COPING STRATEGIES AMONG INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS DURING COVID 19 IN SWEDEN

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic created disruptions in all people's daily lives. This deadly pandemic tremendously affected the social, economic, and physical systems. International students were a vulnerable population whose adjustment and adaptation processes in Sweden were interrupted. Therefore, we carried out to ascertain the international students' coping strategies during COVID-19. The study thus explores the coping strategies that international students utilise to deal with changes experienced during COVID-19 in Sweden. Theoretically, the study was based on resilience, the social ecology of resilience, and the strength-based perspective of social work. These theories assume that international students have innate skills and capabilities and resources from their external environments that they utilise to bounce back from stressors related to COVID-19. A cross-sectional exploratory research design was utilised for the study, and purposive, convenient and snowball-sampling techniques were used to choose study participants. Data was collected using qualitative in-depth interviews and was analysed using thematic analysis. The finding revealed that international students relied on environmental protective factors such as family, peers, religion, sports, and authentic information. They also used innate individual traits such as innovation, talents, concentration skills in academics, and the ability to multi-task to overcome their distress. In conclusion, even though COVID-19 worsened the pre-existing challenges to the well-being of international students in Sweden, they overcame some of their problems and blossomed even in difficult times.  Article visualizations

Evaluating the Effects of Wearable Technologies to Improve Physical Activity Levels for College Students with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Regular physical activity can decrease the likelihood of being overweight or obese as well as other negative health outcomes. Adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) are more likely to be obese, less likely to be physically active, and at greater risk for health conditions and disease. Thus, there is a need for interventions that aim to increase the physical activity levels of adults with I/DD. However, interventions and related research in this field are limited. The purpose of this dissertation was to examine two independent single-subject design interventions that incorporated the use of wearable technology, a Fitbit, in order to improve physical activity levels of young adults with I/DD. Chapter 1 provided an overview of the theoretical foundations behind motivation, in particular, self-determination theory, as well as how it is related to fitness and physical activity. Common barriers that people with I/DD face when participating in physical activity are explored, as well as, self-management as a strategy for increasing physical activity. Chapter 2 evaluated the effects of a goal-setting intervention on the physical activity levels of college students with I/DD. It was implemented as a part of a singlesubject changing criterion design, where students set step count goals for each phase based on previous averages. Results indicated that participants consistently increased the number of steps taken across consecutive phases and were able to achieve greater consistency in step counts over time. Chapter 3 examined the effects of a social reinforcement intervention via a single-subject withdrawal/reversal design on the activity levels of college students with I/DD as measured by daily steps. This intervention incorporated social reinforcement by peer mentors within the Fitbit app. The intervention was effective, as all participants increased average step counts during intervention weeks. Chapter 4 discussed results of both studies as they pertain to the current literature on wearable technology to improve activity levels, self-management and goal setting in relation to health, fitness, and physical activity, and social reinforcement in physical activity for people with I/DD. Conclusions are discussed within the framework of self-determination theory. Limitations, implications, and recommendations for future research are also presented

Book of abstracts II International Congress - CIEQV 23rd and 24th February 2023

The II International Congress - CIEQV is the consequence of the development of the center’s strategic plan, which aims to increase scientific production in the field of quality of life. The communication of the science carried out configures a relevant social approach for public scientific research institutions. This congress aims above all to make available the knowledge acquired on the subject of quality of life, aiming to transfer to society and citizens the information applied to their way of life. We consider the highlights of the congress to be the discussion at roundtables on two fracturing themes, inclusion and urbanism associated with the quality of life of citizens. The conferences are multidisciplinary, addressing topics such as children’s education and sports participation, sustainable agriculture and self-care, all of them related to citizens’ quality of life. The proposed papers reflect the diverse research paradigms of this multidisciplinary and thematic center: studies on the educational contexts of youth and children; on the inclusion of people with disabilities; research focused on food products and sustainable behaviors; approaches to sports training, athlete performances, physical activity practice; exploration of research on the motor behavior of children and youth; study of sustainability in organizations; research focused on quality of life in the different stages of human life; etc. This diverse approach demonstrates the complexity of the social phenomenon under study. Researchers search the connection between some variables and their interrelationship. In this way, the research produced gets closer to the ecological and social reality, transferring itself to human practices towards a better and healthy quality of life. This II International Congress - CIEQV is another initiative for the challenges of research in Quality of Life. I take this opportunity to thank the institutions that support us, the organizers of the event and the researchers who share their knowledge, from the perspective of open science and available to society.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Cross-cultural L2 learning exchange: A qualitative examination of strategies, tools, cognition and translation outcomes

Amidst the milieu of free and at-cost L2 language software applications coming into existence for use on mobile devices and computers, adult L2 learners are faced with the challenge of selecting their best choice for them to use in acquiring a specific second language. Their selection is based on their individual need and the context in which they plan to use the second language. More importantly, it is well known there is no single tool, resource, or strategy that adult L2 learners can use to fully acquire a second language quickly and effectively, especially for intercultural couples who lack a common language for daily communication. While there is much literature on the topic of L2 acquisition and learning, the purpose of this auto-ethnographic study is to share with readers specific aspects of our journey in acquiring each other’s native language throughout their first year together. Included are subsequent findings involving cognition and translation issues as developing skills recognized during various phases of L2 acquisition

Screen Time and Productivity: An Extension of Goal-setting Theory to Explain Optimum Smartphone Use

Over the past several years, much research has examined the negative consequences that can arise from smartphone use. To help reduce these consequences, companies have developed smartphone applications and features to enable self-monitoring behaviors. However, the mechanisms that have caused smartphone-enabled self-monitoring behaviors to emerge and the positive outcomes that might result from such behaviors have received limited scholarly attention. In this study, we ameliorate this gap by proposing a framework that highlights key antecedents and outcomes of screen- time self-monitoring success based on a smartphone-based self-monitoring intervention. Informed by a short-term longitudinal study, our results show how smartphone-based self-monitoring can enhance awareness of smartphone use and, consequently, lead to positive outcomes for users. Our findings reveal that how users perceive smartphone self- monitoring affordances, their outcome expectations, and their smartphone self-monitoring efficacy positively relate to the extent they engage in smartphone-based self-monitoring behavior. In turn, self-monitoring enhances user productivity and leads to an overall sense of contentment with achievement. Nevertheless, our findings suggest that self-monitoring fatigue negatively moderates these relationships. This study offers novel theoretical and practical insights to encourage users to use smartphones in a more regulated manner. More generally, this study contributes to the literature on self-monitoring and self-regulation in digitally enabled environments

Linking Research and Policy: Assessing a Framework for Organic Agricultural Support in Ireland

This paper links social science research and agricultural policy through an analysis of support for organic agriculture and food. Globally, sales of organic food have experienced 20% annual increases for the past two decades, and represent the fastest growing segment of the grocery market. Although consumer interest has increased, farmers are not keeping up with demand. This is partly due to a lack of political support provided to farmers in their transition from conventional to organic production. Support policies vary by country and in some nations, such as the US, vary by state/province. There have been few attempts to document the types of support currently in place. This research draws on an existing Framework tool to investigate regionally specific and relevant policy support available to organic farmers in Ireland. This exploratory study develops a case study of Ireland within the framework of ten key categories of organic agricultural support: leadership, policy, research, technical support, financial support, marketing and promotion, education and information, consumer issues, inter-agency activities, and future developments. Data from the Irish Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, the Irish Agriculture and Food Development Authority (Teagasc), and other governmental and semi-governmental agencies provide the basis for an assessment of support in each category. Assessments are based on the number of activities, availability of information to farmers, and attention from governmental personnel for each of the ten categories. This policy framework is a valuable tool for farmers, researchers, state agencies, and citizen groups seeking to document existing types of organic agricultural support and discover policy areas which deserve more attention