Post-positivist Research Research Articles

Exploring the acceptance of robotic assisted surgery among the Indian population: An empirical investigation

Background Technology has completely transformed healthcare, starting with X-ray machines and MRIs to telehealth and robotic surgeries to e-health records. The launch of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) serves as a milestone in medical history, offering benefits such as smaller incisions, shorter hospital stays, and faster recovery, making it a preferred surgical option. This study mainly explores patients’ willingness to adopt robot-assisted surgery (RAS) technology in a surgical intervention and is assessed in the backdrop of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). Methods This research project employs a post-positivist research philosophy and a cross-sectional research design. A structured, pre-tested questionnaire was used to collect data from 280 respondents. Results The results revealed that trust had a significant impact on Perceived Usefulness (β = 0.099) and Perceived Ease of Use (β = .157), and eHealth literacy had a significant impact on Perceived Ease of Use (β = 0.438) and Perceived Usefulness (β = 0.454). Additionally, Perceived Usefulness partially influenced behavioral intention (β = 0.123), and attitude had a significant influence on behavioral intention (β = 0.612). The analysis revealed an insignificant impact of eHealth literacy on Perceived Usefulness (β = 0.067). The Standard Root Mean Square Residual (SRMR) value was <0.8. Mediation analysis also revealed partial mediation between the constructs. The SRMR rating of this model is 0.067, indicating that it fits the data well. Conclusion This study revealed that a patient's intention will be high if he or she believes that RAS is beneficial in treating his or her ailment. In comparison, information related to RAS is clearly known, and it does not directly affect selection intention. eHealth literacy is a significant antecedent to patients’ behavioral intention. Hence, the healthcare industry must devise strategies to promote the acceptance of RAS at all levels.

Impact of work-life balance on employee productivity and well-being

Family is as important in our work as in our lives. Unipolar preferences can lead to an unbalanced life. This study examines the effect of work-life balance on employee productivity and well-being, as post-positivist research seeks to explain. This research is divided into two main categories: analytical and descriptive, and this article aims to evaluate the effect of work-life balance on employee productivity. Other sources such as research materials are selected based on the needs of the study. The research shows that effective work-life balance strategies can improve worker health and productivity. Unlike unhappy employees who struggle to balance work, family, and personal life, happy employees are self-motivated.

Exploring the acceptance of robotic assisted surgery among the Indian population: An empirical investigation.

Technology has completely transformed healthcare, starting with X-ray machines and MRIs to telehealth and robotic surgeries to e-health records. The launch of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) serves as a milestone in medical history, offering benefits such as smaller incisions, shorter hospital stays, and faster recovery, making it a preferred surgical option. This study mainly explores patients' willingness to adopt robot-assisted surgery (RAS) technology in a surgical intervention and is assessed in the backdrop of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). This research project employs a post-positivist research philosophy and a cross-sectional research design. A structured, pre-tested questionnaire was used to collect data from 280 respondents. The results revealed that trust had a significant impact on Perceived Usefulness (β = 0.099) and Perceived Ease of Use (β = .157), and eHealth literacy had a significant impact on Perceived Ease of Use (β = 0.438) and Perceived Usefulness (β = 0.454). Additionally, Perceived Usefulness partially influenced behavioral intention (β = 0.123), and attitude had a significant influence on behavioral intention (β = 0.612). The analysis revealed an insignificant impact of eHealth literacy on Perceived Usefulness (β = 0.067). The Standard Root Mean Square Residual (SRMR) value was <0.8. Mediation analysis also revealed partial mediation between the constructs. The SRMR rating of this model is 0.067, indicating that it fits the data well. This study revealed that a patient's intention will be high if he or she believes that RAS is beneficial in treating his or her ailment. In comparison, information related to RAS is clearly known, and it does not directly affect selection intention. eHealth literacy is a significant antecedent to patients' behavioral intention. Hence, the healthcare industry must devise strategies to promote the acceptance of RAS at all levels.

Exploring the acceptance of robotic assisted surgery among the Indian population: An empirical investigation

Background Technology has completely transformed healthcare, starting with X-ray machines and MRIs to telehealth and robotic surgeries to e-health records. The launch of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) serves as a milestone in medical history, offering benefits such as smaller incisions, shorter hospital stays, and faster recovery, making it a preferred surgical option. This study mainly explores patients’ willingness to adopt robot-assisted surgery (RAS) technology in a surgical intervention and is assessed in the backdrop of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). Methods This research project employs a post-positivist research philosophy and a cross-sectional research design. A structured, pre-tested questionnaire was used to collect data from 280 respondents. Results The results revealed that trust had a significant impact on Perceived Usefulness (β = 0.099) and Perceived Ease of Use (β = .157), and eHealth literacy had a significant impact on Perceived Ease of Use (β = 0.438) and Perceived Usefulness (β = 0.454). Additionally, Perceived Usefulness partially influenced behavioral intention (β = 0.123), and attitude had a significant influence on behavioral intention (β = 0.612). The analysis revealed an insignificant impact of eHealth literacy on Perceived Usefulness (β = 0.067). The Standard Root Mean Square Residual (SRMR) value was &lt;0.8. Mediation analysis also revealed partial mediation between the constructs. The SRMR rating of this model is 0.067, indicating that it fits the data well. Conclusion This study revealed that a patient's intention will be high if he or she believes that RAS is beneficial in treating his or her ailment. In comparison, information related to RAS is clearly known, and it does not directly affect selection intention. eHealth literacy is a significant antecedent to patients’ behavioral intention. Hence, the healthcare industry must devise strategies to promote the acceptance of RAS at all levels.

The impact of thermal mass on envelope heat loss in the caldarium of Yazd's traditional baths

Traditional Iranian bathhouses (hammams) represent remarkable examples of vernacular architecture optimized for thermal performance in hot arid climates. This study quantitatively evaluates and compares multiple passive heating strategies employed in hammams to mitigate envelope heat loss through thermal simulations of two exemplar cases - the Khan and Golshan baths in Yazd.A post-positivist research approach combined physical documentation, computational modeling using DesignBuilder V7.0.1.004 software, and quantitative analysis. Heat transfer through the caldarium (hot room) envelope was simulated sequentially, first without any heat retention strategies, then adding thermal mass, unconditioned buffer spaces, earth-coupling, and finally urban morphology factors.Results indicate thermal mass was the most effective approach in the studied Yazdi hammams, yielding 37.5 % and 37.3 % reductions in winter heat loss compared to 8.4 %, 5.3 %, and 1.8 % from unconditioned zones, earth-sheltering, and integrated compact urban fabric, respectively. Overall, leveraging thermal mass outperformed the combined impact of the other three strategies by over five times for these cases.The quantified insights highlight vernacular passive heating principles extracted from this historic architectural typology that can potentially inform sustainable high-performance building practices for hot arid regions.

PHONEME- GRAPHEME CORRESPONDENCE IN READING SKILLS OF GRADE SEVEN STUDENTS: A THEMATIC ANALYSIS

PHONEME- GRAPHEME CORRESPONDENCE IN READING SKILLS OF GRADE SEVEN STUDENTS: A THEMATIC ANALYSIS

Evaluating the impacts of climate-induced east Africa's recent disastrous drought on the pastoral livelihoods

Recurrent droughts, exacerbated by the climate, are becoming the greatest threat to the people of eastern Africa. In this region, including eastern Ethiopia, pastoralism is the prime source of livelihood. Due to susceptible means of living this area is mostly affected by droughts and related climatic shocks. Coordinated actions, therefore, demanded to reduce extreme vulnerability and increase adaptive capacity. To bring about change, the development of proactive drought risk management strategies and the adoption of appropriate measures are cliamed. However, there are few studies showing the underlying problems. Hence, this study was conducted to investigate the impact of the recent climate-induced drought disaster on pastoralists’ livelihoods and the socio-economic determinants of pastoralists’ vulnerability in southern Ethiopia. Mixed, positivist and post-positivist research approaches were used in the design of the study. Both random and purposive sampling procedures were used in this study to select the study sites and respondents or discussants. A questionnaire was used to collect objective data from the randomly selected 371 respondents, while focus group discussions, key informant interviews and observations were used as methods to collect subjective data. While objective data was collected using semi-structured questions, subjective data was collected were using unstructured or open-ended questions. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the objective data, while the subjective data was analyzed using stepwise content analysis. The result shows that severe drought was the most important extreme episode in the area. In addition, the low adaptive capacity (0.29) combined with the high sensitivity (0.41) and exposure factors (0.36) indicate that pastoralists are highly vulnerable (0.49) to climate-related impacts. The index for catastrophic risk of drought episodes in the pastoralist community is scaled at 0.74. This indicates that the severity of drought can cause a 74 % catastrophic impact on pastoralists’ lives, property, natural environment and livelihoods. On the other hand, water scarcity, biodiversity decline, fodder scarcity, female-headed households, price instability, recurrent droughts, weather-dependent livelihoods, low availability of early warning information and poor access to market factors have had positive and significant impacts on high vulnerability and the resulting consequences. Policy makers are therefore encouraged to develop strategies to help pastoralists build adaptive capacity and reduce vulnerability to climate hazards. These can be implemented by improving access to water and pasture, by providing early warning information, by providing rangeland management, by diversifying livelihoods and by limiting factors that increase pastoralists' vulnerability and their impacts on their climate-dependent livelihoods.

A Qualitative Study on “Fetal Alcohol Syndrome” (FAS)

This post positivist qualitative research was designed to address factors that contribute to alcohol consumption during pregnancy and the amount of information regarding fetal alcohol syndrome. For this purpose, the team has conducted face to face interactions with 45 alcoholic female participants in the urban and slum areas where the women frequently consume the alcohol on the occasion of their functions and local festivals irrespective gender in some areas Telangana state. 20 to 40% of our study sample reported having parents who had a history of alcohol abuse during their child hood and 18 to 35% had children who exhibited fetal alcohol syndromes. Suggestions for program improvement were discussed.

Navigating growing pains: Tensions in integrating critical race theory in psychology and strategies for addressing them

AbstractRecently there has been an uptake in the call for research that explores race and racism within the context of psychology. Researchers can use Critical Race Theory (CRT) to do so. However, scholars within the field of psychology may confront growing pains when integrating psychology research with CRT due to their respective inquiry worldviews—postpositivism and critical—which result in several tensions pertaining to the framing of research and methods. These tensions may limit the uptake of CRT in psychology and may cause people to struggle to understand CRT. Therefore in this article, we describe (a) CRT and related frameworks, (b) tensions when integrating CRT into psychology, and (c) strategies to attenuate the tensions. Additionally, we highlight the importance of identity and the political choice of using CRT. It is critical for psychology researchers to challenge dominant postpositivist research inquiry worldviews and deconstruct what is considered “legitimate knowledge.” By doing so, we can (a) validate experiences and vast forms of knowledge that shape the reality of People of Color and our families, communities, and cultures and (b) challenge systems of oppression.

Developing Intercultural Competences in the Study-Abroad Programme Semester at Sea (SAS)

Semester at Sea is a US-American study abroad programme during which students spend a semester on a ship studying while visiting various countries. The purpose of this article is to determine the intercultural competence development in the students during the Fall voyage through a self-assessment questionnaire. The research is anchored in a post-positivistic research paradigm, using an intercultural competence survey questionnaire to determine the intercultural competence at the beginning and at the end of the voyage in 182 participants. Results show that the intercultural competences, in terms of intercultural knowledge, awareness and skills of the students improved significantly during the voyage, when comparing all pre-voyage and post-voyage scores of the three components. This means that the SAS programme creates a diverse and multicultural learning space within the international educational system, promoting cultural knowledge, awareness, skill development through the combination of an academic curriculum and hands-on intercultural experiences. The study contributes to evaluating SAS as a US study abroad programme and provides conclusions and recommendations for future research and practice.

The Nexus between Supplier Selection Practices and Procurement Function Performance: A Kenyan Public Universities Perspective

Purpose: This study aimed to unveil how supplier assessment and governance influenced procurement function performance.&#x0D; Methodology: The study employed a post-positivist research philosophy and a causal-comparative design. The study used multi-stage sampling to arrive at the sample of respondents of 93 procurement officers. Quantitative data was collected through self-designed structured questionnaires and analyzed using Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS version 27). Demographically, the study included predominantly experienced, educated male and female professionals.&#x0D; Findings: The findings of the study revealed that supplier selection significantly and positively impacted procurement function performance. Specifically, supplier assessment exhibited a noteworthy positive effect on procurement function performance (β = .517, p &lt; .001), underlining the critical role of due diligence, evaluations, and appraisals among suppliers. Similarly, supplier governance demonstrated a substantial positive effect on procurement function performance (β = .310, p = .001), highlighting the significant roles of supplier selection transparency and conflict resolution mechanisms in procurement processes.&#x0D; Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: This study unveiled how supplier assessment and governance influenced procurement function performance anchored in the Resource Dependence Theory (RDT), The study's results confirmed that robust supplier selection practices, grounded in supplier assessment and governance, significantly improved procurement function performance in Kenyan public universities. Strengthening supplier assessment protocols and governance mechanisms emerged as imperative for optimizing outcomes in procurement functions.

Moderating Effect of Company Size in Corporate Governance Mechanism and Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosure of Listed Manufacturing Companies in Nigeria

This study sought to determine the moderating effect of company size in the effect of corporate governance mechanism on corporate social responsibility disclosure of listed manufacturing companies in Nigeria. The study adopted a post-positivist research philosophy and expost factor research design was used. Secondary data was obtained from financial statements and accounts of listed manufacturing companies from 2010 to 2022 using disclosure check listed adopted from previous studies. The collected data was converted into excel format for easy arrangement into panels. The estimation of the relationship between the variables of the study was achieved using E-view version 10 statistical software. As a panel data, ordinary least square was used to identify the regression model with the highest explanatory power. Findings of the study revealed that company size positively and significantly moderate the effect of corporate governance mechanism on corporate social responsibility disclosure of listed manufacturing companies in Nigeria. The study recommended that corporate affairs commission and the manufacturers association of Nigeria should put up adequate regulatory framework and guidelines to ensure more disclosure of corporate social responsibility activities of the manufacturing sector is achieved Nigeria.

Collaborative Governance in the Development of Silk Commodities in South Sulawesi

This study departs from the fact that the silk sector in South Sulawesi is currently experiencing a decline, even though it is closely attached to the culture of the people of South Sulawesi and has broad and varied potential benefits. Silk has also become a priority sector in the provincial government’s development planning. In recent years, collaborative governance has become a concept that has been in great demand by academics. Collaborative governance has emerged to respond to implementation failures, high costs, and the politicization of public sector regulations. The focus is on each stage of public policy. It is a new paradigm to understand the existence of multiple stakeholders in public affairs. This study aimed to explain collaborative governance in the development of silk commodities in South Sulawesi, and case studies were used to analyze such models. I used a post-positivist research paradigm with qualitative methods. The government’s efforts to develop the silk commodity in South Sulawesi by implementing a collaborative governance process have shown results that have not been maximized in the upstream, manufacturing, and downstream sectors, which are still dominated by entrepreneurs. Therefore, the government’s role is needed to formulate policies that are more effective and capable of developing good collaboration with the public sector and society.&#x0D; Keywords: collaborative governance, silk commodity

Analysis of Merit System on Filling High Leadership Positions in the Government of East Manggarai Regency

The purpose of this research is to analyze the application of merit system in the implementation of open selection for high leadership positions in the context of a local socio-cultural setting. The merit system policy in this open selection in this research refers to the Regulation of the Minister of Administrative Reform and Bureaucratic Reform (Permenpanrb) Number 15 of 2019. This research was conducted in the East Manggarai Regency Government utilizing a post-positivist research approach with qualitative data collection techniques. The findings showed that the implementation of open selection for filling JPT in East Manggarai Regency was not based on succession planning, there were differences in administrative requirements with relevant regulations; the addition of several administrative files. The background checking process is only carried out based document-driven and conducted indirectly to the participants’ work environment. The process of monitoring and evaluation or re-mapping for elected officials is carried out periodically. The limited number of elected officials with different socio-cultural backgrounds is due to the composition of employees and selection participants who mostly come from the East Manggarai Regency area and share the same socio-cultural background. Keywords: Civil Service, Merit System, Open Selection, Primordialism.

The development of a human capital measurement and disclosure research instrument for the Zimbabwean mining companies

"Purpose: The aim of this study is to develop a research instrument to measure and disclose human capital value in the financial statements. The study has been motivated by a lack of guidelines that determine key aspects of human capital despite its contribution to value creation and financial performance. Methodology: This study adopted a post-positivist research philosophy which endorses a quantitative research approach. Quantitative data were collected using the survey questionnaire instrument from the six listed mining companies in Zimbabwe. A convenience sampling technique was utilised and a human capital measurement and disclosure instrument was validated using the exploratory factor analysis. Findings: The paper established eight factors namely; human capital measurements, profitability measures, employee competencies, value drivers, performance-related factors, market-related factors, employee exposures and structure-related factors. The developed questionnaire instrument can be of use to other scholars and policymakers if their studies are aiming to investigate the respondents’ perceptions towards human capital reporting. This will also, provide a basis for the development of a standardised universal approach to measuring human capital value. Keywords: human capital; measurement; disclosure; mining companies; Zimbabwe JEL Classification: J24, D19"

EU FAST TRACK MEMBERSHIP: CAN IT HELP UKRAINE RESOLVE ITS REAL PROBLEMS?

In 1991, during its inception process, Ukraine faced Russia's territorial claims and a cold reception from the Western world towards its leadership. After evaluating its internal and external interests, Ukraine chose to sign a friendship and cooperation agreement with Russia, compromising its rights as a sovereign state. This decision kept the complex issues of cross-border irredentism and multiple identities in check. However, during the democratic transition, external actors got involved in Ukraine's domestic politics, resulting in the removal of President Yanukovych's government. This critical juncture set the trajectory for unleashing Ukraine's state-ness issues. External involvement and political mismanagement aggravated Ukraine's problems and transformed its political issues into state-legitimacy issues, making its claim of a single entity void. Without state legitimacy, Ukraine cannot join the EU or consolidate as a democracy. Even if it enters the EU, it cannot safeguard its state sovereignty or achieve a profitable deal. This post-positivist research uses process tracing within a case study to highlight Ukraine's real problems and whether EU membership can help resolve them. The best solution for Ukraine is to focus on its domestic issues and negotiate with the other actor for a peaceful solution. Bibliography Entry Siddiqi, Houma. 2023. "EU Fast Track Membership: Can It Help Ukraine Resolve Its Real Problems?" Margalla Papers 27 (1): 13-27.

किचकवधका पुरातात्विक अवशेषहरु {Archaeological Remains of the Kichakbadh}

This academic article presents an explanatory research study on the archaeological artifacts discovered in the Kichakbadh area, situated in wards 2 and 3 of the Bhadrapur Municipality within the Jhapa district. The objective of this research is to examine the cultural and historical significance of Kichakbadh, shed light on its archaeological importance, and elucidate the various archaeological artifacts that have been unearthed to date. The excavations carried out by the Department of Archaeology have revealed the ruins of buildings, a walled complex, and remnants of bricks and pottery. Although it is traditionally believed that there is Natiyashala (Theatre) or palace of king Birat of Mahabharat. The derived archaeological evidences indicate that it could be archaeological site belonging to Sunga/Kushan Period. This academic research study utilizes qualitative methods and draws on both primary and secondary sources form of data.It adopts a post-positivist research paradigm and employs analytical and descriptive methods to present its findings. This scholarly inquiry contributes new knowledge to the current context and enhances our understanding of the archaeological significance of Kichakbadh.

Information literacy development and competencies of high school students in Accra

PurposeInformation literacy (IL) is clearly important for academic performance, as evidenced by literature. It could be defined as a set of abilities, attitudes and experiences that enable people to recognize when they need information to solve an issue. The importance of investigating students’ IL competencies cannot be overstated. This study therefore aims to look into the IL development and competencies of high school students in Accra, as there appears to be a dearth of systematic study on this in Ghana.Design/methodology/approachTo investigate this phenomenon, the study used a survey research design with a mixed-methods approach and a post-positivist research paradigm. A total of 454 high school students, 3 librarians and 3 heads of ICT departments from three senior high schools in Accra participated in this study. This study used two methods: an audit of the IL programmes and practices available at the selected schools as well as IL literacy assessment through the use of a standardized test instrument. The data collection tools used were a semi-structured interview schedule and a questionnaire.FindingsThis study found that high school students in Accra had low IL competencies. Again, the findings of this study revealed that inadequate infrastructure and lack of formalized IL instructions in schools hindered the IL development of students.Originality/valueThe author considers the study original both in conceptualization and design. The main question being interrogated stems from identified gaps in the literature and this study intends to fill these knowledge gaps. This study’s originality also stems from the fact that there is a paucity of information on the subject of study in the context of Ghana. This study recommends the need to integrate IL in the school curriculum to ensure effective and efficient IL instructions in high schools.

Entrepreneurial Financing in Africa during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Access to finance by small-to-medium-enterprises (SMEs) remains an enigma that still warrants further research. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the funding gap and necessitated the need for entrepreneurs to seek alternative financing due to tight credit rationing by the traditional finance institutions. There is a marked increase in demand for alternative online finance known as crowdfunding amid social distancing and lockdowns occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic. The main objective of this study was to examine the trends in the financing of African SMEs during the COVID-19 pandemic with a particular focus on crowdfunding. The postpositivist research philosophy and deductive strategy was adopted in this study with the view to test an existing theory and hypothesis. Secondary data sourced from TheCrowdDataCentre were utilised for the study. Eight hundred and fifty-nine African crowdfunding campaigns were employed as the unit of analysis. The study employed econometric techniques to test the research objectives of this study. The probit model was employed in the analysis. The results of the study revealed that backers, the COVID-19 and social network variables were positively and significantly related to campaign success. On the other hand, duration was found to be negatively and significantly related to crowdfunding success. The study contributes to the growing literature on the impact of COVID-19 on crowdfunding performance, as well as the literature on alternative sources of finance.

Analysis of the Employee Performance of the Palopo State Islamic Institute in Achieving Institutional Achievements

This study aims to analyze the performance of employees in the financial sub-sector of the Palopo State Islamic Institute. The research method used in this study is qualitative, using a post-positivist research paradigm, which uses theory as a guide and a central point in finding and exploring what is hidden from the various phenomena studied by using data collection techniques, namely observation, in-depth interviews, and documentation. The results show that the performance of IAIN Palopo finance employees in achieving institutional performance with performance indicators from Russell, namely ability, motivation, and opportunity, can be said to be not optimal because the opportunity/opportunity indicators are not following government regulation no. 11 of 2017 concerning the management of Civil Servants. So it is expected that the culture of giving rewards/appreciation for employees with good performance and punishment for low-performing employees.