Mixed Sequential Explanatory Design Research Articles

Agency: occupational therapists' perspectives on their sense of competence and their skills following training

To tackle the systemic injustices experienced by people in vulnerable situations, occupational therapists' agency, i.e. their power to act, is necessary. However, occupational therapists feel ill-equipped to exercise this power, and would like to develop their skills. The general aim of this research was therefore to document occupational therapists' perception of their skills before and after agency training. We used a mixed sequential explanatory design, comprising a quantitative component consisting of a pre- and post-training self-administered questionnaire and a descriptive qualitative component with group interviews. A total of 103 occupational therapists completed the training between January 19 and October 19, 2019. Their sense of competence improved, especially for those with no prior training in agency. The skills perceived as having developed the most corresponded to the skills deemed a priority for development, namely effective communication, intentional collaboration, and observation and analysis. On the other hand, occupational therapists emphasized that they had not mastered the exercise of these skills in a real-life context. Although continuing education is one way of improving the skills needed to exercise agency, questions remain as to the optimal modalities for ensuring their full and lasting development.

Examining eLearning system self-efficacy amongst instructors at the University of Dodoma, Tanzania

Higher learning institutions in Africa have been investing in various eLearning systems (also referred to as learning management systems) aiming at improving the quality of teaching and learning. However, non-use or low usage of these systems amongst users is a significant setback for their success. Studies indicate that first-order barriers such as unreliable electricity power, shortage of computers, and Internet connectivity inhibit users from using these systems. This study examined system self-efficacy amongst instructors using mixed sequential explanatory design with data collected from 357 instructors at the University of Dodoma through questionnaires followed by focus group discussions. The adapted independent factors: performance accomplishments and vicarious experience from Bandura (1977), and organizational support from Higgins and Compeau (1995) were subjected to linear regression analysis to determine the causal relationship with system self-efficacy. The study found that vicarious experience and organizational support had a significant effect on system self-efficacy amongst instructors. These findings show that examining system self-efficacy amongst instructors is critical to help those who are implementing eLearning systems in finding strategies that will increase system usage.

Factors influencing District Health Information System usage in Sierra Leone: A study using the Technology‐Organization‐Environment Framework

AbstractThe District Health Information Systems 2 (DHIS2) has been implemented in many countries as a standard tool for managing health information for decision making. Despite the continued adoption of this system in developing countries, some challenges affecting its effective use still exist. Previous studies have indicated that the majority of these challenges are mainly infrastructural and system related. As ICT infrastructure continues to improve, the need to investigate challenges affecting DHIS2 usage beyond infrastructural and system factors is important. In this study, factors influencing DHIS2 usage in Sierra Leone were investigated using the Technology‐Organization‐Environment (TOE) framework. Mixed sequential explanatory design was adopted using data from 126 respondents in 10 districts followed by focus group discussions. The study found that top management support, perceived benefits, security and privacy, and compatibility were significant predictors of DHIS2 usage in Sierra Leone. Similarly, poor Internet connectivity, lack of security policies and guidelines, and shortage of qualified staff were identified as challenges affecting the effective use of DHIS2. Recommendations for helping the Ministry of Health and Sanitation in Sierra Leone and other donors to ensure that DHIS2 is effectively used are discussed.

A aquisição de habilidades didático-pedagógicas de professores do ensino superior

O objetivo deste artigo foi identificar as atividades que mais contribuem para a aquisição de habilidades didático-pedagógicas de professores dos cursos de graduação em Engenharia Civil, de Computação, Elétrica, Eletrônica e Mecânica em três campi de uma universidade pública do sul do Brasil. A metodologia de pesquisa utilizada foi o delineamento misto sequencial explanatório, no qual foram coletados dados quantitativos e, em seguida, para o aprofundamento destes resultados, foram realizadas entrevistas com professores. Os principais resultados mostram que a experiência adquirida no dia a dia consiste na principal fonte de contribuição para a aquisição de habilidades didático-pedagógicas, apesar de a legislação brasileira prever que a preparação para a docência no ensino superior se efetive em cursos Stricto Sensu.

TEACHERS’ PERSPECTIVES ON TEACHING AND LEARNING STRATEGIES IN UNDERGRADUATE ENGINEERING COURSES

The objective of this article was to identify what are the teaching strategies most used by teachers of undergraduate engineering courses from three campus of a public university in southern Brazil. The concepts used were based on studies conducted by numerous national and international authors in higher education pedagogical area, and specifically in engineering education. The literature proposes several teaching strategies which allow student’s active participation, autonomy, the ability to discuss and solve problems, among other characteristics necessary for the future engineer, in order to overcome a teacher-centered approach focused on memorization. The research methodology used was a mixed sequential explanatory design that consisted of two distinct phases: a first phase with a quantitative approach and a second phase with a qualitative approach. The main results show that “lectures” are still the most used teaching strategies. In relation to the other teaching strategies proposed in the literature, the teachers demonstrated different forms of understanding and application, making it difficult to verify the frequency of use.