The Key Role of Media Literacy in the Forming of Critical Health Literacy: The Case of Social Media in Turkey
This study emphasises critical health literacy and as a consequence, the importance of media literacy in establishing health consciousness. Health litreacy is examined with critical view by this descriptive study and emphasizes the strategic role of media literacy in the development of health literacy. Turkey ranks as the second most active country in social media penetration and the study treats media literacy in Turkey exclusively with regards to “social media” use in Turkey and explains the reasons behind this preference with statistics. Furthermore, this study discusses the development and the spreading of critical health literacy and includes suggestions toward the goal.
African Americans' Understanding of the Provisions of the Affordable Care Act
African Americans’ Understanding of the Provisions of the Affordable Care Act by Ewang Theophile Epie-Alobwede Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Human and Social Services Walden University August 2016 Abstract African Americans as a group tend to have numerous health issues, and by the time they seek healthcare, the conditions often advance into more serious ailments. Researchers have shown that cultural distrust of the U.S. healthcare system coupled with some discriminatory practices has hindered African Americans seeking care and taking full advantage of the healthcare system. With the introduction of the Patient Protection andAfrican Americans as a group tend to have numerous health issues, and by the time they seek healthcare, the conditions often advance into more serious ailments. Researchers have shown that cultural distrust of the U.S. healthcare system coupled with some discriminatory practices has hindered African Americans seeking care and taking full advantage of the healthcare system. With the introduction of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), there is some confusion about the application of the law, resulting in many intended beneficiaries misinterpreting it, and not accessing quality healthcare. This interpretive phenomenological study explored how African Americans in the Washington D.C., metropolitan area understand and interpret ACA provisions related to their healthcare needs. A sample of 10 African Americans adults participated in indepth interviews that generated data for this study. Critical communicative methodology provided a framework for exploring the phenomenon. Study findings highlight the themes of interpreting the ACA to mean having more individual control and responsibility for healthcare decisions and having fewer perceived restrictions acting as barriers to access healthcare. Study results contribute to social change by providing knowledge to those who implement healthcare policy on optimal policy delivery to intended beneficiaries. This knowledge may also apply to other new social policy dissemination, thus ensuring policies reach their intended target populations, facilitating optimal utilization. African Americans’ Understanding of the Provisions of the Affordable Care Act by Ewang Theophile Epie-Alobwede Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Human and Social Services Walden University August 2016 Dedication This study is dedicated to my wife Marion who carries more than half the load in our relationship and dedicates herself to ensuring our happiness. Without you, my Franchise, I don’t know how I would have mustered the courage to undertake this higher education study. You continuously motivate me to fight for the underrepresented and give our sons and me the courage to tackle any challenges. Your commitment to us makes us pursue endeavors without fear because we know you are the force that drives us towards success. I also dedicate this study to my boys, Therion and Jelani, who patiently calmed me down when literature fatigue caused my mood swings. Thanks for being troopers helping me conduct literature research and affording daddy the time to analyze the literature and write my qualitative study. To my darling mother, Lucy, who guided my educational path with the backing of her faith and her ability to make me confident even under the most challenging circumstances. To my dad, James, who challenged me to aim higher and pursue knowledge in everyday interactions and my siblings, HelenBeatrice, Emmanuel, Caven, Basil, and Joseph, for fostering a strong educational etiquette and encouraging me when I encountered difficulties. To my Pah-Ben and mommy-Liz who gave me the necessary confidence to face all challenges head-on and to my Mbambah, Anna Maria Nzelle Ewang (RIP), who lit the curiosity flame in me from a very young age because of her wits and subtle book-smarts. Acknowledgments I want to acknowledge my wife Marion for her commitment towards my success and who together with my boys Therion and Jelani created an environment conducive for me to complete my doctoral study. My wife also provided me with a set of objective eyes to catch potential errors that I may have otherwise overlooked due to being engulfed in my study. I would also like to acknowledge my chair Dr. Benoliel for guiding me through this arduous process and for her commitment towards my success. She pushed me to surpass set timelines and ensured that I produced a quality study. You served not just as my guide but also as my friend and provided me with a much needed objective set of eyes. I would like to acknowledge my second committee member and my URR, Dr. Hershberger for also providing me with much needed extra set of objective eyes. You provided me much needed insight on ways to improve this study while encouraging me to remain motivated. I also wanted to acknowledge the School of Social and Human Sciences at Walden University for creating an environment that fosters student growth and development. The participants and facilities that voluntarily took part in this study deserve acknowledgement because they helped bring to light challenges in social policy dissemination. They could also help facilitate the creation of a stable and sustainable channel through which benefitting social policies could be optimally transmitted.
The New ‘U’
Today's talk about tenure must be framed within broader discussions about the role of the university. Our university system is now over one hundred years old, the “Old-Time College” is gone, the “cold war” university is no longer viable, and the foundations of the modern “multiversity” are cracking, so it is time to talk about change. But change is not necessarily reform, and resisting change probably will not keep things the way they are, so academics must understand the forces reshaping the university. Whenever I listen to colleagues defend the status quo by saying that the United States has a university system that is the envy of the world, I hear echoes of the Detroit automobile industry's casual dismissal of foreign competitors in the early 1960s. The decision not to change did not preserve the auto industry, and it is unlikely to preserve public universities as we know them. The current debates about tenure began with ideological attacks on “tenured radicals” who used their secure jobs to subvert conservative cultural values. The attack on tenure gathered steam as fiscal hawks in financially-strapped states looked for ways to save money and found huge state university systems with budgets to match. When asked why he robbed banks, the legendary Willie Sutton replied, “Because that's where the money is.” When asked why they are robbing tenure, legislators, regents, and administrators reply, “Because that's where the money is.” Personnel costs are a large share of university budgets and tenure ties the hands of administrators and legislators accustomed to using purse strings to control universities.