Effects of screen-based task learning and geographical environment on the cognitive performance of primary school students: Assessment of working memory.

In the current study, we investigated the relation between cognitive performance and heart rate variability in visuospatial working memory. We used a visuospatial working memory paradigm involving simultaneous encoding, maintenance, active manipulation and retrieval to simulate routine daily activities. Subjects performed the visuospatial working memory paradigm which had 3 memory loads and simultaneous ECG recording was acquired for measuring heart rate variability. Based on the performance in the visuospatial working memory task, subjects were segregated into two groups: Good performers and poor performers. Two major findings emerged in this study. First, the heart rate variability decreased with an increase in the working memory load. Second, good performers had relatively higher heart rate variability compared to poor performers while performing the visuospatial working memory task. Our results highlighted the influence of cognitive performance on heart rate variability. In summary, the current study indicates that the heart rate variability during the visuospatial working memory task could predict the qualitative differences in the cognitive performance between the individuals.

Background: Physical therapy (PT) is an emerging field in Pakistan. Numerous studies have been conducted to evaluate the level of satisfaction and attitude of medical students and nurses towards their clinical practice environment, but there are few studies on physical therapy students. Objective: To assess student satisfaction levels among rural and urban physical therapy students regarding their knowledge and clinical practice. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted with a sample size of 250 PT students of different medical colleges in Punjab through convenient sampling technique. Physical Therapy Student Attitudes Questionnaire (PSAQ) was used. After taking consent, data was collected and analyzed by SPSS version 26. Results: The study comprised of 250 participants, where the rural were 148 and urban were 102 with a mean age of 23.40±3.60 years. Results showed that there was neither a significant association (p-value=0.78) between gender and rural and urban students' satisfaction levels nor a significant association (p-value=0.43) between age and rural and urban students' satisfaction. The total mean score of rural and urban students was 87.91 and 89.83 respectively with a p- value = 0.39. Conclusion: There was no significant difference between the overall satisfaction level of urban and rural students regarding their knowledge and clinical practice. Both genders and ages had no effect on students' satisfaction levels who belong to different residential areas nor did academic years of study and socioeconomic status affected the satisfaction level of students belonging to urban and rural areas.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is associated with visuospatial working memory deficits. Intolerance of uncertainty is thought to be a core component of OCD symptoms. Recent findings argue for a possible relationship between abilities in visuospatial memory and uncertainty. However, this relationship remains unclear in both OCD patients and healthy subjects. To address this issue, we measured performance in visuospatial working memory and the propensity to express uncertainty during decision making. We assessed their relationship and the temporal direction of this relationship in both OCD patients and healthy subjects. Baseline abilities in visuospatial working memory were measured with the Corsi block-tapping test. A delayed matching-to-sample task was used to identify explicit situations of certainty, uncertainty and ignorance and to assess continuous performance in visuospatial working memory. Behavioural variables were recorded over 360 consecutive trials in both groups. Baseline scores of visuospatial working memory did not predict the number of uncertain situations in OCD patients whereas they did in healthy subjects. Uncertain trials led to reduced abilities in visuospatial working memory to 65% of usual performance in OCD patients whereas they remained stable in healthy subjects. The present findings show an opposite temporal direction in the relationship between abilities in working memory and uncertainty in OCD patients and healthy subjects. Poor working memory performance contributes to the propensity to feel uncertainty in healthy subjects whereas uncertainty contributes to decreased continuous performance in working memory in OCD patients.

Objective To explore the relationships between the sleep quality and the relevant factors of senior high school students from urban and rural.Methods By cluster sampling,a total of 1407 students from one urban senior high school in Jinan and one rural senior high school in Qufu were investigated using self-rating depression scale(SDS),self-rating anxiety scale(SAS).The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index(PSQI).The basic information and related factors were also recorded.All the data were inputted into the SPSS database and then analyzed.Results A total 1383 senor high students completed the investigation.Among them 685(49.5%)students were from the urban high school,and 698(50.5%)from rural high school.The detection rate of sleep disorders in high school students was 14.61%in total.and 14.01%in urban students and 15.19%in rural students respectively:The total score of PSQl was 4.21±3.02,and the urban students 3.87±3.12 and the rural students 4.55±2.89,with a significant deference between the two area students(P＜0.01).The total SCOre of PSQl was significant related to anxiety and depression(P＜0.01),negatively related to the students'academic record(P＜0.01).The family factors to effect sleep quality of urban senor high students were parentel health condition,father-child relationship,mother-child relationship,parental relations,consistency style of upbringing,family learning environment and atmosphere around the family,et al(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).The main factors for rural students were father health condition,parental relationship,family learning environment,atmosphere around the family and the family economic states(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).The school factors to effect sleep quality of high school students from urban area were study plan,assignment performance,learning time,teacher-student relationship and school environment(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).For students rural were study plan,learning burden,assignment performance,learning time,classmate relationship,teacher-student relationship and school environment(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).Conclusion The detection rates of sleep disorder are high in senior high students.The detection rate of sleep disorder is higher in rural students than in urban students.The factors to effect sleep quality include anxiety and depression,the students'academic record,family factors,and school-related factors.The influence factors have some difierent between the urban and rural students. Key words: Senior high students; Sleep quality; Related factors; Comparative study

Given the close connection between eye movement and frontal lobe functions and some evidence supporting the effect of eye-tracking training on enhancing cognitive performance mediated by the frontal lobe, this study aimed to explore if after-school eye-tracking training can improve the visuospatial working memory (VSWM) and cognitive flexibility performance in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study is a non-randomized cluster trial. Forty children from eight primary schools were selected, half receiving eye-tracking training for 20 sessions over 9 months, while the other half served as a waitlist control. They were matched on demographic characteristics and baseline cognitive performance. Their VSWM and cognitive flexibility were assessed at the beginning and end of the study. Results showed that children who received eye-tracking training, but not those on a waitlist, exhibited significant improvements in the total score and working memory span of the VSWM tests, and the correct responses in cognitive flexibility tests. Specifically, VSWM performance at higher span levels (5 or above) yielded a greater improvement. The findings suggest that eye-tracking training can be a feasible and effective after-school program for improving working memory and cognitive flexibility performance in children with ADHD and ASD. This study was prospectively registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (https://clinicaltrials.gov/, trial number: NCT05428657).

We recently reported that visuospatial working memory capacity predicts the rate of explicit motor sequence learning (Bo and Seidler in J Neurophysiol 101:3116-3125, 2009). In the current study, we evaluated relationships between visuospatial and verbal working memory and implicit performance change in the serial reaction time (SRT) task. Participants performed two computerized working memory tasks adapted from change detection working memory assessments, an implicit SRT task, and several neuropsychological tests. We observed significant correlations between visuospatial working memory (VSWM) and verbal working memory (VWM) performance. VSWM, VWM, and card rotation task were each significantly correlated with the rate of reaction time improvement in the SRT task. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that VSWM explained a significant portion of the variance in rate of SRT performance change (exponential fit to the performance curve) across individual participants, and the addition of VWM did not significantly improve the model. These findings suggest that VSWM plays a role in the implicit performance improvement of second-order conditional sequences.

Objective: To compare smartphone usage between urban and rural high school students in North India. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among high school smartphone users aged 13–18 years, from urban and rural settings in North India. Demographic data were collected, and a validated 45-item tool was used to assess problematic smartphone use (PSU). Data analysis was done using Stata version 12.0. Logistic regression was used to identify independent predictors of problematic use. Results: A total of 578 students participated in the study, with a mean age of 14.8 years. PSU was identified in 38.9% of participants (urban: 43.7%; rural: 35.8%; P = 0.06). Among urban students, age emerged as a significant predictor, with older students displaying a greater likelihood of problematic use (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 3.16). In rural students, problematic use was significantly influenced by gender (higher in males, aOR = 2.80), type of school (private school students, aOR = 3.94), usage of multiple devices (aOR = 4.34), and engagement in social networking activities (aOR = 3.21). Furthermore, higher maternal education level was identified as a protective factor against problematic use among rural adolescents (aOR = 0.13). Notably, unsuccessful attempts to control or reduce smartphone use were significantly higher among rural students (42.7%) compared to urban students (32.6%) (P = 0.02). Conclusion: PSU was comparable between urban students and rural students. Gender, maternal education, and economic access influenced smartphone use among school students in India. There is an urgent need to address the specific risk factors related to both urban and rural contexts.

The disparity of the English language performance between the Malaysian rural and urban students remains a crucial issue, yet much is to be known about factors that actually influence the students' English proficiency across levels, especially those who live outside the cities. The objectives of this paper are to identify the Multiple Intelligence profiles and the significant intelligence of the urban and rural pre-university students at a public university in Malaysia, and to investigate whether there is any difference in the English writing test scores between the two groups. A demographic questionnaire, Multiple Intelligence Profiling Questionnaire (MIPQ III) and a Paper 800/4 (Writing) Question 2 of Malaysian University English Test (MUET) March 2016 question were used in this study. Sixty pre-university students were purposively selected for the current research from Preparatory Centre of Science and Technology, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Malaysia. The data were collected and analyzed using the Independent Sample t-test. Results suggest that there is a statistically significant difference in the mean scores of Interpersonal, Environmental, and Visual-Spatial intelligences between the urban and rural pre-university students. Unexpectedly, the findings show that the urban students display higher Environmental intelligence compared to the rural group. Additionally, a significant difference is also identified between urban and rural students in their writing scores, as the results show that the urban students performed better in the writing tests than the students in the rural areas. This study calls Malaysian English educators to acknowledge students' differences in learning, thus creating a conducive classroom experience and redesigning the lessons by incorporating all intelligences for the students to actively manifest their preferred learning styles in acquiring English language. Future research would include more language skills to be examined in a bigger number of students.

In the 21st century every sector has been emerging with new technological changes in terms of digitalisation and communication. Particularly in the field of industries and service sector rapid changes can be seen at all levels. In order to get jobs in this 21st century the students should equip with the required technical skills where they can sustain themselves for better future. In every individual’s day to day life activities the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has become an essential part. Then how best the government schools in India are equipped with Information and Communication Technology (ICT)? As part of PhD the researcher has conducted the study to assess the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) skills among rural and urban school students and its usage in government secondary schools in Telangana State. A total sample of 1824 government secondary school students of 8th, 9th & 10th class were selected for the study from Warangal Rural and Warangal Urban districts. Chi-square test and t-test were performed to analyse the differences. The study reveals that there is statistical significant difference between the rural and urban students’ availability of ICT devices - smart mobile (p=0.0041) and computer (p =0.0042) at their homes. Only one-fourth of the rural and urban students had given correct answers to basic computer related questions and having very poor computer skills. Both urban and rural students had perceived positively asserting that there will be an impact of ICT usage on learning. Key words: digitalisation, jobs, skills, students, government schools, rural, urban.

Determinants of the digital outcome divide in E-learning between rural and urban students: Empirical evidence from the COVID-19 pandemic based on capital theory

Sir, This study was conducted to estimate the prevalence, frequency and knowledge regarding the adverse effects of tobacco use among high school students of West Bengal, India. From June 1st, 2003 to May 31st, 2004, we conducted a population-based cross-sectional study on students selected by a multistage random sampling. An anonymous self-administered pretested close-ended questionnaire was designed by adopting the questionnaire developed by the study team of the World health Organization (WHO, 1980)(1) with regard to both smoke and smokeless tobacco use. Of all urban and rural high schools in West Bengal, one school in each category was randomly selected. The study population comprised 478 students of class VIII, IX and X from two schools (urban school, 210 students; rural school, 268 students); of these students selected, 462 (urban school, 205 students; rural school, 257 students) were studied. The final response was obtained from 416 students (87.02%). After obtaining permission from school authorities and verbal informed consent from the subjects enrolled, the first author and the principal investigator collected the data from the students on the same day. Overall prevalence was 9.61%; the prevalence among urban and rural students was 11.05% and 8.61%, respectively. Tobacco use among males (urban = 11.35% and rural = 15.04%) was higher than that among females (urban = 9.68% and rural = 0.90%). Tobacco use was more common among the rural male students although not significant (Z = 0.9, P > 0.05). The opposite was true among the female students (Z = 4.4, P < 0.05). Male students (13.14%) were associated more with tobacco use than the female students (2.82%). The current tobacco use ranged from 36.84% to 52.38% among the urban and rural students, respectively. The regular use of tobacco was higher among the rural students (14.29%) than the urban students (10.53%). Current as well as regular use of tobacco was higher among urban as well as rural male students, whereas females were restricted to the first use [Table 1]. Table 1 Frequency of tobacco use among urban and rural students A majority of the urban and rural users were aware of the harmful effects of tobacco use. All the 19 urban users had the knowledge regarding the deleterious effects of tobacco use. A majority (76.19%) among the rural users also knew about such effects of tobacco use.

The prevalence of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents continues to rise, becoming one of the most serious global public health issues of the 21st century. Given the differing growth and development environments between urban and rural children, associated risk factors also vary. This study aims to explore the distribution characteristics and influencing factors of overweight and obesity among urban and rural primary and secondary school students in Hunan Province, providing scientific evidence for targeted interventions. A stratified, randomized cluster sampling method was used to select participants. A total of 197 084 students from primary and secondary schools across 14 prefectures in Hunan Province underwent physical examinations and questionnaire surveys. Population and spatial distribution characteristics of overweight and obesity were analyzed. Spatial distribution maps and spatial autocorrelation analyses were conducted using ArcGIS. Multivariate Logistic regression was used to identify influencing factors for overweight and obesity. The overall overweight and obesity rates among students in Hunan Province were 14.7% and 10.9%, respectively. Both rates were higher in urban areas than in rural counties (16.0% vs 13.9% for overweight; 12.1% vs 10.2% for obesity). Among both urban and rural students, boys had higher rates of overweight and obesity than girls. Higher-grade students had a higher overweight rate but a lower obesity rate than lower-grade students. In urban areas, the overweight and obesity rates of Han Chinese primary and secondary school students are lower than those of ethnic minority students (both P<0.05). In rural areas, the obesity rate of Han primary and secondary school students is lower than that of ethnic students (P<0.05). Across cities and prefectures, urban overweight and obesity rates ranged from 14.7% to 18.7% and 8.4% to 20.6% respectively, while rural rates ranged from 10.9% to 17.2% and 6.6% to 13.7% respectively. Spatial autocorrelation analysis revealed high-value clusters of overweight/obesity in urban areas of Changde and Zhangjiajie, and in rural areas of Loudi, Huaihua, and Shaoyang. Multivariate Logistic regression showed that gender, school stage, ethnicity, frequency of fresh vegetable intake, and sleep duration were associated with overweight and/or obesity in both urban and rural students. In urban students, frequency of fried food and fresh fruit intake, breakfast habits, physical activity on weekdays and holidays, and screen time on computers were also significant. In rural students, TV viewing time and sedentary duration were additional relevant factors. The situation of overweight and obesity among primary and secondary school students in Hunan Province remains concerning. Greater attention should be paid to regions with high-value clusters of overweight/obesity, and targeted interventions should be developed based on urban-rural differences in influencing factors.

&lt;p class="AbstractText"&gt;The objectives of this research are to find out (1) the motivation of the rural and urban students (2) the types of motivation influence the rural and urban students (3) the factors influence the motivation of the rural and urban students (4) the effective ways to foster the motivation of the rural and urban students. This research employed descriptive qualitative research design. The subject of this research is the ninth grade students of MTs Muhammadiyah Lempangang as urban students and the ninth grade students of MTs N 4 Bulukumba as rural students. The number of participants is 20 students. The result of research showed that (1) all of the informants of MTs N 4 Bulukumba as a rural area are motivated in Learning EFL. It is similar with the informants of MTs Muhammadiyah Lempangang as an urban area. They are also motivated. Both of areas are different in the level of motivation(2)the types of motivation dominantly influence in the rural students are both of integrative and instrumental motivation whereas in the urban students are instrumental motivation(3)the similarity between both of students area either internal or external factors are the expectancy, the teachers and the activities and materials whereas the difference from both of them are the relevance, the goal setting and the school environment(4)the effective ways to foster the motivation of the rural students in learning EFL is the teacher always trains the pronunciation of the vocabulary whereas the urban students is the teacher should have more practice activity in learning and teaching process.&lt;/p&gt;

This paper studies the current differences in educational expectations between urban and rural students and explores the mechanism from the individual/family and school/society perspectives. The results show significant differences in expectations between rural and urban junior high school students for going on to higher education. In addition, urban students’ educational expectations are higher than that of rural and migrant students. These differences are caused by the students’ cognitive ability, family background, and school environment, among which the influence of family background is larger than that of cognitive ability, while the effect of the school’s hukou structure is the most important influencing factor. The results suggest that building a desirable school education atmosphere, alleviating hukou segregation in schools, and strengthening the integration of widely diverse school populations are important approaches to promoting educational and social equity in China.

ABSTRACTMany studies have examined adults’ perceptions of and attitudes toward large carnivores to assess human–wildlife conflict and inform conservation strategies, but there have been few studies concerning children. I studied secondary school students’ perceptions of and attitudes toward brown bears (Ursus arctos) and other large mammals in Turkey via a questionnaire survey. The questionnaire, consisting of 18 questions, was completed by 215 rural and 98 urban secondary school students. Both sets of students liked bears; they were also afraid of them and unsure about living with them in the future. While there were no gender differences in attitudes and perceptions, there were marked differences between urban and rural students. Urban students had less contact with nature, gained more of their knowledge about bears from documentaries, and had less positive attitudes toward bears. They were also more likely to be afraid of species not present in Turkey, for example, anaconda, while rural students were most afraid of wild boars. Factor analysis identified three important themes: familiarity with bears, conservation of bears, and experiencing conflict with bears, which explained 49.8% of the variance in attitudes toward bears. The most important factor for the development of negative attitudes toward bears was personal experience of human–bear conflict, suggesting that measures to reduce human–bear conflict in rural areas may help to sustain students’ positive attitudes toward the conservation of bears.