Indian Undergraduate Students Research Articles

Impact of Multimodal Intervention on Empathy Levels in Medical Students: A Questionnaire-Based Study.

Background Empathy is essential for effective doctor-patient communication. It enables doctors to understand patients' emotions and concerns, facilitating personalized care and support. Empathy can be cultivated through various methods and training programs. Objective The study aims to assess the effectiveness of a multimodal intervention involving interactive lectures, peer role-play, and guided reflection in enhancing empathy levels among second-year medical undergraduate students in India. Methods This study utilized a questionnaire-based, pre- and post-test interventional design. Seventy-nine second-year medical students were included after obtaining their informed consent. The students received the intervention through an interactive lecture on communication skills, role-play on selected case studies, and guided reflection. The empathy levels were assessed using the Toronto Empathy Questionnaire (TEQ) before and after the intervention. The Mann-Whitney U test was utilized to compare pre-test and post-test TEQ scores. A univariate analysis of variance was conducted to explore the relationship between demographic variables and post-test TEQ scores. Statistical significance was considered at p ≤ 0.05. Results The TEQ score improved significantly (p=0.009) after the intervention. The univariate analysis indicated that gender, style of education, and place of residence did not have a statistically significant impact on post-test scores. Conclusion The study demonstrates that a multimodal intervention significantly enhances the empathy level of medical students, highlighting the potential of focused interventions to reduce gender disparities in empathy levels. There were no significant differences in empathy scores based on gender, place of residence, or schooling, suggesting the intervention's benefits may apply to all medical students.

IJCM_423A: Mental Health Literacy for Depression and Schizophrenia among Undergraduate students

Background: Mental Health Literacy (MHL) arose as a facet of Health Literacy after it was understood that the concept of health went beyond the physiological or the physical aspect. Despite improvements in various health indicators in the last couple of decades, India still significantly contributes to the global burden of disease and mental illnesses. Objective This study aimed to examine the level of Mental Health Literacy in terms of diagnosis, treatment, prognosis and help-seeking behavior for Depression and Schizophrenia among Indian Undergraduate students and to compare the levels of Mental Health Literacy among males and females Methodology: The study used a cross-sectional design with snowball sampling across various educational institutions the participants 324 in number were undergraduate students aged between 18 and 23. All consenting participants were recruited for the study and Google forms consisting of case vignettes and questions that followed them were distributed using snowball sampling. Results Participants were able to diagnose depression but were poor at diagnosing Schizophrenia. Psychological therapy was rated as the most effective treatment for depression and psychological and drug therapy were rated as the most effective treatments for Schizophrenia. Higher prognosis ratings were given to Depression as compared to Schizophrenia. Females were more optimistic about the prognosis of both disorders as compared to males. Conclusion: Overall, participants demonstrated better Mental Health Literacy for depression as compared to schizophrenia, possibly due to the availability of internet resources.

Teaching English for Specific Purposes in Tertiary Contexts: Navigating Education and Assessment Challenges

ABSTRACT Since its inception in the early 1960s, English for specific purposes (ESP) has been characterised as a materials-driven and a teacher-led movement. Distinctively separated from general English teaching, ESP teachers often function as designers and implementers in curriculum development. Attaining a certain degree of disciplinary expertise is the greatest challenge that they encounter while transitioning from general to specific language teaching. Recognising a dearth of research on ESP teacher development, this study has emerged from in-depth, unstructured interviews conducted with both novice and expert educators. This qualitative inquiry examines the collaborative strategies employed and hurdles encountered by ESP educators within the tertiary education arena, with a specific emphasis on their vital contributions to the English language instruction of undergraduate students in India. The findings offer insights into the evolving specificity of English language education in India, particularly for educators and institutions committed to improving language teaching practices in higher education.

Factors affecting the Performance of Undergraduate Students in India: An Empirical Validation of Conceptual Model

Factors affecting the Performance of Undergraduate Students in India: An Empirical Validation of Conceptual Model

A Novel Approach and Implementation Concept For A Nanosatellite Backup on-Board Computer

STUDSAT-2 (STUDENT SATellite-2) is a one-of-a-kind satellite technology project undertaken by Indian undergraduate students. The aim of this project is to demonstrate the On-Board Computer's redundancy (OBC). The OBC subsystem is one of the many subsystems that make up the STUDSAT-2 satellite system. It is critical to the satellite's operation. Even a minor malfunction in this system could lead to the mission's complete failure. As a result, OBC redundancy management is required to overcome this. As a result, the proposed model of Backup On-Board Computer for STUDSAT-2 was planned and built by incorporating redundancy in both software and hardware, thus increasing the OBC's reliability.

Perceptions and Attitudes of International Undergraduates Toward Zoom-Based Language Learning

This study investigates the attitudes of international undergraduate students in India toward Zoom-based learning and its implication on the willingness to communicate using four skill areas: speaking, reading, writing, and listening. The study was conducted at Aligarh Muslim University, sampling 46 undergraduates studying in different departments. Data were collected quantitatively through an online questionnaire and analyzed using the SPSS. Results of the descriptive statistics indicated that international students in India have positive attitudes toward Zoom-based language learning. Although they perceive it as an interesting novel learning tool, they prefer face-to-face to online learning. The results showed that Zoom is a flexible, encouraging tool, providing real-time interaction and participation and immediate teacher feedback. Based on the findings, this learning mode has a relatively high effect on reading and listening skills and a low effect on speaking and writing skills. In light of these findings, the study recommends that teachers exert effort in involving students in speaking and writing during Zoom sessions. It also suggests that teachers and learners integrate Zoom-based learning more effectively.

Role of Privacy Concerns and Trust in Consumers’ Intention to Use Buy-Now, Pay-Later (BNPL): An Extended TPB Model

Privacy concerns and trust have recently been proposed as crucial issues in consumers’ adoption of online services. Therefore, we have used an extended theory of planned behavior (TPB) to investigate how privacy concerns and trust influence consumers’ attitudes toward the Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL). We also examined the mediated role of trust in the relationship between privacy concerns and attitude. An online survey was conducted among Indian undergraduate and postgraduate students, as BNPL is most popular among young consumers. We found that privacy concerns decrease consumers’ trust and attitude towards BNPL. Specifically, attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavior emerged as significant predictors for consumers’ intention to use BNPL. A complementary partial mediating role of trust in the relationship between privacy concern and attitude was discovered. That implies that users apprehensive about their data’s security are less likely to trust that the provider will safeguard their information. However, by increasing trust, users’ privacy concerns can be reduced in BNPL services.

A nationwide survey on the preference of Indian undergraduate medical students to go abroad for higher studies and residency.

Getting residency training abroad is a critical motivator in the emigration of Indian medical students. Brain drain is an emerging issue, especially for developing countries as it causes a shortage of trained staff in the donor country. We aimed to survey Indian medical students to know about their intentions to get trained abroad and to understand the factors influencing their decision. In this cross-sectional observational study, we surveyed Indian undergraduate medical students of all professional years, including internship. A validated questionnaire collected data on students' demographics and educational characteristics, intention to study overseas or stay back in India, and factors influencing their decision. Out of a total of 1199 responses (51.1% males, 48.9% females), 45.0% partakers had planned to pursue their residency abroad, while 33.8% wanted to stay in India and 21.2% were undecided. Better lifestyle and higher pay grades overseas were viewed as the most significant barriers to staying back in India and a key influencer in decision-making among the maximum number of students (412; 76.3%). On the other hand, a whopping 58.2% of participants opined that they wanted to stay back in India for taking care of their parents. Source countries with better healthcare facilities and better incomes tend to attract medical students. Awareness among medical educators regarding constantly changing curricula, a shift to a competency-based education system, better pay grades, limited working hours, and interventions to mitigate workplace violence could help prevent brain drain among Indian medical students and graduates.

Exam Anxiety and Its Associated Risk Factors Among Indian Medical Undergraduates

Background: Exam anxiety is a global troublesome psychological problem, impairing the academic performance of medical students. This study was planned to estimate the prevalence and associated risk factors of Exam anxiety among Indian medical students Methodology: A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted among 230 Indian medical undergraduate students. Westside Test Anxiety Inventory (WTAI) was used to estimate the level of Exam anxiety among medical students. We utilized multivariable logistic regression to identify independent risk factors among medical students. Results: The prevalence of high Exam Anxiety among medical students was 49.6 % (95% CI 43.9-57.0). The mean age of the students was 21.3 years. Multivariable logistic regression revealed the presence of excessive course load [AOR=2.22,95% CI:(1.03,4.78)], the presence of psychological stress [AOR=2.89,95% CI:(1.51,5.48)] and low self-esteem [AOR=8.15,95% CI:(1.51,43.96)] to be independent risk factors for exam anxiety. Conclusions: Our study findings suggest that the prevalence of Exam anxiety is very high among Indian undergraduate medical students. Our study also showed that the perception of excessive course load, psychological stress and low self-esteem were the independent risk factors in medical students.

A survey to assess the understanding of healthcare research among the Indian undergraduate medical students

A survey to assess the understanding of healthcare research among the Indian undergraduate medical students

The Relationship Between Parental Attachment and Career Aspirations in Indian Female Undergraduate Students

The purpose of the present study was to examine the career aspirations of Indian female undergraduate students, by utilizing a theoretical framework integrating Attachment Theory and Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT). Data were collected from 157 female Indian undergraduate students at a Liberal Studies college in India to study the contribution of self-reported maternal and paternal attachment security in predicting career aspirations. In particular, the mediating effects of student-reported self-esteem and career decision self-efficacy were examined in the relationship between their perceptions of maternal and paternal attachment security and career aspirations. Secure attachment to mothers, but not fathers, was found to relate to self-esteem and career decision self-efficacy, which in turn predicted career aspirations. Findings from the study contribute to the literature on career aspirations of women in India and lend support for the integration of attachment theory and SCCT. Future research and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

Prognosis of entrepreneurial traits among agricultural undergraduate students in India using machine learning

PurposeThis study aimed to understand the agri-entrepreneurial traits of undergraduate university students using machine learning (ML) algorithms.Design/methodology/approachThis study used a conceptual framework of individual-level determinants of entrepreneurship and ML. The Google Survey instrument was prepared on a 5-point scale and administered to 656 students in different sections of the same class during regular virtual classrooms in 2021. The datasets were analyzed and compared using ML.FindingsEntrepreneurial traits existed among students before attending undergraduate entrepreneurship courses. Establishing strong partnerships (0.359), learning (0.347) and people-organizing ability (0.341) were promising correlated entrepreneurial traits. Female students exhibited fewer entrepreneurial traits than male students. The random forest model exhibited 60% accuracy in trait prediction against gradient boosting (58.4%), linear regression (56.8%), ridge (56.7%) and lasso regression (56.0%). Thus, the ML model appeared to be unsuitable to predict entrepreneurial traits. Quality data are important for accurate trait predictions.Research limitations/implicationsFurther studies can validate K-nearest neighbors (KNN) and support vector machine (SVM) models against random forest to support the statement that the ML model cannot be used for entrepreneurial trait prediction.Originality/valueThis research is unique because ML models, such as random forest, gradient boosting and lasso regression, are used for entrepreneurial trait prediction by agricultural domain students.

Relationship Between Sensation Seeking And Irritability Among College Students

Over the past few years, surveys assert that young adults are prone to road accidents at an increased rate. There are numerous reasons that could play a role in this significant increase in road accidents among young adults between the ages of 18 and 25. The present study examines the relationship between sensation seeking and irritability among college students. Sensation seeking is the tendency to search out and engage in thrilling activities as a method of increasing stimulation and arousal. Irritability is a state of excessive, easily provoked anger, annoyance, or impatience. The study was conducted on the population of college students in Kerala. The sample size consists of 40 undergraduate students in India. The process of data collection was done by means of questionnaires and personal information that was gathered via Google Forms. The two questionnaires used for this process are the Sensation Seeking Scale (ZKA-PQ) and the Brief Irritability Test (Holtzman et al., 2015). The study came to the conclusion that there is no significant relationship between thrill and adventure seeking, experience seeking, disinhibition, boredom susceptibility, and irritability.

Perceived leadership quality and empathy among Indian undergraduate medical students.

Efficient leaders from the medical fraternity may understand healthcare in depth. Empathy is important for patient care, job satisfaction, and the psychological well-being of doctors. Empathic leadership is concerned with an interest in the people around them. This study aimed to observe the perceived leadership quality and empathy among Indian medical undergraduate students, find any correlation between them, and assess age, sex, and semester of study as predictor variables for leadership and empathy. An online cross-sectional survey was conducted on Google Forms with undergraduate medical students in India with a convenient snowball sample. The Abbreviated Self Leadership Quality (ASQL) was used to find the leadership quality and the eight-item Empathy Quotient (EQ-8) to find the empathy. Spearman's correlation coefficient was calculated between ASQL and EQ-8 score. Age, sex, and semester were used as predictor variables in regression analysis with leadership and empathy as dependent variables. A total of 439 (50.8% male, 49.2% female) Indian undergraduate students participated in the study. Males showed higher leadership qualities. There was no gender difference in empathy. Leadership was positively correlated (rs =0.13, P = .006) with empathy in the overall sample. The age (P = .001), sex (P < .0001), and semester of study (P < .0001) successfully predicts leadership (F = 57.167, P < .0001). Although age, sex, and semester combined successfully predict empathy (F = 5.31, P = .001), individually, only a semester of study (P = .009) significantly contributes to the prediction. Male and female medical students show a similar level of empathy but male shows higher leadership quality. Leadership and empathy are positively correlated; hence, students with higher leadership quality would show higher empathy and vice versa. The age, sex, and semester of study are determinants of leadership whereas semester of study is the determinant of empathy.

Gender and sexual orientation of undergraduate medical students in India: A cross-sectional study.

Although the potential for alternate conceptions of gender roles and sexual orientations are diverse, it is by-and-large not well tolerated. This study explores the self-reported gender-roles and sexual orientations of Indian undergraduate medical students. To study self-reported gender role and sexual orientation of undergraduate medical students in India. One hundred twenty volunteers were included in the study consisting of 60 males and 60 females. A questionnaire comprising of a sociodemographic proforma, Bem Sex-Role Inventory (BSRI), and Epstein Sexual Orientation Inventory (ESOI) were given to each participant. The scales were scored, tabulated, and statistically analyzed. The BSRI revealed that femininity was predominant in both female and male participants, at 68.33% and 55%, respectively. The ESOI revealed that females had significantly higher opposite-sex attraction than males. Though males had higher same-sex attraction than females, the difference was not statistically significant. Females also had a significantly higher sexual orientation range and a mean sexual orientation. Sexual drive was significantly higher in males. Significantly more females supported homosexuality and bisexuality as compared to males. This study helps establish that gender roles can be non-conforming. It helps ascertain that while heterosexual orientation predominates, alternate sexual orientations also exist. It paves the way for future studies and explorations to alleviate public misconceptions.

A QUESTIONNAIRE BASED ASSESSMENT OF OTORHINOLARYNGOLOGY (ENT) UNDERGRADUATE COURSE DESIGN BY THIRD YEAR MBBS STUDENTS IN A SINGLE MEDICAL INSTITUTION

Background: A sizable number of patients attend to Otorhinolaryngology (ENT) Out- patient department(OPD) across the country for various symptoms. Being treated as a minor subject in undergraduate (UG) course, the minds of the students are not fully open about the subject and the variety it offers . This often leads to Otorhinolaryngology being chosen as one of the last options during post graduation counselling in surgical subspecialties. 1 The popularity of Otorhinolaryngology is quite different in western countries and is much sought after. The present study was planned to gain an insight into the mindset of Undergraduate students in India on the study course design. 142 medical students in Materials And Methods: a medical college and tertiary care hospital in western India, were assessed at the end of third year ,in form of questionnaire for methods ,form of learning and exam pattern. 82% students like Otorhinolaryngology as a subject but only 42% Observations: are satised with the current curriculum. Students prefer bedside clinics over lectures and tutorial. Videos and models help them to understand the anatomy better. They wish their evaluation to be based more on practical examinations than theory exam. Only two percent considered taking up ENT as a career. Conclusion: We need to conduct more studies similar to the present one in order to understand the study pattern of all UG subjects and choice of UG students for undertaking post-graduation in specic specialties. Some changes have been suggested in the present study curriculum which may help to generate deeper interest in the subject of Otorhinolaryngology.

A Study on the Evaluation of Sleep Quality Index among Indian Undergraduate Students Using Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index Scale

Aim: To evaluate the sleep quality among the Indian undergraduate students using Pittsburgh sleep quality index scale. Materials and Methods: This was a prospective study conducted among the Indian undergraduate students by using the Pittsburgh sleep quality index scale which was circulated by Google form to various undergraduate students. In this study, students from various undergraduate colleges with both the genders of all age groups were included and students who previously diagnosed with sleep disorders were excluded. Results: A total of 326 Indian undergraduate students were participated in the study and among them 138 (42.3%) were found to be males and 188 (57.7%) were found to be females. Among the 326 study participants, about 138 (42.3%) students were observed to be with good sleep quality and the remaining 188 (57.7%) students were observed to be with poor sleep quality. Conclusion: In this study, more than half of the study participants were observed to be with poor sleep quality index. Poor sleep quality index among the undergraduate students may lead to stress, depression, anxiety, poor academic performance and impaired social relationships. Academicians along with support of the health care professionals should take responsibility in creating the awareness regarding the good sleep quality index which might show a great impact in the student’s academic career and overall wellbeing.

Islamophobia Among Malaysian non-Muslim Indian Undergraduate Students: A Focus group Study

Malaysia is often regarded as a multi-ethnic nation that inherited a few ethnic groups who were taken as homogeneous unions. Still, the rise of Islamophobia in Western countries has increased the same sentiment among Malaysian non-Muslim Indians, with the HIND RAF protest in 2007 demonstrating their deep concern for religious freedom. This study aims to understand the formation of Islamophobia among Malaysian non-Muslim Indians and their perceptions of Islam. This study employed the focus group method to collect data, thematic analysis to analyze data and purposive sampling to recruit 16 non-Muslim Indian undergraduate students. Intergroup contact theory was used as a framework to understand the mechanism for the formation of Islamophobia. Results showed that although participants from public universities have more contact with Muslim classmates than those from private universities, their knowledge and perception of Islam, as well as the levels of their Islamophobia are quite the same. The results suggest that it is important not only to increase contact between Muslims and non-Muslims in Malaysia but also to increase knowledge of each other’s cultures and religions, because increasing contact without knowledge will only further strengthen the existing prejudice. Through increasing contact and knowledge of both Muslims and non-Muslims, it is believed that the Islamophobia among non-Muslims would be reduced, thus increasing harmony among different ethnic groups.

VOCABULARY INPUT IN ESL TEXTBOOKS: A CORPUS-BASED ANALYSIS

Although textbooks are a major source in language learning, few research studies explored to what extent vocabulary input in ESL textbooks supports English language learning. The present study compares the vocabulary input of two English textbooks prescribed for Indian university undergraduate students. A corpus is constructed using online software based on the words in the textbooks. Comparison of frequency against different corpora reveals the differences in the order of words. The results are discussed both from a quantitative and a qualitative perspective. The analysis reveals that many words in the textbooks occasionally occur in common everyday language use and vocabulary selection in these textbooks demonstrates great variation in the number and selection of vocabulary. Therefore, the study confirms that the communication needs of learners are afforded greater weight than frequency criteria.&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt; Article visualizations:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0969/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Knowledge and practice regarding menstrual hygiene and alternatives to sanitary pad among Indian undergraduate medical students: A cross-sectional study

INTRODUCTION: While the availability and use of disposable sanitary pads have increased considerably in the last two decades, awareness about disposal and menstrual waste management has been neglected. This study was designed to determine the knowledge and practice of sanitary pad usage, disposal, and alternative methods of menstrual hygiene attitude toward menstrual leave among Indian undergraduate medical students. MATERIALS AND ME THODS: The study participants were Indian undergraduate medical students. Self-administered online questionnaires were utilized, using Google Forms that requested personal details, menstrual history, usage and disposal of the sanitary pad, alternatives to the sanitary pad, and opinions about paid menstrual leave or sick leave policy. Quantitative data were summarized using mean and standard deviation, whereas qualitative data were summarized using percentages and frequencies. Data collected were analyzed using SPSS software version 20. RESULTS: Four hundred sixty-four students participated in the study. The mean age at menarche was 13 years. Menstrual bleeding lasted an average of 5.2 ± 1.6 days. Cycle length was 21–35 days in 92% of cases. Approximately 42.9% of respondents reported dysmenorrhea. 98% reported using the sanitary pad; among them, 48% reported they use a single pad (nonbio-degradable pads) for more than 6 h, and the most common mode of disposal is by wrapping in a newspaper. Menstrual cup followed by tampons is common alternatives to the sanitary pad. 48.7% reported that sometimes menstruation keeps them away from colleges. Eighty-two percent expressed menstrual leave policy of 1–2 days would be a positive and welcome move. CONCLUSIONS: Knowledge about sanitary pad disposal and alternatives is adequate among Indian undergraduate medical students but what is inadequate is the practice. Emphasis should be made on strategies that can be adopted to prevent the dumping of unsorted disposed of unsafe menstrual waste across the landfills resulting in a global health issue.