Programming for Peace: Sisi Ni Amani Kenya and the 2013 Election

In 2007-8, Kenya experienced protracted and widespread post-election violence. Mobile phones—and text messages in particular– were used to spread rumors and to organize violence. Sisi ni Amani Kenya (SNA-K), a Kenyan non-governmental organization, utilized a combination of traditional and innovative communication and dialogue approaches to increase civic education and engagement and prevent violence in Kenyan communities before, during, and after Kenya’s 2013 General Elections. SNA-K developed SMS-based programming that reached over 65,000 Kenyans with civic education, civic engagement, and violence prevention text messages throughout the 2013 election cycle. This paper analyzes data from qualitative and quantitative surveys distributed to samples from SNA-K’s subscriber base. The paper draws insights and lessons learned that can inform future programming seeking to utilize mobile technology and ICT-based communications strategies for civic engagement and violence prevention

An Ethnographic Analysis of the Use of Schooling as an International Development Tool in Eragayam Tengah, Papua

Though reports of schooling's failure to meet the needs of indigenous people are consistently prevalent in Papua Province, Indonesia, little is known of indigenous perspectives on the dilemma of how to effectively use schooling to benefit Papuans without harming them. I use data from eighteen months of participant observation, a time allocation study and a shadow method in Eragayam Tengah, a rural Walak-speaking region of the Papuan highlands, to investigate the nature of education outside of schooling, analyse what effect schooling has on this education, and compare a Walak understanding of the purpose of schooling with that of other stakeholders. I found that education in the private Ob Anggen school and education outside of school are not mutually exclusive and argue, controversially, that as an education already exists which prepares children well for rural Walak life, indigenising schooling is unnecessary. Indeed, schooling is valued by many indigenous Papuans precisely as a means of accessing what rural life does not yet offer; Walak people hope to use schooling to move themselves from the margins of global society towards the centre, where power, status and material resources appear abundant. Walak perspectives on schooling ostensibly align with mission and international development agendas but though Walak people hope schooled individuals will gain foreign knowledge, they fully expect them to retain Walak values, such as egalitarianism, autonomy and reciprocity. As my analyses of time and work demonstrate, these values, and the concepts they employ, contrast starkly with those held by other stakeholders, which results in competing and incompatible visions of schooling success. This thesis explains some of the reasons why state schooling appears to be failing in Papua Province and provides important insights into indigenous perspectives on the purpose of schooling, without which neither understanding nor improvement of Papuan highlanders' educational prospects can be built

Job security satisfaction in Australia: do migrant characteristics and gender matter?

This paper utilises the HILDA Survey to examine the job security satisfaction of migrant workers. Using fixed effects models, stratified by migrant status and gender, we uncover native-migrant differences in the factors influencing workers’ job security satisfaction. The adverse effects of non-permanent contracts on job security satisfaction are greater for male migrants than their native counterparts. However, the job security satisfaction of male migrant workers is boosted by union membership and wage increases. Among female migrant workers, education is positively correlated with job security satisfaction. We investigate the influences of assimilation and English-speaking background on migrants’ job security satisfaction and find that the negative impacts of non-permanent contracts on job security satisfaction levels are augmented among female workers who are well-assimilated or who possess an English-speaking background. Variances in expectations between assimilated and non-assimilated workers and English-proficient versus non-English-proficient workers may explain these divergent outcomes within female migrant worker groups

Differences in job security satisfaction between native and migrant workers in Australia: Exploring gender dimensions

This paper investigates whether migrant workers are more or less satisfied with their job security than native workers, and whether these differences vary by gender using the 2007 Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey. The analysis of migrants' satisfaction with job security is particularly important in an Australian labour market environment given that it is increasingly dominated by non-permanent jobs and migrant workers. The descriptive statistics indicate a significant difference in satisfaction with job security between migrant and native workers. Linear and ordered probit regressions are invoked to examine whether or not being a migrant has a negative impact on job security satisfaction levels after controlling for key socio-demographic, human capital and labour market characteristics and these regressions are conducted separately for male and female workers. The role of expectations in affecting one's satisfaction with job security is also explored. The model findings indicate that being a female migrant worker has a significant negative impact of job security satisfaction but the impact is insignificant for males. However, those who have spent the majority of their lifetime in Australia have assimilated more into the Australian labour market and are more comfortable with their job security

Knowledge, attitudes and practice pertaining to depression among primary health care workers in Tanzania

Examination of consultation data in a variety of primary care settings in Tanzania shows that, while psychoses are routinely diagnosed and treated at primary care level, depression is rarely recorded as a reason for consultation. Since, epidemiological studies elsewhere show that depression is a much more common disorder than psychosis, a series of studies were undertaken to elucidate this apparent paradox in Tanzania and inform mental health policy; firstly, a household prevalence study to ascertain the prevalence of common mental disorders at community level in Tanzania; secondly, a study to ascertain the prevalence of common mental disorders in primary care attenders; and thirdly, a study to ascertain the current status of the knowledge, attitude and practice pertaining to depression among primary health care workers. This paper reports the findings of the latter study. All the primary health care workers (N = 14) in four primary health care centres in Tanzania were asked to complete the Depression Attitude Questionnaire, which assesses the health worker's knowledge and attitude towards the causes, consequences and treatment of depression. The majority of respondents felt that rates of depression had increased in recent years, believed that life events were important in the aetiology of depression, and generally held positive views about pharmacological and psychological treatments of depression, prognosis and their own involvement in the treatment of depressed patients.However, the majority of respondents felt that becoming depressed is a way that people with poor stamina deal with life difficulties. The findings suggest a need to strengthen the training of primary health care workers in Tanzania about the detection of depression, pharmacological and psychological treatments, and psychosocial interventions

Exploring Stress in the Field of Early Childhood Education

The teaching profession is recognized to be one of the most stressful fields worldwide (Lhospital & Gregory, 2009). This qualitative study was conducted to explore the different stresses of early childhood professionals in the workplace and further explored to see if there is a difference between general and special educators’ stress. 14 individuals participated in one-on-one interviews, 7 general educators and 7 special educators. After interviews were conducted, five major themes were found, three of which were echoed in the literature. With the key findings, it was concluded that there is virtually no difference in the stresses among general and special educators. Both general and special educators expressed that there is a lack of professional support for stress management in the workplace which contributes to their stress. In addition to that, another stress factor for educators was not receiving sufficient training for the position they are in. This study presented data and knowledge on what can be done to support educators and decrease their stress in the workplace.https://source.sheridancollege.ca/fahcs_student_capstones_hbecl/1014/thumbnail.jp

Ultrasonic inspection and self-healing of Ge and 3C-SiC semiconductor membranes

Knowledge of the mechanical properties and stability of thin film structures is important for device operation. Potential failures related to crack initiation and growth must be identified early, to enable healing through e.g. annealing. Here, three square suspended membranes, formed from a thin layer of cubic silicon carbide (3C-SiC) or germanium (Ge) on a silicon substrate, were characterised by their response to ultrasonic excitation. The resonant frequencies and mode shapes were measured during thermal cycling over a temperature range of 20--100~$^\circ$C. The influence of temperature on the stress was explored by comparison with predictions from a model of thermal expansion of the combined membrane and substrate. For an ideal, non-cracked sample the stress and Q-factor behaved as predicted. In contrast, for a 3C-SiC and a Ge membrane that had undergone vibration and thermal cycling to simulate extended use, measurements of the stress and Q-factor showed the presence of damage, with the 3C-SiC membrane subsequently breaking. However, the damaged Ge sample showed an improvement to the resonant behaviour on subsequent heating. Scanning electron microscopy showed that this was due to a self-healing of sub-micrometer cracks, caused by expansion of the germanium layer to form bridges over the cracked regions, with the effect also observable in the ultrasonic inspection

Psychological strengths and well-being:Strengths use predicts quality of life, well-being and mental health in autism

Supplemental material, sj-docx-1-aut-10.1177_13623613221146440 for Psychological strengths and well-being: Strengths use predicts quality of life, well-being and mental health in autism by Emily C Taylor, Lucy A Livingston, Rachel A Clutterbuck, Mitchell J Callan and Punit Shah in Autism</p

The role of karmic beliefs in immanent justice reasoning

Karmic belief—the expectation that actions bring about morally congruent outcomes within and across lifetimes—is central to many, particularly Eastern, religions. This research (N = 704) examined whether karmic beliefs and cultural context (predominantly Christian Americans and Hindu Indians) moderated the indirect effect of learning about others’ morally congruent or incongruent negative outcomes on immanent justice reasoning (causally attributing misfortune to someone’s prior misdeeds) through perceived deservingness. Results revealed that the indirect effect of congruency on immanent justice attributions via deservingness was stronger for people higher in karmic beliefs, because they strengthened the effect of congruency on immanent justice attributions and the relationship between deservingness and immanent justice attributions. The indirect effect of congruency on immanent justice attributions through deservingness was also stronger in the United States. These results highlight the role that karmic beliefs play in how people reason about the causes of others’ fortunes and misfortunes