Quantitative Methods Research Articles

Modeling of Determinants’ Influence on Consumer Behavior Towards Counterfeit Products in Indonesia and Malaysia

This study investigates customer behavior in the context of purchasing counterfeit products. Specifically, it seeks to assess consumer awareness regarding value consciousness, ethical considerations, and legal sensitivity, which are believed to impact their attitudes and behavior. The study was carried out in both Indonesia and Malaysia. This study uses Smart PLS as a quantitative method and includes a sample of 360 respondents from Indonesia (180) and Malaysia (180) who have bought different types of counterfeit products. This study provides evidence that there is no significant disparity in the consumption intentions of counterfeit products between Indonesians and Malaysians since both nations display a similar trend. The results from both countries are in agreement, indicating that value awareness has a favorable and substantial impact on attitudes, personal gratification has an unfavorable and significant effect on attitudes, ethical sensitivity has a favorable and substantial impact on attitudes, and legal sensitivity has a favorable and substantial effect on attitudes. The impact of attitudes on behavioral intentions is positive and essential, as are subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and habits. Policymakers must acknowledge this conclusion, as business entities that become victims of counterfeit products will inevitably encounter significant challenges if this issue remains unattended. The issue of counterfeit goods in Indonesia and Malaysia has substantial financial implications for both the government and enterprises. Consequently, law enforcement agencies assume a crucial role in addressing this problem.

Determinants of community participation in ecotourism programs in Bali, Indonesia

In the case of Indonesia, most of the tourist attractions offered and advertised are protected forests. This research seeks to find a balance between these two interests, so the purpose of this research is actually to determine the determinants of local community involvement in ecotourism development in Bali. This research uses quantitative methods described in the form of descriptive, and factor analysis according to the results of the survey with informants in the ecotourism of West Bali National Park, Buyan Tamblingan, Bali Mangrove, Batur Kintamani, and Lembongan. Eight factors determine community participation in ecotourism programs in Bali, namely: i) the role of leaders and business opportunities, ii) the factor of mindset and industry cooperation, iii) the factor of income, socialization, and commitment, iv) the factor of awareness of nature conservation, v) the factor of optimism to get money and knowledge, vi) the factor of facilities and independence, vii) the factor of training, interest, and participation, and viii) the factor of skills and funding.

A study on determining the views of people on the COVID-19 vaccine

The aim of this study was to determine the views and approaches of the public to the COVID-19 vaccination in Turkey. We conducted a descriptive study using the data collection method which is among quantitative research methods and the screening technic for analysis. The data collection method for the study was an online survey. The 38.4% of participants stated they would consider getting vaccinated, 50.6% stated they were undecided, and 11% stated they would not consider getting vaccinated. There was also a significant correlation between the participants' desire to be vaccinated and their educational level, age, and socioeconomic status. The belief that being diagnosed with COVID-19 creates stigmatization/labeling in society, as well as the belief that the vaccine will have serious side effects, reduce the possibility of getting vaccinated. The study also found that there is a positive correlation between the belief that the vaccine can defeat the virus and the possibility of getting vaccinated. Understanding the causes and effects of vaccine hesitancy and rejection is essential for developing effective immunization programs. Policy makers should inform the public to increase the trust in the vaccine and dispel the misinformation and rumors about COVID-19.

Awareness, acceptability, congruency, and attainability of an academic institution’s vision, mission, goals, and objectives

<p><span lang="EN-US">The mandate of Isabela State University is to deliver higher learning in the arts, agriculture, natural sciences, technology, and specialized disciplines. Hence, the institution executes a strategic vision, mission, goals, and objectives (VMGO) to meet the expectations of its stakeholders. This research examined the degree of stakeholders’ awareness, acceptance and understanding of the Isabela State University, College of Business, Accountancy, and Public Administration’s (ISU-CBAPA) VMGO; its congruence with the educational approaches of the faculty and resources of the institution in delivering quality education; and whether the program goals and objectives of the business programs were attained. A quantitative descriptive research method was used. The results indicate that the respondents are generally highly aware of the ISU-CBAPA VMGO and its dissemination. The respondents perfectly understand and accept the ISU-CBAPA VMGO and highly perceive the extent of its congruence with academic strategies, practices, and activities. In addition, all respondents perceived that the ISU-CBAPA VMGO is being realized and favorably attained, despite the significant differences found. Recommendations include intensifying VMGO dissemination to external stakeholders, emphasizing VMGO commitments toward its realization, and emphasizing improvement on the students’ development of professional skills, research capabilities, and competencies, and their readiness for employment and/or managing a business.</span></p>

Probabilistic design and optimization of thermal protection system with variable thickness based on non-uniform aerodynamic heating

Thermal Protection System (TPS) is a critical component of space vehicles to protect them from damage by extreme aerothermal heating conditions. The uncertainty of the aerothermal heating conditions, including approaching velocities, atmospheric density, pressure, etc., significantly affects the aerothermal heating imposed on the TPS, vastly changing the initial design conditions. In this study, we developed a new uncertainty quantitative (UQ) analysis method to comprehensively consider all the uncertainty of TPS materials, structures, and aerothermal heating conditions. To address the challenges of a massive amount of input and determined optimization parameters, we first induced the response surface method and Monte Carlo algorithm to produce a large number of analysis samples for Probabilistic Design. Then, the key affecting factors, not all the input design parameters, were chosen for optimization with sequential optimization and reliability assessment (SORA) strategy by a sensitivity analysis. With such improvements, the optimization for UQ analysis becomes practical. We used this new UQ method to analyze the effects of uncertainty of the aerothermal heating conditions on the thermal protection layer. A variable thickness design is proposed to adapt the non-uniform aerothermal heating conditions for the TPS. The results show that significant light-weighting can be achieved without the reliability penalty. The optimized structure also reduces internal temperature gradients and facilitates a more uniform temperature field distribution for the TPS. This study provides a new UQ engineering design approach for the system with many designed parameters.

Investigation of pre-service teachers technological pedagogical content knowledge and teaching skills for learning disabilities

The aim of this study is to examine two skills that pre-service teachers should have in terms of different variables. One of these variables is their awareness of learning disabilities and the other is TPACK skills. In this study in which these two skills were examined, relational survey model, one of the quantitative research methods, was used. 236 pre-service teachers participated in the study and TPACK skills of pre-service teachers were found to be at a good level and can be developed, while teaching skills for learning difficulties were found to be at a low level and in absolute need of improvement. It was seen that there was a significant positive relationship between TPACK skills of pre-service teachers and their teaching skills for learning disabilities.

An assessment of model capability on rapid intensification prediction of tropical cyclones in the South China Sea

The absence of robust quantitative evaluation methods has led to insufficient knowledge of models capability on the rapid intensification (RI) prediction of tropical cyclones (TCs). In this study, we propose a method and define some indicators aiming to evaluate model capability on predicting RI in a more accurate manner. An assessment of model predictive capability on RI of TCs based on 10 years of operational forecasts has been conducted using different RI criteria. The Tropical Regional Atmosphere Model for the South China Sea (TRAMS) and the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) high resolution (HRES) operational forecasts were used. Analysis results revealed that the criterion of 6-hour sea level pressure (SLP) change is more appropriate to be used in RI operational forecast. The maximum lead time (MLT) of TRAMS and HRES was 72 and 78h, and the maximum deviation of RI occurrence time of TRAMS and HRES was 48h delay and 24h ahead, respectively. Overall results suggest that the model predictive capability of RI is currently limited, and both models have inadequate capability in providing sufficient heat and energy to support RI in the long run. A tendency of TRAMS to have a lag in RI occurrence time was also demonstrated due to an air-sea interaction lag resulting from the fixed skin sea surface temperature used. Results of the present study provide insights and could be the basis for future efforts on improving parametrization schemes for properly describing RI process of TCs.

Ethnopharmacological Survey of Medicinal Plants Used by Local Herbalists and Traditional Healers for the Treatment of Cancer in Jordan

Background: As many Jordanians include herbs in their treatment, an ethnopharmacological survey was conducted to identify the most prescribed plants for the treatment of cancer by local herbalists and traditional healers in Jordan, aiming to encourage the prescription that is based on scientific evidence, to tackle some important practices in traditional healing, and to provide candidates for the isolation of new anticancer agents. Methods: Thirty-two Jordanian herbalists and traditional healers were interviewed. Both the use value and frequency of citation were implemented as quantitative methods to demonstrate the relative importance of a chosen species for the treatment of cancer. Furthermore, literature was screened for evidences that supported or opposed the use of the plants of interest Results: It was revealed that 31 plants are currently used in Jordan for the treatment of cancer, with Curcuma longa and Ephedra foeminea being the most used ones. Conclusions: It was noticed that the use of many prescribed plants could be rationalised by in vitro and/or in vivo studies. However, more attention should be paid by practitioners to some important aspects, such as the method of use and preparation of plants, their interaction with chemotherapeutic agents and the differences in their efficacy against different cancer types.

Relationship between parental income and financial literacy level among students

Financial literacy has become an important element in improving the quality of individual, familial, societal, and national well-being. This study aims to find the relationship between parental income and financial literacy level among students at Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris. The research employed a quantitative method using a closed-ended questionnaire to collect the data for the analysis. The research sample was selected using a stratified sampling technique and simple random sampling that consists of 366 undergraduate education students. The result indicates that parental income has a weak and significant positive relationship with financial literacy levels among students. Based on the regression analysis, the father’s income explains about 2.76% of the variance in financial literacy, while the mother’s income explains 10.8% of the variance in financial literacy. The results of this study show that parental income has a relationship with student’s financial literacy level. This finding of this study will help to understand more about the factor that can affect financial literacy.

Intention to pursue a master degree of final year students: Empirical research from Hanoi university of industry

Nowadays, pursuing a master degree in economics and engineering is becoming an inevitable trend in the era of international integration because of benefits of its holders. This research aims to clarify the factors that influence of the intention to pursue master degree of final year students. To reach the end, this research based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB), benefit-cost theory, and the motivation-opportunity-ability model (MOA). The research utilizes both qualitative and quantitative methods. The collected data was analyzed by using SPSS 26 and AMOS 24. This research showed the benefits and costs influence on perceived value which in turn have effect on intention to pursue master degree of final year students. Furthermore, the subjective norm does not influence on the intention, contrary to previous studies that have shown its significance. This will help schools better understand students’ psychology and devise appropriate encouragement and motivation policies.

Profile of toddler pneumonia cases in Soewandhie Regional Hospital, Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia: A descriptive study

Introduction: Pneumonia stands as a leading cause of mortality among children under five, trailing only behind diarrhea in Indonesia, where it has claimed the lives of 740,180 young children. This study endeavors to provide a comprehensive overview of toddler pneumonia specifically within the confines of Soewandhie Regional Hospital, Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia. Objective: The primary objective of this research is to gain insight into the prevalence and characteristics of toddler pneumonia cases at Soewandhie Regional Hospital, Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia. Method: Employing descriptive quantitative methods with a cross-sectional design, the study recruited a sample of 35 toddlers meeting predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria through consecutive sampling. Data collection occurred within the Seruni room at Soewandhie Hospital, utilizing a combination of medical records examination and interviews with the families of the toddlers. Result: Among the sampled toddlers, a significant majority (65.7%) were diagnosed with pneumonia. Analysis revealed that a notable portion (51.4%) fell within the age range of 12-23 months, with a slight majority being female (54.3%). Maternal ages predominantly ranged from 20 to 35 years, while paternal ages were concentrated between 25 and 40 years (28.6%). Moreover, 17.1% of the toddlers had previously experienced pneumonia, and a majority (82.9%) were born at term with normal body weights (91.4%). Notably, two toddlers lacked complete parental care due to parental death. Conclusion: The findings underscore the significant burden of pneumonia among toddlers at Soewandhie Hospital. Future research endeavors could benefit from expanding the sample size and investigating additional factors contributing to toddler pneumonia incidence.

EFFECTIVENESS OF MENTAL MATH STRATEGY IN TEACHING MATHEMATICS TO GRADE 1 LEARNERS

The research findings unveil significant insights into the effectiveness of a mental math strategy in enhancing the mathematical performance of grade 1 learners. Initially, both control and experimental groups exhibited satisfactory performance attributed to foundational knowledge acquired in kindergarten and initial grade 1 lessons on addition and subtraction. Following the implementation of the mental math strategy, the control group maintained their satisfactory performance, while the experimental group showed remarkable improvement, highlighting the efficacy of instructional materials and drills associated with mental math. Moreover, techniques such as counting up or back and the use of number lines proved effective in augmenting students' mathematical abilities. Based on these findings, several recommendations are proposed. Firstly, schools and educators are urged to continue enriching students' understanding of whole number concepts using diverse instructional materials and technological resources. Secondly, teachers are encouraged to integrate mental math strategies into their teaching practices, leveraging various learning aids and visual tools to facilitate comprehension. Additionally, both educators and parents are advised to employ counting techniques and number lines through interactive methods such as games and drills to enhance math learning outcomes. Lastly, collaborative learning environments should be fostered, allowing students to engage in problem-solving tasks together, thereby promoting teamwork and peer support while utilizing different mental math strategies. The study's Design and Methodology section provides a comprehensive outline of the research approach, including data collection tools and ethical considerations, employing a descriptive quantitative method to evaluate the efficacy of the mental math strategy in teaching addition.

Institutional Analysis of Economy: Qualitative and Quantitative Research and Methods

Institutional Analysis of Economy: Qualitative and Quantitative Research and Methods

The acceptability and clinical impact of using polygenic scores for risk-estimation of common cancers in primary care: a systematic review.

Polygenic scores (PGS) have been developed for cancer risk-estimation and show potential as tools to prompt earlier referral for high-risk individuals and aid risk-stratification within cancer screening programmes. This review explores the potential for using PGS to identify individuals at risk of the most common cancers seen in primary care. Two electronic databases were searched up until November 2023 to identify quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods studies that reported on the acceptability and clinical impact of using PGS to identify individuals at highest risk of breast, prostate, colorectal and lung cancer in primary care. The Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) was used to assess the quality of included studies and a narrative synthesis was used to analyse data. A total of 190 papers were identified, 18 of which were eligible for inclusion. A cancer risk-assessment tool incorporating PGS was acceptable to the general practice population and their healthcare providers but major challenges to implementation were identified, including lack of evidence for PGS in non-European ancestry and a need for healthcare provider education in genomic medicine. A PGS cancer risk-assessment had relatively limited impact on psychosocial outcomes and health behaviours. However, for prostate cancer, potential applications for its use in primary care were shown. Cancer risk assessment incorporating PGS in primary care is acceptable to patients and healthcare providers but there is a paucity of research exploring clinical impact. Few studies were identified, and more research is required before clinical implementation of PGS can be recommended.

Challenges And Advances In Measuring Phenotypic Convergence.

Tests of phenotypic convergence can provide evidence of adaptive evolution, and the popularity of such studies has grown in recent years due to the development of novel, quantitative methods for identifying and measuring convergence. These methods include the commonly applied C1-C4 measures of Stayton (2015), which measure morphological distances between lineages, and Ornstein-Uhlenbeck (OU) model-fitting analyses, which test whether lineages converged on shared adaptive peaks. We test the performance of C-measures and other convergence measures under various evolutionary scenarios and reveal a critical issue with C-measures: they often misidentify divergent lineages as convergent. We address this issue by developing novel convergence measures- Ct1-Ct4-measures -that calculate distances between lineages at specific points in time, minimizing the possibility of misidentifying divergent taxa as convergent. Ct-measures are most appropriate when focal lineages are of the same or similar geologic ages (e.g., extant taxa), meaning that the lineages' evolutionary histories include considerable overlap in time. Beyond C-measures, we find that all convergence measures are influenced by the position of focal taxa in phenotypic space, with morphological outliers often statistically more likely to be measured as strongly convergent. Further, we mimic scenarios in which researchers assess convergence using OU models with a priori regime assignments (e.g., classifying taxa by ecological traits) and find that multiple-regime OU models with phenotypically divergent lineages assigned to a shared selective regime often outperform simpler models. This highlights that model support for these multiple-regime OU models should not be assumed to always reflect convergence among focal lineages of a shared regime. Our new Ct1-Ct4-measures provide researchers with an improved comparative tool, but we emphasize that all available convergence measures are imperfect, and researchers should recognize the limitations of these methods and use multiple lines of evidence to test convergence hypotheses.

A new quantitative method via on-line mass spectrometer: Application in biomass char/NO reaction

A novel quantitative analysis method via on-line mass spectrometer (OMS) was developed to calculate the mass flows of the reactants and products for the reaction between NO and biomass char in micro-fluidized bed. The experimental results showed that the quantitative method could accurately calculate the mass flow rate of each gas even though there were ion currents overlapping at mass-to-charge ratio (m/z) = 12,16, and 28 when CO, CO2 and N2 were simultaneously present in OMS. Furthermore, the method facilitated the quantitative analysis of gaseous reactants and products, thereby enabling the assessment of mass conversions of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) in the NO reduction reaction. It was observed that CO was the predominant carbon-containing product in the reaction involving biomass char and NO at 900 °C, with over 96 % of nitrogen in NO participating in the reduction reaction being converted to N2. This study also revealed that increasing the fluidization number, NO concentration, and temperature in the micro-fluidized bed could significantly accelerate the conversion processes of C and N in the reduction of NO by biomass char. The peak mass flow rates of CO, CO2, and N2 were found to increase correspondingly with higher NO concentrations and temperature levels. The NO reduction process over sawdust char was compared to that of corncob char, showing a higher maximum NO reduction efficiency. The reaction order with respect to NO concentration was determined to be 0.82 for corncob char and 0.68 for sawdust char. Additionally, the apparent activation energies were determined to be 92.35 kJ/mol for corncob char and 125.60 kJ/mol for sawdust char, respectively.

Corporate Social Responsibility and Stock Price Reactions

This research aims to investigate the impact of CSR disclosure on share prices, mediated by profitability. This research uses a quantitative method and gathering secondary data from OSIRIS and Company Sustainability Reports on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (BEI) website, as well as relevant company websites. This study's sample consists of 99 mining companies from 2018 to 2022. To determine the indirect effect of the mediating variable, this study used multiple regression analysis using the IBM SPSS and the Sobel test. The findings show that CSR Disclosure has no significant effect on share prices due to the low proportion of CSR disclosures in the company's sustainability report. Meanwhile, CSR Disclosure has a significant negative effect on profitability, and profitability has a significant positive effect on share prices. Profitability can mediate the relationship between CSR Disclosure and share prices.

Physician-nurse collaboration in the relationship between professional autonomy and practice behaviors.

Nurses and physicians are key members of healthcare teams. While physicians are responsible for the diagnosis and treatment of patients, nurses are part of the treatment and the primary practitioners of patient care. Nurses' professional autonomy, collaboration with physicians, and practice behaviors in treatment and patient care practices are interrelated. In the present study, we examined the mediating effect of physician-nurse collaboration on the relationship between nurses' practice behaviors and their professional autonomy. The present study utilized a cross-sectional survey design following quantitative methods. This study was conducted in the Istanbul Province of Turkiye from September to October 2022. The sampling method used was a convenience sampling strategy to provide easier access to participants when selecting nurses from different health institutions. The mean age of the 295 nurses was 31.23 years, with ages ranging from 21 to 59years. The data analysis was conducted using IBM's SPSS 24.0 software package and the Process Macro 4.0 plug-in. Research ethics approval was obtained from the researcher's university. Physician-nurse collaboration is positively associated with practice behaviors and professional autonomy. Nurses' professional autonomy in practice behaviors through physician-nurse collaboration is significant (95% CI [0.043, 0.135]). Our results revealed the relationships among physician‒nurse collaboration, professional autonomy, and practice behaviors among nurses. Our results provide evidence on the underlying factors of nurses' practice behaviors in patient care and guide the development of an intervention program to enhance this collaboration. Hospital managers can contribute to a collaborative physician‒nurse working environment.

Impact of Compensation Strategies on Employees Satisfaction Case Study in the A. S. XYZ Organization

Purpose: The objective of this study is to investigate the impact of compensation on employee loyalty and performance, through job satisfaction as mediator at A. S. XYZ. Methodology: The research population comprised all the employees of A. S. XYZ. Simple random sampling, which is a probability sampling method, was adopted to include members of the population at random, leading to a total sample size of 327 people. Data analysis derived from the results of questionnaire responses in Google Forms and data extracted from A. S. XYZ was conducted. The questions were tested using Cronbach’s alpha and face validity tests in order to assess the reliability and validity of the research instrument. Findings: The findings indicated that compensation and job satisfaction had a positive and direct effect on employee loyalty and performance. Also, the study revealed that job satisfaction serves as a partial mediator between compensation and employee loyalty and performance, implying that compensation can influence employee loyalty and performance directly or indirectly through the mediating capacity of job satisfaction. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: This research adds to the body of literature by affirming the theoretical implications of prior research and providing recommendations for A. S. XYZ to improve its compensation methods and meet employees’ needs. The findings stress on the fact that the payment systems should be constantly monitored and adjusted in the context of other factors influencing employee satisfaction like career development and work environment as well. This research highlights the importance of open communication between supervisors and workers that help in recognizing and resolving the problems quickly. Further, the research suggests that organizations should apply a holistic method of employee satisfaction rather than depending only on compensation matters. The outcomes of this research are relevant for theory, practice, and policy. Theoretically, the research supports and develops the current frameworks on the link between compensation, job satisfaction, employee loyalty, and performance. In practical terms, the research gives implementable recommendations for A. S. XYZ and other organizations to align their compensation policies and create a content, loyal and productive workforce. Policy wise, the study emphasizes the importance of organizations developing holistic employee satisfaction policies that extend beyond financial rewards to encompass additional aspects such as career development and work environment. Additional research could study other variables that contribute to employee satisfaction and recommend techniques on how to sustain high levels of satisfaction for extended periods using a mixed method approach. An alternative methodology entails both qualitative and quantitative methods.

Analisis Manajemen Pengangkutan TBS di PT. Serba Huta Jaya Desa Sumber Mulyo, Kecamatan Marbau, Kabupaten Labuhanbatu Utara, Sumatera Utara

This research aims to determine the management of transporting fresh palm fruit bunches (FFB) at PT. Serba Huta Jaya, analyzed the performance of transporting FFB from the harvesting site (TPH) to the palm oil mill (PKS), analyzing the obstacles in transporting FFB from TPH to PKS. The research method used in this research is mixed methods. According to Sugiyono (2015), mixed research methods are a research method between quantitative methods and qualitative methods to be used together in a research activity, so that more comprehensive, valid, reliable and objective data is obtained. The sample in this study was 10 FFB transport drivers and 20 loading and unloading workers. The results of this research indicate that FFB transportation management at PT. Serba Huta Jaya is still not doing well because there are frequent delays in FFB deliveries resulting in fruit being left on the trucks. There are several things that must be considered, namely road access for transporting FFB, the speed of harvest employees in cutting fruit, and damage to trucks in the field. The average performance of transporting FFB from TPH to PKS is 2.08 tonnes/hour and the average cost for one transport is Rp. 62.96/kg. The obstacles faced when transporting fruit from TPH to PKS were that the roads were still damaged at several points and the trucks were damaged while in the field.