The Effectiveness of a Parental Education Intervention About a Child-oriented Approach to Tolieting for Healthy Thai ToddlersThe Effectiveness of a Parental Education Intervention About a Child-oriented Approach to Tolieting for Healthy Thai Toddlers

Toilet training (TT) is a necessary developmental task that all healthy children must ultimately achieve. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2001) noticed that E. coli can be spread to playmates by toddlers who are not toilet trained. Studies showed parental participation in the TT process is crucial and parental readiness to pledge to TT is an important step for training. In Thailand, very few studies were conducted about TT a toddler, and all of the studies were descriptive. The purpose of this evidence-based practice project was to determine the effectiveness of a parental education intervention about TT, in a Thai context, based on guidelines recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) as to parental knowledge, self-efficacy, and child achieved in toileting skills. A single group pretest/posttest design to measure outcomes was conducted at the kindergarten school in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Participants (N = 36) were parents of toddlers aged 18 to 48 months. Questionnaires were used to assess participants’ knowledge and self-efficacy relevant to TT. Participants were encouraged to initiate TT their children after a parental education intervention. A child’s toileting skills progression was evaluated every 2 weeks for 12 weeks by using a potty log that was maintained by parents. Thirty-six participants completed pretest/posttest questionnaires that included a 30-question knowledge test in TT healthy children and the self-efficacy assessment tool. Paired-sample t-tests were conducted to analyze and compare the mean pretests to the mean posttests scores. The paired-sample t- tests demonstrated that the parental education intervention significantly increased participants’ knowledge (p \u3c 0.001) and self-efficacy after the intervention (p \u3c 0.001). There were 78.78% (n = 33) of children who achieved toileting skills within 12 weeks of intervention. It can be concluded that improvements were seen after the parental education intervention. The number of children who achieved toileting skills gradually increased as time passed, demonstrating the success of this project. The bestpractice guidelines in TT of healthy toddlers in a Thai context for health care professionals, parents and other caregivers are expected to be carried ou

A critical view of the contribution of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to improving the economic and social profile of mining communities in South Africa

Thesis (MTech (Business Administration))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2019Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) includes many elements. Among them, the uplifting of communities is the most common one. The context for this consideration of CSR is the unrest and discontent in the communities surrounding companies carrying out mining operations in South Africa. Desktop evidence is considered to show how mining companies affect surrounding communities in which they carry out their activities under the banner of CSR. A number of communities close to South Africa mines are confronted with socio-economic issues of poor health, including poverty, unemployment and housing inadequacy. These socio-economic problems are some of the reasons that contributed to the mass strike action that hit the Rustenburg platinum belt on the 16th of August 2012. The hypothesis of this treatise is that this strike was in part the failure of CSR. The drive of this research was to critically review the exercise of CSR by selected mining companies, and the impact they had on socio-economic challenges facing surrounding communities. The following research questions were addressed by desktop analysis: What are the socio-economic challenges facing the mining communities surrounding the mines? What are the sustainable development opportunities for the mining communities? What are the steps taken by South African mining firms to address these challenges and opportunities facing the communities? A qualitative method was used to address these questions. It is found that CSR policies can be used to overcome social and economic challenges, such as poverty, health, and education in mining communities, especially in less developed nations. However, in South Africa there is lack of commitment from the mining companies with regards to alleviating the socio-economic challenges local communities face. Due to insufficient consultation with the local communities, mining companies focus their attention on initiatives they choose. This choice may be the construction of clinics, classrooms and housing, whereas the local community may prefer they add the negative impacts on the environment as a result of mining activities, other businesses and their health. The conclusion drawn from this evidence is that the CSR practiced by mining companies operating in South Africa is inadequate. Many South African mining companies brand themselves as good corporate citizens, but have little positive and substantive evidence to show for their CSR efforts. It is recommended that there be greater accountability and involvement of the communities in CSR programs designed and implemented by mining companies operating in South Africa

Student Loans and Health-related Financial Hardship

Research has shown that student loan borrowers in repayment exhibit physical and mental health problems. These can be exacerbated by and contribute to health-related financial hardship. We use the 2015 U.S. National Financial Capability Study to examine the likelihood of having past due medical bills and of avoiding health care services by not purchasing prescribed medication, skipping tests or follow-up with a doctor or not seeking care for a medical problem. Borrowers on income-driven repayment plans and those who made late payments are found to be more likely to have unpaid medical bills and to have avoided required medical attention. In addition, those who completed their funded education program but had made a late payment were more likely to avoid seeking medical attention when needed. Practical implications for loan administrators and those working with students are discussed

EFEKTIFITAS PENERAPAN ABSENSI FINGER PRINT TERHADAP DISIPLIN PEGAWAI DI KANTOR KECAMATAN SORAWOLIO KOTA BAUBAU

Pemanfaatan Teknologi Informasi menjadi salah satu daya dukung dalam proses pemerintahan, khususnya dalam penerapan absensi finger print untuk mengawasi kehadiran pegawai. Teknologi ini juga digunakan pada Kantor Kecamatan Sorawolio Kota Baubau, namun dalam implementasinya dianggap belum berjalan efektif dan efisisen. Penelitian ini mengkaji dampak penerapan model absensi finger print dan sejumlah faktor yang memengaruhinya. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui dampak penerapan absensi finger print terhadap disiplin Pegawai Negeri Sipil di Kantor Kecamatan Sorawolio Kota Baubau. Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah metode deskriptif kualitatif. Data penelitian diperoleh melalui sejumlah Informan pegawai di Kantor Kecamatan Sorawolio. Pengumpulan data dilakukan dengan wawancara mendalam, studi dokumen dan observasi langsung oleh peneliti. Hasil Penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa penerapan absensi finger print pada pegawai Kantor Kecamatan Sorawolio cenderung meningkatkan disiplin terhadap kehadiran pegawai, dengan dukungan adanya data yang tercatat secara detail tentang ketepatan pegawai masuk maupun pulang kantor. Namun dalam penerapan teknologi absensi finger print ini, masih menemui beberapa kendala diantaranya keterlambatan jam masuk pegawai serta aksesibilitas pegawai jika berkaitan dengan tempat tinggal dan lokasi kegiatan. Sehingga masih sering ditemui adanya pegawai yang sering datang terlambat maupun pulang yang lebih cepat dari jadwal. Diharapkan melalui hasil kajian ini menjadi bahan koordinasi Camat Sorawolio dengan Pemerintah Kota Baubau untuk dilakukan perbaikan aturan dan sistem kerjanya terhadap pemantauan kedisiplinan pegawai di Kota Baubau

Determinants of Intention to Use DevOps in Cambodia’s Technology Industry

This research investigates the key determinants that impact the intention of developers to use DevOps practice in technology industry, mainly software development, within Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The study was carried out using a quantitative research method to survey 472 software developers, tech entrepreneurs, DevOps practitioners, software project team members, and IT leaders familiar with DevOps practice. The respondents came from software development, technology startup, telecom, internet service providers, financial service institution, technology consulting, and system integrators. The survey employed non-probability sampling method – judgmental, snowball, and convenience sampling. Online Google form was used in the survey from the period January to June 2021. Also, confirmatory factor analysis and structure equation model were used to validate and identify the relationship and the impact of various factors on the intention to use DevOps. Organizational usefulness, personal awareness, and perceived compatibility have significant direct impacts on the intention to use DevOps software development methodology by developers and practitioners. Also, subjective norm and perceived behavioral control internal have the indirect impact on the Intention through organizational usefulness. Moreover, perceived number of users impacts significantly on the perceived availability of complementary services; both indirectly impact the intention to use DevOps through perceived compatibility. Whereas, perceived cost and perceived pisk are not found to have significant impact on intention to use DevOps by the developers

Identifying Game Variables from Students' Surveys for Prototyping Game for Learning

Games-based learning (GBL) has become increasingly important in teaching and learning. This paper explains the first two phases (analysis and design) of a GBL development project, ending up with a prototype design based on students’ and teachers’ perceptions. The two phases are part of a full cycle GBL project aiming to help secondary school students in Thailand in their study of Comprehensive Sex Education (CSE). In the course of the study, we invited 1,152 students to complete questionnaires and interviewed 12 secondary school teachers in focus groups. This paper found that GBL can serve students in their learning about CSE, enabling them to gain understanding of their sexuality, develop skills, including critical thinking skills and interact with others (peers, teachers, etc.) in a safe environment. The objectives of this paper are to outline the development of GBL variables from the research question(s) into the developers’ flow chart, to be responsive to the GBL beneficiaries’ preferences and expectations, and to help in answering the research questions. This paper details the steps applied to generate GBL variables that can feed into a game flow chart to develop a GBL prototype. In our approach, we detailed two models: (1) Game Elements Model (GEM) and (2) Game Object Model (GOM). There are three outcomes of this research – first, to achieve the objectives and benefits of GBL in learning, game design has to start with the research question(s) and the challenges to be resolved as research outcomes. Second, aligning the educational aims with engaging GBL end users (students) within the data collection phase to inform the game prototype with the game variables is essential to address the answer/solution to the research question(s). Third, for efficient GBL to bridge the gap between pedagogy and technology and in order to answer the research questions via technology (i.e. GBL) and to minimise the isolation between the pedagogists “P” and technologist “T”, several meetings and discussions need to take place within the team

Managing Teacher Acceptance of New Technology: The Case of Robotics Kit

This quantitative research aims to identify a model for the acceptance of an educational robotics kit among primary school teachers, providing educators, administrators, and policy makers practical insight for planning design. This study collected the opinions from a population of 871 in-service teachers of mathematics, science, and technology, at public and private primary schools in Phatthalung province. Purposive sampling and quota sampling were applied, generating a total of 488 responses, collected via questionnaire. The data were analyzed using a structural equation modeling method, generating a structural model to predict the behavioral intent for the adoption of the educational robotics kit. The model comprised of 4 independent variables – perceived ease of use; technology, pedagogy, and content knowledge; perceived usefulness; and facilitating conditions. The model explained 88.2 percent of the variance in behavioral intentions. The findings revealed that perceived usefulness had the strongest direct effect on behavioral intentions. Perceived ease of use had the strongest indirect and total effect on behavioral intentions; moreover, it produced a direct effect on perceived usefulness. In addition, perceived ease of use could be predicted by technology, pedagogy, and content knowledge. The implications discussed include the suggested managerial actions to stimulate the intention to adopt educational robotics kits in accordance with the findings

Investment Behavior: Factors that Limit African Americans\u27 Investment Behavior

This study investigated factors that are likely to limit African Americans’ investment activity in the stock market by triangulating data from the 2015 FINRA Financial Capacity Study and a Financial Behavior/Capacity survey that targeted African Americans. The financial survey revealed the top self-reported reasons these African Americans gave for not investing which were, “I don\u27t understand how the stock market works”, “I don\u27t make enough money” and “I don’t want to lose my money . Logistic regression results for the FINRA African American sample indicate that those with more financial knowledge, those who participated in financial education, and those who were financially socialized by parents were more likely to invest. In terms of magnitude, financial education had a larger impact on the FINRA African Americans than on the FINRA Caucasians and parental financial socialization and financial knowledge had larger impacts on the FINRA Caucasians