Search results for: student academic writing

Authors: Erizal Lugman

Abstract:

To achieve their academic goals whilst studying abroad, international students must successfully adjust to cross-cultural differences. As a result, they need to develop new abilities including intercultural competence and politeness in order to effectively communicate with different languages and cultures. (Im)politeness is also an essential aspect of intercultural competence which is vital for effective intercultural communication. This study seeks to integrate different aspects of intercultural competence, (im)politeness and the use of social media platforms which is solely focused on Indonesian students studying in the UK. Using a purposive sampling method, participants will be recruited to address the research questions who will all be volunteers and have lived in Britain for at least six months or who have passed the cultural adjustment period. Using a range of quantitative and qualitative methods, in this respect, participants will be recruited and asked to relate the intercultural experiences they encountered during the cultural adjustment period through the use of e-portfolios, interviews, and critical reflection. This will be followed by online surveying from the Indonesian participants' point of view using the cross-cultural adaptability inventory (CCAI), which aims to measure the individual potential for cross-cultural adaptability. A discursive approach will be employed which aims to focus on analysing (im)politeness as reported and narrated by the participants.

Keywords: im)politeness, intercultural communication, intercultural competence, social media

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Authors: Zebider Asire Munyelet, Yibeltal Chanie Manie

Abstract:

In the modern digital landscape, the increase of social media platforms has become identical to the evolution of online consumer behavior. This study investigates the complicated relationship between social media and the purchasing decisions of online buyers. Through an extensive review of existing literature and empirical research, the aim is to comprehensively analyze the multidimensional impact that social media exerts on the various stages of the online buyer's journey. The investigation encompasses the exploration of how social media platforms serve as influential channels for information dissemination, product discovery, and consumer engagement. Additionally, the study investigates the psychological aspects underlying the role of social media in shaping buyer preferences, perceptions, and trust in online transactions. The methodologies employed include both quantitative and qualitative analyses, incorporating surveys, interviews, and data analytics to derive meaningful insights. Statistical models are applied to distinguish patterns in online buyer behavior concerning product awareness, brand loyalty, and decision-making processes. The expected outcomes of this research contribute not only to the academic understanding of the dynamic interplay between social media and online buyer behavior but also offer practical implications for marketers, e-commerce platforms, and policymakers.

Keywords: social platforms, buyer behavior, consumer behavior, digital era

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Authors: Anto Antony Samy, Atefeh Golbang, Edward Archer, Alistair McIlhagger

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Fused deposition modelling (FDM) is one of the additive manufacturing techniques that has become highly attractive in the industrial and academic sectors. However, parts fabricated through FDM are highly susceptible to geometrical defects such as warpage, shrinkage, and delamination that can severely affect their function. Among the thermoplastic polymer feedstock for FDM, semi-crystalline polymers are highly prone to part distortion due to polymer crystallization. In this study, the influence of FDM processing conditions such as chamber temperature and print bed temperature on the induced thermal residual stress and resulting warpage are investigated using the 3D transient thermal model for a semi-crystalline polymer. The thermo-mechanical properties and the viscoelasticity of the polymer, as well as the crystallization physics, which considers the crystallinity of the polymer, are coupled with the evolving temperature gradient of the print model. From the results, it was observed that increasing the chamber temperature from 25°C to 75°C lead to a decrease of 1.5% residual stress, while decreasing bed temperature from 100°C to 60°C, resulted in a 33% increase in residual stress and a significant rise of 138% in warpage. The simulated warpage data is validated by comparing it with the measured warpage values of the samples using 3D scanning.

Keywords: finite element analysis, fused deposition modelling, residual stress, warpage

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Authors: Anggi Ristiyana Puspita Sari, Suyanta

Abstract:

To recognize the importance of the development of critical thinking and science process skills, the instrument should give attention to the characteristics of chemistry. Therefore, constructing an accurate instrument for measuring those skills is important. However, the integrated instrument assessment is limited in number. The purpose of this study is to validate an integrated assessment instrument for measuring students’ critical thinking and science process skills on acid base matter. The development model of the test instrument adapted McIntire model. The sample consisted of 392 second grade high school students in the academic year of 2015/2016 in Yogyakarta. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted to explore construct validity, whereas content validity was substantiated by Aiken’s formula. The result shows that the KMO test is 0.714 which indicates sufficient items for each factor and the Bartlett test is significant (a significance value of less than 0.05). Furthermore, content validity coefficient which is based on 8 expert judgments is obtained at 0.85. The findings support the integrated assessment instrument to measure critical thinking and science process skills on acid base matter.

Keywords: acid base matter, critical thinking skills, integrated assessment instrument, science process skills, validity

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Authors: Sihem Benaouda

Abstract:

English is gaining an international identity as it affects every academic and professional field in the world. Without increasing their cultural understanding, it would obviously be difficult to completely educate learners for communication in a globalised environment. The concept of culture is intricate and needs to be elucidated, especially in an English language teaching (ELT) context. The study focuses on the investigation of the cultural studies integrated into the different types of English for specific purposes (ESP) materials, as opposed to English for general purposes (EGP) textbooks. A qualitative methodology based on a triangulation of techniques was conducted through materials analysis of five textbooks in both advanced EGP and three types of ESP. In addition to a semi-structured interview conducted with Algerian ESP practitioners, data analysis results revealed that culture in ESP textbooks is not overtly isolated into chapters and that cultural studies are predominantly present in business and economics materials, namely English for hotel and catering staff, tourism, and flight attendants. However, implicit cultural instruction is signalled in the social sciences and is negligible in science and technology sources. In terms of content, cultural studies in EGP are more related to generic topics, whereas, in some ESP materials, the topics are rather oriented to the specific field they belong to. Furthermore, the respondents’ answers showed an unawareness of the importance of culture in ESP teaching, besides some disregard for culture teaching per se in ESP contexts.

Keywords: ESP, EGP, cultural studies, textbooks, teaching, materials

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Authors: Alveena Khan

Abstract:

The objective of this research is to explore students’ understanding about bullying and different bullying types. Nowadays bullying is considered as an important social issue around the world because it has long lasting effects on students’ lives. Sometimes due to bullying students commit suicide, they lose confidence and become isolated. This research used qualitative research approach. In order to generate data, triangulation was considered for the verification and reliability of the generated data. Semi-structured interview, non-participant observation, and case studies were conducted. This research focused on five major private colleges and 20 students (both female and male) participated in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. The data generated included approximately 45 hours of total interviews. Thematic analysis was used for data analysis and followed grounded theory to generate themes. The findings of the research highlights that bullying does prevail in studied private colleges, mostly in the form of verbal and physical bullying. No specific gender difference was found in experiencing verbal and physical bullying. Furthermore, from students’ point of view, college administrators are responsible to deal with bullying. The researcher suggests that there must be a proper check and balance system and anti-bullying programs should be held in colleges to create a protective and healthy environment in which students do not face bullying.

Keywords: bullying, college student, physical and verbal bullying, qualitative research

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Authors: Jaejun Jong

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Many teachers in South Korea conduct research to improve the quality of their instruction. Unfortunately, many researchers generalize the results of measurements based on one subgroup to other students or to the entire population, which can cause problems. This study aims to determine examples of possible problems resulting from generalizing measurements based on one subgroup to an entire population or another group. This study is needed, as teachers’ instruction and class quality significantly affect the overall quality of education, but the quality of research conducted by teachers can become questionable due to overgeneralization. Thus, finding potential problems of overgeneralization can improve the overall quality of education. The data in this study were gathered from 145 sixth-grade elementary school students in South Korea. The result showed that students in different classes could differ significantly in various ways; thus, generalizing the results of subgroups to an entire population can engender erroneous student predictions and evaluations, which can lead to inappropriate instruction plans. This result shows that finding the reasons for such overgeneralization can significantly improve the quality of education.

Keywords: generalization, measurement, research methodology, teacher education

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Authors: Alexander Rych

Abstract:

Piql Preservation Services (“Piql”) is a turnkey solution designed for secure, migration-free long- term preservation of digital data. Piql sets an open standard for long- term preservation for the future. It consists of equipment and processes needed for writing and retrieving digital data. Exponentially growing amounts of data demand for logistically effective and cost effective processes. Digital storage media (hard disks, magnetic tape) exhibit limited lifetime. Repetitive data migration to overcome rapid obsolescence of hardware and software bears accelerated risk of data loss, data corruption or even manipulation and adds significant repetitive costs for hardware and software investments. Piql stores any kind of data in its digital as well as analog form securely for 500 years. The medium that provides this is a film reel. Using photosensitive film polyester base, a very stable material that is known for its immutability over hundreds of years, secure and cost-effective long- term preservation can be provided. The film reel itself is stored in a packaging capable of protecting the optical storage medium. These components have undergone extensive testing to ensure longevity of up to 500 years. In addition to its durability, film is a true WORM (write once- read many) medium. It therefore is resistant to editing or manipulation. Being able to store any form of data onto the film makes Piql a superior solution for long-term preservation. Paper documents, images, video or audio sequences – all of those file formats and documents can be preserved in its native file structure. In order to restore the encoded digital data, only a film scanner, a digital camera or any appropriate optical reading device will be needed in the future. Every film reel includes an index section describing the data saved on the film. It also contains a content section carrying meta-data, enabling users in the future to rebuild software in order to read and decode the digital information.

Keywords: digital data, long-term preservation, migration-free, photosensitive film

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Authors: Jay-R. Hosana Leonidas, Jayson A. Lucilo

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The K-12 Curriculum in the Philippines shed light to mathematics education as it recognizes the use of smartphones/mobile phones as appropriate tools necessary in teaching mathematics. However, there were limited pieces of evidence on the use of these devices in teaching and learning process. This descriptive study developed lessons integrating the use of mobile phone applications with basis on low-level competencies of students in Precalculus and determined its effects on students’ conceptual understanding, procedural skills, and attitudes towards Precalculus. Employing Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) scheme in the study, lessons developed were conducted among Grade 11 Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) students at Central Bicol State University of Agriculture for the academic year 2018-2019. This study found that there is a significant difference between the competency levels of students along conceptual understanding and procedural skills prior to and after the conduct of lessons developed. Also, it disclosed that the use of mobile phone applications had positive effects on students’ attitudes towards Precalculus. Thus, the use of mobile phone applications in teaching Precalculus can enrich students’ understanding of concepts and procedural skills (solving and graphing skills) and can increase students’ motivation, self-confidence, and enjoyment in dealing with Precalculus.

Keywords: bring your own device, mathematics education, mobile phone applications, senior high school

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Authors: J. Chow

Abstract:

In laboratory settings, this study measured and reported the effects of undergraduate students watching animated videos on learning microeconomics as compared with the effectiveness of reading written texts. The study described an experiment on learning microeconomics in higher education using two different types of learning materials. It reported the effectiveness on microeconomics learning of watching animated videos and reading written texts. Undergraduate students in the university were randomly assigned to either a ‘video group’ or a ‘text group’ in the experiment. Previously-validated multiple-choice questions on fundamental concepts of microeconomics were administered. Both groups showed improvement between the pre-test and post-test. The experience of learning using text and video materials was also assessed. After controlling the student characteristics variables, the analyses showed that both types of materials showed comparable level of perceived learning experience. The effect size and statistical significance of these results supported the hypothesis that animated video is an effective alternative to text materials as a learning tool for students. The findings suggest that such animated videos may support teaching microeconomics in higher education.

Keywords: animated videos for education, laboratory experiment, microeconomics education, undergraduate economics education

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Authors: Seun Mayowa Sunday

Abstract:

Loan prediction is one of the most significant and recognised fields of research in the banking, insurance, and the financial security industries. Some prediction systems on the market include the construction of static software. However, due to the fact that static software only operates with strictly regulated rules, they cannot aid customers beyond these limitations. Application of many machine learning (ML) techniques are required for loan prediction. Four separate machine learning models, random forest (RF), decision tree (DT), k-nearest neighbour (KNN), and logistic regression, are used to create the loan prediction model. Using the anaconda navigator and the required machine learning (ML) libraries, models are created and evaluated using the appropriate measuring metrics. From the finding, the random forest performs with the highest accuracy of 80.17% which was later implemented into the Django framework. For real-time testing, the web application is deployed on the Alibabacloud which is among the top 4 biggest cloud computing provider. Hence, to the best of our knowledge, this research will serve as the first academic paper which combines the model development and the Django framework, with the deployment into the Alibaba cloud computing application.

Keywords: k-nearest neighbor, random forest, logistic regression, decision tree, django, cloud computing, alibaba cloud

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Authors: Veronica S. Moertini, Vinsensius Kevin, Gede Karya

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Customer reviews have been collected by many kinds of e-commerce websites selling products, services, hotel rooms, tickets and so on. Each website collects its own customer reviews. The reviews can be crawled, collected from those websites and stored as big data. Text analysis techniques can be used to analyze that data to produce summarized information, such as customer opinions. Then, these opinions can be published by independent service provider websites and used to help customers in choosing the most suitable products or services. As the opinions are analyzed from big data of reviews originated from many websites, it is expected that the results are more trusted and accurate. Indonesian customers write reviews in Indonesian language, which comes with its own structures and uniqueness. We found that most of the reviews are expressed with “daily language”, which is informal, do not follow the correct grammar, have many abbreviations and slangs or non-formal words. Hadoop is an emerging platform aimed for storing and analyzing big data in distributed systems. A Hadoop cluster consists of master and slave nodes/computers operated in a network. Hadoop comes with distributed file system (HDFS) and MapReduce framework for supporting parallel computation. However, MapReduce has weakness (i.e. inefficient) for iterative computations, specifically, the cost of reading/writing data (I/O cost) is high. Given this fact, we conclude that MapReduce function is best adapted for “one-pass” computation. In this research, we develop an efficient technique for extracting or mining opinions from big data of Indonesian reviews, which is based on MapReduce with one-pass computation. In designing the algorithm, we avoid iterative computation and instead adopt a “look up table” technique. The stages of the proposed technique are: (1) Crawling the data reviews from websites; (2) cleaning and finding root words from the raw reviews; (3) computing the frequency of the meaningful opinion words; (4) analyzing customers sentiments towards defined objects. The experiments for evaluating the performance of the technique were conducted on a Hadoop cluster with 14 slave nodes. The results show that the proposed technique (stage 2 to 4) discovers useful opinions, is capable of processing big data efficiently and scalable.

Keywords: big data analysis, Hadoop MapReduce, analyzing text data, mining Indonesian reviews

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Authors: Salvador Gomez

Abstract:

Climate change poses significant threats to urban communities, with marginalized populations often disproportionately affected by environmental hazards. While urban climate adaptation planning research and initiatives are increasing, these efforts often fail to adequately address vulnerable communities. This paper explores the intersection between climate adaptation planning, particularly in response to heat-related environmental hazards, and underrepresented urban communities. This project will adopt a exploratory sequential design methodology which will predicate on a content analysis of academic research, white papers, and other content related to climate adaptation. Additionally, a spatial analysis will be conducted for all case studies included in the literature review. Analysis of geographic metadata and qualitative coding will refine research questions’ scale and scope. This is especially true for literature that will be filtered to include heat-related environmental hazards. Ultimately, one can hypothesize that findings will further prove how current urban spatial politics create, perpetuate, or worsen uneven vulnerability to heat-related hazards. Lastly, the project aims to learn more about climate adaptation planning in order to implement more efficient and equitable sustainable transitions.

Keywords: urban & regional planning, environmental justice, climate adaptation, heat stress

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Authors: Oluyomi A. Abioye

Abstract:

The 21st century has been witnessing a lot of technological advancements and innovations, and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) happens to be one of them. Education is the cornerstone of any nation and the language in which it is delivered is the bedrock of any development. The French language is our choice in this study. French is a language of reference on the national and international scenes; however its teaching is clouded with myriads of problems. The output of students’ academic performance depends on to a large extent on the teaching and learning the process. The methodology employed goes a long way in contributing to the effectiveness of the teaching and learning the process. Therefore, with the integration of ICT, French teaching has to align with and adapt to this new digital era. An attempt is made to define the concept of ICT. Some of the challenges encountered in the teaching of French language are highlighted. Then it discusses the existing methods of French teaching and the integration of ICT in the teaching and learning of the same language. Then some prospects and challenges of ICT in the teaching and learning of French are discussed. Data collected from questionnaires administered among some students of some selected schools are analysed. Our findings revealed that only very few schools in Nigeria have the electronic and computer-mediated facilities to teach the French language. The paper concludes by encouraging 'savoir-faire' of ICT by the French teachers, an openness of students to this digital technology and adequate provision of electronic and computer-mediated gadgets by the Nigerian government to its educational institutions.

Keywords: French language in Nigeria, integration of ICT, prospects and challenges, teaching and learning

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Authors: Sufia Khowaja, Nishat Fatima

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Social networking sites are significant for visually impaired to overcome the unique challenges they face and access the resources they need to succeed in their education and beyond which might be difficult to obtain through traditional means. It provides them an opportunity to build relationships, stay connected with their support network as well as to develop social skills which give them emotional support to fell less isolated. In this connection the study is conducted with the aim to determine the use of social networking sites, purpose of using and activities performed by visually impaired at Delhi University, Delhi, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi and Jamia Milia Islamia, Delhi. The study followed survey technique in which structured interview is followed to collect data from 137 visually impaired students and analysed using ‘SPSS ver23’. The findings of the study revealed that mostly used social networking sites are whatsapp by 89.23% students of DU, 95.12% of JNU, 87.09% of JMI, followed by e-mail by 78.46% of DU, 78.04% of JNU, 64.51%; youtube by 73.84% DU, 90.24% JNU, 80.64% JMI. Purpose for using these sites is for academics mentioned by 96.92% DU, 100% JNU, 93.54% JMI. Activities performed on sites are sending and receiving messaging 96.92% DU, 92.68% JNU, 93.55% JMI, communicating with friends and family as well as getting academic information. Findings of the study will be helpful for libraries to disseminate their services and resources as well as latest updates to their visually impaired users with the help of most used tools.

Keywords: social networking sites, visually impaired, Delhi University, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Jamia Milia Islamia

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Authors: Mei-Chun Chang

Abstract:

Due to digital transformation and social media development in recent years, various real-time interactive digital tools have been developed to meet the design demands for virtual reality avatars, which also promote digital content learners' active participation in the creation process. As a result, new social media design tools have the characteristics of intuitive operation with a simplified interface for fast production, from which works can be simply created. This study carried out observations, records, questionnaire surveys, and interviews on the creation and learning of visual avatars made by students of the National Taiwan University of Science and Technology (NTUST) with the VRoid Studio 3D modeling tool so as to explore their learning effectiveness on the design of visual avatars. According to the results of this study, the VRoid Studio 3D character modeling tool has a positive impact on the learners and helps to improve their learning effectiveness. Students with low academic achievements said that they could complete the conceived modeling with their own thinking by using the design tool, which increased their sense of accomplishment. Conclusions are drawn according to the results, and relevant future suggestions are put forward.

Keywords: virtual avatar, character design, social media, vroid studio, creation, digital learning

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Authors: Binaya Tamang, Buddhhi Raj Pokhrel, Narayan Gautam

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Background: There may be a connection between thyroid function and vitamin D status since both bind to similar nuclear hormone receptors and have similar response regions on gene promoters. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the relationship between thyroid hormones and vitamin D levels in females who were attending a tertiary care center in western Nepal and were either hypothyroid or euthyroid. Methods: This hospital-based cross-sectional study was carried out between March 2020 and March 2021 by the Biochemistry department of the Universal College of Medical Sciences (UCMS), Bhairahawa, Province No. 5, Nepal, in cooperation with Internal medicine. Prior to the study, institutional review committee approval (UCMS/IRC/008/20) was acquired from UCMS. Women who visited the Internal Medicine OPD of UCMS and were advised to get a thyroid function test (TFT) were included in the study population. Only those who were willing to participate in the study were enrolled after the goals and advantages of the study had been explained to them. Participants who had recently used vitamin D supplements and medications that affected thyroid hormones were excluded. The participants gave their consent verbally and in writing. After getting the consent, a convenient sample technique was applied. Serum was isolated after drawing 3 ml of blood in a plain vial. Chemiluminescence assay was used to analyze vitamin D and thyroid hormones (MAGLUMI 2000). SPSS version 16.0 for Windows was used to conduct the statistical analysis. Statistical significance was defined as a P-value < 0.05. Results: Majority of the study population (n=214, 71%) had insufficient serum vitamin D levels. Among the thyroid groups, the median Vitamin D levels were significantly lower in hypothyroid (16.88 ng/ml) as compared to the euthyroid groups (25.01 ng/ml) (P<0.001). Similarly, serum Vitamin D levels were considerably lower in the obese population (16.86 ng/ml) as compared to the normal BMI group (24.90 ng/ml) (P<0.001) as well as in the vegetarian (15.43 ng.ml) than mixed diet consumer (24.89 ng/ml) (P<0.01). Even after the adjustment for these variables, the Vitamin D levels were significantly lower in the hypothyroid population than in the euthyroid group (P<0.001). Conclusion: Comparing the hypothyroid population to the euthyroid, the median serum vitamin D levels were considerably lower. We were alarmed to see that the majority of euthyroid participants also had low levels of vitamin D. Therefore if left untreated, low vitamin D levels in hypothyroid patients could worsen their health further.

Keywords: vitamin D, thyroid hormones, euthyroid, hypothyroid, Nepal

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Authors: Hasan Husain Ali Abdulnabi

Abstract:

Formative assessment feedback is increasingly practiced in higher education. Instructors allocate great time and effort to provide assessment feedback. However, educators are not sure about students’ perceptions, understanding and respond to the feedback given, as very limited research have been done about what students do with feedback and whether if they understand it. This study aims to explore students’ conceptions and perceptions of formative assessment feedback through questionnaire and focus group interviews. One hundred eighty undergraduate students doing different courses filled the questionnaire, and ten focus group discussions were conducted. Basic descriptive and content analyses were used to analyze students’ responses to the questionnaire, while grounded theory with open coding was used to analyze the focus group interviews. The study revealed that most students believe assessment feedback is helpful to improve their academic performance, and they take time to read, think and discuss their feedback. Also, the study shows most students understand the feedback given. However, students expressed that most of the written feedback given are too general, and they prefer individual oral feedback as it can lead to better understanding on how what and where to improve. The study concluded that students believe formative assessment feedback is valuable, students have reasonable understanding and respond to the feedback provided. However, this practice could be improved by requesting lecturers to make more specific feedback and communicate with students on the way of interpreting and using assessment feedback as a part of the learning and teaching process.

Keywords: assessment, feedback, formative, undergraduate, higher education

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Authors: Christine Alvarez, Rio Gojar, Hannah Jimala

Abstract:

The Philippines is a large country composed of geographic islands and distinct cultural groups. But what makes such a diverse country connect and communicate with one another? This case study examines the narrative of lived experiences expressed by the selected indigenous peoples through an in-depth interview. Based on the results, some indigenous peoples feel that they are motivated to engage in interethnic discussions that concern their ethnic identity and such cultural misconceptions about them. Their experiences in being involved in indigenous people centered and community/academic organizations helped them in every interethnic communication. After all, some indigenous peoples expressed that they find their own communities as a safe space. Although indigenous peoples present less interethnic communication apprehension, its existence is still manifested in their experiences in verbal communication, non-verbal communication, and mediated communication. Lastly, their Interethnic Communication Apprehension manifested on their innate and learned personality whenever there is a large crowd, and is affected by their socioeconomic status. This study mainly focuses on what are the interethnic communication apprehension experiences of indigenous peoples in the country. Concepts are applied from the Contextual Theory of Interethnic Communication theory, Interethnic Communication Apprehension, and other types of communication. Meanwhile, the participants are determined through a purposive sampling with the criteria as indigenous people who stays in Manila in pursuit of higher education.

Keywords: ethnic identity, interethnic relation, intercultural communication, indigenous people community

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Authors: Zebider Asire Munyelet, Yibeltal Chanie Manie

Abstract:

In the modern digital landscape, the increase of social media platforms has become identical to the evolution of online consumer behavior. This study investigates the complicated relationship between social media and the purchasing decisions of online buyers. Through an extensive review of existing literature and empirical research, the aim is to comprehensively analyze the multidimensional impact that social media exerts on the various stages of the online buyer's journey. The investigation encompasses the exploration of how social media platforms serve as influential channels for information dissemination, product discovery, and consumer engagement. Additionally, the study investigates into the psychological aspects underlying the role of social media in shaping buyer preferences, perceptions, and trust in online transactions. The methodologies employed include both quantitative and qualitative analyses, incorporating surveys, interviews, and data analytics to derive meaningful insights. Statistical models are applied to distinguish patterns in online buyer behavior concerning product awareness, brand loyalty, and decision-making processes. The expected outcomes of this research contribute not only to the academic understanding of the dynamic interplay between social media and online buyer behavior but also offer practical implications for marketers, e-commerce platforms, and policymakers.

Keywords: consumer Behavior, social media, online purchasing, online transaction

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Authors: Yaw Akoto

Abstract:

The social construction of disability in a Ghanaian society has created a restriction on the development of the academic potentials of persons with disabilities. Ghanaian societal perceptions position persons with disabilities as needy, evil, feeble and 'abnormal' that a person with disability cannot contribute anything meaningful to their own development, society, and the nation as well. Almost all Ghanaian cultures believe the Gods visit evil people with disability as such they erect barriers that limit them to select and enroll in education. The few people with disabilities who gain admission to schools drop out due to these barriers erected by the society and institutions. However, there are very few of these students who are able to pursue their education at the higher education level despite these challenges. This qualitative study explores the motivation of students with disabilities to select and enroll in a Ghanaian university. The study used semi-structured interview to solicit information from students with disabilities in a Ghanaian university. Although the quality of students with disabilities experience was affected by culture, discrimination, marginalisation, and lack of support, the prospect of using themselves as role models, employment opportunities and family impingement were among others that pushed them to embark on their educational journey. The findings of this study have implications for societal and institutional levels for restructuring and refining societal perception and institutional policies on disabilities.

Keywords: beliefs, Ghanaian university, social construction, students with disabilities

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Authors: Adam Reilly

Abstract:

The major claim of this paper is that both the English and Canadian branches of the common law have been ill-served by the 'institutional'/'remedial' taxonomy of constructive trusts; what shall be termed the 'orthodox taxonomy'.  The orthodox taxonomy is found both within the case law and the attendant academic commentary.  In truth, the orthodox taxonomy is especially dangerous because it contains a kernel of truth together with a misconception; the interplay of both has caused more harm than the misconception alone would have managed.  The kernel of truth is that some trusts arise automatically when the necessary facts occur ('institutional') and other trusts arise only by way of court order ('remedial').  The misconception is that these two labels represent an exhaustive nomenclature of two distinct 'kinds' of constructive trust such that any particular constructive trust must necessarily be 'institutional' if it is not 'remedial' and vice versa.  The central difficulty is that our understanding of 'remedial' trusts is relatively poor, with the result that anyone using the orthodox taxonomy shall be led astray in one of three ways: (i) by rejecting it wholesale; (ii) by adopting one ‘type’ of trust to the exclusion of the other (as in English law); or (iii) by applying it as an analytical device with sub-optimal results which are difficult to defend.  This paper shall seek to resolve these difficulties by clarifying the criteria for identifying and distinguishing true 'remedial' constructive trusts.  It shall then provide some working examples of how English and Canadian private law at present misunderstand constructive trusts and how that misunderstanding might be resolved once we distinguish the orthodox taxonomy's kernel of truth from the misconception outlined above.

Keywords: comparative law, constructive trusts, equitable remedies, remedial constructive trusts

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Authors: Kari M. Solomon

Abstract:

Companies with a culture accepting of change management and performance excellence are better suited to determine their sustainability performance and impacts. A mature corporate culture supportive of performance excellence is better positioned to integrate sustainability management tools into their standard business strategy. Companies use various sustainability management tools and reporting standards to communicate levels of sustainability performance to their stakeholders, more often focusing on shareholders and investors. A research gap remains in understanding how companies adapt business excellence models to define corporate sustainability performance. A content analysis of medium-sized enterprises using corporate sustainability reports and business excellence models reveals the challenges and opportunities of reporting sustainability performance in the context of organizational excellence. The outcomes of this content analysis contribute knowledge on the resources needed for companies to build sustainability performance management systems integral to existing management systems. The findings of this research inform academic research areas of corporate sustainability performance, the business community contributing to sustainable development initiatives, and integrating sustainable development issues into business excellence models. There are potential research links between sustainability performance management and the alignment of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) when organizations promote a culture of performance or business excellence.

Keywords: business excellence, corporate sustainability, performance excellence, sustainability performance

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Authors: Ambuj Srivastava, Narender Singh

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This paper presents the effect of installation of cylindrical external store on the performance, stability, control and handling qualities of light transport category aircraft. A pair of long cylindrical store was installed symmetrically on either side of the fuselage (port and starboard) ahead of the wing and below the fuselage bottom surface running below pilot and co-pilot window. The cylindrical store was installed as hanging from aircraft surface through specially designed brackets. The adjoining structure was sufficiently reinforced for bearing aerodynamic loads. The length to diameter ratio of long cylindrical store was ~20. Based on academic studies and flow simulation analysis, a considerable detrimental effect on single engine second segment climb performance was found which was later validated through extensive flight testing exercise. The methodology of progressive flight envelope opening was adopted. The certification was sought from Regional airworthiness authorities and for according approval.

Keywords: second segment climb, maximum operating speed, cruise performance (single engine and twin engine), minimum control speed, and additional trim required

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Authors: Etienne Sugewe

Abstract:

Purpose: The establishment of a positive HIV serologic status of an individual could have been an inhibitory factor to prevent risk behaviours in people living with HIV/AIDS. We conducted a cross-sectional study in order to assess the prevalence and predictors of risk behaviors among HIV-positive people in Douala-Cameroon. Methods: We used pre-checked questionnaires to systematically collect data from four HIV treatment centers in Douala. This was done to some of them during the distribution of drugs and to others during their classical rendezvous between the months of May and July 2012. The Chi-Square and Student t-test were used for cross tabulation of variables; multiple regression analysis was performed to identify predictors of risky sexual behaviours. Results: Of the 330 persons interviewed, sixty percent were reported to have had sexual intercourse after the diagnosis of HIV. We obtained 37% HIV-positive partners, and 63% had HIV- negative partners or partners with unknown status. Among our patients, 45% of the subjects with regular partners reported to have had anal or vaginal sex. Those whose score on the knowledge about HIV/AIDS was < 50% and where 90% of them were less susceptible to the condom during intercourse (p: 0.01). About 74% of patients on ARV were less susceptible to the use of condoms during sexual intercourse (p: 0.03). Conclusion: Risk sexual behaviours among people living with HIV/AIDS are common and potentially expose their partners. For HIV-positive partners, these habits pose a real risk of suprainfection by other strains of HIV. The need to increase awareness and education among people living with HIV is therefore highly recommended.

Keywords: HIV/AIDS, behaviours, HIV positive, Douala, 2012

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Authors: Wen Chen

Abstract:

To investigate the interleaving effect of subject matter (mathematics vs. history) and perceptual modality (visual vs. auditory materials) on student’s attention and learning outcomes, the present study collected self-reported data on subjective cognitive load (SCL) and attention level, EEG data, and learning outcomes from micro-lectures. Eighty-one 7th grade students were randomly assigned to four learning conditions: blocked (by subject matter) micro-lectures with auditory textual information (B-A condition), blocked (by subject matter) micro-lectures with visual textual information (B-V condition), interleaved (by subject matter) micro-lectures with auditory textual information (I-A condition), and interleaved micro-lectures by both perceptual modality and subject matter (I-all condition). The results showed that although interleaved conditions may show advantages in certain indices, the I-all condition showed the best overall outcomes (best performance, low SCL, and high attention). This study suggests that interleaving by both subject matter and perceptual modality should be preferred in scheduling and planning classes.

Keywords: cognitive load, interleaving effect, micro-lectures, sustained attention

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Authors: Leila Goosen

Abstract:

The research problem reported on in this paper relates to improving success in Computer Science and Information Technology subjects where students are learning applications, especially when teaching occurs in a distance education context. An investigation was launched in order to address students’ struggles with applications, and improve their assessment in such subjects. Some of the main arguments presented centre on formulating and situating significant concepts within an appropriate conceptual framework. The paper explores the experiences and perceptions of computing instructors, teaching assistants, students and higher education institutions on how they are empowered by using technologies such as myITLab. They also share how they are working with the available features to successfully teach applications to their students. The data collection methodology used is then described. The paper includes discussions on how myITLab empowers instructors, teaching assistants, students and higher education institutions. Conclusions are presented on the way in which this paper could make an original and significant contribution to the promotion and development of knowledge in fields related to successfully teaching applications for student learning, including in a distance education context. The paper thus provides a forum for practitioners to highlight and discuss insights and successes, as well as identify new technical and organisational challenges, lessons and concerns regarding practical activities related to myITLab as an implementation instance of distance education technologies.

Keywords: distance, education, myITLab, technologies

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Authors: Sana Tahzeeb

Abstract:

Role of Muslim minority in a democratic state has been the most debatable as well as attractive issue in the writings of the contemporary Muslim scholars, never discussed in the classical Islamic literature of history. Islam as a dominant religion has been the issue of academic discussions in the entire classical literature of Islamic jurisprudence the division of world into Dar al-Islam (abode of Islam), Dar al-Harb (abode of war) has been the main division on the basis of which Islam’s relation with the remaining world were defined and formulated. Now living in a global society the classical division of territories seems to be irrelevant. The new division of the same became necessary in the present situation particularly in view of the pluralistic society and need of power sharing in non-Muslim countries. It is important to note that a number of Muslim scholars of modern period examined this problem and other issues of Muslim minorities from legal point of view. Fiqh al-Aqalliyat is a newly developed discipline of Islamic jurisprudence. The rationale for this development is that there are so many issues of the Muslim minorities particularly in the European countries which are required to be discussed and examined juridically by Muslim jurists and scholars. There was also need for reinterpreting the term Dar al-Harb and relevance of its applicability to the west. The present paper shed a light on these emerging trends in Islamic world.

Keywords: fiqh al Aqalliyat, Muslim minorities, Europe, Islam

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Authors: Eid Nasr Saad Nasr

Abstract:

Although human rights protection in the industrial sector has increased, human rights violations continue to occur. Although the government has passed human rights laws, labor laws, and an international treaty ratified by the United States, human rights crimes continue to occur and go undetected. The growing number of textile companies in Bekasi is also leading to an increase in human rights violations as the government has no obligation to protect them. The United States government and business leaders should respect, protect and defend the human rights of workers. The article discusses the human rights violations faced by garment factory workers in the context of the law, as well as ideas for improving the protection of workers' rights. The connection between development and human rights has long been the subject of academic debate. Therefore, to understand the dynamics between these two concepts, a number of principles have been adopted, ranging from the right to development to a human rights-based approach to development. Despite these attempts, the precise connection between development and human rights is not yet fully understood. However, the inherent interdependence between these two concepts and the idea that development efforts must respect human rights guarantees has gained momentum in recent years. It will then be examined whether the right to sustainable development is recognized.

Keywords: sustainable development, human rights, the right to development, the human rights-based approach to development, environmental rights, economic development, social sustainability human rights protection, human rights violations, workers’ rights, justice, security

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Authors: Burcu Oksuz, Volkan Altıintas, Zulfiye Acar Senturk

Abstract:

Though in the academic literature, it is emphasized that Public Relations (PR) should not be seen only as media relations, in practise, the media relations has a very dominant position at the communication studies carried out by many companies. There are many PR practitioners who have journalism background. However the number of the practitioners who have started to work in the sector after having PR education at the universities has been highly increasing. Therefore, it can be said that previous journalist dominance has diminished at the public relations sector in Turkey. However, by virtue of the fact that some companies and practitioners consider the media coverage the first priority of PR, this much is certain that the dominant position of media relations is ongoing. On the other hand, still many companies measure the success of their PR by how much place their companies have taken. This situation creates major pressure on the PR practitioners to have close relations with the media members and to make them write articles about their companies. Thereupon, PR practitioners have to take the time for the media relations and the media relations comes into prominence more than the other PR functions. The aim of this study is to reveal the PR functions at the companies and to evaluate the position of the media relations in the PR studies. Therefore, it is aimed to find out at what extend the discourse of “Public relations is not media relations” is accepted in practice and actualised. Accordingly, a research about 15 hotel enterprises which are located in the city of İzmir will be carried out. İzmir as one of the most important tourism destinations has many hotels. The PR/corporate communications managers will be interviewed profoundly within the scope of this study and PR functions performed by hotels will be discussed in details in consideration of the datum obtained.

Keywords: media relations, public relations, public relations practitioners, Turkey

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