Relationship between knowledge, practice of mental training skill, control and confidence among Malaysian sport school students

Introduction: The objective of the study is to identify the relationship between knowledge and the practice of mental training skill during competitions which requires the athletes to gain control and boost their confidence. The study significantly states that knowledge and the practice of mental training skill during competitions are able to increase the athletes’ ability to control their state of mind and raise their confidence. Methods: 115 students of Malaysian Sport School, Pahang Malaysia participated in the study. One set of Likert scale questionnaire, which consists of five parts is used as the study instrument. The study instrument is based on the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory (CSAI-2), Test of Performance Strategies (TOPS) and Mental Toughness Questionnaire (MTQ-48). Results: The research findings demonstrate an average level of knowledge on mental training skill with reference to the athletes’ control of their mental state and their confidence. However, the significant relationship between the knowledge and the practice of mental training skill with regards to the athletes’ mind control and confidence during competitions shows a highly positive and moderate relationship. Conclusion: Healthy mental training skill helps improve the athletes’ personality during competition. Apart from prioritising on the physical element in training applied in the competitions, the main elements which become the athletes’ source of mental strength, level of control and confidence are able to overcome the mental challenges

Electronic hand hygiene quality and duration monitoring in pre-school children: a feasibility study

Background: Hand hygiene is regarded as the most important measure to prevent spread of infectious diseases. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of a prototype application in an electronic device in educating, stimulating and monitoring hand hygiene quality in young children. Method: A pre-school was provided with an interactive hand hygiene application for two months. The device features an online administrator dashboard for data collection and for monitoring the children's hand washing steps and duration. A good hand washing is defined as hand washing which comprise all of the steps outlined in the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. Results: The prototype managed to capture 6882 hand wash performed with an average of 20.85 seconds per hand wash. Washing hands palm to palm was the most frequent (79.9%) step performed, whereas scrubbing fingernails and wrists were the least (56%) steps performed. Conclusions: The device is a good prototype to educate, stimulate and monitor good hand hygiene practices. However, other measures should be undertaken to ensure sustainability of the practices

Healthy hands: development and evaluation of a knowledge transfer program

Introduction: Children in pre-schools are at high risk of getting infections due to overcrowding, minimal awareness of basic hygiene and lack of immunity against microorganisms. Hand hygiene practice should be started at home where parents set good example, followed by formal education in pre-schools, primary and secondary school. This study aimed to develop a comprehensive program on hand hygiene practice in pre-schools. This paper presents the developmental aspects of the program material and the results of its evaluation process in a selected pre-school. Methods: Stage of development involved preparation of song, lyric, video clip, infographic and tablet application. The module was introduced during an intervention day called ‘Healthy Hands’ day. The acceptance of the module was evaluated before and after the intervention day. Evaluation was done by assessing pre-school children by face-to-face interview about knowledge on hand hygiene techniques and routine, such as before or after certain activities. Results: We managed to compose a song in three languages (Malay, English & Arabic), produced a video clip, an infographic and tablet application. A total of 227 children participated. Post intervention evaluation showed significant (p<0.001) increase of knowledge for eight out of eleven handwashing steps. The knowledge on hand hygiene routine i.e. after toilet, after playing outdoor, after sneezing and after playing with pet was also increased significantly. Conclusion: This comprehensive knowledge transfer program significantly improved the children’s hand hygiene techniques and routine and is recommended to be integrated into pre-school curriculum

Sumbangan elemen metakognitif terhadap pencapaian penulisan karangan

Tinjauan literatur dan laporan kajian lepas menyokong kepentingan peranan metakognitif dalam pembelajaran pelajar. Kajian ini bertujuan untuk mengenal pasti sumbangan elemen meta-kognitif terhadap pencapaian pelajar dalam penulisan karangan. Reka bentuk eksperimen kuasi kumpulan kawalan tidak serupa digunakan kerana kajian ini menggunakan kelas-kelas sedia ada. Sampel kajian adalah seramai 136 orang pelajar dari tiga buah sekolah di Malaysia (satu kumpulan rawatan dan satu kumpulan kawalan dari setiap sekolah). Jumlah pelajar dalam kumpulan eksperimen ialah 65 orang dan jumlah pelajar dalam kumpulan kawalan ialah 71 orang. Pelajar dalam kumpulan eksperimen diberi pendedahan strategi 4-META selama 12 minggu. Manakala bagi kumpulan kawalan, proses pengajaran dijalankan menggunakan kaedah konvensional. Guru yang mengajar kumpulan eksperimen dilatih menggunakan strategi 4META oleh pengkaji. Sebelum intervensi dijalankan, keduadua kumpulan diberikan ujian pra bagi mengukur pencapaian awal dalam penulisan. Selain itu soal selidik Indikator Keberkesanan Proses Pengajaran dan Pembelajaran (InKePPP)digunakan untuk mengukur kesedaran meta-kognitif, meta-tumpuan, meta-pemahaman dan refleksi meta-kognitif. Selepas intervensi dijalankan, ujian pos ditadbirkan kepada semua kumpulan rawatan dan kumpulan kawalan. Data dianalisis menggunakan statistik deskriptif dan inferens berdasarkan objektif kajian. Analisis regresi berganda stepwise mendapati dua pemboleh ubah bebas memberi sumbangan terhadap variasi dalam skor penulisan karangan dalam kalangan pelajar. Pemboleh ubah bebas tersebut ialah kesedaran meta-kognitif dan refleksi meta-kognitif. Dapatan kajian menyokong kepentingan kesedaran meta-kognisi dan refleksi meta-kognitif untuk membantu meningkatkan pencapaian pelajar dalam penulisan

An educational study on gadget addiction and mental health among Gen Z

The acceleration of modern technology in the techno gadget era has led to the transformation of modern media highlighted by Generation Z. The aim of this study is to explore how gadget addiction influences the level of depression, anxiety, stress and sleep quality among the samples from the Ministry of Health Training Institution Sungai Buloh, Malaysia. Using the stratified sampling method, a total of 316 college students from various field are surveyed on the Smartphone Problematic Use Questionnaire, Depression Anxiety Stress Scale and Pittsburg Sleeping Quality Index. The Pearson correlation analysis and linear regression are adopted to find the relationship among the variables. Results show that gadget addiction is a predictor of depression, anxiety, stress and sleep disturbances. The findings of descriptive analysis show that the level of addiction, depression, anxiety and stress among the trainers is high. Positive correlations are found between the gadget addiction and levels of depression, anxiety, stress and sleep quality. Levels of depression, anxiety, stress and sleep quality among trainers are significant, with 13%, 10.7%, 12.5% and 3.4% experiencing symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress and sleeping disturbance respectively. Therefore, it is generally possible to know that the problem of gadget addiction can interfere with mental health of the users if the use of gadgets is not well controlled. The implications of this study are useful to academics and heavy gadget users and those who are hooked with their gadgets in their everyday life. Further studies in this area are needed to delve deeper into other issues related to each element of gadget addiction in order to reinforce the research framework which will in turn develop a standard guide for controlling gadget use in Malaysia

Board Game for School Health Education: The Development Process

Health education in schools is crucial in helping students to develop awareness, skills, and positive attitudes towards health. It assists students to improve and preserve their health, prevent illness, and avoid risky behaviors. It focuses on promoting learning skills that will help students understand the importance of their own health needs along with those of their families and communities. These abilities of learning skill ultimately provide the foundation for educating them how to advocate for their own well-being throughout their lives. The term "edutainment" describes the blending of education and entertainment. It could be in the form of media, games, toys, and experiences that mix fun and learning to motivate students.&nbsp; Among others, board game is considered suitable as a supportive tool for health education teaching in school. This paper discusses health education in schools and ideas of developing a game to improve health education delivery in schools

Effect of hand hygiene intervention on the absenteeism of pre-school children in Klang Valley, Malaysia: a quasi-experimental study

Background: Absenteeism amongst pre-school children is often due to illnesses such as hand, foot, and mouth disease, acute gastroenteritis, cold and flu, which are easily spread amongst them. This is because of weak immunity and lack of knowledge on proper hand hygiene. This quasi-experimental study assessed the efficacy of an intervention consisting of a hand hygiene education programme, along with digital tools in bringing about a change in behaviour and health conditions amongst pre-school children in Klang Valley, Malaysia. Methods: A total of 377 school children, male and female, aged 5–6 years old, participated and were assigned to either the intervention or a control group. During the 2 months intervention period, children in the test group were trained on proper hand hygiene practices and techniques with the aid of the interactive android-based tablets. The numbers of absent days of all the children were recorded for 2 months before the intervention and during the intervention. Results: In the test group, there was a 25% increase in the total number of absent days from the pre-intervention period to the intervention period, a much lesser increment observed as compared to that of control group in which the increase was much higher at 89%. Results showed a significant difference (P < 0·05) between the absenteeism rates for the test and control group during the intervention period. Conclusion: These results suggest that proper education and intervention increase hand hygiene compliance, which may help decrease school absenteeism due to illness; however, a longer study duration may be necessary to evaluate the benefit further