High Diploma Research Articles

Orthodontic management of traumatized teeth: a survey among orthodontists

BackgroundInformation on previous traumatic dental injuries is important as they can lead to increased complications during orthodontic treatment and impact the treatment planning and outcomes. The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge of Jordanian orthodontists in orthodontic management of traumatized permanent teeth.MethodsCross-sectional survey among active registered orthodontists using a questionnaire distributed by hand.ResultsThe study included 139 orthodontists. Nearly half of orthodontists treated between one to three patients with a history of traumatic dental injuries in the past 3 months. Only 43.2% of the participant asked routinely about history of trauma. A vast discrepancy in times waited before orthodontic movement and in the orthodontic management approach of traumatized teeth was noted. A statistically significant negative relationship between age and knowledge level was found (p = 0.002). A significantly higher level of knowledge was found among participants who had fellowship or board certification than those having the high diploma degree (P-0.032) and also who had treated patients with history of dental trauma in the last 3 months than those who did not (p = 0.001).ConclusionsThe knowledge of the surveyed orthodontists in both the recommended observation period before orthodontic treatment and management approaches of traumatized teeth during orthodontic treatment was insufficient. Years of clinical experience significantly affected knowledge, with older participants having lower levels of knowledge. Orthodontists who treated patients with history of dental trauma in the last 3 months had significantly higher knowledge in orthodontic management of traumatized teeth. Orthodontists needs to be aware of the proper timing and strategies on orthodontic management of traumatized permanent teeth to improve the long term prognosis and to reduce further complications during orthodontic treatment through proper management.

Family Health Clinical Officers: Key professionals to strengthen primary healthcare in Kenya.

Primary healthcare (PHC) is recognised as the means to achieve universal health coverage, a national priority for Kenya. With only approximately 200 family physicians for a population of over 54 million, innovative solutions for providing quality PHC are needed. Clinical Officers, as mid-level health workers, already provide much of the primary care across Kenya, but without specialised training. To provide highly trained Family Health practitioners, a Higher Diploma in Family Health for Clinical Officers (FHCO) was launched by the government in 2018. With experience in delivering innovative and strategic higher diplomas, AIC Kijabe Hospital has been involved in curriculum development of this new diploma since its inception, and in October 2021 the first cohort of FHCO trainees was admitted to Kijabe College of Health Science, graduating in 2023. The second cohort is underway with plans for an annual intake. The FHCO graduates are running Family Medicine clinics at AIC Kijabe Hospital and its satellite clinics and are heavily involved in teaching. They are well-trained to deliver comprehensive, evidence-based, cost-effective and holistic care. As the programme expands, we expect graduates to be working across the country and leading efforts in enhancing the health and well-being of individuals, families and communities within primary healthcare networks (PCNs). By training FHCOs, this higher diploma is an efficient and cost-effective way to improve PHC, particularly for underserved Kenyans, and thus is a key part of enabling the Kenyan Government to achieve universal health coverage. This model of training could easily be replicated in other countries.

The Ability of a Higher Diploma Student Trained In Schools to Mentor Their Students in Embracing Educational Values

This study aimed to determine the ability of a high diploma student trained in schools to guide their students in school to practice educational values in Abu Dhabi schools. The study sample consisted of 25 students who were selected randomly. To achieve the goal of the study, an observation card was used, which was designed by the researchers and applied in the classroom during teaching sessions, where each trainee student attended four classes. The results of the study showed that the ability of a high diploma student trained in schools to guide their students towards practicing educational values came at a low level. All fields came in low without exception, as the field of religious values ranked first, followed by cognitive values, then aesthetic values. The results of the study also showed that there were statistically significant differences in the ability of high diploma students trained in schools to direct their students towards practicing educational values due to the gender variable and in favor of females.

Association of socioeconomic position with sensory impairment among Chinese population: a nationally representative cohort and Mendelian randomization study.

To investigate the association between socioeconomic position (SEP) and sensory impairments (SIs). We used data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) (2015). Logistic regressions estimated the odds ratio for associations of SEP with SIs. In addition, Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis was conducted to assess the causal relationship between them with the inverse variance weighting (IVW) estimator. MR-Egger, simple median, weighted median, maximum likelihood, and robust adjusted profile score were employed for sensitivity analyses. In the observational survey, we enrolled 19,690 individuals aged 45 and above. SEP was negatively associated with SIs. Adjusted odds of vision impairment were higher for illiterate (1.50; 95%CI: 1.19, 1.91), less than elementary school diploma (1.76; 95%CI: 1.39, 2.25), middle school diploma (1.53; 95%CI: 1.21, 1.93) and lower income (all p < 0.001). The odds of hearing impairment were significantly higher for people with less than a high school diploma than those with a college degree or higher diploma, for agricultural workers than non-agricultural workers, and for people in low-income families (p < 0.01). The MR analysis also showed that occupation was associated with HI (1.04, 95%CI: 1.01, 1.09, p < 0.05) using IVW. We found that both observational and causal evidence supports the theory that SEP can result in SIs and that timely discovery, targeted management, and education can prevent SIs among middle-aged and older adults.

Factors Affecting Entrepreneurial Intention of Higher Diploma Students in Hanoi-Vietnam

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the factors influencing the entrepreneurial intention (EI) of Higher Diploma (HD) students in Hanoi, Vietnam, addressing a notable gap in the literature regarding this specific demographic. Design/methodology/approach: Surveys were conducted using both web-based platforms, such as Google Forms, and distributed questionnaires. In total, 411 valid responses from HD students in Hanoi were collected. A convenient sampling method is utilized, considering the distribution of students across various demographic variables to ensure the reliability and representativeness of the study. The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) was employed. Multiple regression in SPSS is used to analyze the collected data. Results and discussions: The analysis results unveiled that all scrutinized factors, including Attitude Toward Behavior, Perceived Behavioral Control, Subjective Norm, Entrepreneurial Self-Efficacy, Closer Valuation, and Social Valuation, exerted a positive and substantial influence on HD students' Entrepreneurial Intention (EI). Notably, the six factors collectively accounted for 40.6% of the variance in entrepreneurial intention observed among the respondents. Research Implications: The findings hold valuable implications for policymakers, educators, and stakeholders, guiding the development of targeted interventions aimed at fostering entrepreneurship among HD students. By leveraging these insights, they can design tailored initiatives to promote entrepreneurship, potentially leading to enhanced economic development in Vietnam. Originality/Value: The findings provide valuable insights for educators, policymakers, and stakeholders involved in entrepreneurship education and support programs, helping them tailor interventions to effectively cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset among HD students. Furthermore, the study adds to the broader understanding of the psychological and social factors that shape entrepreneurial intentions, contributing to the advancement of knowledge in the field of entrepreneurship research.

Evaluation of Critical Care Nurses' Compliance with the External Ventricular Drain Care Bundle for Critically ill Patients at Kenyatta National Hospital

ntroduction: The External Ventricular Drain (EVD) care bundle involves insertion, maintenance, troubleshooting, and monitoring for issues related to EVD, which is primarily the responsibility of nurses. Despite significant efforts to address external ventricular drain-related infections (ERIs) in CCUs and other critical care units, current studies suggest a high prevalence rate of external ventricular-related infections, particularly in LMICs and low-resource settings. Material and Method: A mixed-method study was conducted at KNH Critical Care Units with a sample of 81 nurses. Data analysis of Quantitative continuous data was summarized using medians and interquartile ranges, and Categorical data was summarized using frequencies and proportions. Qualitative data was analyzed using manual thematic analysis. Results: Most respondents were between 30 and 40 years old, 43.2%, females were 75.3%, higher diplomas were 54.3%, and 4.9% specialized in EVD care. 48.1% had good knowledge of the EVD care bundle, 46.9% had fair knowledge, and 5% had poor knowledge. Binary logistic regression and chisquare tests showed no factors associated with knowledge of the EVD care bundle (P&gt;0.05 chi-square). A basic diploma and no specialization in EVD care were associated with higher odds of a poor or fair knowledge of the EVD care bundle. Conclusion: Most nurses exhibited fair practice of EVD care bundle but Lacked continuous medical education on EVD care, poor supervision and feedback on EVD care practice, and guidelines on EVD care not being easily accessible and understandable emerged as substantial perceived barriers to EVD care bundle utilization.

Investigating the current situation of chemical pesticides trade in Tripoli region and its suburbs in Libya

This study was conducted within the framework of a research program at the Agricultural Research Center for Sustainable Development during the 2021-2022 agricultural season through field visits to pesticide marketing and storage sites in Tripoli and its suburbs to investigate the condition of commercial stores and their suitability to health conditions, the nature of their activity and their legal status, along with the status of the people working in them, their educational level and the extent to which their awareness of the dangers of pesticides and their impact on their health. Some questions were also about the types of pesticides traded in the Libyan market, their physical condition, their specialties, their commercial sources, and how to dispose of their empty containers. It became clear from this study that approximately half of the pesticide shops were in the main streets of Tripoli, and only 27% of them were in rural areas. Moreover, no less than 50% of the stores do not have warehouses, and those that do have warehouses are considered inappropriate for storing these dangerous materials. It was also shown that there is a lack of attention and implementation of the sanitary conditions in pesticide stores, including ventilation, air conditioners, and the height of the stores. We also noticed that the percentage of licensed shops designated for selling pesticides did not exceed 35%, and that many of them hold licenses not designated for selling pesticides, and some of them don’t have license. As for the materials that are marketed alongside pesticides, most of them are agricultural equipment, with the presence of fertilizers and seeds. Regarding the persons that are selling pesticides, their ages range from the twenties to the fifties, and their educational levels vary, as the percentage of illiterate people was 15%, the percentage of those who obtained compulsory primary, middle, and secondary education was 49%, the percentage of those who obtained an intermediate and higher diploma was 23%, and the percentage of university salespeople was 13%. It is striking that 79% of the sellers are not specialized in the agricultural field. As for the level of knowledge of the sellers about the dangers of chemical pesticides, it was found that 72% of them have little to moderate knowledge. In addition, 77% of them do not wear protective clothing, and only sometimes at best, which shows that 43% of the workers’ health was negatively affected by their handling of pesticides. Finally, this study showed that the pesticides circulating in the Tripoli area are liquid, solid and gaseous in approximately equal proportions. As for the specialties of pesticides on offer, it turned out that 22% of them are insecticides, 21% are herbicides, 21% are fungicides, 19% are rodenticides, and 17% are acaricides. As for the sources of pesticides offered on the market, 36% of them were issued by commercial agents of international companies or from well-known wholesalers with clear addresses. However, 27% of the pesticides offered were imported by unknown importers or obtained through unlicensed and often unknown street traders. As for the methods used to dispose of containers, the study showed that 50% of the containers are disposed of by filling them up, burning them, or using the containers to place other materials such as food and medicines, which is generally considered a violation of internationally recognized health methods. This study is considered a model for the other Libyan cities and will contribute to providing decision-makers with important and vital information for regulating the pesticide trading sector in Libya.

Importance and Barriers of Establishing Educational/Training Programs in Electric Vehicles/Hybrid-Electric Vehicles in Jordan

Jordan has set priority plans to mitigate climate change impacts, where Jordan moves towards low emissions by promoting the Electric Vehicle and Hybrid-Electric Vehicle (EV/HEV) market. Therefore, there will be a pressing need for professionals in the field of maintenance and design of EV/HEVs. Accordingly, surveys were conducted to address the market needs in Jordan. The surveys targeted main stakeholders from different geographical locations in Jordan. This study was concerned with project partners, Academic staff, and students from eight universities located in Balqa’a, Irbid, Al-Karak, Tafilah, and the capital city Amman. The responses obtained are from 8, 140, and 799 project partners, academic staff, and students, respectively. The results, including surveys on teaching and training facilities, are analyzed and discussed. In conclusion, this study presents a crucial foundation for three specialized diploma programs (vocational diploma, technical diploma, and higher diploma) and a bachelor program tailored to Jordan’s EV/HEV market needs. Through a deliberate alignment of the curriculum with the evolving demands of the EV/HEV sector, the diploma programs will foster graduates who hold the essential knowledge and skills to excel in this rapidly expanding field. Furthermore, the programs address the distinct competencies and expertise that the local market requires, ensuring that graduates are well prepared to meet industry needs. The significance of this work serves as a bridge between academia and the market, resulting in graduates who possess the knowledge and skills, that are highly sought after by prospective employers.

Proporsi Perempuan yang Bekerja pada Posisi Manajerial di Indonesia Tahun 2015-2021: Pendekatan Feasible Generalized Least Square

The fifth goal of the SDGs is to achieve gender equality and empower women. One indicator of women's empowerment is to give women the opportunity to be in managerial positions. The proportion of women working in managerial positions tends to increase from year to year but still lagging behind and there are gaps compared to men. This study aims to determine the effect of the percentage of women with the highest diploma who had a minimum of Diploma IV, female AHH, female LFPR, the number of women who attended training, and the percentage of women working with married status on the proportion of women working in managerial positions in Indonesia 2015-2021. The data used is secondary data obtained from the Central Statistics Agency. The method used is the fixed effect panel data regression method with the Feasible Generalized Least Square estimation method. The results of this study indicate that the percentage of women with the highest diploma who had a minimum of Diploma IV, female AHH, and the percentage of women working with married status have a significant effect, while female LFPR and the number of women who attended training did not significantly affect the proportion of women working in managerial positions.

Application of Principal Component Regression in Analyzing Factors Affecting Human Development Index

The human development index is an indicator to measure the quality of people's lives. If the human development index number increases, the better the quality of people's lives. There are many factors or variables that affect the level of the human development index, ranging from economic issues, education, health and other factors. However, not all factors have a positive and significant effect. Thus, this study aims to determine the factors that significantly affect the human development index in South Sulawesi. The method used in this study is principal component regression which involves many variables. The variables involved are expected length of schooling, average length of schooling, percentage of population with the highest Diploma, Bachelor and Masters education, school enrollment rate for people aged 7-24 years, percentage of poor people, spending per capita, and life expectancy. From the results of data processing using principal component analysis, 4 main components are obtained which represent the other components, for principal component regression, taking into account the cumulative proportion of &gt; 80%. The results of this study indicate that the human development index in South Sulawesi is influenced by all the variables involved, which is equal to 95.7%. With the variable percentage of poverty being one of the variables that has a negative effect on HDI in South Sulawesi which shows that the higher the percentage of poverty, the lower the human development index. Thus, in order to increase the human development index in Indonesia, it is necessary to take strategic steps to improve people's welfare.

Socioeconomic inequalities in diabetes prevalence: the case of South Africa between 2003 and 2016

BackgroundDiabetes is a growing epidemic worldwide and the effect of socioeconomic status (SES) is frequently acknowledged in the literature. This study aims to compare the effect of SES on diabetes prevalence in South Africa between 2003 and 2016. In addition, vulnerable groups regarding diabetes development in 2016 will be identified.MethodsUsing DHS data there were 8,006 participants (59.19% women) in 2003 and 10,292 participants (59.42% women) in 2016. Logistic regression and odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated for diabetes by age, gender, educational level and place of residence. To identify vulnerable groups with high risk of developing diabetes in 2016, the method of p-value based regression tree analysis was applied using “wealth index” and “weight perception” as additional variables.ResultsThere was an increase in diabetes prevalence from 3.86% in 2003 to 4.46% in 2016. Women had more risk of developing diabetes at both time points (27% in 2003 and 24% in 2016 more risk). Increase in age and living in urban areas were associated with more risk of developing diabetes at both time points. There was no specific pattern regarding risk of developing diabetes and educational level in case of women. However, men who completed secondary school or had a higher diploma or above had more risk of developing diabetes in 2016 (OR = 2.24 and 4.67 respectively). Vulnerable groups who have higher risk of developing diabetes in 2016 were participants aged “60 years or older” with a wealth index of “rich” or “richer”, followed by participants from the same age group who were “poor” or “poorer” and participants aged “40–59 years” with a wealth index of “rich” or “richer”. Subsequently were participants from the age group “15–39 years” with a weight perception of “overweight” or “obese”.ConclusionDiabetes prevalence increased in South Africa between 2003 and 2016. Main risk factors were age, gender and living in urban areas. Men with high educational level were more at risk of developing diabetes in 2016. Vulnerable groups in 2016 were participants 40 years and older, particularly with high SES. This was followed by younger participants who were obese or overweight.

SG-APSIC1201: Knowledge and awareness of healthcare workers in a residential care home regarding the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) during the COVID-19 pandemic: A pilot study

Background: According to the World Health Organization (WHO), as of April 9, 2022, there had been 494,587,638 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 6,170,283 deaths reported worldwide. In Hong Kong, in recent outbreak, ~55% of confirmed cases were residential care home (RCH) residents and &gt;800 staff were infected. In 2016, ~15% of people aged ≥80 years were living in residential care homes. Objectives: To assess healthcare worker (HCW) knowledge level and attitudes about PPE use in residential care homes. Methods: This cross-sectional study, included participants who worked in the residential care homes, registered as healthcare workers (HCWs). HCWs who were part-time staff or worked &lt;3 months in the residential care home were excluded. Ethical review approval from the faculty research committee of the university was obtained in January 2022. The Knowledge, Attitude, Practical (KAP) questionnaire was adapted. The questionnaire has 33 items pertaining to knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding PPE. Results: In total, 50 questionnaires were received; 32 respondents (64%) were female and 18 (36%) were male. Nearly half of the participants had completed a high diploma course, and 32% had graduated from secondary school. Using ANOVA, there were no significant differences of education level of participants or participant knowledge level of PPE [F(2,47) = .181; P = .835], attitudes [F(2,47) = 1.995; P = .147] and practice [F(2,47) = .459; P = .635]. The Pearson correlation was used to measure the relationship between knowledge level and PPE practices. Our results indicated a significant difference and moderate correlation between knowledge level and PPE practice among HCWs. Conclusions: Knowledge level does not directly affect HCW practice regarding PPE. PPE practice skills have been influenced by various factors during the pandemic situation, such as availability of PPE, manpower, workload, and communication.

Islamic Financial Literacy, Concepts, and Indicators

The study aimed to diagnose the levels of Islamic Financial Literacy in the targeted sample by tackling the research problem which is formulated through the following question: "Does the members of the researched sample have financial literacy?" On this basis, the study hypothesized that "there are some (ignorance or deficiency) in the levels of Islamic financial literacy among individuals in the sample researched, and this limitation varies by age, gender, and educational level". A broad segment of the post-graduate students (Ph.D., Master's, and Higher Diploma) of the Faculty of Management and Economics at the University of Mosul represented the research sample. The study utilized a checklist test prepared and designed by the researchers electronically and the study used the method of content analysis and comparative analytical method to reach the results. The results indicated that the age and male gender are critical factors in excelling in the test of Islamic financial literacy. Based on the conclusions, the research recommended adding activities of the Islamic financial system and the methods it uses to allocate and direct funds to the college curriculum in an attempt to reduce the gaps identified by the study.

The Time Lag Between the Onset of Symptoms and Diagnosis of Ankylosing Spondylitis in Sulaymaniyah Province, Iraq

Background: Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic, progressive, and disabling disease among rheumatological diseases. Objectives: Current study aimed to investigate the Time lag between the onset of symptoms and final diagnosis of AS, and also identify the factors that contribute to that delay in Sulaymaniyah province. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 104 (AS) patients who satisfied the modified New York 1984 criteria were enlisted. The time lag was defined as the diagnosis delay (DD) between the appearance of the first symptoms and the correct diagnosis of AS. Spearman correlation analysis was used to detect correlations between variables. Results: The higher percentage of variables with DD≥6 years were urban 32 (74.4%), housewife 15(34.9%), had no family history 42 (97.7%), with high diploma 33 (76.7%), and positive HLAB27 31 (72.1%), the first specialist consulted orthopedics 21(48.8%) then GP 6 (14.9). Moreover, the higher percentage of variables with DD&lt;6 years were diagnosis years between 2000 to 2020, rural 55 (90.2), 39 (63.9%) respectively, higher education 47 (77%), employee and worker 22 (36.1%), positive family history 44 (72.1%), positive human leukocyte antigen (HLAB27-61) (100%), inflammatory back pain 47 (77%), rheumatologist 29 (47.5%). The average year’s DD is 6.48. A statistically significant positive correlation was detected between the DD and age, age at diagnosis but, a negative correlation was found between the DD time and, age at symptom onset. Conclusion: The Time lag between the onset of symptoms of AS and the final diagnosis in Sulaymaniyah was 6.48 years. (HLA-B27), age, age at diagnosis, education level, occupation, 1st specialist, 1st symptom at onset of disease and family history are the factors that affect delayed diagnosis in Sulaymaniyah patients with AS.

Comparison of some artificial neural networks for graduate students

Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) is one of the important statistical methods that are widely used in a range of applications in various fields, which simulates the work of the human brain in terms of receiving a signal, processing data in a human cell and sending to the next cell. It is a system consisting of a number of modules (layers) linked together (input, hidden, output). A comparison was made between three types of neural networks (Feed Forward Neural Network (FFNN), Back propagation network (BPL), Recurrent Neural Network (RNN). he study found that the lowest false prediction rate was for the recurrentt network architecture and using the Data on graduate students at the College of Administration and Economics, University of Baghdad for the period from 2014-2015 to The academic year 2017-2018. The variables are use in the research is (student’s success, age, gender, job, type of study (higher diploma, master’s, doctorate), specialization (statistics, economics, accounting, industry management, administrative management, and public administration) and channel acceptance). It became clear that the best variables that affect the success of graduate students are the type of study, age and job.

Skills mismatch in the agricultural labour market in Benin: vertical and horizontal mismatch

ABSTRACT This study investigates skills mismatch in the agricultural labour market. Therefore, 336 agriculture employers and 654 agriculture employees were surveyed in Benin. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and non-parametric tests . The findings showed that even though there is a good educational match for most employees, overeducation is more substantial than under education for upper agricultural high school diploma holders (DEAT) and agricultural tertiary education diploma holders. In addition, about 2% of agricultural high education diploma holders and 6.38% of DEAT holders had a job irrelevant to their field of study. The study further showed that agriculture graduates were under-skilled for the soft and digital skills under review. Moreover, training providers do not equip students with job search skills. These findings imply that vertical mismatch is more pronounced than horizontal mismatch. The study suggested a prioritisation of the implementation of training programmes based on the demand in terms of study level and field of study, an update of curricula by integrating the lacking soft, digital and job search skills, a settlement of a collaborative network between employers and training institutions, an implementation of mentoring programmes, and an investment of enterprises in the adequate training of youth as social responsability.

E-learning in medical education during COVID-19 pandemic: experiences of a research course at Kenya Medical Training College

BackgroundE-learning has been widely adopted as a teaching and learning approach in medical education internationally. However, its adoption in low- and middle-income countries is still at an infantile stage. The use of e-learning may help to overcome some of the barriers to access to quality education and provide flexible, low-cost, user-centred, and easily updated learning. To address the need for research education during the COVID-19 pandemic, we developed and implemented an e-learning course for students enrolled in higher diploma courses at the Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC). In this paper, we report our experience teaching the online research course in resource-constrained settings to enable other medical educators, students and institutions in similar settings to understand the most appropriate approaches to incorporating e-learning interventions.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional study that reviewed the experiences of learners and lecturers on a research course at Kenya Medical Training College. All higher diploma students admitted to the college in the 2020/21 academic year were invited to take part in the study. We also included all lecturers that were involved in the coordination and facilitation of the course. We analysed qualitative and quantitative data that were collected from the e-learning platform, an online course-evaluation form and reports from course lecturers.ResultsWe enrolled 933 students on the online research course. These students had joined 44 higher diploma courses in 11 campuses of the college. The students struggled to complete synchronous e-learning activities on the e-learning platform. Only 53 and 45% of the students were able to complete the pretest and the posttest, respectively. Four themes were identified through a thematic analysis of qualitative data (1) Students gained research competencies (2) Students appreciated the use of diverse e-learning technologies (3) Students felt overwhelmed by the research course (4) Technological challenges reduce the effectiveness of online learning.ConclusionOur results suggest that e-learning can be used to teach complex courses, such as research in resource-constrained settings. However, faculty should include more asynchronous e-learning activities to enhance teaching and learning and improve student experiences.

Attractiveness of VET in China: a study on secondary vocational students and their parents

ABSTRACT The attractiveness of vocational education and training in China is becoming increasingly important for both policy makers and practitioners. This study examines the perceptions of secondary vocational students and their parents, about the attractiveness of vocational education and training in China. For data collection, 54 Students and 27 parents were selected from three kinds of vocational programmes in Shanghai. The results show that general high schools are perceived to be far more attractive than secondary vocational schools. One major finding is that the attractiveness of the three programmes that are part of this study increases as the programme length increases. However, it is not the higher diploma, but rather the potential long-term career promotion space in the labour market, that really influenced students’ priority for higher education.

Assessing instructors’ usage of emojis in distance education during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This research assessed instructors’ usage of emojis in distance education for high diploma students. A quantitative approach was employed comprising an e-survey consisting of 11-items, one closed-ended question, and two open-ended questions. The participants were a randomly selected sample of 343 high diploma students, 243 attending Al al-Bayt University (AABU) in Jordan and 100 students attending the Arab Academic College in Haifa (AAC). The results indicated that instructors’ usage of emojis in distance education was moderate in both universities. All students strongly preferred instructors to use emojis to express what is on their minds as an alternative to facial expressions, and female instructors were more active in using emojis in virtual lectures. The emoji used most frequently by distance education instructors for the sample was the thumbs-up emoji ( ). Based on the results, several recommendations are put forth that will be of value to researchers and workers in this field.&#x0D; &#x0D; Keywords: Distance Education; Emojis; COVID-19

Teachers' Perspectives Towards Professional Training Programs at Arba Minch University, Ethiopia: Focus in Higher Diploma Program Training

The purpose of this qualitative inquiry was to investigate teachers' perception towards Higher Diploma Program (HDP) training. To this end, qualitative research approach was employed with semi-structured interviews and focus group discussion (FGD as main data gathering tool). The participants for this study were purposively selected. Semi-structured interview was conducted with HDP Coordinators and Higher Diploma Leaders and Tutors. Following interview, focus group discussion was conducted with Higher Diploma Candidates. The data gathered were analyzed using case study design methods. Major themes and sub themes are described by inductive processes based on the grounded theory method. The finding of this study revealed that teachers have positive perception towards HDP training program because it improves teachers' professional knowledge. However, the study participants throughout in the interview and focus group discussion session noticed that HDP training lacks incentive, follow up and support from the side of the university. It was therefore recommended that the university should improve the incentive mechanisms as well as follow up and support for the success of the program. Keywords : Professional Training, Perspective; Higher Diploma Program; Profession; Quality Teaching DOI: 10.7176/JEP/12-4-05 Publication date: February 28 th 2021