PhD Candidature During the Pandemic: Hansel and Gretel's Trip Through the Woods

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly influenced various educational systems on a global scale since 2020, and such impact will extend into the future. As a PhD student who started her candidature shortly after the outbreak of the pandemic, I reflect on my own experiences regarding how I struggled, persevered, and survived throughout the period. I do this through two illustrations from Hansel and Gretel's journey through the woods in the Brothers Grimm's story: (1) Dropping breadcrumbs—starting a PhD in lockdown: I felt a series of negative emotions and doubted my choice of PhD after starting the academia journey in social isolation. (2) Surviving at the gingerbread house—continuing PhD in pandemic: the unstable pandemic situation nationally and locally caused repeated lockdowns that led to a delay in my research project. Since the start of the pandemic, voluntary online networking socially and academically with other academia and the support and understanding from my supervisors were key to build my persistence. By joining volunteer organisations at the university, I benefited from social connections that supported my mental health and academic development while at the meantime helping other higher degree by research students. In doing so, I harvested academic accomplishments and developed friendships. Such reciprocal relationships in return have supported my academic identity and persistence in the PhD journey. These experiences contributed to the relocation of my original motives for undertaking my PhD research, the self-reassurance of my academic identity, and the reinforcement of my aspirations and expectations for the PhD journey. This chapter adopts the theoretical concepts from cultural-historical theory to analyse my psychological development in relation to the constantly changing social environment. Perezhivanie and the social situation of development are taken as a dyad of theoretical concepts to analyse my autoethnography. This chapter aims to encourage and empower people experiencing a similar situation. What matters is the inner attitude we hold toward the challenging environment, on which we act as agents to manage the conflict, just like Hansel and Gretel, managing to beat the witch and obtain treasures in the end. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2022.

Knowing prevention of COVID-19 and the socio-family environment with elderly adult

COVID-19 marked the lives of human beings from every point of view. Daily social dynamics and lifestyles had to be adapted to the new conditions of social isolation to which humanity was subjected. Social gaps and inequalities were accentuated and the vulnerability of certain social groups became more visible, especially among older adults. For this reason, the objective of this study is to analyze knowledge about the prevention of COVID-19 and its relationship with the socio-family environment of the elderly. Based on its compliance, a non-experimental and cross-sectional investigation of a correlational type was developed based on a quantitative approach. The study population consisted of 375 older adults who live in the community of Santa Martha in the city of Chone, of which 74 met the requirements for both inclusion and exclusion. The data obtained were analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistics using Microsoft Excel, as well as SPSS version 26 and Pearson's chi-square software. This research made it possible to determine, among other results, that the prevention measures against COVID-19 are not applied by the majority of the elderly, despite their knowledge.

Factors of tourists' perceived safety in the post COVID period: the case of Opatija Riviera

Purpose - The pandemic caused by the COVID-19 virus left a significant negative mark on the world economy, and tourism industry. It has also significantly affected the perception and behavior of tourists when it comes to the safety of a tourist destination. To continue to record a positive recovery trend, destinations must undertake scientific and professional research, and based on the results consider and develop new development strategies for the development of tourism in the post-pandemic period. The perception of risk in tourists is changing, which ultimately has an impact on their future behavior when choosing a holiday destination. Opatija Riviera is a destination with a rich and long tourist tradition, which until before the pandemic was perceived as safe, as evidenced by the continuous growth of tourist turnover. The purpose of this paper is to emphasize the importance of monitoring whether and to what extent tourists perceive Opatija Riviera as a safe tourist destination and based on the findings to offer developmental guidelines for the post-pandemic period. Methodology - Data collection was conducted during June and July 2022, using an online survey questionnaire. 152 respondents agreed to participate in research. The basic measurement instrument was based on the Tourists' Perceived Safety at Destinations (TPSD) scale developed by Xie et al. (2020b), i.e. initial items (25) proposed by these authors. To extract the dimensions of perceived tourist safety, the authors primarily used exploratory factor analysis. Findings - by using the exploratory factor analysis the following factors were identified: perception of safety of human elements (PSH), safety of facilities and equipment (PSFE), safety of natural environments (PSNE), perceived safety of social environments (PSSE) and safety of management elements (PSM). The results for PSH, PSFE, PSNE and PSSE have proven to be satisfactory in terms of how tourists perceive them as safe and reliable, which is not the case with the PSM. The findings for PSM indicate the need for additional investments aimed towards improvement of protection of tourist's safety (safety of the construction, safety of information and visibility of warning sign about security in Opatija Riviera). Originality of the research - this research contributes to the theory by presenting relevant literature content in safety perception in tourism. The empirical contribution derives from the fact that no similar research was conducted on Opatija Riviera until now. Its findings set the basis for future empirical research that will be conducted in the post-COVID period in Opatija Riviera, based on which it will be possible to plan further developmental activities aimed towards improving tourist's safety during their stay.

Bibliometric analysis of COVID-19 related literature, based on Web of Science Core Collection

Objective: This study conducted bibliometric analysis of COVID-19 related literature, to understand the research status of COVID-19, explore the latest progress and research trends in the field of COVID-19 research, and provide data support for the construction of a comprehensive and detail system based on COVID-19 literature.

EDUCATION IN TIMES OF PANDEMIC: a reflection on poverty, oppression and humanization

This paper discusses how social, cultural and economic conditions interfere in the perpetuation of the place of oppression of families and, consequently. of their children, aiming to discuss education in times of pandemic, considering the context of poverty, the mechanisms of oppression and its effects on the humanization process in the light of Freirean and Vygotskian assumptions. It is an excerpt from a research that originally addresses learning difficulties. Later, this same study also allowed us to analyze the observed social aspects, which are at the origin of the issues of humanization/dehumanization of children. This research is a case study carried out during the Covid-19 pandemic, in the second half of the year 2020. It was analyzed the case of a boy who, according to the teacher's indication, had literacy difficulties. The survey data were built through interviews and individualized care for him, his mother and teacher. The analysis was supported by the contributions of Freire and Vigotski. Data analysis highlighted the impact of deprivation of material and cultural goods on student education and. thus, the crystallization of the oppressed condition and its impact on the student's humanization process.

Early Childhood Educators as COVID Warriors: Adaptations and Responsiveness to the Pandemic Across Five Countries.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has seriously impacted countries across the globe. The pandemic has created a completely new teaching-learning environment of interaction for early childhood educators. In many countries, face-to-face teaching has been replaced by remote teaching, while in others, there have been intermittent lockdowns and limited interruptions to regular teaching norms. Given the play-based nature of preschool teaching-learning activities in most countries, educators are required to reimagine the sociocultural relationships to their pedagogical practices in their everyday teaching-learning contexts. This paper sheds light on educators' experiences and the dramatic shift in their indoor-outdoor teaching-learning environment due to the evolving health measures. The study draws on notions of teachers' identities and Vygotsky's cultural-historical concept of social situation of development (Vygotsky, 1994) to capture the new forms of relationships that early childhood educators experienced with their pedagogical environments across different countries during the pandemic. Data were collected from preschool teachers across five countries-Australia, Bangladesh, Norway, Singapore and India using online surveys which included open- and close-ended questions. Findings reveal the on-ground realities and teachers' adaptations to new pedagogies emerging across the five countries. The new digital environments provided an equally new dimension for change. These changes were seen in interactions, relationships within the everyday pedagogical contexts, as well as the shifting physical and social environment of early years educators.

La pandémie actuelle de COVID-19 a gravement touché les pays du monde entier. La pandémie a créé un tout nouvel environnement d'interaction enseignement-apprentissage pour les éducateurs de la petite enfance. Dans de nombreux pays, l'enseignement en face à face a été remplacé par l'enseignement à distance, tandis que dans d'autres, il y a eu des blocages intermittents et des interruptions limitées des normes d'enseignement régulières. Étant donné la nature ludique des activités d'enseignement-apprentissage préscolaires dans la plupart des pays, les éducateurs sont tenus de réimaginer les relations socioculturelles avec leurs pratiques pédagogiques dans leurs contextes d'enseignement-apprentissage quotidiens. Cet article met en lumière les expériences des éducateurs et le changement radical de leur environnement d'enseignement-apprentissage intérieur-extérieur en raison de l'évolution des mesures de santé. L'étude s'appuie sur les notions d'identité des enseignants et le concept culturel et historique de Vygotsky de situation sociale de développement (Vygotsky, 1994) pour saisir les nouvelles formes de relations que les éducateurs de la petite enfance ont vécues avec leurs environnements pédagogiques dans différents pays pendant la pandémie. Les données ont été recueillies auprès d'enseignants du préscolaire dans cinq pays­Australie, Bangladesh, Norvège, Singapour et Inde à l'aide d'enquêtes en ligne comprenant des questions ouvertes et fermées. Les résultats révèlent les réalités sur le terrain et les adaptations des enseignants aux nouvelles pédagogies émergentes dans les cinq pays. Les nouveaux environnements numériques ont fourni une dimension tout aussi nouvelle pour le changement. Ces changements ont été observés dans les interactions, les relations au sein des contextes pédagogiques quotidiens, ainsi que dans l'environnement physique et social changeant des éducateurs de la petite enfance.

La pandemia de COVID-19 en curso ha afectado gravemente a países de todo el mundo. La pandemia ha creado un entorno de interacción de enseñanza-aprendizaje completamente nuevo para los educadores de la primera infancia. En muchos países, la enseñanza presencial ha sido reemplazada por la enseñanza a distancia, mientras que en otros, ha habido bloqueos intermitentes e interrupciones limitadas de las normas de enseñanza regulares. Dada la naturaleza basada en el juego de las actividades de enseñanza-aprendizaje preescolar en la mayoría de los países, los educadores deben reinventar las relaciones socioculturales con sus prácticas pedagógicas en sus contextos cotidianos de enseñanza-aprendizaje. Este documento arroja luz sobre las experiencias de los educadores y el cambio dramático en su entorno de enseñanza-aprendizaje interior y exterior debido a la evolución de las medidas de salud. El estudio se basa en las nociones de las identidades de los maestros y el concepto histórico-cultural de Vygotsky sobre la situación social del desarrollo (Vygotsky, 1994) para capturar las nuevas formas de relaciones que los educadores de la primera infancia experimentaron con sus entornos pedagógicos en diferentes países durante la pandemia. Se recopilaron datos de maestros de preescolar en cinco países: Australia, Bangladesh, Noruega, Singapur e India mediante encuestas en línea que incluían preguntas abiertas y cerradas. Los hallazgos revelan las realidades sobre el terreno y las adaptaciones de los profesores a las nuevas pedagogías que surgen en los cinco países. Los nuevos entornos digitales proporcionaron una dimensión igualmente nueva para el cambio. Estos cambios se observaron en las interacciones, las relaciones dentro de los contextos pedagógicos cotidianos, así como en el entorno físico y social cambiante de los educadores de la primera infancia.

Evolution of the Illegal Substances Market and Substance Users' Social Situation and Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and the measures taken for tackling it had the potential to lead to deep modifications in the supply of illegal drugs and to impact substance users' health and social situation. To investigate this, we used mixed methods, i.e., quantitative data collected with a brief questionnaire from substance users receiving opioid agonist treatment in a treatment centre in Switzerland (N = 49), and qualitative data obtained using semi-structured phone interviews among a sub-group of participants (N = 17). We repeated data collection twice over four weeks to investigate trends over time (N = 51 and 14 at wave 2). Findings consistently showed the limited impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on the illegal substance market. Over the two waves, the supply, price and purity of three main illegal substances did not significantly vary. Substance use was estimated as usual by most, trending toward a decrease. The impact of the pandemic on participants' social situation and health was appraised as low to medium. Nevertheless, a minority of participants reported higher impact and multivariate analyses showed a more important impact for those who were female, younger, and not using multiple substances. This process was implemented quickly and provided an understanding of the short-term impact of the pandemic on drug markets and users.

Refugees in Sweden During the Covid-19 Pandemic-The Need for a New Perspective on Health and Integration.

Refugees are already a vulnerable group in society and are in a stressful situation due to their often uncertain legal status in seeking asylum and integration in the new society after migration. Refugees are, in general, at greater risk of poor health outcomes when contracting Covid-19, exacerbated by poor living conditions and difficulties in accessing healthcare. The longer-term social consequences of the pandemic also disproportionately impact refugees, including social isolation, unemployment, and difficulties to obtain correct health information. The aim of this paper is to review the social and health consequences that Covid-19 has brought to the refugees residing in Sweden. This needs to be emphasized in order to mitigate against these likely consequences and improve the overall well-being among such a highly vulnerable group in society. As Covid-19 demonstrates, human health needs to be understood holistically, meaning that the vulnerability of any individuals, or even nations, is a vulnerability for the whole population requiring urgent action.