Qualitative Dimensions Research Articles

Evaluation of an interprofessional primary healthcare team as a new model of primary care in Quebec: a protocol for a type 2 effectiveness-implementation hybrid study

IntroductionOne family medicine group (FMG) in Quebec has commenced a 5-year pilot project, which is herein referred to as the Archimède model, to implement a patient-centred model based on interprofessional...

Distance Education Experiences of Formal Child Development Undergraduate Students in the COVID-19 Pandemic Process

The purpose of the current study is to examine the distance education experiences of students who are receiving formal undergraduate education in the field of child development at public and private universities in Türkiye during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The convergent parallel design, one of the mixed method designs, was used in the study. In March-April 2021, when the data were collected, 788 students who continued their formal child development undergraduate education through distance education due to the pandemic were included in the quantitative dimension and 11 students were included in the qualitative dimension of the study. Due to the measures taken during the pandemic, quantitative data were collected through online form and qualitative data were collected through online interviews. It was determined that the students benefited from distance education the most in terms of theoretical knowledge and the least in terms of professional practice skills, that the students’ general satisfaction level with distance education was 4.55±2.75 on a numerical rating scale during the pandemic and that the vast majority of the students demanded that all courses be face-to-face, while 5.1% demanded that all courses be through distance education after the pandemic. The reported distance education experiences are part of the temporary adaptation process in an extraordinary situation such as a pandemic. After the pandemic, efforts should be continued to make distance education more qualified by determining the needs for applied fields with such studies.

Politicisation at the local political level within representative and participative institutions: the example of a poor Montreal borough

ABSTRACT The majority of studies on local politics and politicisation have focused on the study of electoral participation, political parties or civil society. The qualitative dimension of politicisation within local institutions has thus been overlooked. This research addresses this dimension by comparing how citizens politically discuss the world in a representative and a participative institution (The borough council and the participatory budget respectively) of local democracy in one of the poorest areas of the city of Montreal in Canada. In order to grasp the politicisation within political institutions, we link the notion to a rise in generality echoing a conflictualisation of stakes or/and a reference to (in)justice. Our analysis reveals that both institutional designs examined acts in complementary ways. By giving utterance to conflict, the borough council permits the expression of all neighbourhood issues while the participatory budget allows for citizens to dream the future by bringing out the consensus of the moment.

Effects of Using Virtual Tour Applications in Social Studies on Academic Achievement, Motivation, and Attitude

This study investigated the effects of using virtual tour activities on students' motivation, attitude, and academic achievement in social studies. An exploratory sequential mixed -method design was employed for the study. Data were collected using the Journey in Turkish History Unit Achievement Test, which included learning objectives and was developed by the author, the Social Studies Motivation Scale, the Social Studies Attitude Scale, and the Semi-Structured Focus Group Interview Form for gathering students’ opinions. The collected data were analyzed using statistical programs. Content analysis was performed on the qualitative data, while parametric tests were administered to the quantitative data with normal distribution. In the quantitative dimension of the study, no remarkable difference was detected between the control and experimental groups’ attitudes, motivation, and academic achievement in the context of social studies before the process. However, at the end of the study, there was a statistically significant difference in favor of the experimental group. In the qualitative dimension, difficulties such as the program’s structure, equipment, software, hardware, technological aspects, and teacher competence were addressed regarding the adaptation and use of virtual tour activities in social studies.

Quality Visitor Experience On Post Pandemic Event: Evidence From The Event Of Jakarta Biennale 2021

The Covid-19 pandemic that hit the world at the beginning of 2020 has dealt a heavy impact on tourism activities globally, including the limitation of tourism events such as festivals or exhibitions. An adaptation step in organizing events by implementing added health and CHSE protocols create different visitor experience. This research then aims to examine the quality of the visitor experience at the Jakarta Biennale 2021 event as the first major art exhibition event to be held offline with the CHSE protocol. The quality of the visitor experience is reviewed in 7 qualitative descriptive dimensions of memorable tourism experiences, then the analysis is carried out using gap analysis. The findings show that the implementation of the CHSE protocol resulted in gaps in two dimensions of visitor experience (which are involvement and refreshment), but in general, does not reduce the quality of the visitor experience at the Jakarta Biennale event. As an implication, the implementation of the CHSE protocol can be continued and applied in the organizing of other events with some improvement.
 Keywords: Quality Visitor Experience, Tourism Experience, CHSE Protocol, Event Organizing, Post-Pandemic Event

The effect of a problem-based learning model on high school students' human values

Different methods are needed in the field of vocational education to ensure that students associate the knowledge they have learned with real-life situations. Considering that problem-based learning (PBL) techniques also have important effects in the context of human values, this study aimed to investigate the effects of PBL models on high school students' human values. A mixed-method approach and expansive sequential pattern were used. Quantitative data were obtained through a quasi-experimental method that employed the Human Values Scale as a measurement tool, applied to 32 vocational and technical high school students in Turkey. In the qualitative dimension, focus group interviews were conducted with six student participants. Non-parametric statistical techniques and content analysis were performed, and results showed that there was a strong relationship between the PBL model and students’ human values; human values were positively affected and increased in all but one of the scale items. It was concluded that PBL can result in high-level learning outcomes and has a positive effect on learning and human values in general.

Scale-Making Narratives and Musical Tourism in Recife, Brazil

Anthropological studies of tourism have theorized scale and scale-making in primarily spatialized forms. This article, however, applies linguistic anthropological theories to show that scale is a discursive framework that includes spatial as well as qualitative and quantitative dimensions, which people use to assess socioeconomic problems associated with tourism. By bridging tourism studies, “music touristics,” and the semiotics of scale-making, the article analyzes how individuals’ positionalities vis-à-vis tourism are embedded in local and global power relations. The narratives of an influential musical promoter in Recife, Brazil, show that he employs—and combines—spatial, quantitative, and qualitative scales to compare Recife with more successful musical tourism destinations, to make ideological claims, and to envision how to transform the city into a musical tourism destination. In examining these discourses, the article suggests that individuals narratively create and invoke scales to strategically situate themselves and others within the global tourism industry.

Student Attitudes towards Guided Inquiry Approach Supported by Digital Stories

The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of guided inquiry activities supported by digital stories in the 6th grade science lesson on students’ attitudes towards inquiry. The method of the study was determined as the embedded design, one of the mixed method research designs. 27 students from a public school located in the countryside participated in the study. In the quantitative dimension of the study, a single group pretest-posttest research design was used. Quantitative data were obtained through the Attitude Scale towards Research-Questioning. The qualitative dimension of the study was designed in accordance with the case study model. Qualitative data were obtained by using semi-structured weekly focus group interviews, teacher diaries and observation form. Quantitative data were analyzed with Mann Whitney U-Test, qualitative data were analyzed with descriptive and content analysis methods. As a result, thanks to the applied method, the attitude scores of the lower and middle group students towards inquiry converged to each other. Interviews with students and researcher diaries also support the results. It was revealed how the learning environment, teacher, student and lecturing affect the attitudes of the students participating in the studies towards inquiry

The cost-of-living crisis is feeding the paradox of obesity and food insecurities in the UK.

Interconnections between the cost of living crisis and health inequality.

21st Century Skills of Pre-service Teachers and Visions of Faculties of Education in Acquiring 21st Century Skills

This study aims to reveal the situation of pre-service teachers in terms of having 21st century skills and their opinions on faculties of education in terms of enabling them to acquire these skills. In the study, which was designed as explanatory mixed method, 621 pre-service teachers and 26 pre-service teachers were included in the quantitative and qualitative dimension, respectively. To collect the data, “Multidimensional 21st Century Skills Scale” and “Semi-Structured Interview Form” were used. In the analysis of quantitative data, arithmetic mean, standard deviation, min, max, independent sample T-test, ANOVA test and Scheffe test were used. In the analysis of qualitative data, content analysis was used. In the quantitative aspect of the study, it was concluded that the 21st century skills of the pre-service teachers were at high level, the 21st century skills of the pre-service teachers with high general point average (GPA) and who participated in more social activities were higher than the others, and the 21st century skills of the pre-service teachers did not differ significantly in terms of the gender variable. In the qualitative dimension of the study, it was obtained that pre-service teachers had learning and innovation, knowledge, media and technology, life and career skills; they thought that teachers, parents, academicians, the individual himself/herself, and bureaucrats were responsible for acquiring 21st century skills, there were strengths of faculties of education in enabling them to acquire 21st century skills.

Improving Competitive Advantages of Higher Education Institutions through IT Governance, IT Excellence, and IT Innovation: A Case Study in School of Informatics Management & Computing in Indonesia

School of Informatics Management & Computing (Sekolah Tinggi Manajemen Informatika & Komputer - STMIK) in Indonesia currently needs to improve its competitive advantages, which are inseparable from capabilities to empower Information Technology (IT) for management activities. The research aims to develop IT innovation theories by studying the influences of IT governance, IT excellence, and IT innovation on the competitive advantages of STMIK in Indonesia. A sequential explanatory model is applied to collect and analyzes quantitative data in the first stage and qualitative data in the second stage. Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) method is also used to receive respondents’ statements to strengthen the research findings. The analysis unit involves private STMIK in Indonesia with heads of schools, deputies, and heads of study programs. Quantitative and qualitative research dimensions and an empirical survey, with the active participation of 85 schools, are implemented. The results emphasize that IT maturity is insignificant as a moderating variable between IT innovation and competitive advantages. Similarly, IT governance is also insignificant for the improvement of competitive advantages. However, competitive advantage is directly and favorably impacted by IT innovation initiatives. These findings demonstrate how much easier it is for universities to improve their competitive edge using their greater IT innovations. This circumstance demonstrates the enormous potential of STMIK’s IT innovation capability in Indonesia, allowing institutions to implement novel strategies to generate value by introducing new services.

The Effects of STEM Activities Conducted with the Flipped Learning Model on Primary School Students’ Scientific Creativity, Attitudes and Perceptions towards STEM

The aim of this study is to determine the effects of STEM activities carried out with the flipped learning model within the scope of science class on the scientific creativity, perceptions about STEM, and attitudes towards STEM of 4th grade primary school students and to reveal students’ opinions about the learning process. The sample of this study consisted of 57 fourth grade students attending a public primary school in a city center in the Eastern Black Sea region in the spring semester of the 2021-2022 academic year. Mixed method was used in the study. Quasi-experimental method with experimental and control groups was used in the quantitative dimension of the study, and case study was used in the qualitative dimension. In the study, data were collected using the “Scientific Creativity Scale”, “STEM Attitude Scale”, “STEM Perception Test” and a “semi-structured interview form” developed by the researcher. SPSS 21 package program was used to analyze the collected quantitative data and content analysis was used to analyze the qualitative data. The quantitative results of the study revealed that STEM activities conducted with the Flipped Learning Model had a positive effect on students’ scientific creativity levels and STEM perceptions, but had no effect on their attitudes towards STEM. The qualitative results of the study revealed that students mostly found the activities useful, instructive and fun. In line with the results obtained from the study, the use of STEM activities supported by the Flipped Learning model is recommended at all levels of education.

A Person-Centered Approach to Job Insecurity: Is There a Reciprocal Relationship between the Quantitative and Qualitative Dimensions of Job Insecurity?

Radical transformations in the current work model induce qualitative job insecurity (i.e., a threat to job characteristics) and strengthen quantitative job insecurity (i.e., a threat to job loss). Both dimensions are separate yet interdependent work stressors. Although organisational changes are often the core source for both types of job insecurity, it is predominantly a subjective experience-individual perception ultimately determines the risk and the consequences of these threats. So far, the between-person analysis suggests that the relationship between the two dimensions is in both directions. However, it is not clear whether these associations also reflect within-person processes. This study proposes and tests the reciprocal relationship between quantitative and qualitative job insecurity at the within-person level. We employed a multiple indicator random-intercept cross-lagged panel model (RI-CLPM) to test these associations within-person while controlling for between-person differences. We used three-wave longitudinal data (6 months' time lag) collected from a Belgian working population (N = 3694). The results suggest a unidirectional relationship (from quantitative to qualitative job insecurity). Furthermore, the results reveal significant within-person carry-over effects of quantitative job insecurity but not for qualitative job insecurity. Overall, these results suggest that a change in the experience of threats to job loss (i.e., higher-than-usual quantitative job insecurity) not only anticipates higher-than-usual threats to job loss (autoregressive paths) but also higher-than-usual threats to job characteristics (i.e., qualitative job insecurity), six months later. This study contributes to the ongoing discussion on how job insecurity dimensions influence each other. Given these results and the continuous changes to how we work, we call for further research to better understand the within-person processes of job insecurity development.

Evaluating the Effectiveness of the Biography-Based Values Education Program Implemented by Distant Education Method

This research was conducted to assess the effectiveness of the biography-based values education program (BBVEP) implemented through the distant education method. Also, BBVEP that was carried out through distant education was studied in the context of the views of students and parents. A mixed-method was used in the research process. The research consisted of a total of 34 students, including an experimental group of 16 students and a control group of 18 students. The qualitative dimension of the research included 9 students and 15 parents. Data on the quantitative dimension of the research were collected through the Tolerance Tendency Scale, Helpfulness Value Scale and Love Value Scale. Qualitative data was collected through semi-structured interview forms created separately for parents and students. Quantitative data were subjected to t-test, Shapiro-Wilk Normal Distribution Test, and ANOVA; Qualitative data, on the other hand, underwent descriptive analysis. According to the quantitative results of the study, the impact of the biography-based values education program implemented through distant education on students' values of love, helpfulness, and tolerance was not significant. But there was an increase in the score averages of each scale in favor of the posttest. In interviews with parents and students, it was found that they believed the implemented program was effective and efficient. According to qualitative results, parents generally believe that the study of values education can be done through distant education. Parents and students view the biography-based values distant education program as positive. Furthermore, some parents and students noted that conducted studies were effective in the behaviors of the students, while some parents indicated that their results could be observed in the future.

Comparative Review of Science Teachers’ and Prospective Science Teachers’ Awareness, Efficacy and Attitudes and Opinions towards STEM

This research aims to compare the awareness, efficacy and attitudes, and opinions of science teachers (STs) and prospective science teachers (PSTs) toward STEM. In this study, convergent parallel design from mixed methods was used. The study group consists of 45 STs and 177 PSTs. In the quantitative dimension of the study, “Teacher Efficacy and Attitudes Towards STEM Survey” and “STEM Awareness Scale ” were applied to the study group, which was formed by sampling criteria and maximum diversity from purposeful sampling. In the qualitative dimension of the research, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 24 STs and 25 PSTs selected through maximum diversity sampling from purposeful sampling. As a result of the research, it was observed that although the STEM awareness, efficacy, and attitudes of STs and PSTs were similar, they had positive attitudes. However, most of the participants in both groups considered themselves inadequate in STEM, expressed their opinions about the adverse effects of STEM applications as well as their positive effects, and that STEM applications were effective in career selection and country development.

Pandemide Değişen Mutluluk Algısı ile Duygu Düzenleme Becerileri

In the present study, the purpose was to determine the happiness perceptions of the students who returned to school after the Covid-19 pandemic prohibitions from the beginning of the semester to the end of the semester, to examine their adaptations in the process, and to examine whether the emotion regulation skills of the students affected the hedonic adaptation situation. The study was conducted in the mixed model, Convergent Parallel Design, in the case study design in the qualitative dimension, and descriptive research design in the quantitative dimension. The study group, which was determined with the Snowball Sampling Method, consisted of 24 students. The Emotion Regulation Skills Scale and Interview Form were used as the data collection tools. The results of the study show that emotion regulation skills have a positive effect on the hedonic adaptations of students and positively affect their perceived happiness levels.

Characteristics of Pain During MRI-Guided Focused Ultrasound Thalamotomy.

Magnetic resonance imaging-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) has become popular as an incisionless mode of neurosurgical treatment. However, head pain during sonication is common and its pathophysiology remains poorly understood. To explore the characteristics of head pain occurring during MRgFUS thalamotomy. Our study comprised 59 patients who answered questions about the pain they experienced during unilateral MRgFUS thalamotomy. The location and features of pain were investigated using a questionnaire including the numerical rating scale (NRS) to estimate maximum pain intensity and the Japanese version of the Short Form of McGill Pain Questionnaire 2 to evaluate the quantitative and qualitative dimensions of pain. Several clinical factors were investigated for possible correlation with pain intensity. Forty-eight patients (81%) reported sonication-related head pain, and the degree of pain was severe (NRS score ≥ 7) in 39 patients (66%). The distribution of sonication-related pain was "localized" in 29 (49%) and "diffuse" in 16 (27%); the most frequent location was the "occipital" region. The pain features most frequently reported were those in the "affective" subscale of the Short Form of McGill Pain Questionnaire 2. Patients with diffuse pain had a higher NRS score and lower skull density ratio than did patients with localized pain. The NRS score negatively correlated with tremor improvement at 6 months post-treatment. Most patients in our cohort experienced pain during MRgFUS. The distribution and intensity of pain varied according to the skull density ratio, indicating that the pain might have had different origins. Our results may contribute to the improvement of pain management during MRgFUS.

Designing “Down to Earth.” Lessons Learned from Transformative Social Innovation

ABSTRACT The consequences of anthropocentric ways of thinking, designing, producing, and consuming are becoming painfully clear. Moving from this observation, several designers have become aware that design culture needs to reorient itself beyond anthropocentrism. In this article, we start with Bruno Latour’s proposal of coming “down to Earth,” which acknowledges that we are ultimately “terrestrials,” and connect it to Maria Puig de la Bellacasa’s idea of “care.” These concepts are pillars of the concrete guidelines we propose here: they are foundations for designing in a regenerative way, stepping beyond anthropocentrism. This paper traces a convergence between this emergent account of design and some recent social innovations, which are, in our opinion, making what it might mean to get down to Earth tangible. This convergence becomes particularly evident when introducing the concept of the “quality of complexity”: in other words, a qualitative dimension characteristic of those experimentations in which people re-orient their daily lives towards reweaving the web of life. While designing can strengthen its ability to be regenerative by exploring how to further engage with practices with this specific qualitative dimension, it might also provide philosophy with some concrete examples of a praxis taking further concrete steps down to Earth.

ОЦІНЮВАННЯ РОЗБАЛАНСОВАНОСТІ ТРУДОВОЇ СФЕРИ В УМОВАХ ВОЄННОГО СТАНУ І МОЖЛИВОСТІ ЇЇ ПОДОЛАННЯ

Надано теоретичне обґрунтування сутності й змісту поняття «трудова сфера», розкрито її значущість і вплив на систему суспільних відносин. Представлено організаційно-управлінську структуру трудової сфери як соціального інституту в системі національної економіки, розкрито її роль у забезпеченні адаптації трудового середовища України до європейських вимог. Викладено результати авторських наукових досліджень щодо розробки науково-методичного забезпечення оцінювання рівня розбалансованості трудової сфери України, розглянуто основні умови і причини поглиблення розбалансованості трудової сфери України у воєнний період, яке призводить до інтенсифікації впливу соціальних ризиків і небезпек на людину, національну економіку, країну. Систематизовано основні дисбаланси трудової сфери і соціально-економічні наслідки їх прояву в умовах воєнного стану. У системі науково-методичного забезпечення новітніми є запропоновані авторами методики оцінювання незворотних втрат трудового потенціалу України внаслідок загибелі військових і цивільного населення; оцінювання тимчасових і часткових втрат трудового потенціалу за воєнний період, обумовлених тривалістю незайнятості переміщеного населення всередині країни, його виїздом за кордон, можливостями працевлаштування на новому місці, ймовірністю повернення за умови припинення війни. Розроблений алгоритм побудови інтегральних оцінок розбалансованості трудової сфери України виходить з концептуальних засад методології розробки європейської системи соціальних показників з коригуванням узагальненої моделі їх побудови. Розроблено й обґрунтовано індикатори умов забезпечення збалансованості й збалансованого розвитку трудової сфери у воєнний період. Здійснено апробацію розробленого алгоритму побудови інтегральних оцінок, які визначають зміни рівнів збалансованості трудової сфери в кількісному й якісному вимірах; акцентовано на необхідності забезпечення стратегічного управління трудовою сферою в Україні в умовах воєнного стану і в період повоєнного відновлення. Обґрунтовано доцільність збалансованості трудоресурсної і економічної безпеки, людського розвитку, подолання бідності, продовольчої безпеки тощо, які є складовими чинної Стратегії національної безпеки України.

Does energy infrastructure spur total factor productivity (TFP) in middle-income economies? An application of a novel energy infrastructure index

Even though there are numerous empirical investigations on energy consumption's impact on economic growth, the relationship between energy infrastructure and total factor productivity (TFP) appears to be understudied in academic literature. The present study examines the dynamic nexus between energy infrastructure and TFP for the panel data of 67 upper and middle-income countries during 1990–2019.First, we contribute to devising a comprehensive energy infrastructure index by covering qualitative and quantitative dimensions of energy resources using the unobserved-component model.Second, this study investigates the short and long-run relationship between the variables using the cross-sectional autoregressive distributed lag (CS-ARDL) approach. The investigation procedure confirms that energy infrastructure significantly and positively increases TFP in both the long and short run. In addition, diverse macroeconomic dynamics, e.g., foreign direct investment, human capital, technological advancement and trade openness, also positively influence TFP in these countries.Third, by categorizing the sample into upper-middle income and lower-middle income countries, this study finds higher coefficients of the energy infrastructure of the upper-middle-income group than the lower-middle-income economies to stimulate TFP. Furthermore, this study's results remain robust across the alternate estimation parameter, the wavelet coherence analysis technique.Finally, the study proposes some significant policy suggestions.