Shaqra University Research Articles

Assessment of knowledge and attitude on stem cell research and therapy among faculty members and students in the medical field at Shaqra University

Assessment of knowledge and attitude on stem cell research and therapy among faculty members and students in the medical field at Shaqra University

Prevalence of Electronic Cigarette Smoking Among Students of Shaqra University, Saudi Arabia.

Background Electronic cigarettes are devices that use a flavored nicotine solution instead of burning tobacco leaves. Since their emergence, e-cigarettes have gained popularity in Saudi Arabia, particularly among young adults. Recently, many non-smoking youths have begun to use e-cigarettes as an alternative social behavior. Recent studies have confirmed that e-cigarettes have harmful effects on the respiratory system. Approximately 48.5 million Europeans have used an e-cigarette at least oncewhile 7.5 million Europeans currently use e-cigarettes. This study aims to assess the prevalence of e-cigarette use and possible addictiveness among Shaqra University students. Methodology This is a cross-sectional studyconducted at Shaqra University in 2021. A total of 290 students (18 years old and older) from Shaqra University were included in our study. The subjects were selected through simple random sampling. A self-administered online questionnaire related to e-cigarettes was used. Results Completed questionnaires were obtained from 290 students (average age of 20.2 ± 1.8 years). A total of 58 (20.1%) of the respondents were e-cigarette users. The obtained results showed that the mean age of e-cigarette smokers was 20.5 years, e-cigaretteusage significantly differed between age groups (p < 0.001), and the highest prevalence of e-cigarette smoking was in Shaqra Governorate (i.e., 13.1%). Conclusion It's vital to acknowledge that the capacity for addiction to e-cigarettes is comparable to traditional smoking and other nicotine-containing items. It's essential to consistently observe students and smokers to better understand the effects of vaping patterns on this specific group.

The Translational Force of Words: The Journey of “Come” and “Go” into Arabic

This study delves into the translational challenges Arabic translators face in preserving the dynamism and multifaceted meanings of ‘come’ and ‘go’ phrasal verbs during translation using machine tools. Though existing literature has focused on linguistic and cultural equivalence, the ‘translational force’ of specific words is still under-researched. The aim of this study is to verify the accuracy of the output across tools, and to conclude how effective these applications were in the given language pair. The study adopts a mixed methods approach with a survey used to identify the most frequently used machine tools for translation by 27 learners of Translation Studies at Shaqra University, Saudi Arabia. Thereafter, a set of frequently used phrasal verbs in English that use the root verbs ‘come’ and ‘go’ were translated by a convenience sample of 27 final year students of translation as well as by using the popular and free translation tools in the English-Arabic language pair. Results indicated that Saudi students enrolled in translation studies used MateCAT, Google Translate, Reverso to a limited extent, but relied more on online dictionaries for translation to and from English. In addition to this, translation of English phrasal verbs was found to be most accurate in MateCat and there too, accuracy in back translation was found to be more accurate in the case of the phrasal verbs formed with ‘come’ at the root than with ‘go’ verb. Finally, it was found that the translation students preferred ‘soft tools’ like English movies for learning, recall, and use of English phrasal verbs in practice. This study is expected to provide a deeper understanding of the concept of "translational force" and its implications for translating dynamic words in the English-Arabic language pair in the realm of machine-based translation tools.

Saudi Phatic Communication in Translation: A Cultural and Linguistic Perspective

Adopting a functional approach to translation, this study dives deep into phatic communion expressions, categorizing them in relation to their direct translations in English and identifying culturally equivalent phrases in manual and machine translation. With a newly developed corpus of 157 Saudi Arabic phatic expressions, the study classifies them into eight categories, viz., greetings and rituals, politeness, inquiries about well-being, blessings and good wishes, small talk, acknowledgement and agreement, farewells and departure, and expressions of gratitude and appreciation. The corpus is created from five Arabic language films classified as popular choices on Netflix. The corpus is then translated by 21 final year English Language program students at Shaqra University, KSA, and by Google Translate (GT). Findings show that most frequently phatic expressions are used to express polite and warm introductions, maintaining courteous communication, and for cultural and religious dimensions. Findings also indicate that the Saudi students demonstrated a high degree of communicative translation of the Arabic phatic expressions into English whereas GT output was off the mark and even irrelevant in many instances, making a case for discouraging the use of GT in Saudi translation studies classrooms. The study concludes with pertinent recommendations offering insights that can be useful in fostering understanding and cultural sensitivity among non-Saudis interacting with Saudi individuals, making this study crucial for those in the fields of translation, intercultural communication, and linguistics.

EFL Instructors&amp;#039; Self-efficacy as Predictor of Students&amp;#039; Learning Outcomes: An Exploratory Study at Shaqra University

EFL Instructors&amp;#039; Self-efficacy as Predictor of Students&amp;#039; Learning Outcomes: An Exploratory Study at Shaqra University

Green Synthesis, Characterization, and Antileishmanial Activity of the Silver Nanoparticles Alone and Along with Meglumine Antimoniate against Leishmania major Infection.

The most commonly available drugs for leishmaniasis are pentavalent antimony compounds; whereas the recent studies showed various complications and limitations of these drugs. We aimed to green synthesized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and study the promising antileishmanial and synergic effects of green synthesized silver nanoparticles alone and combined with glucantime. The precipitation technique was used to drop silver ions via an extract of Astragalus spinosus to AgNPs at Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science and Humanities, Shaqra University, Saudi Arabia in 2022. Then, its anti-amastigotes, caspase-3-like activity, triggering the nitric oxide (NO) as well as its cytotoxicity effects on macrophage cells as well as effects on leishmaniasis in BALB/c mice infected by L. major were measured. The size of the AgNPs were ranging from 30-40 nm. The IC50 value for AgNPs, AgNPs+ meglumine antimoniate (MA), and MA was 59.3, 18.6, and 51.2 μg/mL, respectively. The determined FIC value for AgNPs and MA was found to be 0.31 and 0.36, respectively; demonstrating the synergistic potency of AgNPs when combined with MA. The diameter of CL lesions treated with various doses of AgNPs and AgNPs+MA notably (p<0.001) decreased. AgNPs, particularly at the concentrations of ½ IC50 and IC50, considerably triggered the caspase-3 activation. The calculated CC50 of AgNPs and MA was 612.5 and 789.8 μg/mL, respectively. Green synthesized AgNPs, especially in combination with MA had synergic antileishmanial effects and displayed a promising drug candidate for treating L. major CL. We found satisfactory findings in the parasite reduction in both in vitro and animal models. Still, more studies are expected to explain the precise action mechanisms of AgNPs and their efficacy in humans.

The Mechanisms of Applying Open Book ‎Management Approach at Shaqra University ‎in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

The study aimed to identify the reality of applying the open-‎book management approach at Shaqra University, determine ‎whether there are statistically significant differences for ‎variables (gender-type of work); and define the difficulties of ‎applying the open-book management approach at Shaqra ‎University to develop proposed mechanisms for applying the ‎open-book management approach based on the results of the ‎study. The researcher used the descriptive survey approach and ‎the questionnaire as the tool for data collection. The study ‎population included the college's deans and deputies of the ‎university who are (51). The study mainly revealed the ‎following results: the reality of applying the open-book ‎management approach at Shaqra University is moderate as ‎follows (education and training - organizational environment - ‎support and motivation), and there are no statistically significant ‎differences in the gender and type of work.. The most ‎prominent difficulties limiting the application of the open-book ‎management approach at Shaqra University are: bureaucracy in ‎work performance and the ambiguity of the criteria for ‎nominating leadership selection. In addition, the study ‎concluded with the development of the most important ‎measures that help to apply the open-book management ‎approach at Shaqra University, including creating a favorable ‎environment for spreading out the open-book management ‎approach and empowering employees by delegating greater ‎powers to the middle and lower levels according to the abilities ‎and skills of workers.‎ ‎(Keywords: Application Mechanisms, Open-book ‎Management, Shaqra University)‎

Ideational Metaphor in Saudi EFL Students’ Academic Writing: A Systemic-Functional Linguistic Analysis

Over the past decade, there has been an upsurge in studies on the quality of EFL students' English academic writing. However, research on grammatical metaphors in academic writing by EFL students is limited. As such, the purpose of this research is to identify the occurrences of ideational metaphors in students' academic writing essays. In this research, the qualitative descriptive approach was applied. This study included 20 undergraduate students from the English Language and Literature Department at the College of Science and Humanities in Shaqra University, Saudi Arabia, Essay Writing course in the fourth level. Students were to write 350-word essay on the subject of "Learning Difficulties During the Coronavirus Pandemic". The data corpus for the study totals 8,482 words. According to the findings, the students' essays include 408 sentences that comprise the ideational metaphor. It is considered insignificant in contrast to the corpus's full data set of 8,482 words. The occurrence of ideational metaphors is dominated by material processes, followed by mental processes, relational processes, behavioral processes, and existential processes. This conclusion shows that EFL students' essay structures are unlikely to have a high number of good grammatical metaphor clauses. For EFL students, lecturers, teachers, and other educational professionals involved in instructing English academic writing, this study has pedagogical implications; it sheds light on how grammatical metaphors in writing texts can serve as a stand-in for the caliber of writing used in academic and scientific literature.

Cross-cultural Adaptation and Psychometric Properties of the Arabic Version of the Academic Nurse Self-Efficacy Scale

Background: Students’ academic self-efficacy is greatly associated with their academic performance. An effective instrument is needed to assess academic self-efficacy in the Saudi context. This study assessed the psychometric properties of the Academic Nurse Self-Efficacy Scale-Arabic version (ANSE-A) given to student nurses and the associations between the students’ demographics and overall ANSE-A scores. Methods: Quantitative and descriptive methods were applied. The study was conducted from January to July 2022 at Shaqra University with 200 nursing students as the convenience sample. For content validity, the item-level content and scale-level content validity indices were utilized following the averaging method. We used Cronbach’s alpha (α) to measure the reliability. Meanwhile, for construct validity, we performed an analysis of the principal component with varimax rotation and applied a t-test and ANOVA for the tests of the association of variables. Results: Four distinct factors were revealed in the factor analysis, and they explained 64.86% of the variance. The 14-item ANSE-A’s overall Cronbach’s alpha was 0.87, with four factors ranging from 0.74 to 0.76. The academic self-efficacy of the students was found to be associated with their gender and GPA. A weak positive correlation existed between the students’ GPA and academic self-efficacy (r = 0.17, p = 0.017). Conclusions: The ANSE-A is a valid and reliable instrument that can be utilized to assess the academic self-efficacy of student nurses in Saudi Arabia. The results of the assessment may be used to help boost nursing students’ achievement and emotional health and serve as a valid predictor of motivation and learning.

Influence of student nurses’ perceived caring behavior of their instructors on their psychological well-being: a cross-sectional study

Aim This study aimed to understand the influence of clinical instructors’ caring behavior on the psychological well-being of student nurses. Design This study survey used the quantitative cross-sectional research design. Method The sample comprised 405 Saudi nursing students studying at Shaqra University. The study used two instruments: the ”Nursing Students’ Perceptions of Instructor Caring” and the ”Student Well-being Process Questionnaire.” Convenience sampling was used to collect data from November 2021 to February 2022 Result The students’ perceived Instructor caring was high. The psychological well-being of students was high. There were significant variations in the students’ perceived Instructor’s caring in terms of year level. A very weak positive correlation existed between the student nurses’ rank in their families and their perceived Instructor’s caring. Furthermore, gender, year level, family structure, and the Instructor’s caring subscales “supportive learning climate,” ”appreciation of life’s meaning,” and ”control versus flexibility” were significant predictors of the student’s psychological well-being. Conclusion The study’s results support studies that nursing students’ psychological well-being is influenced by their gender, family structure, year level, and perceived Instructor’s caring behavior

Barriers to conducting and publishing research among nursingfaculty members at Shaqra University, Saudi Arabia: Aqualitative study.

To identify barriers to conducting and publishing research among nursing faculty members at Shaqra University, Saudi Arabia. A qualitative descriptive design was used. This qualitative descriptive study was conducted on 12 nursing faculty members from two nursing colleges at Shaqra University, a public university located in Riyadh region, SA, under the supervision of the Ministry of Education. Data were collected between September and October 2021 using semi-structured interviews and analysed thematically using content analysis. Three themes emerged in the study, namely (I) individual/personal barrier, (II) institutional barrier and (III) external factors. Barriers to conducting and publishing research included lack of time due to a high teaching load and lack of administrative and financial support. The present findings suggest that nursing faculty members in SA are facing many barriers hindering them from carrying out and publishing research activities. Such barriers need to be urgently addressed through different strategies, including allocating facilities and funds for research, motivating faculty members towards research, and ongoing education and training on research.

Quality of life of higher education students with disabilities at Shaqra University

Saudi Arabia, through its Vision 2030, seeks to enhance the Quality of Life (QoL) of all individuals who live there. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the of QoL of students with disabilities in a Saudi university (Shaqra University) as a case study. Although this study was conducted in one university, many students with disabilities around the world are facing the same systematic practices in many universities (Carballo et al., 2021; Khayatzadeh-Mahani et al., 2020). Therefore, this study used qualitative research by interviewing all students with disabilities who are registered at the university for the academic year 2022–2023. In addition to these 11 students with disabilities, 2 senior university administrators who have a direct relationship with the services provided to these students were also interviewed. The overall outcomes confirm that the QoL for these students is very low due to multiple factors that were discussed in detail.

Face Mask Use and Social Distancing Attitude of Healthcare Students: A Multi-Disciplinary Study.

This multi-disciplinary, cross-sectional, and descriptive study investigated health care students' face mask use knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) and social distancing attitudes. The study was carried out from October to December 2021 and surveyed 543 health care students selected via convenience sampling from the three Shaqra University campuses in Saudi Arabia. Standard multiple linear regressions were conducted on face mask use KAP and social distancing attitude to identify their significant associated factors. The students in this study had poor knowledge and a neutral attitude towards and modest use practices of face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic. Being female, being a nursing student, and having greater self-reported COVID-19-prevention knowledge were related to higher levels of face mask use knowledge. Having higher face mask use knowledge was linked to better attitude and practice. Knowledge of COVID-19 and its prevention and decreased COVID-19 risk perception were associated with better face mask use practices. The students had more positive than negative attitudes toward social distancing. Having known someone who was infected by the virus, lower risk perception, and better face mask use practices were associated with more positive social distancing attitudes. The findings imply the need to ensure that future health care practitioners are knowledgeable, have a positive attitude and good practices concerning face mask use, and have positive attitudes toward social distancing. The study implications are relevant for health care education in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere.

The Role of Blended Learning on Moderating Self-Motivation to Mitigate Foreign Language Anxiety among EFL Students

The purpose of this study is twofold: (1) it looks at how much foreign language anxiety and self-motivation there are among EFL students, and (2) to determine if learning preferences interact with self-motivation to lessen FLA, i.e., moderate this relationship. To do this, 232 EFL students from the 2020–2021 academic year were randomly chosen to participate in a survey method at three universities in central Saudi Arabia: Qassim University, Majmaah University, and Shaqra University. SPSS was used for descriptive analysis, where Macro Process Hayes Plug-In was used for the moderated regression analysis. The findings showed a moderate level of internal and extrinsic goal orientation, control over learning beliefs, self-efficacy, task value, social engagement, instructor support, as well as anxiety related to learning a foreign language. Additionally, it was determined that participant demographic factors had no statistically significant impact on any of the distinct dimensions of self-motivation or anxiety related to learning a foreign language. More significantly, blended learning was found to have a greater negative impact on foreign language classroom anxiety than face-to-face learning and e-learning, indicating that it has a greater impact on increasing self-motivation to lessen classroom anxiety.

EFL Instructors’ and Students’ Perceptions of Online Writing Instruction During the COVID-19 Pandemic

This study identifies the benefits, difficulties, challenges, and prospects of using Moodle in writing classrooms among Saudi EFL tertiary students at Shaqra University. A sample of EFL instructors and students responded to a questionnaire of 29 five-point Likert Scale statements and 4 open-ended questions. The instructors and students viewed Moodle as an empowering tool in online writing. Moodle provided the students with feasible, accessible, and timely peer/group feedback. It created a flexible, comfortable, and student-centered learning atmosphere where the instructors and students were active in the online classroom. It also ensured interactive, smooth, and instant e-collaboration in online writing. Technical problems and Internet disconnection were the main obstacles hindering the students from sufficient interaction with their instructors and other students.

An extended DeLone and McLean's model to determine the success factors of e-learning platform.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all Saudi universities have adopted e-learning systems to ensure that educational activities continue. Shaqra University adopted a platform called the Shaqra University e-learning platform. This study aimed to identify the factors contributing to the success of that platform in Shaqra University, based on students’ responses. This research has proposed an extension of well-known DeLone and McLean’s Information Systems Success (D&M ISS) model to check and validate the success factors of the Shaqra University platform. The questionnaire was adopted in this study to collect data from students currently enrolled at Shaqra University. One thousand online links to the questionnaire were randomly distributed among current students enrolled in Shaqra University. The results revealed that the instrument adopted in this study was valid and reliable. Also, the results showed that the model was a good fit for the Saudi context. The proposed factors of instructor’s quality, learner quality, and perceived usefulness positively impacted the e-learning platform. On the other hand, the factors information quality, system quality and service quality had no positive impact on the use of the e-learning platform.

Problematic social media use and associated consequences on academic performance decrement during Covid-19

Based on the Stressor-Strain-Outcome (SSO) model, this study investigates the mechanism by which problematic social media use (PSMU) influences academic performance decrement via two psychological factors namely, technostress and exhaustion. It also identifies the social media usage characteristics of undergraduate students in Saudi Arabia during Covid-19. An online questionnaire was distributed to undergraduate social media users from Shaqra University. Analysis of the 312 responses shows that PSMU is a significant stressor affecting both technostress and exhaustion and thus reducing academic performance. Moreover, both are important mediators in the link between PSMU and decline in academic performance. WhatsApp, Snapchat, Twitter and Instagram are the most popular social media networks used by the undergraduates while Facebook and Skype are the least preferred. Roughly one-third (31.41%) of the students spend more than six hours a day on social media. The findings will help educators and other stakeholders to design appropriate interventions and strategies to minimize the unfavourable effects of social media in academia.

The Effect of Inquiry-Based Learning Strategy on Developing Saudi Students’ Meta-Cognitive Reading Comprehension Skills

The main aim of the present study is to develop first year university students&amp;#39; meta-cognitive reading comprehension using inquiry-based learning strategy. Subjects of the study were 106 (53 males, 53 females) first year university students enrolled in two classrooms at colleges representing urban and sub-urban areas in Shaqra University. The present study adopted a quasi-experimental design with one-group. The results of present study showed that first year university students should have the following reading comprehension skills: guessing, description, analyzing and identifying the main idea. Accordingly, the suggested strategy was designed and used to develop these identified meta-cognitive reading comprehension skills. A reading comprehension test, based on the identified skills, was designed and used as a pretest and posttest. Findings of the present study showed that there were statistical differences between the students&amp;rsquo; mean score on the pretest and posttest in favor of the posttest, and there were statistical differences between the students&amp;rsquo; mean score on the posttest at the level of .05. This can be attributed to the effectiveness of using the inquiry-based learning strategy in developing students&amp;#39; meta-cognitive reading comprehension skills at the university stage.

Impact of online learning on medical and non-medical students during COVID-19 pandemic in Shaqra University Saudi Arabia: A comparative study

Impact of online learning on medical and non-medical students during COVID-19 pandemic in Shaqra University Saudi Arabia: A comparative study

المشكلات التي تواجه الطالبات في أقسام الطُّفولة المبكِّرة بجامعة شقراء وعلاقتها بمستوى الأداء الأكاديمي لديهنَّ

The research attempts to identify the problems facing female students in early childhood departments at Shaqra University and their relationship to their academic performance. To answer the research questions, the researcher adopted the descriptive survey approach, and the questionnaire as a research instrument. The research population consisted of all the female students studying in the early childhood departments at Shaqra University amounting (1270) students. The research was conducted on a random sample of (300) female students and the researcher used the questionnaire as a research instrument. The outcomes indicated that there is medium-level agreement among the female students on the problems facing female students in early childhood departments at Shaqra University which affect their academic performance, where economic and social problems come in the first place, followed by psychological problems, and finally, academic problems came as the least problems facing female students in early childhood departments. The most important recommendations proposed by the research include:Reduce the academic requirements for each course and only adopt assignments that develop the student's ability to give and experiment, and enhance the curriculums in self-directed ways that facilitate understanding,Arrange with libraries to provide the required references and books for the courses in an amount that suits the female students’ economic level, Reduce the psychological pressure resulting from the balance between theoretical and practical subjects on the female student by providing her with proposals and mechanisms that help to prepare her psychologically for balancing between the subjects with the participation of the Academic and Social Counseling Unit in the colleges