A critical assessment of the impact of conformity on collectivist families’ meal social interaction behaviour in Sierra Leone

© 2018 by Sheku Kakay. Published by Allied Academies. Content in the UH Research Archive is made available for personal research, educational, and non-commercial purposes only. Unless otherwise stated, all content is protected by copyright, and in the absence of an open license, permissions for further re-use should be sought from the publisher, the author, or other copyright holder.Background: Conformity is sanctioned at Sierra Leonean families’ mealtimes not only to streamline behaviour, but also to overhaul the character of individuals in order to increase their acceptance in society. These norms are reinforced to promote appropriate ethical standards at mealtimes. Consequently, moral family education at mealtimes is fundamental for knowledge transfer and for instilling appropriate discipline in children. The importance of this is that it plays a critical part in refining the thoughts of individuals within a family at mealtimes, which enables them to understand their roles and positions in the family and their relationship with others within and without the family, especially visitors and extended family members. Thus, building relationship with other members of the family is a mandatory requirement at mealtimes, as it serves to foster continuity and the long-term survival of the family. Tacitly, family cohesion is central to how families relate with each other at mealtimes and acts as a critical determinant of the degree of closeness in a family, which is vital for the families’ public image. Methods: The researcher used one-to-one semi-structured qualitative interviews to investigate families’ views and experiences of their mealtimes’ behaviours. In this research, due to the fact that the selected samples of families were unknown, the researcher used snowballing; convenience; and experiential sampling in recruiting respondents, including males and females from different cultural, ethnic, religious and professional backgrounds, across the different regions of Sierra Leone. The interviews were guided by a topic, and this procedure was followed until no new themes emerged. The interviews were recorded using an audio recorder, which were transcribed verbatim and analysed using a thematic approach. Results: A total of 20 families (comprising 20 husbands and 20 wives) with a sample size of 40 participants were used in this study. The paper highlights the influence of conformity on the behaviour of Christian and Muslim families (husband and wife) at mealtimes and draw attention to its significance as influencer of collectivism, particularly in relation to its impact on the social interaction between similar and dissimilar gender groups. The author critically assessed the extent of the influence of conformity on families’ meal social interaction behaviour and presented a comparative analytical summary of how gender affects the meal behaviours of different gender and religious groups. Conclusion: The aspect of conformity, as emphasised by a majority of the respondents, is used to not only reinforce family norms, beliefs and values, but to imbibe discipline among family members at the dinner tablePeer reviewedFinal Published versio

The effect of ethnicity on collectivist families’ meal social interaction behaviour in Sierra Leone, International Journal of Advanced Research

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.Ethnicity has been touted to have a significant influence on Sierra Leonean families’ meal consumption behaviour. It is used to define the social grouping of individuals as it is aligned with the type of language they speak, their cultural beliefs, the region or community they come from and most notably the assumptions they espoused at the dinner table. These factors are symbolic in defining the character of individuals at mealtimes, but it significance vary from family to family based on their ethnic orientation and the degree of acculturation experienced by them. This paper evaluates the effect ethnicity has on the collectivist behaviour of Christian and Muslim families’ when they interact socially at mealtimes. This is emblematic of the fact that the cultural behaviour of families is never sacrosanct and inflexible, but changes from time to time based on their level of exposition either to a new environment or a new social group they interact/come in contact with. Consequently, this paper highlights the degree of influence ethnicity has on the behaviour of Christian and Muslim families (husband and wife) at mealtimes and draw attention to its significance as influencer of collectivism, particularly in relation to its impact on the social interaction between similar and dissimilar gender groups. The authors critically reviewed the degree of influence ethnicity has on families’ meal consumption behaviour and presented a comparative analytical summary of how gender affect the meal behaviours of different gender and religious groups.Peer reviewe

UNDERSTANDING THE COLLECTIVISM DILEMMA: A QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE ROLE ETHNICITY PLAYS IN PROMOTING THE COLLECTIVIST BEHAVIOUR OF CHRISTIAN AND MUSLIM FAMILIES AT MEALTIMES

© 2021 IJAR. All Rights Reserved. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/The findings show how ethnicity plays a significantly role in Sierra Leonean families‟ meal consumption behaviour. It defines the social grouping of families, and demonstrates how they align with the type of language spoken, their cultural beliefs, the region or community they come from and most notably the assumptions they espoused at the dinner table. These factors are symbolic in defining the character of families at mealtimes, but it significance vary from family to family based on their ethnic orientation and the degree of acculturation experienced by them. This paper evaluates the role ethnicity plays in promoting the collectivist behaviour of Christian and Muslim families when they interact socially at mealtimes. This is emblematic of the fact that the cultural behaviour of families is never sacrosanct and inflexible, but changes from time to time based on their level of exposure to either a new environment and/or a new social group. Consequently, this paper highlights the role of ethnicity on the behaviour of Christian and Muslim families (husband and wife) at mealtimes and draw attention to its significance as crucially element of collectivism, particularly in relation to its role in the social interaction between similar and dissimilar gender groups. The authors critically reviewed the role ethnicity has on families‟ meal consumption behaviour and presented a comparative analytical summary of how gender is critical to the meal behaviours of different gender and religious groups. The study evaluated the role ethnicity plays in families‟ meal social interaction behaviour and highlighted factors such as affection, gender differentiation, education and hierarchy, as prime factors of the collectivistic behaviour of families. However, it was evident from the findings that failure to demonstrate emotional ties at mealtimes can debilitate families‟ cohesiveness and display of common strength.Peer reviewe

A qualitative analysis of the impact of cultural inertia on studynet/canvas use in teaching and learning at a post-92 university

IJAR, 2021,. All rights reserved. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.Since this line of inquiry is underrepresented in the literature on technology adoption, this study investigates the effect of inertia on technology usage and acceptance in Higher Education institutions. Inertia is described in this study as students' and academics' unwillingness to accept new technology as a teaching and learning resource. The paper considers the benefits and drawbacks of using technology, especially studynet/canvas and its effect on teaching and learning, as well as why some people embrace technology more slowly than others. The researcher used open-ended questions to assess the views of UH academics and students on a variety of topics, including self-efficacy, for example, self-confidence and self-belief in one's ability to master new technology; compatibility; instructor effectiveness; and facilitating conditions; and then analysed their overall influence on teaching and learning, especially in relation to technology use, adoption and acceptance in HEIs. The researcher discovered that users have a high level of self-efficacy, and compatibility has also been suggested to play a significant role in user adoption of the platform. Our findings indicate that inertia, such as self-efficacy, compatibility, instructor effectiveness, and facilitating conditions, influence studynet/canvas use. Based on researcher’s results, it is certain that capacity building, connectivity, technology update, and adaptation are the most important aspects of inertia affecting academics and students' use of studynet/canvas. This paper adds to organisational theories by elucidating the main factors influencing the slow adoption and use of new technology, such as studynet/canvas and its impact on staff and students’ success. It offers guidance to HEI management and technologists on the main factors preventing increased use of the studynet/canvas platform as a teaching and learning resource. The study also considers the long-term effects of these factors on universities, especially those founded after 1992.Peer reviewe

A Critical evaluation of the impact of religion on collectivist families’ meal social interaction behaviour in Sierra Leone, International Journal of Advanced Research

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.The symbolism of religion in the Sierra Leonean collectivist society is encouraged to promote increased inter-dependency and social bonding among families that share similar belief system. This belief is further accentuated and translated at the dinner table when interacting socially at mealtimes. The concept of religion is very topical in the everyday lives of Sierra Leonean consumers/families, which largely determines their food purchase and consumption behaviour. This study critically evaluates the impact religion has on families and how it affects the way they interact socially at mealtimes. As a consequence, the paper elaborates and highlights the degree of influence Islam and Christianity have on the meal social interaction behaviour of families in Sierra Leone, which is considered as one of the prime factors responsible for the increased drive for collectivism. The authors evaluated the scope of the influence of religion on families’ meal consumption behaviour and provided a comparative analysis of its influence on different gender groups.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

Spin-Transfer Torque Induced Vortex Dynamics in Fe/Ag/Fe Nanopillars

We report experimental and analytical work on spin-transfer torque induced vortex dynamics in metallic nanopillars with in-plane magnetized layers. We study nanopillars with a diameter of 150 nm, containing two Fe layers with a thickness of 15 nm and 30 nm respectively, separated by a 6 nm Ag spacer. The sample geometry is such that it allows for the formation of magnetic vortices in the Fe disks. As confirmed by micromagnetic simulations, we are able to prepare states where one magnetic layer is homogeneously magnetized while the other contains a vortex. We experimentally show that in this configuration spin-transfer torque can excite vortex dynamics and analyze their dependence on a magnetic field applied in the sample plane. The center of gyration is continuously dislocated from the disk center, and the potential changes its shape with field strength. The latter is reflected in the field dependence of the excitation frequency. In the second part we propose a novel mechanism for the excitation of the gyrotropic mode in nanopillars with a perfectly homogeneously magnetized in-plane polarizing layer. We analytically show that in this configuration the vortex can absorb energy from the spin-polarized electric current if the angular spin-transfer efficiency function is asymmetric. This effect is supported by micromagnetic simulations.Comment: The article has been sent to J. Phys. D. Submitted on August 9, 2010. (7 pages and 4 figures.

Lærerens rolle i utviklende opplæring i matematikk- analyse av didaktiske grep som kan fremme eller hindre dybdelæring i fjerde klassen etter Zankovs modell.

Norske myndigheter og utdanningssystemet hevder på å skaffe elevene kunnskap og kompetanse som tilpasses med store endringer i det lokale samfunnet og den globale fremtiden. Forskning på de didaktiske metodene i klasserommet er en viktig faktor for å fremme dybdelæring i matematikkfaget. Fokus i denne studien er å belyse: «Hvilke didaktiske grep kan fremme eller hindre dybdelæring i arbeid med utviklende opplæring i matematikk i fjerde klasse etter Zankovs modell?» Zankovs undervisningssystem er bygget på Vygotskys sosiokulturelle teori som legger vekt på felleslæring. Zankovs system er basert på fem didaktiske prinsipper og fire egenskaper for å etablere undervisningstimer som kan legge til rette og lede den generelle utviklingen hos elevene. Hensikten med studien var å undersøke hvilke didaktiske grep som er involvert i de ulike situasjoner i matematikk-undervisningstimen, som fremmet eller hindret dybdelæring i matematikkfaget hos elevene. En kvalitativ tilnærming ble benyttet for å svare på forskningsspørsmålet. Rådatamaterialet ble innsamlet ved å bruke video -og lydopptak for å studere de ulike didaktiske arbeidene av læreren i fjerde klasse matematikkundervisning. Analysene består av tre ulike kategorier: starten på timen, lærerens handlinger og lærerens rolle som hadde en innflytelse for å gi muligheter for elevenes dybdelæring i en dialogbasert undervisning. Studiens resultater beviste at de didaktiske grepene som ble brukt av læreren har spilt en viktig rolle for å fremme eller hindre dybdelæring hos elevene i undervisningsarbeid. Læreren har en betydning for støtte og skape elevenes læringsutbytte. Studien har konkludert med flere elementer som er viktige for å fremme eller hindre dybdelæring hos elevene. For eksempel er starten på timen viktig for å fremme læringslyst til videre arbeid hos elevene, spesielt valg av oppgaven som kan gi mulighet for elevene til å finne en sammenheng mellom tidligere lærdom og det nye emnet. Formulerte muntlige spørsmålet av læreren skal være tydelige og sikre at alle forstår hvordan de skal arbeide med oppgaven og hjelpe elevene til å skaffe seg dybdelæring gjennom dialog og diskusjoner i klasserommet. Et presist matematisk språk er viktig både for læreren og elevene

The effect of collectivism on family meal consumption behaviour and its implications on food companies in Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone is a multi-cultural and multi-faceted society with people from diverse backgrounds, who espoused different cultural behaviours at mealtimes and in their business dealings. The significance of this study is that it highlights the differences and similarities inherent among the families and businesses in the Sierra Leonean collectivist context, and Africa generally, which has been neglected by many researchers in the past. This study is the first of its kind in the African continent as it provides an opportunity for governments and businesses to see not only the cultural richness of Sierra Leone, but to learn and understand how to develop and respond to food products produced, consumed and sold in such markets. The aim of this study is to critically review literature on collectivism and undertake data collection to evaluate the factors stakeholders perceived as influencing families’ meal social interaction behaviour in a Sierra Leonean context, and apply the results on food retailers and producers to assess how they affect their behaviour when marketing their products to consumers. This research adopted the constructionist approach as its epistemological perspective, which is reliably linked with the ‘lived experiences of families and businesses as it is considered an appropriate way for determining how humans make sense of their surroundings. In the first phase of the study, 20 different Sierra Leonean families (husband and wife), with a sample size of 40, were interviewed using observations and one-to-one semi-structured interviews, whilst in the second phase of the study, 20 businesses (16 food retailing and 4 food manufacturing companies) were interviewed using a semi-structured interview approach. The research was conducted in the four provincial headquarter towns of Bo, Freetown, Kenema and Makeni. The data was collected using snowballing, experiential and convenience sampling techniques. The researcher used qualitative research in explaining the behaviours of families and businesses. The data was analysed qualitatively using an inductive approach. The findings showed that a majority of Sierra Leonean families and businesses displayed collectivist behaviour when interacting socially and/or when marketing their food products to customers. The findings also showed that religion, ethnicity, conformity, reference groups and social class were the predominant determinants of the behaviours of a majority of families and businesses in Sierra Leone. In addition, the results of the findings implied that variation exists even between individuals of the same religion, between gender groups, and between food retailing and food producing companies, which affects the way they behave. The findings further revealed that there is a cultural divide between a majority of Muslims and Christians with regard the type of food considered appropriate for consumption at the dinner table, which equally affects the type of food products manufactured and sold by businesses. Despite this division, the findings showed that there are increased commonalities between a majority of the families and businesses as well as differences, which affects their behavioural patterns. The key contributions of this study are that it provides an extension of our knowledge in identifying new concepts of collectivism in the Sierra Leonean context that influences families and businesses’ behaviour, for example, family/customer’s food ethics; gender differentiation; tribal sentiment; preferential treatment; communication style; education; etc. The study also highlights the concept of interactionalism, which posits that religion, ethnicity, conformity, reference groups and social class interact with each other in the form of a web in influencing the behaviour of Sierra Leonean families and businesses. Another contribution of this study is its presentation of the factors affecting families and businesses’ behaviour in schematic diagrams