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Globalization, digitalization, global pandemics, climate change, and infodemic pose increasing challenges to individuals, communities, and societies, which require good health literacy to maintain and promote health. Empirical evidence on HL (health literacy) has rapidly increased worldwide and exposed the inadequate levels of HL in most countries. Especially people with low socioeconomic background, low educational attainment, and migrants are considered vulnerable to low HL, based on quantitative studies and conclusions. A group that is multiply affected and variously described as vulnerable is people of Afghan descent. However, empirical evidence on their actual HL and their HL practices in everyday life is scarce. To empower people to respond adequately to current and future health-related changes, a good knowledge of HL in the relevant population group is indispensable. Since recent qualitative studies indicate that health literacy can only be adequately described as a real practice in its specific context and unique situation, I explore in this dissertation how HL can be captured and described as a contextual, situational social practice, using the example of people of Afghan descent with different research methods. This work incorporates three major research projects, each employing different methods to explore HL among Afghans and provide relevant insights into the concept of HL.
Research on health and health literacy is diverse, so it is important to begin this work by outlining the different understandings of health and health literacy and common strategies for promoting them. Since health is understood from a health promotion perspective as a positive, comprehensive concept in a socio-ecological context, HL is consequently not understood as an individual autonomous skill but as a contextual, social practice. Accordingly, health and HL are also described in context by the groups under consideration, and their possible influence on HL is shown. The use of the term vulnerable is critically examined, and the focus is shifted away from the characteristics of the individual to the influencing circumstances. Based on raw determinants and health outcomes, HL in Afghanistan is rated as low. Given the diverse data on immigrant populations and the different theories explaining their health status, it is shown that immigrant populations face many pressures and need to acquire new HL. Third, building on the course offering: language course, it is argued that those participating in it (including Afghans) need to improve their HL. Building on account of the health literacy of so-called vulnerable groups, which traced the complexity and heterogeneity, it is concluded that HL needs to be understood and explored as a contextual, situational, social practice to adequately describe HL. Therefore, in the three research projects, special emphasis is placed on the respective overall social context, the situation's specifics, the use of language, the actual actions, and the meaning of social others. Furthermore, it is examined what can be learned from the respective methodological approach to HL with regard to HL as a contextual, situational social praxis, as well as how the vulnerability or resource wealth of the target group and the vulnerability- or capability-producing context are revealed. Last, important lessons for HL promotion were derived from all three projects.
The first four contributions are from a quantitative, cross-sectional study in central Afghanistan that examines HL, determinants, outcomes, but also quality of life, and beliefs in two groups of people influential to health, heads of households (N= 524) and female patients and/or caretakers (N=322). Participants were in a two-stage randomization process identified and orally interviewed by trained interviewers of the same sex. The study provides empirical evidence of poor determinants of health and health outcomes, health behaviors that need improvement, and low health literacy. The analysis showed that HL is largely related to schooling opportunities (for women). Surprisingly, despite adverse circumstances, an astonishing number of Afghans exhibit positive health behaviors. A qualitative examination of the items of the HLS-EU-Q16 shows which activities are particularly difficult and, at the same time, particularly prerequisite-rich, which should also be better researched in the future for developing interventions.
The second three contributions stem from the ELMi research project, which ethnographically researched the HL of immigrant youth (including three Afghan refugees) in everyday life and embedded the findings in a review and theoretical considerations. The limitations of reviews for describing HL in vulnerable groups became obvious in these three theoretical contributions. Furthermore, the frequent, mostly implicit theoretical orientation of HL as an individual rational-choice model and three alternative models for the description of HL were presented, a difference-deficit model was introduced, and a plea for applying sociological theories, especially the capability approach, was given. Overall, the ethnographic studies revealed the need for further studies of vulnerable groups from a salutogenic perspective, the conceptualization of HL as family HL, and the interwovenness of analog and digital worlds and respective HL.
The third three contributions are from the SCURA research project, which ethnographically explored the role of health and health literacy in language and integration courses and developed appropriate methods for promoting HL in them. The contribution of integration courses to the promotion of HL was presented in detail, the corridor of possible interventions was explored and described, and concrete suggestions were made as to how the knowledge gained from language didactics can be transferred to health promotion and how language-sensitive health promotion can be used as an effective and sustainable method.
Finally, the key strengths and limitations of the studies were highlighted, and the question of 'vulnerability' was revisited in light of the results found. Furthermore, the five aspects of HL as a contextual, situational, and social practice were re-examined with the help of the results obtained, and other studies, recommendations for the promotion of HL through context, acquisition, and targeted support were presented, and the capability approach was applied to the results.
In many ways, this multi-project, multi-method, multi-perspective approach to HL of so-called vulnerable groups highlighted the need to describe HL as a contextual, situational social practice. Since many new, little-trodden paths were taken in this work, this work can serve as an impetus for many other researchers to critically examine the topic. The work unmistakably revealed how relevant a good understanding and targeted, context-sensitive promotion of HL is.
Globalization, digitalization, global pandemics, climate change, and infodemic pose increasing challenges to individuals, communities, and societies, which require good health literacy to maintain and promote health. Empirical evidence on HL (health literacy) has rapidly increased worldwide and exposed the inadequate levels of HL in most countries. Especially people with low socioeconomic background, low educational attainment, and migrants are considered vulnerable to low HL, based on quantitative studies and conclusions. A group that is multiply affected and variously described as vulnerable is people of Afghan descent. However, empirical evidence on their actual HL and their HL practices in everyday life is scarce. To empower people to respond adequately to current and future health-related changes, a good knowledge of HL in the relevant population group is indispensable. Since recent qualitative studies indicate that health literacy can only be adequately described as a real practice in its specific context and unique situation, I explore in this dissertation how HL can be captured and described as a contextual, situational social practice, using the example of people of Afghan descent with different research methods. This work incorporates three major research projects, each employing different methods to explore HL among Afghans and provide relevant insights into the concept of HL.
Research on health and health literacy is diverse, so it is important to begin this work by outlining the different understandings of health and health literacy and common strategies for promoting them. Since health is understood from a health promotion perspective as a positive, comprehensive concept in a socio-ecological context, HL is consequently not understood as an individual autonomous skill but as a contextual, social practice. Accordingly, health and HL are also described in context by the groups under consideration, and their possible influence on HL is shown. The use of the term vulnerable is critically examined, and the focus is shifted away from the characteristics of the individual to the influencing circumstances. Based on raw determinants and health outcomes, HL in Afghanistan is rated as low. Given the diverse data on immigrant populations and the different theories explaining their health status, it is shown that immigrant populations face many pressures and need to acquire new HL. Third, building on the course offering: language course, it is argued that those participating in it (including Afghans) need to improve their HL. Building on account of the health literacy of so-called vulnerable groups, which traced the complexity and heterogeneity, it is concluded that HL needs to be understood and explored as a contextual, situational, social practice to adequately describe HL. Therefore, in the three research projects, special emphasis is placed on the respective overall social context, the situation's specifics, the use of language, the actual actions, and the meaning of social others. Furthermore, it is examined what can be learned from the respective methodological approach to HL with regard to HL as a contextual, situational social praxis, as well as how the vulnerability or resource wealth of the target group and the vulnerability- or capability-producing context are revealed. Last, important lessons for HL promotion were derived from all three projects.
The first four contributions are from a quantitative, cross-sectional study in central Afghanistan that examines HL, determinants, outcomes, but also quality of life, and beliefs in two groups of people influential to health, heads of households (N= 524) and female patients and/or caretakers (N=322). Participants were in a two-stage randomization process identified and orally interviewed by trained interviewers of the same sex. The study provides empirical evidence of poor determinants of health and health outcomes, health behaviors that need improvement, and low health literacy. The analysis showed that HL is largely related to schooling opportunities (for women). Surprisingly, despite adverse circumstances, an astonishing number of Afghans exhibit positive health behaviors. A qualitative examination of the items of the HLS-EU-Q16 shows which activities are particularly difficult and, at the same time, particularly prerequisite-rich, which should also be better researched in the future for developing interventions.
The second three contributions stem from the ELMi research project, which ethnographically researched the HL of immigrant youth (including three Afghan refugees) in everyday life and embedded the findings in a review and theoretical considerations. The limitations of reviews for describing HL in vulnerable groups became obvious in these three theoretical contributions. Furthermore, the frequent, mostly implicit theoretical orientation of HL as an individual rational-choice model and three alternative models for the description of HL were presented, a difference-deficit model was introduced, and a plea for applying sociological theories, especially the capability approach, was given. Overall, the ethnographic studies revealed the need for further studies of vulnerable groups from a salutogenic perspective, the conceptualization of HL as family HL, and the interwovenness of analog and digital worlds and respective HL.
The third three contributions are from the SCURA research project, which ethnographically explored the role of health and health literacy in language and integration courses and developed appropriate methods for promoting HL in them. The contribution of integration courses to the promotion of HL was presented in detail, the corridor of possible interventions was explored and described, and concrete suggestions were made as to how the knowledge gained from language didactics can be transferred to health promotion and how language-sensitive health promotion can be used as an effective and sustainable method.
Finally, the key strengths and limitations of the studies were highlighted, and the question of 'vulnerability' was revisited in light of the results found. Furthermore, the five aspects of HL as a contextual, situational, and social practice were re-examined with the help of the results obtained, and other studies, recommendations for the promotion of HL through context, acquisition, and targeted support were presented, and the capability approach was applied to the results.
In many ways, this multi-project, multi-method, multi-perspective approach to HL of so-called vulnerable groups highlighted the need to describe HL as a contextual, situational social practice. Since many new, little-trodden paths were taken in this work, this work can serve as an impetus for many other researchers to critically examine the topic. The work unmistakably revealed how relevant a good understanding and targeted, context-sensitive promotion of HL is.
Gezi movement is the broadest and most unprecedented social movement of Turkey's recent history. The movement has emerged in Istanbul, diffused just in a few days into 80 cities of the country with the participation of 3.5 million people and uttered crucial issues and demands that accumulated within the Turkish society before its rapid dissolution. The questions of "What the Gezi movement means?" and "What is the emergent Gezi spirit?" have been and will be one of the major problematics for the relevant scholarship. This thesis generates a constructivist grounded theory analysis on one of the most widespread forms of Gezi movement's activism; graffiti. The study is built on the three major theoretical arch stones; social movements, space and graffiti, and in this way, it discovers, interprets and theorises the patterns of Gezi graffiti in order to build an interpretative analysis. The theory that is generated by the study, suggests that beyond all the novel forms of collective identities, actions and discourses, the movement is about the overlooked ancient and chronic issues, which pertain to Turkish social and political formation.
Tourism projects have been promoted for several decades on a global scale as a tool for achieving socio-economic development and, more recently, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The pivotal role of education for ensuring the long-term success of these projects has also been widely acknowledged. However, numerous studies indicate that academic programmes as well as research in sustainable tourism education have lagged behind.
Several important research gaps were confirmed in the process of this study. In particular, there is scant research on achievements with regard to the integration of sustainability into tourism curricula. Likewise, little attention has been given to the development of conceptual frameworks designed specifically for sustainable tourism education.
This study attempts to address these research gaps by examining the status of sustainable tourism education in the Sub Saharan Africa context. This region has recently become the focus of increased tourism development work due to its high poverty, unemployment and migration levels on the one side, and a robust tourism industry and growing workforce on the other.
Adopting a mixed method approach, the study commences with a quantitative analysis of sustainability related content in online tourism curricula in all accredited tertiary institutions in the region. Next, a framework for sustainable education is developed that is informed by tourism stakeholder perspectives gained through surveys and interviews as well as an extensive review of the apposite scholarship. In a final step, the online curricula is analysed within the context of the proposed framework and recommendations are offered.
The overall findings of this inquiry indicate, contrary to the recommendations of the tourism stakeholders and scholars consulted in this study, that sustainability concepts have yet to be fully integrated into tourism curricula in the region. Rather than addressing a broad range of sustainability related issues, tourism curricula remain mostly focussed on business interests. This study argues for a more balanced approach to tourism education in order to successfully contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
At the time of the outbreak of the so-called refugee crisis, only the non-governmental sector in Serbia responded to the situation by providing assistance to any people in need. The respective activities that were carried out consisted mostly of humanitarian aid, medical assistance, and providing both psycho-social and legal-informative support. Starting in 2015, the attention grew and shifted to providing better care of asylum-seeking minors. However, it was only in late 2016 that the Republic of Serbia started a project related to inclusion of Asylum-Seeking Minors (ASMs)into its education system. The project’s results in 2017 were still modest, since only approx. 60 asylum seeking minors out of 3031 were included in Serbia’s education system. In the school year 2018/2019, in particular until February 2019, 98,22 percent of preschool-aged or elementary school-aged ASMs who were placed in reception centers were included in the education system.
This PhD research project represents the study of how the basic human right, the right to education,is granted in a country perceived as a transit country by both, ASMs and domestic authorities. It represents a human rights-based approach to education and integration, which should contribute to empowerment of the right-holder, i.e. asylum-seeking minors, and accountability of the duty-bearer.
In order to assess the government’s success in granting the right to education, it’s obligation to respect, protect and fulfill human rights, was linked with the human rights framework for education.
Furthermore, the way the country’s political determination to join the EU, existing social, cultural, and political factors in the country as well as the insufficient asylum system affect the right to education of ASMs were examined.
Apart from the empowerment of the right-holder and identification of the potential improvements on the governments side, one of the aims of the research was to identify examples/elements of good practice in Serbian aspect. This is used as an argument for (un)successful implementation of the right to education, since schools are the ones directly implementing adopted legislation, strategies and policies, and therefore reveal potential lack of political willingness to implement them or the false intentions of the state on the way it presents itself before the international community.
Therefore, elements of good practice were identified and one of the central findings with respect to providing the right to education for ASMs, is that Serbia, and, more specifically, its dedicated educators and NGO staff, have done an applaudable job. Though room for improvement remains, the efforts of the state, school personnel, family members of ASMs and caring NGO workers have made the right to education a reality for ASMs who seek it.
For the field of teacher education, a particularly wide discrepancy exists between (1) higher education discourses and policies advocating a wide diffusion of international dimensions, specifically of study-related mobility (such as Erasmus stays abroad), within higher education degree programs; (2) the ideals and demands placed upon teacher education graduates to possess relevant international competences and experiences in view of their role as multipliers and professionals in increasingly multicultural and global societies; and (3) the ground-level practices, as evidenced by comparatively low mobility rates in teacher education degree programs in Europe. The study reverts to the question where this discrepancy is actually produced and how it could be addressed, thereby closing a gap in student mobility and higher education internationalization research on the diffusion barriers at work in the field of teacher education.
The thesis is set in the field of international and comparative education, and pursues a multilevel and contextualized comparative approach, involving two strands of investigation: (1) a theory-based and process-oriented quantitative inquiry into relevant obstacles for eventual participation in study-related mobility among students in teacher education degree programs; (2) and a multilevel (policy, institutions/staff, students) inquiry into the trajectories of internationalization in teacher education, in view of current higher education internationalization models. By linking and contextualizing findings from different levels and investigation strands, the study draws conclusions and gives recommendations on ways to foster study-related mobility in teacher education degree programs. Through the study’s conceptualization of participation in study-related mobility as a process, and through its reflections on strategically managing internationalization, its findings are also relevant to the higher education sector in general.