Dimensions Of Skills Research Articles

Effect of an Analogy-Based Approach of Artificial Intelligence Pedagogy in Upper Primary Schools

Artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a prominent topic in K-12 education recently. However, pedagogical design has remained a major challenge, especially among young learners. Guided by the Zone of Proximal Development theory and AI education research literature, this design-based study proposes an analogy-based pedagogical approach to support AI teaching and learning in upper primary education. This pedagogical approach is centered on human–AI comparison, where humans are gradually shifted from an analogue to a contrast to make visible the attributes, mechanisms, and processes of AI. To evaluate its effectiveness, a quasi-experimental study with mixed methods was conducted. The quantitative comparison shows that the participants in the experimental group learning with the analogy-based pedagogical approach significantly outperformed their peers with the conventional direct instructional approach in all three dimensions of AI knowledge, skills, and ethical awareness. Qualitative analyses further reveal its pedagogical benefits, including demystifying AI through relatable and engaging learning, supporting student comprehension and skill mastery, and nurturing critical thinking and attitudes. The analogy-based approach contributes to the field of K-12 AI education with an age-appropriate, child-friendly pedagogical approach. Notably, AI education should prioritize teaching for student understanding, and AI should be recognized as an independent subject with interdisciplinary applications.

Validation of item pool for early adolescents’ emotional skills assessment in music therapy

ABSTRACT Introduction Evaluating the validity of the content is an essential step in developing an assessment tool, including an analysis of the quality of the items within the tool. This study describes the content validation of items in the early adolescents’ emotional skills assessment tool in a music therapy context. Methods Content validity was evaluated based on relevance scores provided by two expert panels. Psychometric scores were obtained by calculating item-specific content validity index (I-CVI), scale-specific content validity index (S-CVI) and modified kappa score. In addition, the coverage and understandability of the items were evaluated. Results The validation process identified 60 valid items distributed across six components of emotional skills: expressing, monitoring, identifying, understanding, regulating and the ability to use emotional information. Item I-CVI scores ranged from 0.80 to 1.00, the scale content validity index (S-CVI) was 0.95, the modified kappa score ranged from 0.65 to 1.00, item coverage at scale level was 1.00, and item understandability was 0.92. Discussion The items developed in the study have high validity and are scientifically grounded. The items can be a first step towards a validated assessment tool to evaluate emotional skills in early adolescents. The added value of this study is that the set of items developed is the first to cover all the components of emotional skills identified in the literature. Therefore, music therapists can use the items to observe in more detail the different dimensions of emotional skills in early adolescents.

Biti medijski pismen u Hrvatskoj

This paper combines social practice theory, new literacy studies, and critical media literacy. Media literacy allows citizens to participate in society through traditional and digital media. Using existing survey instruments such as the News Literacy Scale and the Internet Skills Survey with originally developed items, we observe media literacy as a social practice encompassing the dimensions of critical thinking, content production, and technical skills. The three dimensions were further operationalised into additive scales of the Critical perception of traditional news media (CPTNMS), Critical perception of digital tools (CPODTS), Media and social justice issues (MSJIS), Content production (CPSS), and Internet information search skills (IISSS). The results from a stratified survey conducted on a sample of adult Croatian citizens (n=1033), representative of gender, age, region, and education, show that age is the main predictor for all scales. The relation between scales shows a positive correlation between CPTNMS, CPODTS, and MSJIS. At the same time, CPTNMS, CPODTS, and MSJIS correlate negatively with the IISS. Those less skilled in internet search are less critical of traditional media and digital tools and are less convinced that media should cover social justice issues. Additionally, being more skilled in content production does not imply any other attitudinal relationship except for a negative association with the lack of IISSS. This paper contributes to the operationalisation of media literacy for sociological research and a better understanding of media literacy in the general population of Croatia.

Effects of music therapy on social skills of educable children with intellectual disability

Music therapy and other music-based interventions are employed extensively in clinical treatments for children worldwide. This quasi-experimental research adopted a pretest-posttest control group design to analyze the effects of music therapy on the social skills of educable children with intellectual disability (ID). The statistical population included all female elementary students of special needs schools in Shiraz, Fars Province (Iran) in the academic year 2022–2023. The random sampling method was employed to select 80 students as the sample. They were then randomly assigned to a test group and a control group (n= 40 per group). The research data were collected using the Social Skills Rating System (SSRS)–Teacher Version (Gresham & Elliott) 15. The statistical analysis of data was performed using the analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) and the multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) in SPSS 26. The research questionnaire was completed as the pretest by all participants in both groups before the intervention. Then participants in the test group attended a 12-session music therapy intervention program, whereas those in the control group received no intervention. At the end of the intervention, all participants once again filled out the research questionnaire as the posttest. The pretest and posttest data were statistically analyzed using ANCOVA and MANCOVA in SPSS 26. According to the results, music therapy improved the social skills of educable children with ID. Analyzing the dimensions of social skills indicated that the greatest effect of music therapy on social skills was related to “cooperation”, whereas the smallest effects were left on “self-control” and “assertion”. In conclusion, music therapy is a group intervention that can positively affect social skills. Therefore, special needs schools are recommended to benefit from the potential of music therapy in specialized and clinical training interventions for children with ID.

Human Resource Development in Birth Certificate Making Services at The Service of Population and Civil Registration of Kuningan District

Human Resource Development is any effort to improve the implementation of current and future work, by providing information, influencing attitudes, or adding skills, in other words, development is any activity intended to change behavior consisting of knowledge, skills, and attitudes. One of the objectives of human resource development according to Hasibuan is to improve services. The focus of the research conducted by the author is on the service of making birth certificates. The method used is a qualitative research method which is a method for exploring and understanding the meaning that a number of individuals or groups of people ascribe to problems. The informant retrieval technique uses Purposive Sampling which is a sampling technique with certain considerations. This technique includes people who are selected on the basis of certain criteria that are considered capable of providing information in accordance with the focus of the research. The results of this study are based on the dimensions of the research that in terms of knowledge it is still said to be not optimal due to formal education that does not meet the criteria and also lack of participation in non-formal education. For the skill dimension, it is also still not optimal because there is no special training on making birth certificates. However, the attitude and behavior dimensions are optimal. The factors that become obstacles are the rapid development of technology and the lack of discipline of employees. In addition, the efforts made are to carry out direction, supervision, and as well as sharing knowledge between fellow employees

Teacher quality and cross-country differences in learning in francophone Sub-Saharan Africa

We study the effects of two dimensions of teacher quality, subject knowledge and didactic skills, on student learning in francophone Sub-Saharan Africa. We use data from an international large-scale assessment in 14 countries that include individual-level information on student achievement and country-level averages of teacher subject knowledge and teacher didactic skills in reading and math. Exploiting variation between subjects in a student fixed-effects model, we find that teacher subject knowledge has a large positive effect on student achievement, whereas the effect of teacher didactic skills is comparatively small but imprecisely estimated. Differences in teacher subject knowledge account for 37 percent of the variation in average student achievement across countries.

Analyzing, Prioritizing, and Presenting the Model of Core Competencies of Education Managers

Background: Today, with the advancement of science and technology, societies are becoming more complex and specialized. Therefore, knowledge should be considered the foundation of the development and social welfare of countries.
 Objectives: The present study aimed to examine the role of three managerial skills in designing the competence model of education managers of Islamic Azad Universities in Khorasan Razavi.
 Methods: This research is applied in terms of purpose and exploratory mix (qualitative-quantitative) in terms of method. The measurement instrument in the qualitative part was a semi-structured interview, and in the quantitative part, it consisted of a researcher-made questionnaire. The statistical population included 951 employees of the Islamic Azad University of Razavi Khorasan, of which 274 were randomly selected. For data analysis, the Delphi technique was employed in the qualitative part, and the structural equation modeling method of SPSS22 and AMOS26 software was used in the quantitative part.
 Results: It was found that 75% of managers’ competence depends on the dimensions of managerial skills (technical, human, perceptual). These dimensions can explain and predict the competence of education managers, including individual characteristics, organizational factors, entrepreneurial competence, business competence, leadership, decision-making, and cooperation.
 Conclusions: According to the results of this study, it is required to develop a long-term and operational strategic roadmap and program with a paradigmatic approach and a local and regional view.

Cultural Comparison of University Students in Entrepreneurial Intentions, Creativity, And Emotional Intelligence: An Example of USA and Turkey

This quantitative study aimed to provide a comparison between graduate students in Turkey and the United States of America (USA) in terms of levels of entrepreneurial intentions, creativity, and emotional intelligence. Within this context, we surveyed 799 students in two different universities in Turkey and the USA. In analyzing the data, we completed a confirmatory factor analysis to obtain structural validity followed by comparative tests. The results demonstrated that the students in the US university had higher levels in emotional intelligence dimensions of problem-solving skills, emotional awareness, and interpersonal relations as well as creativity when compared with the students in Turkey. On the other hand, the students in Turkey showed higher levels of self-control, emotional intelligence, and entrepreneurial intentions. The results were discussed within a cultural context and recommendations are provided accordingly.

Systems-thinking skills preferences evaluation model of practitioners using hybrid weight determination and extended VIKOR model under COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in changes in the working environment which shifted the type of systems thinking skills needed for practitioners. These changes include the utilization of a digitalized work environment. To reliably assess practitioners' systems thinking (ST) skills/abilities in a digitalized environment, such as the case of COVID-19, we propose an evaluation approach based on the hybrid weight determination and extended VIKOR model to assess the systems skills of practitioners concerning 7-dimensions of systems thinking. The proposed methodology consists of three phases: the first phase uses a rough set theory to process the assessment data of candidates' systems thinking skills, the ideal interval references of seven systems thinking skills criteria (7-dimension) of practitioners required by an organization is extracted. The second phase is to build a comprehensive weight solution model based on BWM (best-worst method) and entropy weight method (EWM) and analyze the employer's needs under each systems thinking skills dimension. The third phase is to build a new group utility index based on the weight and digital reference and form an extended Vlsekriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje (E-VIKOR) model to complete the prioritization of practitioners' systems thinking skillset. A case study containing 108 practitioners is conducted to verify the effectiveness of the proposed decision-making model and carry out sensitivity analysis and methods comparison. The results show that the proposed model provides more reliable and robust results for selecting the most appropriate practitioner for the required digitalized job requirements.

Scratch and Computational Thinking in Elementary School: A Meta-analysis

Computational thinking has become a fundamental skill that all students must possess. Learning to program with Scratch is considered the most effective way to improve students’ computational thinking skills. Many studies prove its effectiveness in learning in elementary schools. However, no study discusses the systematic aggregation of the results of these studies, especially in the context of learning programming in elementary schools. Therefore, this meta-analysis aims to calculate the cumulative effect of twenty-two data sets obtained from fourteen relevant quantitative research results. The data collection procedure was carried out using PRISMA and analyzed using the JASP statistical test software. The calculation of effect size shows that the use of Scratch has significant effects on the computational thinking skills of elementary school students, both as a whole and in each of its dimensions. The dimensions of computational thinking skills that are most affected are computational concepts and practices. Differences also influence these skills in student age, where students aged 9-12 years are most affected by the use of Scratch in learning. However, it was not found that there was a significant effect of differences in the duration of learning programming using Scratch on computational thinking skills in all dimensions.

Relationships Among Reading Interest, Reading Self-Efficacy, And Reading Competency In The Junior High School

The objective of this study was to describe and relate the students’ reading interest, reading self-efficacy to the students reading competency in the Junior High School in Singaraja. This study applied quantitative research. There were 94 students as samples by using cluster quota sampling. The data were collected through a reading interest scale, a reading self-efficacy scale, and an objective reading competency test. The obtained data were analyzed descriptively and inferentially. The descriptive analysis consisted of central tendency measures and dispersion. While inferential analysis, the data were analyzed using pair-wise correlation and multiple correlation technique. The findings show that: 1) the students’ reading interest, reading self-efficacy, and reading competency on high-order-items proven to be at the moderate levels; 2) the relations pair-wisely between the students’ reading interest and reading self-efficacy, students’ reading interest and reading competency, the students’ reading self-efficacy and reading competency on high-order-items are positively and significantly correlated; and 3) the simultaneous relationships of the reading interest and reading self-efficacy to the students’ reading competency is proven to be significant. In order to develop high students’ reading interest, reading self-efficacy, and reading competency, the school and EFL teachers should provide literacy programs in reading. Previous researches show that literacy-rich environments tend to be effective ways to support the development of literacy in reading by sharing book readings. The EFL students should be trained millennial reading strategy, emphasizing the four skill dimensions, namely critical thinking skill in reading, creative effort in reading processes, collaborative endeavors in working on high-order-items, communicative skills in working out the reading indicators.

Understanding suicide: Do social support and problem-solving skills really matter?

Purpose: Suicide is a significant public health problem on a global scale. The role of social support and problem-solving skills in suicide needs to be addressed together and comprehensively. In this study, how the perception of social support and all dimensions of problem-solving skills affect suicidal behavior in individuals with suicidal ideation or intention was evaluted.
 Methods and Materials: A total of 150 individuals including 75 individuals who had attempted suicide and 75 individuals who had not attempted suicide were evaluated. Sociodemographic Data Form, Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders (SCID-I), Beck Anxiety Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory, Problem Solving Inventory (PSI), Multidimensional Perceived Social Support Scale (MPSSS) and Suicide Intent Scale (SIS) were administered to participants.
 Results: The anxiety and depression scores of the suicide attempt group (SAG) were found to be higher compared to the no suicide attempt group. The total and subscale scores of the MPSSS were lower in the SAG group compared to the no suicide attempt group. Also, the SAG group felt significantly more inadequate in problem-solving compared to the non-attempters. The PSI-Approach-Avoidance scores were statistically significantly higher in individuals under 30 years of age. 
 Conclusion: When suicide remains an important public health issue worldwide, identifying and modifying suicide ideation, intention, attempt, or completed suicide risk factors is crucial in suicide prevention efforts. In suicide prevention, the individual's relationships with their family, friends, and individuals with whom they share emotional connections should be taken into account. Increasing perceived social support and improving problem-solving skills should be included in suicide intervention programs.

The influence of the pillars of digital academic entrepreneurship on university students’ entrepreneurial intention

PurposeThis study aims to analyse the influence of the pillars (hard and soft skills) of digital academic entrepreneurship on students' entrepreneurial intention.Design/methodology/approachThis was done by adopting a quantitative methodology involving empirical research with a sample of 761 university students from two countries and adopting structural equation analysis to validate the theoretical model proposed.FindingsThe results indicate a direct influence between hard and soft skills and entrepreneurial intention, and a positive, indirect influence between these and entrepreneurial intention mediated by the dimensions of the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) – entrepreneurial attitude, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control. Therefore, the pillars of digital academic entrepreneurship have a direct and indirect influence on university students' entrepreneurial intention.Practical implicationsThis study also contributes to better operationalization of entrepreneurial education in university environments, since the development of hard and soft skills can be planned better based on the model proposed here. Considering the relations between the dimensions of hard and soft skills and those of TPB, this study shows there can be an influence on students' entrepreneurial intention.Originality/valueIn this study, a new and innovative construct is inserted in the model of entrepreneurial intention: “structural pillars of digital academic entrepreneurship” through structural equation modelling, to determine the degree of influence of these pillars (hard and soft skills) constructs on HEI students' entrepreneurial intention.

Investigating Social Factors Affecting Social Health Among Clients Covered by Welfare Organization in Nowshahr City, Iran

Objective Social health, along with physical and mental health, is one of the pillars of health and represents one’s assessment of social life. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the social factors affecting the social health of the clients covered by the Nowshahr Well-being. Materials & Methods The research method in this study was the descriptive follow-up. The research community was formed by female clients 18 to 60 years old under the cover of the Nowshahr Well-being with 3951 people. 350 samples were selected using the Morgan table and simple random sampling method. The data collection tool consisted of two valid keyes social health questionnaires (1) and Babapour et al. (2010). The reliability of the questionnaires was calculated using Cronbach’s alpha method, according to which the coefficient of research variables and its dimensions were more than 0.7 and was evaluated as suitable. For research data analysis, correlation coefficient and regression analysis with SPSS software, version 24 was used. Results According to the findings of the research, there is a positive and significant relationship between all the variables, that is, between the independent variables of the research, which include social integration, social skills, social participation, and social acceptance, with the dependent variable of the research, social health. Using regression, the effect of social integration variables (β=0.137), social skills (β=0.157), social participation (β=0.156), and social acceptance (β=0.120) on social health was determined. The value of the multiple correlation coefficient of the dimensions of social integration, social skills, social participation and social acceptance with the variable of social health and its estimated value under the final regression model is equal to (0.612). The value of the coefficient of multiple determination in the final model was equal to (0.567), which indicates that 57 percent of the changes in social health can be explained by the independent variables included in the model, namely the dimensions of social integration, social skills, social participation, and social acceptance. which indicates the good fit of the model. The estimation of the coefficients of the final regression model shows that the investigated variables are all significant and each of them has different weights. Also, the regression coefficients showed that the variable of social skills (β=0.157) has the greatest impact. Conclusion According to the findings of the research, social integration, social skills, social participation, and social acceptance is an effective factors in promoting social health and feeling good and improving the quality of life and social health of clients covered by Nowshahr welfare department, so with Increasing the level of awareness and social skills of clients will also provide the basis for improving their social health.

Evaluation of pre-service teachers’ digital skills and ICT competencies in context of the demands of the 21st century

21st century has seen the emergence of digital skills as a crucial ability with profound effects on employment, education, and social relationships, among other facets of life. The best talents to teach are the subject of study by those who establish educational policies. The goal of this study is to examine the relationship between information and communication technology competency (ICTC) and digital abilities. It focuses on which of the digital skills sub-dimensions has a greater impact on ICTC and how this impact varies by country, age, and gender. This study employed a quantitative research design to evaluate the association between ICTC and various digital skills. The sample group consisted of 620 university students from Russia and Kazakhstan. Digital skills were measured using a scale adapted for the Russian context, while ICTC scale was first adapted for the Russian context following language validity steps. The study also conducted path analysis to determine the impact of ICTC on digital skill dimensions and multigroup path analysis to assess effects according to different independent variables. The study found that certain dimensions of digital skills, specifically “use of digital tools”, “communication of digital content”, and “creation of digital content”, significantly influence ICTC. However, “management of digital content”, “digital security”, and “digital empathy” dimensions did not show a significant effect. The impact of these dimensions varied significantly across different demographic groups, suggesting that digital skills and ICTC development may differ among these groups. The findings highlight the need for tailored strategies to develop and promote digital skills and ICTC, considering these demographic differences.

PERCEIVED SUPPORT FROM INSTRUCTOR & PEERS AND STUDENTS’ SELF-REGULATED LEARNING DURING TEMPORARY ONLINE PIVOTED LEARNING

The third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic has made every higher education institution in Taiwan implement online learning. Given the circumstance, supporting students in their online self-regulated learning (SRL) became more critical to enabling students’ learning maintenance and learning success. The present study explores the impact of instructor support and peers support on students’ SRL during temporary online pivoted learning. 123 undergraduate and graduate students in Taiwan were surveyed on two scales The Instructor Support and Peers Support Questionnaire and The Self-Regulated Online Learning Questionnaire (SOL-Q). The descriptive results indicated that students had relatively good perceptions of instructor support, peers support and the online SRL. Additionally, the correlation analysis revealed that both instructor support and peers support had positive and moderate relationships with dimensions of the online SRL. Furthermore, the regression analysis substantiated the importance of instructor support to dimensions of metacognitive skills, persistence, and environmental structuring. In contrast, peer support was essential to metacognitive skills, persistence, and help-seeking. Lastly, there was a negligible impact of provided support on time management behaviors. The research suggested that educators and institutions should provide adequate support for students and facilitate interactive online learning environments for peer-to-peer support.

Virtual Reality in Realistic Mathematics Education to Develop Mathematical Literacy Skills

Although mathematical literacy skills have been emphasized in education, standardized test results show that students still struggle in this regard. Hypothesizing that both virtual and realistic mathematics education approaches may be useful, this article combines two approaches as Virtual Realistic Mathematics Education (VRME) to enhance mathematical literacy. A one-group experimental research design was adopted with the participation of 20 6th-grade middle school students. The qualitative data were also used to explain the improvements in mathematical literacy. The results revealed that all of the dimensions of mathematical literacy skills; employ, interpret and formulate were improved while the improvements in interpret dimension was the lowest. The results also indicated the importance of knowledge co-construction through discussion for the development of mathematical literacy, especially for the interpret dimension. Finally, the study demonstrated that virtual tools can be used to improve mathematical literacy by expanding RME.

The Impact of Covid-19 Pandemic to the Formation of Students Skill Dimension in Elementary School

This research intends to elucidate the effect of Covid-19 pandemic in establishing student’s skill dimension and the effort of teacher in forming student’s skill dimension at SDI Lenang Neros. This study uses qualitative approach and case study method. The subjects of the research are teachers and students. Data collection technique used an interview and document study. This research is motivated that by throughout pandemic the teachers were not yet forming the skill dimension of students. The result of this research pointed out that Covid-19 pandemic had an impact on the formation of student skill dimensions at SDI Lenang Neros. The impact of Covid-19 pandemic on the formation of student skill dimensions namely the low ability of writing, reading, drawing, dancing and the ability of measuring. During pandemic the effort of teacher in the formation of student psychomotor not yet maximized. Teacher had not used the platform online learning such Zoom, YouTube, learning video and WA to support the formation of student skill dimensions. The presented subject was only in the form of assignments and theory without practicum activity. Grounded on research findings could be concluded that Covid-19 pandemic had an impact on students’ skill dimension such lacking of motor activity obtained by the students.

The relationship between deliberate practice, play, and futsal in childhood and adolescence and the development of different decision-making skills in professional female soccer players

Soccer players’ ability to make efficient and quick decisions has gained more importance due to the increase in game speed in the last few years. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the relationship between the engagement in previous developmental activities in soccer and futsal with the quality and speed of decision-making skills in different phases of sport development of elite female soccer players. The sample comprised 77 elite Brazilian professional female soccer players. Players’ decision-making skills were assessed based on an objective video-based test – TacticUP®. We used a retrospective questionnaire to collect information about previous participation in different developmental activities. The results showed that engagement in deliberate practice in soccer and futsal, especially during childhood and early adolescence, is related to a better quality of offensive decision-making skills, although showing small to medium effect sizes. We highlight that deliberate practice in futsal is associated only with offensive decision-making skills with the ball and near the ball. In turn, engaging in deliberate play in soccer, mainly in childhood and early adolescence, is related to quicker offensive and defensive decision-making skills, showing mostly medium effect sizes. To the best of our knowledge, it was the first study to measure the relationship of decision-making speed with developmental activities in soccer. It is concluded that deliberate practice in soccer and deliberate play in soccer are associated with different dimensions of decision-making skills.

Definition and conceptual model of genetics literacy: a systematic literature review

Genetic literacy is essential for promoting health and well-being in modern society. Although its importance is increasingly recognised, the definition and crucial dimension to construct a conceptual model are unclear, limiting the possibilities for measurement and comparison intervention. The study aims to review definitions and the conceptual models of genetics literacy and develop a new comprehensive definition and conceptual model based on the discovered dimensions that are relevant in the post-genomic era. We performed a systematic literature review using the Crossref, PubMed, and Scopus databases with Publish or Perish software. An automated content analysis was conducted to identify and develop conceptual model genetics literacy using NVivo 12 software. The review resulted in 10 definitions and 12 conceptual models. Automated content analysis showed that genetic literacy is defined as the ability of an individual to comprehend, use, correlate, assess, and propose genetic information to make arguments, reason, and decide on genetic issues in maintaining or improving the quality of personal and social well-being. Genetic literacy was conceptualised as a set of knowledge, a set of skills or interconnected. The conceptual model of genetics literacy covers two dimensions. i) Knowledge dimension: conceptual (nature of genetic material, transmission, genetic expression, genetic regulation, genetic determinism, genetic technology); sociocultural; epistemic. ii) Skills dimension: argumentation, informal reasoning, and decision-making skills. This definition and conceptual model can serve as a basis for developing interventions and measurements to support regulating, preventing, as well as promoting health and well-being.