Level of self-esteem: Is there any difference among physical, verbal, anti-social, and cyber bullies?

Bullying is one of the major issues worldwide and is one of the most prevalent school violence. Bullying is a negative behavior toward an individual or group of individuals that are considered weak. Bullying is often associated with self-esteem. Therefore, this study was conducted to identify the influence of students’ tendency to be bullies (physical, verbal, anti-social, and cyber) on self-esteem. This study involved 150 secondary school students in the north of peninsular Malaysia. The study also used the cross-sectional survey method by distributing a set of questionnaires to the respondents. The findings of the study found that students who tend to be bullies for the four categories of bullying, namely physical bullying (ß=0.076, t=3.048, p<0.05), verbal (ß=0.080, t=3.052, p<0.05), anti-social (ß=0.084, t=3.055, p <0.05) and cyber (ß=0.046, t=2.815, p<0.05) had a significant influence on level of self-esteem

A Self-Determination Theory Based Motivational Model on Intentions to Drop Out of Vocational Schools in Vietnam

Purpose - Student motivation for positive academic outcome and persistence at school is significantly affected by personal and environmental factors. Anchored in self-determination theory, this study tested a motivational model which looked at how support in terms of perceived teacher autonomy and from school administration constituted the key factors in explaining school climate. The study was also primarily concerned with how these crucial factors would help predict student motivation and perceived competence, and how they in turn, would affect student school performance and helped predict student drop out intentions. Methodology - This model was tested on 277 first year vocational college students in Hanoi, Vietnam. Data was collected through a self-report questionnaire. The hypothesized relationships were tested using partial least squares (WarpPLS 3.0). Findings - The structural model analysis carried out suggested that all the hypothesized relationships were statistically significant. Student experience of autonomy support from teachers and administrators predicted motivation and perceived competence, which in turn predicted student school performance and intentions to drop out from school. Value - The findings and its implication were discussed in relation to the type of teacher classroom behaviour and the nature of school administration style that would be required to facilitate autonomy support for the students to enhance their motivation and helped them gain competence

A self-determination theory based motivational model on intentions to drop out of Vacational Schools in Vietnam

Purpose – Student motivation for positive academic outcome and persistence at school is significantly affected by personal and environmental factors. Anchored in self-determination theory, this study tested a motivational model which looked at how support in terms of perceived teacher autonomy and from school administration constituted the key factors in explaining school climate. The study was also primarily concerned with how these crucial factors would help predict student motivation and perceived competence, and how they in turn, would affect student school performance and help predict student drop out intentions. Methodology – This model was tested on 277 first year vocational college students in Hanoi, Vietnam. Data was collected through a self-report questionnaire. The hypothesized relationships were tested using partial least squares (WarpPLS 3.0). Findings – The structural model analysis carried out suggested that all the hypothesized relationships were statistically significant.Student experience of autonomy support from teachers and administrators predicted motivation and perceived competence, which in turn predicted student school performance and intentions to drop out from school.Significance – The findings and its implication were discussed in relation to the type of teacher classroom behaviour and the nature of school administration style that would be required to facilitate autonomy support for the students to enhance their motivation and help them gain competence

Determinants of teachers' ICT acceptance in Jember Schools, Indonesia: a cross-sectional survey

The study was a cross-sectional survey of factors that affected teachers’ use of ICT in Jember schools, Indonesia. The sample consisted of 1,137 teachers randomly selected from all of the SMAs, SMPs and SMKs in the district. A self-developed questionnaire based on an extended Technology Acceptance Model (e-TAM) measuring five hypothesized determinants of ICT acceptance, i.e. perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, intention to use, computer self-efficacy and organizational support, was administered to the respondents with the help of Dispendik and school principals. Results of Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) applied on the data revealed all five constructs (perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, intention to use, computer self-efficacy and organizational support) to be statistically significant determinants of Jember teachers’ ICT acceptance. The hypothesized SEM model fitted the data adequately, accounting for approximately 63% of the variance explained. The structural model also produced a statistically significant change in the chi-square value when tested across gender, indicating that gender influenced teachers’ acceptance of ICT. The findings have important implications for stakeholders and policy makers, particularly with respect to their efforts to galvanize greater ICT utilization among teachers in Indonesian schools

Understanding of mass transfer resistance for the adsorption of solute onto porous material from the modified mass transfer factor models

Mass transfer is important in separation and is essential for adsorption process. Mass transfer resistance controls the adsorption kinetic rate, but there is only limited understanding of the adsorption of a solute onto porous material from surface water. This study investigates the adsorptions of NHþ 4 and Al3+ onto granular activated carbon from surface water using the laboratory-scale plug flow column. The use of the modified mass transfer models is able to determine the resistance of mass transfer for the adsorption of one or more solutes present in surface water onto porous material. In this case study identified that the resistance of mass transfer is dependent on film mass transfer before and porous diffusion after break- through occurred. The research findings advance understanding of novel approach for investigating mass transfer resistance of solute onto porous material from waters

Stop bullying: Evidence from an exploratory factor analysis of dominant bullying behaviors among Malaysian adolescent

Bullying, a recurring aggressive and substantial antisocial behavior characterized by a power imbalance can be destructive, and persistent and causes harm. Bullying is a negative behavior on individuals or groups of individuals who are considered weak that occurs more frequently among adolescents between the ages of 13–16. Bullying in schools is a violence that can result in students feeling threatened and powerless. This study was conducted to identify constructs that measure physical, verbal, anti-social, and cyberbullying. A total of 677 samples from a total of 23 secondary schools in the northern peninsula of Malaysia were involved in this cross-sectional survey research design that used a questionnaire to collect the data. Exploratory factor analysis was used to analyze the data. The results showed that four factors namely, physical bully, verbal bullying, antisocial bully, and cyberbullying were prevalent among Malaysian adolescents. The reliability value for each factor was high, which ranged from .73 to .89. Out of four bullying constructs in the study, physical bullying has the highest factor loading. In conclusion, this study has proven that Malaysian adolescents also face bullying where the most dominant bullying behavior for Malaysian adolescents is physical bullying. The data imply that school leaders, the Malaysian Ministry of Education, and the community should view this matter seriously and Malaysian youths should be educated on the dangers of bullying behavior that can have a negative impact on the development of society as a whole

Conceptualizing Case-based Simulation Framework: Evidence from Electrical Technology in TVET Case Study

This study was conducted to generate the Electrical Case-based Simulation (CBS) framework that contributes to the transformation of TVET learning pedagogical practices. CBS is believed to be able to enhance the ability of TVET students in soft skills required by the industry, such as thinking skills and problem solving skills. This study used case study design through a mixed-method approach. A total of four electrical technology curriculum implementers from a vocational college had participated in this study. Evaluation of the case-based simulations were made by experts using questionnaires whereby the absolute agreement among them was then determined using Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC). A high value of agreement was obtained for both the CBS process and structure categories. The qualitative data was thematically analyzed. Three themes (achieve electrical course learning outcomes, opportunity to learn and related to electrical technology of content) had emerged for the process category and five themes (enhance electrical technology students’ thinking skills, workplace situation, students’ engagement, enhance electrical students’ problem solving skills and trigger learning activities) for the structure category. From the ICC results and the curriculum implementers views, it can be construed the case-based simulations reflected the workplace situations. In conclusion, this study contributes to the creation of electrical CBS framework that can be used as a guide for curriculum implementers and industry to support the transformation of TVET education in Malaysia

Barriers to ICT use in science teaching: a comparative analysis of Malaysian and Saudi science teachers

Despite the efforts expended by the governments of Malaysia and Saudi Arabia to promote science teachers’ use of ICT in the classroom, the ICT uptake among these teachers remains slow and dismal. This article reports on a study undertaken to explore and understand the barriers that prevented science teachers in both countries from using ICT in their science instruction. A total of 282 science teachers from selected schools (53.5% Malaysian and 46.5% Saudi) responded to the survey. Principal components analysis (PCA) run on the data extracted four underlying factors that prevented the respondents from using ICT to teach, namely attitude towards ICT use, access to ICT at school, beliefs about ICT use and technical support provided by the school to promote ICT utilization. Among these four factors, attitude towards ICT emerged as the largest inhibitor, explaining about 25.5% of teachers’ lack of ICT uptake in the science classroom. T-test results revealed significant differences between Malaysian and Saudi teachers in terms of access to ICT and technical support, but no significant difference in terms of attitude and beliefs about ICT use. The results corroborated previous findings that teacher factors tend to outweigh school factors in promoting or hindering teachers’ uptake of technolog