Preface

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The evolution of technology in the current Fourth Industrial Revolution has been accelerating in recent decades, with smaller, more interconnected hard-ware devices and software applications becoming the norm. The more we think about revolutionary advancements in technology, the more we think about what it means to be human. It is exciting to think about what technology can do, but it also raises concerns around ethics, trust, privacy and even spirituality.

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Due to the rise in consumers’ privacy concerns of invasion of data privacy and the government enforced regulations on data protection, Privacy Enhancing Technologies (PETs) has been used increasingly to protect consumers’ personal data. However how this was perceived and does this affect employee working processes were questions that were asked in our first paper. An insight into the employees’ experience in implementing PETs is shared and keys to successful PETs implementation in protecting personal data is highlighted.

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Since the first industrial revolution. starting way back in the late 18th century, and through the millennia, the industrial revolution continues to influence other areas like sports. Being active in sports has been proven to reduce stress and improve mental well-being. However, is it the same for student athletes who faced a unique set of challenges due to the pressure and demand exerted from both academic and sports? Our second paper by Kavidas and Cheang explored the experience encountered by student athletes in dealing and managing these psychological challenges. Three ways of managing the challenges were identified with an emphasis on how the student athletes use their own lived experience and lessons learned from their past as a way of coping mechanism was reported.

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Looking at the current lifestyle, billions of people are sharing something online every single day. The result? Data. Lots and lots of data. Thus, plagiarism which has been pervasive over the past decades, are increasing on an international scale, since the availability of resources from the internet could easily be plagiarized. The article entitled: Ethical issues in qualitative research among postgraduate students in Malaysia highlighted some of the most common ethical issues including plagiarism that arise in qualitative research studies, why this has happened, and how to overcome these important issues across institutions.

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Another aspect of life that is worth reflecting is about peace in the eyes of young children. Ever since the end of the Cold War, The United Nations, through its Peacekeeping army has faced many challenges especially with the rise of civil wars in the 1990s.The final paper entitled; Understanding of peace and peace building among young children parents and teachers in several preschools in Malaysia augurs well with the efforts of the Ministry of Education to bring forth a harmonious and just society as Malaysian children was found to have an innate positivity towards peace and if cultivated from young, would definitely create a more peaceful world of tomorrow. The study also uncovered that Malaysian teachers and parents are generally supportive of peace-building efforts and believe in taking self-initiated actions to generate a peaceful environment.

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We stand on the brink of a technological revolution that will fundamentally alter the way we live, work and relate to one another. The Fourth Industrial Revolution may look and feel like an exogenous force with the power of a tsunami, but in reality, there is a critical and central question: how to use it and where to draw the line? Qualitative research is clearly ideally suited to explore the nature and characteristics of the phenomenon, particularly given the intangible element involved. This issue of MJQR has attempt to include a variety of issues indirectly connected to this revolution which we hope has provided readings that is worth considering and has contributed food for thoughts for you.

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It is noted that we are finally at the end of 2019. Before we welcome 2020, the Editorial team would like to take this opportunity to thank all the paper contributors, reviewers, and readers for the support without which the journal would not have continue as a platform for qualitative research works.

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Khatijah Lim Abdullah
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
2019

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