8,738 research outputs found
'As important to me as water' : how refugees in Rome use smartphones to improve their well-being : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of International Development at Massey University, Palmerston North, ManawatΕ«, New Zealand
Mobile phones and smartphones have been hailed as instrumental in assisting migrants and refugees to make the perilous journey to Europe. Civil society groups and humanitarian agencies are responding by developing a plethora of technological aid initiatives to assist refugees and asylum-seekers - a phenomenon dubbed βICT4Refugeesβ. However, without a sound understanding of smartphones enable people to be and do, such well-intended projects may fail. Within ICT4D the Capability Approach has become a popular conceptual tool for analysing and discussing the role of technology in improving the well-being of the poor and disadvantaged. Proponents argue it is not access to technology that matters; it is how people use it to enhance their capabilities and achieve valuable lives. Therefore, this thesis investigates how refugees in Rome, Italy, use smartphones to improve their well-being and whether, according to the Capability Approach, smartphones can expand refugeesβ capabilities, choices and freedoms. The research is based on qualitative, semi-structured interviews with refugee guests and staff at a refugee centre in Rome, conducted in May 2016. Findings were analysed using an evaluative framework based on capability models created for ICT4D settings, which provided an ecological view of the different factors which influence smartphone use. Overall, the findings indicate that smartphones are critical to the psychological well-being of participants β βas important as waterβ for their survival - as they enable them to connect to friends and family conveniently and at little or no cost, providing they have access to the Internet. Frequent contact helps replenish participantsβ resilience in an otherwise hostile environment. However, owning a smartphone has not improved the informational capabilities of all participants in this study. Thus, refugees may require support to develop the necessary digital and informational literacies needed to participate in an Information Society.
Key words: Capabilities, refugees, ICTs, Italy, smartphone
Recent carbonate sediments of the Western Khor al Bazam, Abu Dhabi, Trucial Coast
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Workplace screening programs for chronic disease prevention: a rapid review
This review examined the effectiveness of workplace screening programs for chronic disease prevention based on evidence retrieved from the main databases of biomedical and health economic literature published to March 2012, supplemented with relevant reports. The review found: 1. Strong evidence of effectiveness of HRAs (when used in combination with other interventions) in relation to tobacco use, alcohol use, dietary fat intake, blood pressure and cholesterol 2. Sufficient evidence for effectiveness of worksite programs to control overweight and obesity 3. Sufficient evidence of effectiveness for workplace HRAs in combination with additional interventions to have favourable impact on the use of healthcare services (such as reductions in emergency department visits, outpatient visits, and inpatient hospital days over the longer term) 4. Sufficient evidence for effectiveness of benefits-linked financial incentives in increasing HRA and program participation 5. Sufficient evidence that for every dollar invested in these programs an annual gain of 1.40 to $4.60) can be achieved 6. Promising evidence that even higher returns on investment can be achieved in programs incorporating newer technologies such as telephone coaching of high risk individuals and benefits-linked financial incentive
An Autoethnographic Book Review
Sharing some personal experiences and tying it to some larger social discourses regarding learning and the academy, I praise Heewon Chang, the author of Autoethnography as Method, for the practical and clear way she presents her method for writing autoethnographie
Heat, Sweat, and Results: The Fruits of Passion in Qualitative Research - A Review of Salsa Dancing into the Social Sciences by Kristin Luker
In Salsa Dancing into the Social Sciences: Research in an Age of Infoglut, Kristin Luker examines the metaphor of salsa dancing in learning and conducting qualitative research and explores its utility and uniqueness. She emphasizes the need for social scientists to look for greater connections in their work and to trust their instincts more. By increasing their passion Dr. Luker suggests researchers will be able to conduct studies that are more rigorous and more robustly presented
Research within Our Everyday Reach: A Review of Research and Social Change: A Relational Constructionist Approach
I review the 2012 book, Research and Social Change: A Relational Constructionist Approach, by Sheila McNamee and Dian Marie Hosking concentrating on two ideas critical to constructionist inquiry. I emphasize and discuss βeveryday-nessβ (p. 4) in relation to studying oneβs own practice as well as the notion of βengaged unfoldingβ (p. 45) in relation to methodological decision-making
Applied Interpretation: A Review of Interpretive Description by Sally Thorne
In this book review I focus on the connections between the concepts, applied and interpretive, in conjunction with Sally\u27s Thorne\u27s (2008) emphasis on using interpretive qualitative research to answer the questions that practitioners encounter in their work
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