Rethinking Digital Inequalities: The Experience of the Marginalized in Community Technology Centers

Thesis (Ph.D.) - Indiana University, Informatics and Computing, 2015Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have emerged as symbols of modernity in the developing world, and currently policy makers and popular press perceived them as bridges to promote social and digital equalities. However, scholars have regularly demonstrated that digital inclusion projects have often failed to meet expectations related to human development objectives. Some postulate that the problem may not be entirely one of project failure, but rather of our limited understanding of the value that technology provides. Hence, this dissertation emphasizes the socio-cultural aspects of digital inclusion projects aimed at favela residents and attempts to understand ICTs aspects and practices from their perspective. Favelas, urban slums in Brazil, are considered marginalized areas due to the absence of State social and physical investments. As a consequence of this, such areas lack proper infrastructure, sanitation and road systems and provide their residents, the marginalized, with a low quality of life. Favela residents are deprived not only of proper services for their basic needs, such as health and education, but also of access to technology and Internet. Most of them rely on community technology centers (CTCs) to access ICTs. Based on an over eight-month ethnography in the favelas of Vitória, Brazil, this dissertation focuses on the motivations, engagements, and adoption of ICTs by favela residents in CTCs. It asks the following questions: (1) What is their experience using CTCs? (2) How does their experience inform the ways we should think about what constitutes empowerment and disempowerment vis-à-vis ICTs? It argues that theoretical positions stemming from technology utilitarianism need expanding, because mundane and non-instrumental practices observed in the favelas shed light on the importance of technology in a variety of dimensions within people’s lives. Encompassing such practices contributes to a broader comprehension of the engagements and strategies that help shape the daily use of technology by people who suffer the consequences of being poor and marginalized

Casas partilhadas monetizadas: a experiência turística e seus efeitos na autenticidade percebida, no apego ao destino e na lealdade

The emergence of the shared peer-to-peer accommodation (SP2PA) has attracted the attention of practitioners and academics, given this new business model’s increasing popularity amongst travellers. It is therefore suggested that this type of accommodation can offer a differentiated, eventually more authentic, experience to its guests, introducing new values and meanings to the hospitality provided at destinations. To sustain this argument, it is important to enhance the understanding of guest experiences while staying in such a SP2PA, while also the impact of these new tourist behaviour patterns on destinations is worthwhile exploring. Taking into account the relevance of understanding the tourist experience associated with the SP2PA, this study aims to gain theoretical and empirical understanding of the SP2PA guest experience by proposing and testing a theoretical model that estimates the relationships between the dimensions of the tourist experience (the SP2PA guest experience) and the constructs of ‘destination attachment’, ‘perception of authenticity’, ‘destination attitudinal loyalty’ and ‘SP2PA attitudinal loyalty’. To achieve this goal, two complementary methodology stages were undertaken: (i) an ‘exploratory qualitative approach’ by conducting focus group discussions and passive netnography; and (ii) a ‘quantitative approach’ by applying a survey to a convenience sample of SP2PA guests. Statistical analysis of data used descriptive and inferential methods, with the Partial Least Squares (PLSSEM) as the main method for testing the hypotheses. A total of 409 valid responses were used to test the proposed conceptual model. Findings confirm the ‘aesthetic’, ‘escape’, ‘entertainment’, ‘educative’, ‘affective’, ‘social interaction’, and ‘sharing experience’ dimensions as appropriated dimensions to analyse the SP2PA guest experience. Amongst these dimensions, the ‘educative’, ‘social interaction’, ‘aesthetics’, ‘sharing’, and ‘affective’ are, in this order, the dimensions that most influence the SP2PA guest experience. Regarding the influence of the SP2PA guest experience on the tourist experience outcomes, this study demonstrates that this experience positively influences the ‘perception of destination authenticity’ and ‘destination attachment’ formation. In turn, destination attachment mediates the relationship between the ‘SP2PA guest experience’ and ‘destination loyalty’, while the SP2PA guest experience predicts the ‘SP2PA attitudinal loyalty’. Besides, the ‘perception of authenticity’ positively influences ‘destination attachment’ formation and ‘SP2PA attitudinal loyalty’. The results contribute to the tourist experience theory by providing an empirically-based insight into its dimensionality in the hospitality sharing economy context. This study also provides an analytical framework to understand the effects of the SP2PA guest experience on constructs such as the perception of authenticity, destination attachment and tourist loyalty. Furthermore, results may help design management strategies for both SP2PA platforms and SP2PA hosts to develop and implement an experience-oriented service strategy in order to achieve a memorable experience for SP2PA guests and create positive future behavioural intentions. Limitations of the study and suggestions for further research complete the picture.O surgimento do alojamento partilhado pessoa para pessoa (SP2PA) tem vindo a atrair a atenção de profissionais e acadêmicos uma vez que esse novo modelo de negócio tem ganho crescente popularidade entre os viajantes. Sugere-se, portanto, que esse tipo de alojamento ofereça aos seus hóspedes uma experiência diferenciada, eventualmente mais autêntica, introduzindo novos valores e significados à hospitalidade proporcionada nos destinos. Para sustentar esse argumento, é importante melhorar a compreensão das experiências dos hóspedes durante a permanência em um SP2PA, ao mesmo tempo em que vale a pena explorar o impacto desses novos padrões de comportamento turístico nos destinos. Tendo em vista a relevância de compreender a experiência turística associada ao SP2PA, este estudo tem como objetivo desenvolver uma compreensão teórica e empírica da experiência dos hóspedes no SP2PA, propondo e testando um modelo teórico descritivo que estima as relações entre as dimensões da experiência turística (a experiência dos hóspedes no SP2PA) e os construtos de ‘apego de destino', 'percepção de autenticidade', 'lealdade atitudinal ao destino' e 'lealdade atitudinal ao SP2PA'. Para atingir esse objetivo, duas etapas metodológicas complementares foram realizadas: (i) uma "abordagem exploratória qualitativa", conduzindo as técnicas de grupos focais e netnografia passiva; e (ii) uma "abordagem quantitativa", administrando uma pesquisa a uma amostra conveniente de hóspedes do SP2PA. A análise estatística dos dados utilizou métodos descritivos e inferenciais, sendo o principal método para testar as hipóteses a modelagem de mínimos quadrados parciais - PLS-SEM. Assim, 409 questionários foram utilizados para testar o modelo conceitual proposto. Os resultados confirmam a "estética", "escape", "entretenimento", "educativa", "afetiva", "interação social" e "experiências de partilha" como dimensões apropriadas para analisar a experiência dos hóspedes no SP2PA. Entre essas dimensões, "educativa", "interação social", "estéticas", "partilha" e "afetivas" são, nessa ordem, as dimensões que mais influenciam a experiência dos hóspedes no SP2PA. Com relação à influência da experiência dos hóspedes no SP2PA nos resultados analisados da experiência turística, este estudo demonstra que a experiência dos hóspedes no SP2PA influencia positivamente a ‘perceção da autenticidade’ do destino" e a formação do ‘apego ao destino’. Por sua vez, o ‘apego ao destino’ media a relação entre a "experiência dos hóspedes do SP2PA’ e a "lealdade ao destino", enquanto a experiência dos hóspedes do SP2PA condiciona positivamente a “lealdade atitudinal ao SP2PA". Além disso, a "perceção da autenticidade" influencia positivamente a formação do "apego ao destino" e a "lealdade atitudinal ao SP2PA". Os resultados contribuem para a teoria da experiência turística, especificamente em contexto de alojamento turístico partilhado, monetizado, fornecendo uma visão baseada empiricamente em sua dimensionalidade no contexto da economia da partilha na hospitalidade. Este estudo também fornece uma estrutura analítica para a compreensão dos efeitos da experiência dos hóspedes no SP2PA em constructos como a perceção de autenticidade, o apego ao destino e a lealdade do turista. Além disso, poderá auxiliar o gerenciamento de plataformas SP2PA e aos anfitriões do SP2PA a desenvolver e implementar uma estratégia de serviço orientada à experiência, a fim de obter uma experiência memorável para os hóspedes no SP2PA e criar intenções comportamentais futuras positivas. Limitações do estudo e sugestões para futuras pesquisas completam o quadro.Programa Doutoral em Turism

SBE16 Brazil & Portugal - Sustainable Urban Communities towards a Nearly Zero Impact Built Environment

Vol. IThe organizers of SBE 16 Brazil & Portugal were challenged to promote discussions and the development of solutions for an important and, at the same time, very ambitious topic ? Sustainable Urban Communities towards a Nearly Zero Impact Built Environment. This is the main focus of the international conference SBE16 Brazil & Portugal; the only event of the SBE16/17 conference series being held in Latin America, more precisely, in Vitória (Espírito Santo), Brazil, from the 7th until the 9th of September 2016. The conference offered a unique opportunity to bring together researchers from all over the world to share evidence-based knowledge in the field and succeeded to achieve its goals since many contributions from various parts of the planet were received, addressing a tiny part of the problem or trying to perform the difficult task of making the sum of the parts a coherent whole.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

SBE16 Brazil & Portugal - Sustainable Urban Communities towards a Nearly Zero Impact Built Environment

Vol. IThe organizers of SBE 16 Brazil & Portugal were challenged to promote discussions and the development of solutions for an important and, at the same time, very ambitious topic ? Sustainable Urban Communities towards a Nearly Zero Impact Built Environment. This is the main focus of the international conference SBE16 Brazil & Portugal; the only event of the SBE16/17 conference series being held in Latin America, more precisely, in Vitória (Espírito Santo), Brazil, from the 7th until the 9th of September 2016. The conference offered a unique opportunity to bring together researchers from all over the world to share evidence-based knowledge in the field and succeeded to achieve its goals since many contributions from various parts of the planet were received, addressing a tiny part of the problem or trying to perform the difficult task of making the sum of the parts a coherent whole.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Uncertainty modeling : fundamental concepts and models

This book series represents a commendable effort in compiling the latest developments on three important Engineering subjects: discrete modeling, inverse methods, and uncertainty structural integrity. Although academic publications on these subjects are plenty, this book series may be the first time that these modern topics are compiled together, grouped in volumes, and made available for the community. The application of numerical or analytical techniques to model complex Engineering problems, fed by experimental data, usually translated in the form of stochastic information collected from the problem in hand, is much closer to real-world situations than the conventional solution of PDEs. Moreover, inverse problems are becoming almost as common as direct problems, given the need in the industry to maintain current processes working efficiently, as well as to create new solutions based on the immense amount of information available digitally these days. On top of all this, deterministic analysis is slowly giving space to statistically driven structural analysis, delivering upper and lower bound solutions which help immensely the analyst in the decisionmaking process. All these trends have been topics of investigation for decades, and in recent years the application of these methods in the industry proves that they have achieved the necessary maturity to be definitely incorporated into the roster of modern Engineering tools. The present book series fulfills its role by collecting and organizing these topics, found otherwise scattered in the literature and not always accessible to industry. Moreover, many of the chapters compiled in these books present ongoing research topics conducted by capable fellows from academia and research institutes. They contain novel contributions to several investigation fields and constitute therefore a useful source of bibliographical reference and results repository. The Latin American Journal of Solids and Structures (LAJSS) is honored in supporting the publication of this book series, for it contributes academically and carries technologically significant content in the field of structural mechanics

Food for All

This book is a historical review of international food and agriculture since the founding of the international organizations following the Second World War, including the World Bank and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Food Programme (WFP) and into the 1970s, when CGIAR was established and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) was created to recycle petrodollars. The book concurrently focuses on the structural transformation of developing countries in Asia and Africa, with some making great strides in small farmer development and in achieving structural transformation of their economies. Some have also achieved Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG2, but most have not. Not only are some countries, particularly in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, lagging behind, but they face new challenges of climate change, competition from emerging countries, population pressure, urbanization, environmental decay, dietary transition, and now pandemics. Lagging developing countries need huge investments in human capital, and physical and institutional infrastructure, to take advantage of rapid change in technologies, but the role of international assistance in financial transfers has diminished. The COVID-19 pandemic has not only set many poorer countries back but starkly revealed the weaknesses of past strategies. Transformative changes are needed in developing countries with international cooperation to achieve better outcomes. Will the change in US leadership bring new opportunities for multilateral cooperation

Research on Teaching and Learning In Biology, Chemistry and Physics In ESERA 2013 Conference

This paper provides an overview of the topics in educational research that were published in the ESERA 2013 conference proceedings. The aim of the research was to identify what aspects of the teacher-student-content interaction were investigated frequently and what have been studied rarely. We used the categorization system developed by Kinnunen, Lampiselkä, Malmi and Meisalo (2016) and altogether 184 articles were analyzed. The analysis focused on secondary and tertiary level biology, chemistry, physics, and science education. The results showed that most of the studies focus on either the teacher’s pedagogical actions or on the student - content relationship. All other aspects were studied considerably less. For example, the teachers’ thoughts about the students’ perceptions and attitudes towards the goals and the content, and the teachers’ conceptions of the students’ actions towards achieving the goals were studied only rarely. Discussion about the scope and the coverage of the research in science education in Europe is needed.Peer reviewe