E-book Research Articles

Students' Perceptions of Written Examinations and Typed Examinations- A Comparative Study in Gulf University

Abstract : Assessment is inevitable in any kind of formal education because it provides an idea of the amount of learning achieved to both the students and the instructors. Assessment has undergone a drastic change in its form and nature owing to the COVID-19 intervention. During the pandemic, most traditional assessments were reframed to suit to the online mode of conduct. Hence, the typed examinations came into picture replacing the written examinations. Though the students were not trained for the typing exams, they were enforced to take up typed examinations as there was no choice available during that time. This study intends to understand the students’ perceptions with respect to written examinations and typed examinations to identify the preferred mode of giving the examinations. A survey questionnaire comprising closed ended questions on a 5-point Likert was used to get the inputs from the students at Gulf University, Bahrain. Descriptive statistics methodology was adopted after carrying out the Cronbach’s alpha, Pearson’s chi square tests and linear regression on the data. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) v21 was employed for data analysis. The results of the study suggest that the students prefer typing examinations for the ease of typing speed, proficiency in online reading skills, and typing function awareness. The scope of the study is to recommend bringing in the necessary changes in the policies and practices abiding the typing examinations to sustain the preferred mode in an ethical manner. Plus, it suggests addressing the challenges pertaining to the less preferred mode of examinationshandwritten examination for improvisation and further enhancement. Keywords : students, written, typed, examinations, assessments, Gulf University

Transforming Islamic Education in Schools: Challenges and Opportunities in the Era of Society 5.0

This research analyzes the challenges and opportunities of Islamic education in schools in the Society 5.0 era, which is characterized by the use of industrial revolution 4.0 innovations to overcome social problems. Using a qualitative approach with literature study methods and content analysis, this research examines literature related to the problems of Islamic religious education in schools. The research results identified six main challenges: limited infrastructure, inadequate conditions in rural schools, lack of technology-based learning media, lagging behind in the development of science and technology, use of traditional learning methods, and weak quality of human resources in mastering learning technology. In conclusion, the transformation of Islamic education in the Society 5.0 era requires improving the quality of human resources in learning technology, the use of digital books and technology-based learning media. Systematic efforts are needed to overcome the technology gap and increase the competitiveness of Islamic education in this era.

Online problem-based learning and 3D digital books to improve pre-service teachers’ scientific literacy

Online problem-based learning and 3D digital books to improve pre-service teachers’ scientific literacy

LEARNING THEORY ACCORDING TO HUMANISTIC PSYCHOLOGY AND ITS IMPLEMENTATION IN STUDENTS

This research describes learning theory according to Humanistic Psychology and its implementation. Through the application of library research or library research (study) methods, the implementation of this research begins with problem formulation, focus preparation, study and then reading various reference libraries sourced from e-journals and digital books by understanding and studying them seriously until reaching the writing and organizing process. material. The research results show that humanistic learning theory places great emphasis on the importance of the content of a series of learning activities. The aim of learning according to humanistic theory is to make people more humane. Students are expected to be independent, brave, and not constrained by other people's opinions. They are also expected to manage their personality responsibly while adhering to all rules, norms, discipline and ethical standards. Thus, the integration of humanistic psychology into education can help students understand themselves as humans.

The Instantiation of Narrative in Picturebook Forms

Narratives have been instantiated across an array of materials, media, and modalities, including oral storytelling, film, novels, tapestries, comics, theatre, and children’s picturebooks for centuries. Narrative picturebooks come in many different forms, contain a variety of modalities, primarily written and oral language, visual images, and design elements, and are produced using an array of material and production technologies. Like the continuing evolution of narratives in general, narrative picturebooks are part of an extended history of visual and multimodal communication and have been instantiated as printed codices, moveable or pop-up books, volvelles, electronic books, and as digital and augmented reality software applications. This article focuses on the semiotic, material, and ideological aspects of the instantiation of narrative in picturebook form and examines how narrative picturebooks are embedded in an array of social, cultural, and literacy practices. Additionally, the article proposes a framework from which to consider the syntactical, modal, compositional, mediational, material, technological, historical, and sociocultural aspects of the instantiation of narrative in picturebook forms.

Enhancing Book Recommendation Accuracy through User Rating Analysis and Collaborative Filtering Techniques

Since online electronic books have become popular, book recommendation systems have been invented and challenged to handle the high demand from users in the digital era. This study aimed to develop and evaluate a book recommendation model using data mining techniques through RapidMiner Studio. The datasets used were comprised of 981,756 user ratings. Before conducting the data analytics, the data was pre-processed to eliminate duplicates and retain only the highest ratings. Collaborative Filtering (CF) techniques, particularly k-Nearest Neighbours (k-NN) and Matrix Factorization (KF), were employed to elicit insightful information for development and to highlight their capabilities in handling enormous datasets. Furthermore, statistical analysis, visualization, elementary modelling, and model combinations were investigated to compare their performance. To reinforce creditability, modelling techniques and parameter adjustments were integrated to optimize the performance of the algorithms, since the results indicated that different model settings and data partitions impacted the effectiveness of the recommendation system. Additionally, these results demonstrated the potential of hybrid models in improving the accuracy and efficiency of recommendation systems and highlighted the trade-off between algorithmic approaches and dataset characteristics that interplay in optimizing the performance of recommendation systems.

Optimisation of Sentiment Analysis for E-Commerce

Sentiment analysis is widely used today to make data-driven decisions in different industries, starting from marketing and including brand management, reputation monitoring, and customer satisfaction analysis. Its growing importance is closely linked with so-called ‘word-of-mouth’ communication, from reading online reviews to writing comments on social networks. Effective separation of sentiments ensures that companies' responses are timely and critical patterns are seen in big data sets. Statistical measures, information gain, correlation-based approaches, etc, have been employed for the feature selection. Still, the problem associated with text data mining is that they don’t convey the text's relative difficulty and additional features. To fill this gap, our research proposes a new feature selection technique through Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) and K Nearest Neighbour (KNN) performed on 28,000 customer reviews in different product categories. The results, therefore, showed an overall accuracy of 80.1%, with the Support Vector Machine (SVM) set at 80.5% on each selected feature, which was slightly higher than the Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), which scored a 78.41% accuracy. SVM remains on the mark of 83%, and for CNN, the rate achieved on the same was 80.8% when both were applied to the entire dataset. These facts rejected the infallibility of the simple and complex algorithms used singly in the sentiment classification, indicating that more sophisticated algorithms like ACO and KNN can provide business solutions to improve their service delivery based on customers’ feedback.

WASHBACK EFFECTS OF ONLINE ASSESSING STUDENTS’ READING COMPREHENSION IN NARRATIVE TEXT

The Covid-19 pandemic has altered the educational landscape. This is due to the fact that traditional classroom learning has been replaced with online learning. Even if the learning and assessment take place at home, teachers must be able to offer an effective learning process and assessment. The impact of testing on teaching and learning is known as washback. Teachers appear to play a significant part in developing different types of washback by examining the probable positive and negative washback that tests may cause at the micro and macro levels. In other words, the teachers' beliefs play an important role in influencing the washback effect. This study aims at explaining washback effect of online students’ assessment on reading comprehension in narrative text. Secondly, to describe students’ engagement in following online learning and assessing of reading comprehension. It employed qualitative method and descriptive research design. Data collection techniques used observation, online reading test, interview, and documentation. Meanwhile, data analysis techniques implemented data reduction, data display, data verification. The research participants were 32 the seventh graders of an Islamic secondary school in Semarang regency. The results show that narrative reading text used folklore digital storytelling namely The Crying Stone. The reading comprehension test consisted of forty items, they were short answer, close test, true or false, vocabulary development, matching, and references. Based on the data, there are two types of washback effects namely negative washback effect and positive washback effect. Positive and negative washback effect covered formative assessment and summative assessment. They are included assessment as learning, assessment for learning, and assessment of learning. Positive washback effects made students have eagerness to be autonomous learners. Students had high motivation and well-prepared in joining reading class. Meanwhile students had difficulties in learning and follow the reading assessment because of bad internet connection as negative washback. Sometimes some parents were not able to buy internet data package.

Grammaticality judgements of tense by young adult speakers of Shona

This study examined grammaticality judgements of tense by 40 young adult native speakers of Shona during an online task. This study reports response accuracy and reaction times on the reading of time reference violations in which verb forms do not match a time frame previously set by an adverb. The judgements were elicited using 240 sentences with and without grammatical violations during an online reading task. Overall, in the experimental task, the native speakers performed below 78% across the four conditions, despite the sentences having received acceptability ratings of 1 = acceptable, 2 = unacceptable for grammatical and ungrammatical sentences, respectively. Sentences with the violation of the recent past by remote past tense verb had the lowest response accuracy scores. The participants also took the longest time to detect the errors in this same condition, meaning sentences with the recent past adverb context had the lowest response accuracy, with the sentence with the recent past context and remote past tense verb violation the most difficult to detect. The participants were quicker in detecting errors in the sentences with the remote adverb context and recent past tense verb. The findings demonstrate the utility of grammaticality judgement tasks for revealing language processing difficulties.

Correction: Fostering university students’ online reading: effects of teacher-led strategy training embedded in a digital literacy course

Correction: Fostering university students’ online reading: effects of teacher-led strategy training embedded in a digital literacy course

THE MAIN TENDENCIES OF THE MODERN GEORGIAN CHILDREN’S POEMS

The issue of children's literature, particularly children's poetry, presents certain challenges in the 21st century. This genre was significantly impacted by the Soviet economic pressures that persisted throughout the 70 years prior to the restoration of Georgia's independence. With the transition to a free Georgia, it became necessary to explore new themes, forms, and expressive techniques to cultivate the literary knowledge and taste of the future generation. This issue, which affected literature for adults, also had a profound impact on children's literature, including children's poetry. The growing influence of globalization further highlighted the need for the creation of educational and supplementary materials for preschool and school-aged children. In this context, the work of Mariam Tsiklauri, a contemporary children's writer born in 1960, stands out. As the author of over 30 printed books, 12 electronic books, and the founder of the "Children's Literature Development Fund" in 2011, Tsiklauri has made significant contributions to the field. Her children's poems have been included in numerous school textbooks. Therefore, her poetry not only reflects the traditions of the previous century but also introduces innovative elements, providing a representative glimpse into the evolution of Georgian children's poetry in the 21st century—an exploration that is the primary focus of this scientific study.

Accelerated distributed expectation-maximization algorithms for the parameter estimation in multivariate Gaussian mixture models

Rapid development for modeling big data requires effective and efficient methods for estimating the parameters involved. Although several accelerated Expectation-Maximization algorithms have been developed, there still exist two major concerns: reducing computational cost and improving model estimation accuracy. We propose three distributed-like algorithms for multivariate Gaussian mixture models, which can accelerate speed and improve estimation accuracy. The first algorithm is distributed algorithm, which is used to speed up the calculation of classic algorithms and improve its estimation accuracy by averaging the one-step estimators obtained from distributed operators. The second algorithm is distributed online algorithm, which is a distributed stochastic approximation procedure that performs online updates when reading online data. The final algorithm is called distributed monotonically over-relaxed algorithm, which uses an over-relaxation factor and a distributing strategy to improve the estimation accuracy of multivariate Gaussian mixture models. We investigate the stability, sensitivity, convergence, and robustness of these algorithms in a numerical study. We also apply these algorithms to three real data sets for validation.

OPEN SOURCE TEXTBOOK AS A RESOURCE FOR THE TEACHING-LEARNING PROCESS OF ALGEBRA IN INITIAL TRAINING OF MATHEMATICS TEACHERS

Objective: To determine the implications of the use of open source text in the teaching-learning process of algebraic structures in the initial teacher training of the mathematics specialty in a state university in Peru. Theoretical Framework: The conceptual and epistemic bases of open learning are systematically addressed through interactive texts, as well as the aspects related to the teaching-learning process in university higher education. Method: The study has a mixed approach, pre-experimental design and correlational level, the target population was mathematics education students and a sample of 46 randomly chosen students, data collection is carried out through a diagnostic questionnaire, another multiple alternative and an interview, in the study sample classes are held through the open source book; then the learning achieved at the conceptual level is evaluated. procedural of algebraic structures. Results and Discussion: In this research it is evident that students did not know the open source online text for the study of mathematics, but they have skills in the use of digital technology; but with the use of the digital book they assimilate the concepts, perform demonstrations and solve problems efficiently, raising their level of motivation towards learning. Thus, the relevant use of open source books significantly improves learning and the development of mathematical competence in students. Research Implications: Strengthening of interactive and personalized activities for a comprehensive training of mathematics content mediated by digital technology, reinforcing in a sustained way the culture and mathematical competence of teachers in initial training. Originality/Value: Implementation of an innovative approach in pedagogical practice, through the use of open resources for the assimilation of mathematical concepts and procedures in a dynamic, efficient and effective way. The value of research is evidenced in the praxis of didactic strategies in the context of the digital age, oriented to the knowledge of algebraic structures by mathematics teachers.

Nanotechnology-driven Microemulsion Based Intranasal Delivery to Neurotechnology-driven Neuralink: Strategies to Improve Management of Neurodegenerative Disorders.

Neurodegenerative disorder refers to malfunctioning of neuronstheirdegradation leading to death of neurons. Among various neurodegenerative disorders APHD (Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and Huntington's Disease) are particularly concerning due to their progressive and debilitating nature. The therapeutic agent used for treatment and management of APHD often show unsatisfactory clinical outcome owing to poor solubility and limitedpermeability across blood brain barrier (BBB). The nose-to brain delivery can overcome this BBBchallenge as it can transport drug directly to brain though olfactory pathways bypassing BBB. Additionally, the nanotechnology has emerged as a cutting-edge methodology to address this issue and specifically mucoadhesive micro/nanoemulsion can improve the overall performance of the drug when administered intranasally. Beyond the therapy neurotechnology has emerged as are revolutionary AI-driven BCI (Brain computer interface) aimed to restore independence in patients with function loss due to neuron degeneration/death. A promising BCI Neuralink has been recently explored for clinical trials and results revealed that a quadriplegia bearing person with implanted Neuralink chip was able to perform few normal functions of daily routine such as playing online games, text messaging, reading, and learning foreign languages online through accessing the particular websites. This review will discuss the fundamental concepts of neurodegeneration, application of micro/nanoemulsion through intranasal route and integration of neurotechnology for the management and treatment of APHD.

Relationship between proactive personality and online reading motivation in teenagers: A moderated mediation model

The development of teenagers' reading habits is important for their integration into adult society, and the popularity of the digital space provides ample opportunity. However, empirical research on teenagers' online reading motivation in Mainland China is limited. We constructed a moderated mediation model to examine the relevant factors that affect teenagers' online reading motivation and the mechanisms of these relationships. Participants comprised 819 middle school students who completed questionnaires at a single time point. The results demonstrated that proactive personality was significantly and positively related to teenagers' motivation to read online, while general self-efficacy partially mediated the relationship between proactive personality and online reading motivation. Furthermore, family socioeconomic status moderated the relationship between self-efficacy and online reading motivation. These findings contribute to the literature on the antecedents and mechanisms of teenagers' online reading behavior and provide theoretical and practical implications for online reading services.

Efektivitas Buku Digital terhadap Empati Siswa Kelas IV SDN Bugangan 01 Semarang

Education plays an important role in producing a superior and characterful young generation, so it is necessary to instill empathy in students. This study aims to determine the effectiveness of digital books on empathy in grade IV students of SDN Bugangan 01. This study uses quantitative research with a pre-experimental design, with a one group pretest-posttest design. The population in this study was grade IV, totaling 22 students. Research data were collected through a questionnaire in the form of a checklist of 25 questions to measure the level of student empathy. Data processing in this study used a normality test, homogeneity test, paired sample t-test and N-Gain test. The results of the pretest normality test have a significance value of 0.251 > 0.05, while the posttest value is 0.175 > 0.05. Then in the homogeneity test the significance is 0.224 > 0.05. This shows that the data is normally distributed and homogeneous. The results of the paired sample t-test show that digital books are effective in empathy in grade IV students. Furthermore, the N-Gain test shows a value of 0.51. So, digital books are effective for the empathy of grade IV students at SDN Bugangan 01 which is classified as moderate

Harmony search for hyperparameters optimization of a low resource language transformer model trained with a novel parallel corpus Ocelotl Nahuatl – Spanish

Nahuatl, a low-resource language, does not have an online translator application. Instead, resources are limited to dictionaries, web pages, or digital books. Given this condition, it is vital to provide as much support to the language as possible. This research aims to enhance the BLEU score in machine translation by applying the harmony search heuristic method to state-of-the-art transformers models. This is conducted by finding the optimal hyperparameter settings for the models. Models are trained and tested using a fresh moderate-size parallel corpus of 1.5k phrases. By utilizing harmony search, the study shows an improvement in the BLEU score, enhancing it by 2.569%. In order to accomplish this, various factors related to the hyperparameters need to be considered. The application of harmony search with transformers can be extended to various parallel corpora or models, taking these considerations into account.

ICT and the impact of digital textbooks in foreign language teaching and learning

Abstract As part of the effort to find more effective methods for teaching foreign languages, this study focuses on the role and impact of digital books within the Albanian educational context, with particular emphasis on pedagogical practices related to the teaching of foreign languages in general and French language in particular. Using a mixed methodological approach, both quantitative and qualitative, including surveys of teachers, interviews, and analysis of data collected during classroom observations, this study assesses how the use of digital technologies, including digital books, influences student engagement and their achievements in language learning. The data analysis shows a positive correlation between the use of digital books and the improvement of students’ performance in various language skills. The integration of digital technologies not only increases engagement and performance but also contributes to the development of a more personalized and autonomous approach to teaching.

How to stay competitive: An innovative concept to assess the business competitiveness using online restaurant reviews

Nowadays customers would make decisions by reading online reviews and comparing differences in restaurants before visiting. Therefore how restaurants take advantage from such information is important to attract customers and stay competitive. Many researchers believe that increasing business performance could improve competitiveness. However, with changing customer requirements and business environment, it is challenging to understand which attributes matter the most to customers and how to improve considering competitors. Therefore this study proposed assessing restaurant competitiveness using online reviews. After crawling 38,479 online reviews employing Python, deep learning-based BERT is developed to measure attribute performance and understand the competitiveness through McKinsey Matrix. Then, the competitiveness was analyzed from a temporal dynamic view to present how attributes are changing importance. Notably, the asymmetric effects between attribute performance and satisfaction were considered. Results demonstrated encouraging accuracy in measuring restaurant competitiveness and explained how asymmetric McKinsey Matrix could help formulate efficient competitiveness enhancement strategies.

Application of the Health Belief Model (HBM) in Buruli Ulcer Education: A Literature Review

Introduction: The basic principles of the Health Belief Model as a theoretical foundation were employed to examine Buruli ulcer education. The study employed various strategies to obtain relevant studies about the constructs of the Health Belief Model which were relevant in the context of Buruli ulcer education. Method: The strategies used sought to uncover studies that have applied the Health Belief Model as a theoretical framework or theoretical foundation in Buruli ulcer education especially within Ghana and found none. Review of studies was carried out through electronic databases searches, grey materials and electronic books. Search strategy with key terms related to Health Belief Model and Buruli ulcer were employed to retrieve relevant documents. The study considered only references that were relevant to the constructs of the theory and could be used to explain Buruli ulcer education. Results: The study considered the six constructs of the theory and these included (people perceived susceptibility to Buruli ulcer, perceived severity of Buruli ulcer, perceived benefit of not contracting Buruli ulcer, perceived barriers to Buruli ulcer healthcare, cues to action for Buruli ulcer and Buruli ulcer knowledge self-efficacy), and modifying factors. The theory has been used in health education for health related events and hence was considered the appropriate theory in the context of Buruli ulcer education. Conclusion: The fundamental idea of the theory is based on the individual personal belief about the disease and the methods that exist to be used to help in the reduction of risk factors. Hence public health workers could employ the theory to help in reduction of risk factors exposures among the population especially in endemic communities in Africa.