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The Demand for Educational Functions of Study Tour Products: from Students’ Perspectives
No full textFew academic studies have comprehensively examined the actual demands of students regarding the educational function of study tours. This paper develops a demand index system based on three dimensions: cognitive, affective, and behavioral demands. A questionnaire survey was administered to 397 students. Initially, student demands were categorized using the Kano model. Subsequently, the “dependence” and “expectancy” characteristics were analyzed through the dissatisfaction index (DI) and satisfaction index (SI). The impact of fulfilling each demand on dissatisfaction and satisfaction levels was then determined. The results indicated that among the three dimensions, there were 7 must-be demands, 6 one-dimensional demands, 8 attractive demands, and 7 indifferent demands. Overall, the demand characteristic was that expectancy exceeded dependence. Specifically, cognitive demand exhibited “low dependence and neutral expectation”, affective demand showed “high dependence and low expectation”, and behavioral demand reflected “neutral dependence and high expectation”
From Invisibility to Extraordinary: Tracing the Evolution of Portrayals and Stereotypes in Films
No full textThe dissertation employs a Multimodal Critical Discourse Analysis (MCDA) approach, incorporating modes of communication throughout the analysis, which explores LGBTQIA+ portrayals and stereotypes in films. Multimodality systematically provides concepts for collecting and analyzing social interpretation, highlighting film elements such as linguistics, visuals, colors, facial expressions, body language, aural, spatial aspects, and power dynamics, which investigate interactions between means of communication through an experience of ideas in the discourse process. The four films explored in this study are: Victim (1961), Brokeback Mountain (2005), Philadelphia (1993), and Moonlight (2016).
These films showcase specific decades, namely the 1950s, 1960s, 1990s, and 2000s, which reflect the evolution of LGBTQIA+ representation and stereotypes from more implicit to more explicit and layered portrayals. Narrative and character depictions in films were categorized into six themes: (1) Invisibility and Subtextual Representation, (2) Discriminatory, Stigmatization, and Prejudices, (3) Multi-Faceted Identities, (4) Coming Out Stories and Struggles, (5) Relationship and Romance Storylines, and (6) Progressive and Supportive Climates. These themes illustrate how LGBTQIA+ characters and narratives have evolved through periods, of decades, from external oppression to internal struggle, resolution, and acceptance, showcasing increased complexity in queer narratives. This illustration demonstrates the historical development in characterization and narrative focus, revealing how portrayals and stereotypes of LGBTQIA+ individuals have become more nuanced, multidimensional, and socially integrated through historical processes, societal understanding, and expression of LGBTQIA+ identity, highlighting greater visibility
Assessment of Estuarine Respiration and Benthic Nutrient Fluxes in Mississippi Sound
No full textThis study quantified seasonal and spatial variability of both water column and benthic respiration rates as well as benthic nutrient fluxes along the Mississippi Sound. Respiration was measured in recirculating incubation chambers using Firesting optical DO sensors (PyroScience GmbH), and changes in nutrient concentrations were assessed. Mean water column respiration rates ranged from 0.35 and 2.76 µM O₂ hr⁻¹, with the lowest rates in the winter and the highest in the summer while detectable nutrient concentrations (ammonium, (NH₄⁺), and soluble reactive phosphate (PO₄³⁻)) showed only slight decreases (\u3c 1 µM) over all seasons. Sediment incubation chambers consistently had much greater oxygen declines than the water incubations and showed seasonal trends with the highest mean respiration rates measured in the summer and the lowest mean in the winter, with a range from 107.4 to 1514.9 µmol O₂ m⁻² hr⁻¹ (2.6 to 36.3 mmol O₂ m⁻² d⁻¹). Sediment incubations consistently showed increases in NH₄⁺ concentrations in the overlying water, resulting in calculated NH₄⁺ benthic flux rates of 0.73 to 379.01 µM N m⁻² hr⁻¹ with the lowest rates in the winter and highest rates in the summer. Although PO₄³⁻ concentrations were often below detection in cooler seasons, PO₄³⁻ flux also peaked during the summer (\u3c 28.8 µmol P m⁻² hr⁻¹). In this study, temperature was a key regulator for estuarine respiration and benthic nutrient flux rates, and these rates were positively correlated with porewater nutrient concentrations and sedimentary organic matter. These findings illustrate that benthic respiration can contribute to water column hypoxia and that sediments serve as a source of nutrients to the water column. Overall, these findings provide us with valuable insight about the seasonal coupling of oxygen demand and nutrient flux in the Mississippi Sound and provide valuable baseline data for future biogeochemical modelling of hypoxia, eutrophication, and productivity
Exploratory Study on the Influence of Social Skills, Students\u27 Well-Being, and Communication Skills on Smartphone Usage Among Junior Secondary School Students
No full textThe escalating smartphone usage (SU) among Junior Secondary School (JSS) students necessitates rigorous investigation of its multifaceted impacts on social skills (SS), communication skills (CS), and student well-being (SW), particularly through the lens of mediation and moderation analysis that current studies have overlooked. This study aims to comprehensively analyze the impact of SU on SS, CS, and SW, considering the mediating and moderating roles of related variables. The research design utilized a survey and a cross-sectional approach involving JSC students in Banyumas Regency, Central Java Province, Indonesia (N=500). Data were collected using a questionnaire developed by adapting standardized instruments to measure SS, SW, CS, and SU, with validation through field trials. Data analysis used Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) to evaluate causal relationships and correlations between variables while testing the validity of the measurement model. The study results indicate that the variables SS and SW collectively have a significant impact on the increase in CS, accounting for 72% of the change. However, these two variables are less suitable for a direct relationship with SU, while SS, SW, and CS variables are involved. SS and SW are more appropriate when they have an indirect relationship with SU through CS, as indicated by high beta coefficients and correlation values (0.803). CS is a crucial intervening variable in understanding the indirect relationship between SU, SS, and SW. The findings highlight the theoretical importance of CS as a mediating variable in the relationship between SS, SW, and SU while offering practical insights for educators and policymakers to design interventions that enhance communication skills to positively influence students\u27 smartphone usage patterns
Metaverse is the Future of Learning: Investigating the University Students\u27 Adoption Intention and Emerging Research Agenda
No full textThis study aims to synthesize existing literature on the application of the metaverse - characterized by an immersive experience-providing environment and differentiated from AR and VR by three features: shared , persistent , and de-centralized - in the education sector and to determine the factors that influence the adoption intention of the metaverse among the university students in Bangladesh. A research framework and relevant hypotheses were developed considering TAM and UTAUT as the theoretical foundation. Adopting a descriptive research design, the study administers a 7-point Likert scale survey questionnaire among 566 respondents selected with convenience sampling from different public and private universities in Bangladesh, covering different academic backgrounds, through online media and email. After data cleaning, 289 responses were analyzed by structural equation modelling (SEM) with SMARTPLS 4.0. The findings indicate that perceived enjoyment, usefulness, ease of use, and social influence play a significant role in shaping a positive attitude toward the metaverse, whereas compatibility does not. Moreover, attitude and facilitating conditions drive the adoption of the metaverse in education, while inhibiting factors have a negative impact. This study contributes by identifying the key factors that policymakers and higher education authorities in Bangladesh should focus on when developing future education policies and curricula for the adoption of the metaverse
The Effectiveness of a Chronic Care Management Program on Hospitalization Rates and Quality of Life in Chronic Kidney Disease Patients
No full textChronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is a progressive condition that distinctively affects underserved rural communities due to limited access to healthcare, provider shortages, and transportation barriers. Chronic Care Management (CCM) has emerged as a patient-centered, initiative-taking approach that emphasizes care coordination and self-management support. The purpose of this doctoral project was to evaluate the impact of implementing a CCM program in Caucasian females over the age of 40 with CKD residing in an underserved rural community post hospitalization. The Chronic Care Model (CCM) is the framework that guides the doctoral project which compared outcomes in patients enrolled in a CCM program with those who were not enrolled in a CCM program over an eight-week intervention period. Findings from the doctoral project are aimed toward a decrease in hospitalizations, improved self-management skills, and an overall improvement in quality of life. By enrolling patients with chronic conditions into a CCM program, it will help bridge the gap in care continuity, ultimately reducing hospitalization rates and improving quality of life in patients with CKD