Turning Crisis into Opportunities: New Insights for Academic Experiences During the Pandemic Inspired from a Cultural-Historical and Activity Theory Perspective in an Autoethnography

The crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically changed many academic practices and situations that used to be taken for granted, leaving academia in a state of shock and chaos. As an individual who tried to meet new demands brought by the changing academic environment, I also experienced a sense of crisis. However, as I tried to meet those new demands, I developed new capabilities and employable skills. In this chapter, I will present selected accounts of my personal experiences in academia, both as a Ph.D. candidate and a higher education teacher during the pandemic. Cultural-historical and activity theory concepts, such as the concept of activity and the concept of crisis, are used to provide analytical insights into my experiences. The new insights helped me shift my perception of crises as something negative to opportunities and potential for development. It is argued that the concepts of activity and crisis can be useful conceptual tools to transform our way of perceiving crises and thus find new developmental conditions for ourselves in challenging situations. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2022.

Applicability of working abroad for physicians with a specialization in Global Health and Tropical Medicine.

BACKGROUND: In The Netherlands, physicians specialized in global health and tropical medicine (Ps-GHTM) are trained to work in low-resource settings (LRS) after their training program of 27 months. After working for a period of time in LRS, many Ps-GHTM continue their careers in the Dutch healthcare system. While there is limited evidence regarding the value of international health experience for medical students and residents, it is unknown to what extent this applies to Ps-GHTM and to their clinical practice in the Netherlands. METHODS: In this qualitative study we conducted semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions (FGDs) with Ps-GHTM to explore the perceived applicability of their experience abroad for their subsequent return to the Netherlands. Topic guides were developed using literature about the applicability of working abroad. Findings from the interviews served as a starting point for FGDs. The interviews and FGDs were analysed using directed content analysis. RESULTS: 15 themes are described relating experience abroad to healthcare delivery in The Netherlands: broad medical perspective, holistic perspective, adaptive communication skills, creativity, flexibility, cultural awareness, self-reliance, clinical competence, cost awareness, public health, leadership, open-mindedness, organization of care, self-development, and teamwork. Highlighting the variety in competencies and the complexity of the topic, not all themes were recognized by all respondents in the FGDs nor deemed equally relevant. Flexibility, cultural awareness and holistic perspective are examples of important benefits to work experience in LRS. CONCLUSION: Ps-GHTM bring their competencies to LRS and return to the Netherlands with additionally developed skills and knowledge. These may contribute to healthcare delivery in the Netherlands. This reciprocal value is an important factor for the sustainable development of global health. Identifying the competencies derived from work experience in LRS could give stakeholders insight into the added value of Ps-GHTM and partly help in refining the specialization program.

Self-Reported Changes in Personal Development and Meaning in Life among Older Adults during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Results from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam

Objectives. The aim of this study was to explore self-reported changes in personal development and meaning in life of older adults in the Netherlands during the COVID-19 pandemic and characteristics of the groups that reported these changes. Methods. Older adults from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam completed a questionnaire on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants were asked to rate changes in personal development and meaning in life. These variables were descriptively analysed and logistic regression analyses were used to explore characteristics of the groups that reported these changes. Results. Of the 1099 older adults (aged 62–102 years), 25.7% paid more attention to things one enjoys doing in spare time, 36.6% reflected more on important things in life, and 16.8% made less future plans during the COVID-19 pandemic. Self-reported changes in meaning in life and personal development differed between specific subgroups of older adults. The largest changes in aspects of personal development and meaning in life were reported by older adults who experienced personal adverse experiences such as death of a loved one (ORs 2.03) and/or health problems such as functional limitations (ORs ranging from 1.59 to 2.84) and depression (ORs ranging from 1.69 to 2.77). Discussion and Implications. A substantial share of the participants reported changes in specific aspects of personal development and meaning in life. This was especially true for certain subgroups of older adults. Relatives and caregivers should be aware of changes in personal development and meaning in life since lower scores are known to be associated with poor physical, psychological, and social well-being outcomes.

Students Digital Maturity and Its Implications for Sustainable Behavior

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the transition to remote and hybrid teaching and learning, highlighting the importance of digital maturity among university staff and students. Digital maturity includes technological proficiency and skills necessary to navigate and use digital tools for personal learning and development, as well as responsible and ethical use of technology, digital citizenship, and critical thinking. Developing digital maturity among students is critical to promoting sustainable practices and success in a digitally connected world. This article examines the impact of students' digital maturity on online learning engagement and explores the relationship between digital maturity, acceptance of universities' digital transformation, online education satisfaction, student engagement, and sustainable behavior. The study randomly selected 358 students from three Polish universities who completed an online survey (CAWI). The results indicate that digital competences positively affect the students' acceptance of the digital transformation of the university. Personal innovation and motivation for formal digital learning also influence acceptance. Accepting the digital transformation has a positive impact on online learning satisfaction. Engagement in online learning has minimal impact on informal digital learning. The positive moderating effects of commitment to sustainable development on satisfaction and commitment to distance learning and informal digital learning were insignificant. The study suggests that universities need to promote digital maturity among all stakeholders, and students need to improve their digital competences to take full advantage of the educational offer of universities.

Relationship between Psychological Well-being and Academic Achievement of Adolescents during COVID-19

This study looked at how adolescents' psychological health related to their academic performance during COVID-19. The sample for the study included 500 adolescents in the age range of 16 to 18 who were enrolled in classes +1 and+1 in "Government Senior Secondary" schools in rural and urban parts of the Punjabi districts of Ludhiana and Moga. Psychological Well- Being Scale by Sisodia and Chaudhary (2012) was used for assessing the psychological well- being of adolescents. "The results revealed that. more percentage of girls had better psychological well-being than boys. Significant positive correlation was found between overall psychological well-being with academic achievement of girls. The results brought forward that positive mental health is key to good academic success.

La significación del trabajo *

El debate social acerca de la cuestión del trabajo y de su valor se vuelve frecuentemente confuso debido a la polisemia de la noción tanto de trabajo como la de su valor. En lo referente a la primera, la gran variedad de los tipos de trabajo pone en relieve su indeterminación. Por su parte, la noción de valor cuando se aplica al trabajo, puede adoptar tres enfoques distintos: como modo de desarrollo personal y de socialización, el trabajo puede ser un valor fundador del ser humano (lo cual se aborda en la primera sección de este artículo);también se le puede reconocer como la fuente primaria de la producción de valores de uso (discutido en la segunda sección), y, en fin, se le puede insertar en la esfera mercantil, si bien es cierto que el trabajo no es una mercancía, la fuerza de trabajo se intercambia en las economías de mercado como si lo fuese (lo que se trata en la tercera sección).Alternate :The social debate on the question of work and its value often becomes confused due to the polysemy of the notion of both work and its value. When it comes to the former, the great variety of types of work highlights its indeterminacy. For its part, the notion of value when applied to work can adopt three different approaches: as a way of personal development and socialization, it can be a founding value of the human being (which is addressed in the first section of this article);it can also be recognized as the primary source of the production of use values (discussed in the second section), and, finally, it can be inserted into the market sphere, although it is true that labor is not a commodity, labor power is exchanged in market economies as one (discussed in the third section).

Gratitude and Hope as Correlates of Psychological Well-being amongst COVID-19 Survivors

The world witnessed and went through the COVID-19 pandemic for a major part of two years, the after effects of which still reverberate loudly worldwide. The psychological and emotional turmoil was felt by everyone but was accentuated many fold, especially for the COVID-19 survivors. Years of research have already established gratitude and hope to be the predictors of psychological well-being. The present research study made an attempt to explore gratitude and hope as the correlates of psychological well-being amongst COVID-19 survivors. The sample of this research study consisted of 76 survivors (N=76) from the state of Haryana, India. Gratitude Questionnaire-6 by McCullough et al. (2002);the Adult State Hope Scale by Snyder et al. (1996);and Ryffs Psychological Well-being Scale (RPWBS-18;Ryff et al., 2010) were used for the assessment of the variables. Descriptive statistics and Pearson's Product Moment Correlation was applied to explore the relationship among the variables. The findings of the study establish a significant positive correlation between both, gratitude and psychological well-being & hope and psychological well-being.

¿Qué hacer ante el riesgo de una "generación perdida"? Juventud y empleo en una era de incertidumbre

Resumen: El difícil panorama socioeconómico que se augura tras la crisis sanitaria es ya una realidad para muchos/as jóvenes. En este contexto, el objetivo del estudio es analizar las dimensiones que determinan la empleabilidad de la juventud a fin de identificar los pilares de actuación que, con carácter político, sociolaboral y educativo, contribuyen a mejorar su desarrollo personal y profesional. Para ello, se ha seguido una metodología cualitativa centrada en la revisión de informes, estrategias e investigaciones sobre el empleo juvenil desde la Gran Recesión hasta la crisis del COVID-19 (2008-2022). Se han diferenciado tres ejes de intervención: (1) protección y promoción del empleo, (2) mejora de la empleabilidad y (3) medidas transversales. Los resultados advierten de la necesidad de avanzar, desde las políticas públicas, en el segundo y tercero de los ejes, toda vez que posibilitan la promoción de transiciones laborales eficaces.Alternate abstract:The difficult socioeconomic scenario that is predicted in the wake of the health crisis is already a reality for young people. In this context, the aim of the study is to analyse the dimensions that determine the youth employability in order to identify the pillars of action that, with a political, socio-labour and educational character, should contribute to improve their professional and personal development. For that purpose, qualitative methodology has been followed, focusing on the review of reports, strategies and scientific research on youth employment from the Great Recession to the COVID-19 crisis (2008-2022). Three axes of intervention have been differentiated: (1) protection and promotion of employment, (2) improvement of employability and (3) transversal measures. The results point the need to make progress from public policies in the second and areas, since they make possible the promotion of effective labour transitions.

Target Settings and Types of Cultural, Leisure Activities of the Population in Stavropol Krai

The article presents modern approaches to understanding and classifying the target settings of the population regarding the choice of types of cultural, leisure activities. We highlighted the features of the pandemic period that affect this process. We developed research tools, taking into account the conclusions of the theoretical analysis of publications;also we conducted a survey of the population of Stavropol Krai (one of the southern regions of Russia) in October-November 2021 using the GoogleForms. The study was carried out on a regional sample in 9 territories of Stavropol Krai with the representation of the regional capital, MineralnyeVody, central, eastern and northwestern zones. In total, 1020 people from among those living in Stavropol city, Kislovodsk city, Shpakovsky, Petrovsky, Novoaleksandrovsky, Apanasenkovsky, Sovetsky, Georgievsky districts took part in the electronic survey procedure. The sample corresponds to the gender and age structure of the population of Stavropol Krai. Statistical analysis of the data was carried out using the SPSS program (version 21). Conclusions are drawn showing the typology of target settings and types of cultural and leisure activities of the population of the south of Russia. The information obtained shows the need for a wider involvement of representatives of older age groups in cultural and leisure practices and the organization of leisure activities, taking into account the needs and goals of this category of consumers. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

‘I left feeling different about myself': What students learn on their first practice placement

Introduction: With the inclusion of 40 hours of simulated practice education for UK occupational therapy students and the subsequent impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, universities have been exploring simulated placement opportunities. However, the evidence available to guide the development of such placements is sparse. This article presents the first stage of a grounded theory study that seeks to understand what students learn during the course of their first practice placement, with the intention of informing simulated placement development. Method: Grounded theory methodology was used to guide semi-structured individual interviews with 15 participants – seven undergraduate students, three practice educators and five postgraduate pre-registration students. Interviews occurred close to the end of the first practice placement. Concurrent data collection and analysis led to the development of categories of learning. Findings: Four core categories of learning were identified: learning about oneself, learning about the occupational therapy profession, learning about practices and learning about service users. Conclusion: Understanding of these four categories of learning may enable educators to consider learning which occurs that may not be anticipated, particularly in regard to personal development. This can enable educators to consider how learning can be targeted within simulation for an authentic simulated placement.

Community Coalition Action Theory: Introducing an Interventional Application to Confronting Covid-19

It's less possible to promote health behaviors without theory-based studies and it's better to use health education and promotion theories for more effective health education and promotion interventions. Theories are able to change the behavior of individuals at the personal, interpersonal, organizational, social, and policymaking levels. Organizations play an important role in the daily life of people, and any changes in these organizations can affect people's health. The Community Coalition Action Theory (CCAT) is a form of theories for the change across organizations. A community coalition is a structured arrangement where all members can work together on a common goal and objective. The current article focuses on applications of the CCAT to provide a framework for the development of activities and interventions related to confronting Covid-19. Forming a coalition is very significant and can increase the effectiveness of interventional programs. CCAT is one of the best practices that can be achieved through joint activities of multiple organizations that lead to improved health behaviors

THE ROLE OF WELLNESS IN DESTINATION BRANDING – A CROSS-COUNTRY ANALYSIS OF CROATIAN VS. MALTA'S ISLANDS

Wellness in different forms is growing in importance in the lifestyles of many travelers, therefore the offer side is constantly innovating and increasing its appealing products and services. DMOs should support these providers in reaching their target markets, which represents the purpose of this paper. It is well known, branding is one of the key tools in communicating the attractiveness of a tourist destination. The main research question which reflects the aim is: how are DMOs incorporating the concept of wellness in their destination branding marketing activities? This problem is researched on the examples of Croatian and Malta island destinations.

Truth and Scepticism: Developing Bildung and Phronesis through Socratic Questioning: Journal of the Canadian Philosophy of Education Society. Revue de la Société canadienne de philosophie de l'éducation

This research paper considers the place of the European lifelong-learning philosophical concept of Bildung (self-formation) and how Socratic questioning activities might be used to facilitate its development. Originating with the great philosophical thinkers of the German Renaissance, it is a concept that is again attracting attention because of its focus on developing the "whole" person and its potential for developing phronesis"practical wisdom." The primary source of research data is a podcast in which a diverse group of BAME (Black, Asian, and minority ethnic) learners discuss COVID-19 vaccinations from their own cultural perspectives through a Socratic dialogue. During this process, Bildung was developed by participants recognizing mutual concerns during this process, and Gadamer's (1960/1989) hermeneutic dialectical concept known as the "Fusion of Horizons" was played out. The dialogue identifies "trust" as an essential moral value and one that is needed in any just and stable society. This research suggests an alternative educational paradigm should be realised that lends itself better to developing Bildung and phronesis. The implications of this for teacher training are discussed and why it is important to develop "phronetic" educators. Reference is made to what this might look like in reality by highlighting the use of Socratic questioning in Danish folk high schools and how they have made the philosophical concept of Bildung central to their mission.

Situational Analysis of Psychological Distress and Coping Strategies among Farm Women during COVID-19 Pandemic

The unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic is responsible for widespread fear and psychological distress all over the world, including India. The present study was sought to identity the impact of COVID-19 and lockdown on the mental health of farm women. The sample for the present study was selected from the five operational villages of AICRP in Doraha block of Ludhiana District of Punjab. The results of the study suggested that farm women had average emotional stability, overall adjustment and approach to tackle the stressful situation in a logical manner whereas majority of women shows high self-acceptance. Farm women had better hold on different dimension of coping strategies, viz., Positive appraisal, seek guidance and support in problem solving and seek alternative reward but also shows higher level of emotional discharge.

Sustainable Development of High School English Learners in China: Motivation and Its Impact on Their English Achievement

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) cannot be achieved without quality education and the cultivation of innovative and international talents. This study examined high school students’ English learning motivation structure, the differences between male and female students, and the motivational impact on English learning achievement. Participants included 778 high school students (385 boys and 393 girls) from two Chinese high schools in two representative regions. The results showed that the English learning motivation of high school students mainly included four types, namely, intrinsic interest, learning situation, social responsibility, and personal development. Females’ English learning motivation was significantly higher than that of males. Further, intrinsic interest and personal development had a significantly positive impact on English achievement, whereas social responsibility had a significantly negative impact, and learning situation had no significant impact. The above findings contribute to further understanding of the internal structure of second language learning motivation and the influence mechanism of motivation on achievement, which are of great significance to students’ growth and the sustainable improvement in the quality of education.

Role of e-commerce and resource utilization for sustainable business development: goal of economic recovery after Covid-19

This study seeks to granularly document the fundamental aspects of the pandemic and its effect on the global scale and environmental steadiness. Structural equation modeling (SEM) is therefore utilized to analyze these constructs. The study results show that the pathway coefficient for the parameters, such as health awareness, naturalism, mediation, personal development, sustainability, sociability, empathy, and cooperation, illustrates that the parameters directly impact pandemic control and management. At the same time, the lockdown and social distance rules attain dire consequences on the “conventional” retail property sector. It might speed up the evolution procedure of different conduits retail plus the channel coupling performance of physical stores and, hence, cause changes in urban areas–retail sector. The pandemic isn’t necessarily leading to the shutdown of retail stores. Nonetheless, it might have a meaningful effect on the retail estate enterprise business. The results show a requirement for the rapid physical shop repositioning performance of different channels firms. The study presents a meaningful understanding and demonstrates many consequences for the retailers, Landlords, and equally policy crafting components tackling urban regeneration plus local economic advancement within the post-covid phase.

Exploring the Role of Social Connectedness and Health Anxiety in Predicting Psychological Well-being

Due to COVID-19 pandemic, social distancing was taken as one of the precautionary measures in India. Uncertainty about signs and symptoms, modes of transmission, and lack of definite treatment of COVID-19 has put the overall health of people in India at risk. This study aimed at exploring the role of connectedness, affiliation, and companionship factors of social connectedness and health anxiety in predicting psychological well-being and its components. This study was carried out on 317 Indian adults recruited through a convenience sampling method from July 2020 to November 2020. Hypotheses were tested using linear regression methods. Companionship had predicted 1.9% and 7.7% of the variance in autonomy and environmental mastery, respectively. Affiliation had predicted a 6.7% variance in personal growth. Connectedness and companionship explained 26.8% variance of positive relationships with others and 16.1% of self-acceptance. Health anxiety predicted 6.3%, 6.8%, 6.7%, 8.3%, and 9% variance of autonomy, environmental mastery, personal growth, positive relationship with others, and selfacceptance, respectively. 'Connectedness' and 'companionship' were the significant predictors of 'positive relationships with others' and 'self-acceptance'. 'Companionship' predicted 'autonomy' and 'environmental mastery', whereas 'personal growth' was predicted by 'affiliation'. Except for the purpose of life, health anxiety had predicted all domains of psychological well-being.

The academic mobility in pandemic times: The impact on Sapienza University of Rome students lives

According to the European Commission statistics, taking a mobility period abroad may prove to be an important experience not only by an academic point of view but also by a personal perspective. In this sense, the impact of studying in another European and extra-European University can be seen in the increasing technical skills, individual competences and attitudes that, in most cases, helps students in finding their first-job more easily after the graduation. Following these premises, this case study research wants to explore, thanks to the availably of primary data collected in 2021, the impact of the academic mobility on Sapienza University of Rome students personal development. In this respect, data on the mobility impact will be analyzed taking into account the type of the mobility experienced by students. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic indeed, mobilities could also take place in virtual and blended modality. © HEAd 2022. All Rights Reserved.

Stressor Event Covid-19 Lockdown? A Multi-wave Study on Young People Starting Their Professional Careers

The objective of this paper was to evaluate the impact of the pandemic as a stressor event on young people at the beginning of their professional careers. We report on three subsequent studies on a relatively underexplored aspect: The lack of inspiration, challenge, and team spirit, could lead to job boredom, disinterest, and a perceived limitation to personal development. At its extreme, a boreout can occur. A boreout describes a negative mental state triggered by prolonged exposure to the combined impact of the three aforementioned dimensions. Boredom and a crisis of growth became evident, but neither of the three studies could find evidence for disinterest or a crisis of meaning. Instead, it revealed the magic of resilience kicking in and confirmed that digital work connectivity diminished the negative side-effects of starting a professional career during the lockdown. © 2022, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Percepciones de personas mayores chilenas respecto del uso de las redes sociales digitales y su relación con el bienestar subjetivo, en contexto de pandemia SARS CoV-2

Keywords: aging, elderly, social networking site, qualitative study. 1.Introducción El proceso de transición demográfica ha develado un aumento notable y acelerado de la población mayor de 60 años. La noción de bienestar subjetivo comprende una dimensión afectiva, relativa a las respuestas emocionales de las personas, pudiendo ser éstas positivas o negativas;así como también, una dimensión cognitiva o de percepción global respecto de la satisfacción general con la vida (Diener et al. 1999)the authors review current evidence for Wilson's conclusions and discuss modern theories of SWB that stress dispositional influences, adaptation, goals, and coping strategies. The next steps in the evolution of the field are to comprehend the interaction of psychological factors with life circumstances in producing SWB, to understand the causal pathways leading to happiness, understand the processes underlying adaptation to events, and develop theories that explain why certain variables differentially influence the different components of SWB (life satisfaction, pleasant affect, and unpleasant affect. In this paper, we present a literature review of Information Systems research on the digital divide within settings with advanced technological infrastructures and economies over the last decade (2010-2020.