SWOT Analysis of Veterinary and Animal Science Education in India: Implications for Policy and Future Directions

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify and rank the SWOT issues of India's veterinary and animal science education.

Design: The data were collected at the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) from 168 post-graduate students. The two surveys generated 72% (N=121) and 68% (N=114) response rates, respectively. In the first stage, the vital SWOT issues were listed by respondents and in the second stage, they ranked the top eight issues on a Likert scale.

Findings: Uniform curriculum; merit-based admissions; and huge demand and employment prospects were perceived as major strengths. Gaps in curriculum revision and inadequate faculty, colleges and hands-on experience were perceived as key weaknesses. Regular curriculum revisions; novel instructional methods; and single admission tests were important opportunities perceived. Out-dated education model; urban biased admissions; and regional barriers were the major threats perceived.

Practical implication: The SWOT issues identified are similar to those faced by veterinary education programmes in many countries with minor variations.

Originality/value: The findings are of interest for veterinary faculties in developing and under-developed countries to harmonize their veterinary education systems on par with global norms. The related implications for policy and future directions are discussed.     

A follow-up study of students using portable computers at a secondary school

This paper reports on the findings of a 1999 study that set out to investigate the current perceptions of students and teachers towards the use of portable computers at a secondary school. The aim was to compare these with the findings of a 1995 study carried out by the researcher at the same school. Data were collected from 102 Year Twelve students (17 year old), 104 Year Eight students (13 year old) and 40 teachers. The results indicated that for the Year Twelve students the computers had been of limited value while the Year Eight students appeared to be divided with about a quarter indicating negative attitudes. For the younger students the computers appeared to be used more often and for a greater range of tasks. Many teachers indicated concerns about the management of computers in the classroom and linking computer use to learning outcomes. These perceptions underline the need for targeted professional development, systematic support for the development of student computer-related skills, and changes in the curriculum towards more learner-centred approaches.     

Health sciences librarian competency perceptions: a survey of national community college librarians

Objective:The primary objective of this study was to determine how community college health sciences librarians perceive their proficiencies in the essential skills, knowledge, and abilities necessary for the practice of a health information professional as defined by the Medical Library Association (MLA) Competencies for Lifelong Learning and Professional Success. A secondary objective was to determine their current level of engagement with the professional community and identify barriers to further professional development.Methods:A survey was posted to various email discussion lists, and volunteer follow-up interviews were conducted.Results:The survey was completed by seventy-five community college health sciences librarians, and seven follow-up interviews were performed. Survey results indicated that community college health sciences librarians perceived themselves as having intermediate or advanced intermediate proficiency in the six MLA competencies. Survey and interview results indicated that community college health sciences librarians were engaged with the profession and faced the same barriers to continued professional development and continued education as other academic librarians.Conclusion:The results affirm that community college librarians who are responsible for collections and services in the health sciences meet the MLA competencies, which fills a gap in the literature regarding how these librarians develop professional competencies and are involved in professional associations. The results suggest that community college librarians can improve their skill levels by continuing their education and following trends in the literature.     

Emotion recognition in fathers and mothers at high-risk for child physical abuse

Objective

The present study was designed to determine whether parents at high risk for physical child abuse, in comparison with parents at low risk, show deficits in emotion recognition, as well as to examine the moderator effect of gender and stress on the relationship between risk for physical child abuse and emotion recognition.

Methods

Based on their scores on the Abuse Scale of the CAP Inventory (Milner, 1986), 64 parents at high risk (24 fathers and 40 mothers) and 80 parents at low risk (40 fathers and 40 mothers) for physical child abuse were selected. The Subtle Expression Training Tool/Micro Expression Training Tool ( [Ekman, 2004a] and [Ekman, 2004b]) and the Diagnostic Analysis of Nonverbal Accuracy II (Nowicki & Carton, 1993) were used to assess emotion recognition.

Results

As expected, parents at high risk, in contrast to parents at low risk, showed deficits in emotion recognition. However, differences between high- and low-risk participants were observed only for fathers, but not for mothers. Whereas fathers at high risk for physical child abuse made more errors than mothers at high risk, no differences between mothers at low risk and fathers at low risk were found. No interaction between stress, gender, and risk status was observed for errors in emotion recognition.

Conclusions and practice implications

The present findings, if confirmed with physical abusers, could be helpful to further our understanding of deficits in processing information of physically abusive parents and to develop treatment strategies specifically focused on emotion recognition. Moreover, if gender differences can be confirmed, the findings could be helpful to develop specific treatment programs for abusive fathers.     

Developmental dyslexia: Is it different from other forms of reading disability?

A controversy whether developmental dyslexia is qualitatively different from other forms of reading disability has existed among reading specialists for many years. In the present study, the hypothesis that the etiology of dyslexia is different from that of other forms of reading disability because of differences in the components that malfunction was tested. A number of studies have shown that the two components that contribute to a large proportion of variance in reading are decoding and comprehension. It is, therefore, possible that a breakdown of different components could lead to different forms of disabilities. College students who were poor readers were assigned to two groups on the basis of their IQ. Conforming to the traditional criterion of dyslexia, those who had an IQ of 95 and above were considered as dyslexic. Those who had an IQ of 85 or below were placed in the Nonspecific Reading-Disabled group. These two groups of poor readers and a group of normal readers were administered a large number of reading-related tests. It was found that the two reading-disabled groups differed from each other in six of the seven areas assessed. There was very little overlap of scores between the two groups in these areas. The results were interpreted to suggest that poor decoding skill is the etiology of developmental dyslexia and that it differs from other forms of reading disability which are caused by generalized cognitive deficits.     

湖南省推广普及定向运动的可行性分析

定向运动作为新兴体育运动项目越来越受到人们的关注，尤其是近两年来，教育主管部门加大了对定向运动的推广普及力度。探讨了定向运动在湖南省学校体育和社会体育中推广和普及的可行性。通过广大定向人的努力，定向运动将在湖南省得到蓬勃的发展。     

论高校体育教学的创新与大学生负性情绪的调控

关注学生的心理问题，是创新高校体育教学的又一核心问题。笔者拟透视“情绪”这一视角，来分析当前高校体育教学对大学生情绪的影响，以求切准大学生带有社会性的整体情绪状态，来创新高校体育教学，以实现大学生身、心、群的全面发展。     

高校体育师资的培养与激励导向的选择

高校体育的发展必须树立“以人为本”的管理思想，现代管理的核心是人及人的积极性，科学的管理和激励机制是体育教师队伍素质发展的关键。激励是管理过程中达成目标的催化剂，科学的管理机制必须明确激励导向，体育管理环境的优化离不开体育教育观念的转变，在此基础上，提出了转化体育管理环境的建议。     

体育课教学过程中文理科女大学生学习态度的比较研究

文科与理科女大学生的学习态度有显著差异,主要原因是文理科女大学生的认知方式、元认知能力及其发展水平不同.针对这一差异,在体育教学中体育教师应保持积极的情绪状态,注重人文关怀,注重运动实践与体育文化知识融合,改革成绩考核标准.