. Hence the current Colombian transitional justice project, and particularly certain social dialogue activities conducted by its Truth Commission (hereafter the Commission), are presented as an embryonic and non-exhaustive case study that serves as the starting point of further research on the matter.

GPs' experiences of a collaborative care model for patients with common mental disorders who need sick leave certification: a qualitative study.

GPs are an important part of collaboration around patients with common mental disorders (CMD) in primary care. The Co-Work-Care model was implemented to further improve collaboration, and emphasised working more closely with patients through active dialogues among care managers, rehabilitation coordinators, and GPs. This enhanced collaborative model also included a person-centred dialogue meeting with patients' employers. The aim of this study was to explore GPs' experiences of the Co-Work-Care model, an organisation of collaborative care at the primary care centre (PCC) that includes a person-centred dialogue meeting in the care of patients with CMD who need sick leave certification. Qualitative individual and group interviews were conducted with Swedish GPs with experience of the Co-Work-Care trial where the PCC was an intervention PCC with the enhanced collaboration model. GPs were sampled purposefully from different Co-Work-Care intervention PCCs in Sweden. Focus group and individual, in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted. All interviews were analysed by systematic text condensation (STC), according to Malterud. The following three codes describing the GPs' experiences of working in the Co-Work-Care model were identified: (1) a structured work approach; (2) competency of the care manager and the rehabilitation coordinator; and (3) gaining control through close collaboration. Overall, GPs' experience was that the enhanced collaboration reduced their workload and enabled them to focus on medical care. Patient care was perceived as safer and more effective. These advantages may result in higher quality in medical and rehabilitation decisions, as well as a more sustainable and less stressful work situation for GPs.

History education done different: A collaborative interactive digital storytelling approach for remote learners

Social interaction has been recognized as positively affecting learning, with dialogue–as a common form of social interaction–comprising an integral part of collaborative learning. Interactive storytelling is defined as a branching narrative in which users can experience different story lines with alternative endings, depending on the choices they make at various decision points of the story plot. In this research, we aim to harness the power of dialogic practices by incorporating dialogic activities in the decision points of interactive digital storytelling experiences set in a history education context. Our objective is to explore interactive storytelling as a collaborative learning experience for remote learners, as well as its effect on promoting historical empathy. As a preliminary validation of this concept, we recorded the perspective of 14 educators, who supported the value of the specific conceptual design. Then, we recruited 15 adolescents who participated in our main study in 6 groups. They were called to experience collaboratively an interactive storytelling experience set in the Athens Ancient Agora (Market) wherein we used the story decision/branching points as incentives for dialogue. Our results suggest that this experience design can indeed support small groups of remote users, in-line with special circumstances like those of the COVID-19 pandemic, and confirm the efficacy of the approach to establish engagement and promote affect and reflection on historical content. Our contribution thus lies in proposing and validating the application of interactive digital storytelling as a dialogue-based collaborative learning experience for the education of history.

Cancer clinical trials in the Philippines.

In this Commentary, we discuss disparities in resources for and access to cancer trials from the perspective of the Philippines, a lower-middle-income country in Southeast Asia, where cancer is the fourth leading cause of death. Geographic disparities play out such that academic institutions and clinical trials are centralized in the island of Luzon, particularly in the capital, Manila. These disparities are compounded by the lack of comprehensive cancer patient and clinical trial registries in the Philippines. Additionally, sociocultural considerations influence clinical trial implementation. Providers must consider the role of a patient's family in the decision to participate in clinical trials; a patient's degree of health literacy; and the economic burden of cancer care, with attention to both the direct and indirect financial toxicities associated with cancer care. Our call to action is threefold. (1) Bolster locally led trials and encourage international collaboration to improve diversity in trial participation and trials' generalizability. (2) Strengthen national trial registries to improve awareness of trials for which patients are eligible. (3) Integrate cultural competency frameworks that move beyond parachutism and parasitism in research and instead promote trust, reciprocity, and collaboration. These challenges may yet evolve, but in emphasizing these barriers, we hope to kindle further dialogue, new insights, and innovative action towards solving these disparities in cancer research, not just in the Philippines, but also in other low- and middle-income countries.

From Bystanders to Upstanders: Supporters and Key Informants for Victims of Gender Violence.

Scientific literature has presented relevant evidence about the existence of gender violence in science and has evaluated some programs and actions against this problem. Although many researchers have identified the importance of those intervention programs to overcome this harassment, it is still a predominant reality in institutions, surrounded by the law of silence. Emerging lines of research are studying which of those programs are successful in this endeavor, and their transferability to other contexts. This research has analyzed one program: Programme of Women’s Dialogic Action (ProWomenDialogue). To gather evidence for expressing whether or not ProWomenDialogue has an impact, and whether it constitutes a successful action against harassment, the SIOR (Social Impact Open Repository) criteria, emerging from the FP7 IMPACT-Project, have been used for the evaluation of this research’s social impact. Drawing on SIOR, ProWomenDialogue shows unprecedented transformations in academia through six lines of action. The political impact led to legislation that made compulsory the creation of equality committees and protocols against sexual harassment. Social impact, aligned with SDG 5, inspires the reduction of GBV, while encouraging the career promotion of female researchers. ProWomenDialogue embodies a Successful Action platform against violence, presenting their features as recommendations to be implemented in other settings.

플립 러닝 기반의 대학 글쓰기 교육 방안

This study intends to introduce the operation process of a writing class through flipped learning in a real-time online classroom. I would like to recommend flipped learning as a way to overcome the limitations of existing writing education through real examples. The flipped-learning method operated by the writing class at A University in Gyeongbuk can serve as a starting point for various alternative configurations that can supplement offline lectures. This thesis focused on how the flipped-learning-based writing class could be realized in a new, non-face-to-face online environment, paying attention to the positive effects of flipped learning. In particular, this study intends to confirm the usefulness of flipped learning in a non-face-toface situation triggered by a pandemic. The purpose of this study was to determine whether flipped learning is a means to promote participation and dialogue in learners who have difficulties in interaction. As a result, it was confirmed that flipped learning can contribute to some extent in enhancing and reinforcing learners’ sense of presence and interaction in proportion to the learner’s activity. Of course, flipped-learning cannot be idealized as the sole criterion for a writing class. This is because a writing classroom based on flipped-learning presupposes the activeness of learners who have acquired a certain knowledge of writing. And such active dialogue and participation are necessary parts even in the offline classroom. In the end, the instructor is inevitably faced with the problem of how to elicit the ‘learner’s activity’. This is a task that learners and instructors must solve together as members of the learning community. More diverse methods to create an organic interaction model of online and offline classes should be continuously tested.

Sociolinguistic Phenomena in Arabic Language Learning Through Direct Method

This study was aimed at analyzing the sociolinguistic phenomena during the implementation of the direct method in Arabic language learning at PP Al Iman Putri. The method used in this study was a case study method with a qualitative approach. The results of this study reveal that the sociolinguistics contributes to language learning, i.e., sociolinguistics as is a sub-discipline that studies language related to social factors to be the main provision for students when they pursue their studies in Middle Eastern countries. Sociolinguistics phenomena found in learning Arabic through the direct method were carried out by the means of various linguistic activities i.e., morning dialogue activity, correction of incorrect or inappropriate vocabularies, Arabic speech, learning activities using Arabic (with direct method), language court program (a program held by language department to punish those who do not use Arabic in their daily communication), Arabic drama, Arabic story telling, news reading in Arabic, Arabic vocabulary, and competition of nahwu and sharf (Arabic grammar) and mahfudzat.

Building Goal-Oriented Dialogue Systems with Situated Visual Context

Goal-oriented dialogue agents can comfortably utilize the conversational context and understand its users' goals. However, in visually driven user experiences, these conversational agents are also required to make sense of the screen context in order to provide a proper interactive experience. In this paper, we propose a novel multimodal conversational framework where the dialogue agent's next action and their arguments are derived jointly conditioned both on the conversational and the visual context. We demonstrate the proposed approach via a prototypical furniture shopping experience for a multimodal virtual assistant.

Understanding How Baby Boomers Use the Internet and Social Media to Improve the Engagement with Brands

The emergence of the baby boomers, as a new group of people aged 55 to 75, with unique interests, media exposure and shopping habits, set a before and after in the language that brands must speak. The main objective of social media is to build engagement, and in the digital environment, it means engaging both seniors and companies. For this, learning how they act in the digital environment is key. This paper aims to show how baby boomers behave in this environment, showing the challenges and advantages brands have to reach them effectively. Based on an exploratory and qualitative study with focus groups of senior internet and social network users from Portugal and Spain, the results show that analysing their habits of exposure to these media and the interests, brands do not seem to speak the same language they do, and that is why baby boomers do not feel engaged with them online. This work provides recommendations to get this engagement and improve the digital experience. In this line, to build this engagement, brands need to understand the variables of interest for baby boomers stemming from this study: affiliation and support. On the other hand, they must assume that this level of engagement will depend on establishing an active dialogue, with content targeted at different segments of the population, related to the variables above (affiliation and support), and to a degree enough to reach baby boomers emotionally.

E-caminho do diálogo: ambientes virtuais como espaço coletivo de construção ética

Abstract The role of bioethics in promoting educative and deliberative spaces represents a demand to make the social inclusion of vulnerable groups viable. In this scope, and aiming to validate the method of applying deliberation in virtual environments, we carried out the third version of the “ O caminho do diálogo ” (The path of dialogue) action, which promoted, among older adults, a discussion about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the inclusion processes and, among bioethics academics, a debate on fragilities, ethical values, beliefs and potentialities of inclusion of animal protection, veganism, water crisis, mental health, multiple disabilities, refugees, homeless people, violence against women, sexuality and gender, and digital education. This article reports this interventions experience and discusses bioethics in the context of deliberation, intending not to formally work bioethics concepts, but to introduce the bioethical perspective by using interdisciplinary dialogue as a means of identifying vulnerabilities and debating solutions to promote inclusion.

Paulo Freire, teaching museology and museums: a journey of discovery, learning and love

From an analysis of the research, teaching and extension actions developed in her teaching practice at the Federal University of Bahia and the Lusophone University of Humanities and Technologies of Lisbon, with Paulo Freire's work as one of the main references, the authoress selects themes that generate the Freiriano universes and museology, approaches them and records that these were important foundations for the development of her walk as a museologist-educator-educanda. Analyzes the contexts, the different concrete realities in which the authoress was immersed and was gradually building dialogical and collaborative actions, approaching the work of the Master. Problematizes the reality of museums when enter the world of museology, analyzing the limits, silences and technicality. Broadens her reflections on the museal practices enriched in the dynamics of the social process, by suggesting the redefinition of the concept of museal fact and the inclusion of new actions to the process of musealization. Key-words: Paulo Freire; Education; Museology; Teaching; Research and Extension; Cultural Heritage; Museums

Dialogisk aktionsforskning med samskabende processer om, hvordan sang og musik kan integreres i kulturen og hverdagslivet på plejehjem

The article is based on an ongoing action research project at a nursing home. Relatives, employees, and the manager are involved as co-researchers in dialogue-based and co-creative processes, where it is investigated and worked on how song and music can become an integral part of the culture and everyday life for the residents living at the nursing home. An action research process is unfolded and put into perspective with focus on: “What co-creation can be, how it can take place and what it can contribute to”. A dialogical action research approach characterize the research and it is designed based on the research circle tradition. Methodologically, thematic analysis is used. As a result of the thematic analysis, the following significant themes are presented: 1) Dialogue provides interplay, counterplay and interaction; 2) Proximity to practice through using video and 3) Reflections “in” and “on” actions in practice.

The Use of Photovoice Methodology to Assess Health Needs and Identify Opportunities Among Migrant Transgender Women in the U.S.-Mexico Border.

Psychosocial, social and structural conditions have rarely been studied among transgender women in the U.S.-Mexico Border. This study used Photovoice methodology to empower migrant transgender women of color (TWC) to reflect on realities from their own perspectives and experiences and promote critical dialogue, knowledge, and community action. Sixteen participants documented their daily experiences through photography, engaged in photo-discussions to assess needs and identify opportunities, and developed a community-informed Call to Action. Four major themes emerged from the participants' photographs, discussions, and engagement: (1) mental health, (2) migration experiences and challenges, (3) stigma, discrimination, and resiliency, and (4) impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Through active community engagement, a Call to Action was developed. A binational advisory committee of decision makers and scholars reviewed a set of recommendations to better respond to the needs of TWC in the U.S.-Mexico Border. Photovoice served as an empowerment tool for TWC to assess the myriad of syndemic conditions, including mental health, stigma, discrimination and COVID-19, affecting them daily and identify initiatives for change.

How One Eukaryote Invades and Co‐opts the Cells of Another: The Story of the Truly Audacious Toxoplasma gondii

For intracellular, infectious agents that live inside a vacuole there are many benefits, but maybe even more challenges. On the one hand, they can be protected from detection by innate immune sensors and buffered from some types of immune attack. On the other hand, this isolation represents a barrier to actively engaging with the host cell sitting all around their “bubble,” e.g., for feeding and active coopting of host cell functions. The single‐celled eukaryote, Toxoplasma gondii, is a remarkable example of an intracellular agent in that it can infect and grow within almost any mammalian or avian cell. Many studies have shown that despite growing within a parasitophorous vacuole (PV), Toxoplasma tachyzoites are in active dialogue with the host cell and that the parasites somehow introduce a large number of “effector” proteins into the infected cell cytoplasm; many of these eventually reach the host cell nucleus where they impact host gene expression. Toxoplasma effectors come in two flavors – ones that originate in the apical secretory organelles known as rhoptries and that are injected during invasion (ROPs); and a second set that are secreted into the PV from dense granules after invasion (GRAs). In my talk, I will first describe our recent efforts with cryo‐electron tomography to understand the machinery that enables this remarkable organism to invade almost any host cell and inject the first wave of effectors, the ROPS. I will then discuss how they modify the parasitophorous vacuole membrane (PVM) to facilitate translocation of GRAs across the PVM, involving a completely novel translocon system. I will end with how GRAs and ROPs impact gene expression within the infected host.

Public Dialogue and the Good Governance: How can the community be actively involved in legal reform and good governance?

The purpose of this research is to determine how the Friday Dialogue was analyzed in terms of good governance during the leadership of the Bojonegoro Regent during the Kang Yoto era in 2008-2018. In this study, the concept of good governance, which was echoed by Kang Yoto, was examined to see if it fulfilled all or part of the elements of the concept of good governance and how it was actually practiced. This research is intriguing to investigate because it is still uncommon to find local government leadership models that apply the concept of good governance, particularly those that involve the people of the region directly. The descriptive qualitative approach was used in this study, with secondary data sources analyzed using interactive analysis. The descriptive qualitative approach was used in this study, with secondary data sources analyzed using interactive analysis methods. The Friday Public Dialogue is the result of this study, and it is a step taken by the Bojonegoro Regency Government to realize good governance in accordance with the mandate of Law Number 23 of 2014 concerning Regional Government. awards ranging from national to international levels. The public dialogue activity on Friday is essentially an activity that can support the synergy between the government, the private sector, and the community in order to achieve benefits for all parties and prosperity for all Indonesians, particularly those in the Bojonegoro area.

Dialogical interactions mediated by technology in mathematics education

This paper discusses the results of a research[1] that integrates Digital Interactive Storytelling (DIST), competence-oriented mathematical activities, and argumentation called DIST-M. The general aim is to support a reflective knowledge of mathematical concepts by implementing a digital educational device based on collaborative and dialogical activities proposed by researchers. Within a dialogical dimension of interactions (Bakhtin, 1981), argumentative practice is considered a social activity, where the acquisition and elaboration of new knowledge take place within a social space with multiple interlocutors in a dynamic process. The participants are engaged in constructing and negotiating mathematical meanings within a specific context. This dialogical approach to argumentation tends to create an authentic argumentative culture that is a system of implicit and explicit rules where the exchanges and interactions among participants require a joint elaboration of new meanings, within a given mathematical context, through a dialogical exchange. Learning and development result from a dialogical negotiation process during which new knowledge is developed and those already possessed are re-organized and systematized (Bakhtin, 1981; Vygotskij, 1978). In the current pandemic circumstances, technologies are the main tools to uphold the educational processes. Despite the fact that the DIST-M was implemented and tested before the Covid-19 era, its epistemic bases of dialogism mediated by technology could significantly keep alive the dialogic interaction in educational settings that have been heavily affected by the social distancing and promote mathematical thinking. The articles focus on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal n. 4,” Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.”
 
 [1] The research is funded by the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research under the National Project “Digital Interactive Storytelling in Mathematics: a competence-based social approach”, PRIN 2015, Prot. 20155NPRA5.

Reakcje Stolicy Apostolskiej wobec wybuchu wojny na Ukrainie w 2014 roku

The article presents the results of research on the reaction of the Holy See to the outbreak of war in Ukraine in 2014. Numerous papal messages, letters, appeals, speeches and talks with representatives of diplomacy have been shown, which indicate active dialogue during the emerging conflict. The representatives of the Holy See initiated meetings in the international arena that dealt with the issue of peace in Ukraine. The publication also presents the dialogue and joint initiatives of religious communities in Ukraine, initiated by the Holy See. So is mutual teaching that unequivocally calls for a condemnation of violence and an end to hostilities in Ukraine. The implementation of the research process also shows the Holy See’s contemporary involvement in the current course of events and ensuring peace in Ukraine.