Subject Areas Research Articles

The effect of inquiry teaching approach on scientific process skills of students with intellectual disabilities

In this study, the effect of the inquiry teaching approach on the scientific process skills of students with intellectual disabilities was examined. The study was completed in the 2019-2020 academic year. In this study, multiple case study design from qualitative research methods was used. The study group consisted of nine middle school students with intellectual disabilities attending a special education class. The study process consisted of pre-tests, implementation of activities, post-tests and generalization practices. In order to collect the data of the study, the scientific process skills inventory developed by Özkan (2015), observation and field notes, and the activity observation form developed by the researcher were used. Data analysis includes the process of analyzing and integrating the data obtained from the pre-test, post-test and observations made during the process of the scientific process skills of students affected by intellectual disability. The pre-test-post-test application of the scientific process skills inventory and all of the activities were videotaped and then observed. During the analysis process, performance differences exhibited by students before, during, and after the implementation of activities were evaluated based on transcriptions of video recordings, and necessary notes were taken. Initially, comparisons were made between students' performance behaviors in pre-test and post-test assessments. Subsequently, the development of students' scientific process skills during the implementation of activities was examined through observations, field notes, student work, and video recordings of the activities. Throughout this coding process, particular attention was given to students' performance behaviors in relevant sections of the activities.Video recordings were transcribed and necessary notes were taken. As a result of the research, it was found that the inquiry teaching approach was effective in the development of observation, estimation and scientific communication skills of students with intellectual disabilities except inference skills. In addition, it was observed that students with intellectual disabilities were able to generalize the science process skills they acquired to different subject areas. As a result, it was seen that the inquiry teaching approach was effective in developing the science process skills of students with intellectual disabilities.

Systematic Literature Review Method for Identifying Efficiency and Photovoltaic Technology as a Renewable Energy Innovation

Photovoltaics or solar cells are a device that can convert/convert solar energy into electrical energy. The use of photovoltaics as a renewable energy innovation is very necessary in developing photovoltaic technology and increasing the efficiency of the energy produced. The main electricity supply is PLN, which is not always continuous in its distribution due to the limited availability of fossil energy. This can result in disruption of human activities and productivity. The technology developed is organic and inorganic photovoltaic technology. Photovoltaic efficiency refers to the ability of solar panels to convert sunlight energy into electrical energy. Currently it is not known how much technology has been developed by photovoltaics and the efficiency that photovoltaics have produced. This research aims to identify developments in photovoltaic efficiency research and technology used in the world whose data was obtained from related journals in 2013-2022. There are 1,503 studies related to photovotaic efficiency. The method used in this research is the Systematic Literature Review (SLR) Method. The SLR method is used to identify, review, evaluate, and interpret all available research on a topic area of ​​interest, with specific relevant research questions. By using the SLR method, a systematic review and identification of journals can be carried out, with each process following predetermined steps or protocols. The research results show that the technology that is widely used in developing photovoltaic efficiency is organic photovoltaic technology and the highest efficiency that has been obtained is 38.9%.

Formation mechanisms of intra-organizational membership overlap: a longitudinal network analysis of membership data from the International Communication Association

Abstract Social entities are linked and interdependent through shared members, a phenomenon described as niche overlap. Using archival data on yearly affiliations of International Communication Association (ICA) members with divisions and interest groups over a 9-year period, this study conducts a longitudinal network analysis to examine the formation mechanisms of intra-organizational niche overlap among organizational subunits. The results of the temporal exponential random graph model suggest the absence of dominant ICA subunits whose topic areas are broad enough to integrate different specializations through membership overlap. Triadic closure facilitates the sharing of members among three subunits, leading to a cohesive internal structure and limited brokerage opportunities. Subunits with smaller membership sizes are more likely to have membership overlap, particularly with larger subunits. Positive affinity relations between subunits, characterized by the sharing of scarce resources within the organization, contribute to the formation of membership overlap.

CLASSIFICATION OF RHYTHMIC GYMNASTICS SPORT ELEMENTS BY VIDEO

The work devoted to human posture recognition during rapid movements and complex non-standard poses due to the large number of limbs involved in the movement. Rhythmic gymnastics was chosen as the subject area and, accordingly, the specifics of the judge's assessment of the athlete's performance. Many synchronized videos with fast movements and sequences of complex poses from different angles allows us to form a data set necessary for further research and implementation of the results obtained both in socially important industries and in the market of commercial services using artificial intelligence technologies. A computer system has been developed that can be used to increase the objectivity of sports judging at rhythmic gymnastics competitions, as well as to become an alternative to the traditional judging system in the case of competitions held in a remote format. By scaling up the task, the system can also be used to diagnose problems with the human nervous system and musculoskeletal system. As a result of the research, a dataset depicting the performance of sports elements was collected and structured. The peculiarities of the mediapipe and ViTPose models were identified and the best solution for preprocessing the prepared set was chosen. The main result of this work is a built and trained model for classifying sports elements, which classifies 7 elements with an accuracy of 0.9048. The accuracy indicates that the model performs at a high level, correctly classifying sports elements in most cases. This level of accuracy indicates that the model has been effectively trained to classify these specific elements. In the future, to be able to fully evaluate the performances of female rhythmic gymnasts, it is necessary to add tracking of the object with which the athlete performs, to create a method for tracking interaction with it.

Initial Development and Validation of a Questionnaire for Students’ Artificial Intelligence Knowledge in Education

This research investigates students' knowledge in the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education through the administration of a formulated questionnaire. Drawing upon insights from thematic analysis of qualitative responses and computation of Cronbach's alpha coefficients, the study aims to produce a tool to assess tertiary level students' understanding regarding AI integration in academic settings. Results reveal varying degrees of awareness, knowledge, and confidence among students, highlighting thematic areas such as perceived benefits, ethical considerations, and disciplinary perspectives. While the questionnaire demonstrates validity, reliability, and scalability as a measurement tool, limitations including response bias and generalizability are acknowledged. Implications for educational practice and research are discussed, emphasizing the utility of the questionnaire in informing curriculum development, professional development initiatives, policy decisions, and future research directions. Overall, this research provides valuable insights into students' perspectives on AI in education, offering a foundation for enhancing AI literacy, fostering ethical awareness, and shaping the future of AI integration in educational settings.

Environmental Determinants of Oral Cancer Development: An Overview

Overview: This review article delves into the influence of environmental factors on the onset of oral cancer. It examines the crucial part played by air pollution, occupational exposure and sun exposure in the initiation of oral cancer. Methods: For this extensive literature survey, we examined relevant publications centered on environmental causes of oral cancer, taking into account case-control research and environmental exposure appraisals. Our selection consisted of works chosen for alignment with our topic areas, robust methodologies, and recent publishing timelines. Results: Our investigation revealed that air pollution, occupational exposure and sun exposure are significant factors contributing to the development of oral cancer. When present together, they pose an even greater risk. In other words, the combination of these three environmental elements significantly increases the likelihood of oral cancer occurrence. It is crucial to take measures to reduce exposure to occupational exposure, air pollution and UV rays from the sun to mitigate this risk. Conclusion: The emergence of oral cancer arises from an intricate relationship encompassing hereditary and ecological variables. Efforts devoted to prevention ought to prioritize diminishing direct exposure to established threats, refining general wellbeing guidelines, and informing individuals prone to elevated risk circumstances. Expanded exploration stays imperative for illuminating contributions made by obscured ecological facets, notably pollution, plus devising groundbreaking precautionary tactics.

Unraveling substance abuse among Malawian street children: A qualitative exploration.

This qualitative study adopts a phenomenological and symbolic interactionist approach to comprehensively explore substance abuse among street children in Lilongwe, Malawi. The research aims to uncover the complex sociocultural, economic, and environmental determinants influencing substance abuse within this marginalized cohort. Through in-depth semi-structured interviews, the study engages with street children to understand their subjective experiences, perceptions, and interpretations of substance abuse within their community context. Employing convenience, purposive, and snowball sampling strategies, the research collected data from street children, acknowledging their transient nature and societal challenges. Thematic analysis was conducted on interview transcripts to derive comprehensive insights. Results revealed five key thematic areas: familial absence and emotional void, societal normalization and peer pressure, economic hardships, coping mechanisms, environmental accessibility, and peer influence and belongingness. These themes highlighted the intricate interplay between personal experiences, socio-environmental factors, and peer dynamics, shaping the prevalence and persistence of substance abuse among street children. This study's implications for practice underscore the need for tailored interventions and support mechanisms addressing substance abuse within this demographic. It emphasizes the urgency for context-specific strategies and policy formulations aimed at ameliorating the challenges faced by street children dealing with substance abuse in Malawi. Ultimately, this research contributes to a deeper understanding of substance abuse among marginalized street children, advocating for compassionate and contextually sensitive interventions within this overlooked drug abusers' population subset.

What science says about entrepreneurs' well-being: a conceptual structure review

PropósitoEl objetivo de este estudio es explorar la evolución de la investigación sobre el bienestar emprendedor (BE) en las últimas tres décadas. Examinamos 525 artículos científicos publicados en revistas académicas.Diseño/metodología/enfoqueLa metodología utilizada incluyó indicadores bibliométricos de actividad basados en términos y relaciones para la evolución conceptual a través de mapas científicos, diagramas estratégicos y tendencias temáticas.HallazgosLos resultados revelaron los términos más frecuentemente utilizados por los investigadores y cómo han cambiado con el tiempo, así como los temas de tendencia y las palabras clave más populares. El análisis de co-palabras proporcionó una visión dinámica de la evolución de la investigación en este campo, permitiendo la identificación de las áreas temáticas más relevantes y su evolución.Originalidad/valorOfrece percepciones prácticas y aplicables, contribuyendo con recomendaciones concretas para mejorar el bienestar de los emprendedores, vinculando de manera significativa la teoría y la práctica.

Navigating the Labyrinth of Indian Cultural Tapestry and Societal Norms: An In-Depth Analysis of Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's Literary Canon

This article conducts a meticulous exploration of Indian cultural heritage and societal norms through an in-depth analysis of Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's diverse literary works. The research scrutinizes the intricate details of Indian traditions, shedding light on the multifaceted tapestry of cultural nuances and societal expectations depicted in Divakaruni's narratives. Key thematic areas include identity, familial dynamics, gender roles, and the intersection of tradition with modernity. Through a comprehensive examination of the author's insightful narratives, this study aims to contribute to a profound understanding of the rich cultural heritage and evolving societal norms within the context of contemporary Indian literature.

PACMMOD Volume 2 Issue 3: Editorial

Welcome to Issue 3 of Volume 2 of the Proceedings of the ACM on Management of Data. This issue has papers submitted to the SIGMOD research track of PACMMOD, whose submission deadline was October 15, 2023. Out of 287 submissions in this round, a total of 70 articles were accepted and are presented in this issue. We provide statistics of paper submissions and acceptance, by primary subject area, across all submissions to the SIGMOD research track of PACMMOD in 2023. Accepted papers from this pool have been invited for presentation at the ACM SIGMOD 2024 conference to be held from 9th to 14th June 2024, in Santiago, Chile.

Executive compensation, sustainable business practices and firm performance: a systematic literature review and future research agenda

PurposeThis paper provides the latest systematic literature review (SLR) of prevailing studies on the interrelationship among executive compensation, financial performance and sustainable business practices. This SLR is done in three parts: (1) examine the theories employed by previous studies; (2) identify the unique variables employed by researchers in analysing this interrelationship and (3) explore potential opportunities for further study in the field.Design/methodology/approachThis study conducted an SLR analysing studies from the Web of science, Scopus and EBSCO in over 20 countries from 2009 to 2022 published in several top-ranked journals. We utilised various search strings using the key phrases “executive compensation”, “CEO Pay”, “financial performance” and “sustainable business practices”. The initial sample of 27,210 was filtered with our meticulous inclusion and exclusion criteria to produce a list of 161 studies.FindingsOur findings are as follows: first, most studies encompassing this subject area lack multi-theoretical perspectives with agency theory being the most dominant theoretical viewpoint; second, we observed the use of monotonous quantitative research methods, with studies heavily lacking qualitative and mixed-method research approaches; finally, there is a palpable gap in cross-country studies.Research limitations/implicationsThere are a few limitations that must be acknowledged. First, the inclusion criteria ensured that only articles published in the CABS journal ranking of three star and above. Thus, this review may not be a precise reflection of the EC, FP and SBPs literature scope. The inclusion criteria also limit our review to only accounting, finance, management and business-related studies about the topic. Therefore, future studies could explore studies ranked three star and below and from other subject areas.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the existing literature by conducting a comprehensive SLR that examines both the theoretical underpinnings and empirical evidence on this topic. It builds upon previous research and extends our understanding of the interrelationship among executive compensation, financial performance and sustainable business practices.

Short and long(er)-term returns of self-efficacy’s latent growth: class attendance and longitudinal impact on knowledge, proximal and distal interest

The broad relationship between students’ self-efficacy and interest has been highlighted for decades. This, along with the inherently developmental nature of learning, calls for a more thorough examination of the way fluctuations in students’ self-efficacy influence their interest in learning within a single course over an academic year and beyond. The present study investigated how the latent growth of students’ self-efficacy beliefs over time influenced their interest in a particular subject area, both short-term (3 weeks) and long-term (47 weeks). Data were collected at eight intervals: four times for self-efficacy within one academic year and three times for domain interest during the following academic year, primarily through weekly e-learning activities at a Japanese university. Attendance over three academic semesters, standardised achievement over one academic year (with prior knowledge control), and domain interest were modelled as outcomes in a latent structural equation model that encompassed a latent curve for self-efficacy beliefs throughout the course of study. The distinct contributions of both the baseline and the growth rate of self-efficacy beliefs to the variance in students’ domain interest over the short and longer term were confirmed by the study. Over the course of two academic years, it was found that the growth rate of self-efficacy, relative to its baseline, became increasingly more important for key learning outcomes such as students’ domain interest.

Reconnecting systemic family therapy: How family therapy training can attend to the ecosystem and climate emergency, recommendations from a Delphi survey

AbstractWe are facing devastating effects of the climate emergency and systemic environmental breakdown. These impact on mental health and wellbeing. Family therapy has only marginally engaged with these crises and the relationship between people and ecosystem. This Delphi survey identifies key elements to include in family therapy training to attend to the ecosystem and the climate and ecological emergencies. Participants generated ninety‐six statements that were clustered into six overarching ‘topic areas’ (theories, orientations, schools, integrations/transformations, methods, and techniques). There were sixty‐six statements agreed at a high level of consensus and seventeen with a moderate level of consensus, while there was no consensus over the remaining thirteen items. All participants opted to suggest references, which form a reading list to accompany these ideas.

A STUDY ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN STUDENTS’ LISTENING SKILLS AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS: A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW

The intent of this systematically reviewed literature was to assess the connection between students’ listening skills and their academic achievements. The researcher gathered previously conducted articles from Scopus data base. He examined papers that were released in the years from 2000-2022. To guide the review, the researcher performed six actions; systematic literature review using PRISMA method (Mihret, G. et al., 2024). Among 39 scrutinized articles, the researcher retained 12 articles. The researcher used key words: academic achievement, skill, academic performance, listening skill, listening comprehension and academic achievements to run his study. The retrieval date for articles was 16 of May 2024. The publication stage that the researcher used was final articles not article in press and the document type was articles which were published in English language. Predominantly, the subject areas he used were Social Sciences, Psychology and Arts and Humanities. The findings seem to suggest students learn instructions more successfully when they are quiet, concentrated, and not twitching. As a result, teachers may not need to repeat instructions as often. This means, students’ listening skill and their academic achievements have direct or positive relationships. Future research on the area indicated that when learners are eager and keen on listening, they will achieve their educational goals easily.

Conceptual model of digital nitrogen management in agricultural crops

The research was aimed at developing a conceptual model of digital nitrogen management in crops. Cognitive analysis of the knowledge structure in this subject area, conceptual modeling of digital nitrogen management in agrophytocenoses using object-oriented approach and Unified Modeling Language (UML) were used. A detailed system of diagrams was created, encompassing class, process, and interaction diagrams. The model is anchored on three abstract objects: class (7 in total), attribute (32), and inter-class relationships (18), which distribute the main concepts, emphasizing the complexity and multifaceted approaches to digital nitrogen management. The central class is «Agrophytocenosis», which directly interacts with 5 classes and indirectly with 1 class. Attributes are integral to the classes and reflect their specific characteristics. To depict the interaction between the classes and their attributes, four types of relationships are employed in the model: «dependency», «association», «aggregation», and «inner class». In the process diagram of the digital nitrogen management system, two primary subsystems are highlighted: the analysis and planning subsystem and the adjustment subsystem, as well as tools and sources for data acquisition and processing. A distinctive feature of the developed conceptual model is the application of the temporality principle, integrating static and dynamic processes in the digital nitrogen management system within the agrophytocenosis.Subsystems for analysis, planning and adjustment of emerging conditions in the management areas allow ensuring more efficient use of nitrogen fertilizers in crops.The conceptual model is aimed at developing a hardware-software complex for diagnostics of nitrogen nutrition of cultivated plants and management of fertilizer application based on modern digital monitoring and data processing tools.

ChatGPT-generated help produces learning gains equivalent to human tutor-authored help on mathematics skills.

Authoring of help content within educational technologies is labor intensive, requiring many iterations of content creation, refining, and proofreading. In this paper, we conduct an efficacy evaluation of ChatGPT-generated help using a 3 x 4 study design (N = 274) to compare the learning gains of ChatGPT to human tutor-authored help across four mathematics problem subject areas. Participants are randomly assigned to one of three hint conditions (control, human tutor, or ChatGPT) paired with one of four randomly assigned subject areas (Elementary Algebra, Intermediate Algebra, College Algebra, or Statistics). We find that only the ChatGPT condition produces statistically significant learning gains compared to a no-help control, with no statistically significant differences in gains or time-on-task observed between learners receiving ChatGPT vs human tutor help. Notably, ChatGPT-generated help failed quality checks on 32% of problems. This was, however, reducible to nearly 0% for algebra problems and 13% for statistics problems after applying self-consistency, a "hallucination" mitigation technique for Large Language Models.

Unveiling the Challenges and Processes of Implementing Program and Performance Budget for Government Universities in Iraq

This study aims to identify the challenges facing the implementation process and necessary processes for the successful implementation of Program and Performance Budget (PPB) in Iraqi universities. Employing a qualitative approach, data was gathered through in-depth, semi-structured focus group discussions involving top management and financial department representatives from the University of Baghdad, the University of Al-Qadisiyah, and the University of Muthanna, totaling 30 participants. Utilizing Nvivo software, the data was analyzed to generate a word cloud, where larger-sized words indicated greater repetitions and higher impact rates. Thematic analysis techniques were subsequently applied for a more detailed understanding. The findings underscore numerous challenges in PBB implementation, including issues related to management competence, organizational commitment, financial constraints, and the unique features of PPB. Key thematic areas for necessary processes are the measurement system and the approach to implementation. The contribution of the theoretical study is to supplement previous literature that is concerned with trying to find an alternative to the traditional method of preparing the budget. The current study showed the challenges associated with implementing the PPB in the Iraqi context and the necessary procedures for that. The study focuses on Iraqi government universities. This empirical evidence contributes to a comprehensive understanding of the challenges and processes associated with PBB implementation, serving as a valuable guide for university management.

Bibliometric Analysis of Islamic Crowdfunding: A Literature Review of Its Journey

Background The potential of Islamic crowdfunding to encourage the development of Islamic fintech globally, even in countries with non-Muslim majority populations, needs to be examined in a literature study on this issue. More extensive research is needed regarding the factors that most reliably predict the success of Islamic crowdfunding, such as compliance with Islamic crowdfunding laws, sustainability, and the potential of Islamic finance. This article describes a comprehensive and systematic Literature Review (SLR) regarding papers published in the field of Islamic crowdfunding. This research aims to contribute to a better understanding of Islamic crowdfunding, provide useful information for practitioners, and stimulate further research in the field to increase the success of Islamic crowdfunding. Methods We conducted a review of selected papers to identify gaps and significant issues in Islamic crowdfunding, providing guidance for future researchers. This article review was based on 704 articles retrieved using the keyword “Islamic crowdfunding” from the Scopus database between 2013 and 2022. To minimize bias, we formulated 5 research questions to guide our analysis: RQ1: How do publication and citation rates vary annually? RQ2: How can we determine the most influential studies based on citation counts for each keyword? RQ3: What are the most common subject areas addressed in Islamic crowdfunding literature from 2013 to 2022? RQ4: What are the most frequently used keywords in Scopus documents? RQ5: How are Islamic values discussed in articles related to Islamic crowdfunding? Results The findings of this research demonstrate that Islamic crowdfunding, characterized by interdisciplinary scholarship, has emerged as an increasingly significant alternative for aiding society and the economy. It contributes to poverty alleviation and the development of specific sectors through channels such as crowdfunding for small and medium enterprises and social projects tailored to meet the diverse needs of Muslims. However, the challenge facing the future development of Sharia crowdfunding is that, despite its benefit of increasing community participation in projects aligned with religious values, it also carries the potential risk of investment losses and non-compliance with Sharia principles. Ways to address the current scarcity of Sharia fintech are also needed, ensuring its broader acceptance across all societal levels, and enhancing Muslims’ understanding of compliance with Islamic religious rules, particularly Fiqh law. Conclusion Urgently needed are specific fiqh regulatory guidelines to ensure that Sharia-compliant crowdfunding adheres to Islamic principles. Government support, particularly through legislation in countries where the majority of the population is Muslim, is crucial to enhance public participation and trust in Sharia crowdfunding.

INFLUENCE OF OVERLOADED SCHOOL EVENTS ON STUDENTS' WELL-BEING

This study investigates the impact of overloaded school events on the overall well-being of students, focusing on physical, mental, and emotional aspects. With schools offering a myriad of extracurricular activities, clubs, and events, concerns arise about their potential effects on students health and academic performance. Using a descriptive research method, 51 students from the College of Education at Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology were surveyed during the 2nd Semester of the 2023-2024 school year. The study found that overloaded school events negatively affect students physical health by causing exhaustion, disrupted sleep patterns, and increased stress. Mentally, students reported feelings of stress, frustration, and decreased confidence, impacting their academic focus and motivation. Emotionally, students experienced increased stress, emotional tension, and challenges in maintaining emotional resilience. Academically, students faced difficulties in focusing, missed lessons leading to educational gaps, and challenges in completing assignments and exams. The study highlights the need for schools to create a balanced learning environment that prioritizes students well-being alongside academic achievement. Recommendations include revising school event calendars, implementing stress reduction programs, promoting self-care and balance, and fostering collaboration among stakeholders to address these issues effectively. Continuous evaluation of interventions is crucial to ensuring positive outcomes for students well-being and academic success. Subject Areas: Higher Education, Sociology KEYWORDS: overloaded school events, students well-being

Connecting the Health Care Workforce with the Patient Experience.

This article is one in a series from Press Ganey-a health care performance improvement organization-that will discuss the many facets of the human experience in health care. Using the latest national data, the series will explore the intersections of safety, reliability, experience, and service, and their impact on engagement, work culture, and nurse-sensitive outcomes. Each installment will be designed as a "deep dive" into the most recent thinking and evidence-based approaches to improvement of the patient experience with a particular focus on practical and implementable tactics in each of the above subject areas.