Informal Group Discussions Research Articles

Literacy Preservation of Qi Lin Lantern Dance in Chinese Schools

Qi Lin Lantern Dance is a traditional Chinese cultural practice involving elaborate lantern displays and dance performances. The objective is to investigate the strategies used for literacy preservation of the Qi Lin Lantern Dance in Chinese schools. The study was conducted in Chinese schools, incorporating formal and informal interviews, observations, and focus group discussions. Four key informants, including cultural experts and educators, provided insights into the cultural and educational aspects of the Qi Lin Lantern Dance. Data analysis involved thematic coding and triangulation of multiple data sources. The research results indicate a positive correlation between Qi Lin Lantern Dance preservation and enhanced literacy skills among students, emphasizing the role of cultural engagement in educational practices. Suggestions include integrating cultural practices into school curricula, promoting cultural awareness, and fostering cultural sustainability by preserving intangible cultural heritage.

From the Translocal to the Multi‐Sited Transnational: Tracing Rohingya Refugee Networks in India

ABSTRACTThis paper examines the transnational and translocal experiences of the Rohingya in India, a stateless, refugee community forcibly displaced from Myanmar, onward migrants from Bangladesh, who currently occupy a legally precarious space in India. Drawing on approximately 90 interviews conducted with refugees, community leaders and NGOs across three Indian cities, along with informal group discussions and field notes, this paper makes two arguments that shed light on the complex, multi‐factorial ways in which networks are rebuilt in displacement as well as the emerging characteristics of Rohingya onward migration in Asia. First, that early generations of Rohingya in India leveraged translocal network building spaces and encounters to rebuild their networks with others in the community and create translocal networks of care and support with local civil society actors, cementing the notion of a ‘Rohingya refugee community’ in India. Second, that the gradual internationalisation of the Rohingya crisis as well as the transnationalisation of the Rohingya diaspora in the last decade through multiple waves of displacement, onward migration and resettlement schemes has prompted a shift towards multi‐sited transnationalism, particularly reflected in the emergence of multi‐sited transnational families, digital transnational spaces among younger refugees and extended diasporic networks.

Damp and mould—the big picture. How do we tackle the damp and mould crisis in social housing: lessons from the UK

The tragic death of 2-year-old Awaab Ishak, from extensive and prolonged exposure to damp and mould that had not been dealt with by the social landlord who owned the property, and other high profile news stories, have alerted social landlords to the damp and mould crisis in social rented homes across England. This paper discusses the findings from a 24-h knowledge exchange “Think Tank”, attended by representatives from social housing providers, charities, professional bodies, and residents from across England, to discuss how to tackle damp and mould in social housing. The event was made up of short informal presentations and group discussions in order to share good practice and develop a cross-sector understanding of damp and mould, its impacts, and how it can be tackled holistically. The event highlighted that damp and mould should firstly be seen as a building problem and that residents’ “lifestyles” should not be blamed. Tackling damp and mould should not be seen as the responsibility of one individual or department, all stakeholders need to work together to tackle the problem, ensuring tenants’ wellbeing is at the centre of every decision. Finally, damp and mould cannot be tacked in silo. Social landlords are facing a number of other major challenges, including the cost-of-living crisis, new building safety regulations, and the urgent need to decarbonise their stock. Landlords must think creatively in order to tackle these problems together and consider the big picture to ensure we are not walking towards the next housing tragedy. This paper brings together a wider contextual understanding of how the damp and mould crisis has developed in the UK, the impacts of damp and mould on residents’ physical and mental wellbeing, and the Think Tank findings, to suggest policy and practical recommendations for tackling the problem holistically.

Détente, the rebirth of anti-communism, and the rise of a transatlantic ‘neo-conservative’ network: the case of the Cercle

The so-called Cercle, Cercle Pinay or Cercle Violet emerged in the 1960s as an informal discussion group of senior politicians, publicists, businessmen and intelligence officers from France, Germany and other Western European countries. A secret meeting place for conservative elites, the Cercle was initially based on the transnational network of the French lawyer, political advisor and anti-communist activist Jean Violet. In the second half of the 1970s, in reaction to Détente, the Cercle turned into a transatlantic forum with close personal ties to Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan. The Cercle thus became both a catalyst and a typical example of a ‘neo-conservatism’ that combined classical conservative positions with neoliberal principles. What was ‘new’ about this ‘neo-conservatism’ was above all that it overcame the contradictions between different national currents of conservatism. Its representatives saw themselves as part of a transnational community and emphasized the global dimension of their political thought and action. Within this transatlantic conservative alliance, the fight against communism served as both a means of integration and an overarching goal. Nevertheless, the Cercle survived the collapse of communism and the end of the Cold War. It has remained a transnational meeting place for conservative elites to this day, although its focus seems to have shifted from anti-communism to anti-terrorism.

Effective localization: case study of a faith-based health partnership in Sierra Leone and Zimbabwe

Faith-based organizations (FBOs) and faith-based service providers play a critical role in public health prevention, promotion, treatment, and community development. Effective capacity strengthening efforts through FBO partnerships can make a vital contribution toward effective localization. This case study details the efforts and results of a writing and publishing workshop provided in partnership with Corus International (IMA World Health) and the Africa Christian Health Associations Platform (ACHAP) in March of 2023. This case study also reports on workshop participantsʼ perceptions of the partnershipʼs approach to capacity strengthening. Three major and related themes emerged from the workshopʼs informal Focus Group Discussion transcription: 1) a safe and nurturing environment, 2) openness and shared decision-making, and 3) organizational humility.

Sustaining essential health services inLao PDR inthe context ofdonor transition andCOVID-19.

Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) aims at graduating from least developed country status by 2026 and must increase the level of domestic financing for health. This paper examines how the government has prepared for the decline of external assistance and how donors have applied their transition approaches. Adapting a World Health Organization (WHO) framework, reflections and lessons were generated based on literature review, informal and formal consultations and focus group discussions with the Lao PDR government and development partners including budget impact discussion. The government has taken three approaches to transition from external to domestic funding: mobilizing domestic resources, increasing efficiency across programs and prioritization with a focus on strengthening primary health care (PHC). The government has increased gradually domestic government health expenditures as a share of the government expenditure from 2.6% in 2013 to 4.9% in 2019. The Ministry of Health has made efforts to design and roll out integrated service delivery of maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health services, immunization and nutrition; integrated 13 information systems of key health programs into one single District Health Information Software 2; and prioritized PHC, which has led to shifting donors towards supporting PHC. Donors have revisited their aid policies designed to improve sustainability and ownership of the government. However, the government faces challenges in improving cross-programmatic efficiency at the operational level and in further increasing the health budget due to the economic crisis aggravated during Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Working to implement donor transition strategies under the current economic situation and country challenges, calls into question the criteria used to evaluate transition. This criterion needs to include more appropriate indicators other than gross national income per capita, which does not reflect a country's readiness and capacity of the health system. There should be a more country-tailored strategy and support for considering the context and system-wide readiness during donor transition.

Girls, education and climate crisis in Pakistan: From ‘what-connects’ to a sense of ‘self’ and education after the 2022 floods

Girls’ education has been understood as an issue pendulating between the girls as a subject and their socio-economic conditions. Countries such as Pakistan have historically struggled to ensure equal access and quality of education to girls, who have been made even more vulnerable in the wake of recent crises like the 2022 floods. In the absence of adequate state support, the potentialities of community as social support need to be considered. In this paper, we seek to centre girls’ experiences of constructing the meaning of their desire for education rooted in the networks of social relations and connections, without losing sight of the structural constraints that were exacerbated after the floods. This paper asks the question: how are girls in Pakistan experiencing intersectional issues of education after the devastating 2023 floods?This paper, focused on three flood affected villages in Pakistan, explores educational access and exclusion as a collective experience of girls and their communities. A qualitative multi-method design was utilised, including interviews and informal group-discussions with girls, male and female community members as well as experts (in education, health, and politics). The findings follow a temporal sequence, i.e., looking at the legacies of girls’ exclusion from educational opportunities pre-dating the floods, the post-flood devastation and then, the experiences and emerging potential of relationality. It is argued that such crises require appropriate support from the state and community levels, whilst also urging a deeper engagement with how girls’ aspirations for education contribute to a process of self-enrichment amidst a crisis.

Pandora's Can of Worms: A Year of Generative AI in Higher Education

abstract: In the year since ChatGPT was released by OpenAI, librarians, instructors, and higher education administrators have grappled with generative artificial intelligence (AI) and its implications for teaching, learning, research, and writing. Drawn from informal conversations, professional observations, discussion groups, and professional development events, this article reports on the experience of learning about generative AI at one university. This article considers ways that educators may use AI tools and reasons to resist adopting generative AI tools, situating uses on a spectrum of acceptability.

Nigerian Pidgin English

Nigerian Pidgin (hereafter NP) is the most widely spoken language in Nigeria, but many Nigerians view it negatively, as they associate it with uneducated people in the country and often caricature it as a bad form of English. However, attitudes towards NP in the diaspora and its role as a marker of social identity within and outside Nigeria have not been researched. Through informal interviews and focus group discussions with 10 Nigerians (5 men; 5 women) in Canada, I find that the participants choose NP as the language they use to express their identity as Nigerians in Canada. While the women embraced Standard English, the men had more positive attitudes towards NP suggesting covert prestige. Therefore, this study provides a good pilot project for analyzing attitudes towards NP and its role as a language of identity for Nigerians in the diaspora.

Experiences of gender-based violence among adolescent schoolgirls in India

This study examines the experience of violence among adolescent schoolgirls from selected institutions in the Hazaribag district of Jharkhand, India. It maps the nature and extent of such incidents and examines how such violence affects a person's physical, emotional, and psychological health from a sociological perspective, considering factors such as how differently it affects students from different social groups, who the perpetrators are inside and outside the school, and the extent of such violence against students in private, public, or other types of schools. This descriptive and explanatory research used a mixed-methods approach to collect quantitative and qualitative data. Questionnaires, interview schedules, and informal focus group discussions were the main methods of data collection. The narrative method and SPSS software were used to analyze the qualitative and quantitative data, respectively. The study finds that female students are particularly vulnerable to school violence because of the gender factor involved, which cannot be isolated from gender-based violence. It also reveals sociological aspects, such as the means of transportation used by students, which are clearly related to their economic position, social category, etc., which play a very important role in such experiences of violence. The research contributes to the development of a gender-sensitive and violence-free educational atmosphere in which social justice education is more likely to be found.

O.3.2-1 Evaluation of the Active Together multi-modal cancer rehabilitation service embedded within clinical care

Abstract Purpose The Active Together service provides multimodal rehabilitation support for people affected by cancer, embedded within clinical pathways at all stages of cancer treatment. The service aims to improve patient outcomes, such as physical fitness prior to surgery, tolerance to treatments, post-operative complications, and survival rates. Project description The design of the Active Together service was informed by extensive stakeholder engagement, involving consultations with patients and health professionals to determine the key elements of an impactful and sustainable rehabilitation service. Informal discussion groups and co-design workshops were held to understand ‘what mattered most’ to patients and to develop key features of the service. The Active Together service is delivered by a multi-disciplinary team at the Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre at Sheffield Hallam University, in partnership with Sheffield Teaching Hospitals and Yorkshire Cancer Research. Patients with a cancer diagnosis, over the age of 18 years and receiving treatment with curative intent are referred to the service, which provides exercise, nutritional and psychological support throughout their treatment. The evaluation aims to determine the impact of the service on patient outcomes and any economic benefits to the wider healthcare system. Outcome measures are captured throughout the patients’ treatment to assess the impact on their physical, nutritional, and psychological state. Economic evaluation will assess its effect on the costs of patients’ treatment, compared to patients that received treatment for cancer without rehabilitation. Initially, the Active Together service has provided support to patients in Sheffield, being treated for one of three specific forms of cancer: lung, colorectal and upper gastrointestinal. Over the next 2-3 years, the service will be scaled-up to provide support to patients receiving treatment for other forms of cancer at hospitals across Yorkshire. Findings will be disseminated to key stakeholders within the healthcare system and in academic journals. Conclusions Evidence to support the role of multi-modal rehabilitation for cancer patients is growing. The translation of that evidence into practice is less advanced. The results of this evaluation will provide valuable insight into service implementation and an understanding of the impact of cancer rehabilitation on both patient outcomes and the health economic landscape.

Women's agency during the COVID-19 pandemic in the absence of male migrants: changing gender roles and social relations

This article is an account of the expression of women’s agency during the COVID-19 pandemic in the absence of male migrants and the subsequent changes in gender roles and social relations in a patriarchal Muslim society in rural Bangladesh. In doing so, the study explores the patterns of local and transborder networks of women during the pandemic and their strategies for household survival amid hardship. The study is based on 25 in-depth interviews, 10 life history interviews and 3 informal group discussions with women and men from migrant and returned migrant households. The findings of the study indicate that although there is no significant change in the roles of women in extended or joint households, some women in nuclear households are engaged in income-generating activities and are active for the survival of household members during the COVID-19 pandemic whereas in some exceptional cases, women consider the time as an opportunity to increase the household income by applying their intelligence and wisdom. The study follows intersectional and post-structural approaches and suggests that the pandemic period creates a situation, in which some women in migrant households get the advantages to widen their room for maneuver within patriarchal social codes. The study thus contributes to the field of migration and feminism

Health-seeking, intercultural health communication, and health outcomes: An intersectional study of ethnic minorities' lived experiences.

To explore ethnic minorities' lived experiences of health-seeking and healthcare utilization in Hong Kong, and to examine the impact of intersectionality of sociocultural identities on intercultural health communication. Qualitative exploratory design. Data collection methods were semi-structured interviews, unstructured observations, and unstructured informal group discussions. Twenty-five informants, including eight Pakistanis, seven Nepalese, five Indians, four Bangladeshis and one Sri Lankan, were recruited using the snowball sampling method and individually interviewed between 25th June and 23rd September 2019. Sixteen females and nine males, aged 21-76 years, were in the study. Two-thirds could communicate in English, but eight required interpreters. Thematic analysis reveals four factors affecting intercultural health communication: healthcare professionals' cultural insensitivity, red-tapism and ethnic minorities' language improficiency and/or deficiency in medical knowledge. Health professionals' workplace stress and cultural insensitivity prompt ineffective intercultural communication, making ethnic minority patients feel disrespected despite having adopted the Hong Kong culture. The intersectionality of sociocultural identities plus health professionals' blocking behaviours results in health inequalities. The unequal power relationship between health professionals and ethnic minority patients may lead to dehumanizing and depersonalized experiences for patients, as humanity is the heart and soul of medicine. Therefore, the government should raise healthcare providers' cultural sensitivity and diversity awareness, and offer ethno-specific care and more interpretation services. The study addresses health inequalities among Hong Kong ethnic minority patients with different sociocultural identities. About the impact of ineffective intercultural health communication on health inclusion and health outcomes, policies and practices should ameliorate health professionals' cultural sensitivity, awareness of the unequal power relationship and respect for diversity. Referred by organizations serving ethnic minorities, the minority patients shared their lived experiences in health-seeking.

EXHIBITION OF MASCULINITY AMONG MIGRANT MEN: PREDISPOSING FACTOR OF SEXUAL RISK BEHAVIOR

Masculinity has been recognized as a significant influence on risky sexual behavior. The migrant men present various sexual risk behaviors. The present study aims to explore migrant men's perspectives on the construction of masculinity and to understand their experiences and engagement in risky sexual behavior in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. This anthropological study included 14 focus group discussions with migrant men aged 18-45 years in the Commercial Market of Rawalpindi. The data were collected from the informal focus group discussions. The data were analyzed by using thematic inductive analysis presented by Clarke. The research results represent that masculine behavior among migrant men leads to risky sexual behavior. It was found that an autonomous living structure with peer groups and increased avenues of expression of sexual desire due to being away from families enhance the risky sexual behavior of migrant men. Such behaviors lead them to indulge in risky sexual practices with low-paid commercial sex workers or non-commercial partners, mostly without availing any protective measures. Furthermore, the normative behavior of migrant men, including peer pressure, economic independence, opportunity structure, and homogeneous population, were the significant factors that led to risky sexual behavior. The study suggests that such behavior remains an essential practice to conform to social expectations and norms aligned with masculinity in the Pakistani urban male population. Therefore, there is a need to address the gender norms that lead to masculine behavior among the migrant population. Keywords: masculinity, risky sexual behavior, migrant men, peer pressure, real man, hegemonic masculinity.

Vorstellung der Selbsthilfe für Menschen mit Kopf-Hals-Mund-Krebs in Rehakliniken

The positive effects of self-help, such as increased knowledge about the disease and strengthening of a patient’s responsibility for their own recovery, are proven by the SHILD study. Access to self-help should also be possible or created for patients with head and neck tumors. With the rehabilitation project, we want to inform patients in the rehabilitation setting about the positive effects of self-help. For this purpose, volunteers initially visit five rehabilitation clinics every 3–4 weeks. They introduce the self-help work and themselves in a short presentation and then conduct informal individual and group discussions. The reactions of patients and clinic professionals show us that we can achieve our goals. A number of patients have joined the self-help groups. We were also able to arrange various telephone contacts. In the future, we want to expand our work to all rehabilitation clinics in Germany that treat people with head, neck, and mouth cancer.

Marketing Challenges Faced by Seaweed Farmers in Zanzibar, Tanzania

Aim/Purpose: This study was conducted to identify the marketing challenges faced by Zanzibar’s seaweed producers and to recommend suitable strategies.
 Methodology: A case study approach was adopted. The study combined semi-structured questionnaires and informal group discussions with the farmers as tools for primary data collection. A total of 592 seaweed farmers from both Unguja and Pemba participated in the study. The farmers were selected through multistage sampling. Analysis of challenges was done through the Garrett ranking method.
 Results: It was found that the leading marketing challenges for seaweed farmers are the absence of minimum selling price (MSP), limited buyers and the inability to set prices. The absence of MSP was linked to the absence of the industry’s supporting policies. At the same time, limited buyers emanated from the lack of the industry’s business strategy, limited linkage to the domestic market and lack of export differentiation. Farmers’ inability to set prices was found to be a result of exporters’ setting buying prices. Similarly, the study found that the farmers face intense competition due to limited production variety and being large in number. Farmers also were found to have limited marketing and promotional skills and lacked business strategies.
 Conclusion: Several interventions are required to support the seaweed farmers in Zanzibar. First, the creation of guiding industry’s business and marketing/product strategies. Further creation of the industry’s guiding and supporting policies is crucial. Second, establishing domestic demand and linking the industry to its potential users at individual and industrial levels is critical for the survival of Zanzibar’s seaweed industry. Third, the establishment of carrageenan extraction industries to establish export product differentiation. Capacity-building training is vital for farmers in agri-business and financial management areas. Government procurement and provision of storage facilities to minimise the offloading challenge are also needed to lessen the effect of same-time offloading, which exposes farmers to low prices. Lastly, financial assistance should also be provided to promote and upscale seaweed value-addition activities on the island.
 Originality/Value: Examination of marketing challenges faced by seaweed farmers in Zanzibar was conducted using the Garrett ranking technique, and suitable recommendations were proposed.

The big discussion – dementia, death and dying

The topic of death and dying is rarely discussed within normal society, but discussions with people living with dementia almost never happen. This leaves family members and carers having to make decisions on behalf of those they care for without understanding the wishes of the person with dementia. If these discussions could happen early enough then the level of burden would decrease and the person dying with dementia would be more likely to have a dignified death.Death cafes are a unique way of holding conversations about death and dying. This style of approach encourages informal group discussions rather than individual discussions between a patient and a heath professional. My study considers whether this approach will improve the ability to have these conversations with people living with dementia.

Exploring Unknown Predictors of Maternal Anemia Among Tribal Lactating Mothers, Andhra Pradesh, India: A Prospective Cohort Study.

IntroductionAnemia is a serious public health issue in India, especially among women, adolescent girls, and young children. Tribal people reside mostly in remote underserved regions with little or no basic civic amenities which makes them a highly vulnerable group of Indians. The study aimed to identify unknown risk factors for anemia among tribal lactating mothers.MethodologyIt was a mixed method prospective cohort study for 10 months carried out among 340 scheduled tribes (ST) mothers in 10 clusters in Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh, India. Data collection using a questionnaire, 24 hours dietary recall, anthropometric measurement, and hemoglobin estimation was done. Weekly local recipe talk in the mother’s kitchen, informal group discussions, was conducted for 12 weeks after baseline data collection. The audio and video tapes of the weekly local recipe talk in the mothers kitchen were transcribed verbatim and then translated into English. The individual responses were grouped as barriers related to acceptability, availability, accessibility, use and utilization, appropriateness, and nutrition environment.ResultsA total of 340 mothers were enrolled initially of which 315 mothers were studied in an end-line survey with an attrition rate of 7.3%. Over 80% mothers belonged to Yerukula, Yenadis, Lambadi/Sugali tribes, respectively. A total of 345 weekly local mother kitchen recipe talks were conducted in 10 clusters. In the present study, only few mothers mentioned food accessibility and availability issues. Surprisingly, lack of skill to cook the commonly consumed local food item among Indian mothers were recorded. Lack of time for cooking, lack of knowledge of nutritious benefits of food, and use of ready to eat food were other important key findings.ConclusionThe study documents initiation of transition of the tribal lactating mothers towards urbanization. The lack of knowledge of cooking, coupled with lifestyles of urban areas exposes the early aged, poor, low literate mothers to the trap of anemia.

Challenges and dilemmas of social cohesion between the Rohingya and host communities in Bangladesh

Social Cohesion is an important issue for refugees and their host communities. Much attention on social cohesion in the literature has been focused on situations in the Middle East. This paper will bring attention to the Rohingya crisis in Bangladesh. With the influx of nearly one million Rohingya into Bangladesh in 2017, social cohesion between the Rohingya and their host communities has become more complex than ever. Although ensuring social cohesion is very important for Bangladesh, it has not been easy to implement under the present legislative framework of refugee management in Bangladesh. The sympathetic attitude of the host community toward the Rohingya has significantly declined during the past 4 years. In this context, qualitative research was undertaken to understand the challenges and dilemmas of social cohesion from both the host and Rohingya perspectives. Based on 50 key informant interviews, observations, and several informal group discussions, this paper argues that a negative perception among the neighboring host communities toward the Rohingya has increased, contributing to social tension. A pragmatic and sustainable approach has to be taken to ensure a cohesive and peaceful coexistence of the host communities and the Rohingya until dignified repatriation of the Rohingya is possible.

Street Games in Filipino Society in Selected Rural Towns of Ilocos Norte

The research identified the Rural Street Games (RSG) of the chosen Municipalities of Ilocos Norte, Philippines, and the Benefits of RSG in promoting Filipino rural identity. The design of this research is Descriptive Design. The six towns of Ilocos Norte, Bacarra, Dumalneg, Pasuquin, Banna, Marcos, and Solsona, were selected to conduct the study. The researchers employed informal interviews and focus group discussions. The research mainly identified rural street games played in Ilocos Norte, Philippines: hide and seek, line crossing game, cow jumping, onion base, and kick game. Playing enhances the intellectual domain, physical domain, and some Filipino values of the players. This research's importance may also reduce to its specific aim, which is exercising socialization. Better communication starts in a simple game. Therefore, playing rural street games carries with it the best practice on how we preserve, strengthen and exercise our traits as Filipinos.