Class In Bangladesh Research Articles

The Use of Community of Inquiry Framework-Informed Facebook Discussion Activities on Student Speaking Performances in a Blended EFL Class

Students’ extensive use of Facebook in their daily lives has led researchers to investigate the affordances of Facebook for educational purposes. To further the research into the use of Facebook to improve language teaching, we conducted a convergent parallel mixed-methods study to examine the use of Community of Inquiry-informed Facebook discussion activities on the speaking performances of undergraduate students in a blended EFL speaking class in Bangladesh. A Facebook group was maintained for both the treatment and control conditions; however, the discussion activities were required only by the treatment condition. We found a statistically significant difference between the initial and post-test speaking scores for the treatment and control conditions. While no difference was observed in post-test scores between the two conditions, students’ and the instructor’s comments on the Facebook group and student interview data revealed that Facebook was helpful for both conditions in improving their performances, but in different ways.

Government Effectiveness, Economic Growth, Religion and the Socio-Political Role of the Middle Class in Bangladesh

The objectives of the study are to develop an understanding of major changes such as the effectiveness of government, economic growth, religion, and the socio-political role of the middle-class people that have taken place in the society and politics of Bangladesh over the last few years. Apart from that this study also intends to analyze the crisis of the democratic system in Bangladesh and the widespread influence of religion on politicians of the society. In addition to that, the context of the developments of economic growth in Bangladesh has been significant over the last few decades, which has helped in the emergence and development of a new middle class in the country. In the past, it has been said theoretically and in the light of the experience of different countries that economic growth and development of the middle class simultaneously strengthen democracy and reduce the political appeal of religion in society and politics. All in all, this study attempted to present some hypotheses on the particular issues of Bangladesh.

Government effectiveness, economic growth and the socio-political role of the middle class in Bangladesh

The objectives of the study are to develop an understanding of major changes such as the effectiveness of government, economic growth, religion and the socio-political role of the middle class people that have taken place in the society and politics of Bangladesh of the last few years. Apart from that this study also intends to analyze the crisis of the democratic system in Bangladesh and the widespread influence of religion on politician of the society. In addition to that, the context of the developments of economic growth in Bangladesh is significant over the last few decades, which has helped in the emergence and development of a new middle class in the country. In the past, it has been said theoretically and in the light of the experience of different countries that economic growth and development of the middle class simultaneously strengthen democracy and reduce the political appeal of religion in the society and politics. All in all, this study attempted to presents some hypotheses on the particular issues of Bangladesh.

Exploring the intersection of critical disability studies, humanities and global health through a case study of scarf injuries in Bangladesh

This article puts critical disability studies and global health into conversation around the phenomenon of scarf injury in Bangladesh. Scarf injury occurs when a woman wearing a long, traditional scarf...

COVID-19 PSYCHOLOGY AND FINANCIAL BEHAVIOUR: THE URBAN MIDDLE CLASS IN BANGLADESH

The analysis, using an online survey, captures the adjustments in economic behaviour and changes in the choice of financial instruments by the urban middle class in Bangladesh due to Covid-19 pandemic. It shows that 43 per cent of the surveyed households suffered income losses—57 per cent belonging to lower middle class (LMC) and 19 per cent to upper middle class (UMC) households. Nearly one-third of the LMC households reduced their food costs compared with 6 per cent of the UMC households. The pandemic has also initiated large scale changes in their financial behaviour more towards digital and online markets with nearly twothirds reporting high reliance on online purchases. The observed changes indicate a long term transformation in the financial behaviour of the middle class households. Complementary evidence highlights the need for reducing their vulnerability since rising expectations of the expanding middle class are the critical drivers of social change in Bangladesh. The key to such dynamic transformations is the creation of a more learning middle class—a dynamic middle class that would be ready to exploit the opportunities of the ‘new normal’ after the Covid-19 pandemic.

Status of tertiary level online class in Bangladesh: students’ response on preparedness, participation and classroom activities

In the era of technology, every time the world confronts any kind of crisis or challenge, we use technology as a weapon. Like other emergencies, as COVID-19 is announced as a pandemic, all countries have started trying to control the situation with technological advancement in the medical sector, educational progress, and in the continuity of productions. As most of the educational institutions have been closed since March and the learning process in higher education has moved online, therefore, developing countries like Bangladesh are also trying to continue classes through the online platform with a lack of technological resources, readiness, and inclusiveness from the perspective of the students. This quantitative study surveyed over 844 students of different universities of Bangladesh to analyze the status of preparedness, participation, and classroom activities through online during the pandemic. The findings revealed a lack of preparedness, participation, and less scope of classroom activities through online learning. Problems of infeasible consistency of the internet and electricity, paying attention, understanding lessons through the online platform are the main constraints of online learning in the developing country. Finding ways of mitigating these problems can be the next subject for further researchers.

Regional Income Dynamics in Bangladesh: The Road to a Balanced Development is in the Middle

Bangladesh's remarkable achievements in economic and social progress put itself in a position that would have been unthinkable until a few decades ago. But did the improvement in development outcomes accrue equally to all areas in the country? We tackle this question by analyzing district-level income per capita constructed from the 2000 and 2016 rounds of the Household Income and Expenditure Survey. Estimating models based on the standard neoclassical theory of economic convergence built to take into account the impact of natural disasters, we find essentially no evidence of convergence. This implies the persistence of income diff erentials among Bangladesh's 64 districts. To check for the possibility of multiple steady states, we estimated models with a three-club structure based on the year 2000 income percentiles. The results now support the hypothesis of convergence within the group of middle-income districts, with a speed of 1.6% per annum (half-life 43 years), close to Barro's 2% iron law. A remarkable finding is the positive and significant effect of education on this club's steady state income level. Overall, these results are consistent with the notion of a rising middle class in Bangladesh in recent years. We also explore latent club structures using automatic algorithms, but we do not find any further evidence of convergence. The key policy implication of our study is that, to ensure a balanced regional development, it would be, at a minimum, necessary to enact policies extending the convergence process to the club of the poorer districts as well.

A Survey on Technology used in Higher Secondary EFL Class in Bangladesh

Purpose: The paper aims to present an overview of the technologies that are used in English language learning classes in Higher Secondary Level of Studies in Bangladesh. The aim is also to identify the gaps between the use of technology and CLT- based curriculum and material. Approach/Methodology/Design: Four colleges were selected randomly as a sample of the study. For collecting data, an open-ended questionnaire was constructed, validated, and administrated. In addition, structured interviews and an observation guide of classes were employed as instruments to collect data. Findings: Based on the results of data analysis, it is clear that the use of technology in Bangladesh is increasing day by day but the percentage is still very low. The results of this study indicate that there is a gap between the use of technology and CLT based curriculum and material in Bangladesh. Hence, it is concluded that the technologies that are used in the classrooms are not adequate. Practical Implications: The study reflects on the use of technology in classrooms. This is in line with the mission of digital Bangladesh. Originality/value: This study is important for teachers, students and authorities since it reflects on the technology being used in higher secondary level, the gaps between the use of technology and CLT- based curriculum and material in Bangladesh and how the gap can be fulfilled to ensure the proper use of technology in CLT- based educational environment and attain the vision of ‘Digital Bangladesh’.

Middle-income customers and their perception of Islamic banking in Sylhet: one of Bangladesh’s most pious cities

PurposeOwing to religious and economic preferences in Muslim-dominated countries, middle-income customers are at the heart of banks’ strategic targeting. This study aims to investigate selected middle-income Islamic bank customers from Sylhet, one of Bangladesh’s top religious and cultural cities, to examine their perceptions of the Islamic banking services.Design/methodology/approachThis study forwards three determinants of overall satisfaction. These are perceived relative advantage (PRA), perceived risk management (PRM) and perceived customer engagement (PCE). The study has used structured questionnaire and collected complete data on 300 middle-income Islamic bank users. The data was analysed using exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modelling (SEM).FindingsWhile all the three selection factors significantly influence overall satisfaction, PCE has greater positive impact on overall customer satisfaction, followed by PRA and PRM. “Convenient location”, “competitive charges” and “return on deposit despite low earnings” are the top three instruments measuring “PCE”. Religion did not qualify as a standalone selection factor. The results are robust across tests conducted by using EFA, CFA and SEM.Practical implicationsGross purchasing power of middle-income class in Bangladesh grew from 7% to over 30% during the past decade, and the purchasing power of this class stood at US$100bn. Having a greater portion of this population as Muslims, banks can design products and marketing campaigns by using the three selection criteria that offer a combination of faith and non-faith-based variables.Originality/valueSimilar studies on the middle-income customer group have been rare, especially from the Islamic banking perspective. These findings offer a concise list of three factors for the bank managers to build their strategies. With respect to the Vision 2021, these findings carry greater socio-economic significance given the transition of Bangladesh to a middle-income country.

Bangladesh and Globalization: the Impact of Technology on Work and Class

Abstract How does technology obtained via globalization affect work and class in Bangladesh? Despite the many technological innovations deployed within a village in the southwest near the Indian border, for the poorest families the inequality gap continues to grow, although many are better off financially than 25 years ago. Even with more employment and much more digital technology, with mobile phones and online money transfers, the impacts of climate change and the lack of health care threaten to mitigate the gains from work and the increasing value of land.

Erotic Desires and Practices in Cyberspace: “Virtual Reality” of the Non-Heterosexual Middle Class in Bangladesh

Sexually diverse and marginalized groups are constantly challenged to create spaces for realizing their sexual fantasies, desires and politics within the all-pervasiveness of heterosexual spaces. Technology has brought about the possibility of creating spaces that are simultaneously private and public. In the context of Bangladesh, technology, specifically in the form of computers, mobile phones, and the internet, is rapidly gaining accessibility and popularity, resulting in opportunities for many to link up with local, regional, and global communities. Cyberspace is being used both by individuals and groups to set up communities, and go beyond the realization of personal erotic desires, to take up sexual politics and activism.Taking sexuality, gender, class and space as its central concepts, this article looks into ways in which cyberspace and technology affect the cultural and political dimensions of sexualities, identities, and sexual rights activism in the contemporary urban Bangladesh. The study focuses on non-normative homosexual groups and individuals using the internet. Using qualitative research methods, it looks into non-normative sexualities as expressed, practiced and organized through two Bangladesh-based same-sex online networks and groups: one online gay group and one online lesbian group in the year 2009. Findings from this study show how within cyberspace, the public and private overlap, intertwine, and make erotic desires and identities deeply unstable, permeable, inexact, and ambiguous. The sexual spatiality of public spaces, especially the relatively new arena of the virtual world, shows the contradictions of conformity and resistance to heteronormativity present in contemporary lives. Gender, class, and age are significant factors in creating hierarchies, discriminations and exclusionary spaces that are new but influential, especially in sexual politics.

High prevalence of type 2 diabetes among the urban middle class in Bangladesh

BackgroundThe prevalence of type-2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome are increasing in the developing world; we assessed their prevalence among the urban middle class in Bangladesh.MethodsIn this cross-sectional survey (n = 402), we randomly selected consenting adults (≥ 30 years) from a middle-income neighborhood in Dhaka. We assessed demography, lifestyle, and health status, measured physical indices and blood pressure and obtained blood samples. We evaluated two primary outcomes: (1) type-2 diabetes (fasting blood glucose ≥ 7.0 mmol/L or hemoglobin A1C ≥ 6.5% (48 mmol/mol) or diabetes medication use) and (2) insulin resistance (type-2 diabetes or metabolic syndrome using International Diabetes Federation criteria).ResultsMean age and Quételet’s (body mass) index were 49.4 ± 12.6 years and 27.0 ± 5.1 kg/m2; 83% were married, 41% had ≥12 years of education, 47% were employed, 47% had a family history of diabetes. Thirty-five percent had type-2 diabetes and 45% had metabolic syndrome. In multivariate models older age and family history of diabetes were significantly associated with type-2 diabetes. Older age, female sex, overweight or obese, high wealth index and positive family history of diabetes were significantly associated with insulin resistance. Participants with type-2 diabetes or insulin resistance had significantly poorer physical health only if they had associated cardiovascular disease.ConclusionsThe prevalence of type-2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome among the middle class in Dhaka is alarmingly high. Screening services should be implemented while researchers focus on strategies to lessen the incidence and morbidity associated with these conditions.

Neoliberal economic reforms, the rich and the poor in Bangladesh

Bangladesh has been implementing neoliberal structural adjustment policies since the early 1980s. This article analyzes the economic and social outcomes the reform policies have created in the past two decades. It argues that the reform policies, instead of distributing benefits among different societal groups, have brought an economic windfall mainly for the business and industrial class in Bangladesh. Compared to the 24 families of erstwhile United Pakistan, there is now a small group of 40 to 50 families who effectively control the total industrial and financial assets of this poor nation. The vast majority of other societal groups and classes- the industrial and agricultural labor, small businesses, marginal and small farmers, and urban and rural poor — are left out by the reform agenda. The lack of policies of distributional justice has resulted in widening disparities in income and wealth between the low and high strata of the society and deterioration in the overall poverty situation of the country.

Arguing with the Crocodile: Gender and Class in Bangladesh

Arguing with the Crocodile: Gender and Class in Bangladesh

Arguing with the Crocodile: Gender and Class in Bangladesh. SARAH C. WHITE

American EthnologistVolume 21, Issue 4 p. 987-988 Arguing with the Crocodile: Gender and Class in Bangladesh. SARAH C. WHITE FRANK J. KOROM, FRANK J. KOROM Museum of New Mexico's Museum of International Folk ArtSearch for more papers by this author FRANK J. KOROM, FRANK J. KOROM Museum of New Mexico's Museum of International Folk ArtSearch for more papers by this author First published: November 1994 https://doi.org/10.1525/ae.1994.21.4.02a01010AboutPDF ToolsExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume21, Issue4November 1994Pages 987-988 RelatedInformation

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Human Development Report 1994. United Nations Development Programme, New York: Oxford University Press (for UNDP), pp 226, £13.50 pb China Opens its Doors: the politics of economic transition. by Jude Howell, Hemel Hempstead: Harvester Wheatsheaf, 1993, pp 274, £14.95 pb Economic Trends in Chinese Agriculture: the impact of post‐Mao reforms. edited by Y Y Kueh and R F Ash, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1993, pp 405, £45.00 hb Economic Reform and Social Change in China. edited by Andrew Watson, London: Routledge, 1992, pp 259, £35.00 hb Utopia Unarmed: The Latin American Left after the Cold War. Jorge G. Castaneda, New York: Alfred A Knopf, $27.50 hb Toward Empowerment: Women and Movement Politics in India. by Leslie J Caiman, Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, 1992, pp 230 Arguing with the Crocodile: Gender and Class in Bangladesh. by Sarah C White, London: Zed Books, 1992, pp 186, £29.95 hb, £10.95 pb Where Women are Leaders: The SENA Movement in India. by Kalima Rose, London: Zed Books, 1992, pp 286, £32.95 ...

Gender Transformation, Power and Resistance among Women in Sri Lanka: Fish Don't Talk About the Water. By Carla Risseeuw. New Delhi: Manohar, 1991. xvi, 399 pp. Rs. 350. - Arguing with the Crocodile: Gender and Class in Bangladesh. By Sarah C. White. London: Zed Books, Ltd., 1992, vi, 186 pp. $49.95 (cloth); $19.95 (paper).

Gender Transformation, Power and Resistance among Women in Sri Lanka: Fish Don't Talk About the Water. By Carla Risseeuw. New Delhi: Manohar, 1991. xvi, 399 pp. Rs. 350. - Arguing with the Crocodile: Gender and Class in Bangladesh. By Sarah C. White. London: Zed Books, Ltd., 1992, vi, 186 pp. $49.95 (cloth); $19.95 (paper).

Consumption, savings and investment by social class in Bangladesh: Does the rural sector support the Urban sector?

This article employs input‐output analysis and information from a social accounting matrix and the concept of net savings to examine savings, consumption and investment behaviour by various social classes in Bangladesh in urban and rural areas. Considerable differences between social classes can be identified in all three respects. A majority of the social classes in the rural sector does not appear to generate enough savings to sustain its consumption whereas the urban social classes do. There seems to be little difference in consumption pattern of the rural rich and the urban rich. There is considerable urban‐rural difference in the import intensities of consumption. The findings of this study based on the Hazari model do not establish the existence of urban bias but the problem seems to be one of ‘rich‐bias’ rather than urban‐bias per se. However, the Hazari model cannot capture all possible sources of urban bias and circumstantial evidence indicates concentration of advantages in the urban areas.

Arguing with the Crocodile: Gender and Class in Bangladesh: Arguing with the Crocodile: Gender and Class in Bangladesh. By Sarah C. White . London: Zed Books. 1992 .

Arguing with the Crocodile: Gender and Class in Bangladesh: Arguing with the Crocodile: Gender and Class in Bangladesh. By Sarah C. White . London: Zed Books. 1992 .

Arguing with the Crocodile: Gender and Class in Bangladesh

Arguing with the Crocodile: Gender and Class in Bangladesh. By Sarah C. White. London: Zed Books. 1992.