Interviewing Criminal Justice Populations without Electronic Recording Devices: A Guide

We outline a guide for facilitating face-to-face in-depth interviews without the use of electronic recording devices in criminal justice research. It is designed to provide researchers with step-by-step directions they can follow to conduct interviews when recording equipment is not available, not allowed, or not used due to other reasons. In-depth interviews are common in qualitative criminal justice research but require researchers to be highly flexible and adaptive. When interviews are conducted on sensitive issues or carried out in high security environments, recording devices may not be permitted or welcomed. This protocol aims to make the interviews more structured, systematic and organized when electronic recording devices are not used in an attempt to enhance the accuracy and transparency. These guidelines were developed based on practical and theoretical foundations

The impact of COVID-19 non-pharmaceutical interventions on the lived experiences of people living in Thailand, Malaysia, Italy and the United Kingdom: A cross-country qualitative study.

This qualitative study explores the impact of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs), including social distancing, travel restrictions and quarantine, on lived experiences during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand (TH), Malaysia (MY), Italy (IT) and the United Kingdom (UK). A total of 86 interviews (TH: n = 28; MY: n = 18; IT: n = 20; UK: n = 20) were conducted with members of the public, including healthcare workers (n = 13). Participants across countries held strong views on government imposed NPIs, with many feeling measures lacked clarity. Most participants reported primarily negative impacts of NPIs on their lives, including through separation, isolation and grief over missed milestones; work-related challenges and income loss; and poor mental health and wellbeing. Nonetheless, many also experienced inadvertent positive consequences, including more time at home to focus on what they most valued in life; a greater sense of connectedness; and benefits to working life. Commonly employed coping strategies focused on financial coping (e.g. reducing spending); psycho-emotional coping (e.g. engaging in spiritual practices); social coping and connectedness (e.g., maintaining relationships remotely); reducing and mitigating risks (e.g., changing food shopping routines); and limiting exposure to the news (e.g., checking news only occasionally). Importantly, the extent to which participants' lived experiences were positive or negative, and their ability to cope was underpinned by individual, social and economic factors, with the analysis indicating some salient differences across countries and participants. In order to mitigate negative and unequal impacts of NPIs, COVID-19 policies will benefit from paying closer attention to the social, cultural and psychological-not just biological-vulnerabilities to, and consequences of public health measures

Social, ethical and behavioural aspects of COVID-19.

Introduction: Vaccines and drugs for the treatment and prevention of COVID-19 require robust evidence generated from clinical trials before they can be used. Decisions on how to apply non-pharmaceutical interventions such as quarantine, self-isolation, social distancing and travel restrictions should also be based on evidence. There are some experiential and mathematical modelling data for these interventions, but there is a lack of data on the social, ethical and behavioural aspects of these interventions in the literature. Therefore, our study aims to produce evidence to inform (non-pharmaceutical) interventions such as communications, quarantine, self-isolation, social distancing, travel restrictions and other public health measures for the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: The study will be conducted in the United Kingdom, Italy, Malaysia, Slovenia and Thailand. We propose to conduct 600-1000 quantitative surveys and 25-35 qualitative interviews per country. Data collection will follow the following four themes: (1) Quarantine and self-isolation (2) social distancing and travel restrictions (3) wellbeing and mental health (4) information, misinformation and rumours. In light of limitations of travel and holding in-person meetings, we will primarily use online/remote methods for collecting data. Study participants will be adults who have provided informed consent from different demographic, socio-economic and risk groups. Discussion: At the time of the inception of the study, United Kingdom, Italy, Malaysia, Slovenia and Thailand have initiated strict public health measures and varying degrees of "lockdowns" to curb the pandemic. These public health measures will change in the coming weeks and months depending on the number of cases of COVID-19 in the respective countries. The data generated from our study could inform these strategies in real time

An empirical investigation on Google Classroom: use behaviour of Malaysian school teachers

Google Classroom (GC) has become a prominent online learning platform in Malaysia since the government’s official announcement and later sees its boost in usage again during the COVID-19 pandemic due to the implementation of emergency remote teaching. The literature has unveiled that the mean score pertaining to technological knowledge in the context of GC usage was the lowest. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the level of GC use and the significant influence of facilitating conditions, habit, and behavioural intention on GC use behaviour among Malaysian teachers. A total of 37 secondary school teachers participated in an online quantitative survey consisting of 22 five-point Likert scale items. Descriptive statistics and standard regression analysis were used to analyse the data. Findings found that the extent of agreement and utilisation of GC during the pandemic were only moderate, requiring increased focus as a precautionary measure for potential future scenarios, such as another pandemic, where remote learning becomes the sole viable option. Results also suggested habit (β = 1.128, p < .0005) as the most significant factor that influences Malaysian teachers’ GC use behaviour. Thus, future initiatives in boosting the intentions of using GC among Malaysian teachers need to be considered

Economic and social impacts of COVID-19 and public health measures: results from an anonymous online survey in Thailand, Malaysia, the UK, Italy and Slovenia.

OBJECTIVES: To understand the impact of COVID-19 and public health measures on different social groups, we conducted a mixed-methods study in five countries ('SEBCOV-social, ethical and behavioural aspects of COVID-19'). Here, we report the results of the online survey. STUDY DESIGN AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Overall, 5058 respondents from Thailand, Malaysia, the UK, Italy and Slovenia completed the self-administered survey between May and June 2020. Poststratification weighting was applied, and associations between categorical variables assessed. Frequency counts and percentages were used to summarise categorical data. Associations between categorical variables were assessed using Pearson's χ2 test. Data were analysed in Stata 15.0 RESULTS: Among the five countries, Thai respondents reported having been most, and Slovenian respondents least, affected economically. The following factors were associated with greater negative economic impacts: being 18-24 years or 65 years or older; lower education levels; larger households; having children under 18 in the household and and having flexible/no income. Regarding social impact, respondents expressed most concern about their social life, physical health, mental health and well-being.There were large differences between countries in terms of voluntary behavioural change, and in compliance and agreement with COVID-19 restrictions. Overall, self-reported compliance was higher among respondents who self-reported a high understanding of COVID-19. UK respondents felt able to cope the longest and Thai respondents the shortest with only going out for essential needs or work. Many respondents reported seeing news perceived to be fake, the proportion varying between countries, with education level and self-reported levels of understanding of COVID-19. CONCLUSIONS: Our data showed that COVID-19 and public health measures have uneven economic and social impacts on people from different countries and social groups. Understanding the factors associated with these impacts can help to inform future public health interventions and mitigate their negative consequences. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: TCTR20200401002

Molecular testing for advanced non-small cell lung cancer in Malaysia: Consensus statement from the College of Pathologists, Academy of Medicine Malaysia, the Malaysian Thoracic Society, and the Malaysian Oncological Society

In the recent years, increased understanding of the molecular profiles of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has allowed for targeted treatment of actionable genetic mutations. The management of NSCLC now requires multiple molecular tests to guide the treatment strategy. In the light of this, there is a need to establish a molecular testing consensus statement for advanced NSCLC patients in Malaysia. This Malaysian consensus statement was developed by a panel of experts, chaired by a pathologist and composed of three other pathologists, four respiratory physicians and three oncologists. It reflects currently available scientific data and adaptations of recommendations from international guidelines to the local landscape. Expert recommendations on different aspects of molecular testing agreed upon by the panel are provided as structured discussions. These recommendations address the appropriate patients and samples to be tested, as well as when and how these tests should be performed. The algorithms for molecular testing in metastatic NSCLC, in the first line setting and upon disease progression beyond first line therapy, were developed

Measurement and determinants of multidimensional urban poverty: Evidence from Shandong Province, China.

China eliminated rural poverty under current poverty standards in 2020. However, compared with rural poverty, urban poverty in China has been somewhat neglected. This paper aims to discover the changes and determinants of multidimensional urban poverty in Shandong Province, a representative province in Eastern China. Using a nationally representative panel dataset, the China Family Panel Studies, and the Dual Cutoff method, this study creates a multidimensional poverty index with four dimensions and 11 indicators to measure urban poverty in Shandong Province. This paper discovers that while the incidence of multidimensional urban poverty in Shandong Province decreased from 47.62% in 2010 to 36.45% in 2018, the intensity of multidimensional poverty only decreased from 41.27% to 37.25%, which indicates the inadequacy of urban anti-poverty efforts in Shandong Province. This paper also uses logistic regression to identify the determinants of multidimensional urban poverty. The findings suggest that income, health, drinking water, and durable goods are the main determinants of multidimensional urban poverty in Shandong Province. Based on these findings, this study provides targeted recommendations for future urban anti-poverty policies in Shandong Province

Comparing Volunteer Policing in Malaysia, England and Wales, and the United States of America: Cross-National Findings

Purpose: This article offers a tri-national comparison between Malaysia, England and Wales and the United States of America Design/methodology/approach: It is based on reviewing, collating, comparing and contrasting previous research findings and official reports on the topic with a view to identify recurrent commonalities in the three countries studied. Findings: Three key common themes are identified and presented in the article: (1) The relevance of the cultural positioning of volunteers in policing; (2) the importance of understanding the roles and capability of police volunteers; (3) recognizing prerequisites for recruitment of volunteers and the nature of their subsequent training. Research limitations/implications: We suggest that more detailed comparative studies of volunteer policing structures and officer roles would be valuable. Practical implications: The practice implications of these findings are discussed, and the potential value of and major challenges in carrying out cross-national national comparative study in the field of volunteer policing shown. Social implications: The paper discusses important issues in the role and value of police volunteerism to criminal justice and society. Originality/value: There are few international comparisons of volunteer policing and even fewer that compare approaches between Western and Eastern countries. This is the first study to do so

Teaching Strategies Employed by Academics in STEM Education: A Qualitative Inquiry

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education needs a teaching workforce that is knowledgeable and skillful. Previous studies have reported the effectiveness of the delivery of the STEM education using the outcome-based education approach. Yet, the implementation of STEM education has been equally criticized. This study is a qualitative inquiry using the grounded theory approach to identify the teaching strategies employed by academics involved in STEM education in a leading private university in Malaysia. In particular, the inquiry focusses on the outcome-based education and its implementation in STEM education. Eight academics involved in STEM education from a private university in Malaysia were recruited using a purposive sampling procedure. In-depth interviews were conducted using semi-structured questions. The findings suggest that the participants are apprehensive of using outcome-based education in implementing STEM education and would require more training on this approach. The data yielded teaching strategies and challenges faced by STEM academics in the implementation of outcome-based education

Teaching Strategies Employed by Academics in STEM Education: A Qualitative Inquiry

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education needs a teaching workforce that is knowledgeable and skillful. Previous studies have reported the effectiveness of the delivery of the STEM education using the outcome-based education approach. Yet, the implementation of STEM education has been equally criticized. This study is a qualitative inquiry using the grounded theory approach to identify the teaching strategies employed by academics involved in STEM education in a leading private university in Malaysia. In particular, the inquiry focusses on the outcome-based education and its implementation in STEM education. Eight academics involved in STEM education from a private university in Malaysia were recruited using a purposive sampling procedure. In-depth interviews were conducted using semi-structured questions. The findings suggest that the participants are apprehensive of using outcome-based education in implementing STEM education and would require more training on this approach. The data yielded teaching strategies and challenges faced by STEM academics in the implementation of outcome-based education