Female Undergraduate Students Research Articles

The Experience of Cultural Globalization and the Consumption of Western Clothing

Aim: The present study was conducted with the aim of investigating the relationship between the experience of cultural globalization (based on the three indicators of using foreign music, using foreign media, and individualism) and consuming western clothing. Methods: The type of research was descriptive and the method was survey. The statistical population included all female undergraduate students of Shiraz University in the academic year of 2022-23, of which 384 of them who responded came from colleges of economics, management, social sciences, literature and humanities who were selected trhough random multi-stage cluster sampling. Findings: Based on data analysis, it can be said that there is a positive and significant relationship between the use of foreign music and the consumption of western media (B=0.459), and between the use of foreign media and the consumption of western media. There is a positive and significant relationship with medium intensity (B=0.563); and finally, there was a positive and significant relationship between individualism and consumption of western clothing with relatively high intensity (B=0.667). In addition, the results showed that the three variables of using foreign music, using foreign media, and individualism (as indicators of cultural globalization) were able to explain and predict about 52% of the changes related to the dependent variable (consumption of western clothing). Conclusion: Based on the findings, it is suggested that the cultural policy makers, while taking the necessary measures to promote the media literacy of the youth, should make some kind of contextual adjustment in the direction of using satellite networks, in relation to the representation of the interests and tastes of the young generation in the programs of the domestic networks. To prevent the influence of culturally heterogeneous elements, the necessary investment should be applied in the direction of good music productions according to the taste of young people. Finally, in the field of Islamic-Iranian clothes, a variety of new and diverse designs according to the taste of women should be considered.

The interaction between brain-based learning strategies and patterns of infographics and its influence on the development of information concepts among Saudi undergraduate cybersecurity students

The study reported in this paper investigates the impact of the interaction between brain-based learning strategies (spaced repetition and distributed practice - mental models) and patterns of infographics (static/animated) in e-learning environments and its impact on the development of informational concepts among cybersecurity students. The quantitative data were collected by means of Information Concept Test to determine the levels of information concepts according to the Frayer model (1969). The research sample consists of 80 male and female undergraduate students in Qassim University, who were classified into four quasi-experimental groups according to their preferred patterns in the infographic. Quantitative analysis of findings from this study shows an effect for the interaction between the variables of brain-based learning strategies (spaced repetition and distributed practice - mental models) and patterns of infographics (static/animated) in e-learning environments in the test scores of information concepts in the post-administration, where the significance level (.011) is less than the significance level (0.05). Findings also revealed that the repetition of information at increasing intervals of time using the infographics is effective to learning concepts in an organized manner and to improving short memory. Furthermore, the mental model’s strategy also helped to retain information. The study recommends encouraging the use of brain-based learning strategies and patterns of infographics (static/animated) in e-learning environments to explore the relationships between different scientific concepts, to expand students’ knowledge, and to discover inter-relationships between different subject elements. The study provides a platform for further research to employ different brain-based learning strategies within e-learning environments to acquire higher-order thinking skills and improve students’ memory and mental capacity with the use of modern technological techniques that achieve learning quality.

Sexual violence amongst female undergraduate students in institution of higher learning in Enugu: Prevalence and awareness

Background: The rising cases of domestic violence has been a great concern to the general public. Objective: The prevalence and awareness of sexual violence on female undergraduates attending Institute of Management and Technology, Enugu was evaluated. Method: The study was a cross-sectional study that involved 400 female students, self-administered questionnaires was employed. Data was analysed using the Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23.0. Associations were tested using Chi square and p< 0.05, at 95% CI. Data was summarized as frequency distribution and chart. Result: Mean age of participants was 23.2 ±1.8. 354(88.5%) participants head about sexual violence prior to this study with one hundred and eighteen respondents (29.5%) being victims of sexual violence in one way or the other. 32.2% of them knew people who had suffered sexual violence. Commonest age of awareness was between 20-24 years(p=0.001). The source of sexual violence awareness was largely from friends (26%), face book (23.2%) and whatsap (20.3%) with least awareness from school teachers and newspaper (4.5%). Close relatives 52.6% were noted to be the commonest perpetrators of sexual violence, followed by family friends 31.6% and unknown persons 15.8%. Conclusion: There is high prevalence of sexual violence with little or no institutional based awareness program on sexual violence that is a threat to the general public.

Physical Activity of Undergraduate Students in Medicine and Physiotherapy Programmes in a Nigerian Medical University

Background: There appears to be dearth of empirical data to ascertain the physical activity level of Nigerian undergraduate students, especially among medical students. Hence, there would be need to investigate the physical activity level of students in a Nigeria university community. Aim: The aims of the study were to assess and compare the physical activity of undergraduate students studying Medicine and Physiotherapy. Methods: Two hundred and sixteen undergraduate students studying Medicine and Physiotherapy were recruited using Stratified sampling technique. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire was administered to each student and the data generated was used to compute the Physical activity scores of each participant. Descriptive statistics and Inferential statistics of ANOVA and Independent t-test (student) were used to compare physical activity of the students. Results: The results obtained from this study showed skewness in the mean Physical Activity of students at different studying levels due to some that are physically hyperactive. There was no significant difference in the overall Physical Activity of students studying medicine and physiotherapy. However, there were significant differences in the vigorous physical activity of the students (F= 2.54, p = 0.04). The mean vigorous physical activity of 500 level students studying physiotherapy was significantly higher than that of the 400 level students studying in both programmes (p=0.003 and p = 0.032 respectively). There were no significant differences between in the vigorous activity of the final year students in physiotherapy and medicines; and between male and female, although, the sitting PA of female undergraduate students was significantly higher that of male. Conclusion: There was no significant difference in the total physical activity of students studying medicine and physiotherapy. Similarly, there was no significant difference in the physical activity of male and female students, excluding that of sitting component of physical activity score which was higher for the later.

Marriage and motherhood: Insights on a crucial life course process from the perspective of female arab-palestinian undergraduate students

Despite changes in women's status in recent decades in Arab-Palestinian society in Israel, marriage and motherhood still play a central role. Moreover, although the increase in the integration rates of young Arab-Palestinian women into the higher education system, as girls belonging to a minority group with traditional structures, they are expected to prioritize family and community expectations over personal aspirations. This study focuses on art projects of female Arab-Palestinian college students in Israel, which serve as a prism for detecting cultural perceptions of pathways to entering adulthood among this population today. These topics are central themes in the projects in question. Working on these projects forced the students to profoundly contemplate their life stage - being engaged or newly married and young mothers. The aim of the study was to decode the artworks in order to explore the students’ feelings and thoughts on a topic rarely considered through the eyes of the young women themselves. The study provides a nuanced examination of the social processes that young educated Arab-Palestinian women experience in the current family structure. By analysing the projects using visual tools from semiotics and art history, along with verbal texts provided by the students, we assert that these projects serve as a crucial avenue for students’ self-expression regarding topics seldom addressed. Even though the projects cannot be understood as critical of traditional gender expectations, we did find some interesting voices of unease regarding them. The move from their parents' home to their new one is widely described as difficult, where sadness and concern about the future are highly noticeable. In addition to accepting the stages of marriage and motherhood with joy and excitement, they also express fear and hesitation. This tension between fulfilling their expected roles and being unsure and hesitant about them exists in the projects. We claim that even if implicit and careful, these signs are important to recognize. However, it seems that higher education has failed to significantly undermine patriarchal and gender expectations.

Out of the loop: Taking a one-week break from social media leads to better self-esteem and body image among young women

This study experimentally tested the effects of taking a one-week break from social media (SM) on body image and self-esteem among young women. Female undergraduate students (N = 66) were randomly assigned to either take a one-week break from SM or continue their normal use (control condition). State self-esteem and body satisfaction were measured at baseline (Time 1) and one week later (Time 2). As predicted, participants in the break condition reported higher body satisfaction and higher state self-esteem (total, performance, social, and appearance domains) at Time 2 than did those in the control condition, controlling for Time 1 scores. The benefits of taking a break from SM on body satisfaction were especially pronounced for women with higher baseline levels of thin-ideal internalization. The findings demonstrate the short-term benefits of taking a break from SM for one week on self-esteem and body image among young women.

Differential Adjustment Outcomes of International Students at U.S. Universities

We present a methodological example of an initial use of critical quantitative analysis (CritQuant) in international education research focused on international students to explore differences in social-emotional experiences intersectionally. Drawing on a sample of 558 international students attending 14 colleges and universities in the United States, we examined students' belonging, social support, academic stress and confidence, COVID-19 related stress, and social integration by students' gender, graduate level, and region of origin as well as by combinations of gender, graduate level, and region of origin. Key findings include that graduate and undergraduate female students as well as graduate male students reported better social-emotional experiences compared with undergraduate male students and that students' region of origin accounted for a range of differences in student outcomes. Findings are discussed in relation to the current literature and with respect to opportunities in the field of international student engagement and global student mobility.

Prevalence, Characteristics, and Treatment Pattern of Menstrual-Related Headache Among Undergraduate Health Sciences Students at Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia

Prevalence, Characteristics, and Treatment Pattern of Menstrual-Related Headache Among Undergraduate Health Sciences Students at Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia

IJCM_382A: Awareness regarding use of menstrual cups among female college students in Mangalore

Background: Menstruation is a normal body function requiring proper menstrual hygiene products. There are many products available for management of mensuration among which one of the most undervalued products is the menstrual cup. Despite all of the many sustainable advantages it offers, the use of menstrual cup is limited to not even 10 percent of menstruating women Objective: 1. To assess the knowledge of usage of menstrual cups amongst female non-medical students. 2. To evaluate the willingness to use menstrual cups amongst female non-medical students Methodology: The study was conducted in non-health science colleges of Mangalore. The participants were undergraduate female students. Non-random convenient sampling was used and the study was conducted in March 2022. A self-administered semi-structured questionnaire was created using Google Forms. Institutional Ethics Committee (IEC) approval and permission from college authorities was obtained prior to commencement of study. Results: Majority of students had heard about a menstrual cup (92.1%) but 87.7% of the participants used sanitary pads and only 4.6% used menstrual cups. After obtaining knowledge from the study, 45% of the participants agreed to use a menstrual cup if available and 46.9% would recommend it to their family and friends. Menstrual cup knowledge was found to be significantly correlated with study course (p=0.043) and current sanitary product use (p=0.001). Conclusion: The main concerns regarding menstrual cups among participants were limited knowledge, discomfort, and limited availability. Many participants had no idea about menstruation cups and it’s functioning and method to dispose of them.

IJCM_360A: Do Body Image Concerns Affect Our Adolescent girls? A Cross-sectional Study among female undergraduate medical students in Guntur medical college.

Background: People’s thoughts and feelings about their own bodies are related to their body image. Adolescents want to gain or lose weight in order to achieve the ideal physique in today’s culture due to the developing notion of ideal body image. Because there are currently few studies on body image, this research aims to fill in the gaps in our understanding of the still-developing field of body image perception. Objectives: 1. To find out the proportion of girls dissatisfied about body image. 2. To find the association of various factors with body image dissatisfaction and to ascertain the weight control behaviours adopted by adolescent medical under graduate students. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was done among 300 medical undergraduate college girls in Guntur medical college. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data on various factors associated with body image dissatisfaction. Body mass index (BMI) of the participants was calculated. Results: Body image dissatisfaction was there among 65.3% of the girls. It was found that factors such as higher BMI, sociocultural pressure to be thin and depression were all significantly associated with body image dissatisfaction. The most commonly followed weight control behaviours were eating small meals and skipping meals. Improving the appearance and body shape were the main reasons for weight control behaviour. Conclusion: This study establishes the fact that body image dissatisfaction is no longer a western concept and affects Indian adolescent girls to a great extent. Hence, effective interventions have to be planned to increase awareness on ideal body weight and protect our young generation from pressures of negative body image.

Role of Institutional Environment in Enhancing Confidence among Female Students at University Level

The study focused on how the institutional environment affects the confidence of female undergraduate students studying social sciences (BS Education and Economics) and natural sciences (BS Botany and Zoology) at Women's University and Bahauddin Zakriya University. The study, which included the whole population of 355 natural sciences and 248 social sciences students, used a stratified random sampling technique, yielding a sample size of 196 and 152 individuals from each department. A self-developed questionnaire with 27 items and three criteria was used, encompassing topics such as institutional laws, personal strength awareness, and a sense of belonging. Descriptive statistics, such as percentage, mean, and standard deviation, were utilised to assess the data acquired during validation and pilot testing. Additionally, deductive statistics, such as the T-test, were used to test null hypotheses. The findings provided information on the perceived influence of institutional elements on female students' confidence in both academic fields. Overall, the study used a rigorous and methodical approach to investigating the research objectives, integrating quantitative and deductive methodologies to produce a full grasp of the issue.

Prospective English language teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs in English language teaching environment

This study examines prospective English language teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs in English language teaching environment. Self-efficacy as ability can impact on students doing task sufficiently. Nowadays self-efficacy plays an important role in developing English language proficiency, because the term “self-efficacy” demonstrates individuals’ competence. Therefore in order to prepare qualified future English teachers, their self-efficacy beliefs also should be tested. For that reason, the purpose of this research study was to figure out prospective English language teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs. Participants of present research study were 54 students, enrolled at Foreign Languages Teaching Department of Khoja Akhmet Yassawi International Kazakh-Turkish University. Quantitative research design was used in this study to describe the current condition of future teachers. The data was collected with the help of online questionnaire, through survey method prepared by Google form. Results demonstrated that future English teachers possess adequate level of self-efficacy beliefs. There were not significant differences between male and female undergraduate students, due to Mann-Whitney’s Utest analysis. Overall, research study provided information about undergraduate students’ self-efficacy beliefs using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) program which played a huge role to examine the data.

Knowledge, attitudes and practices of cervical cancer screening among female students enrolled in higher education institutions in Cabo Verde.

A descriptive cross-sectional study, using a self-administered structured questionnaire, was conducted in six higher education institutions (HEI) in Cabo Verde between November and December 2020. A total of 618 female undergraduate students were recruited using a simple random sampling technique. Descriptive statistical data analysis was used to report the results. The response rate was 96.6% (n = 618). Most of the participants, 90.6% (549), were single, with average age of 21.79 years (SD =±4). Although most of the participants had already heard about CC (94.6%), most students showed a low knowledge about this disease (86.2%). Moreover, only 9.1% reported having been screened for CC. Most undergraduate female students enrolled in HEI in Cabo Verde have poor knowledge and unfavourable attitudes toward CC. The level of knowledge is quite unsatisfactory. Within this context, the implementation of health policies focused on human papillomavirus education, prevention strategies, and CC screening is crucial.

Mujeres y educación superior a distancia: experiencias rurales y urbanas en la pospandemia

During the covid-19 pandemic, distance education witnessed a surge in credibility, popularity, and advantages; however, this change disproportionately impacted vulnerable groups: the low-income population, the disabled, indigenous groups and children of migrants. While research in basic education has been conducted, information regarding online learning experiences of female university students is limited, especially in relation to gender. Therefore, the present study surveyed 1 206 female undergraduate students from rural and urban contexts to analyze their experiences in distance classes during confinement. Significant differences were found according to context, with women from urban settings valuing the design of assignments and strategies, and instructional design, while those from rural contexts demanded greater attention from their tutors. In both cases, participants lacked prior experience with online courses and suitable learning environments. In conclusion, these disparities warrant further investigation and targeted measures to bridge the gender gap in distance education.

Effect of educational intervention on the knowledge, attitude and practice of breast self-examination among female students at a private university in Southern Nigeria

IntroductionIn Nigeria, breast cancer (BC), a disorder marked by the unchecked growth of breast cells, has been the commonest cancer among women in Nigeria. Breast self-examination (BSE) is one of the suggested methods for screening for the early diagnosis of breast cancer. However, studies have reported inadequate knowledge, negative attitudes and poor practices of BSE among undergraduate female students. The study was designed as an interventional study to examine the effect of educational intervention on knowledge, attitude and practice of breast self-examination among female students in a private university in southern Nigeria.MethodsThis pretest posttest design study was carried out on 103 students of Novena University at baseline in 2022, which were chosen through the use of simple random sampling. A validated questionnaire with components on demographics, knowledge, attitude, and BSE practice was used to gather the data. After that, the students participated in three hourly sessions of an educational intervention for two weeks. A month later, the students’ data were once again collected, and SPSS 20 software was used to evaluate the results using the mean, paired t test, and logistic regression at the P < 0.05 level of significance.ResultsThe mean age of the respondents was 22.37 ± 1.92 years. Only 53 (51.3%) were aware of BSE. The mean knowledge, attitude and practice of BSE at pretest significantly increased at posttest after the educational intervention (1.58 ± 1.48 vs. 4.31 ± 1.15, 2.37 ± 1.27 vs. 4.80 ± 0.49 and 1.97 ± 0.09 vs. 5.81 ± 3.26, respectively). Furthermore, age and family history of BC were predictors of knowledge (OR = 4.00 95% CI = 0.29–41.99, OR = 141, 95% CI = 0.15–13.18), attitude (OR = 2.39, 95% CI = 0.28–12.32, OR = 1.15, 95% CI = 0.24–8.34) and practice of BSE (OR = 2.66, 95% CI = 0.38–18.41, OR = 1.44, 95% CI = 0.24–8.34) respectively.ConclusionThe findings showed that using an educational intervention strategy will improve the knowledge, attitude and practice of BSE among undergraduate students.

Psychosocial Factors and Retention of Female Students in a Health Sciences Program: A Cultural Perspective

The problem was at a for-profit private institution in the year 2015-2016, 25% or 35 of the 142 students who withdrew from the university were from the School of Health Sciences. The purpose was to investigate the psychosocial factors that influenced retention in female students enrolled in online degree programs. The generic research design was the descriptive-survey design. Participants were 35 female undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in online degree programs. The data collection instrument was the Survey of Female Adult Learners’ Psychosocial Factors Related to Retention-Adapted. Data analysis for the two research questions included the computation of descriptive statistics (means, standard deviations, frequencies, and percentages) and analysis of variance (ANOVA). Findings for Research Question 1 suggested specific psychosocial factors were critical to retention in online degree programs. For instance, 71.43% of students reported the psycho-social factor, I am a capable person, and 62.86% reported the psycho-social factor; with my ability, I will be able to succeed; were critical to retention. Findings for Research Question 2 indicated that, even though there were differences in the mean scores for the marital status subgroups (not married-single, divorced, and never married). ANOVA showed the differences were not statistically significant, F (1, 33) =.21, p=.65, partial eta squared =.006, for the marital status subgroups.

The Effectiveness of The Concept Mapping Strategy in Developing of Digital Concepts Among Students at Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University

This study aimed to explore the efficacy of concept mapping in enhancing digital concept development among female undergraduate students enrolled in a computer skills course. A total of 70 participants were randomly assigned to either an experimental group instructed through concept mapping, or a control group taught using traditional methods. The experimental group, utilizing concept mapping, significantly outperformed the control group in posttest assessments of digital concepts (p &lt; 0.05). These findings suggest that concept mapping can effectively boost digital literacy within computer skills education. Recommendations encompass the integration of concept mapping in computer and digital skills courses, offering training to both educators and students on the use of concept mapping, and the active incorporation of this strategy across educational levels. In summary, this investigation underscores the significance of concept mapping as a potent instructional approach for cultivating fundamental digital competencies.&#x0D; &#x0D; Received: 19 December 2023 / Accepted: 16 February 2024 / Published: 5 March 2024

Zooming in on self-regulated learning in undergraduate remote learning during extreme conditions

Extreme conditions may require students to fine tune their remote online learning requiring knowledge about learning strategies. This form of knowledge may be captured by the term metaprocesses, which is defined as the knowledge and proficiency of cognitive (metacognition), emotional (metaemotion), and behavioral (metabehavior) learning strategies – and are hypothesized to shape learning outcomes. Undergraduate students were queried online during a COVID-19 lockdown (January 2021, N = 343, 62 % female) and again a few months later during a period of missile attacks (May 2021, N = 214, 41 % female). Path models suggest that perceived stress moderated the associations between metaprocesses and achievement outcomes (self-regulated learning, emotions, and engagement) somewhat differently for male and female undergraduate students. Robust findings provided evidence that metaemotion was positively associated with reappraisal emotion regulation of learning and metacognition was positively associated with engagement. For students low on perceived stress, metaprocesses were associated with outcomes, providing evidence that high levels of stress intrudes on coursework. Cumulative effects were found for perceived stress during the lockdown positively associated with negative deactivated emotions during the missile attacks, and negatively associated with cognitive and behavioral strategies for females. Challenges of learning during crisis may be eased when students have knowledge and proficiency about their learning strategies, suggesting potential benefits for resilience-building skills as part of academic learning.

Body image dissatisfaction, disordered eating attitudes and nutritional status among female undergraduate students in Lagos, Nigeria

Body image dissatisfaction (BID) is associated with the development of disordered eating attitudes, which can eventually lead to eating disorders. This study was conducted to assess body image dissatisfaction, disordered eating attitudes and nutritional status of female undergraduate students in Lagos as a baseline for an online intervention study. It was a descriptive cross-sectional study. Multistage sampling technique was employed to select 1009 from the intervention group (University of Lagos) and 1005 students from the control group (Lagos State University). Data were collected using semi-structured self-administered questionnaire. Anthropometric measurements were taken following standard procedures. Perceived body size was determined by using the Pulver’s Figure Rating Scale Silhouette. Disordered eating was assessed using the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26). Data were analysed using a statistical program IBM SPSS (version 25) with a significant level set at p ≤0.05. Chi-squared tests were used to detect differences in proportions for categorical variables. Fisher’s exact test was used where cell sizes were less than five, independent-samples t-tests were used to test for differences in the means of continuous variables. The mean age of the students was 20.7±2.0 years for intervention and 20.9±2.2 years control groups. The prevalence of body image dissatisfaction was 57.0% and 60.6% among intervention and control groups, respectively. The prevalence of underweight, overweight and obesity were 13.5%, 18.3% and 7.2%, respectively for the intervention group and 13.3%, 19.5% and 8.0% respectively for the control group. The prevalence of disordered eating attitudes was 5.2% and 4.7% for intervention and control groups, respectively. Only the control group demonstrated a significant positive association between nutritional status and body image dissatisfaction as well as body image dissatisfaction and disordered eating. There was no statistically significant difference in nutritional status, body image dissatisfaction and disordered eating attitudes among the students in the intervention and control groups. Although the prevalence of BID and overweight/obesity was high, the rate of disordered eating was low. The study showed a significant positive association between BMI and body image dissatisfaction as well as body image dissatisfaction and disordered eating among undergraduates in Lagos. Body Image dissatisfaction, overweight/obesity are higher than reported in the past although the prevalence of disordered eating was low among university undergraduates in Lagos. Interventions that address these three parameters are needed among university undergraduates to prevent increase in disordered eating, eating disorders and other related health consequences. Key words: Nutritional Status, Underweight, Overweight, Obesity, Body Image Dissatisfaction, Disordered Eating

STEMM unveiled: Female undergraduates’ journey through gendered stereotypes – A qualitative exploration

Despite significant progress in gender equality, pervasive gender stereotypes and discrimination persist worldwide. These ingrained perceptions, based on gender, contribute to the disadvantage experienced by women in multiple areas of their lives. This is especially evident in female professionals studying and working within male-dominated fields like Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine (STEMM), where the representation of women collectively amounts to less than 17% in Australia. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate how female undergraduate students in STEMM fields conceptualised gender-based stereotypes within their academic programs, and how these experiences shaped their outlook on being women in a field that defies traditional gender norms. Employing an exploratory qualitative approach grounded in the social constructionist, and feminist, perspectives, face-to-face semi-structured interviews were carried out with 13 female undergraduates in STEMM disciplines, aged between 19 and 43, from Australian universities. An inductive reflexive thematic analysis of the data led to the construction of four themes that contribute to the comprehension of how female undergraduates recognise and manage prevalent gender-based stereotypes during the early stages of their professional journeys. Participants recognised their gender and its related traits as a drawback to their presence in STEMM, and felt that these attributes did not align, leading to a sense of academic disadvantage. The prevalence of male supremacy within STEMM was acknowledged as originating from the embedded patriarchal system within these fields, granting undeserved advantages to male undergraduates, enabling them to perpetuate a narrative that solely favours them.