Analysis of e-Employee Discipline Implementation during COVID-19 Pandemic in the Workplace

e-Employee Discipline is the electronic and remote conduction of employee discipline procedure during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study is a quantitative descriptive study that focused on assessing and analyzing the implementation of e-Employee Discipline Procedure. Convenient purposive sampling technique was assigned to 150 employees who were employed during COVID-19 pandemic in Metro Manila as the respondents in this study. Furthermore, a survey was utilized to gather quantitative data. Moreover, a one-on-one interview using the data gathered in the statistical result was utilized to gather qualitative data. The demographic profile, majority are male (60%) who age 22 to 25 years old (34%), who are college graduates (48.7%), having an entry level job position (46.7%) and working in art/media/communication industry (35.3%) during the COVID-19 pandemic. The respondents find that the implementation of the e-Employee Discipline Procedure as fair and effective in terms of proper documentation procedures, handling of confidentiality, safety and security ( = 4.64;σ = 0.68). However, the challenge is that the respondents moderately agree that the procedure of employee discipline that is conducted remotely is somehow a bit far off with what is usually done in the office (face-to-face) ( = 4.38;σ = 1.30). The absence of physical touch and non-verbal cues like tone of voice, body language and hand gesture are something that the respondents are longing for. Pandemic really detached people from the warmth of each other. Conducting employee discipline which oftentimes has dealt with emotions remotely finds the respondents longing for the physical presence of being heard. © 2023 ACM.

Accelerating inflation expectations of households in the euro area: sources and macroeconomic spending consequences

In 2021 and 2022, inflation expectations of households in the euro area rose dramatically. Based on a time-series investigation from 1995 to 2022, I find that inflation expectations are driven by current price developments of three consumption product categories and house prices (which are not included in the consumer price index). About half of the recent rise was fuelled by energy prices, 20% by food prices, over 10% by transportation costs and almost 20% by house prices. On a macro-level, controlling for a standard set of spending determinants, a regression analysis suggests that accelerating inflation expectations in general will slow down growth of area wide real private consumption, but under circumstances of low nominal interest rates helped to cushion the negative shock of the covid pandemic and the energy crisis.

Patient Experiences and Outcomes in a Virtual Healing Setting: A Feasibility Study

Research Questions : How do participants with anxiety receiving distance healing using tuning forks, experience healing sessions? What outcomes do they spontaneously report? Theoretical Framework : Modified grounded theory, using single interviews to learn about experiences with distant sound healing. Methodology : Standardized open-ended, qualitative interviews of 30-minute length were conducted after the intervention and analyzed using an inductive and iterative process for identifying themes, categories, and patterns in qualitative data. Context : Single-arm, pilot feasibility study of Biofield Tuning (BT) for anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic delivered at a distance facilitated by Zoom (without video). Sample Selection : A total of 15 participants were recruited to this study: 13 completed all quantitative aspects, and the 12 who completed the interviews are reported here. Data Collection : The 30-minute qualitative interviews were designed to understand the impact of virtual BT sessions on the participant's experience, anxiety, and within the larger context of their life. The Self-Assessment of Change measured subjective shifts pre and post treatment. Analysis and Interpretation : The interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed using otter.ai. Two researchers read all the transcripts, identified key themes within the broader experience of sessions and outcomes categories, and came to consensus on key themes using a qualitative research analysis approach. Main Results : Participants were surprised by the degree to which they felt sensations and heard tuning fork changes. They commented on the accuracy of the healers' perceptions and comprehension of their life experiences. Participants reported positive shifts in perceptions of themselves and their surroundings, both interpersonally and in response to triggers. The patients' own words provide insight into the lived experiences of healing, and guide future research.

Comparison of Exclamation Mark Usage as Message Nuances in Digital Chat Communication Between Japanese and Indonesian

Exclamation mark or kantanfu in Japanese, is one of written language elements used to convey expressions. Based on exclamation mark usage, the meaning and nuance of a sentence could differ. Amidst the COVID19 pandemic that limits one's interaction to another, the frequency of digital communication has significantly increased. Digital communication through chats has become an activity that cannot be separated from everyday life. Therefore, it is important to understand exclamation marks correctly. The aim of this study is to avoid misunderstandings that could happen through chats in Japanese. This study will compare the use and interpretation of exclamation marks in Japanese chat between Indonesians and Japanese. Japanese chat messages containing exclamation marks were analyzed using Hymes' SPEAKING theory. This study uses Creswell's convergent mixed methods, with quantitative data of Indonesians' questionnaire survey results, and qualitative data of interviews with Japanese people. Study results show that there are differences in the use and function of exclamation marks between Indonesians and Japanese. © 2022 IEEE.

Dashboard Framework. A Tool for Threat Monitoring on the Example of Covid-19

The aim of the study is to create a dashboard framework to monitor the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic based on quantitative and qualitative data processing. The theoretical part propounds the basic assumptions underlying the concept of the dashboard framework. The paper presents the most important functions of the dashboard framework and examples of its adoption. The limitations related to the dashboard framework development are also indicated. As part of empirical research, an original model of the Dash-Cov framework was designed, enabling the acquisition and processing of quantitative and qualitative data on the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The developed model was pre-validated. Over 25,000 records and around 100,000 tweets were analyzed. The adopted research methods included statistical analysis and text analysis methods, in particular the sentiment analysis and the topic modeling. © 2022 IEEE Computer Society. All rights reserved.

Assessing the Church of England's Leadership Response to the Covid-19 Pandemic: Listening to the Voice of Rural Lay People

The aim of the present study is to analyse the qualitative text written on the back page of a quantitative survey concerned with the Church of England's response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Of the 1460 rural lay people in England who took part in the Coronavirus, Church & You survey, 501 wrote further (sometimes detailed) comments on the back page (34 per cent participation rate). This study analyses the comments made by a subsection of these 501 rural lay people, specifically the 52 participants who voiced their views on how the Church of England's leadership responded during the first four months of the Covid-19 pandemic. Analysis identified a number of issues and concerns, including: a lack of quality leadership, comparing with other Churches, becoming irrelevant, centralizing action, closing rural churches, neglecting rural people, neglecting rural clergy, marginalizing rural communities, using the kitchen table, and looking to the future. Overall, rural lay people were disappointed with the response of church leadership to the first national lockdown. If these churchgoers are to be fruitfully reconnected with their churches after the pandemic, then leadership of the Church of England may need to hear and to take seriously their concerns. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Journal of Anglican Studies is the property of Cambridge University Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

The Digital Divide in Online Education: A Study of Underserved College Students

Access to technology is essential to educational success in today's digitized society, but disparities in access to technology can handicap students. This study examines to what extent this digital divide exists among underserved students in online instruction during COVID-19 and in their adoption of free Technology Loaner programs. Focusing on underserved students that are characterized by their generational status, minority background or low income, we predict that underserved college students will show lower levels of technology access and higher levels of free technology adoption than their counterparts. However, the quantitative analysis of survey data (n=258) collected from a U.S. minority-serving university provides mixed, surprising results. Follow-up analysis of qualitative data from 10 interviews offers us further insights and partial explanations for these unexpected results. Our study suggests that individual background should be considered in designing a policy to mitigate digital divide and enhance student learning in online education. © 2022 IEEE Computer Society. All rights reserved.

Prolonged Online Learning: An Exploratory Mixed-Methods Study on EFL Learners' Needs and Need Satisfaction

In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, English programs were switched to online regardless of learners' wishes in several regions. In such a challenging circumstance, learners' needs should be specially attended to. Situated within the framework of Self-Determination Theory, the current study explores the fundamental needs of relatedness, competence, and autonomy of EFL (English as a foreign language) learners and the satisfaction of those needs in fully online learning. The study draws upon qualitative data collected from focus groups (seven students), and quantitative data collected from a survey (183 students). Findings indicate strong teacher support in fields other than autonomy and relatedness. Also, students were highly satisfied with both their technological and academic competence but were neither happy with the in-classroom communication nor provided space for autonomy. Based on the findings, implications to enhance learners' need satisfaction in prolonged post-pandemic online learning are discussed © 2023, International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning.All Rights Reserved.

Cybersecurity Concerns Under COVID-19: Representations on Increasing Digital Literacy in Higher Education

The COVID-19 brought several new challenges for the students and lecturers, particularly in higher education. The conventional physical classroom was almost instantly pushed into a new environment: a remote session class. And this lecturing paradigm shift occurred, necessarily, in a short period of time. The lecturing players suffered the pressure of using different learning tools and methodologies while exposing themselves to, in most part of cases, unexpected cybersecurity threats. The purpose of this article is to clarify all the new menaces that arose during this period. Also, to understand the level of exposure and impacts on the lecturer and student to this quick but necessary paradigm shift. Methodologically: two focus groups were undertook to capture representations of students about uses of computer technology;differences in exposure to threats before and during the pandemic and impacts on society;student's needs regarding the topic and suggestions about strategies for increasing overall knowledge about it. Answers were treated recurring to software webQDA®—Qualitative Data Analysis Software for analysis of qualitative data. Results depict the exposure to cybersecurity issues and some level of knowledge about them, inducing preventive practices when using informatics technology. Sense of increasing insecurity in society is associated with the statement of increasing activity regarding cybercrime, giving way to the assumption of the need of awareness and knowledge of general public regarding this issues, and rise suggestions on teaching approaches directed to the subject. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

Multimodal Learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Exploring Students' Preferences

This study explores students' preferences for the various online learning activities that leveraged digital learning tools. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from 23 education major students who learned online during the COVID-19 pandemic. Students found the multimodal activities effective in making them stay focused, engaged and acquire new knowledge and skills at a deeper level. © ICCE 2022.All rights reserved.

Students' Perceptions towards Hybrid Learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The process of digital transformation is recognized as a significant shift that requires time and frequently encounters resistance and avoidance from employees. The spread of COVID-19 compelled instructors and students to immediately transition all educational activities to take place online rather than undergoing the more gradual shift that was originally planned. To deal with the bad situation caused by the Covid-19, hybrid learning was employed. This paper explores students' perceptions towards hybrid learning implementation in a practical college in Vietnam. The research used a qualitative method. The samples were 250 students who were taking hybrid courses at the institution during the pandemic. Content analysis was used to process the qualitative data. The results reveal they were well-prepared with technology and stationery for the hybrid class. Flexibility, effectiveness, student engagement, convenience, and personalization are perceived benefits. Technical issues and distant student interaction must be addressed. Also, for onsite students, the fear of being infected by Corona virus and the distraction caused by the online group should also be considered. © 2022 Association for Computing Machinery.

Supporting Tech Founders—A Needs-Must Approach to the Delivery of Acceleration Programmes for a Post-Pandemic World

Along with most economic sectors, the COVID-19 crisis has had a strong impact on start-up accelerators, forcing them to seek urgent and imaginative solutions to quickly adapt to a new environment. The enforced change brought challenges that have been exacerbated by the sudden slowdown in economic activity. Despite these difficulties, it has become clear that the accelerated digital transformation that emerged through a needs-must approach to engage with start-ups through remote means has also presented new opportunities for accelerators to improve their programmes. This article analyses the impact of the COVID crisis on the organisation and results obtained by a European accelerator, which delivers programmes for growth stage technology start-ups. For this purpose, two very similar programmes have been analysed and compared: one focused on industrial technologies (delivered in 2019–2020) and another one focused on products and services built on space technologies (2020–2021). The research has been undertaken using observational techniques, reinforced through the collection of primary and secondary data throughout the study duration. The result of the analysis point to a possible post-COVID accelerator model that blends online and remote delivery as a new way of improving the experience of start-ups and optimising the use of scarce resources. © 2023 by the authors.

The (Re)invention of Pedagogy Through Digital Technologies in Time COVID-19

The pandemic context that devastated teaching in Portugal, placing students and teachers only connected by a screen, made emotions emerge in students, making the accompanying teachers more attentive. In this study, we present the results obtained from the general objective: to identify the emotions present in students in the emerging context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected from teachers of the 2nd and 3rd cycles of basic education (n = 377), through a questionnaire survey that contained an open question, asking teachers to write about the challenges encountered in managing students' emotions. The webQDA® software was used for the analysis and interpretation of qualitative data. The main results show that the identification of emotions by teachers was not, systematically, unanimous, and also differs according to the length of service. A school that is, for many, a place of well-being and good practices, since teachers play the role of "psychologist without training, just to listen to students”, was one of the conclusions. Thus, the monitoring carried out by teachers with more or less time of service, even at a distance, was relevant, considering that pedagogy was (re)invented. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

'I feel like this will never end': mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic among older adults with chronic conditions.

OBJECTIVES: The COVID-19 pandemic may have a negative impact on mental health, especially among older adults with chronic conditions who are more vulnerable to severe illness. In this qualitative study, we evaluated how the pandemic has impacted the ways that adults aged 50 and older with chronic conditions managed their mental health. METHODS: A total of 492 adults (M = 64.95 years, SD = 8.91, range = 50-94) who lived in Michigan (82.1%) and 33 other U.S. states completed one anonymous online survey between 14 May 14 and 9 July 2020. Open-ended responses were coded to ascertain relevant concepts and were reduced to develop major themes. RESULTS: We determined four main themes. The COVID-19 pandemic impacted how participants took care of their mental health through: (1) pandemic-related barriers to social interaction; (2) pandemic-related routine changes; (3) pandemic-related stress; and (4) pandemic-related changes to mental health service use. CONCLUSION: This study indicates that older adults with chronic conditions experienced various challenges to managing their mental health in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, but also showed considerable resilience. The findings identify potential targets of personalized interventions to preserve their well-being during this pandemic and in future public health crises.

Novel Methods for Leveraging Large Cohort Studies for Qualitative and Mixed-Methods Research.

Qualitative research methods, while rising in popularity, are still a relatively underutilized tool in public health research. Usually reserved for small samples, qualitative research techniques have the potential to enhance insights gained from large questionnaires and cohort studies, both deepening the interpretation of quantitative data and generating novel hypotheses that might otherwise be missed by standard approaches; this is especially true where exposures and outcomes are new, understudied, or rapidly changing, as in a pandemic. However, methods for the conduct of qualitative research within large samples are underdeveloped. Here, we describe a novel method of applying qualitative research methods to free-text comments collected in a large epidemiologic questionnaire. Specifically, this method includes: 1) a hierarchical system of coding through content analysis; 2) a qualitative data management application; and 3) an adaptation of Cohen's κ and percent agreement statistics for use by a team of coders, applying multiple codes per record from a large codebook. The methods outlined in this paper may help direct future applications of qualitative and mixed methods within large cohort studies.

Employees' Resources, Demands and Health While Working from Home during COVID-19 Pandemic-A Qualitative Study in the Public Sector.

(1) Background: The COVID-19 pandemic changed the working environment in Europe in March 2020, leading to an increase in working from home. In the German public sector, many employees experienced working from home for the first time. Despite the impact on employees' daily working life, we know little about employees' resources, demands and health while working from home. The aim of this study is to investigate how working from home is implemented in the public sector one year after the COVID-19 outbreak. In line with the job demand-resources model by Bakker and Demerouti (2007), potential resources, demands and health benefits of working from home are explored. (2) Methods: Semi-structured qualitative telephone interviews were conducted with twelve employees from different public sectors in Germany between December 2021 and February 2022. The semi-structured interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim, and the data was content-analyzed. (3) Results: Employees reported that personal resources, job autonomy, work task, collaboration, leadership, offers by the agency, work environment and equipment served as resources to buffer physical, social, psychological and organizational demands. (4) Conclusions: The research highlights job resources, job demands and potential health impacts of working from home in the public service. Furthermore, the study shows possible starting points for dealing with the health risks of working from home in the future.

Activities to develop computational thinking contextualized with COVID-19 pandemic: A case study

The development of Computational Thinking aims at empowering the individual to solve problems. It is a fundamental skill to be acquired to act in the society of the 21st century. This research is a case study that investigates the development of Computational Thinking skills, in the Remote Teaching modality, with students from the 4th and 5th year of Elementary School, in three Brazilian municipalities. The used data were obtained through an Activities Book, all unplugged and contextualized to the prevention and fight against the coronavirus, bringing content and reality closer in the pandemic moment of COVID-19. Additional qualitative data were obtained from two questionnaires that were presented together with the Activities Book to check the interest, determination and commitment. Evidence collection protocol using resources from Inferential Statistics assesses student performance, showed no difference in performance between boys and girls. © 2022 IEEE.

Gender Advocacy, Social Media Campaign to Against Sexual Violence

This study aims to determine how the use of social media on the Twitter of the National Commission on Violence Against Women in gender advocacy. Based on data from datareportal.com, in 2021, the use of Twitter in Indonesia occupies the fourth position with a percentage of 63.6% of the population of social media users in Indonesia of 170 million users. That means that many Indonesians access Twitter to get information, one of which is about gender advocacy. Based on the National Commission on Violence Against Women report 2021, 338,496 reports gender-based violence against women;this number increased by about 50% from the previous year, which amounted to 26,062 cases. Therefore, Twitter is a place to deliver messages disseminate information and education about gender advocacy in Indonesia. This research method uses Qualitative Data Analysis Software using NVivo. The data source for this research is the official Twitter account @KomnasPerempuan. The data retrieval stage is carried out through N-Capture on tweet and retweet account activities. The findings show that the account has been active for the last three years and the highest percentage was in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic. The percentage looks significant from the previous year. Based on the analysis of @KomnasPerempuan's information content regarding gender advocacy, information was found regarding the Ratification of the sexual violence laws. It was also found that there were Twitter tweets regarding gender advocacy in Indonesia with the hashtags #gerakbersama, #sahkanruupks, #jangantundalagi and #kawalsampailegal. The findings show that the Twitter account aims to change policies towards gender equality in Indonesia. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

A Literature Review of Studies that Have Compared the Use of Face-To-Face and Online Focus Groups

Online communication in our work and private lives has increased significantly since the COVID-19 pandemic. Qualitative research has evolved with this trend with many studies adopting online methods. It is therefore timely to assess the use and utility of online focus groups compared to face-to-face focus groups. Traditional Pearl Growing Methodology was used to identify eligible papers. Data were extracted on data collection methods, recruitment and sampling strategies, analytical approaches to comparing data sets, the depth of data produced, participant interactions and the required resources. A total of 26 papers were included in the review. Along with face-to-face focus groups (n = 26) 16 studies conducted synchronous, eight asynchronous and two both online focus group methods. Most studies (n = 22) used the same recruitment method for both face-to-face and online focus groups. A variety of approaches to compare data sets were used in studies. Of the studies reporting on depth of data (n = 19), nine found that face-to-face groups produced the most in-depth data, four online groups and six equivalent data. Participant interaction was reported to be greater during face-to-face groups in 10 studies;three reported online groups produced greater interaction and six equivalent interaction. Detailed resource use comparisons were not presented in any of the studies. This review demonstrates that to date there is not a clear consensus as to whether face-to-face or online focus groups hold specific advantages in terms of the data produced and the resources required. Given these findings it may be appropriate for researchers to consider using online focus groups where time and resources are constrained, or where these are more practicable. [ FROM AUTHOR]

Development and use of a Playful Learning Observation Tool (PLOT) for Active Game-based Learning in Physical Classroom Situations

Purpose - This study presents the development and implementation of a qualitative observation tool for in-class observation of courses employing game-based learning (GBL), and playful learning situations. Methodology - The design of the observation model exploits a literature review of classroom observation models, of cognitive psychology motivation scales, and of GBL evaluation models. It integrates relevant elements from these domains to offer an observation model for GBL implementation. In this model, in-class observations are coded and analysed for GBL effectiveness and potential to support intrinsic motivation in students. The model was then used in two courses using different forms of GBL (one digital cooperative multiplayer game, one analog board game). Observations were coded using NVivo and distributed according to type of motivation and type of motivated learning tasks. Due to Covid19 restrictions and the difficulties of finding in-person classes, only two courses were examined using the model. Findings - the model appeared efficient in both observational situations, and the coding confirmed previous studies to the potential of GBL to sustain students' intrinsic motivation. The observations also showed that preparedness of students to the specific contents of the game reduced risk of amotivation and disengagement in students. Practical implication - The study allows us to reflect on best practices for GBL implementation and evaluation and how better understanding of in-class interactions during playful learning could enable educators and teachers to make better informed choices to implementing GBL. Interest - While there are many templates for classroom observation and GBL evaluation, there is a lack of dedicated observation models, that offer clear guidelines for qualitative data gathering in live, in-person classroom situations. This study aims at providing a specific tool to that purpose. © 2022 Dechema e.V.. All rights reserved.