Focus Group Research Research Articles

Digital Competences of Teachers in the Higher Education Academic Development System: Experience of the Empirical Research

The article analyzes the problem of higher education teachers’ digital competence formation in relation to the university academic development. In the system of academic development, a higher education teacher becomes an active subject and an object of influence of the university structures.The notion of “academic capital” – a system of professional competencies of a teacher, in whose structure digital competencies acquire special importance, is introduced to assess the effectiveness of academic development.It is assumed that depending on the attitudes towards the development and integration of digital competencies into professional practices, teachers are divided into different categories according to their role in the academic development.In order to test the hypothesis, focus group research was carried out with teachers of the humanities, social and natural sciences from universities in different regions of Russia with at least three years of professional experience. A total of five focus groups of seven teachers in each were conducted.In the context of academic development, digital educational practices were analyzed, and three types of agents were identified – innovators and promoters, who contribute to the academic development of the higher education institutions, and routiners, who slow down the introduction of digital technologies. It is concluded that a possible barrier to the innovative activities for teachers is an ambiguous attitude towards the process of digitalization of the education sector.

The Complementary Role of Focus Group Research in Political Science

The Complementary Role of Focus Group Research in Political Science

A digital educational tool experience in history course: Creating digital comics via Pixton Edu

The aim of this study is to reveal the experiences of digital comics developed by the participants in Atatürk's Principles and History of Revolutions course. In this context, the research has been designed with phenomenology, which is one of the qualitative research methods. The study group of the research consists of 29 university students who took APHR (TAR101) course. The sample was chosen through easily accessible sampling due to the epidemic conditions. In the study, semi-structured interview form developed by the researchers, focus group interviews, researcher feedback and comics created by the students via the Pixton Edu tool were used as data collection tools. The research process lasted 15 weeks, the interviews were conducted online through the online meeting program Zoom and through the WhatsApp group established by the researchers. The findings obtained in the research were analyzed with a holistic perspective according to content analysis. According to the opinions of the participants in the research; it was concluded that the comics developed positively affect the attitude towards the lesson, improve the thinking skills of the participants. This experience transformed the learning process to a funny, meaningful and permanent process, enabled distance education to an interactive, increase motivation, and strengthen in-group communication in the distance education process. Based on the research findings, various suggestions were made by the researchers.

Socio-Psychological and Design Features Related to Transport Choices: A Focus Group Research in the Metropolitan Area of Cagliari (Sardinia, Italy).

Due to the environmental and health impact of the private transport sector, social scientists have largely focused on psychosocial and contextual factors associated with people's choice over transport means. This study aims to contribute to this line of research by applying a user-centered approach, with the objective of taking into account the specific environmental and social context of the metropolitan area of Cagliari city (Sardinia, Italy). To accomplish this aim, four groups of people were matched according to their shared starting point: car users vs. public transport users (Study 1), and light-rail users vs. non-light-rail users (Study 2). Groups were interviewed using a focus group method. Participants were invited to discuss their everyday travel experiences and to exchange their ideas on different sustainable (e.g., bicycles and public transport) and less sustainable (i.e., private cars) means of transport. Both consolidated drivers/barriers in the field of environmental psychology (e.g., perceived behavioral control, social norms) and public transportation design features (e.g., lighting) have been investigated. Other than highlighting the importance of socio-psychological factors to promote more sustainable transport choices like in previous studies, the present research offers an insight into how these aspects and factors are shaped and experienced in the narratives of residents.

North Carolina LGBTQ Domestic Violence Response Initiative: Building Capacity to Provide Safe, Affirming Services.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is as prevalent or more so as reported by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) individuals compared with non-LGBTQ individuals. Yet largely due to prior harmful and nonaffirming experiences with service providers, they are reluctant to seek services from domestic violence service providers (DVSP). These factors, combined with the reality that those who do seek services may not be provided with safe, affirming, and effective responses, exacerbate the impact of IPV on LGBTQ health and recovery. The North Carolina (NC) LGBTQ Domestic Violence Response Initiative (NC Initiative) was developed to increase DVSP capacity to serve LGBTQ survivors. This article describes the first four phases of the Initiative's development: (1) formative focus group research with DVSPs statewide, identifying agencies' interest in improving their responses to LGBTQ survivors; (2) Initiative launch, including funding and identification of partners; (3) development of capacity assessment tools; and (4) review of baseline capacity assessment findings. The development of tools, specifically designed to assess capacity of DVSPs to serve LGBTQ survivors, is a unique contribution as no tools existed to do so. The common capacity-building needs and data-informed recommendations identified provide a starting point for agencies expanding into LGBTQ-focused work, who may not have the benefit of grant funding, tools, or evaluators to assist. Our findings, lessons learned, and tools may be used by agencies to evaluate and inform their own practices, thereby creating safer, more affirming agencies that are capable provide effective care to meet unique needs of LGBTQ survivors.

Consumer Healthcare Technology Usage Impacting Behavior

Consumers continue adopting healthcare technology, from wearable devices to patient portals to telehealth. Researchers must endeavor to understand how this technology impacts behavior and health perceptions. The hypothesis is technology helps individuals to better understand, track, and interact with their health. Objectives include identifying if wearable technology impacts health consciousness, understanding digital patient portal usage, ascertaining if digital prescriptions are considered valuable, and identifying if telehealth is viewed as effective. A literature review informed the qualitative survey and exploratory focus group research. The study revealed positive sentiment towards new technology and strong consumer influence, supporting the need for additional research.

Peacebuilding Education to Address Gender-Based Aggression: Youths' Experiences in Mexico, Bangladesh, and Canada

Building durable peace through education requires addressing the gender ideologies and hierarchies that encourage both direct physical aggression and indirect harm through marginalization and exploitation. Although formal education systems are shaped by gendered patterns of social conflict, enmity, and inequity, schools can help young people to build on their inclination, relationships, and capability to participate in building sustainable, gender-just peace. In this paper, we draw from focus group research conducted with youth and teachers in public schools in Mexico, Bangladesh, and Canada to investigate how young people understood the social conflicts and violence surrounding them and what citizens could do about these issues; and how their teachers used the school curricula to address them. The research revealed that gender-based violence was pervasive in students' lives in all three settings, yet the curriculum the teachers and students described, with minor differences between contexts, included few opportunities to examine or resist the gender norms, institutions, and hierarchies that are the roots of exploitation and violence.

РОЛЬ СЕМЬИ В ФОРМИРОВАНИИ И РАЗВИТИИ ЭКОЛОГИЧЕСКОГО ПОВЕДЕНИЯ МОЛОДЕЖИ

Objective of the study is to assess the role of the institution of the family on the formation and development of the ecological behavior of young people.   The methodological basis of the research was the contextual theory of P. Stern, according to which the ecological behavior of an individual is the result of the influence of individual-personal characteristics (internal factors) and contextual (external) factors that do not depend on personal beliefs and attitudes, but which, to one degree or another, influence on the formation of environmental behavior (information space, infrastructural opportunities, socio-economic and political factors). The ecological behavior of young people within the limits of the proposed methodological scheme is presented in the form of its constituent structural elements - ecological culture and ecological practices. Taken together, these elements characterize the complex format of determinants of the ecological behavior of young people, arising at the intersection of factors of the external (objectively specified) and internal (subjectively specified) environment. The empirical basis of the study was formed by the results of a sociological study conducted by the author of the article in 2021 (the method of collecting information is a focus group).   Research results. Based on the analysis of the information obtained in the course of the focus group research, the attitude of the youth of the Southern Federal District to the institution of the family as an agent of ecological socialization was determined, the main directions of the influence of the family on the formation and development of the ecological behavior of young people, as well as factors that hinder or weaken such influence.   Prospects of the study. The data obtained in the course of the study will be used to further study the possibilities of the family's influence on the formation and development of ecological behavior, as well as ways to optimize it.

COVID-19 Lessons: Experience in Organization of Distance Pre-school Education

The article focuses on the analysis of new experience in the national context, i.e. the organisation of distance education in preschool education and the challenges in application of the innovation, when the implementation as such is not planned and modelled for getting ready for it in advance. In Lithuania, before the COVID-19 pandemic, distance education in preschool education, which is meant to prepare a child for school, was not applied, there were no specific guidelines, tested teaching platforms or pedagogic practices. The study deals with the results of focus groups research performed in June 2020, designated for discussing of experiences of the Lithuanian preschool education institutions in distance education gained during the quarantine (from 16/03/2020 to 29/05/2020). The performed analysis of experiences in the organisation of distant education in preschool education disclosed the essential challenges faced when applying this form of education in the education of six-year-old children. It has been established that the key challenges organizing distance education in preschool education are related to the lack of the IT solutions for distance education; the readiness of the participants of the education process for distance education and engagement in suchprocess of education, as well as the lack of support from national and regional institutions in the organisation of distance education. The results of research open possibilities for further researches, which are necessary for efficient and sustainable distance education integration into preschool education. In this context, explicit, deep research related to the analysis of appropriateness of distance education platforms in the early stage of age, search for didactic solutions of digital content for them and deep research into concrete implementation cases is necessary.

Is “Culture” Needed in Aboriginal Elder Care Station? An Study from the Perspective of Service Providers

Many studies show that cultural perspective is an important factor in caring for elderly tribal adults. To understand the level of attention that the Cultural Health Station of Indigenous People attaches to culture during its operation, this study selected Taitung County as the region of study. A qualitative focus group research method and quantitative questionnaire, we try to understand “What are the demands of elderly tribal adults?” “Do services provided by the Tribal Cultural Health Station satisfy the demands of elderly tribal adults?” and “What are the gaps between the service demands and provided to elderly tribal adults?” The results showed that service providers believe that culture is markedly important to elderly tribal adults, that culture-based care designs offered by the Tribal Cultural Health Station is currently insufficient, and that to enhance the capacity of the multiethnic Tribal Cultural Health Station, the cognition and understanding of policy makers and enforcers must be elevated.

1966 Tashkent earthquake and the people of Tashkent

In this article, the authors examine and analyze the memories of eyewitnesses of the Tashkent earthquake of April 26, 1966 and its details, consequences, and situation using the method of "oral history" from a sociological point of view. This topic, which is one of the few studies conducted in Uzbekistan on the basis of the "oral history" method, focuses on the development and transformation of modern urban planning in the country. In the process of writing the article, the results of observation, document analysis, in-depth interviews and focus group research were also addressed.

SWOT Analysis of a Didactic Program in Dietetics: Results from Focus Group Research

This study utilized focus group research to understand the experiences of students in a Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) at a large, public university. Students participating in the focus group reflected on and discussed the strengths, weakness, opportunities, and threats of the program. The participants stated that faculty support, hands-on learning, and opportunities to participate in clubs were strengths of the program. Students would like more opportunity to do research with faculty. They also indicated that there are program weaknesses such as access to common space, limits in course availability, roadblocks in curriculum, and limited access to necessary tools. Program opportunities, such as the upcoming accreditation visit, will express the student’s concerns and therefore focus administration’s attention on much needed financial support for the program. Although not a specific threat, changes in the credentialing for Registered Dietitian Nutritionists were also discussed by the students. Data were collected in preparation for an accreditation visit. However, the results can be used to advise department and university administrators about what items make students successful in their programs.

Absence of menstruation in female athletes: why they do not seek help

BackgroundIt is known that amenorrhea is highly prevalent among female athletes. However, a large percentage of them do not seek help if this complaint occurs. We performed this study to gain more insight into the reasons why female athletes do not seek help when experiencing amenorrhea and how care for these women could be improved.MethodQualitative focus group research. Female athletes were approached to take part in a focus group. They were asked about the main reasons for not reporting amenorrhea and how care for amenorrhea, in their opinion, would ideally be organised. The women were asked to make a list of their top five reasons for both subjects and discuss this among their peers.ResultsAccording to the participants, the five main reasons for not reporting the amenorrhea were: (1) normalizing of the subject, (2) the absence of menstruation is not perceived as a problem by the athletes themselves, (3) experienced shame and taboo, (4) prioritisation of sports performance, and (5) denial. Factors to improve care around menstrual cycle problems in female athletes were: (1) informing athletes, coaches, trainers and mentors, (2) informing doctors, (3) conducting more research on long-term consequences, (4) breaking the taboo on menstrual problems, and (5) having a multidisciplinary collaboration between different specialisms.ConclusionBy informing athletes, coaches, trainers, and mentors about menstrual cycle problems in athletes, more awareness among those groups can be created. According to the athletes, more research is needed on the long-term consequences of amenorrhea in sports, to enable them to make a better assessment of their possible future health risks. Women experience a taboo on discussing menstrual problems; role models discussing the problem may help in decreasing the taboo. A multidisciplinary collaboration of health care providers may improve care around female athletes with menstrual problems.

The impact of an issue-centered problem-based learning curriculum on 6th grade girls’ understanding of and interest in computer science

Many stakeholders have suggested that if girls are not engaged in computer science at an early age, the field of computer science (CS) (and computing-related fields) will continue to lack gender diversity. We need more explorations of how curriculum impacts girls’ interest in computer science at the elementary level. The focus of this research project was to examine how an elementary problem-based learning (PBL) curriculum impacted girls’ understanding of and interest in CS. By utilizing a curriculum focused on a problem that emphasized social activism, we hypothesized that PBL CS could increase interest in CS for girls. This study used a mixed-method sequential explanatory research design to examine the implementation of a CS PBL curriculum with four 6th grade teachers and their 263 students. We collected student CS knowledge pre-tests and post-tests, student attitude surveys, student focus group interviews, teacher interviews, and researcher observation reflection notes. The knowledge tests were analyzed using a mixed measures ANOVA. The survey responses were analyzed using ANOVAs and effect sizes for each comparison were calculated using partial eta squared. The qualitative data was analyzed using a thematic approach that required four researchers to come to a consensus. Results suggested that although girls had less understanding of CS at the beginning, by the end of the curriculum, girls and boys performed similarly. However, there were still elements that were not successful. Girls’ attitudes towards computer science were significantly lower than the boys at the end of the curriculum. Conceptually, the curriculum needs to specifically address how CS could impact values held by girls.

Joining the Dots—Understanding the Value Generation of Creative Networks for Sustainability in Local Creative Ecosystems

In recent years, the ecological shift from an economically driven model of arts and culture to that of an ecosystem in the creative industries determined the emergence of a range of new bottom-up, place-based networks herewith referred to as “creative networks”. This article explores how these networks can generate sustainability for local creative ecosystems through a value network approach. Building on the quadruple helix model to identify the actors in these networks, this study explores the relationships and value flows between the actors of 22 identified creative networks across the UK. It then maps these relationships using data gathered through a mixed methodology that includes survey data and focus group research. Our findings show that creative networks operate as central nodes of the local creative ecosystem, functioning as a ‘glue’ inside the otherwise very heterogenous creative industries. From this position, creative networks can act as catalysts for sustainability. However, the economic, cultural, and social value created by creative networks is often overshadowed by other challenges including a lack of funding and a lack of understanding from policy makers or the public.

From visual pleasure to global imagination: Chinese youth’s reception of Hollywood films

ABSTRACT Employing empirical focus group research and drawing on transnational audience studies, this article investigates the consumption and reception of American films by Chinese college students. The article argues that Hollywood films satisfy the Chinese audience’s need for entertainment, visual pleasure, and escape from the restraints and hardships of daily life. In addition, Chinese audiences’ reception of Hollywood films functions as a site of negotiation of different political and cultural values. Hollywood films evoke Chinese youth’s global imagination, trigger their reflection on and debate over their own culture and society, and inspire a collective desire for alternative modernities and an alternative way of life. Chinese audiences engage in a process of civic participation by actively debating and contemplating a functional and ideal society and value system, bringing in agency that is crucial to audience studies.

Deaf signing diversity and signed language translations

Abstract This article explores what deaf signing diversity means for the creation of effective online signed language translations in Australia and for language theory more generally. We draw on the translanguaging and enregisterment literature to describe the communication practices and individual repertoires of deaf Auslan signers, and to problematise the creation of translations from English into Auslan. We also revisit findings from focus group research with deaf audiences and translation practitioners to identify key elements of existing translations that were problematic for many deaf viewers, and to illuminate what makes an act of translation from English into Auslan effective for signers who need these translations the most. One main challenge is the inherent hybridity of signed communication practices, resulting from variable language learning circumstances and other factors. Instead, signed communication practices are often shaped by what we refer to as the nascency principle: the perpetual redevelopment of new forms of expression for understanding the specific discourse and spatiotemporal context, by and for the signers who are physically present. This affects possibilities for enregisterment and therefore translations. We conclude with suggestions for improving translations and some broader implications for understanding and researching signed languages.

Building-Back-Better in Post-Disaster Recovery: Lessons Learnt from Cyclone Idai-Induced Floods in Zimbabwe

This study evaluated the build-back-better considerations in post-disaster recovery, following the devastation of Chipinge and Chimanimani communities by Cyclone Idai-induced floods in 2019. Conducted in 2020, the study assessed the impact of Cyclone Idai-induced floods on communities in Chipinge and Chimanimani Districts of Zimbabwe; evaluated the build-back-better considerations; and analyzed the lessons learned. Based on a qualitative approach and case study design, the study depended on focus group discussions, interviews, and researcher observations to gather data from 85 participants. The findings indicate that Cyclone Idai-induced floods seriously impacted human lives, infrastructure, and livelihoods of communities that had been living with flood risk and vulnerability. Build-back-better considerations were absent in much of the post-disaster recovery effort to address the cyclone disaster impact. There are important early lessons for both practitioners and community members to learn from the Cyclone Idai event. These lessons still can inform policy and disaster risk reduction practice in the medium and long term. Build-back-better should be a mandatory objective in the recovery from any disaster impact. Continuous training is also recommended to improve the disaster knowledge of stakeholders and increase local ability to cope with future disaster events.

A Prospective Social Life Cycle Assessment (sLCA) of Electricity Generation from Municipal Solid Waste in Nigeria

This research assesses the social impacts that could arise from the potential waste-to-energy (WtE) generation of electricity from municipal solid waste (MSW) in the cities of Lagos and Abuja in Nigeria. Social life cycle assessment (sLCA) was the main analytical approach used coupled with a participatory approach to identify relevant social issues to serve as the potential sLCA impact ‘subcategories’. Focus group research in both cities led to the identification of 11 social issues that were transformed into social impact subcategories with appropriate indicators for the sLCA. These were populated with data from a questionnaire-based survey with approximately 140 stakeholders. The results indicated that the impact subcategories “Improved Electricity Supply” and “Income” were ranked respectively as having the most and the least significant social impacts associated with the potential adoption of WtE in these two cities in Nigeria. Overall, the research showed that the expected social impact was higher for WtE electricity generation in Lagos than in Abuja. This difference may be related to the higher population and greater amounts of waste in Lagos and its position as a hub for many of the country’s commercial and industrial activities which have long been affected by inadequate electricity supply. This study also provides an example of the use of participatory processes as an important approach in sLCA for the elucidation of social issues that are directly pertinent to key local perspectives when considering such technology implementations.

Organizational Dynamics of the Rise of Telework as an Adaptive Response to a Global Pandemic

AbstractThe use of remote working options has saved jobs and reduced health risks inherent to the rise of COVID-19. The opportunity to use telework has allowed organizations to engage in operational activities by leveraging virtual teams’ potential. Organizations offering workers to work remotely have become financial salvation for many workers during the pandemic, significantly since the pandemic impacted the U.S. economy so severely that more than since more than 57 million American workers have filed for unemployment government benefits in just 2020. While having a telework option is an assurance of organizational sustainability or continual employment, it represents a unique opportunity for exploration for employees, supervisors, and organizations attempting to adapt to this evolving level of complex change. This paper uses applied qualitative focus group research from a process consulting to explore the values and barriers that telework for a real estate title organization called XRO.