Stratified Sampling Technique Research Articles

Socio-Economic Impact of Wage Inequality on Employee’s Satisfaction

This study addressed the research gap in understanding the factors that contribute to wage inequality and their impact on employee satisfaction in the public and private sectors. The study's objectives included exploring factors contributing to wage inequality, examining the impact of socio-economic factors on job satisfaction, and proposing measures to reduce wage inequality and improve job satisfaction in both sectors. The study collected primary data through questionnaire method from the public and private sectors of twin cities to estimate the direct effect of independent variables on employee satisfaction. The stratified sampling technique was used for the comparison of employees who are more satisfied either in the private or public sector. The study also used a binary logisticmodel to examine the null hypothesis, which stated that there was a significant gap in employee fulfillment among private or public sectors and that there was a significant difference in socio-economic factors of employees in both sectors. The analysis included 407 cases. The frequency of private institution employees was 186 while public institution employees was 221. It is believed that the study'sfindings will contribute to the current conversation about pay disparities and provide organizations and decision-makers with practical advice for raising satisfaction with work and decreasing wage inequality.

Correlation between Self-Esteem and Academic Achievement among Students of a Selected Nursing College in Mangaluru

Abstract Background/Objectives People with high self-esteem see themselves as capable, active individuals who can make changes through hard work and higher goals that lead to learning new things. The results in the classroom that demonstrate how successfully a student has fulfilled their learning objectives are referred to as academic achievement. It could allude to achieving major academic achievements, such as receiving a bachelor's degree. In their capacity as health advocates and qualified health care practitioners, nursing students are essential to the public health movement. The aim of this study was to ascertain whether academic achievement and self-esteem are related. Methods The study used a correlational descriptive design. The study sample comprised 197 nursing students from a certain college. The technique of proportionate stratified sampling was employed to choose the students. A checklist of academic achievements, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and a baseline proforma were used to collect data. Results Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used in data analysis. The findings of the analysis indicated that there was a marginally favorable correlation between academic success and self-esteem among nursing students. The resulting “r” value (0.158) was statistically significant at the 0.05 level of significance. Consequently, the research hypothesis was accepted, and the null hypothesis was rejected. Conclusion The research project found a weakly positive correlation between academic achievement and self-esteem. The resulting “r” value (0.158) was statistically significant at the 0.05 level of significance. There was a weakly positive correlation between academic achievement and self-esteem among nursing students.

Examining the mediating effects of operational efficiency on the relationship between budgeting practices and financial performance among 3D printing firms in South Africa

The focus of this study was to examine the mediating effects of operational efficiency on the relationship between budgeting practices (budget planning and budget participation) and financial performance among 3D printing SMMEs in South Africa. A quantitative, cross-sectional survey design was adopted for the study. The stratified sampling technique was used to select 3D printing SMMEs in South Africa. A total of two hundred and fifty (250) managers and employees of 3D printing SMMEs formed the sample size of the study. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software versions 26 and Smart PLS 4 were used to analyze the data gathered. PLS-Structural Equation Modelling was used to test the hypothesis for both direct and mediation effects. The results indicate that a significant negative relationship exists between budget planning and financial performance, as well as budget participation and financial performance. Significant positive relationships were found to exist between the following variables: budget planning and operational efficiency, budget participation and operational efficiency, and operational efficiency and financial performance. Operational efficiency was found to mediate the relationship between budget planning and financial performance as well as budget participation and financial performance. The results imply that the implementation of budgeting practices such as budget planning and budget participation in 3D printing SMME is not enough to achieve financial performance unless operational efficiency is given the utmost attention in 3D printing SMMEs in South Africa.

Personality-Driven Adoption of WhatsApp and Facebook for Educational Collaboration: Academic Performance as a Mediator

The Big Five Personality Traits—openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism—are widely regarded as a comprehensive framework for understanding individual differences. These traits influence various behaviors, including social interactions, learning preferences, and technology adoption. Objectives of the study were; 1) To analyze the relationship between the Big Five Personality Traits and students' adoption of WhatsApp and Facebook for educational collaboration. 2) To investigate the association between social network site usage and academic performance of the students. 3) To evaluate the mediating role of academic performance in the relationship between the Big Five Personality Traits and the educational use of WhatsApp and Facebook. All 8617 Students of grade 10th of District Attock, (4,868 Boys & 3,749 Girls) at secondary and higher secondary school level in 248 public schools were the population of the study. 816 students were the sample for this study from the population. Proportional Sampling technique was used for sampling. Big Five Personality Tool consists of 39, Usage of Social Network Sites tool consists of twenty nine different items for five basic and commonly used Social Network Sites. Reliability of the tools was found by using Cronbach’s Alpha. For content validity, both research tools were validated from the experts of field of education while for construct validity, EFA was performed. The findings from the PROCESS procedure (Model 4) offer insights into the relationships between Big Five Personality Traits (BFPTs), Academic Performance (AP), and Social Network Sites (SNSs). The analysis shows that BFPTs significantly predict Scholastic Performance (SP), with a positive coefficient of 1.528 (p < 0.01). The model's R-squared value of 0.528 indicates that 52.81% of the variance in Scholastic Performance can be explained by BFPTs. This relationship suggests that students' personality traits are strongly related to their academic performance. Hence, it is recommended that, Interventions should focus on improving both Scholastic Performance and personality traits to help students manage their social media usage effectively.

Effect of teachers' teaching strategies on students' learning engagement: moderated mediation model.

This study explores the nuanced relationship between teachers' teaching strategies and students' learning engagement within online environments, considering the mediation by students' perceptions of teachers' emotional engagement and the moderation by teachers' expectations. Employing a stratified sampling technique, data were collected from 1,200 Chinese primary and secondary students through the "Survey on Online Learning Engagement." Structural equation modeling was applied to analyze the relationships among teaching strategies, emotional engagement, teachers' expectations, and learning engagement. The study found that teachers' teaching strategies not only directly affect students' learning engagement (r = 0.377***, p < 0.001), but also indirectly affect students' learning engagement through students' perception of teachers' emotional engagement. It showed a significant mediating effect (indirect effect = 0.231***, p < 0.001). Additionally, teachers' expectations exhibit a notable moderating effect on the relationship between perceived emotional engagement and learning engagement (β = 0.073***, p < 0.001). In other words, in addition to teachers' teaching strategies, teachers' emotional involvement and students' perception of teachers' emotional involvement are important factors affecting students' learning involvement. This means that in online classroom teaching, the emotional transmission and experience between teachers and students play a role in the connection. The study highlights the critical role of emotional connection in educational strategies, suggesting that teachers should focus on fostering emotional engagement alongside academic content. Balanced teacher expectations are recommended to facilitate a supportive learning environment that encourages higher levels of student engagement. Educators are advised to integrate emotional warmth and responsiveness into their teaching methods and to maintain realistic expectations to promote optimal learning outcomes.

Simple Coaching Clinic to Improve Nurse's Knowledge of Genetic Counseling among Thalassemia Patients of Genetic Counseling among Thalassemia Patients

Introduction: The coaching clinic is one of the strategies designed to increase nurses' knowledge in conducting genetic counseling for patients and families of thalassemia patients. Nurses will not only be given information, but they will also be taught how to communicate and how to use genetic counseling to make sure the coaching clinic's goals are met. Objective: This study aims to describes the effect of a simple coaching clinic on nurses' knowledge of genetic counseling implementation in thalassemia care. Methods: This research used a quantitative approach and was conducted on August 20th–21st , 2022. The design of this study was quasi-experimental without a control group. This study obtained a total sample of 29 nurses using a proportional sampling technique and inclusion criteria. The inclusion criteria in this study were nurses with a diploma degree, an undergraduate education background, and registered nurses. The data collection instrument was a 30-questions genetic counseling questionnaire. IBM SPSS version 25.0 was used to analyze the data using the Wilcoxon test. Results: Simple coaching clinic proved to have a significant effect in improving the knowledge level of nurses in general with p-value = 0.004. Knowledge level improvement can be seen from Mean (+SD) 53.67 (+13.64) to 69.67 (+8.26). Likewise with nurses' knowledge about thalassemia, genetic counseling and bio-informatics, the majority of respondents experienced positive changes. In contrast to the genetic topic, the majority of respondents did not experience a change in their level of knowledge so that a p-value &gt;0.05 was obtained. Conclusions: Changes in level of knowledge indicated that the coaching clinic's effects on level of knowledge are significant and have an impact on health services across a variety of health institutions, including clinics and hospitals. As a result, it is critical to have a health strategy that promotes the accessibility of genetic counseling services for patients with thalassemia and other genetic illnesses.

Service Quality Standards and Organisation Performance of Private Hospitals in Eldoret City, Kenya

The private health sector has received much attention in recent times and is crucial in the expansion of access to quality healthcare. The majority of private hospitals in the country are undergoing performance challenges due to the inability to retain and satisfy their customers. Because of the improvements in health provision by county governments, private hospitals are facing increasing performance challenges due shortage of human resource personnel, shortage of medical services and inadequate medical infrastructure. Therefore, this study sought to find how the level of implementation of service quality standards affected the organisation performance of private hospitals. This study is supported by the Service Quality (SERVQUAL) model. The study is quantitative in nature guided by correlational research design. The study was conducted in Eldoret town covering major hospitals classified from Level 3B and above. The target population involved 1875 employees from 25 private hospitals in Eldoret town. A sample size of 319 respondents was chosen through the Cochran sample size formula to be representative of the whole population. The respondents (319) out of 1875 were selected using stratified and random sampling techniques. The research instrument used in data collection was a questionnaire. Data analysis was undertaken through the use of descriptive statistics; frequencies, percentages, means and standard deviation inferential statistics; correlation and linear regression with the help of Statistical Product and Service Solutions computer software. Findings showed service quality standards (β=0.240) had a significant positive effect on the performance of private hospitals in Eldoret town. It is concluded that the performance of hospitals is dependent on the extent to which service quality standards were implemented by the management of private hospitals in Eldoret. The study recommends that private hospitals regularly collect customers’ feedback to improve the standards of services/ The study findings provide solutions to private hospitals on the way to improve their performance through the adoption of quality healthcare service strategies in the delivery of services to patients

The Impact of Library Maker Spaces on Entrepreneurial Studies among Stem Students in Selected Academic Libraries in Southwestern Nigeria

As global demand for innovative and entrepreneurial people grows, established educational institutions are under pressure to provide practical and experiential learning environments and opportunities. Library maker spaces, which are outfitted with cutting-edge tools and technologies, have the potential to provide a solution by encouraging practical learning and innovation. However, previous study has primarily focused on librarians' opinions, ignoring the important perspectives of the students who are the main patrons of these spaces. This study investigated the impact of library maker spaces on entrepreneurial studies among science, engineering and mathematics students in Southwest Nigeria. The study employed a descriptive survey design, while a multistage sampling combining random, stratified and purposive sampling techniques was used to select 400 STEM students across the selected tertiary institutions. The questionnaire was chosen as the instrument for data collection. 400 copies of the questionnaire were distributed, out of which 360 were duly filled, yielding a return rate of 90%. The results of this study revealed that the use of maker spaces in the selected library was fairly high, while awareness level was also fairly high. The study also found that the use of maker spaces positively influences the development of entrepreneurial activities among the students, despite the various challenges facing the adoption of maker spaces identified in the study. The study hereby concluded that the use of maker spaces has to be encouraged by proffering solutions to identified obstacles, in order to enhance creativity and innovation among university students, thereby fostering entrepreneurial development.

Determinants of Success for Women Entrepreneurs: An Examination of Small and Medium‐Sized Women‐Led Businesses in India's Emerging Market

ABSTRACTWomen entrepreneurs play a crucial role in the economic development of nations, particularly in developing countries where their contribution becomes even more significant. This underscores the importance of women‐owned small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and their achievements as entrepreneurs. Consequently, this study aims to expand the entrepreneurship literature by investigating the impact of factors such as personality traits (PT), motivation and commitment (MC), the availability of financial resources (AFR), and economic factors (EC) on the entrepreneurial success (ES) of women‐led SMEs. Data was collected from 255 women‐owned SMEs using a stratified sampling technique, and a multi‐SEM approach was applied to analyze the data. The results from structural equation modeling (SEM) revealed that PT, MC, AFR, and EC directly influence ES. Notably, PT and EC emerged as the most significant factors associated with ES. These findings can serve as valuable guidance for business practitioners and policymakers when formulating strategies to promote and support women entrepreneurs, who, in turn, can contribute significantly to sustainable economic growth in their respective countries.

Empirical Study on Consumption Pattern of Poultry Meat in Srinagar City

The consumption pattern of chicken has witnessed significant changes over the years, reflecting shifting preferences, dietary habits, and socioeconomic factors. With an increasing emphasis on health and wellness, consumers are opting for chicken as a healthier alternative to red meat. In India, the meat products sector witnessed remarkable growth, with the Gross Value Added (GVA) surpassing INR 3 trillion in 2021. The market is projected to expand further at a CAGR of 9.2%, reaching INR 3133.41 billion by 2028, driven by the escalating demand for protein-rich foods. Notably, the poultry business is thriving in Jammu and Kashmir, particularly in Kashmir, contributing significantly to this growth. This study delves into the consumption patterns of poultry meat among residents of Srinagar city, focusing on Groups- Government Employees, Private Employees, and Self-Employed individuals. Utilizing a stratified sampling technique, the research ensures representation from diverse employment sectors. The survey, encompassing 152 respondents, revealed that majority (67.8%) consumed poultry on weekly basis, with an average monthly household consumption of 7.20 kilograms, translating to a monthly expenditure of Rs 1052.63 on poultry. The study identified broiler chicken as the preferred type . Interestingly, demographic factors such as age, gender, marital status, and education level demonstrated no significant impact on poultry consumption, while household size, employment nature, number of earners, and income exhibited notable associations. Regarding consumer preferences, internal factor smell and freshness was found to be the most influential while among external factors, affordability had the greatest impact on consumer preference. Overall, internal factors had a higher influence on consumer preference, with a total mean rating of 3.5184, compared to external factors, with a total mean rating of 3.3509. Recognizing substantial impact of internal factors on consumer preference, processing companies should prioritize aligning products with these preferences through market research, innovation, quality assurance, and heightened consumer education.

Synergizing Socioeconomic, Technological, and Environmental Factors Influencing the Adoption of High-Efficiency Irrigation Systems (HEIS): Insights from Highland Balochistan, Pakistan

Water plays a crucial role in sustaining human life and facilitating global economic development. Balochistan, the largest province of Pakistan, faces severe water scarcity primarily because of the unregulated extraction of groundwater aquifers. The scarcity of water resources can be effectively addressed by increasing Water Use Efficiency (WUE) achievable through the adoption of High-Efficienscy Irrigation Systems (HEIS). Despite substantial efforts by both public and private sectors, the adoption rate of efficient techniques remains notably low. Evaluating the factors influencing the adoption of high-efficiency irrigation methods and their resultant impact on water use efficiency is the need of time. In this study, an effort was made to study HEIS and its characteristics including the factors affecting the adoption decision, operation duration, and the economics of HEIS. The present study focused, on three main river basins using a multistage sampling technique in highland Balochistan. Three key basins namely Nari River Basin (NRB), Zhob River Basin (ZRB), and Pishin Lora Basin (PLB) Out of 18 basins in Balochistan were selected purposively. These basins are currently dealing with the issue of depleted groundwater table at a rate of more than 5-15 feet annually in the majority of their aquifers. A representative sample size of 300 farmers was chosen using a proportionate stratified sampling technique. Logistic regression was employed to analyze the data and the study findings revealed that the availability of off-farm income and higher education level were found to have highly significant and positive relationships with the likelihood of adoption. Farmers' age and the level of water scarcity were additional significant factors. Along with them, installation costs, maintenance expenses, and technological complexity were key barriers to HEIS adoption. To increase farmers' willingness to accept technology in highland Balochistan, organizations should undertake extension and educational training to increase knowledge and awareness of HEIS.

A probabilistic approach driven credit card anomaly detection with CBLOF and isolation forest models

Businesses throughout the world are starting to accept more and more electronic payment alternatives for in-person and online purchases. Unusual behaviour such as internet fraud and payment defaults, which may lead to significant monetary losses, have become increasingly widespread as credit card use in online buying has expanded. To find a solution to this problem, researchers looked into a number of different machine learning classifiers that may identify irregularities in the data pertaining to credit card transactions. Overlapping class samples and an uneven distribution of classes make it hard to find outliers in this data. General learning algorithms may favour samples from the majority class, and the detection rate of anomalies in samples from minority classes is thus low. Our proposed Credit Card Outlier Detection (CCOD) model incorporates many machine learning algorithms to enhance the detection rates of credit card anomalies. Utilising the stratified sampling technique and the k-fold cross-validation process, we address data imbalance and overfitting. Working with optimized selected features rather than all features reduces the danger of overfitting and improves model performance. It has been noted that the findings of Cluster-Based Local Outlier Factor (CBLOF) classifier on European Credit Card Dataset and Isolation Forest classifier on German credit card dataset were superior to those of the other classifiers with Mathew correlation coefficient value of 0.95 and 0.97 respectively. The CBLOF, an advanced outlier detection method that evaluates the local density of data points within clusters. By comparing the density of a point to the densities of its surrounding clusters, CBLOF identifies outliers based on their deviation from normal cluster behaviour. In general, this CCOD model shows that it is better at dealing with issues like uneven class distribution, overfitting, and classes that overlap.

Evaluation of Intervention Measures to Mitigate the Socio-Economic Impact of Water Vessel Accidents in Mbita Sub County, Kenya

For a long time, in many regions across the world, water vessel accidents have been on the rise hence has disrupted the socio-economic activities of many people. Indeed, a lot of properties and lives have been lost during these unfortunate occurrences. Therefore, this study assessed the interventions for mitigation of social-economic impacts of water vessel accidents in Mbita Sub-County. The study employed a disaster impact model by Lindell and Wisner to analyze the impact of ship and boat accidents on the community’s livelihood. Similarly, the research used survey research design in this study. The study used stratified sampling technique to select respondents for the study. The sample size of this study was 384 respondents drawn from all the communities around Lake Victoria with Mbita sub-County. Data collection tools included questionnaires, Interview guide and document analysis. Data was coded and then entered in the SPSS software and analyzed. The data collected was analyzed using descriptive statistics and quantitative results were presented in graphs, tables, frequencies and percentages. The findings of the study revealed that there is presence of navigational aids, search and rescue teams, and daily weather updates information, inspection of water vessels standards and crews and educational training. However, the study indicated that there is absence of emergency rescue portals for those in distress trapped in Lake Victoria waters. The government responds to distress calls by clearing water hyacinth and through using motor boats, choppers and divers. However, slow response during water vessel accidents was cited in addition to the government not offering any help to cushion the affected families from suffering negative socio-economic effects resulting from the disasters. the study recommends that concerned government departments promotes local community-initiated mitigation measures so as to build community resilience.

Media Literacy Skills for Promoting Sustainable Development in Rivers State

The study examined media literacy skills for promoting sustainable development in Rivers State. Three research questions guided the study. The study anchored on information literacy theory. The survey research design was adopted using a sample of 167 respondents drawn from a population of 278 lecturers in the four departments of Communication, film and media studies using proportionate sampling technique. The instrument for data collection was a questionnaire which was validated by experts and used for data gathering. The reliability of the instrument was established at 0.82 using the Pearson Product Moment Correlation Co-efficient (PPMC). The study found amongst others that critical and analytical thinking, digital literacy, environmental literacy, cultural and social awareness, and collaborative communication are media literacy skills needed for promoting sustainable development. The study concluded that media literacy and education can potentially empower the citizens to be able to critically analyze and evaluate media messages, be better informed, engage, and be proactive in addressing both local and global issues that can bring about sustainable development in Rivers State. Media literacy skills were essential for the citizens to be well informed on the various types of media outlets and their roles in promoting sustainable development in Rivers State-Nigeria. The study recommended amongst others that Policymakers and curriculum planners begin to think along the lines of integrating media literacy into the school curriculum. This will help students develop a holistic understanding of media and its impact on society.

Structures of FM Radio Talk Shows Listened to by University Students in Eldoret Town, Kenya

The majority of the consumers of radio stations’ programming are the youth, most of whom are students in high schools, colleges, and universities. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to examine the structure of FM radio talk shows listened to by university students in Eldoret town. Uses and Gratifications theory guided this study. The study utilized a descriptive survey research design. The target population of the study were 3000 students from university campuses within Eldoret, and the sample size was 300. The researcher adopted a stratified sampling and simple random sampling technique to arrive at the sample that would best fit or present the intended purpose of the research. Data was collected using a questionnaire and Focus Group Discussion. The collected data was analyzed using descriptive statistical techniques that included frequencies, percentages. The findings revealed that FM radio talk shows typically feature a mix of news, interviews, and light entertainment to engage listeners at the start of the day. The study established that interactive formats allowing listeners to call in with requests or opinions, countdown formats featuring popular music tracks, and narrative-driven programs were popular among respondents. The study findings from focus group discussion revealed that FM radio talk shows in Eldoret Town typically follow a similar format, often beginning with an opening segment where the host introduces the topic and guests. This is followed by an in-depth discussion led by the host, with opportunities for audience participation through call-ins, SMS messages, and social media interactions. Radio stations targeting university students should create a balanced format that includes a mix of news, interviews, and light entertainment. The study concluded that FM radio talk shows in Eldoret Town typically follow a similar format, with an opening segment, in-depth discussions led by the host, and opportunities for audience participation. The study recommended that Radio stations targeting university students should create a balanced format that includes a mix of news, interviews, light entertainment, structured segments, in-depth discussions, sports coverage, interactive formats, countdown formats, live performances, music genres, structured discussions, narrative-driven programs, informative segments, and light-hearted content.

Prelacteal Feeding and Associated Factors Among Mothers of Children Aged Less Than Six Months in Gozamen District, 2019: A Community Based Cross Sectional Study

&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;Background&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;: Prelacteal feeding (PLF) is administration of any food or fluid other than breast milk before initiation of breast feeding. Optimal breastfeeding including discouraging prelacteal feeding could save 823,000 lives per year among children ages five years old and younger. Despite of this mothers give prelacteal feeding to their child in different part of Ethiopia. However, there is a paucity of information on prevalence of prelacteal feeding and associated factors in the study area. Thus, the current study aimed at determining of the prevalence of prelacteal feeding and associated factors among mothers of children aged less than six months in Gozamen district, East Gojjam zone, North West Ethiopia, 2020. &amp;lt;i&amp;gt;Methods&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;: A community based cross-sectional study was conducted among seven hundred forty-one (741) mothers of children aged less than six months in Gozamen district from August 1 to September 12 /2019. Stratified cluster sampling technique was used to select study participants. Data were collected by face to face interviewer-administered, pretested and semi-structured questionnaire. Descriptive analysis, bi-variable and multivariable logistic regression model were employed. Adjusted odds ratio with 95% confidence interval was used to identify factors associated with prelacteal feeding. &amp;lt;i&amp;gt;Results&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;: In this study the prevalence of prelacteal feeding was found to be 17.1%with 95%CI [14.3, 20]. Mothers who had no ANC follow up [AOR: 7.53, CI; 3.32, 17.05], those mothers who did not discard colostrum [AOR: 0.12, CI; 0.07, 0.12] time of breast feeding initiation [AOR: 3.53, CI; 2.05, 6.11] and mothers who had single ANC visit [AOR: 2.98, CI; 1.52, 5.85] were significant independent factors associated with prelacteal feeding. &amp;lt;i&amp;gt;Conclusion&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;: This study concluded that prelacteal feeding was high in the study area. Therefore, in order to tackle this problem strengthening antenatal follow up, timely initiation of breastfeeding, health education and awarenes creation of the communities are recommended interventions.

Challenges and Opportunities Faced by the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo in Fulfilling Its Mandate for Peace and Security in the DRC

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has been marred by protracted conflict, instability, and human suffering for decades. Studies on or and around United Nations Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo with respect to conflict, peace and security, portray shortcomings bordering on ineffectiveness. This presents a serious paradox and a question on conflict intervention by MONUSCO’s peace and security processes. The study objective was to evaluate challenges and opportunities faced by MONUSCO in fulfilling its mandate on peace and security processes in the DRC. The study explored Liberal Theory, Power Theory and Theory of Functionalism from which a conceptual model was drawn. The target population was 49,871 with a unit of analysis of 21,105 civilians comprising 5052 refugees, 4053 internally displaced persons and 12,000 local traders, 16,161 MONUSCO staff, 7,895 from major none governmental organizations (NGOs), and 4,710 from the political class, the rebel groups, and immigration. The study used random, stratified, snowball, and purposive sampling techniques to select 384 participants. The study was conducted in Eastern DRC. A descriptive survey research design was adopted. The primary and secondary data were collected using questionnaires, focus group discussions, observation guides, and key informant interviews. Content analysis was done for all qualitative data; statistical data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. The findings of the study indicate that, MONUSCO’s key challenges include; persistent violence of attacks by armed groups, mistrust and limited cooperation from government and local authorities, and logistical difficulties in accessing remote areas. The study concluded that mistrust and dearth of cooperation, non-guaranteed protection of the civilian population, and weak governance institutions are the major problems facing MONUSCO in achieving its mandate. The study recommends supporting the establishment of local and international judicial mechanisms to investigate and prosecute war crimes and human rights abuses, by ensuring that perpetrators are held accountable and encourage truth and reconciliation processes to address past injustices and promote healing within communities.

Understanding happiness and academic procrastination among professional students

This study examines the role of happiness in academic procrastination among professional students and explores the impact of student type (senior vs. junior) and residence (rural vs. urban) on procrastination behaviors. The sample consisted of 896 professional undergraduate students selected using a stratified sampling technique, with 481 (54%) classified as seniors and 415 (46%) as juniors. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire and analyzed using multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and regression analysis. The research reveals that happiness explains 40% of the variance in academic procrastination, underscoring its significant influence. The findings show that while student type affects procrastination levels, it does not significantly impact happiness. Residence and the interaction between student type and residence have negligible effects on both happiness and procrastination. These results suggest that emotional well-being is a crucial factor in mitigating procrastination, with happiness playing a more substantial role than demographic factors such as seniority and geographical location. The significance of this study lies in its challenge to traditional views that emphasize demographic characteristics in educational interventions. By demonstrating the critical role of happiness in reducing procrastination, the study highlights the importance of focusing on emotional well-being to enhance academic performance. The premise is that internal emotional factors, rather than external demographics, have a greater impact on procrastination behaviors, suggesting that fostering happiness among students could be a more effective strategy in addressing academic procrastination.

Digital Age Challenge: University Students’ Excessive Use of TikTok

TikTok's users have grown tremendously, reaching people all over the world. The current research in the aspect of TikTok mainly analyses the different perspective of users’ usage and behavior, the research on excessive use of TikTok is relatively scarce. As the undergraduates use TikTok for learning and self-realisation, they also fall into cyber-addiction due to excessive use, which leads to symptoms such as impulse control disorders, physical health and mental health problems. In view of these arising problems, this study intends to explore further, focusing on the current level of excessive use, the influence of age and gender differences in undergraduates' excessive use of TikTok. This study employed survey research design by using a structured questionnaire. 606 undergraduates from two universities were selected by using stratified sampling technique. The findings on time management, life intrusion and social media anxiety showed that undergraduates have high excessive use of TikTok. Consequently, it was showed that there is no significant difference between male and female undergraduate students in terms of their excessive use of TikTok, and male students do not perform significantly differently from female students in terms of their excessive use of TikTok. Excessive use of TikTok was significantly different in terms of the excessive use of TikTok by undergraduates’ age. Different age groups differ in their daily time use and time management. Future research can expand the age range of the subjects to analyse the situation of excessive TikTok use and its impact on individual and group psychology among wider age groups of people. Besides, the formation of excessive use of TikTok can also be examined from multiple perspectives in both social and individual dimensions.

Students’ Experience in Modular Learning and Motivation to Achieve Academically: The Mediating Effect of Pedagogical Content Knowledge of Teachers

This study investigated the mediating role of perceived pedagogical content knowledge of teachers on the relationship between students' experiences in modular learning and their motivation to succeed academically. The study was conducted using a quantitative study design with 300 junior and senior high school students selected using stratified sampling technique in the Island Garden City of Samal. Data was gathered using three sets of modified standardized survey questionnaires. Tests on the content validity and reliability of these instruments were conducted. The Mean, Pearson r Correlation Coefficient, and Path Analysis were used to analyze the data. The findings demonstrated high levels of motivation to achieve academically, very high level of pedagogical content knowledge, and high level of modular learning experience. The association between students' experience in modular learning and motivation to achieve academically, motivation to achieve academically and pedagogical content knowledge and students' experience in modular learning and pedagogical content knowledge were all statistically significant. Additionally, the current study demonstrated a partial mediation of pedagogical content knowledge on the relationship between students' experience in modular learning and motivation to achieve academically.