Perspective Of University Students Research Articles

Communication in a Multicultural Virtual Environment for Modern Slovak Students

The necessity of establishing intercultural communication skills in children and young people is growing in the modern world. Expanding, extending the openness and accessibility of the Internet area, where diverse people with varied ideas, interests, and aspirations meet, plays a significant role in this process. Todays youth are aptly referred to as digital aborigines, as they navigate the multicultural internet environment with ease, actively using modern technology that have already become a part of their daily lives. The goal of this study is to investigate the setting of an online multicultural environment from the perspective of Slovak university students, as well as to identify and analyze current problems that university students can see in online discussions about other cultures. A structured interview was used as the primary research approach. The results provide Slovak students perspective on the six most common topics that resonate in connection with different cultures on the current Internet: (1) concerns about ones own safety due to differences of others; (2) misinformation on the Internet regarding the difference of others; (3) cognitive prejudice; (4) religious prejudices; (5) exaggeration; and (6) influencing audience emotions. This paper holds the view that modern young people should develop not only the ability to navigate in virtual reality, but also make daily personal efforts to overcome personal barriers and develop intercultural media literacy, which the authors define as the ability to acquire, in addition to digital competencies, intercultural understanding skills and apply these skills in practice in the process of communication in the Internet environment.

A Qualitative Analysis of Online Classes During Covid-19: Perspective of Female University Students

The intent of this research is to analyse female students’ perspective on online education in public sector universities during the COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan. To get a better understanding of these perceptions, the Kohat University of Science and Technology (KUST) (Kohat District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan), has been selected for this qualitative, exploratory, and interpretive study. The data for the study was analysed using the discourse analysis technique, and themes were extracted from the data. This analysis enabled us to delve into specific issues linked to female students’ experiences regarding online learning. This goal was achieved by relating access to and use of technological resources and the effectiveness of online classes. Keeping in view the application of online classes, both pros and cons are discussed as compared to face-to-face classes. The findings indicate the need to adapt and adjust the methodology’s implementation by taking into account not only its unique characteristics but also its merits and demerits. To sum up, incorporating such a technique into the educational environment may be justified if specialised training is obtained to maximise the potential of online classes.

ENSINO REMOTO EMERGENCIAL NA PERSPECTIVA DE LICENCIANDOS: A EMERGÊNCIA DE CRENÇAS, IDENTIDADES E EMOÇÕES EM UM FÓRUM DE DOCENTES EM FORMAÇÃO / Emergency remote teaching from the perspective of university students: the emergence of beliefs, identities and emotions on a forum of pre-service teachers

Embora os fóruns de discussão em ambientes virtuais de aprendizagem (AVAs) venham sendo usados há muito tempo (CARDOSO; VALENTE, 2017); com o distanciamento físico imposto pela pandemia de Covid-19, sua importância foi acentuada, principalmente por se tornar uma das poucas chances de construção colaborativa de conhecimento. Além disso, para os docentes em formação, os fóruns podem representar também um espaço para expressar suas emoções e compartilhar suas crenças. Neste artigo, buscamos identificar algumas dessas crenças e emoções que emergiram das narrativas pessoais de quatro licenciandos de um estágio supervisionado de uma universidade pública. Entretanto, antes de passarmos para a análise das falas desses docentes em formação, apresentamos nossa fundamentação teórica, a partir da discussão sobre os seguintes conceitos: ensino remoto emergencial e cibercultura (SANTOS 2019, 2020), crenças, identidades e emoções (ARAGÃO, 2010; 2011; BARCELOS, 2004; 2007; 2009; KAJALA et al, 2015). A análise dessas narrativas deixa claro como esta nova realidade, que é o ensino remoto emergencial (ERE), afeta esses licenciandos, tanto como alunos quanto como professores. Concluímos, concordando com Barcelos (2011), Barcelos e Aragão (2018), Abrahão (2004), Bonfim e Conceição (2009) e Silva (2016), que na formação docente deve haver espaço para a discussão sobre crenças, identidades e emoções.

Feminists against Fascism: The Indian Female Muslim Protest in India

This article explores contestations around ideas of India, citizenship, and nation from the perspective of Indian Muslim female university students in Delhi. In December 2019, the Hindu majoritarian government introduced new citizenship legislation. It caused widespread distress over its adverse implications for Muslims and a large section of socio-economically deprived populations. In response, millions of people, mainly from Dalit, Adivasi, and Bahujan backgrounds, took to the streets to protest. Unprecedentedly, young Muslim female students and women emerged at the forefront of the significant public debate. This situation disrupted the mainstream perception of oppressed Muslim women lacking public voice and agency. Drawing on the narratives of the Indian Muslim female students who participated in these protests, this article highlights their conceptions of, and negotiations with, the idea of India. In doing so, this article reflects on the significance of critical feminist protest as a form of “public pedagogy” for citizenship education as a powerful antidote to a supremacist, hypermasculine, and vigilante idea of India.

Government Internet-based Communication in Times of COVID-19: the Perspective of University Students from Slovakia and Ukraine

Government Internet-based Communication in Times of COVID-19: the Perspective of University Students from Slovakia and Ukraine

Legislators’ Perceptions of Public University Student Lobbying Efforts On Public Higher Education Legislation: A Case Study

College students have a legitimate interest in many policy issues that affect their campuses, but are they effective in lobbying their state representatives in support of their interests? In the study discussed in this article, the authors surveyed elected members of the Kansas state legislature to determine if student lobbyists were effective in influencing legislators’ decision making around matters of public higher education policy in Kansas. The researchers applied interest group theory to analyze legislator perceptions. The study findings indicated that 70% of legislator participants did not alter their perception of an issue after meeting with a college student lobbyist. In addition, the results showed that legislator responses aligned with partisan politics, with Democrats more likely to understand and empathize with the perspectives of college students than their Republican colleagues.

Factors Inducing Literature Anxiety for Students Studying Literature in English

Students have been plagued with various types of anxieties in the educational context, hence we propose to introduce the concept of literature anxiety in this study. This study investigates the possible factors inducing literature anxiety from the perspectives of university students studying Literature in English at tertiary level, and records their emotional experiences during their learning encounters with Literature in English. The study also presents how these students make sense of their Literature in English learning and how their knowledge and perceptions of Literature in English have influenced or affected their experience of literature anxiety. SPSS analysis of the data procured through the Literature Anxiety Scale (LITAS) provided evidence concerning students’ literature anxiety and the factors they perceive inducing literature anxiety for them. The literature anxiety-inducing factors were identified as situational, dispositional, and environmental factors. The findings obtained showed that students’ literature anxiety does debilitate their studying of Literature in English. The implications are that educators should teach more attentively and be sensitized to learners’ possible experience of anxiety.

The Essence of Education in Disruptive COVID-19 Crisis: Capturing the Lived Experience of College Students in the Philippines

Asserting a responsive, appropriate, and relevant education has historically always been a problem for most learners from marginalized groups. This extant inequality has been magnified in the present novel crisis. Thus, drawing from the lived experience of college students belonging to the marginalized group of indigenous peoples, this research described the essence of education in the context of the current COVID-19 crisis. Following the phenomenological approach based upon the hermeneutic rule of Dahlberg et al. (2008), the researcher interviewed 10 Filipino college students who identify themselves as indigenous peoples. Four themes emerged: 1.) It surprised me: Education has a changed ecology; 2.) It overwhelmed me: Education is fraught with divides; 3.) It motivated me: Education is a driver of aspiration beyond crisis; and 4.) It taught me: Education has unintended positive outcomes. These themes form the structure of the essence of education amid the COVID-19 crisis from the perspectives of college students belonging to the group of indigenous peoples. This research underlines the practical significance of analyzing the state of the students amid a virulent crisis. Given the extant inequality and considering the anticipated educational recovery phase, measures should be planned towards the attainment of responsive, appropriate, and relevant education.

A Brief Discussion on the Causes and Countermeasures of College Students' Psychological Confusion and Mental Health Problems

College period is one of the most critical periods of one person’s life for it is an important period of establishing world concept, outlook on life and values. Various challenges and pressures have had a great impact on the mental health of college students. In that case, college students’ psychological confusion and mental health problems occur frequently and the overall condition of college students’ psychological problems is worrying. The mental health of college students has also attracted the attention of colleges and the society. Besides, the mental health education courses have been adopted to guide college students. This article aims to analyze the causes of college students’ psychological confusion and mental health problems and also the obstacles or difficulties in solving them from the perspective of college students' cultivation of positive psychological quality and mental health education. And corresponding solutions from both the outside and personal perspectives.

On Becoming an Online University in an Emergency Period: Voices From the Students at a State University

This study purposes to examine the emergency transition to distance education during the COVID-19 pandemic from the perspective of university students. Based on this purpose, university students were asked open-ended questions about their distance education experience during the COVID-19 pandemic. Transactional Distance Theory was used as the theoretical framework to form the questions and interpret the findings. 441 university students from a state university participated in the study, and 1443 comments were analysed by using text mining techniques. The findings of the study have revealed that students acknowledge the rapid transition positively, but they have also indicated that the effectiveness of distance education is low. The reason for the ineffectiveness was observed as the lack of interactive elements in the content and the low level of communication between faculty members and students. As a result of the findings of the study, several recommendations on how institutions can take precautions are presented.

Perspectives of University Students and Faculty on remote education experiences during COVID-19- a qualitative study.

Owing to COVID-19 the Ministry of Education in the United Arab Emirates mandated educational institutions to shift to remote learning. In this study the perspectives on remote learning, of both students and faculty, from the Science major, in a public university in Dubai have been explored. A qualitative research was conducted through focus group discussions using a semi-structured interview guide. All discussions were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic content analysis was carried out following coding and analyzing content using NVivo 12. Recurrent, emerging and diverging views were identified and represented under themes. Participants believed that altered human interaction was a major consideration in remote learning. Assessments were modified to reduce cheating however increasing students’ accountability and prudent use of questions was suggested as a more effective strategy. Challenges associated with technology, changes to the learning environment, wellbeing and institutional policies were highlighted. Advantages of remote learning included more inclusivity, flexibility, availability of recorded sessions and time efficiency. Also, remote learning had compelled faculty to enhance their technological skills. Including class participation as a graded component of courses, clear institutional guidelines on assessments, use of recordings and methods of communication were recommended. It was evident that students’ stances for learning were based on courses and disciplines, with a preference for synchronous lessons. Culture influenced interaction, assessments, acceptability, and accessibility of remote education. The views from this research will contribute to improving the adoption and outcomes of digital education in higher education in the field of science, while considering the sociocultural influences of the region.

The Christian Ideal of Sustainable Development and Its Perception among Young Adults: A Case Study from Slovakia

In this article, we present the concept of the participation and responsibility of individuals in the sustainable development (SD) of the world from a Christian ethics point of view. The Christian ethics perspective is based on the biblical command to care for and protect creation. Nevertheless, errors have been repeated throughout history because of a misunderstanding of human responsibility for what has been entrusted to man from the beginning. The article explores not only these mistakes, but also the concept of a properly understood individual responsibility from the point of view of Christian ethics. The ideal from the perspective of Christian ethics is followed by our own qualitative research. The research sample consists of 120 young adults. During the research, the perception of a person’s individual responsibility tasks for SD is explored from the perspective of university students. The research findings answer the question of in which of the four areas of SD do respondents see the needs of their participation the most. The findings of the research also indicate the importance that the young respondents allocated to all four areas of SD, which were clearly defined by The National Strategic Document on Sustainable Development in Slovakia. Furthermore, we recorded a total of 12 main areas that the respondents considered to be important tasks of man for the world and its SD. We also evaluated the qualitative findings in the group of young adults that confirm the perception of each student’s individual participation and responsibility for the SD of society and the physical world.

Between Nationalism and Beaconism

This study investigated how Chinese people in the U.S. view racism and racial issues from the perspective of Chinese university students in the U.S.. The research is based on Critical Race Theory (CRT) to define racism and found that the majority of Chinese college students regard the situation as a problematic one, and they are supportive of civil rights movements such as Black Lives Matter and Stop Asian Hate. Additionally, though most of the interviewees have not heard of CRT, through their responses to other questions, they show acceptance of the concepts of CRT; for example, almost all of the interviewees responded that they would consider racism as a social problem instead of a personal one.

The Effect of Privacy Concern Towards the Intention to Accept App Permission on Students Mobile Users

Mobile usage has become a part of our daily lives. However, many mobile users ignore the existence of app permissions in an app. One of the reasons is the lack of information related to app permissions. If users are not careful, app permissions can be abused by hackers to steal their data such as SMS, photos, microphone access, and GPS. The purpose of this study is to observe the perspective of university students in Batam regarding app permissions as well as to see the consequences of that perspective. The basis of this research is using survey method for 132 social media users and regression. This study proves that mobile users’ information privacy concerns have an influence on the intention to accept app permissions, which means that university students of Batam tend to consider personal information privacy on mobile before accepting app permissions. However, computer anxiety and perceived control do not affect mobile users’ information privacy concerns, which means university students of Batam have neither computer anxiety nor perceived control over personal information privacy on mobile.

Students’ perspectives of group work: the case of Trinidad and Tobago

ABSTRACT Educators at Institutes of Higher Education (IHE) continuously employ group work pedagogy within their teaching and assessment regimes; however, students often voice their displeasure at its usage. In spite of these competing positions, research on students’ perceptions of group work at IHE in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) is generally lacking. With this in mind, the current effort was conducted to: (1) garner the perspectives of university students regarding group work, (2) evaluate students’ experiences and satisfaction with participation in groups, and (3) garner students’ viewpoints of learning in group settings. To achieve the study’s objectives, quantitative and qualitative analyses were conducted on data gathered from students via a focus group discussion with 12 students (n = 12) and standardised questionnaires from 124 students (n = 124) at an IHE in Trinidad and Tobago. The results indicate the immense value of group work in sharing workloads, the development of a wider breadth of knowledge through discussion, clarification of ideas and learning from others. On the other hand, free-loading students, unfair-grade allocation and preference for working alone were identified as challenges associated with group work. Other key findings are also discussed.

The Concept of Social Justice from the Perspective of University Students

The aim of this study is to reveal how university students conceptualize their perceptions of social justice. 393 university students were included as the sample of the research. An interview form was sent to the students online. The content analysis technique was used in the analysis of the data. As results, it was stated that every student is equal, opportunities are provided equally, there is no discrimination, social activities are equally benefited, every student is given the same rights, interests and needs are cared for, and every student is treated fairly. They expressed as the most unjust incidents are "necessity of distance education due to the Covid-19 pandemic," "getting unworthy points," "discrimination," "lack of justice in scoring," "unfair scholarship distribution" and "no course exemption." In addition, since it is not in the literature, a scale can be developed regarding the social justice perception levels of students studying in higher education.

Investigating the Impact of Fear Related to COVID-19 Disease on Situational Humor via Social Networking Sites.

The current study investigates the impact of fear related to coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) disease on situational humor, and also on social networking sites (SNS) usage as a mediator. Furthermore, this study investigates the impact of fear-related COVID-19 disease on situation humor via SNS usage, focusing on the gender perspective of university students. This study also examined the impact of fear related to COVID-19 disease on situational humor in students from various degree programs, such as BS and MS. For this cross-sectional study, data were collected from 24 different Pakistani universities using purposive sampling between December 2020 and May 2021. This study used social media platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter (and also email) to collect data online. According to the findings of this study, fear related to COVID-19 disease was found to be significantly negatively related to situational humor and SNS usage, whereas SNS usage was positively related to situational humor. The findings also revealed that SNS usage is a key mediator in the relationship between fear related to COVID-19 disease and situational humor. In addition, male university students used more SNS and had a higher situational humor response than female university students, and female university students reported a higher fear related to COVID-19 disease. This study provided useful findings of the impact of fear related to COVID-19 disease on situational humor among students in various academic programs, such as bachelor's program and master's program.

Revelations of service-learning project: Multiple perspectives of college students' reflection.

This study explored the reflections of college students at different stages of their service provided to preschoolers and proposed recommendations on service-learning curricula according to the research findings. Thirty-six college juniors enrolled in an academic service-learning course were asked to complete a service-learning project, to undertake service activities in the form of eight storytelling sessions at preschools. This storytelling plan was 1.5-hour-long each, twice per month, for 16-weeks. Qualitative case study approach was employed in this study. Data consisted of documentation of the participants' reflections, focus group interviews, and research logs. The thematic analysis was employed to analyze data and data were analyzed using the constant comparative technique. The study revealed that the contents of participants' reflections took on a qualitative change as their service experience accumulated. Before their service experience, their reflections focused on personal expectations. This shifted professional learning and personal growth during the service experience. After their service experiences, their reflections were extended to include social concern. Also, the participants were inspired to actively acquire professional knowledge from their service experiences. Various reflection activities triggered different levels and functions of reflection by the participants. Writing activities caused the participants to focus on personal reflection, providing the opportunity for them to examine and adjust their ideas; group discussion activities allowed the participants to focus on group dialogue, with which they achieved learning and gained identity. Finally, students experienced emotional highs and lows during their experience of service, describing tension and fear initially, then joy or disquietude subsequently. Recommendations based on the research results were provided to facilitate planning of the service-learning curriculum by college educators.

Time Management from the Perspectives of University Students

Bu araştırmanın amacı, öğrencilerin zaman yönetimine ilişkin sahip oldukları yaklaşımları ve algıları metaforlar aracılığı ile ortaya koymaktır. Araştırmada nitel araştırma yöntemlerinden fenomonolojik desen, çalışma grubunun belirlenmesinde ise olasılıklı örnekleme yöntemlerinden kolay ulaşılabilir örnekleme tekniği kullanılmıştır. Araştırmada 2020-2021 eğitim-öğretim yılında bir kamu üniversitesinde öğrenim gören 276 öğrenci yer almıştır. Üniversite öğrencilerine metafor cümlesi online olarak gönderilmiştir. Verilerin analizinde “içerik analizi” tekniğinden yararlanılmıştır. Araştırma sonuçlarına göre öğrencilerin zaman yönetimi kavramına yönelik oluşturmuş oldukları metaforların, akıp gitme, beceri, çabuk tükenme, değerli olma, durdurulamama, düzen, telafisi olmayan, faydalı olma, zorlu süreç, kontrol, yönlendirici, deneyim, verimli olma, amaçlar, planlama, temel ihtiyaç ve sabır kategorileri altında toplandığı görülmüştür. Zaman yönetimi kavramına yönelik temalar incelendiğinde ise kendini akıntıya bırakma (uyum ve doğal ritimler) yaklaşımı, düzenli yaşam (kendini toparla) yaklaşımı, beceri yaklaşımı, zamana sahip çıkma (savaşçı / hayatta kalma) yaklaşımı ve hedef belirleme yaklaşımı temalarının oluştuğu gözlemlenmiştir. Sonuç olarak, öğrencilerin zaman yönetimi yaklaşımlarından çoğunlukla kendini akıntıya bırakma yaklaşımını, daha sonra düzen ve beceri yaklaşımlarını, çok az sayıda öğrencilerin ise savaşçı ve hedef belirleme yaklaşımlarını benimsedikleri belirlenmiştir.

Combat New Normal Life and Remote Emergency Learning During Pandemic Crisis: A Perspective from Public Universities Students

The Bangladeshi education system has resorted to a virtual emergency mode of learning in order to sustain teaching and learning practices in educational institutions, providing a quick fix to the challenges. From the perspective of public university students, the researcher employed a qualitative study approach to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on tertiary education in Bangladesh. The primary data was collected via a well-designed online questionnaire, which was completed by 150 persons. Public universities in Bangladesh use virtual platforms to deliver online classes. University facilities and infrastructure, a robust national data infrastructure, appropriate computer devices, and excellent and affordable data services for students are all required for online instruction. The goal of the study is to determine the practicality and applicability of online education, as well as how students deal with the risk of Covid-19. This research identified a number of unanticipated disruptions in students' learning, as well as a drop in excitement and study hours, difficulty with student-teacher interactions, and a variety of physical, emotional, and financial issues associated to academic studies. According to the research, the most typically mentioned issues by students include network and facility-related hurdles, as well as personal and socio-psychological challenges. A lack of technological infrastructure, a high cost of internet, a slow internet connection, a family's financial difficulty, and student mental strain were also recognized as important impediments to online education by the majority of students. The study presented several recommendations to policymakers based on the findings to help them overcome the challenges of online classrooms in the future. Keywords: Emergency virtual learning, online class, network, psychological stress, academic fear, Covid-19, Tertiary level. DOI: 10.7176/JEP/12-24-10 Publication date: August 31 st 2021