Attitudes to school physics laboratory in Oman

The major goal of this study is to explore the attitude of students and teachers to physics laboratory work in after-basic education schools in Oman. The world has seen an explosion of scientific knowledge in the past hundred years or so. The outcomes of this have brought immense changes to societies and to lifestyles; the communications revolution, the world of new materials, the development of medical advances, etc. All of these have depended on very highly skilled scientists, given the support and facilities to experiment and explore. The place of the laboratory in this has been critical and this has had an effect on the way the sciences are taught at school and university levels. The Ministry of Education in Oman incorporated laboratory work as an integral part of school education from the 1970s. Many changes have been implemented in recent years to reform the science school education. Secondary education (Grades 11 and 12) are the last episode of the basic education system. It is composed of both compulsory and elective subjects. Upon completion of this level, students receive General Education Diploma in Post-Basic Education. The curricula have been changed radically to include practical as well as theory components. The main aim of this study is to gather insights about students’ and teachers’ attitudes to physics laboratory in Oman, and how the perceptions of students and teachers differ. The attitudes of 881 Omani students and 39 teachers were surveyed using questioners designed in line with the methods of Osgood et. al (1957) and Likert (1932). The sample came from 29 public Omani schools in Al-Dahera Region. The goal was to present a picture of the attitudes based on the patterns of responses of large samples. This allows investigating the trends with students and teachers differences. Overall, students and their teachers hold positive attitudes towards laboratory work in physics. Both students and teachers argued that laboratory work is the best part of physics; it is enjoyable, important, interesting and promotes critical thinking. However, they pointed out some issues and concerns that should be addressed to fully harness the laboratory work in teaching school physics. Chi-square analyses shows that students and teachers have minor dissimilarities of views towards laboratory work. With such large sample, the study has offered a general idea about students and teachers perceptions towards physics laboratory work. Interviews with more than forty physics teachers show strong conformity between the teachers’ survey results and the results obtained from these interviews. The interviews also gave the teachers a chance to express different concerns related to physics curriculum, technical support, training and attitudes related to the use of laboratory in teaching school physics. Moreover, the study shed some light on issues and concerns that should be addressed. It also offered proposals for possible future research and presents general findings and implications

Where is the Party Tonight? The Impact of Fear of Missing Out on Peer Norms and Alcohol Expectancies and Consumption among College Students

Background. Little is known about how the excessive drinking culture entrenched in college social life influences the fear of missing out (FOMO) on the binge drinking experience among college students and how such fear plays in the mechanisms linking various risk factors with binge drinking intentions. Objectives. The main objectives of this dissertation were to 1) extend previous research on the general fear of missing out (FOMO) by investigating the effects of perceived peripherality, the need to belong, and fear of social exclusion, 2) develop and validate a self-report measure of alcohol-related FOMO, and 3) assess the role of alcohol-related FOMO in increasing binge drinking intentions through mediating the effect of alcohol positive expectancies, reducing alcohol negative expectancies, and enhancing susceptibility to peer norms. Method. A college student sample (N = 490; 66.3% female) completed a one-shot survey. Self-report data was analyzed using correlational and regression analyses, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, and structural equation modeling along with mediation, moderation, and multi-group analyses. Results. The need to belong emerged as the best predictor of FOMO, accounting for most of its explained variance. With regard to the scale development, factor analyses supported an 18-item multidimensional scale tapping the alcohol-related FOMO (ALFOMO). The scale demonstrated good internal consistency, satisfied the requirements for convergent, discriminant, and criterion-related validity, and was free of gender bias. Additionally, ALFOMO was a significant focal predictor of binge drinking intentions. It significantly mediated the effect of alcohol positive expectancies, reduced the severity of negative expectancies, and mediated and moderated the positive effect of peer descriptive norms. Conclusions. This dissertation presents the development and initial validation of the alcohol-related FOMO scale. The present work also provides the first theoretical and empirical investigation of the alcohol-related FOMO in relation to alcohol expectancies, peer norms, and binge drinking intentions. Results confirm that the ALFOMO scale is a promising measure and provide evidence for its indispensability in future research and interventions. Contributions, implications, and limitations are further discussed in light of the findings

The Accuracy of IOS Device-based uHear as a Screening Tool for Hearing Loss: A Preliminary Study From the Middle East

Objectives: To determine and explore the potential use of uHear as a screening test for determining hearing disability by evaluating its accuracy in a clinical setting and a soundproof booth when compared to the gold standard conventional audiometry.   Methods: Seventy Sultan Qaboos University students above the age of 17 years who had normal hearing were recruited for the study. They underwent a hearing test using conventional audiometry in a soundproof room, a self-administered uHear evaluation in a side room resembling a clinic setting, and a self-administered uHear test in a soundproof booth. The mean pure tone average (PTA) of thresholds at 500, 1000, 2000 and 4000 Hz for all the three test modalities was calculated, compared, and analyzed statistically.   Results: There were 36 male and 34 female students in the study. The PTA with conventional audiometry ranged from 1 to 21 dB across left and right ears. The PTA using uHear in the side room for the same participants was 25 dB in the right ear and 28 dB in the left ear (3–54 dB across all ears). The PTA for uHear in the soundproof booth was 18 dB and 17 dB (1–43 dB) in the right and left ears, respectively. Twenty-three percent of participants were reported to have a mild hearing impairment (PTA > 25 dB) using the soundproof uHear test, and this number was 64% for the same test in the side room. For the same group, only 3% of participants were reported to have a moderate hearing impairment (PTA > 40 dB) using the uHear test in a soundproof booth, and 13% in the side room.   Conclusion: uHear in any setting lacks specificity in the range of normal hearing and is highly unreliable in giving the exact hearing threshold in clinical settings. However, there is a potential for the use of uHear if it is used to rule out moderate hearing loss, even in a clinical setting, as exemplified by our study. This method needs standardization through further research

SARS-CoV-2 vaccination modelling for safe surgery to save lives: data from an international prospective cohort study

Background: Preoperative SARS-CoV-2 vaccination could support safer elective surgery. Vaccine numbers are limited so this study aimed to inform their prioritization by modelling. Methods: The primary outcome was the number needed to vaccinate (NNV) to prevent one COVID-19-related death in 1 year. NNVs were based on postoperative SARS-CoV-2 rates and mortality in an international cohort study (surgical patients), and community SARS-CoV-2 incidence and case fatality data (general population). NNV estimates were stratified by age (18-49, 50-69, 70 or more years) and type of surgery. Best- and worst-case scenarios were used to describe uncertainty. Results: NNVs were more favourable in surgical patients than the general population. The most favourable NNVs were in patients aged 70 years or more needing cancer surgery (351; best case 196, worst case 816) or non-cancer surgery (733; best case 407, worst case 1664). Both exceeded the NNV in the general population (1840; best case 1196, worst case 3066). NNVs for surgical patients remained favourable at a range of SARS-CoV-2 incidence rates in sensitivity analysis modelling. Globally, prioritizing preoperative vaccination of patients needing elective surgery ahead of the general population could prevent an additional 58 687 (best case 115 007, worst case 20 177) COVID-19-related deaths in 1 year. Conclusion: As global roll out of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination proceeds, patients needing elective surgery should be prioritized ahead of the general population