Education Institutions In Pakistan Research Articles

Digital research support services during COVID-19 pandemic: an analysis of the higher education institutions

This article attempted to evaluate digital research support services in the context of higher education institutions in Pakistan during COVID-19. Researchers opted quantitative study design to conduct an online survey. A well-structured questionnaire was sent to 6200 university students through an email address. A total of 3122 students participated in the study. The study findings showed that the digital research support services (access to e-books, e-journals, and audio/video materials) were provided to the off-campus learners through university libraries by connecting to different databases. The study suggested that digitization of education processes is vital to enhance educational activities through e-libraries.

Knowledge Acquisition and Product Development Capability Magnify Competitive Advantage: Insight into Higher Education Institutions of Pakistan

Knowledge Acquisition and Product Development Capability Magnify Competitive Advantage: Insight into Higher Education Institutions of Pakistan

What leads to cyberslacking intentions among students in Pakistan: An enhanced theory of planned behavior perspective

AbstractCyberslacking or nonproductive activity in the classroom environment is one of the key problems that academicians face today. This study aims to investigate various determinants of cyberslacking attitudes and intentions among students enrolled in higher education institutions in Pakistan to bridge the gap in the literature about the limited understanding of cyberslacking behaviors of students in the developing world. Structural equation modeling (SEM) technique was employed to analyze the relationships between determinants of cyberslacking attitude and intention based on the survey data collected from 403 students. Results suggest that lack of attention, apathy to course material, and student consumerism significantly contribute to cyberslacking attitudes among these students while attitude and student escapism drive the cyberslacking intentions. Perceived threat and habit fail to show any significant influence lending useful implications for the academicians and researchers. The research is concluded with limitations guiding future research direction.

Language Learning Strategies (LLSS) in Computer Assisted Language Learning Context

Computer-assisted language learning (CALL) is still in the early stages of integrating technology into educational institutions in Pakistan but, in Pakistani classrooms, using technology in language instruction is growing as a popular trend.Thus, the current study’s goal is to investigate the language learning strategies in CALL contexts should be modified/improved and can they bring some positive results or not. In doing so, a mixed-mode pre-test post-test research methodology, using one identical test (pre-test and post-test) before and after studying in a CALL setup was used. Moreover, semi-structured interviews were also used to explore the opinions of learners (n=6). As a result, one group (experimental) of male college students (n=55) was chosen at random for the investigation (experimental group). The findings of the study revealed positive results in both analyses (QUAL+QUAN). The study presents future recommendations also.

An Investigation Into Safe Printmaking Methods With Etching Without Acid, For Art & Design For Higher Education Institutions In Pakistan

The purpose of this research was to explore healthy, environmentally friendly, effective, and economical alternatives to traditional acid-base printmaking practices. The research took place in Pakistan, where chemicals and acids are widely used for printmaking in Art & Design higher education institutions as well as in artist’s workshops. These approaches pose serious health and safety issues for teachers, students, and practitioners alike as well as causing environmental damage. However, no research on safer alternatives had been previously carried out in the country. The investigation filled this gap using a mixed-methods research design: a practice-led project focused on the design, development, and testing of an electro-etching machine made entirely from economical and locally available components; the opinions and ideas of experts and practitioners were gauged through questionnaires and structured interviews; and, finally, the technical and aesthetic qualities and possibilities of the proposed machine were tested and evaluated through a print workshop involving students, professors, and print artists. The research found that the proposed method met the inquiry’s main objectives, namely: to produce high-quality artistic prints using a safe and economical alternative to acid. The researchers conclude by arguing that the research has the potential to move educational and artistic practices in Pakistan away from unhealthy and damaging methods and towards safe and sustainable forms of print production.

Remote Working During COVID-19: BOONS or BANES For Instructors Working in Higher Education Institutions in Pakistan

Around the world, the Covid-19 pandemic has emerged as the most serious threat to human health, economy, and well-being, affecting substantially every country. The current outbreak has presented society with unexpected obstacles and has jeopardized mankind and global resilience. The present study intends to determine the influence of Covid-19 on 250 educators teaching at various public and private higher educational institutions in Pakistan. An online cross-sectional survey was conducted using a link to a Google questionnaire form. The survey consisted of 20 questions covering demographic information, physical activity, remote working challenges, time spent on social media, and issues with online education. The data were collected using the snowball sampling method, and it was analyzed using SPSS 2021. The findings revealed the detrimental effects of COVID-19 lockdowns, such as excessive use of social media, a sedentary lifestyle, insufficient online classes training,excessive workload, rigorous timetable, the constant worry of shrinking, and wage cutbacks are all factors to consider. To continue the smooth teaching and learning process, the study recommends that educators, government, and policymakersreshape the present policies directly associated with the national teachers' personal, social, economic, physical, and mental well-being.

Online Learning System in Higher Education Institutions in Pakistan

Novel COVID‐19 caused turmoil in every domain of life around the globe. To halt the further spread of virus, preventive measures such as social and physical distancing has led the temporal cessation of all education institutions in numerous countries. To minimize disruption of teaching and learning process during epidemic, the Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan directed universities transition to an online learning system. The research paper explores deeply the problems faced by students in the current online education system introduced by various universities. A survey research method was employed and the data were collected through convenience sampling. The link of the semi-structured questionnaire was shared with 550 students enrolled in public and private universities in Lahore, Pakistan. The study brought to light the diversified problems such as lack of internet facility, load shedding, financial issues, ear pain due to prolong use of hand free/Bluetooth and unreliable results in assessments.

Teachers Attitude Towards Inclusive Education in Educational Institutions of Pakistan

The paper provides a useful insight into the dynamics of teacher approaches and attitudes towards inclusive education. It reflects the access and inclusiveness for all educational institutions in Pakistan. The objectives of the research are to analyze the different aspects of teachers’ attitudes, and differences between trained and untrained teachers to improve the knowledge towards inclusive education in secondary educational institutions. Using the quantitative research methodology, the survey tool is used for the collection of data. It unfolded that training of the teachers is a compulsory area that needs attention from the higher education experts. The inclusiveness of teachers is possible with the management and better training processes, those are tested in a quantitative setup. The finding of the study incorporated the lapses in un-trained teachers and that is the major reason for reduced access to inclusive education. It is suggested that teacher training, which is a major aspect of gaining access to inclusive education in Pakistani institutions affect on development and progress of teachers' attitudes.

Education for Sustainable Development and Social Tolerance: Evidence from Teacher Education Institutions in Pakistan

Education for sustainable development is an evolving notion in teacher education that highlights the need for tolerance, acceptance, and diversity. Therefore, there is a greater need to elucidate the contributions of teacher educators in promoting social tolerance through Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). In addition, it is crucial to understand the challenges faced by teacher educators while dealing with the intolerant, extremist views and/or behaviors in a particular social setting. In doing so, this research interviewed teacher educators (N=12) through a purposive sampling strategy to determine the respondents’ views about the promotion of social tolerance strategies integrated with ESD. The data was analyzed through qualitative data analysis software (NVivo) and themes were extracted based on the analysis plots. The research argues that the promotion of social tolerance within teacher education through ESD is a multi-layered process and requires attention at the policy level. It suggests that the existing structure of the Teacher Education program and the curricula are barely in line with the indicated ESD contents and strategies (integration with teaching and learning) needed to promote social tolerance and societal peace in Pakistan.

Education for Sustainable Development and Social Tolerance: Evidence from Teacher Education Institutions in Pakistan

Education for sustainable development is an evolving notion in teacher education that highlights the need for tolerance, acceptance, and diversity. Therefore, there is a greater need to elucidate the contributions of teacher educators in promoting social tolerance through Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). In addition, it is crucial to understand the challenges faced by teacher educators while dealing with the intolerant, extremist views and/or behaviors in a particular social setting. In doing so, this research interviewed teacher educators (N=12) through a purposive sampling strategy to determine the respondents’ views about promoting social tolerance strategies integrated with ESD. The data was analyzed through qualitative data analysis software (NVivo), and themes were extracted based on the analysis plots. The research argues that promoting social tolerance within teacher education through ESD is a multi-layered process and requires attention at the policy level. It suggests that the existing structure of the Teacher Education program and the curricula are barely in line with the indicated ESD contents and strategies (integration with teaching and learning) needed to promote social tolerance and societal peace in Pakistan.

A Nationwide Virtual Research Education Program for Medical Students in Pakistan: Methodological Framework, Feasibility Testing, and Outcomes.

Introduction: Equipping young medical trainees with fundamental research skills can be a promising strategy to address the need for professionals who can understand and responsibly communicate evolving scientific evidence during a pandemic. Despite an ardent interest to partake in research, most educational institutions in Pakistan and other low-middle income countries have not yet adopted a comprehensive strategy for research skills education. The authors aimed to design and assess the feasibility of implementing the first nation-wide virtual research workshop for medical students in Pakistan.Methods: The course “Beginners Guide to Research,” designed as a nation-wide virtual research workshop series, was conducted for medical students across Pakistan in June 2020. Four interactive live workshops took place online on alternate days from June 22nd, 2020, to June 27th, 2020, each lasting 1–2 h. Outcomes included: (i) reach, (ii) efficacy as indexed by pre-post change in score pertaining to knowledge and application of research and (iii) self-rated perceptions about understanding of research on a Likert scale.Results: 3,862 participants enrolled from 41 cities and 123 institutions. Enrolled participants belonged to the following provinces: Sindh (n = 1,852, 48.0%), Punjab (n = 1,767, 45.8%), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (n = 109, 2.8%), Azad Jammu and Kashmir (n = 84, 2.2%) Balochistan (n = 42, 1.1%). We also saw a few registrations from international students (n = 8, 0.2%). Mean (SD) age of enrolled medical students was 21.1 (2.1) years, 2,453 (63.5%) participants were female and 2,394 (62.0%) were from private-sector medical colleges. Two thousand ninety-three participants participants filled out all four pre-test and post-test forms. The total median knowledge score improved from 39.7 to 60.3% with the highest improvements in concepts of research bioethics and literature search (p < 0.001) with greater change for females compared to males (+20.6 vs. +16.2%, p < 0.001) and private institutions compared to public ones (+16.2 vs. +22.1%, p < 0.001).Conclusion: The overwhelming enrollment and significant improvement in learning outcomes (>50% of baseline) indicate feasibility of a medical student-led research course during a pandemic, highlighting its role in catering to the research needs in the LMICs.

Betrayal, Trust and Forgiveness among Adolescent Friendship Groups in Pakistan

Objective: A lot of research has been conducted on betrayal among married couples, but literature regarding betrayal in context to same-gender adolescent friendship is scarce. This study was designed to assess whether betrayal, trust and quality of friendship predict forgiveness. The study further aimed to find out the impact of age, gender, and education on adolescents’ forgiveness. Method: A cross-sectional survey was administered on 400 adolescents enrolled in educational institutions of Pakistan. Results: Betrayal was found to negatively predict emotional forgiveness (β= -.152, p&lt;0.01), but it didn’t predict decisional forgiveness (β= -.071, p&gt;0.01). Trust (β=.180, p&lt;0.01) and quality of friendship (β=.202 p&lt;0.01) were found to positively predict both emotional (β=.179, p=0.01) and decisional forgiveness (β=.344, p&lt;0.01). Moreover, age and educational level predicted betrayal, emotional and decisional forgiveness; whereas, gender was found to predict only betrayal and emotional forgiveness. Conclusion: Betrayal from close friends is getting prevalent these days, shattering the individual's trust as well as affecting the quality of relationship and forgiveness, thus needs serious consideration.

Factors limiting optimal students’ engagement on Social Media: A study of Higher Education Institutions in Pakistan

Limited research on Social Media (SM) marketing by Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) primarily focuses on understanding important practices followed to enhance students’ engagement on SM or its association with different branding constructs. However, there is dearth of research that can guide regarding practices negatively influencing SM based communication between HEIs and Students. This research explores these limiting factors affecting optimal students’ engagement on SM. A qualitative exploratory research methodology was adopted based on in-depth interviews and Netnography. 25 interviews were conducted and 6 months content analysis of Facebook account of selected HEIs was carried out for Netnography. The findings revealed different content and non-content factors negatively influencing students’ engagement on SM. Content related factors included poor design of SM content, lack of informality, inconsistent content posting and content posting during office hours. Whereas non-content related factors include selective platform presence, selective response to students' queries, fearful attitude towards official SM and absence of incentives for students to engage on SM. All these factors are believed to affect different stages of Customer Engagement including Connection, Interaction, Loyalty and Advocacy. Findings of this study have enabled gaining empirical knowledge regarding negative practices on SM, highlighted above, that shall be avoided to attain optimal results for SM marketing communication and learning how these practices affect different stages of students’ engagement on SM.

Engaged Versus Workaholic Employees Job Crafting Behavior: The Moderating Role of Perceived Organization Support

Purpose: Making jobs challenging and interesting is becoming a new trend in organizations and is related to job crafting behavior. Employees with different sort of wellbeing predict diverse crafting behaviors. This study is about making comparisons between the two states of wellbeing that can be differentiated on theoretical backgrounds: work engagement and work holism. Specifically, both well beings may differently predict job crafting behavior&#x0D; Design/Methodology/Approach: This study was quantitative in nature and applied on a sample of 285 faculty members working in higher education institutions in Pakistan. Further, the moderating effect of perceived organizational support was tested by using the SEM-AMOS.&#x0D; Findings: The findings revealed that engaged employees always craft their jobs even if they don’t perceive considerable support from their organizations. But the employees who are workaholic, do not usually craft their jobs, but adopt job crafting behavior when they perceive an organizational support.&#x0D; Implications/Originality/Value: This study points towards an important theoretical connection between employee wellbeing and job crafting behavior. It concludes that employee wellbeing is essential for job crafting and, specifically, for workaholic employees, perceived organizational support is also important.

Socio-Economic and Mental Health Impacts of COVID-19 Lockdown on Students Learning in Pakistan

Evaluation of the e-learning activities in this crisis period amid COVID-19 has significant importance to propose effective mediations for the smooth running of learning and teaching. Keeping this in mind, the present study takes a lead and identifies the key problems associated with online classes during the COVID-19 lockdown in Pakistan. In addition, we examine the “Stay at Home” orders of government impacts on the mental health of students. The empirical analysis is based on a cross-sectional survey covering students from all educational groups across Pakistan. A sample of 1,114 students is collected via a structured questionnaire constructed using Google Form and floated online to students in all educational institutions in Pakistan. Results indicate that students living in a city that has “Stay at Home” orders in place at the time of the survey is linked with a decrease in mental health by 0.525 standard deviations (p-value=0.0560), suggesting that “Stay at Home” orders have led to a significant reduction in the mental health of the students. Students who report being stayed at home during lockdown have significantly better mental health scores. Additionally, we provide a comprehensive descriptive statistical analysis of the online classes designed for lockdown on different socio-economic and mental health aspects.

An Examination of the Association between Teachers Work Engagement and Organizational Commitment at University Level

The purpose of this study was to examine the association between teachers work engagement and organizational commitment at university level. In this study, a quantitative research approach was used. The research would use factor analysis to describe the relationship between organisational commitment and work engagement, hence it was descriptive in nature. Work engagement and organisational commitment are factors in the study that are already present and cannot be manipulated by the researcher. All full-time teaching faculty (N= 37397) of public and private sector universities/Degree Awarding Institutions/Higher Education Institutions in Pakistan that are recognised by the Higher Education Commission made up the study's population. The sample of 400 university instructors (n=500) was chosen using a proportionate stratified random selection procedure. This sample size represents around 1.33 percent of the overall population (N=37397) and 7% of the population that is accessible (N1=7134). The questionnaire used to evaluate overall employee involvement as well as the study's sub-dimensions is clearly accurate and consistent. To collect data and assure the highest response rate possible, the researcher personally visited teachers. To answer the study's original questions, SPSS was used to analyse the data.

Analysing the Impact of COVID-19 Lockdown on Educators in Higher Education Institutions of Pakistan: AN Exploratory Research

Lockdowns have been implemented worldwide to halt the development of the COVID-19 pandemic, owing to the virus's potential threat and infectious nature. The coronavirus outbreak has wreaked havoc on the world and poses a serious hazard due to the virus's infectious natureObjective:To examine the positive and negative impacts of COVID-19 on educators (250) teaching at various public and private higher educational institutions in Pakistan during the lockdownMethods:A Google form was used to conduct an online cross-sectional survey. The questionnaire included questions about the following topics: demographic information. demographic details, physical exercise, health consciousness, relationship with family members, social relationship, Information and technology (IT) skills, digital courses, research activities, work from home, time spent on social media, expenditures, and lockdown activities. The sample was collected from 1st January 2021 to 12th May 2021 and 250 responses were recorded from the educators working from homethrough the snowball sampling technique. The data were analyzed through SPSS version 25. Results: The findings revealed an overall reduction in expenditures, preference for healthy and homemade food, adequate intake of supplements, enhancement of professional grooming (E-courses and IT skills), quality time with family, improvement in social relationships with family, friends, and colleagues. Conversely, the study also brought to the light negative impact of COVID-19 lockdown, for instance, overindulgence in social media, sedentary lifestyle, hard time-saving money, inadequate training for online classes, increased workload, strict schedule, incessant fear of downsizing, and pay cuts.Conclusions:The study recommends that educatorsengage themselves in yoga, meditation, physical exercise, and eat a healthy diet. Furthermore, they should continue upskilling the professional development through E-courses and technology-based skills.

Depression Associated With COVID-19 and its Impact on Physical Activities of Young Adults of Pakistan

Introduction: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a cluster of acute respiratory illnesses with unknown etiology, which firstly appeared in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, in December 2019. All educational institutes of Pakistan were completely closed from March 13, 2020, to August 15, 2020. This condition disturbs the daily routines of children with mental health needs. This sudden closure limited their physical activities in their routine life. This study aims to observe the depression associated with COVID-19 and its impact on the physical activities of young adults of Pakistan. Materials and Methods: A web-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 384 young adults. A modified depression scale was used to assess depression, and the revised physical activity questionnaire was used to evaluate the physical activity of Pakistani young adults in the past month. Results: About 57.8% of the samples were sometimes sad; 44.5% sometimes felt grouchy in the mood; 43.8% never felt hopeless about the future. Also, 32.6% sometimes slept less or more than usual, 35.9% sometimes had difficulty concentrating on their work, 48.7% slept 6-8 hours per day. Besides, 49% engaged 1-3 hours in work or study per day; 43.2% watched TV, sat quietly, or listened to music for 1-3 hours. About 57.8% engaged less than 1 hour per week in light physical activities. Also, 77.9% engaged for less than 1 hour per week in moderately strenuous activities. Conclusion: Depression could be highly associated with the COVID-19 outbreak, and it might affect the physical activities of young adults.

Impact of COVID-19 on Legal Education Sector of Pakistan and Online Education as an Alternative Learning System

COVID-19 has collapsed education system due to lockdown and sudden closure of the educational institutions in Pakistan and across the globe. This study addresses online education challenges in the lockdown period and provides measures to effectively convert present resources available to university students from formal to online education through virtual classes. Therefore, this study examines students' perception of Pakistan's district Sahiwal towards the required digital and online university legal education during COVID-19. Postgraduate and undergraduate university law students were surveyed to find their perceptions about online legal education in the country. This research concludes that in underdeveloped countries such as Pakistan, online education could yield desired results despite limited resources. Some concerns highlighted by the students were a lack of face-to-face interactions with teachers, multimedia educational resources and tools, and the absence of conventional classroom socialization.

The influx of Perpetual Reforms to Cope with Global Challenges in Educational Governance (A Case Study of China-Pakistan Higher Education)

Reforms in higher education have occurred practically the world over during last three decades, and governance, or higher education as it is, or as it should be integrated, , has turned into a major problem. The governance of institutions of tertiary education is a concern for developing world. These institutions have unrestricted autonomy on the one side, but they are also answerable to the society and government on the other. Against this backdrop, Chinese higher educational governance reform and Pakistani tertiary education arose. The present studies on both countries' higher education changes mostly focus on the reform processes and consider the governments as the driving force behind the reforms, while the Chinese and Pakistani governments' susceptibility to the impact of overseas influences is largely unexplored.. The focus of this article is on the restructuring tactics used by both governments to develop their university systems well-organized and achieve a competitive advantage in the international market. In China, university mergers ought not to be viewed as a simple reform of higher education, however more as a radical shift in governance of tertiary education from “interventionist state model” to “accelerationist state model.” Instead of the nation-state collapsing, as a result of globalization, this article demonstrates how changes in Chinese institutions may not necessarily reduce the state's capabilities, but rather make the Chinese government more proactive in specific areas. Higher education institutions in Pakistan are constantly hounded by the government to supervise their operations, despite the fact that they now have complete autonomy following the 18th amendment, which introduced improvements to Pakistan's constitution by decentralizing power and giving provinces autonomy. It is concluded, based on an examination of the Chinese government’s and Pakistan government’s latest documents and literature which are influenced by international reform concepts and theories which have been institutionalized through the rhetoric of global bodies and the successful experiences of other countries.