Volume 3, Issue 2

ABSTRACT

Existing research on body-worn cameras have primarily focused on certain policing outcomes (e.g., citizen complaints and use-of-force), however, only a handful of research to date has considered how the implementation of body-worn cameras have impacted internal organizational processes at police departments. Using semi-structured interviews, a survey, and ride-along observations, we examined how body-worn cameras impacted the way police officers were held or felt accountable for their behavior. The study was conducted at the Sunnyvale Police Department (pseudonym), a small city agency in the United States that had been using cameras for two and a half years. Particularly, we describe how body-worn cameras impacted accountability at Sunnyvale within different organizational contexts that included reporting, citizen interactions, training, and supervision. Consistent with the hopes of reformers, body-worn cameras did seem to raise the general sense of accountability as they became a part of training, citizen encounters, reporting, and supervision. However, these changes were not like reformers would have imagined, as the department did not intently use cameras in a way to hold officers any more accountable for their conduct and performance on the street. 

Keywords: Police Accountability, Police Technology, Body-Worn Cameras.

ABSTRACT

Substantial research has examined urban middle class parents and their motivations for enrolling their children in city public schools. Less research, however, has explored how these types of parents view private schools and suburban public schools. Using in-depth interviews with parents and guided by the frameworks of rational choice and social identity theories, this paper explores this topic. Findings suggest that both instrumental and philosophical factors affect parents’ perceptions of private schools and suburban public schools. Parents tended to be skeptical of the purported, superior quality of education in both private and suburban public schools. They also felt these schools offered neither advantages surrounding the social/peer climate, nor in college preparation. In addition, parents believed that enrolling their children in either private schools or suburban public schools would undermine their egalitarian and inclusive social and political values.

Keywords: Urban Education, Schools, School Choice, Private and Suburban Public Schools.

ABSTRACT

The characteristics of a particular user need to be evaluated to inform the design in the field of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) design (Demir et al., 2017). This research consists of an evaluation of the characteristics of Asperger Syndrome (AS) and a budgeting tool has been proposed for children with the AS. The research results show that simplicity, consistency, color-coding and efficient labeling in design helps to reduce the cognitive load of the children with AS, thus, make the design more usable and useful for them.

Keywords: HCI, Asperger's Syndrome, Budgeting, Cognitive Considerations, User Experience.

ABSTRACT

This study will examine the integration process from the perspectives of refugees by focusing on individual and social level experiences. Data for this study comes from individual-level semi-structured and focus group discussions collected over a period of seven months in Germany and covers refugees who applied for asylum after 2015. Keeping in mind the fact that the meaning of integration differs for different audiences, this study identifies five distinct phases of refugee integration in Germany. In each phase, refugees face certain challenges that hinder their integration into local communities. These phases, with some minor differences, may also be applicable to other countries, and therefore this study offers a general framework to analyze the integration process from refugee perspectives. Individual and social dimensions of integration analyzed and individual adjustment and coping mechanisms demonstrated throughout the study. This study suggests that refugees should be more involved in the definition of integration and more importantly, social and professional interaction through “entry points” should be encouraged for successful integration of refugees.   

Keywords: Refugees, Integration, Adaptation, Integration Policies.

ABSTRACT

The theory-practice gap debate has permeated nursing literature for many decades. While some scholars insist on the existence of a gap and argue that the real value of nursing can only be represented by a broad theoretical framework that explains what nurses do; others have categorically rejected the need for nursing theories. The gap between theory and practice in nursing education has been highlighted as a pressing problem in developing countries where nursing education is in transition from hospital-based training to universities. Clinical Nurse Educators (CNEs) have important roles to play in assisting students to deconstruct their practices in relation to nursing theories. The goal of this study was to construct a theory that explains the processes clinical nurse educators employ with their students to bridge the theory-practice gap in nursing education. We sought to answer two major questions: How do nurse educators assist their students to bridge the gap between theory and practice?  How can we theoretically explain the process of bridging the theory-practice gap? The overall design for this research study was qualitative, rooted in the tradition of classical grounded theory (GT). This method of research has a unique feature in its ability to make possible the generation of theory that explains a process. Participants in this study were clinical nurse educators in Departments of Nursing Sciences, at universities in South Eastern Nigeria. Participants interview transcripts constituted data for analysis. The core category that emerged from participants’ data was "relational transformation” where clinical instructors facilitate a transformative learning process, mediated within the context of the instructor-student relationship and aimed at assisting students to transform into professionals. This relational process involves assisting students to connect classroom theory to what they experience in the clinical areas, through questioning, mentoring, role modeling, and reflection.

Keywords: Theory-Practice Gap, Nursing Theory, Transformation, Professional Socialization, Grounded Theory.

ABSTRACT

As a classroom teacher I have an ethical and moral obligation to provide a socially just and equitable learning environment and educational experience for all my students. Auto-ethnography is a research method grounded in modern philosophy.  Auto-ethnography enables me to link the personal and cultural through inquiry and voice.  In this article I explore the state of understanding my personal role and experiences as a conservative Christian educator in learning about and interacting with LGBTQ students. By reflecting and evaluating my personal experiences and attitudes I am able to identify my former biases, discriminatory tendencies, and stereotypes about LGBTQ community members. Therefore, throughout my analysis, I sought a means that would enable me to maintain my personal religious values while eliminating biases, stereotypes, and unjust perceptions. As a result, I recognize and embrace my religious identify as a conservative Christian educator who accepts my LGBTQ students without judgement or bias in order to be respectful, socially just, equitable, and nondiscriminatory.

Keywords: Auto-Ethnography, Christian Educator, LGBTQ.

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