Global leadership for a reputable university

In Malaysia the concept of a reputable university is very hotly debated. It was a hot issue when an opposition Member of Parliament mentioned that Malaysian universities are not ranked among the top 100 world universities. Some of our premier universities did poorly in the ranking. One of the key factors of transforming Malaysian universities into reputable universities is leadership. In the context of globalization, Malaysian universities need leaders who can work on a global stage. This study attempts to understand the concept of global leadership, which is important for leading a university of international repute. This research employed qualitative means, utilizing the in-depth interview for data collection. Data were collected from eight past and present top leaders of a university in Malaysia. The data collected from the interviews were then transcribed verbatim, coded, analyzed, interpreted and discussed accordingly. There are various factors that will enable our universities to become internationally reputable universities. Among others are abundance of resources, quality academicians, quality students and good governance. Based on the findings of the study, one of the key factors of transforming our universities into reputable universities is leadership. In the context of the new environment, we need leaders who can become global players

A Survey of Medical Students’ Points of Views about the Outcomes of Immediate Feedback Assessment Tool in Team-Based Learning™ at Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Iran

Background & Objective: Utilizing the immediate feedback assessment to Technique (IF-AT) in team-based learning is a controversial issue due to its high cost. The aim of this study was to investigate medical students’ views about the outcomes of using IF-AT regarding the cooperation rate and method of students in team-based learning activates. Methods: This descriptive study was conducted in 2016 at the School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Iran. The study population consisted of medical students who had experienced both team-based learning methods (with and without IF-AT). Convenience sampling was performed based on the willingness of students to complete a researcher-made, valid, and reliable questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSS software. Results: The IF-AT is designed for use in multi-response questions. Based on pre-determined patterns, the answer was hidden under a surface which was scratched off by students after discussing the answer. Of the 139 participants, 55.5% stated that utilizing IF-AT caused an increase in the time of discussion, and 38.8% believed that it had small or very small effect on the participation of students who would not previously take part in the discussion. In addition, 84.2% noted that the use of this tool increased the accuracy of answers. 85 (61.1%) believed that IF-AT made team discussion more exciting. Moreover, 53.2% noted that it enhanced the depth of the discussion, and 60.4% stated that discussions became more serious. However, the majority of students (50.3%) believed that it had little effect on the integration of knowledge of other subjects in answering questions. The students’ views in the open question, in addition to approving the quantitative results, showed that students may wait for other teams to reveal the answer before using their form. Conclusion: The students believed that the use of the IF-AT has positive effects on participation in team work. Although it may be a costly method, due to its positive effects from the perspective of students, the cost associated with buying or producing of the tool seems to be economical. In order to prevent the creation of a competitive educational environment, it is recommended that students be made effectively aware of the goals and rationales of using this tool. Student orientations should be done in multiple time intervals and must be taken into consideration on other related circumstance, such as professional code of conduct training. Key Words: Team-based learning, Active learning, Immediate feedback assessment Technique, Medical student

Workplace learning and task performance: the moderating role of innovation and communication oriented culture

The Malaysian Public Service has taken diverse measures to reduce performance-related problems. The New Economic Model (NEM) was established in 2010 to strengthen the public sector in Malaysia in decision making and performance appraisal as well. It enhanced public sector performance and efficiency in service delivery and service quality. The purpose of this research was to investigate the strength level of the relationship between types of workplace learning and task performance in an innovation and communication-oriented culture. The relationship between three types of workplace learning, organizational culture and task performance were hypothesized to determine the moderating effect of communication and innovation orientation. These five hypotheses were supported. Interaction effect software was used to determine the power of relationship in the levels of a communication and innovation- oriented culture. The complementary role of these values was identified in the relationship between workplace learning and task performance

Effect of educational intervention on self-efficacy for choosing delivery method among pregnant women in 2013

Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted on 130 pregnant women who attended urban health centers in Shahrekord city in 2013. Intervention was applied in the experimental group in three sessions in about 60-90 min while control group did not receive any intervention. Fear of childbirth and self-efficacy questionnaire was completed before and after training. Results: While mean scores of the fear of childbirth, expectations and childbirth self-efficacy before the intervention between the two groups were not significantly different (P > 0.05), mean scores of childbirth in intervention group was reduced and expectation and childbirth self-efficacy had a significant increase after intervention (P 0.05) and self-efficacy (P < 0.001) than those who chose normal method. Conclusions: Our findings showed that training-based self-efficacy procedure has been effective in encouraging mothers to choose natural childbirth. Therefore, the design and implementation of curriculum-based strategies for increasing self-efficacy is suggested for pregnant women. Background: Nowadays, there has been a growing trend of caesarean sections in Iran. One reason would be the mother’s desire. Increased maternal self-efficacy can be an important step to reduce percentage of cesarean. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of training-based strategies to increase the self-efficacy for choosing delivery method among pregnant women in Shahrekord city. © 2014, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences(IUMS). All rights reserved

Examination of Graffitin in Ekbatan Town, Tehran

Graffiti, a kind of media art originally emerged in the West, is not a medium to express ideas and attitudes of the marginalized political groups or those deprived of formal ways of propaganda. It appeared for the first time in New York in 1980’s. Thanks to symbols and allusions applied in graffiti, young artists represent their feelings and ideas through an arcane language. As such, they try to make themselves differentiated from the commonly accepted culture. This, to some extent, accounts for the underground nature of this art. Iranian artists, likewise, have started to express their stances with the help of graffiti.   In fact, in large cities of Iran, mainly in Tehran, a hidden bond has been made between graffiti and other aspects of the Iranian young people’s life style. The present research has examined the graffiti drawn in Ekbatan Town, western Tehran, in terms of style, technique, theme and semiotic elements. Considering graffiti as an objection art, this research has analyzed the visual and written content of the graffiti shown in Ekbatan Town in terms of social semiotics. In fact, the research aimed at, firstly, identifying graffiti as an art and, secondly, at addressing applications, styles and themes of graffiti. What is graffiti? What themes does it often deal with? What structures and styles are applied in graffiti? Does the society recognize graffiti as an art? These are all the questions the research is to answer. So far, certain studies have been done to address the issue of graffiti in general. However, no study has been conducted on the graffiti shown in Ekbatan Town, in detail, dealing with techniques and themes applied. Among the studies pointed out, two works are noteworthy: Graffiti as an Art for Objection, an article by Masoud Kowsari(2010), addressing graffiti sociologically, examining the history of graffiti in Iran. The second one is the book What is Graffiti written by Karen Rashad(2004) analyzing graffiti from philosophical, historical, artistic and social aspects

Bahtinovska intertekstualnost i kontekstualnost u adaptacijskim studijima: Dijalozi Kennetha Branagha i Michaela Almereyde s Hamletom Williama Shakespearea

Ever since its advent in the late nineteenth century, cinema has been closely intertwined with literary works. The filmmakers soon realized that literature could provide them with just the right material to attract a large number of viewers. Despite the early hostile attacks on adaptations by those who regarded them as inferior to their sources, adapted movies have managed to reach an unprecedented number of audiences. The value of these adaptations, however, lies in the extent of similarity they shared with their sources. This trend, known as “fidelity criticism,” dismissed as irrelevant the adaptations that sought to situate the text in a new context. In recent years, however, this approach has been given reconsideration as every adaptation is viewed as an independent discourse that constantly influences and is influenced by ther discourses, including the source text. In other words, this network of relation is, in Bakhtinian terms, “dialogic.” The paper thus suggests that engagement with the Bakhtinian matrix of ideas, including heteroglossia and chronotope, will enhance our understanding of the rationale behind two different adaptations of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet (1609). Within the Bakhtinian framework, the paper notes, Kenneth Branagh’s Hamlet (1996) and Michael Almereyda’s Hamlet (2000) treat their source text differently as they highlight intertextuality and contextuality in their relations with Shakespeare’s text, espectively. Despite their differences, intertextuality and contextuality stress that the Bakhtinian approach can provide new points of access into some of the major issues of adaptation studies.Od svojeg osvita na kraju devetnaestog stoljeća film je usko povezan s književnim djelima. Filmski redatelji ubrzo su shvatili da im književnost može pružiti materijal podoban za privlačenje velikog broja gledatelja. Usprkos prvotnim oštrim kritikama adaptacija i pripisivanju slabije kvalitete u odnosu na izvornike, filmske adaptacije doprle su do publike u dotad neviđenim razmjerima. Međutim, vrijednost tih adaptacija odražava se u omjeru sličnosti s izvornim predlošcima. Takav trend, poznat kao „kritika vjernosti“, odriče vrijednost adaptacijama koje tekstu nastoje dati nov kontekst. Ipak, u novije vrijeme taj pristup iznova se razmatra jer se svaka adaptacija promatra kao neovisan diskurs koji neprestano utječe na druge diskurse, ali i podliježe njihovu utjecaju – uključujući izvorni tekst. Drugim riječima, ta je mreža utjecaja, Bahtinovim riječima, „dijaloške“ prirode. U skladu s time, rad ima za cilj pokazati da primjena bahtinovske matrice ideja, uključujući heteroglosiju i kronotop, može unaprijediti naše razumijevanje različitih adaptacija Shakespeareova Hamleta (1609). Unutar bahtinovskog okvira, tvrdi se, Hamlet Kennetha Branagha (1996.) i onaj Michaela Almereyde (2000.) različito pristupaju izvorniku tako što prva adaptacija naglašava intertekstualnost, a druga kontekstualnost u odnosu na Shakespeareovo djelo. No, usprkos različitosti pristupa, i intertekstualnost i kontekstualnost ukazuju na nove mogućnosti sagledavanja glavnih pitanja adaptacijskih studija koje otvara bahtinovski model

Global leadership in a university setting

What is global leadership? How can we develop global leadership for a university? This study was conducted using the qualitative approach through in-depth interviews of eight selected top leaders in a selected university. Based on the in-depth interviews, the findings discussed are as follows; Global leadership is related to diversity. Global leaders need to be developed with additional competencies to lead a university and to be able to compete worldwide. Global leadership has to operate in diverse situations. This means that a global leader has to understand different cultures, different ideas and different beliefs. So a global leader has to understand leading in diversity, which requires a different set of competencies. These include attitudes, skills and knowledge. This study is significant because it fills a gap in current knowledge regarding the experience that leaders perceived to be important in understanding and developing global leadership

Efficacy of Neuropsychological Skills Training on the Self-Control Skills and Social Competence in the Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

The purpose of the curre​nt research endeavor was to examine the effectiveness of neuropsychological skills training in enhancing self-control abilities among children diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Experimental methodology (control and experimental groups), three-stage design (pre-test, post-test, and follow-up), and a two-month follow-up period comprised the study. During the academic year 2021-2022, the statistical population of the present study comprised minors with ADHD residing in the city of Tehran. Twenty-six children diagnosed with ADHD were selected using a multi-stage clustered random sampling method. These children were then allocated at random into two groups: the experimental group comprised fourteen children, while the control group comprised twelve. Over the course of one and a half months, the children in the experimental group were instructed in neuropsychological skills for a total of twelve sixty-minute sessions. The present study utilized the Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Questionnaire (ADHDQ) (Brock & Clinton, 2007), the Self-Control Questionnaire (SCQ) (Kendal & Wilcox, 1979), and the Social Competence Scale (SCS) (Cohen & Rosman, 1972). The data were subjected to analysis using mixed ANOVA in the SPSS-23 software. Children with ADHD who received neuropsychological skills training demonstrated significant improvements in self-control (p<0001, Eta=0.54, F=28.42) and social competence (p<0001, Eta=0.60, F=37.13). According to the findings of the present study, it is possible to conclude that neuropsychological skills training can be an effective method for enhancing the social competence and self-control abilities of children with ADHD by bolstering executive functions, attention, and concentration, as well as cognitive and mental organization.

Correlation of Horizontal Cephalic Index and Cranial Parameters in Iranian Medical Students

Cranial parameters and cephalic indices are used to evaluate the racial and gender differences. The aim of this study was to assess the cephalic indices, to classify the type of cranium and to determine the relationship between the horizontal cephalic index and cranial parameters among Iranian medical students. This study was done on 200 medical students (100 males and 100 females) with an age range of 18-30-year-old. Head length, head breadth, and auricular height were measured by using a standard spreading caliper. Then cephalic indices were calculated for the classification of cranial type. The linear regression was used for examining the relationship between the horizontal cephalic index and head length, head breadth and auricular height. The results of this study showed that the mean of the horizontal, vertical, and transverse cephalic index in total students were 83.51±6.85, 85.58±5.85 and 102.77±6.35 cm, respectively. According to this result, the predominant head shapes in total students were brachycephalic, hypsicephalic and acrocephalic types. In this study, there was a strongly negative correlation between horizontal cephalic index with head length (r=-0.744, P=0.000), moderate positive correlation between horizontal cephalic index with head breadth (r=0.512, P=0.000) and weakly negative correlation between horizontal cephalic index with auricular height (r=-0.205, P=0.004). The data of the present study can be beneficial in craniofacial reconstruction, clinical diagnosis, and forensic applications