Entrepreneurial attributes among postgraduate students of a Pakistani university

This paper explores entrepreneurial attributes among the students of The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, a public sector Pakistani university. Multistage sampling was employed to maximize the representation. Five hundred and twenty one master＇s level students from thirty departments returned completed questionnaires. Three factors emerged： self efficacy, efficiency and commitment, and entrepreneurial inclinations. The majority of the students exhibited positive entrepreneurial attributes. However, there was no significant difference between negative and positive entrepreneurial attributes. There was no significant impact of demographic variables such as gender, parental income and profession on entrepreneurial attributes. Impact on practice and policy is discussed.     

An approach to develop physics student teachers＇ skills of using instructional technology

It is very important to develop student teachers＇ skills and knowledge during the pre-service teacher education process. In this study, the effectiveness of the approach in which student teachers＇ gained skills of developing and using TGMs （teacher-guided materials） based on integration of technology on physics education in STMC-Ⅱ （Special Teaching Methods Course-Ⅱ） for pre-service physics teachers was evaluated. The study was conducted with 33 physics student teachers in KTU （Karadeniz Technical University）. Student teachers were required to develop and present TGMs, which were based on principles of special teaching approaches and techniques and integration of technology through instruction. The data of the study were gained from semi-structured interviews conducted with 14 student teachers, observations of the lessons conducted by each student teacher and document analysis of the student teachers＇ diaries collected during the term. The student teachers stated that STMC-11 was a very helpful experience to gain teaching skills. It is believed that all these activities, which are designed and performed in the classroom by student teachers during STMC-Ⅱ course, will not only prepare them for their teaching but also help them gain basic experiences that they will need in their future career. At the end of the process, it is concluded that all the student teachers gained nearly the whole defined aims--skills and knowledge of the STMC-Ⅱ. The implementation process should be organized very well to have advance of gaining many skills together. Key words： physics student teacher; STMC-Ⅱ; the skills of developing TGMs and integration of technology     

An analysis of the cultural representation of disability in school textbooks in Iran and England

The paper details the findings of a study which focused on the analysis of the cultural representation of disability in school textbooks in Iran and England. The paper argues that whilst inclusive education could facilitate the incorporating of disabled pupils into mainstream schools, there needs to be deeper examination as to how this transition should take place for children aged 3–13. The paper suggests that in such examinations, school textbooks might be of significance in familiarising non-disabled pupils, teachers and authorities with the issues related to disability and disabled pupils.     

New insight for activity intensity relativity,metabolic expenditure during object projection skill performance

This study examined the metabolic cost (METs) of performing object projection skills at three practice trial intervals (6, 12, and 30 seconds). Forty adults (female n = 20) aged 18–30 (M = 23.7 ± 2.9 years) completed three, nine-minute sessions of skill trials performed at 6, 12, and 30 second intervals. Participants performed kicking, throwing and striking trials in a blocked schedule with maximal effort. Average METs during each session were measured using a COSMED K4b2. A three (interval condition) X two (sex) ANOVA was conducted to examine differences in METs across interval conditions and by sex. Results indicated a main effect for interval condition (F(5,114) = 187.02, p < .001, η² = 0.76) with decreased interval times yielding significantly higher METs [30 sec = 3.45, 12 sec = 5.68, 6 sec = 8.21]. A main effect for sex (F(5, 114) = 35.39, p < .001, η² = 0.24) also was found with men demonstrating higher METs across all intervals. At a rate of only two trials/min, participants elicited moderate physical activity, with 12 and 6-second intervals exhibiting vigorous PA. Demonstrating MVPA during the performance of object projection skill performance has potential implications for PA interventions.     

Effectiveness of motor skill intervention varies based on implementation strategy

Background: Young children from disadvantaged settings often present delays in fundamental motor skills (FMS). Young children can improve their FMS delays through developmentally appropriate motor skill intervention programming. However, it is unclear which pedagogical strategy is most effective for novice and expert instructors.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a motor skill intervention delivered by expert and novice teachers via direct or indirect pedagogical strategy on the object control and locomotor skills of young children.

Participants and setting: Participants included children (N?=?109) aged 40–67 months (M_age?=?54 months, SD?=?7 months) enrolled in an early years center for children who are socioeconomically disadvantaged in the United States.

Data collection: Children participated in one of five instructional conditions (expert-led direct, expert-led indirect, novice-led direct, novice-led indirect, and control). Expert and preservice physical education teachers implemented the Successful Kinesthetic Instruction for Preschoolers (SKIP) motor skill program twice weekly for 6 weeks (360?min of instruction). Children in all experimental conditions (n?=?69) received ‘business as usual’ free play on nonintervention days. Children in the control condition (n?=?40) received the ‘business as usual’ free play 5 days weekly throughout the entirety of the intervention. Children completed the Test of Gross Motor Development-2 during the pretest and the posttest.

Data analysis: For object control and locomotor skills, we conducted two, separate, one-way ANOVAs at the pretest to determine condition differences. We then calculated two separate, five conditions × two times repeated-measures ANOVAs to determine the effects of SKIP on both object control and locomotor skills. Tukey post hoc analyses confirmed posttest differences among the conditions.

Findings: There were no significant differences among conditions at the pretest (locomotor, p?=?.347–.969; object control, p?=?.143–.918). For object control skills, there were significant main effects for time (F[1, 104]?=?83.92, p?.001, η²?=?.45) and condition (F[4, 104]?=?6.39, p?<?.001, η²?=?.20) as well as a significant time by condition interaction (F[4, 104]?=?22.36, p?<?.001, η²?=?.45). For locomotor skills, there was a significant main effect for time (F[1, 104]?=?41.25, p?<?.001, η²?=?.28) but not for condition (F[4, 104]?=?2.20 p?<?.074, η²?=?.08). There was a significant time by condition interaction (F[1, 104]?=?18.68, p?<?.001, η²?=?.42). Experts, regardless of strategy, showed significantly greater improvements (p?<?.001) than novice and control conditions for locomotor skills. For object control skills, experts (all conditions) and novice-direct demonstrated significantly (p?<?.001) greater gains than the control and novice-indirect conditions.

Conclusion: Young children from disadvantaged settings demonstrated developmental delays with FMS. Motor skill intervention was effective with remediating their delays. Novice teachers with limited physical education experience should begin teaching object control skills via direct instruction. Experts can choose either direct or indirect instructional strategies. Future research should investigate the implications of scaffolding locomotor skills and indirect pedagogical strategies for novice teachers.     

Do the Demographic Differences Manifest in Motivation to Learn Science and Impact on Science Performance? Evidence from Sri Lanka

The present study examined whether gender, ethnicity, instructional medium and school category differences manifest in science performance and motivation to learn science among secondary school students in Sri Lanka. The mean of five successive term test scores was used as the measure of science performance. Level of motivation in terms of six dimensions was measured by using the Science Motivation Questionnaire. A sample of 1316 grade 11 students representing Sinhala, Tamil, and Muslim ethnic groups from the three categories of public schools, which provide instructions in the vernacular languages of Sinhala or Tamil, participated in the study. Girls showed significantly higher performance in science compared to boys, and there was a significant gender difference in the levels of motivational dimensions in favor of girls. Although Tamil medium students possessed a higher level of motivation to learn science, Sinhala medium students outperformed their Tamil medium counterparts in science performance. Significant differences in science performance between Sinhala, Tamil, and Muslim students were also observed. However, motivation towards learning science between Tamils and Muslims was not significantly different. Highly significant differences in both motivation to learn science and performance in science were found between three categories of schools. The present study provides information to education officials who have to achieve equity across gender, ethnicity, medium of instruction, and school category, teachers who deliver the subject and school principals who design academic support programs.     

Prioritization of intellectual capital indicators in knowledge-based industries: Evidence from pharmaceutical industry

During the last decade, intellectual capital (IC) and intangible assets have been widely considered as critical tool to deliver successful business in an intensive-knowledge environment. Accordingly, the main goal of this paper is therefore to develop and prioritize the most important indicators of intellectual capital in knowledge-based industries. Based on an extensive literature review, a valid and reliable questionnaire was designed. In order to data gathering, it was sent out to participants from both academic and university who qualified well in pharmaceutical practice. In order to exact prioritization of indicators, fuzzy TOPSIS technique as a MADM model was used. The fuzzy TOPSIS results revealed participants remark high concerns especially about knowledge and skills of managers and employees regarding to human capital, high concerns particularly about positive climate, ratio of investment in R&D and numbers of R&D projects according to structural capital, while considering the relational capital, more attention was paid to customers and strategic cooperation such as alliances and licensing.     

Facilitating enterprise application integration adoption: An empirical analysis of UK local government authorities

local government authorities (LGAs) are organised around operational structures with business processes spanning within departments and across other government organisations. In such an organisational setting, the harmonisation of Information Technology (IT) operations, integration of cross-departmental processes and the underlying Information Systems (IS) signifies a challenge in delivering integrated services. This paper attempts to explore enterprise application integration (EAI) adoption in the UK local government authorities (LGAs). Despite the hype of EAI adoption in private domain, its application in LGAs is inadequate as there is a lack of adoption models/frameworks that can be used by the public sector. The context of the study is to consider the transformation of IT infrastructure management and operations with EAI technologies. The empirical findings, generated through a detailed case analysis, manifestly exemplify that EAI predominantly acts as a ‘back-office’ technology that facilitates operations by developing a flexible and maintainable integrated IT infrastructure. Our proposed framework is believed to be imperative and unique as it provides a more systematic way to examine the adoption of integration technologies, extends the established norms for EAI adoption by utilising a prioritisation technique to classify the importance of factors. The contribution of the research extends the literature on EAI and identifies theoretical and practical opportunities that facilitate LGAs in their decision-making process to produce more robust proposals for EAI adoption.     

Main trends in graduate study in basic sciences in Turkish universities: a quantitative overview

This paper seeks to trace the development of graduate studies in basic sciences in Turkish universities from origins to the present day. The study includes a sketch of the historical background of higher education from its start in medieval madrasahs and Istanbul Darulfunun (The House of Sciences), to the transition into present-day university education, i.e., to the beginnings of modern graduate study and the emergence of new universities. Empirical statistics are given to substantiate the rapid growth of graduate study and of the number of degrees produced since the 1980s. The mean number of Ph.D. Degrees per year has increased from a few in a single university in the 1930s to nearly a hundred in today's twenty seven universities in Turkey in the 1980s. Finally, a quantitative overview of the growth trends in graduate study in basic sciences as well as an assessment of the present degree productivity of Turkish universities are presented.     

An Empirical Examination of Factors Affecting Group Effectiveness in Information Systems Projects

Although group project concepts and skills have become a major component in most information systems (IS) academic programs, very little research has attempted to examine factors that may improve or undermine effectiveness of IS group projects. Accordingly, based on relevant literatures, this study develops and empirically tests a model of factors affecting IS group project effectiveness. The research model posits that group cohesion and group efficacy will have positive effects on group effectiveness (project success and expected impact), whereas perceived loafing is expected to have a negative effect on IS group effectiveness. Data collected from 104 students working in 29 groups to complete semester‐long projects in two IS courses revealed that group efficacy had positive impact on group effectiveness and perceived loafing demonstrated a partial effect. Contrary to expectations, the impact of group cohesion was nonsignificant. These results could be useful in evaluating groups' potential for success and creating conditions conducive to enhancing effectiveness and success of IS student group projects.