The Effectiveness of Asserive Training to Increase the Communication Skills of High School Students in Surakarta

ABSTRACT Purpose-Assertive communication skill is the ability to express feelings and thoughts clearly and honestly without offending others.Students’ behavior such as being afraid of disappointing others, liked or accepted, or hurting someone else’s feeling make students difficult to express their thoughts and feelings. This research aims to enhance students' skills in assertive communication. Method-This research applied Research and Development approach.The sample of this study were of20 students of grade XI IPA 3 SMA Al Islam 1 Surakarta. The subjects wereselected purposively from 40 students with low average scores of assertive communication skills. Findings-From the results of pretest-posttest, the students' assertive communication skills improved. It was indicated by the results of quantitative analysis by Mann-Whitney U test showing the z values -2.981 and probability (p) 0.003 (α <0.05) and Wilcoxon T test showing the z values -3.922 and probability (p) 0.000 (α <0.05). It meant that Assertivensess Training was effective to enhance students' assertive communication skills

Domestic mobile satellite systems in North America

Telest Mobile Inc. (TMI) and the American Mobile Satellite Corporation (AMSC) are authorized to provide mobile satellite services (MSS) in Canada and the United States respectively. They are developing compatible systems and are undertaking joint specification and procurement of spacecraft and ground segment with the aim of operational systems by late 1993. Early entry (phase 1) mobile data services are offered in 1990 using space segment capacity leased from Inmarsat. Here, an overview is given of these domestic MSS with an emphasis on the TMI component of the MSAT systen

Instant messaging an effective way of communication in workplace

The modern workplace is inherently collaborative, and this collaboration relies on effective communication among coworkers. Instant messaging is the multitasking tools of choice most people chatting over IM do other things at the same time.The use of IM in workplace is less intrusive than the use of phone, more immediate than email and has added advantage due to the ability to detect presence.In order for institution to maximize increased business productivity using instant messaging its imperative that organizations define and publish ICT policies, guidelines and regulations.Overall IM boosts business performance by making operations faster, more agile, and more efficient with very little additional cost thus Organizations that deploy IM would reap significant Return on Investment.Institutions should adopt IM meetings which are be more efficient and less prone to straying off topic, because of the relative effort of typing versus talking.Comment: 8 page

Improvement of Medication Compliance by Adding a Weekly Medication Planner

Abstract This quality improvement project aimed to use a weekly medication planner to enhance medication adherence in a home health setting to help improve patient healthcare outcomes. A weekly medication planner helps patients manage their medications. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses show medication planners increase adherence. Morisky 4-item survey assessed patient opinions pre and post intervention. Problem:. Medication adherence is an important part of home health patient care that affects health outcomes and safety. The problem is patients received an abundance of discharge medications and do not have enough time with a Registered Nurse discharge planner to go over their medication side effects and to help plan a weekly planner to put into place. Using the Morisky 4-item questionnaire, the baseline data total score of 21 was collected for 20 patients with chronic conditions of Congestive Heart Failure (CHF), Diabetes Mellitus(DM), and/or Hypertension (HTN), without a medication planner. The team aim to decrease the rate of drug non-adherence to a total score of 7 total points. Context: The setting for this project is a large, hospital-based home health agency, with an average daily of 361 patients, composed of Alameda County patients and Contra Costa County patients with chronic and acute conditions, with diagnoses of CHF, DM, and/or HTN with problems of polypharmacy. Interventions: Qualitative pre- and post-surveys were conducted to gather patient perceptions on the medication planner and its impact on medication adherence. The 4-item Morisky adherence survey questionnaire was used to evaluate patient medication adherence after using the medication planner. Measures: The outcome measure was to decrease the rate of drug non-adherence total score from 21 total points at baseline to an updated score of 7 total points by July 18, 2023, using the 4-item Morisky questionnaire survey in home health CHF, HTN, and/or DM patients upon third component of addition use of a weekly medications planner. Results: For each patient totaling of greater than 2 total points after answering the Morisky 4-item questionnaire signified medication adherence rate was low. Of the 20 patients, a maximum of 40 points signified very low adherence. The maximum low adherence score was 16 total points for 8 patients. After three weeks, 8 patients were further chosen as a subgroup, using a simplified revised planner. These patients had a pre-survey score of 11 points, which further decreased to 7, a 4-point improvement. Patient outcomes and satisfaction were both evident, as patients did not readmit and had better health outcomes, using the revised planner. Conclusions: A weekly medication planner is necessary to improve compliance in a home health setting. Medication adherence affects health and safety. Clinicians who provide great cooperation and communication with their patient’s weekly medication planner also affect patient satisfaction and motivation

ONE, TWO, SING! HOW PRESCHOOL TEACHERS UTILIZE MUSIC ACTIVITIES IN THE CLASSROOM: A CASE OF KIAMBU COUNTY, KENYA

Research has proven beyond doubt that music activities are an invaluable resource in the learning process, especially for young children. However, how these music activities are used in the learning process is not known. The current study set out to document the various ways preschool teachers use music activities in the course of instruction. It was anchored on the theory of Multiple Intelligences by Gardner. The researcher randomly selected one preschool teacher from each of the twelve sub-counties in Kiambu County, Kenya. This made a total of 12 respondents. A researcher constructed observation guide was used to record how preschool teachers used music activities in real preschool classroom situations as they taught. The respondents were later interviewed. This article documents the findings, which revealed very innovative ways of integrating music activities in the course of instruction. It is recommended that teachers reflect and explore the best ways and times to use music activities in the learning process for maximum effect. Music may also be used at other levels of education to improve the learning environment.  Article visualizations

A systematic approach for improving construction materials logistics

In the 1990s, the UK construction industry directed considerable effort at improving productivity and reducing costs by harmonising relationships among clients, contractors, sub-contractors, specialist contractors and designers. Opportunities to accrue further benefits should be explored and capitalised upon from all areas of construction projects. Management of construction materials on well grounded logistics and supply chain management principles has the potential to yield results and augment efforts being made in other areas at making construction more efficient. The overall aim of this thesis was to develop a systematic supplier management decision-support process model that contractors can use for both short and long-term management of suppliers in the implementation of construction materials supply logistics. Such a process model would benefit construction companies by identifying essential elements that lead to improved supply of construction materials. The research findings were based upon a literature survey, two `minor-image' questionnaires (one sent to 71 UK contractors and the other to 76 UK construction materials suppliers); structured interviews with nine UK contractors and five UK construction materials suppliers; and a supplier management process model validation exercise with six UK contractors. From these, the research produced the following outcomes: systematic supplier management decision-support process map that contractors can use for short and long-term management of suppliers in the implementation of construction materials supply logistics; an understanding of the supply of construction materials into construction processes from the wider perspective of logistics and supply chain management as opposed to traditional materials management; the identification of the performance indicators against which the performance of suppliers can be evaluated and the quantification of the relative contribution of the performance indicators to improvements in customer service; the identification of factors which enable suppliers to improve levels of customer service and quantification of the relative extent to which the factors enable suppliers to contribute to improvements in their levels of customer service in the delivery of construction materials; identification of the extent to which both performance indicators and enablers were used in supplier evaluation and selection; evaluation and comparison of the extent to which contractors and suppliers used information and communication technologies in internal and external materials supply logistics processes; and evaluation of the nature of relationships between contractors and suppliers

TEST COMPLETION TIME, SUBJECT SCORES AND ACADEMIC SELF-EFFICACY. HOW DO THEY RELATE?

Educators always endeavor to unravel the myriad of unexplained variables in learning environments. Examination taking is one such variable. Given the importance attached to examination results, educators seek answers as to why some students have shorter completion time than others and whether they end up scoring better than those who finish later. Is this phenomenon related to their levels of academic self-efficacy? This study set out to investigate the relationship between academic behavior confidence, test scores and test completion time. It was grounded on the self-efficacy theory by Albert Bandura. In an exam-taking situation, twenty-five early finishers and twenty-five late finishers were identified in a common unit examination in a public university in Kenya. They later filled out the Academic Behavior Confidence scale developed by Sander &amp; Sanders (2019). The relationships between the completion time, the test scores on the common unit and their Academic Behavior Confidence scores were investigated using non-parametric approaches, specifically the Spearman’s rho and Mann-Whitney U test. Results show a significant difference between completion time and test scores. Paradoxically, there is no significant difference between completion time and ABC scores. However, there is a positive relationship between test scores and Academic Behavior Confidence scores. It is recommended that educators should use mastery experiences, verbal persuasion and vicarious experiences to enhance Academic Self-efficacy, which may, in turn, improve test scores..  Article visualizations

CAN MUSIC BOOST SELF-CONFIDENCE AND ACCEPTABILITY? A LIVED EXPERIENCE

Music is beneficial to all people, even those living with challenges, and can boost their self-confidence and acceptability in society. Educators know that practice is one of the key psychological principles of learning and that repetition will lead to perfection in all areas, especially so in playing instruments. The following account is a personal intervention with a low-esteem, mentally challenged boy using music. The intervention was done at Limuru, a small town in Kiambu County, Kenya. It involved teaching the boy how to play the keyboard. The boy’s self-confidence changed noticeably after he was accepted as an integral part of the worship group in his church. It is envisaged that sharing this experience can inform parents, guardians, social workers, teachers and other personnel who deal with struggling students, low esteem or mentally challenged individuals on the benefits of music intervention, even as it spurs interest in research on benefits of exposure to music.