Incorrect Perceptions Research Articles

Persepsi Remaja Perokok tentang Dampak Sosial Merokok di SMK Katolik Santo Yusup Kota Blitar

Smoking habits begins at younger age, in final school period or puberty. The desire of children to try smoking is also based on their assumption that by smoking they would be accepted in some community, or considered more severe, or as a symbol of rebellion against parents. The purpose of this research was to determine the perception of Youngsters Smokers about Social Impact in Santo Yusup Catholic Vocational High School Blitar. Objective: This research used descriptive method and instruments by questionnaire. The population was male smokers and female smokers who were in Santo Yusup Catholic Vocational High School Blitar, the sample was 42 respondents, selected using total sampling technique. Result: The results showed that the perception of youngsters smokers about the social impact of smoking as much as 57% have correct perceptions and 43% have incorrect perceptions. Factors affected teenagers to have perceptions were true cognitive processed correctly about a object, subject, and certained of condition. Discussion: The recommendation from this research was expected the role of teachers to improve the knowledge and order of smoking and smoking prohibition.

Socioeconomic status and lifestyle behaviours in cancer survivors: smoking and physical activity.

Smoking cessation and increased physical activity (pa) have been linked to better outcomes in cancer survivors. We assessed whether socioeconomic factors influence changes in those behaviours after a cancer diagnosis. As part of a cross-sectional study, a diverse group of cancer survivors at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre (Toronto, ON), completed a questionnaire about past and current lifestyle behaviours and perceptions about the importance of those behaviours with respect to their health. The influence of socioeconomic indicators on smoking status and physical inactivity at 1 year before and after diagnosis were assessed using multivariable logistic regression with adjustment for clinico-demographic factors. Of 1222 participants, 1192 completed the smoking component. Of those respondents, 15% smoked before diagnosis, and 43% of those smokers continued to smoke after. The proportion of survivors who continued to smoke increased with lower education level (p = 0.03). Of the 1106 participants answering pa questions, 39% reported being physically inactive before diagnosis, of whom 82% remained inactive afterward. Survivors with a lower education level were most likely to remain inactive after diagnosis (p = 0.003). Lower education level, household income, and occupation were associated with the perception that pa had no effect or could worsen fatigue and quality of life (p ≤ 0.0001). In cancer survivors, education level was a major modifier of smoking and pa behaviours. Lower socioeconomic status was associated with incorrect perceptions about pa. Targeting at-risk survivors by education level should be evaluated as a strategy in cancer survivorship programs.

Malaria Related Perceptions, Care Seeking after Onset of Fever and Anti-Malarial Drug Use in Malaria Endemic Settings of Southwest Ethiopia.

BackgroundPrompt care seeking and appropriate use of anti-malarial drugs are critical components of malaria prevention and control. This study assessed malaria related perceptions, care seeking behavior and anti-malarial drug use in malaria endemic settings of Ethiopia.MethodsData were generated from a community based cross-sectional study conducted among 798 households during January 2014 as part of a larger household behavioral study in three malaria endemic districts of Jimma Zone, Southwest Ethiopia. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected and analyzed using SPSS 17.0 and STATA 12.0.ResultsIn this study, only 76.1% of the respondents associated malaria to mosquito bite, and incorrect beliefs and perceptions were noted. Despite moderate level of knowledge (estimated mean = 62.2, Std Err = 0.7, 95% CI: 60.6–63.8%), quite high favorable attitude (overall estimated mean = 91.5, Std Err = 0.6, 95% CI: 90.1–92.9%) were recorded towards malaria preventive measures. The mean attitude score for prompt care seeking, appropriate use of anti-malarial drugs, LLIN use and Indoor Residual Spray acceptance was 98.5 (Std Err = 0.4, 95% CI:97.5–99.4), 92.7 (Std Err = 0.6 95% CI:91.5–93.9), 88.8 (Std Err = 0.5, 95% CI:85.5–92.1) and 86.5 (Std Err = 1.2, 95% CI: 83.9–89.1), respectively. The prevalence of fever was 2.9% (116/4107) and of the study participants with fever, 71.9% (95% CI: 65.5–78.3%) sought care and all of them consulted formal health care system. However, only 17 (19.8%) sought care within 24 hours after onset of fever. The frequency of care seeking was higher (77.8%, n = 21/27) and more prompt (28.6%, 6/21) for children under five as compared to old age groups despite it was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). However, higher median time of seeking first care was observed among Muslims and people who did not attend school (p < 0.05). Of those who used anti-malarial drugs, 9.1% indicated that they used it inappropriately through saving and/or sharing. Irregular availability of anti-malarial drugs; irregular presence of frontline health workers and misconceptions were mentioned to contribute to delayed care seeking and irrational use of anti-malarial drugs.ConclusionsAlthough care seeking behavior for febrile illness was quite high in this community, the habit of prompt care seeking was very limited. Thus, malaria prevention and control programs need to take into account local misconceptions and wrong perceptions, and health system factors to achieve optimal health seeking behavior in such malaria endemic settings.

Flawed citation practices facilitate the unsubstantiated perception of a global trend toward increased jellyfish blooms

AbstractSpeculation over a global rise in jellyfish populations has become widespread in the scientific literature, but until recently the purported ‘global increase’ had not been tested. Here we present a citation analysis of peer‐reviewed literature to track the evolution of the current perception of increases in jellyfish and identify key papers involved in its establishment. Trend statements and citation threads were reviewed and arranged in a citation network. Trend statements were assessed according their degree of affirmation and spatial scale, and the appropriateness of the citations used to support statements was assessed. Analyses showed that 48.9% of publications misinterpreted the conclusions of cited sources, with a bias towards claiming jellyfish populations are increasing, with a single review having the most influence on the network. Collectively, these disparities resulted in a network based on unsubstantiated statements and citation threads. As a community, we must ensure our statements about scientific findings in general are accurately substantiated and carefully communicated such that incorrect perceptions, as in the case of jellyfish blooms, do not develop in the absence of rigorous testing.

Pacemaker Patients with High Level of Risk

In this paper, Cardiac pacing is a safe and effective therapy for multiple bradyarrhythmic conditions (1). However, incorrect perceptions about the safety of daily activities (SODA) may impair patients' absolute well-being (2). Chagas' disease (CD) is a chronic protozoan infection caused by Trypanosoma cruzi. Cardiac compromise occurs in up to 30% of CD patients and can manifest as severe bradyarrhythmias. erforated ICD leads were 7F in six of seven ICD patients, whereas only one 9F ICD was represented in our series. The majority of perforated electrodes were active fixation screw in leads.

Perceptions of pathology informatics by non-informaticist pathologists and trainees

Background: Although pathology informatics (PI) is essential to modern pathology practice, the field is often poorly understood. Pathologists who have received little to no exposure to informatics, either in training or in practice, may not recognize the roles that informatics serves in pathology. The purpose of this study was to characterize perceptions of PI by noninformatics-oriented pathologists and to do so at two large centers with differing informatics environments. Methods: Pathology trainees and staff at Cleveland Clinic (CC) and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) were surveyed. At MGH, pathology department leadership has promoted a pervasive informatics presence through practice, training, and research. At CC, PI efforts focus on production systems that serve a multi-site integrated health system and a reference laboratory, and on the development of applications oriented to department operations. The survey assessed perceived definition of PI, interest in PI, and perceived utility of PI. Results: The survey was completed by 107 noninformatics-oriented pathologists and trainees. A majority viewed informatics positively. Except among MGH trainees, confusion of PI with information technology (IT) and help desk services was prominent, even in those who indicated they understood informatics. Attendings and trainees indicated desire to learn more about PI. While most acknowledged that having some level of PI knowledge would be professionally useful and advantageous, only a minority plan to utilize it. Conclusions: Informatics is viewed positively by the majority of noninformatics pathologists at two large centers with differing informatics orientations. Differences in departmental informatics culture can be attributed to the varying perceptions of PI by different individuals. Incorrect perceptions exist, such as conflating PI with IT and help desk services, even among those who claim to understand PI. Further efforts by the PI community could address such misperceptions, which could help enable a better understanding of what PI is and is not, and potentially lead to increased acceptance by non-informaticist pathologists.

On the Effectiveness of Social Norms Intervention in College Drinking: The Roles of Identity Verification and Peer Influence.

The application of social norms theory in the study of college drinking centers on the ideas that incorrect perceptions of drinking norms encourage problematic drinking behavior and that correcting misperceptions can mitigate problems. The design and execution of social norms interventions can be improved with a deeper understanding of causal mechanisms connecting misperception to drinking behavior. We develop an agent-based computational simulation that uses identity control theory and peer influence (PI) to model interactions that affect drinking. Using data from the College Alcohol Survey and Social Norms Marketing Research Project, we inform model parameters for agent drinking identities and perceptions. We simulate social norms campaigns that reach progressively larger fractions of the student population, and we consider the strength of the campaign in terms of changing student perception and resulting behavior. We observe a general reduction in heavy episodic drinking (HED) as students are affected by the intervention. As campaigns reached larger fractions of students, the reduction rate diminishes, in some cases actually making a slight reverse. The way in which students "take the message to heart" can have a significant impact as well: The psychological factors involved in identity control and PI have both positive and negative effects on HED rates. With whom agents associate at drinking events also impacts drinking behavior and intervention effectiveness. Simulations suggest that reducing misperception can reduce HED. When agents adhere strongly to identity verification and when misperceptions affect identity appraisals, social norms campaigns can bring about large reductions. PI, self-monitoring, and socializing with like-drinking peers appear to moderate the effect.

Evaluation of mass drug administration in the program to control imported lymphatic filariasis in Thailand.

BackgroundMigration plays a major role in the emergence and resurgence of lymphatic filariasis (LF) in many countries. Because of the high prevalence of Imported Bancroftian Filariasis (IBF) caused by nocturnally periodic Wuchereria bancrofti and the intensive movement of immigrant workers from endemic areas, Thailand has implemented two doses of 6 mg/kg diethylcarbamazine (DEC) with interval of 6 months to prevent IBF. In areas where immigrants are very mobile, the administration of DEC may be compromised. This study aimed to evaluate DEC administration and its barriers in such areas.MethodsA cross-sectional study with two-stage stratified cluster sampling was conducted. We selected Myanmar immigrants aged >18 years from factory and fishery areas of Samut Sakhon Province for interview with a structured questionnaire. We also interviewed health personnel regarding the functions of the LF program and practice of DEC delivery among immigrants. Associations were measured by multiple logistic regression, at P <0.05.ResultsDEC coverage among the immigrants was 75 %, below the national target. All had received DEC only once during health examinations at general hospitals for work permit renewals. None of the health centers in each community provided DEC. Significant barriers to DEC access included being undocumented (adjusted OR = 74.23; 95 % CI = 26.32–209.34), unemployed (adjusted OR = 5.09; 95 % CI = 3.39–7.64), daily employed (adjusted OR = 4.33; 95 % CI = 2.91–6.46), short-term immigrant (adjusted OR = 1.62; 95 % CI = 1.04–2.52) and living in a fishery area (adjusted OR = 1.57; 95 % CI = 1.04–2.52). Incorrect perceptions about the side-effects of DEC also obstructed DEC access for Myanmar immigrants. All positive LF antigenic immigrants reported visiting and emigrating from LF-endemic areas.ConclusionHospital-based DEC administration was an inappropriate approach to DEC delivery in areas with highly mobile Myanmar immigrants. Incorporating health-center personnel in DEC delivery twice yearly and improving the perceptions of DEC side effects would likely increase DEC coverage among Myanmar immigrants.

Myths and Truths About Journalism &amp; Mass Communication Quarterly

As I write this essay, I am celebrating my first-year anniversary as the editor of Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly (JMCQ). After talking to many people and reading the feedback from last year's JMCQ readership survey, I found there are many incorrect perceptions about the Quarterly. Many are long-standing myths, which are incorrect. Some are true but need more clarifications. I think it is time to dispel the myths.Myth 1: JMCQ Publishes Only Quantitative StudiesIncorrect. As much as 22% of the accepted articles under my editorship so far are qualitative studies using historical method, legal method, discourse and textual analysis, case study, and in-depth interviews. Significance of the topic, contribution to the theory and methodology in journalism and mass communication, and quality of the manuscript are the most important criteria for acceptance, not whether it is quantitative or qualitative in the methodological approach. In fact, qualitative manuscripts so far have higher odds of being accepted than quantitative manuscripts because of the large number of quantitative approach submissions (85%) and the high quality of the qualitative submissions we receive. In all our calls for papers, including special issues, we welcome both approaches. Among the manuscripts that were accepted for publication since I took on the editorship, 9 are qualitative manuscripts while 32 are quantitative manuscripts.Myth 2: JMCQ Prefers Manuscripts on Journalism Topics AloneIncorrect. This perception may be due to the former name of the journal which was Journalism Quarterly. But the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) changed the name of the association from Association of Education in Journalism (AEJ) to AEJMC in 1982, and the flagship journal also changed its name to reflect the broadened scope of the association and the many fields and specializations that it represents. It has been more than three decades since Quarterly acquired its new name, Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly.Indeed, an overwhelming majority of our published articles are related to news. This is more due to the topics of the submissions rather than our preference. I would like to remind our readers and the public that the second part of our journal name is about Mass Communication. We definitely welcome manuscripts that study different types of news or the journalism profession, but we are not limited to news or only favor news as a content genre. There are many divisions and interest groups of AEJMC, not all of them are news, such as Advertising, Communication Theory and Methodology, Communication Technology, Critical and Cultural Studies, Entertainment Studies, and so on. Some of the media content topics that we accepted for publication include social media postings, video games, and mobile applications. News is not the only media content genre that is covered in our journal. Any media content topics that affect society at large is of interest to our journal. There are also several journals specializing in journalism only. So, JMCQ is not an exclusive journalism journal, but a journal that brings journalism to the larger field of mass communication and media scholars to broaden the impact of journalism studies. We welcome and publish the best manuscripts on both Journalism and Mass Communication (media) topics.Myth 3: JMCQ Only Welcomes U.S. AuthorsIncorrect. JMCQ certainly welcomes U.S. authors as many media scholars are from the United States. But we do not only welcome submissions of U.S. authors. We pride ourselves in attracting 43% of our submissions from outside the United States. See Table 1 below for authors' nationalities and affiliation in 2014. The desk rejection rate of non-U.S. authors is higher than U.S. authors. It is not because of where they are from but because many of them do not conform to the academic standards of the journal. I always encourage new non-U. …

Grey seal predation impairs recovery of an over‐exploited fish stock

Summary Grey seal predation has been blamed by fishers for the decline of Atlantic cod stocks and has led to calls for seal culls. In the West of Scotland, estimates of cod consumption by seals have exceeded reported catches and spawning biomass, focussing attention on the interaction between fishers and seals. Bayesian models making different assumptions about seal predation were used to estimate the size of the West of Scotland cod stock between 1985 and 2005 and the mortalities due to fishing and seal foraging. A simple population model was used to identify the likely direction of cod population change at recent mortality rates. All model configurations suggest that the total mortality of cod has remained fairly stable and high for many years regardless of the assumptions on seal predation. The high mortality explains the long‐term decline of the stock. The best‐fitting model suggests that mortality due to fishing reduced substantially in the decade up to 2005, but has been replaced by increased seal predation mortality on a smaller cod stock. Given total mortality estimates, the stock is unlikely to recover even at present reduced levels of fishing. Synthesis and applications. Our model offers a method of estimating seal predation mortality as part of routine stock assessments that inform fishery management. The analysis shows that predation by seals can be an important component of the total stock mortality. It also shows that assuming invariant natural mortality, as adopted in many standard fish stock assessments, may lead to incorrect perceptions of fishing mortality, over‐estimating the benefits of reducing fishing mortality when there is density‐dependent predation. It is essential to consider predation by top predators when formulating appropriate advice for managing the fishery.

Developing tribal casino employees as conduits for tribal government messaging

Since the passage of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) in 1988, tribal government gaming has become the most successful economic development strategy across Indian Country in the United States, with no other viable alternatives on the horizon. Being a highly regulated industry, tribal government gaming, like the legal gambling industry in general, takes place at the grace of legislation that reflects public opinion and commands public policy support. As such, tribal governments invest significant resources to manage public perceptions of their communities, their gaming rights, and their political status. Tribal gaming facilities on tribal lands, and more specifically tribal gaming customer–contact employees, represent a key interface between the general public and American Indian tribal communities. This paper presents research findings that explore the nature and source of knowledge by tribal gaming customer–contact employees in four tribally-owned casinos in California with a view to understand the role of tribal casino customer–contact employees as information conduits, and makes recommendations concerning how employees may be better leveraged to transmit carefully constructed tribal government messaging to the wider population. In particular, this paper highlights the gap between the legal and political status of the tribal government owners of tribal gaming facilities and the (often incorrect) perceptions of tribal communities that are often communicated by customer-facing employees to tribal casino guests.

The Relationships among Perception of Body Image, a Desire for Thinness, and Dieting Behavior in Young Females in Japan

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship among body image perceptions, a desire for thinness, and dieting behavior in young females in Japan. The subjects were 302 Japanese female university students (age 19.9 ± 1.4 years). An anonymous, self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted between July and August 2011. The questionnaire clarified the subjects’ physical status, perception about personal body shape, desired body shape, the time frame when they first thought about body shape dieting, exercise habits, and eating behaviors. The results revealed that many of the underweight or normal weight subjects perceived themselves as obese, and often the reasons for the perception of obesity were comparisons with others or with themselves in the past. The scores of EAT-26 in those who perceived themselves as obese were higher than the scores in those who did not. Those who perceived themselves as obese had a desire to become slim, were concerned about body shape at an early age, were concerned about dieting, had dieting experience, and were willing to increase daily exercise. These results indicated that incorrect perceptions about body shape have connection to a desire for thinness and dieting behavior.

Distributed Robust Consensus Using RANSAC and Dynamic Opinions

Sensor networks must be able to fuse nodes' perceptions in a reliable way to reach a trustworthy consensus. Data association mistakes and measurement outliers are some of the factors that can contribute to incorrect perceptions and considerably affect consensus values. In this paper, we present a novel distributed scheme for robust consensus in autonomous sensor networks. The proposed method builds on random sampling consensus to exploit measurement redundancy, and enables the network to determine outlier observations with local communications. To do this, different hypotheses are generated and voted for using distributed averaging. In our approach, nodes can change their opinion as the hypotheses are computed, making the voting process dynamic. Assuming that enough hypotheses are generated to have at least one composed exclusively by inliers, we show that the method converges to the maximum likelihood of all the inlier observations under some natural conditions. We present several simulations and examples with real information that demonstrate the good performance of the proposed algorithm.

Tyre Purchasing by Civil Engineering Construction Companies – A Case Study of a Major Company in Africa

Although tyre expenses can be a significant component of the operating costs in civil engineering construction (CEC) companies, there are few studies investigating how the CEC industry can benefit by implementing specific tyre purchasing policies. The research aimed to highlight the expenditure on tyres, the factors affecting these, and how specific purchasing policies can impact on the total costs of purchases. A case study was conducted at XYZ-Eng-Africa, a major tyre purchaser in Africa by collecting data on tyre expenditure and supplier information from three countries in Africa (Angola, Malawi and Mozambique) for the period 2010-2012. It was ascertained that the expenditure on tyres depends on the size of the wheeled fleet and the diversity of the civil engineering equipment, resulting in a broad tyre supplier base which is difficult to manage. In addition, the focus is only on the ratio of price to quality, thus dismissing other important aspects of the purchasing process. It is recommended that the tyre purchasing policy of CECs should focus on implementing Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) strategies, and rationalizing the segmentation of the supplier base, and applying supplier performance measures. However, the success of SRM strategies may be affected by the lack of an integrated database of suppliers, and incorrect perceptions about purchasing. Nevertheless, CEC companies that focus on SRM policies in tyre purchasing may benefit from the flexibility to adapt to the market conditions and decrease total purchasing costs. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n23p1797

Are student estimations of peer alcohol consumption associated with personal use?

Background Previous studies suggest that young adults tend to overestimate drug use including alcohol in their respective peer group. These incorrect perceptions are predictive of higher rates of personal use. This study aims to analyse estimations of peer alcohol consumption among European university students in order to evaluate whether perceptions are associated with personal use. Methods This baseline data …

Prevalence of overweight and obesity and weight loss practice among Beijing adults, 2011.

ObjectiveThis study aims to determine the up-to-date prevalence of overweight and obesity, the distributions of body weight perception and weight loss practice in Beijing adults.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted in 2011. A total of 2563 men and 4088 women aged 18–79 years from the general population were included. Data were obtained from questionnaire and physical examination.ResultsThe prevalence of overweight (BMI 24–27.9 kg/m2) and obesity (BMI≥28 kg/m2) was 42.1% and 20.3% in men and 35.6% and 17.1% in women, respectively. Age was inversely associated with overweight in both sexes, and obesity in women. Education level was negatively associated with overweight and obesity in women but not in men. Only 49.1% men and 58.3% women had a correct perception of their body weight. Underestimation of body weight was more common than overestimation, especially in men, the older people, and those with low education level. The percentage of taking action to lose weight was inversely associated with men and old age, and positively associated with higher education level, higher BMI, and self-perception as “fat” (OR = 3.78 in men, OR = 2.91 in women). Only 26.1% of overweight/obese individuals took action to lose weight. The top two weight loss practices were to reduce the amount of food intake and exercise.ConclusionOverweight and obesity were highly prevalent with high incorrect body weight perceptions in the general adult population in Beijing. Weight loss practice was poor in overweight and obese individuals. Actions at multiple levels are needed to slow or control this overweight and obesity epidemic.

Knowledge and risk perception of late effects among childhood cancer survivors and parents before and after visiting a childhood cancer survivor clinic.

Survivors of childhood cancer are at risk for a variety of treatment-related late effects and require lifelong individualized surveillance for early detection of late effects. This study assessed knowledge and perceptions of late effects risk before and after a survivor clinic visit. Young adult survivors (≥ 16 years) and parents of child survivors (< 16 years) were recruited prior to initial visit to a cancer survivor program. Sixty-five participants completed a baseline survey and 50 completed both a baseline and follow-up survey. Participants were found to have a low perceived likelihood of developing a late effect of cancer therapy and many incorrect perceptions of risk for individual late effects. Low knowledge before clinic (odds ratio = 9.6; 95% confidence interval, 1.7-92.8; P = .02) and low perceived likelihood of developing a late effect (odds ratio = 18.7; 95% confidence interval, 2.7-242.3; P = .01) were found to predict low knowledge of late effect risk at follow-up. This suggests that perceived likelihood of developing a late effect is an important factor in the individuals' ability to learn about their risk and should be addressed before initiation of education.

Knowledge and Partisan Bias

The conventional argument in studies of political knowledge among members of the general public is that greater interest and engagement in politics leads to a better grasp of the relevant facts. However, this may not always be the case: When the facts themselves become politicized, interest and engagement in politics may mean learning the facts not as they are, but as competing partisan and media elites want them to be. In this article, based on the 2010 Polish National Election Survey, we investigate the following questions: Does partisanship boost incorrect perceptions of contested facts when the correct answer is unfavorable to the respondent’s preferred party? Does partisan/ideological selectivity in exposure to media outlets do likewise? Are stronger partisans more likely to be misinformed about politically contested facts even if they are knowledgeable about the uncontested ones?

G54(P) Perceptions and general knowledge of Type 1 Diabetes in 11–18 year olds – a school based questionnaire survey

Background1 in 700–1000 children in the UK have Type 1 Diabetes (T1DM), with an increasing incidence reported worldwide. Although there is increased awareness of diabetes amongst teenagers, their knowledge and...

Encouraging Socio-Ethnic Pluralism in Arab High Schools in Israel: Perspective of the Headmasters and Educational Staff

The paper presents the perspective of headmasters and educational staff un a sample of Arab high schools in Galilee, Israel, employing and serving a mixed population comprising Moslem and Christian communities.. The paper describes efforts made by these schools to bring people closer, and examines programs designed for this purpose, and factors involved in these attempts. It also presents and discusses the role of school headmasters and leading staff, their contribution to the cause, and focused on their points of disagreements and their proposals regarding ways to improve the existing situation and promote social pluralism among students. The paper also presents, approaches prevailing in the Ministry of Education and local authorities, and examines educational programs designed by external and internal bodies, and other educational initiatives adopted by the participating schools, to increase tolerance and respect among students. In addition, the paper analyses, goal-directed educational programs proposed and implemented by school headmasters and leading staff, lessons that could be drawn from these exercises and their implementation, and the headmaster’s social status and influence in advancing social changes in the given community. The findings showed significant differences in the perception of situation between majority and minority community representatives in each given village. Furthermore, they clearly indicated that the students were not adequately exposed to each other’s cultures and were significantly influenced by incorrect perceptions and superficial/erroneous interpretations. Thus, it was recommended to introduce intervention programs based on respect for difference, renunciation of enforced uniformity, promotion of maximal freedom of choice in the way of life, and dialog between different cultures.