Search results for: undergraduate student research

Authors: Chek K. Loi

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The present study has two objectives. Firstly, it investigates the rhetorical strategies employed in the body paragraphs of ESL (English as a Second Language) undergraduate students’ English academic essays. Peacock’s (2002) model of the discussion section was used as the starting points in this study to investigate the rhetorical moves employed in the data. Secondly, it investigates the writing problems as perceived by these ESL students through an interview. Interview responses serve as accompanying data to the move analysis. Apart from this, students’ English academic writing problems are diagnosed. The findings have pedagogical implications in an EAP (English for Academic Purposes) classroom.

Keywords: academic essays, move analysis, pedagogical implication, rhetorical strategies

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Authors: Naseer Ahmad

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This research investigates the intricate dynamics of language policy, ideology, and the choice of educational language as a medium of instruction in rural Pakistan. Focused on addressing the complexities of language practices in underexplored educational contexts, the study employed a case study approach, analyzing interviews with education authorities, teachers, and students, alongside classroom observations in English-medium and Urdu-medium rural schools. The research underscores the significance of understanding linguistic diversity within rural communities. The analysis of interviews and classroom observations revealed that language policies in rural schools are influenced by multiple factors, including historical legacies, societal language ideologies, and government directives. The dominance of Urdu and English as the preferred languages of instruction reflected a broader language hierarchy, where regional languages are often marginalized. This language ideology perpetuates a sense of linguistic inferiority among students who primarily speak regional languages. The impact of language choices on students' learning experiences and outcomes is a central focus of the research. It became evident that while policies advocate for specific language practices, the implementation often diverges due to multifarious socio-cultural, economic, and institutional factors. This disparity significantly impacts the effectiveness of educational processes, influencing pedagogical approaches, student engagement, academic outcomes, social mobility, and language choices. Based on the findings, the study concluded that due to policy and practice gap, rural people have complex perceptions and language choices. They perceived Urdu as a national, lingua franca, cultural, easy, or low-status language. They perceived English as an international, lingua franca, modern, difficult, or high-status language. They perceived other languages as mother tongue, local, religious, or irrelevant languages. This research provided insights that are crucial for theory, policy, and practice, addressing educational inequities and inclusive language policies. It set the stage for further research and advocacy efforts in the realm of language policies in diverse educational settings.

Keywords: language-in-education policy, language ideology, educational language choice, pakistan

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Authors: Chengbin Wang, Li Lu, Luodan Suo, Qinghai Wang, Fan Yang, Xu Wang, Mona Marin

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Background: Two-dose varicella vaccination has been recommended in Beijing since November 2012. We investigated a varicella outbreak in a highly vaccinated elementary school population to examine transmission patterns and risk factors for vaccine failure. Methods: A varicella case was defined as an acute generalized maculopapulovesicular rash without other apparent cause in a student attending the school from March 28 to May 17, 2015. Breakthrough varicella was defined as varicella >42 days after last vaccine dose. Vaccination information was collected from immunization records. Information on prior disease and clinical presentation was collected via survey of students’ parents. Results: Of the 1056 school students, 1028 (97.3%) reported no varicella history, of whom 364 (35.4%) had received 1-dose and 650 (63.2%) had received 2-dose varicella vaccine, for 98.6% school-wide vaccination coverage with ≥ 1 dose before the outbreak. A total of 20 cases were identified for an overall attack rate of 1.9%. The index case was in a 2-dose vaccinated student who was not isolated. The majority of cases were breakthrough (19/20, 95%) with attack rates of 7.1% (1/14), 1.6% (6/364) and 2.0% (13/650) among unvaccinated, 1-dose, and 2-dose students, respectively. Most cases had < 50 lesions (18/20, 90%). No difference was found between 1-dose and 2-dose breakthrough cases in disease severity or sociodemographic factors. Conclusion: Moderate 2-dose varicella vaccine coverage was insufficient to prevent a varicella outbreak. Two-dose breakthrough varicella is still contagious. High 2-dose varicella vaccine coverage and timely isolation of ill persons might be needed for varicella outbreak control in the 2-dose era.

Keywords: varicella, outbreak, breakthrough varicella, vaccination

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Authors: Aissa Hanifi

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People across different world societies are using information and communication technology (ICT) for different purposes. Unfortunately, in contemporary societies, some people have little access to ICT and thus cannot have effective participation in society compared with those who have better access. The purpose of this study is to test the impact of ICTs on university life in general and students' performance in particular. The study relied on an online survey questionnaire that was administered to 30 undergraduate students at Chef University. The findings of the survey revealed that there is still an important number of students who do not have easy access to ICT. Such limited access to ICTs is attributed to varied factors. Some students live in rural areas, where due to the poor internet coverage, they face difficulties in competing with students who live in urban areas with better ICT access. The lack of ICT access has hindered the students' university performance in general and their language skills, and the exchange of information with teachers and classmates.

Keywords: access, communication, ICT, performance, technology

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Authors: Karen Odendaal

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Accounting transactions are becoming more complex, and more extensive accounting guidance is provided on a continuous basis. It is widely perceived that conceptual teaching of accounting contributes to lifelong learning. Such a conceptual teaching approach also contributes to effective accounting problem-solving. This framework-based approach is rooted in educational psychologies such as constructivism and Ausubel’s subsumption theory. This study aimed at investigating the ability of students to solve complex accounting problems by using only concepts underlying the Conceptual Framework. An assignment was administered to pre-graduate students at a South African university and this study made use of an interpretative research design which implemented multiple research instruments to investigate the ability of students to solve complex accounting problems using only concepts underlying the Conceptual Framework. Student perceptions were analysed and were aided by a related reflective questionnaire. The importance of the study indicates the necessity of Accounting educators to enhance a conceptual understanding among students as a mechanism for problem-solving of accounting issues. The results indicate that the ability of students to solve accounting problems effectively using only the Conceptual Framework depends on the complexity of the scenario and the students’ familiarity with the problem. The study promotes a balanced and more conceptual (rather than only technical) preference to the problem-solving of complex accounting problems. The study indubitably promotes considerable emphasis on the importance of the Conceptual Framework in accounting education and the promotion of life-long learning in the subject field.

Keywords: accounting education, conceptual teaching, constructivism, framework-based, problem-solving

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Authors: Mimoun Melliti

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This research paper investigates the promises, challenges, and perspectives associated with teaching STEM subjects in English within Tunisian higher education institutions. The study explores the potential benefits of English-medium instruction in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (henceforth STEM) education, with a special focus on enhanced global competitiveness, improved English language proficiency, and increased access to international resources and collaborations. Additionally, it examines the various challenges faced by educators and students, such as language shift/barriers, curriculum adaptation, faculty training, and student support. Through a comprehensive analysis of promises and challenges, this paper aims to provide insights and recommendations for effectively implementing English medium instruction (henceforth EMI) of STEM in Tunisian higher education institutions. The paper concludes with a recommended action plan for the proper introduction of EMI of STEM in Tunisia.

Keywords: EMI;, STEM education, EFL, language reforms

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Authors: Wei Lu

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With the development of information technology in China, network consumption is becoming more and more popular. As a special group, college students have a high degree of education and distinct opinions and personalities. In the future, the key groups of network consumption have gradually become the focus groups of network consumption. Studying college students’ online consumption behavior has important theoretical significance and practical value. Based on the Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) driving model and the structural equation model, this paper establishes the influencing factors model of College students’ online consumption behavior, evaluates and amends the model by using SPSS and AMOS software, analyses and determines the positive factors of marketing college students’ consumption, and provides an effective basis for guiding and promoting college student consumption.

Keywords: college students, online consumption, stimulate-organism-reaction driving model, structural equation model

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Authors: Nina Dzamashvili Fogelström

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This paper examines concepts of Game-Based Learning and Gamification. Conducted literature survey found an increased interest in the academia in these concepts, limited evidence of a positive effect on student motivation and academic performance, but also certain scepticism for adding games to traditional educational activities. A small-scale empirical study presented in this paper aims to evaluate student experience and usefulness of GameBased Learning and Gamification for a better understanding of the threshold concepts in software engineering project courses. The participants of the study were 22 second year students from bachelor’s program in software engineering at Blekinge Institute of Technology. As a part of the course instruction, the students were introduced to a digital game specifically designed to simulate agile software project. The game mechanics were designed as to allow manipulation of the agile concept of team velocity. After the application of the game, the students were surveyed to measure the degree of a perceived increase in understanding of the studied threshold concept. The students were also asked whether they would like to have games included in their education. The results show that majority of the students found the game helpful in increasing their understanding of the threshold concept. Most of the students have indicated that they would like to see games included in their education. These results are encouraging. Since the study was of small scale and based on convenience sampling, more studies in the area are recommended.

Keywords: agile development, gamification, game based learning, digital games, software engineering, threshold concepts

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Authors: Juanita Morris

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The purpose of this study will examine the mediating relationships between the theories of intelligence, mathematics anxiety, gender stereotype threat, meta-cognition and math performance through the use of eye tracking technology, affecting student perception and problem-solving abilities. The participants will consist of (N=80) female graduate students. Test administered were the Abbreviated Math Anxiety Scale, Tobii Eye Tracking software, gender stereotype threat through Google images, and they will be asked to describe their problem-solving approach allowed to measure metacognition. Participants will be administered mathematics problems while having gender stereotype threat shown to them through online images while being directed to look at the eye tracking software Tobii. We will explore this by asking ‘Is mathematics anxiety associated with the theories of intelligence and gender stereotype threat and how does metacognition and math performance place a role in mediating those perspectives?’. It is hypothesized that math-anxious students are more likely affected by the gender stereotype threat and that may play a role in their performance? Furthermore, we also want to explore whether math anxious students are more likely to be an entity theorist than incremental theorist and whether those who are math anxious will be more likely to be fixated on variables associated with coefficients? Path analysis and independent samples t-test will be used to generate results for this study. We hope to conclude that both the theories of intelligence and metacognition mediate the relationship between mathematics anxiety and gender stereotype threat.

Keywords: math anxiety, emotions, affective domains fo learning, cognitive underlinings

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Authors: Elaine Marta Pereira Aaltonen

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Effective school leadership materialised in educational settings through the high standard professional performance of senior and middle leaders, has increasingly become an education policy priority around the world due to a wide recognition that schools need knowledgeable, skilled, and committed leaders, along with great teachers, in order to ensure outstanding education at all levels of schooling. The scope of this paper is the work of middle leaders, whose direct influence on teachers and classroom teaching, thus, on student learning outcomes, is a key component for successful school systems. It particularly aims at sharing some of the findings obtained through an academic study recently carried out by the same researcher, which was focused on enhancing understanding about aspects related to the professional performance of educational middle leaders, applied to the context of the lower elementary school division of a private mainstream school located in Brazil. The master´s dissertation findings included identifying the roles performed by a team of educational middle leaders throughout the year of 2021, as well as gaining insights on their perceptions about the roles performed, both through an electronic questionnaire and individual face-to-face interviews. Not only the roles of the middle leaders who participated in the research have been identified through the qualitative case study undertaken, but additional research finding lying within the sphere of the categorisation of such roles, based upon coherent domains of practice, has possibly been made. Hence, the main purpose of this paper is to outline the findings concerning the current roles played by educational middle leaders.

Keywords: roles, middle leaders, educational leadership, school leadership, and management

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Authors: Sanjay Ranade

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Traditional film theory assumes the cinema audience in a darkened room where cinema is projected on to a white screen, and the audience suspends their sense of reality. Shifts in audiences due to changes in cultural tastes or trends have been studied for decades. In the past two decades, however, the audience, especially the youth, has shifted to digital media for the consumption of cinema. As a result, not only are audiences watching cinema on different devices, they are also consuming cinema in places and ways never imagined before. Public transport often crowded to the brim with a lot of ambient content, and a variety of workplaces have become sites for cinema viewing. Cinema is watched piecemeal and at different times of the day. Audiences use devices such as mobile phones and tablets to watch cinema. The cinema viewing experience is getting redesigned by the user. The emerging design allows the spectator to not only consume images and narratives but also produce, reproduce, and manipulate existing images and narratives, thereby participating in the process and influencing it. Spectatorship studies stress on the importance of subjectivity when dealing with the structure of the film text and the cultural and psychological implications in the engagement between the spectator and the film text. Indian cinema has been booming and contributing to global movie production significantly. In 2005 film production was 1000 films a year and doubled to 2000 by 2016. Digital technology helped push this growth in 2012. Film studies in India have had a decided Euro-American bias. The studies have chiefly analysed the content for ideological leanings or myth or as reflections of society, societal changes, or articulation of identity or presented retrospectives of directors, actors, music directors, etc. The one factor relegated to the background has been the spectator. If they have been addressed, they are treated as a collective of class or gender. India has a performative tradition going back several centuries. How Indians receive cinema is an important aspect to study with respect to film studies. This exploratory and descriptive study looked at 162 young media students studying cinema at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. The students, speaking as many as 20 languages amongst them, were drawn from across the country’s media schools. The study looked at nine film societies registered with the Federation of Film Societies of India. A structured questionnaire was made and distributed online through media teachers for the students. The film societies were approached through the regional office of the FFSI in Mumbai. Lastly, group discussions were held in Mumbai with students and teachers of media. A group consisted of between five and twelve student participants, along with one or two teachers. All the respondents looked at themselves as spectators and shared their experiences of spectators of cinema, providing a very rich insight into Indian conditions of viewing cinema and challenges for cinema ahead.

Keywords: audience, digital, film studies, reception, reception spectatorship

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Authors: Thomas James Bell III

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Pedagogy is thought of as one's philosophy, theory, or teaching method. This study examines the science of learning, considering the forced reconsideration of effective pedagogy brought on by the aftermath of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic. With the aid of various technologies, online education holds challenges and promises to enhance the learning environment if implemented to facilitate student learning. Behaviorism centers around the belief that the instructor is the sage on the classroom stage using repetition techniques as the primary learning instrument. This approach to pedagogy ascribes complete control of the learning environment and works best for students to learn by allowing students to answer questions with immediate feedback. Such structured learning reinforcement tends to guide students' learning without considering learners' independence and individual reasoning. And such activities may inadvertently stifle the student's ability to develop critical thinking and self-expression skills. Fundamentally liberationism pedagogy dismisses the concept that education is merely about students learning things and more about the way students learn. Alternatively, the liberationist approach democratizes the classroom by redefining the role of the teacher and student. The teacher is no longer viewed as the sage on the stage but as a guide on the side. Instead, this approach views students as creators of knowledge and not empty vessels to be filled with knowledge. Moreover, students are well suited to decide how best to learn and which areas improvements are needed. This study will explore the classroom instructor as a servant leader in the twenty-first century, which allows students to integrate technology that encapsulates more individual learning styles. The researcher will examine the Professional Scrum Master (PSM I) exam pass rate results of 124 students in six sections of an Agile scrum course. The students will be separated into two groups; the first group will follow a structured instructor-led course outlined by a course syllabus. The second group will consist of several small teams (ten or fewer) of self-led and self-empowered students. The teams will conduct several event meetings that include sprint planning meetings, daily scrums, sprint reviews, and retrospective meetings throughout the semester will the instructor facilitating the teams' activities as needed. The methodology for this study will use the compare means t-test to compare the mean of an exam pass rate in one group to the mean of the second group. A one-tailed test (i.e., less than or greater than) will be used with the null hypothesis, for the difference between the groups in the population will be set to zero. The major findings will expand the pedagogical approach that suggests pedagogy primarily exist in support of teacher-led learning, which has formed the pillars of traditional classroom teaching. But in light of the fourth industrial revolution, there is a fusion of learning platforms across the digital, physical, and biological worlds with disruptive technological advancements in areas such as the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), 3D printing, robotics, and others.

Keywords: pedagogy, behaviorism, liberationism, flipping the classroom, servant leader instructor, agile scrum in education

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Authors: Habes Moh’d Khalifeh Hatamleh, Shukri Refai Ibrahim Marashdh

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The study came with the aim of identifying the most prominent quantitative, qualitative, and technological challenges facing the higher education system in Jordan as a dilemma in light of the technological revolution that had a radical contribution to changing the face of science and knowledge in various fields of higher education in Jordan. Human societies that require the adoption of scientific research and its basics as a clear entrance aimed at serving the community and upgrading it civilly. The number of private and public universities has increased, and many students have been accepted for all levels of study in the bachelor’s, higher diploma, master’s and doctoral programs, and the quantitative growth has been accompanied by many negatives, which requires renewal and development in the field of higher education, which led to the emergence of many challenges, and the qualitative challenge in terms of relevance, quality and goodness constitutes an important requirement for the improvement of teaching, scientific research and services in light of the social demand for higher education, in order to reach the quality. The real challenge facing our country is to enter the civilization of advanced technology, which has become the main factor and the starting point for preparing staff capable of accomplishing this transformation and creating an appropriate educational environment for the student to help him to use the sources of knowledge. This study can provide a set of recommendations and proposals that may contribute to addressing challenges and contributing to improving educational outcomes in light of the requirements of the labor market and the needs of society.

Keywords: quantitative, qualitative, technological, challenges, higher education

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Authors: Habes Moh’d Khalifeh Hatamleh, Shukri Refai Ibrahim Marashdh

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The study came with the aim of identifying the most prominent quantitative, qualitative, and technological challenges facing the higher education system in Jordan as a dilemma in light of the technological revolution that had a radical contribution to changing the face of science and knowledge in various fields of higher education in Jordan. Human societies that require the adoption of scientific research and its basics as a clear entrance aimed at serving the community and upgrading it civilly. The number of private and public universities has increased, and many students have been accepted for all levels of study in the bachelor’s, higher diploma, master’s and doctoral programs, and the quantitative growth has been accompanied by many negatives, which requires renewal and development in the field of higher education, which led to the emergence of many challenges, and the qualitative challenge in terms of relevance, quality and goodness constitutes an important requirement for the improvement of teaching, scientific research and services in light of the social demand for higher education, in order to reach the quality. The real challenge facing our country is to enter the civilization of advanced technology, which has become the main factor and the starting point for preparing staff capable of accomplishing this transformation and creating an appropriate educational environment for the student to help him to use the sources of knowledge. This study can provide a set of recommendations and proposals that may contribute to addressing challenges and contributing to improving educational outcomes in light of the requirements of the labor market and the needs of society.

Keywords: quantitative, qualitative, technological, challenges, higher education

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Authors: Fabrizio Logiurato

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Light Polarization has many technological applications, and its discovery was crucial to reveal the transverse nature of the electromagnetic waves. However, despite its fundamental and practical importance, in high school, this property of light is often neglected. This is a pity not only for its conceptual relevance, but also because polarization gives the possibility to perform many brilliant experiments with low cost materials. Moreover, the treatment of this matter lends very well to an interdisciplinary approach between art, biology and technology, which usually makes things more interesting to students. For these reasons, we have developed, and in this work, we introduce a laboratory on light polarization for high school and undergraduate students. They can see beautiful pictures when birefringent materials are set between two crossed polarizing filters. Pupils are very fascinated and drawn into by what they observe. The colourful images remind them of those ones of abstract painting or alien landscapes. With this multidisciplinary teaching method, students are more engaged and participative, and also, the learning process of the respective physics concepts is more effective.

Keywords: light polarization, optical activity, multidisciplinary education, science and art

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Authors: Min-Feng Hsieh

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Nowadays, we are facing a highly competitive environment in which the situation for survival has come even more critical than ever before. The challenge we will be confronted with is no longer can be dealt with the single system of knowledge. The abilities we urgently need to acquire is something that can lead us to cross over the boundaries between different disciplines and take us to a neutral ground that gathers and integrates powers and intelligence that surrounds us. This paper aims at discussing how a trans-disciplinary design course organized by the College of Design at Chaoyang University can react to this modern challenge. By orchestrating an experimental course format and by developing a series of coaching strategies, a trans-disciplinary learning environment has been created and practiced in which students selected from five different departments, including Architecture, Interior Design, Visual Design, Industrial Design, Landscape and Urban Design, are encouraged to think outside their familiar knowledge pool and to learn with/from each other. In the course of implementing this program, a parallel research has been conducted alongside by adopting the theory and principles of Action Research which is a research methodology that can provide the course organizer emergent, responsive, action-oriented, participative and critically reflective insights for the immediate changes and amendments in order to improve the effect of teaching and learning experience. In the conclusion, how the learning and teaching experience of this trans-disciplinary design studio can offer us some observation that can help us reflect upon the constraints and division caused by the subject base curriculum will be pointed out. A series of concepts for course design and teaching strategies developed and implemented in this trans-disciplinary course are to be introduced as a way to promote learners’ self-motivated, collaborative, cross-disciplinary and student-centered learning skills. The outcome of this experimental course can exemplify an alternative approach that we could adopt in pursuing a remedy for dealing with the problematic issues of the current educational practice.

Keywords: course design, coaching strategy, subject base curriculum, trans-disciplinary

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Authors: Ermias Melake Tesfay

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The importance of evaluation practice and feedback to student advancement and retention has gained importance in the literature over the past ten years. So many issues and cases have been raised about the quality and types of evaluation carried out in higher education and the quality and quantity of student feedback. The aim of this study was to explore the students’ perspectives on the quality of course evaluation practice and feedback in College of Education and College of Science. The study used both quantitative and qualitative methods to collect data. Data were collected from third-year and fourth-year students of 13 departments in the College of Education and College of Science in Eritrea. A modified Service Performance (SERVPERF) questionnaire and focus group discussions were used to collect the data. The sample population comprised of 135 third-year and fourth-year students’ from both Colleges. A questionnaire using a 5 point Likert-scale was administered to all respondents whilst two focus group discussions were conducted. Findings from survey data and focus group discussions showed that the majority of students hold a positive perception of the quality of course evaluation practice but had a negative perception of methods of awarding grades and administrators’ role in listening to the students complain about the course. Furthermore, the analysis from the questionnaire showed that there is no statistically significant difference between third-year and fourth-year students, College of Education and College of Science and male and female students on the quality of course evaluation practice and feedback. The study recommends that colleges improve the quality of fairness and feedback during course assessment.

Keywords: evaluation, feedback, quality, students' perception

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Authors: Samar Alharbi, Yota Dimitriadi

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With the exponential growth of information and communication technologies in higher education, new online teaching strategies have become increasingly important for student engagement and learning. In particular, some institutions depend solely on asynchronous e-learning to provide courses for their students. The major challenge facing these institutions is how to improve the quality of teaching and learning in their asynchronous tools. One of the most important methods that can help e-learner to enhance their social learning and social presence in asynchronous learning setting is immediacy. This study explores tutors perceptions of their instructional immediacy practices as part of their communication actions in online learning environments. It was used a mixed-methods design under the umbrella of pragmatic philosophical assumption. The participants included tutors at an educational institution in a Saudi university. The participants were selected with a purposive sampling approach and chose an institution that offered fully online courses to students. The findings of the quantitative data show the importance of teachers’ immediacy practices in an online text-based learning environment. The qualitative data contained three main themes: the tutors’ encouragement of student interaction; their promotion of class participation; and their addressing of the needs of the students. The findings from these mixed methods can provide teachers with insights into instructional designs and strategies that they can adopt in order to use e-immediacy in effective ways, thus improving their students’ online learning experiences.

Keywords: asynchronous e-learning, higher education, immediacy, tutor

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Authors: John Odo Ogah

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The study investigated ways of fostering students’ interest in senior secondary two Biology, using prior knowledge of behavioural objectives and assertive questioning strategies in Benue State of Nigeria. A quasi-experimental research design was adopted; the population comprised 8,571 senior Secondary two students. The sample consisted of 265 SSII biology students selected from six government schools in the study area using a multi-staged sampling technique. Data was generated using the Biology Interest Inventory (BII). The instrument was validated and subjected to reliability analysis using Cronbach’s Alpha formula, which yielded a coefficient of 0.73. Three research questions guided the study, while three hypotheses were formulated and tested. Data collected were analyzed using means, bar graphs, and standard deviations to answer the research questions, while analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was employed in testing the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The finding revealed that there is a significant difference in the mean interest ratings of students taught cellular respiration and excretory system using assertive questioning strategy, prior knowledge of behavioural objectives strategy and lecture method (p=0.000˂0.05). There is no significant difference in the mean interest ratings of male and female students taught cellular respiration and excretory systems using an assertive questioning strategy (p=0.790>0.05). There is significant difference in the mean interest ratings of male and female students taught cellular respiration and execratory system using prior knowledge of behavioural objectives strategy (p=0.028˂0.05). It was recommended, among others, that teachers should endeavor to utilize prior knowledge of behavioral objectives strategy in teaching biology in order to harness its benefits as it enhances students’ interest.

Keywords: interest, assertive, questioning, prior, knowledge

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Authors: Jonali Baruah, Keesha Green

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This experimental study examines the effects of anonymity in video meeting groups across the stages of innovation (idea generation, selection, and refinement) on various measures of creativity. A sample of 92 undergraduate students participated in small groups of three to four members to complete creativity, decision-making, and idea-refinement task in either anonymous or identified conditions. The study followed two anonymity (anonymous and identified) X 3 stages of innovation (idea generation, idea selection, and idea refinement) in a mixed factorial design. Results revealed that the anonymous groups produced ideas of the highest average quality in the refinement phase of innovation. The results of this study enhanced our understanding of the productivity and creativity of groups in computer-mediated communication.

Keywords: creativity, anonymity, idea-generation, idea-refinement, innovation

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Authors: Joseph Dodson, Robert Roth, Alexander Hodakowski, Leah Greenfield, Melissa Porterhouse, Natalie Maltby, Rachel Sadowsky

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Introduction: Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, countless research publications were released regarding SARS-CoV-2 and its variants, suggested treatments, and vaccine safety and efficacy. Daily publication of research became overwhelming for health professionals and the general public to stay informed. To address this problem, a group of 70 students across the four colleges at Rush University created the “Rush University COVID-19 Journal Club.” To broaden the available audience, the journal club then expanded to social media. Methods: Easily accessible and understandable summaries of the research were written by students and sent to faculty sponsors for feedback. Following the revision, summaries were published weekly on the Rush University COVID-19 Journal Club website for clinicians and students to use for reference. An Instagram page was then created, and information was further condensed into succinct posts to address COVID-19 “FAQs.” Next, a survey was distributed to followers of the Instagram page with questions meant to assess the effectiveness of the platform and gain feedback. A 5-point Likert scale was used as the primary question format. Results: The Instagram page accrued 749 followers and posted 52 unique posts over a 2 year period. Preliminary results from the surveys demonstrate that over 80% of respondents strongly agree that the Instagram posts 1) are an effective platform for the public presentation of factual COVID-19-related information; 2) provide relevant and valuable information; 3) provide information that is clear, concise, and can be easily understood. Conclusion: These results suggest that the Rush COVID-19 Journal Club was able to successfully create a social media presence and convey information without sacrificing scholarly integrity. Other academic institutions may benefit from the application of this model to help students and clinicians with the interpretation and evaluation of research topics with large bodies of evidence.

Keywords: SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19, public health, social media, SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, SARS-CoV-2 variants

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Authors: Michael Lekan-Kehinde, Abimbola Asojo, Bonnie Sanborn

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Good acoustic performance has been identified as one of the critical Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) factors for student learning and development by the National Research Council. Childhood presents the opportunity for children to develop lifelong skills that will support them throughout their adult lives. Acoustic performance of a space has been identified as a factor that can impact language acquisition, concentration, information retention, and general comfort within the environment. Increasingly, students learn by communication between both teachers and fellow students, making speaking and listening crucial. Neurodiversity - while initially coined to describe individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) - widely describes anyone with a different brain process. As the understanding from cognitive and neurosciences increases, the number of people identified as neurodiversity is nearly 30% of the population. This research looks at guidelines and standard for spaces with good acoustical quality and relates it with the experiences of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), their parents, teachers, and educators through a mixed methods approach, including selected case studies interviews, and mixed surveys. The information obtained from these sources is used to determine if selected materials, especially properties relating to sound absorption and reverberation reduction, are equally useful in small, medium sized, and large learning spaces and methodologically approaching. The results describe the potential impact of acoustics on Neurodiverse students, considering factors that determine the complexity of sound in relation to the auditory processing capabilities of ASD students. In conclusion, this research extends the knowledge of how materials selection influences the better development of acoustical environments for autism students.

Keywords: acoustics, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), children, education, learning, learning spaces, materials, neurodiversity, sound

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Authors: Elif Esiyok

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Brand placement practices have become a popular advertising strategy, which is widely used in movies. Whether these brands are remembered by the audience after the film, or if they affect the purchasing preferences of the consumers has become one of the most important topics in the field of advertising. From this point, in this study, the "Devil Wears Prada" movie which includes high amount of brand placements is chosen. The movie watched to the undergraduate students in Turkey to measure the impact of brand placements on the attitudes of the consumers relating with a specific brand. In total 100 students were the subjects of this study. The participants were selected through using a simple random sampling method. The findings revealed that there is a significant difference between male and females in terms of brand recall. Female students were remembered the fashion brands more than the males, whereas males generally recalled the automotive brands and restaurant names.

Keywords: brand placement, brand recall, advertising, media

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Authors: Anthony Idowu Ajayi, Ezebunwa Ethelbert Nwokocha, Wilson Akpan, Oladele Vincent Adeniyi

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Studies on emergency contraception (EC) mostly utilise quantitative methods and focus on medically approved drugs for the prevention of unwanted pregnancies. This methodological bias necessarily obscures insider perspectives on sexual behaviour, particularly on why specific methods are utilized by women who seek to prevent unplanned pregnancies. In order to privilege this perspective, with a view to further enriching the discourse and policy on the prevention and management of unplanned pregnancies, this paper brings together the findings from several focus groups and in-depth interviews conducted amongst unmarried female undergraduate students in two Nigerian universities. The study found that while the research participants had good knowledge of the consequences of unprotected sexual intercourses - with abstinence and condom widely used - participants’ willingness to rely only on medically sound measures to prevent unwanted pregnancies was not always mediated by such knowledge. Some of the methods favored by participants appeared to be those commonly associated with people of low socio-economic status in the society where the study was conducted. Medically unsafe concoctions, some outright dangerous, were widely believed to be efficacious in preventing unwanted pregnancy. Furthermore, respondents’ narratives about their sexual behaviour revealed that inadequate sex education, socio-economic pressures, and misconceptions about the efficacy of “crude” emergency contraception methods were all interrelated. The paper therefore suggests that these different facets of the unplanned pregnancy problem should be the focus of intervention.

Keywords: unplanned pregnancy, unsafe abortion, emergency contraception, concoctions

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Authors: El Miloudi Djelloul

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Teaching program of `A plan for educating and training outstanding engineers' is divided into intramural teaching program and enterprise practice teaching program. Based on analyzing the basic principles of teaching plans which teaching plan follows for undergraduate mechanical and electrical engineering, major contents of specialty teaching project are studied amply. The study contents include the system optimization and reform of common curriculum, specialty curriculum and practice curriculum. The practice indicated that under outstanding engineers training mode, the optimized curriculum system have practicability, and achieve the training objectives.

Keywords: curriculum system, mechanical and electronic engineering, outstanding engineers, teaching program

Procedia PDF Downloads 526

Authors: B. G. Abiona, A. A. Onaseso, T. D. Odetayo, J. Yila, O. E. Fapojuwo, K. G. Adeosun

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This study determines the perceived effects of work-family balance on employees’ job satisfaction among Extension Agents in the Agricultural Development Programme (ADP) in southwest Nigeria. A multistage sampling technique was used to select 256 respondents for the study. Data on personal characteristics, work-family balance domain, and job satisfaction were collected. The collected data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Chi-square, Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC), multiple linear regression, and Student T-test. Results revealed that the mean age of the respondents was 40 years; the majority (59.3%) of the respondents were male, and slightly above half (51.6%) of the respondents had MSc as their highest academic qualification. Findings revealed that turnover intention (x ̅ = 3.20) and work-role conflict (x ̅ = 3.06) were the major perceived work-family balance domain in the studied areas. Further, the result showed that the respondents have a high (79%) level of job satisfaction. Multiple linear regression revealed that job involvement (ß=0.167, p<0.01) and work-role conflict (ß= -0.221, p<0.05) contributed significantly to employees’ level of job satisfaction. The results of the Student T-test revealed a significant difference in the perceived work-family balance domain (t = 0.43, p<0.05) between the two studied areas. The study concluded that work-role conflict among employees causes work-family imbalance and, therefore, negatively affects employees’ job satisfaction. The definition of job design among the respondents that will create a balance between work and family is highly recommended.

Keywords: work-life, conflict, job satisfaction, extension agent

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Authors: Fabian Nde Fon

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Decolonisation is one of the hottest topics in most African Universities; this is because many researchers focus on research that does not speak to their immediate community. This research looked at postgraduate research projects that can take students to the community to apply the knowledge that they have learned as an attempt to transform their community. In regards to this, an honours project was designed to try and provide a cheaper and continuous source of protein (egg) using amber-link layers and to investigate the potential of the project to promote postgraduate student development and entrepreneurship. Two ban layer production systems were created: (1) Production system one on a Hill (PS-I) and (2) Production system two in a valley, closer to a dam (PS-II) at Nqutshini, Gingindlovu, KwaZulu-Natal Province. Forty point-of-lay (18 weeks old) amber links were bought at Inverness Rearers and divided into PS-I (20), and PS-II (20), and each of the production systems was further divided into two groups of ten (PS-I-1 and PS-II-1 (partially supplemented) and PS-I-2 and PS-II-2 (supplemented with layer mash)) by a random selection. Birds' weights were balanced in each group to avoid bias. The two groups in each production system were caged separately (1.5x1.5m² for ten birds) and in close proximity. Partially supplemented birds received 0.6 kg of layer mash (60g/per bird/day) and kitchen leftovers daily, and supplemented birds were fed 1.2 kg of layer mash (120g/per bird/day). Egg collection was daily after feeding in the morning while was given ad libitium. The eggs were assessed for internal and external quality after weighing before recording. Egg production from fully supplemented birds (PS-I-2 and PS-II-2) was generally higher (P<0.05) than those of PS-I-1 and PS-II-1. The difference in production was only 6% in the valley while on the Hill, it was only 3%. However, some of the birds in the valley showed signs of respiratory infections, which was not observed with those on the Hill. There are no differences in the internal and external qualities of eggs (york colour and egg shell) determined. This implies that both systems were sustainable. It was suggested members in the community living at the valley or Hill can use these hardy layers as a cheaper source of protein and preferable to the partially supplemented systems because it is relatively cheaper. The smallholder farmers are still pursuing the project long after the students graduate; hence the benefit of the project is reciprocal for both the university and the community (entrepreneurship).

Keywords: animal nutrition, ban layer, production, postgraduate curricula, entrepreneurship

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Authors: Petros Roussos

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The present study focused on students' statistical reasoning related to Null Hypothesis Statistical Testing and p-values. Its objective was to test the hypothesis that neither the place (classroom, at a distance, online) nor the medium that actually supports the learning (ICT, internet, books) has an effect on understanding of statistical concepts. In addition, it was expected that students' attitudes towards statistics would not predict understanding of statistical concepts. The sample consisted of 385 undergraduate and postgraduate students from six state and private universities (five in Greece and one in Cyprus). Students were administered two questionnaires: a) the Greek version of the Survey of Attitudes Toward Statistics, and b) a short instrument which measures students' understanding of statistical significance and p-values. Results suggest that attitudes towards statistics do not predict students' understanding of statistical concepts, whereas the medium did not have an effect.

Keywords: attitudes towards statistics, blended learning, e-learning, statistical reasoning

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Authors: Adetunji Abiola Olaoye

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The study examined the students’ self-concepts and mathematics achievement viz-a-viz the existing three theoretical models: Humanist self-concept (M1), Contemporary self-concept (M2) and Skills development self-concept (M3). As a qualitative research study, it comprised of one research question, which was transformed into hypothesis viz-a-viz the existing theoretical models. Sample to the study comprised of twelve public secondary schools from which twenty-five mathematics teachers, twelve counselling officers and one thousand students of Upper Basic II were selected based on intact class as school administrations and system did not allow for randomization. Two instruments namely 10 items ‘Achievement test in Mathematics’ (r1=0.81) and 10 items Student’s self-concept questionnaire (r2=0.75) were adapted, validated and used for the study. Data were analysed through descriptive, one way ANOVA, t-test and correlation statistics at 5% level of significance. Finding revealed mean and standard deviation of pre-achievement test scores of (51.322, 16.10), (54.461, 17.85) and (56.451, 18.22) for the Humanist Self-Concept, Contemporary Self-Concept and Skill Development Self-Concept respectively. Apart from that study showed that there was significant different in the academic performance of students along the existing models (F-cal>F-value, df = (2,997); P<0.05). Furthermore, study revealed students’ achievement in mathematics and self-concept questionnaire with the mean and standard deviation of (57.4, 11.35) and (81.6, 16.49) respectively. Result confirmed an affirmative relationship with the Contemporary Self-Concept model that expressed an individual subject and specific self-concept as the primary determinants of higher academic achievement in the subject as there is a statistical correlation between students’ self-concept and mathematics achievement viz-a-viz the existing three theoretical models of Contemporary (M2) with -Z_cal<-Z_val, df=998: P<0.05*. The implication of the study was discussed with recommendations and suggestion for further studies proffered.

Keywords: contemporary, humanists, self-concepts, skill development

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Authors: Kurt Willems

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This research examines complaints against grading in higher education institutions in four different European regions: England and Wales, Flanders, the Netherlands, and France. The aim of the research is to examine the correlation between the applicable type of complaint handling on the one hand, and selected qualities of the higher education landscape and of public law on the other hand. All selected regions report a rising number of complaints against grading decisions, not only as to internal complaint handling within the institution but also judicially if the dispute persists. Some regions deem their administrative court system appropriate to deal with grading disputes (France) or have even erected a specialty administrative court to facilitate access (Flanders, the Netherlands). However, at the same time, different types of (governmental) dispute resolution bodies have been established outside of the judicial court system (England and Wales, and to lesser extent France and the Netherlands). Those dispute procedures do not seem coincidental. Public law issues such as the underlying legal nature of the education institution and, eventually, the grading decision itself, have an impact on the way the academic complaint procedures are developed. Indeed, in most of the selected regions, contractual disputes enjoy different legal protection than administrative decisions, making the legal qualification of the relationship between student and higher education institution highly relevant. At the same time, the scope of competence of government over different types of higher education institutions; albeit direct or indirect (o.a. through financing and quality control) is relevant as well to comprehend why certain dispute handling procedures have been established for students. To answer the above questions, the doctrinal and comparative legal method is used. The normative framework is distilled from the relevant national legislative rules and their preparatory texts, the legal literature, the (published) case law of academic complaints and the available governmental reports. The research is mainly theoretical in nature, examining different topics of public law (mainly administrative law) and procedural law in the context of grading decisions. The internal appeal procedure within the education institution is largely left out of the scope of the research, as well as different types of non-governmental-imposed cooperation between education institutions, given the public law angle of the research questions. The research results in the categorization of different academic complaint systems, and an analysis of the possibility to introduce each of those systems in different countries, depending on their public law system and higher education system. By doing so, the research also adds to the debate on the public-private divide in higher education systems, and its effect on academic complaints handling.

Keywords: higher education, legal qualification of education institution, legal qualification of grading decisions, legal protection of students, academic litigation

Procedia PDF Downloads 232