Impact Of Teachers Behaviour On The Academic Achievement Of University Students

This research article discusses the impact of teacher’s behaviour on the academic achievement of university students. All the teachers and students of public sector universities constituted the population. From the 15 public sector universities, 375 teachers and 1500 students from five departments were selected as a sample. Two questionnaires were developed and validated through pilot testing and administered to the sample for the collection of data. The researcher personally visited respondents, thus 100% data were collected. The collected data were tabulated and analyzed by using chi-square and Pearson’s product moment coefficient of correlation (r). The major conclusions of the study were that teachers felt proud to be teachers, they adjusted themselves with the prevailing situation and circumstances, and they used different motivational techniques for teaching. Students were found to be satisfied with the positive behaviour of their teachers. The relationship between the teachers’ behaviour and corresponding academic achievement (marks) revealed a highly positive significant correlation

Assessing Generic Competence Development among Higher Education Students

Present study intended to assess the generic competences of higher education students. Self-perceived level of generic competences of the students in the beginning and the end of an academic session was recorded to explore the role of higher education in imparting them the generic competences. All the students entering the University of Sargodha (Pakistan) during 2012, constituted the population of the study. Cluster sampling technique was used to carry out the panel survey. The same cohort of the students was surveyed twice over a period of one academic year. This study adopted a version of the Reflex Project instrument, consisting of 19 competences, to collect data from students of both genders in public-sector universities in Pakistan. Data were collected from 932 students (cluster sampling) studying at 10 (randomly) selected departments. There were 408 male and 525 female students in the study. The students rated themselves on a seven-point scale whose reliability was 0.82. The results indicated that higher education played its role in imparting and promoting the existing set of generic competences from the beginning to the end of the academic session; but the increase in the competence level was noted only to a modest level. Gender differences were found among the students in a few of the generic competences.

PROSPECTIVE TEACHERS’ PERCEPTION OF ENGAGEMENT IN ACTIVE LEARNING THROUGH PEER TEACHING AND PEER ASSESSMENT

The study intends to investigate the perceptions of higher education students about their engagement in active learning through peer-teaching and peer-assessment. A group of 22 students comprising nine female and thirteen males participated in the study. The researchers taught the course within six weeks, and then divided it amongst students through assignments. The students prepared it, discussed with researchers, shared and taught the assigned part of the course to their peers in the classroom in the presence of one of the researchers. The peers assessed the quality of presentation and mastery of the content and teaching skills of their peers against a given rubric. Three instruments namely: questionnaire, interviews and focussed group discussion were used to investigate students’ perceptions. The analysis of data revealed that students felt actively engaged in their studies through peer teaching and peer-assessment. Moreover correlation between peer assessment and teacher assessment was also calculated. Peer teaching and peer assessment can be confidently used in higher education in Pakistan on condition that teacher as a supervisor is highly vigilant

REFORMING EDUCATION AND THE EDUCATED

The purpose of education is to prepare you for the challenges ahead. You are amongst the few and most fortunate ones citizens of Pakistan to have had the opportunity to earn a degree, a tool that will make your chances of greater prosperity and well being more assured than the majority of your fellow citizens of your age who do not have such luck, In our country, as in any other country, education is a blessing and good education is a blessing with a premium

REFORMING EDUCATION AND THE EDUCATED

The purpose of education is to prepare you for the challenges ahead. You are amongst the few and most fortunate ones citizens of Pakistan to have had the opportunity to earn a degree, a tool that will make your chances of greater prosperity and well being more assured than the majority of your fellow citizens of your age who do not have such luck, In our country, as in any other country, education is a blessing and good education is a blessing with a premium

Self-Assessment of Students’ Anxiety during High Stake Laboratory Work Examinations

The present study intends to explore the level of practical examination anxietyamong secondary and higher secondary school students and its causes andremedies. A self-developed Perceived Science Practical Anxiety Scale (PSPAS)was used to collect quantitative data from 900 science students of two districts of central Punjab: Sargodha and Faisalabad. Moreover, 50 students were interviewed to explore their perceptions of the causes of science practical examination anxiety and the remedies to reduce it. All students had recently taken science practical examination and therefore had first-hand vivid experience of science practical examination anxiety. The analysis of responses in the questionnaire revealed that on an average more than half (61.50 %) of the students experienced anxiety during practical examination. Fourteen sources of anxiety during practical examination were ranked and synthesis of qualitative data from interviews recorded five categories of anxiety causes: shortage and unavailability of the materials, lack of practice, harsh behaviour of laboratory personnel, over loaded syllabus and lack of guidance. The students’ opinion regarding reducing anxiety was synthesized into four themes: relaxation during practical examination, individual level preparation, completion of practical syllabus well before time and training of laboratory personnel. The findings of the study may be beneficial for teachers, school mangers and policy makers and those who are responsible for the preparation and execution of examination policies, to reduce anxiety among students.Keywords: high stake examinations, higher secondary schools, laboratory work examinations, self-assessment, student anxiet

20-Gauge vs. 23-Gauge Vitrectomy, in Terms of Surgically Induced Astigmatism

OBJECTIVES To compare the post-operative (post-op) surgically induced mean astigmatism in patients undergoing 20-gauge- and 23-gauge vitrectomy. METHODOLOGY Sixty patients were enrolled. Relevant information was recorded in a Performa for each patient. Patients were randomly grouped into A (20-gauge) and B (23-gauge) groups. Astigmatism was recorded by a single technician using the same keratometer for all patients. A single surgeon operated on all patients. Post-operatively, all patients were re-examined after 1 week and 6 weeks, and their surgically induced astigmatism was recorded. RESULTSOf 60 patients, 58.6% were males, and 41.4% were females, with a mean age of 53.77 ± 9.63 years. The post-operative astigmatism difference between the two vitrectomy procedures was investigated. In the 20-gauge group, with 30 patients, the mean post-operative astigmatism difference was 2.21 D (±0.66 SD), with a standard error mean of 0.12. In the 23-gauge group, with 30 patients, the mean post-operative astigmatism difference was 0.74 D (±0.44 SD), with a standard error mean of 0.08. The degrees of freedom (df) were 58, and the standard error of the difference was 0.145. The t-value was calculated at 10.1504, and the p-value was found to be 0.001, indicating a significant difference. CONCLUSION The observation that the 20-gauge group displayed a notably higher mean difference in astigmatism than the 23-gauge group suggests a potential association between the choice of vitrectomy procedure and the extent of astigmatism alteration in post-operative outcomes

Effect of magnetism and temperature on the stability of (Cr-x, V1-x)(2)AlC phases

The stability of (Crx,V1-x)2AlC MAX phases, materials of interest for a variety of magnetic as well as high temperature applications, has been studied using density-functional-theory first-principles calculations. The enthalpy of mixing predicts these alloys to be unstable towards unmixing at 0 K. The calculations also predict, however, that these phases would be thermally stabilised by configurational entropy at temperatures well below the values used for synthesis. The temperature Ts below which they become unstable is found to be quite sensitive to the presence of magnetic moments on Cr ions, as well as to the material’s magnetic order, in addition to chemical order and composition. Allowing for magnetism, the value of Ts for (Cr0.5,V0.5)2AlC with chemically disordered Cr and V atoms, is estimated to be between 516 K and 645 K depending on the level of theory, while if constrained to spin-paired, Ts drops to 142 K. Antiferromagnetic spin arrangements are found to be favored. The combination of antiferromagnetic frustration and configurational disorder should give rise to interesting spin textures at low temperatures

Adenoma detection rate as a quality indicator for colonoscopy: A descriptive cross-sectional study from a tertiary care hospital in Pakistan

Background and study aims: Adenoma detection rate (ADR) is validated for measuring quality of colonoscopy, however there is lack of colorectal cancer (CRC) screening program in South Asia. The purpose of this study is to analyze and review the polyp detection rate (PDR) and ADR and provide insight into the factors that influence them in Pakistan. Patients and methods: This retrospective, cross-sectional study was performed at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan, on patients ≥ 18 years, who underwent colonoscopy between January 1, 2017 and June 30, 2018. Results: Of 1985 patients, 59 % were male and 41 % female, with mean age of 47.8 ± 16.2 years. The most common indication for colonoscopy was bleeding-per-rectum (28.0 %) and overall PDR and ADR were 17.9 % and 9.9 %, respectively. There was no significant difference between genders for either PDR ( P = 0.378) or ADR ( P = 0.574). Significantly higher PDR and ADR were found for patients ≥ 50 years ( P \u3c 0.001), as well as for suboptimal bowel preparation [PDR (25.7 %; P = 0.007) and ADR (18.6 %; P = 0.014)]. Interestingly, endoscopists with \u3c 500 colonoscopy-procedural-experience reported a higher PDR (21.6 %; P = 0.020) and ADR (14.4 %; P = 0.049), corresponding to a significantly higher PDR (20.6 %; P = 0.005) and ADR (11.7 %; P = 0.02) for endoscopists in practice for ≤ 10 years. Conclusions: We have noticed low PDR and ADR, which require further investigation and research. In addition, we believe there should be a different baseline ADR and PDR as a quality indicator for colonoscopy in our region, where no internationally recommended colonoscopic screening programs have been implemented