Psychometric Properties and Validation of the Arabic Academic Performance Rating Scale

To validate the Arabic version of Academic Performance Rating Scale. Method. Translation and test-retest reliability were computed. Exploratory factor analysis and Rasch analysis were conducted to report on the validity. EFA factor structures were evaluated using a Scree plot and the standard multiple criteria included eigenvalue greater than 1. Average measures and step measures were ordered and themean-square outfit statistic for each category was also evaluated. Results. Cronbach’s Alpha value of 0.90 was obtained. No differences across category of educational levels were seen

Transboundary Self-Determination: Remedying the Effects of International Borders

This thesis advances a new category of self-determination: transboundary self-determination. This thesis posits that transboundary self-determination may: (1) Remedy the disruptive effects of international borders on communities between two or more States separated by an international frontier, and (2) To promote a truly international peace and security in which the rights of communities between borders are prevented from falling between the cracks of the international legal framework. The original contribution this thesis makes is the enunciation of transboundary self-determination as a remedial response to the gap in international law governing the cross-border rights of communities between two or more States. As such, it is an in-between category for communities between borders who are neither internal to the State nor external to it. I suggest that this remedial right is necessary to ensure the operative effects of uti possidetis as a “photograph” of the territorial situation; a photograph that captures more than the geometric lines of frontiers and reflects the lived experience of borderlands between two or more States. Taken together the three expressions, or trichotomy of self-determination – internal, external and transboundary – ensure that no one is left behind in the expression of self-determination. It caters to the rights of transboundary peoples, broadly defined as peoples whose self is necessarily determined through cross-border cultural, spiritual/ religious, livelihood and family ties. Had it not been for borders or territorial changes these transboundary rights would have flowed freely without territorial disruption. Rooted in the jus cogens character of the right and principle of self-determination, transboundary self-determination derives its legal and normative force from the right of all peoples to ‘freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development’ enshrined in the UN Charter. Through the eight-cases presented in Chapter 3, the thesis presents examples of defacto and dejure transboundary rights from the Irish Border, Abyei Area, Kashmir, Kurdistan, Chagos Islands, Red Sea Islands, Sami Laplands and North America. These findings suggest that while the enunciation of transboundary self-determination as a unique category is novel, the rights it encapsulates are established and suggest a rule that has long been in circulation only to find a complete expression now, in this thesis.Gates-Cambridge, Pembroke Colleg

Body mass index, haemoglobin status and eating behaviours among adolescents in Jazan, Saudi Arabia:A cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: A balanced nutrition is vital for healthy growth and development. Recently increasing attention is paid globally for adolescent nutritional profile and eating patterns. The main objectives of this study are to define the prevalence of obesity, overweight, thinness, and anemia and to describe the distribution of nutritional problems among the participants of the study in Jazan City, southwest Saudi Arabia. METHODOLOGY: An observational cross-sectional study was conducted to characterize the basic health behavior and nutritional status among adolescents. A total of 502 school-going adolescents were recruited for this study, within the age group 12-19 years from intermediate and high schools in Jazan City. RESULT: The total prevalence of obesity was 13.9%, 16.4%, and 10.6% for males and females, respectively. Adolescents with normal weight accounted for almost 53.2%, with no significant difference between males and females. The overall prevalence of anemia was 44.16%. The prevalence was higher in male (50.0%) than in female (40.4%) adolescents. Regarding the importance of breakfast, 66.3% of the males and 52.6% of the females think that breakfast is a necessary meal, with a significant difference between the males and the females. Significant differences were reported for 16 food items. For the food items liver, goat's meat, eggs, milk, yogurt, white rice, mango, tangerine, fruit juices, honey, sausage, carrots, and coffee, the boys were more consumers than girls. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of overweight and anemia corresponds to the other findings in the region. Eating behaviors vary particularly with regard to breakfast, the most important meal for adolescents aged 12-19 years. Any intervention to overcome these problems could be achieved by nutrition promotion and individual approach among adolescents themselves for behavior change at school and community levels