Investigating Omani Science Teachers’ Attitudes Towards Teaching Science: the Role of Gender and Teaching Experiences

A 30-item questionnaire was designed to determine Omani science teachers’ attitudes toward teaching science and whether or not these attitudes differ according to gender and teaching experiences of teachers. The questionnaire items were divided into 3 domains: classroom preparation, managing hands-on science, and development appropriateness. The questionnaire was administered to 139 randomly selected science teachers who teach science in grades 5–10. The sample consisted of 72 male teachers and 67 female teachers, 57 teachers with teaching experience between 1 and 5 years and 82 teachers with teaching experience of 6 and more years. The sample was selected from 7 schools in 1 Educational Governorate in the Sultanate of Oman. The questionnaire reliability was calculated by an internal consistency method, using Cronbach’s alpha, which gave the value of 0.73 for all the items. The findings indicated that science teachers’ attitudes toward teaching science were positive. Furthermore, the results showed that there were statically significant differences in teachers’ attitudes due to gender in favor of the female teachers and in teaching experience in favor of teachers with long experience. The study proposed some recommendations to improve the science teachers’ attitude, especially male teachers towards science teaching. Paying more attention to in-service professional development programs, encouraging new teachers to attend some classes to observe experienced colleagues, and finally rewarding teachers morally, socially, and financially are some of these recommendations.     

Importance of ticks and their chemical and immunological control in livestock

The medical and economic importance of ticks has long been recognized due to their ability to transmit diseases to humans and animals. Ticks cause great economic losses to livestock, and adversely affect livestock hosts in several ways. Loss of blood is a direct effect of ticks acting as potential vector for haemo-protozoa and helminth parasites. Blood sucking by large numbers of ticks causes reduction in live weight and anemia among domestic animals, while their bites also reduce the quality of hides. However, major losses caused by ticks are due to their ability to transmit protozoan, rickettsial and viral diseases of livestock, which are of great economic importance world-wide. There are quite a few methods for controlling ticks, but every method has certain shortcomings. The present review is focused on ticks importance and their control.     

Finding the next ‘wave’ in internationalisation of higher education: focus on Malaysia

This article presents a case study of Malaysia’s inroad in internationalising its higher education system for the past three decades and proposes recommendations and the way forward in internationalisation. Internationalisation is one of the critical agenda in Malaysia’s higher education transformation with an end target of becoming an international hub of higher education excellence by 2020. The country is no stranger in internationalisation as efforts in student mobility, academic programmes and international collaboration have started since the 1980s and 1990s. As with other higher education systems globally, it was the private sector that initiated and sustained efforts in internationalisation of Malaysian higher education. With the growth in international student enrolment, the country has established itself as a student hub; however, greater focus and clarity in direction should be set forward in accelerating Malaysia’s progress in internationalisation, with research and development as a potential catalyst. The article also questions Malaysia’s current standing with regard to internationalisation and the need in facilitating higher education institutions to build their capacity in internationalisation, highlighting the important roles of individual institutions at both public and private sector that drive the country’s internationalisation agenda.     

Open and Dual-Mode Universities in East and South Asia

This article draws primarily upon Asian research, literature, and experience to describe the open and dualmode universities of East and South Asia. It describes their origins, admissions, development, delivery methods, and applications of technology. It discusses their successes and failures and the contributing political, social, economic, and cultural factors. It questions whether Asian distance education is best served by adopting Western models or whether there is need for the evolution of indigenous systems more firmly based upon local, vocational, social, and cultural needs. It considers faculty development and performance improvement issues and concludes by arguing for more research and evaluation to increase the institutions' standing with the governments, students, and communities they serve.     

‘Cracks’ in the scholarly communications system: Insights from a longitudinal international study of early career researchers

• 170 early career researchers interviewed three times over 2 years, have uniquely contributed towards a stress test of scholarly communications and cracks have been identified.
• The perfect storm created by the convergence of millennial values and the pandemic appears to have fast-forwarded the cracking process, perhaps, for the good.
• The cracks in question are: (1) peer review; (2) reputational assessment; (3) unethical/questionable practices; (4) collaboration; (5) networking.