Taif University Research Articles

Medical Staff Members' Experiences with Blackboard at Taif University, Saudi Arabia.

IntroductionThe coronavirus COVID-19 has had very serious impacts on many aspects of people’s lives worldwide, including the negative effect on the educational system that disturbed the normal functions of medical faculties. Understanding the experiences of medical faculty members will help to better prepare for making improvements in similar future crises. Moreover, to our extended knowledge, there is no study on e-learning in the field of medical university education in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The aim of this qualitative study was to explore how online learning was applied at Taif University after the total transformation from traditional education to Blackboard during the COVID-19 crisis and how it can be improved.MethodsThe study used a descriptive qualitative study design. Staff from four medical colleges at Taif University, Saudi Arabia were invited to participate in a semi-structured interview. Eight Saudi lecturers participated, and data were analysed using thematic analysis.ResultsThis study revealed four themes: Blackboard is professionally well designed; obstacles to the use of Blackboard; the need for Blackboard training; and student behavior through Blackboard.ConclusionThe use of the Blackboard has its advantages and disadvantages, and the education sector needs to do more research to find out that issues and work to improve it.

Risk factors and knowledge assessment of general public for chronic kidney disease in Taif Region, Saudi Arabia

Introduction: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a worldwide public health problem since the rapid increasing prevalence of relevant risk factors, like diabetes, hypertension, unhealthy diet, low to no physical activity and metabolic syndrome. The current study aimed at assessing the risk factors and the general public awareness of CKD in Taif region, Saudi Arabia. Method: We conducted a cross-sectional study during the period of September 2019 to March 2020. For risk factors assessment data regarding CKD cases were collected from the department of nephrology at AL-Hada Military hospital in Taif. An online-based questionnaire was distributed to the general public for knowledge assessment of CKD. 6th year pharmacy student at Taif University and nephrologists from the hospital were also invited to answer the questionnaire. Results: The data of 456 CKD patients with 600 non-CKD individuals were compared for assessment of the most common risk factors. 99% of participants were CKD stage III-V patients. The majority, n=371(81.57%), of the participants were >50 years old. N=328(71.93%) had type 2 diabetes mellitus (Risk ratio= 2.32, CI= 2.03-2.65; Odd ratio=5.7, CI= 4.36-7.45), n=396(86.84%) had hypertension (Risk ratio =9.65,CI-7.46-12.48; Odd ratio: 66.73, CI=45.19-98.54) and n=264(57.89%) had a history of heart diseases (Risk ratio= 3.62, CI=2.96-4.42; Odd ratio= 7.22, CI= 5.42-9.62). In CKD groups, 28.07% of them had low physical activity. In contrast with the control group, only 4% had low physical activity level in their daily routine (p<0.00001). In the general public (n=1419), 919 (64.7%) had poor knowledge, 273 (19.22%) had fair knowledge, and 227 respondents (16.01%) had good knowledge of CKD. Conclusion: The finding suggests that age >50 years, low educational attainment, family history of CKD, diabetes, hypertension, history of kidney stone, CVD and high BMI were significantly associated with CKD progression. We also found that the majority of the general public had poor knowledge of CKD compared to pharmacy graduates and nephrologists. These findings warrant the need for the development of awareness initiatives and programs designed to increase the level of knowledge of the general public of CKD.

مدى ترکیز معلمی اللغة العربیة على القیم والهویة الوطنیة وتعزیزها لدى طلاب المرحلة المتوسطة بمحافظة رنیة

هدفت الدراسة إلى التعرف على مدى ترکيز معلمي اللغة العربية على القيم والهوية الوطنية وتعزيزها لدى طلاب المرحلة المتوسطة بمحافظة رنية بالمملکة العربية السعودية من وجهة نظر المعلمين أنفسهم، اعتمدت الدراسة المنهج الوصفي، ولتحقيق أهداف الدراسة أعد الباحث استبانة تکونت من (21) فقرة تمثل کل فقرة سلوکا أو قيما وطنية يسعى المعلم إلى تعزيزها لدى الطلاب، توزعت على ثلاة أبعاد، هي: (الانتماء والهوية بمعايير وقيم المسؤولية الوطنية تجاه المجتمع)، وتکونت عينة الدراسة من جميع معلمي اللغة العربية في المدارس المتوسطة بمحافظة رنية والبالغ عددهم (68) معلما. أظهرت نتائج البحث أن معلمي اللغة العربية يرکزون بدرجة مرتفعة على القيم والهوية الوطنية وتعزيزها لدى طلاب المرحلة المتوسطة بمحافظة رنية بالمملکة العربية السعودية، کما بينت النتائج أن مدى ترکيز معلمي اللغة العربية على أبعاد الدراسة (الکلي) مرتفعا، حيث جاء الأعلى في الترکيز بعد الانتماء الوطني والهوية الوطنية، يليه بعد الالتزام بمعايير وقيم المجتمع، وثالثا بعد المسؤولية الوطنية تجاه المجتمع، مع العلم أن جميع الأبعاد کانت ذات متوسط حسابي أعلى من المستوى المقبول تربويا، حيث بلغ المتوسط الحسابي الکلي (3.90)، وجاءت جميع الأبعاد بدرجة مرتفعة من الترکيز. وفي ضوء نتائج البحث أوصى الباحث بضرورة الاستمرار بالإعداد الجيـد لمعلمي اللغة العربية والمواد الدراسية الأخرى من أجل تعميق روح المواطنة لدى الطلاب في المراحل التعليمية المختلفة. وتضمين کتب اللغة العربية وبعض المواد الدراسية الأخرى بموضوعات تعليمية وطنية تعزز روح الولاء والانتماء، وإجراء دراسات مماثلة على معلمي ومعلمات مواد دراسية أخرى لها علاقة بتعزيز القيم الوطنية والهوية الوطنية لدى الطلاب، کمادة التربية والتربية الإسلامية. الکلمات المفتاحية: القيم، الهوية ترکيز، معلمو اللغة العربية. The Extent of the focus of Arabic language teachers on the values ​​and identity and its promotion among middle school students in Reniyah Misfer Saud Mubarak Al-Harsh. Department: Human Studies Department, College: University College Berne, University: Taif University, City: Taif City, Country: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Email: m.alhersh@tu.edu.sa Principal Investigator Muhammad Ali Hassan Hassan Al-Shawky. Department: Humanities Studies Department, College: University College in Barnia, University: Taif University, City: Taif City, Country: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Email: m.delshwki@tu.edu.sa Associate Researcher Mohammed Abdul Aziz Al-Faris Al-Subaie. Department: Humanities Studies Department, College: University College in Barnia, University: Taif University, City: Taif City, Country: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Email: m.alfaris@tu.edu.sa Associate Researcher Abdul Aziz bin Eidah Al-Binousi Al-Harthy. Department: Human Studies Department, College: University College Berne, University: Taif University, City: Taif City, Country: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Email: ah.alharthis@tu.edu.sa Associate Researcher Ashraf Ali Abdul Rahim Mohammed Rashwan. Department: Human Studies Department, College: University College Berne, University: Taif University, City: Taif City, Country: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Email: a.ashraff@tu.edu.sa Associate Researcher Ahmed Abdel Rahim Hassanein Morsi. Department: Humanities Studies Department, College: University College in Barnia, University: Taif University, City: Taif City, Country: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Email: a.abdoo@tu.edu.sa Associate Researcher Abstract: The aim of this study is to determine the extent to which Arabic language teachers focus on values, identity and promotion among middle school students in Rania province, Saudi Arabia. From the point of view of teachers themselves, the study adopted the descriptive approach, and to achieve the objectives of the study the researcher prepared a questionnaire consisting of (21) paragraphs representing each paragraph behavior or values that the teacher seeks to promote among students, distributed on three dimensions They are: (belonging and to the standards and values of responsibility towards society),The sample of the study consisted of all the teachers of Arabic language in the middle schools in the governorate of Raniyeh and the number of (68) teachers. The results of the research showed that the Arabic language teachers are highly focused on the values and identity and promotion among middle school students in the province of Raniyah, Saudi Arabia, The results also showed that the extent of the focus of Arabic language teachers on the dimensions of the study (total) high, where the highest in the focus after national belonging and identity, followed by commitment to the standards and values of society, Thirdly, after the national responsibility towards society, knowing that all dimensions had an arithmetic average higher than the educationally acceptable level, where the total arithmetic average was (3.90), and all dimensions came with a high degree of concentration. In light of the results of the research, the researcher recommended the necessity of continuing to prepare well for Arabic language teachers and other subjects in order to deepen the spirit of citizenship among students at different educational levels. Include Arabic textbooks and other subjects in educational subjects that promote loyalty and belonging, and conduct similar studies on teachers and other subjects related to the promotion of values and identity among students, such as civic education and Islamic education. Keywords: Arabic Language Teachers, National Identity, Values.

WEBINAR'S EFFICIENCY AND ELECTRONIC PERFORMANCE OF STUDENTS WITH HIGH AND LOW MOTIVATION IN LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM(BLACKBOARD)

Online activities is the strongest factor which contributes to online learning. synchronous learning activities are mediated including online webinars (web-based seminars). Asynchronous learning activities are delayed, and usually written; these include accessing recorded lectures and flipped classroom videos online. Unique here is that the recordings are published afterwards in the online learning management system (LMS). The aim of this study is to identify Webinar's Efficiency and Electronic performance of students with high and low motivation in learning management system (Blackboard). Two conditions are addressed in this study: a) face-to-face (F2F) online webinars (web-based seminars or video conferencing), b) the elements of part a) , but complemented by teacher-recorded flipped classroom videos (pre-lectures) before the F2F online webinars by using mobile technologies such as laptops, tablets, and smart phones. Such technologies are accessible from different locations at anytime, anywhere. Data collection consists of observations of 22 recorded F2F online webinars among 155 vocational student teachers divided into groups of 75 and 80 participants, and 12 interviews (six from each group, all women) at Taif University, College of Education. Findings raise some challenges and implications presented by using online webinar (WEB-based seminar) and flipped classroom in LMS Blackboard. Moreover, Students who indicated that both in and out of online webinar F2F, or with and without teacher-recorded flipped classroom videos were an effective tools and were highly motivated towards utilization of LMS system. The peers activities are giving the students (N=155) more meaning and learner-centered experiences. However, their electronic performance and learning motivation have improved in favor of the pro test. Also, the preparations in the flipped classroom lectures, before the follow-up webinar, gave the students more time to managing the content from the literature. And the university should apply some workshops for both teachers and students to train on webinar techniques in the University courses as a recommended requirement for e-learning.

Toward a model for acceptance of MOOCs in higher education: the modified UTAUT model for Saudi Arabia

Massive open online courses MOOCs) are a mode of online learning available to students at any place in the world to improve their skills. Their acceptance for academic purposes remains low, and it is desirable to promote their usage among students. The unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) was enhanced by the inclusion of attitude and computer self-efficacy, factors verified in the literature. The objective of this study was to use a UTAUT model to identify the major factors determining learners’ acceptance of MOOCs in higher education in Saudi Arabia. An online survey was administered to 169 students of Taif University in Saudi Arabia and structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data. The results show that the proposed model can explain 63.3% of behavioral intention and 66.1% of user behavior of MOOC. The study unexpectedly found that behavioral intention was affected only by attitude. The actual use was affected by behavioral intention, attitude, and facilitating conditions. Attitude was affected by performance expectancy, social influence, and computer self-efficacy. In addition, computer self-efficacy as an external factor has an important effect on performance expectancy, effort expectancy, and attitude. The main finding is that although most studies of technology acceptance exclude attitude, this study found it to have a critical role in verifying the UTAUT model. This study highlights the main factors that affect MOOC intention and its usage for students in higher education.

A Gender-Based Study to Investigate Saudi Male and Female EFL Learners’ Satisfaction Towards the Effectiveness of Hybrid Learning

Since the transmission of knowledge has started, it solely relied on traditional teaching methods but ever since technology-mediated instructions have emerged, they potentially brought a revolution in how we teach, when we teach, from where we teach and what gadgets, modes and apps can better cater learners’ interest and motivation. In this context, hybrid learning is a novel approach in academic settings that embraces advantage of the retention of face-to-face component of traditional classes and e-learning environment. The present study aims at investigating Taif University’s male and female English as Foreign Language (EFL) learners’ satisfaction towards the onsite and online learning environments. An opinionnaire with 20 items was developed with closed ended questions by employing Likert’s five-point scale to collect the data from 200 male and female EFL participants of Taif University, represents quantitative dimensions of the study. The research tool is designed to measure learners’ satisfaction that is further categorized into five subscales. These include: (a) learners’ satisfaction with the instructor and their real-time feedback; (b) perceived ease of use of technology and internet; (c) effective course content and interactive and collaborative activities; (d) finally engaging nature of hybrid learning and its impacts on learners’ interest and motivation. The study finds no significant differences in male and female participants’ perceptions regarding effective delivery of hybrid instructions except meek variations in male and female learners’ preferences in perceived ease of use of technology. The statistics reveal that male participants and their female counterparts slightly differ in their satisfaction level towards the technical problems faced by them in recording their scores, flexibility in terms of time and space, and in smooth completion of online activities. Finally, the study provides few recommendations to fix certain issues and improve the quality of hybrid learning environment.

Fostering Saudi EFL Learners’ Communicative, Collaborative and Critical Thinking Skills Through the Technique of In-Class Debate

Diverse learning styles of the learners require instructors to utilize wide variety of instructional strategies to engage their interest and motivation. In-class debate is a systematic instructional strategy utilized to bring the dynamics of social life into the classroom to cultivate learners’ active-involvement in the content of the subject. It hones learners’ range of skills, such as; oral-communication, social-interaction, critical thinking skills and internalization of the course content. For the purposes of present study, the researcher utilized qualitative cum quantitative research tools to collect the data from the participants. An opinionnaire with 14 items was developed with closed ended questions. The instrument was designed to measure four variables, which are tabulated into four sections (See tables 3-6): (a) in-class debate inculcates learners’ collaborative, communicative and cooperative paradigms;(b) it triggers learners’ complete mastery of the course content, i.e., retention, assimilation and understanding, coupled with boosts stack of skills involved in the process; (c) it fosters EFL learners’ ability to critically evaluate and analyze everything; and (d) finally it focuses on learners’ creative and critical thinking skills and make them active and independent pursuers of knowledge. The survey was administered to 87 female EFL learners of Taif University to identify the impacts of debate on their range of academic skills. The findings of the study indicate that in-class debate effectively generates learners’ several skills since it targets their thinking skill, contemplation, reflection and ultimately stimulates their productive, receptive, analytical and critical thinking skills. Yet, more faculties can be activated and maximum results can be obtained, if this interactive strategy is implemented in a structured format with a properly designed rubric focusing on learners’ specific skills.

The role of smartphone app "WhatsApp" on achievement motivation and social intelligence among female undergraduate students.

PurposeThis study investigates the effects of using a smartphone application (WhatsApp) on achievement motivation and social intelligence in female students at Taif University.Design and MethodsThe sample comprised 60 undergraduate female students from a college of education. The design was a quasi‐experimental nonequivalent (pretest and posttest) control group.FindingsAchievement motivation was significantly higher in the experimental group than the control group at posttest. However, no significant difference was found between the experimental and control groups in social intelligence at posttest.Practice ImplicationsSmartphones can increase student learning by fostering high‐level skills and concepts.

Mobile phone use pattern and addiction in relation to depression and anxiety.

University students with heavy smartphone use are vulnerable to smartphone addiction that could be related to depression and trait anxiety. To assess gender differences in patterns of smartphone use and addiction in relation to depression and trait anxiety among Saudi university students. This was a cross-sectional study of 1513 students of Taif University, Saudi Arabia. A self-reported questionnaire was used to collect demographic data and data on pattern of smartphone use. The Problematic Use of Mobile Phones (PUMP) scale was used to determine smartphone addiction. The Arabic validated version of the Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale and Beck Depression Inventory were used to assess trait anxiety and depression, respectively. A female predominance was found for: prevalence of depression and trait anxiety, PUMP scores, duration of daily mobile use and number of daily calls. A significant positive correlation was found between PUMP score and depression and trait anxiety scores, duration of owning a smartphone, and average duration of each daily call. The PUMP scores were significantly higher in 6th year students, those from the theoretical college, single students, and students who used a smartphone for > 4 hours/day. Smartphone addiction is a major problem among Saudi university students, and it is associated with depression and trait anxiety. Future studies should aim to establish the best interventions to protect university students from the negative effects of smartphones.

Lumbar Puncture in Saudi Arabia: Knowledge, Awareness, Acceptance and its Refusal Among Health Professionals

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Lumbar puncture (LP) is a standard technique to acquire cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) for either diagnostic or therapeutic management of neurological disorders. This study assesses the awareness and level of acceptance of LP among medical laboratory students. The study also investigates the level of understanding of the purpose of performing LP and determines the acceptance rate among the study population.
 METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Taif, Saudi Arabia, using an online questionnaire distributed among medical laboratory students attending the College of Applied Medical Sciences at Taif University. Of over 200 questionnaires distributed, 176 students responded. The questionnaire queried students’ socio-demographic information, their knowledge, acceptance rate, and possible complications and precautions concerning LP. A univariate analysis was performed.
 RESULTS: The study showed that 81.8% of participants were aware of LP. About 53.6% of participants received their information from their education. The participants’ understanding of the side effects and precautions surrounding LP operations was significantly high at 87.5% and 72.7%, respectively. In all, 65.9% of participants reported their acceptance compared to 34.1% of participants who did not accept LP. In contrast, about 72.7% of participants preferred not to do LP, even if the LP was prescribed by their doctor.
 CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS FOR TRANSLATION: The study showed high knowledge of the purpose, process, and duration of the LP procedure among clinical laboratory students. The key reasons for the LP’s rejection in the majority of participants were fear of injection and side effects, including paralysis. This research demonstrated the need to raise awareness of LP using methods such as social media, academic seminars and training courses.
 Key words: Lumbar puncture; Cerebrospinal fluid; Taif; Saudi Arabia; Medical laboratory students.
 
 Copyright © 2020 Alrehaili. Published by Global Health and Education Projects, Inc. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Structural and optical characteristic features of RF sputtered CdS/ZnO thin films**Project supported by the Deanship of Scientific Research, Taif University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (Grant No. 1-440-6136).

In this study, CdS/ZnO (2:3 mol%) thin films are successfully deposited on quartz substrates by using the sputtering technique. Good images on the structural and optical characteristic features of CdS/ZnO thin films before and after annealing are obtained. The CdS/ZnO thin films are annealed respectively at temperatures of 373 K, 473 K, and 573 K and the structural features are examined by XRD, ATR-FTIR, and FESEM. The optical properties of CdS/ZnO thin films such as refractive indices, absorption coefficients, optical band gap energy values, Urbach energy values, lattice dielectric constants, and high frequency dielectric constants are determined from spectrophotometer data recorded over the spectral range of 300 nm–2500 nm. Dispersion parameters are investigated by using a single-oscillator model. Photoluminescence spectra of CdS/ZnO thin films show an overall decrease in their intensity peaks after annealing. The third-order nonlinear optical parameter, and nonlinear refractive index are also estimated.

Oral Health Behavior of Medical, Dental, and Pharmacology Students in Taif University: A Cross-sectional Study

Aim:Poor oral health and high caries prevalence in young adults in Saudi Arabia is the result of inadequate oral health knowledge and inappropriate oral health behavior. The present study was conducted to evaluate the knowledge, attitude, and oral hygiene behavior of young adult students pursuing professional courses in Taif University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.Materials and Methods:A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted amongst the medical, dental, and pharmacy students of Taif University. A pretested self-administered questionnaire containing 20 questions was administered to the students, and the data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (IBM, version 20 for Windows, SPSS Inc., Armonk, New York, USA). Descriptive analysis and difference in the association were measured by using the chi-square test and Kruskal-Wallis analysis of variance, followed by the Mann-Whitney U test. The level of significance was set at .05.Results:A total of 500 (287 males and 213 females) students were involved in the survey with the mean age of 23 ± 1.4 years. Fourteen percent of participants brushed at least twice daily with statistical significant gender difference ( P = .001). For the query regarding the reason for skipping tooth brushing often, 113 of total participants (22.6%) responded as no time for tooth brushing. A total of 93 participants (18.6%) responded that they have not visited any dentist in their life, with the statistical significant difference for gender being P = .001. The student who received dental treatment from private hospitals was 60.4 percent. Fifty-one percent of students responded that dental treatment is expensive. Sixty-one percent of participants responded for consuming sweet at least once in a day ( P = .04).Conclusion:The present study highlights the inconsistency in oral health behavior among the study participants, emphasizing on the need for oral health education of the population to improve oral health status.

The Effectiveness of the Methods in Use to Promote Fluency among EFL Learners at Foreign Languages Department, Taif University

This study outlines the effectiveness of the methods in use to promote EFL students' fluency in classroom and to what extent these methods strengthen students' ability to speak. Through a questionnaire (quantative data) was given to (54) male and female students, the study discusses their learning perception about speaking, materials and methods in practice in discourse and speech elements and evaluation of the oral skills. Depending on the statistical analysis operated by (T) test at (0.05) level, it can be concluded that teachers need to use practical and applicable strategies to develop their students' language fluency. Oral skills have not been given an exceptional distinction in the process of learning the language. The study proposes valuable suggestions to teachers to attain high levels when they plan to improve their students' oral skills. These students can obtain significant standard of proficiency with minimal means by stimulating frequent strategies of speech.

Investigating the Challenges Faced by ESP Learners in Saudi EFL Context

ESP courses are designed to meet the specific needs of students. With this regard, it is noted that there are many challenges and problems that encounter ESP students studying English for Business Administration at Taif University, Saudi Arabia. This study has two aims, the first one is to explore the problems faced by students and the second one is to find possible solutions in order to overcome these problems in the light of the views of the students. The main instruments that were used in this study were interviews and documents (results of final exams). To achieve the aims of this study, 5 Saudi male students majoring in Business Management and Administration, participated in this study. The results showed that students registered on the ESP business modules faced a variety of problems. The nature of such problems is divided into three categories: class size, the limitation of inputs, and classroom management.

Reviewer Acknowledgements for English Linguistics Research, Vol. 9, No. 1

English Linguistics Research (ELR) would like to acknowledge the following reviewers for their assistance with peer review of manuscripts for this issue. Many authors, regardless of whether ELR publishes their work, appreciate the helpful feedback provided by the reviewers. Their comments and suggestions were of great help to the authors in improving the quality of their papers. Each of the reviewers listed below returned at least one review for this issue. Reviewers for Volume 9, Number 1 Alina Andreea Dragoescu Urlica, University of Life Sciences, RomaniaHülya Tuncer, Çukurova University, TurkeyKate Short-Meyerson, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, USAKazeem K. Olaniyan, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, NigeriaLi-ping Chang, National Taipei College of Business, TaiwanOmer Elsheikh Hago Elmahdi, Taibah Universit, Saudi ArabiaSawsan M.A. Ahmed, Taif University, Saudi ArabiaWin Whelan, St. Bonaventure University, USAZeineb Ayachi Ben Abdallah, Higher Institute of Human Sciences Jendouba, Tunisia Best Regards,Camille SuEditorial Assistant, English Linguistics ResearchSciedu Press*************************************Add: 9140 Leslie St. Suite 110, Beaver Creek, Ontario, L4B 0A9, CanadaTel: 1-416-479-0028 ext. 210Fax: 1-416-642-8548E-mail1: elr@sciedupress.com E-mail2: elr@sciedupress.org Website: http://elr.sciedupress.com

A System for Assessment of Students Performance at College of Computers and Information Technology, Taif University

A System for Assessment of Students Performance at College of Computers and Information Technology, Taif University

The Effectiveness of Using Self-Questioning Strategy in Developing Strategic Listening and Self-Regulation

The study aimed at investigating the effectiveness of using self-questioning strategy in developing strategic listening and self-regulation of female students at Taif University. It adopted the quasi-experimental design: a pre/ post-test. It incorporated (89). The researcher designed a strategic listening skills test which was based on a list of strategic listening skills prepared by the researcher. Also, a self-regulation scale was used to measure students' self-regulation adapted from (Alsowat, 2013). The most important results of the study were: There were statistically significant differences between the mean scores of the study groups in the post strategic listening skills in favor of the experimental group. Also, there were no statistically significant differences between the mean scores of the study groups in the post self-regulation skills. Finally, there was no statistically significant difference between the mean scores of the experimental group in the post strategic listening skills due to (high-low) self-regulation skills. Keywords: Self-Questioning, English Language, Strategic Listening Skills, Self-Regulation, University Students. DOI: 10.7176/JEP/11-8-17 Publication date: March 31 st 2020

Perceptions and Attitudes Towards Clinical Pharmacy Services and Their Impact on The Management of Cancer in Taif, Saudi Arabia.

Aim:To assess the perception and attitude of HCPs and health-related science colleges’ students regarding the clinical pharmacists’ roles and responsibilities in providing better pharmaceutical care to patients in Taif, Saudi Arabia and to detect its impact on management of cancer. Methods:This study was conducted in four randomly selected hospitals in Taif and three health-related science colleges in Taif University. A questionnaire was distributed to HCPs and another questionnaire to students of health-related science colleges. Results:Three quarters of students perceived that the clinical pharmacist is an important part of the healthcare team. Two-thirds of HCPs expressed confidence in the ability of clinical pharmacists to minimize medication errors. Although two-thirds of HCPs reported that they did not have clinical pharmacists in their institutions, there was substantial willingness among HCPs to cooperate with the clinical pharmacists. Most HCPs expressed the view that the clinical pharmacist is an important integral part of the healthcare team and has a positive impact on cancer management. Conclusion:HCPs and students of health-related science colleges valued the role of clinical pharmacists in healthcare delivery and management of cancer. However, new developments in clinical pharmacy services in Taif hospitals are recommended to improve perception and attitudes towards the clinical pharmacy services. Also, well-organized programs should be conducted to students of health-related science colleges to improve their perceptions and attitudes towards the clinical pharmacy services which may have a positive impact on cancer management.

The Prevalence and Causes of Syncope among Girls Aged from 18 to 25 in Taif University

The Prevalence and Causes of Syncope among Girls Aged from 18 to 25 in Taif University

Prevalence and Antibiotic Sensitivity Pattern of Asymptomatic Bacteriuria among Female Students and Staff of College of Applied Medical Sciences, Taif University.

Background: Asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB) is a common condition where bacteria are present in a significant count in urine without symptoms. Pathogen persistence for a long period of time can cause urinary tract infection (UTI) that may lead to a serious complication. This study was carried out to assess the prevalence of ASB among female student and staff in College of Applied Medical Sciences, Taif university.
 Methods: This was a cross sectional study where a clean-catch midstream urine specimens were collected from 50 participant; 29 staff (group A) and 21 students (group B). The urine specimens were cultured quantitatively onto CLED agar plates and incubated at 35-37 ºC for 24- 48 hours. Bacterial growth equal to or more than 105 CFU/ml was considered significant. Bacteria that grew in significant count were identified by Gram stain, catalase test, coagulase test and novobiocin sensitivity.
 Results: Out of the 50 urine specimens screened for ASB, two specimens (4 %) showed significant bacterial growth; where one specimen (3.4 %) in group A and one specimen (4.8 %) in group B showed significant bacterial growth. The rest of urine specimens showed either no or non-significant bacterial growth. Staphylococcus saprophyticus and Staphylococcus epidermidis were the isolated organisms.
 Conclusion: Low prevalence of asymptomatic bacteriuria was noted in this study. This may be due to the relatively small number of the students and staff investigated. Another likely explanation is that our target group has high educational status as socioeconomic marker.