Epiphany - Journal of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (International University of Sarajevo)
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EXPLORING FEAR: HOW STUDENT CHARACTERISTICS INFLUENCE RESPONSES TO FEAR-ELICITING OBJECTS AND SITUATIONS
Get PDFThe study aims to explore the intensity of fears associated with various objects and their relationships with specific individual variables. It involved a convenience sample of 328 university students with an average age of 20.9 years (SD = 2.24), of whom 224 (68.3%) were female. Seventy percent of the participants were enrolled in their first or second year of study. A shortened and slightly modified version of the Temple Fear Survey Inventory was administered, which included 35 fear-inducing objects rated on a 5-point Likert-type scale. Results indicate a statistically significant higher level of overall fear in females. Among the 35 objects or situations, females exhibited statistically significantly stronger fears than males for 30 items. The top three fears for females were not being successful, being physically assaulted, and suffocating, while males ranked not being successful, their social media accounts being hacked, and suffocating as their top fears. Interestingly, the fear of social media account hacking was ranked among the top fears for males but was near the bottom for females, with this fear being more pronounced among Turkish participants compared to their Bosnian counterparts. Additionally, psychology students showed a stronger fear of being alone and of looking foolish compared to non-psychology students. Notably, both fear of death and fear of one’s social media account being hacked loaded onto the same factor, interpreted as "annihilation." These findings are discussed in the context of contemporary theories of fear, highlighting their implications for understanding fear responses among university students
PERCEPTION OF RESIDENTS ON THE ROLE OF SOCIAL MEDIA DISSEMINATION OF NEWS AND INFORMATION DURING NIGERIA 2023 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
Get PDFThis study sought the opinions of Enugu residents in Enugu State of Nigeria on the role of social media dissemination of news and information during the 2023 presidential election Nigeria. Anchored on the agenda setting theory of the media, the study aimed at examining the utilization of social media for political communication, particularly among the three leading political parties - All Peoples Congress, Labour Party and the People’s Democratic Party. Among the specific objectives were to discover the kind of information available in the social media about the 2023 Presidential elections and to find out the effect of news and information about the 2023 general election in the social media on the residents of Enugu metropolis. The result of hypothesis testing showed that there is a statistical relationship between news and information about the 2023 presidential election in the social media and the voting behaviour of the residents of Enugu metropolis. Other findings of the study revealed that the kinds of information in the social media about the 2023 presidential election included information that influenced the choice of candidates, manifestoes of political parties, misleading contents and hoaxes; Facebook and Whatsapp were the commonest social media platforms where residents of Enugu metropolis sourced news and information on the 2023 presidential election. Among the recommendations is that the use of social media for electioneering campaign should be intensified so as to reach the heterogeneous audience that heavily depends on the social media for different kinds of news and information
GENOCIDE DURING THE BANGLADESH LIBERATION WAR, 1971
Get PDFDuring the Bangladesh Liberation War from 26 March to 16 December 1971, the Pakistani military carried out genocide against the people of Bangladesh. It resulted in the deaths of about three million Bengalis. Pakistani soldiers raped between 200,000 and 400,000 Bangladeshi girls and women. In 1948, the United Nations defined genocide as the intention to destroy a national, ethnic, racial or religious group, either in whole or in part. There have been earlier studies on the genocide in Bangladesh, but this article aims to connect the UN definition of genocide with the author’s family members’ experience as freedom fighters, and her own observations in 1971, and to establish that the Bangladeshi people were victims of genocide committed by the Pakistani army. Using grounded theory, autoethnography and visual sociology methodologies, this study involves interviews with six participants, the author’s personal experiences and the use of relevant images. The evidence (findings) provided in this article confirms that the atrocities committed against Bangladeshis fit the UN definition of genocide. The author concludes that it is time that the United Nations recognised that the atrocities committed by the Pakistani military government against the Bangladeshi people in 1971 were “genocide”
DIGITAL SKILLS AND COMPETENCES ACROSS EDUCATIONAL LEVELS IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
Get PDFThe presence of digital technologies in every aspect of contemporary life requires the development of skills and abilities suitable for digital, connected and knowledge-based societies. The need to develop these skills and abilities has taken on even greater importance with the COVID-19 pandemic, as it has clearly revealed the shortcomings of our society and our overall education system. The aim of this research is to help us understand whether there are differences between different education levels and knowledge and skills in digital media environment in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The data has been collected by surveying 502 respondents through structured questionnaire aligned in accordance with the EU Digital Skills Indicator framework. The results have been tested in SPSS and have showed that higher education graduates have advanced knowledge and problem-solving skills
POST-COLONIAL PSYCHIC ALIENATION OR IDENTITY CRISIS IN ABDULRAZAK GURNAH’S “PILGRIMS WAY”: A FANONIAN READING
No full textThis paper examines in the Fanonian sense this crippling sense of “negro,” “blackness” and “inferiority” complex or the identity crisis in Abdulrazak Gurnah’s novel Pilgrims Way. As argued in the paper, Gurnah artistically explores the experiences of immigrants in England after the end of colonialism in the novel. This exploration includes themes such as racism, segregation and marginalisation experienced by immigrants due to their cultural differences and physical appearance in the indigenous white society and culture. The paper examines how racism, exclusion and marginalisation in the novel bring about a severe identity crisis represented through the lives and opinions of immigrants in postcolonial Britain as in the past. That is, the paper discusses that the Fanonian “internalised” feeling of inferiority continues in the unconscious of people of colour as in the colonised period; they are unable to get rid of it, even though they are free and independent now
EFFECTS OF BLENDED TEACHING-LEARNING STRATEGY ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF UNDERGRADUATES IN RESEARCH METHODS COURSE AT A NIGERIAN UNIVERSITY
Get PDFThe use of technology and creative teaching techniques is becoming more crucial in the changing field of higher education. This research examines the influence of a blended teaching-learning approach on the academic achievement of undergraduate students who are taking a Research Methods course at a university in Nigeria. The study used an ex-post facto research design. The study focused on undergraduate students who had taken both Test and Measurements and Research Methods courses. A purposive sampling approach was used to choose a total of 2,931 students who had scores in both courses. The study used descriptive and inferential statistics to address and examine the research question and hypothesis. The results indicate that the academic performance of the undergraduate students in the Research Methods course, which was taught with a blended teaching-learning approach, showed a substantial improvement compared to their performance in the Test and Measurements course, which relied on face-to-face interactions. Students valued the adaptability provided by the online aspects of the course, such as webinars as well as discussion boards. This research presents empirical data demonstrating the beneficial effects of implementing a blended teaching-learning approach on the academic achievement of undergraduate students enrolled in the Research Methods course at a university in Nigeria. The amalgamation of technology and internet resources not only cultivates active participation, but also augments analytical reasoning and investigative proficiencies, equipping students for the requisites of contemporary academics and research
DECOLONIZING THE INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIAN SOCIO-CULTURAL PRACTICES
Get PDFIndigenous Australians have lived on Australian land for more than 65,000 years. It appears that there are still stereotypes, prejudices and biases regarding Aboriginal people in Australia which suggests that their pre-colonial as well as post-colonial socio-cultural practices have not been understood or acknowledged. Their beliefs in bonding of humans and nature which were passed on generations through stories of Dreaming should be re-examined and re-valued. Based on the indigenous theory and theory of decoloniality, this article is an effort to contribute to better understanding of the Australian Aboriginal people’s pre-colonial cultural practices. Furthermore, it presents some contemporary challenges experienced by Australian Aboriginals in preservation and continuation of their culture. It is proposed that the perspective based on the colonial assumptions that Western cultures are superior to Aboriginal ones should be changed in many aspects, and that embracing the Aboriginal perspective and knowledge can provide numerous benefits and contribute to better co-existence of people at the global level
GROUNDINGS FOR AN ECO-JUSTICE DIALOGICAL ETHICS OF EMANCIPATION
Get PDFThrough the eco-justice ethical criticism, which is the basic methodology of research in this paper, the authors attempt to weave the concept of personal identity as a dialogical virtue, while linked to the process of interaction with a human and, inevitably, more-than-human “otherness”, commonly referred to as Nature or the holistic other. Such a gesture serves to go beyond Humanism and turn to what Posthumanism could mean, in order to overcome the questionable narcissistic, supernaturalizing and predatory attitude of the latter. This gives way to seeking groundings for eco-justice ethics, by pointing to a dispossessment and dispossession of the self as a contribution to a new, after all, more intimate degree of relationship mediated by the forms the value love may assume. In line with these assumptions, a new paradigm of education for citizenship is proposed, with relation to alterity and an indispensable form of non-reproductive emancipation, not giving up on the critical exercise of unmasking the practices of naturalization of injustice, namely through carrying out the parrhesiastic function of telling a truth to power. This not only resituates the problem in the educational field, as in the awareness of the more-than-human to be considered, but it also looks for the caring about the natural and human (material and immaterial) “commons”. Finally, the main goal of this paper is to redress possible imbalances between the conditions provided by power and the legitimate expectations of peoples, including their eco-systems, without losing sight of the defined emancipatory ethical framework grounded in the values of love, peace, and hope
EXAMINING OPIATE ADDICTION TREATMENT IN PRIMARY HEALTHCARE: A CASE STUDY OF THE SARAJEVO CANTON
Get PDFBackground: Primary healthcare plays a crucial role in addressing opiate addiction, aiming to provide treatment to approximately 80 percent of affected individuals, aligning with its approach to managing other chronic diseases. An optimal scenario involves the integration of opiate substitution therapy within primary healthcare settings, enhancing accessibility for individuals struggling with addiction. For effective treatment delivery, primary healthcare facilities must be equipped with knowledgeable staff, appropriate medical equipment, and diagnostic resources. In instances where primary healthcare cannot deliver services to full capacity, referrals to secondary healthcare facilities, particularly addiction specialist, become necessary for comprehensive examination and treatment. Methods: This study adopts a retrospective qualitative approach. It encompasses an examination of pertinent laws and regulations, analysis of opiate addiction reports and treatment documentation, and the facilitation of focus group discussions. Results: Findings from the focus group sessions illuminate prevalent challenges within primary care, indicating difficulties in managing addicted individuals coupled with negative emotional responses among staff members, underscoring the need for enhanced support and training. Conclusion: Addressing the identified gaps necessitates collaborative efforts involving secondary healthcare education, systemic reforms, and increased involvement of psychiatrists in the treatment continuum. By integrating these measures, primary healthcare systems can bolster their capacity to effectively address opiate addiction, thereby improving outcomes and overall community well-being