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Digital Transformation in Indonesia Healthcare Systems Towards Intelligent Accountability: A Critical Discourse Analysis
Get PDFThis research studied the digital transformation implemented in the Ministry of Health in Indonesia. It happened after the COVID-19 outbreak forced the government to act more rapidly to provide real-time information. To date, the digital transformation initiative in the Ministry of Health Indonesia aims to reach more intelligent accountability by establishing a Digital Transformation Office (DTO). This study used critical discourse analysis to study how the discourse of technology became a government tool, particularly using social media accounts created by DTO. The result shows that DTO’s work and progress since its establishment from the perspective of social media discourse aim to be more accountable toward Indonesian citizens
A QUALITATIVE STUDY OF TEACHER EFFICACY IN THE READING CLASSROOM
Get PDFThis qualitative research study delves into the lived experiences of reading teachers within the context of their classrooms and student achievement. Utilizing a phenomenological approach, the study examines the perceptions of 12 elementary reading teachers from public schools regarding the influence of teacher self-efficacy on the academic success of their students. The research questions are centered on elucidating the teachers\u27 experiences and beliefs surrounding self-efficacy and its impact on student achievement. Teacher self-efficacy, defined as the belief in one\u27s ability to succeed in accomplishing a task, emerges as a critical factor in teacher retention within the education profession. Through in-depth interviews and reflective discussions, the study uncovers teachers\u27 perspectives on the significance of self-efficacy in their roles as reading instructors and its implications for their continued commitment to the profession. The findings reveal that teachers attribute great importance to their perceived efficacy in teaching reading, emphasizing that a lack of confidence in their abilities would deter them from remaining in the teaching profession. Ultimately, the study underscores the vital role of teacher self-efficacy in fostering effective reading instruction and highlights the importance of cultivating confidence and competence among educators to enhance student learning outcomes in the reading classroom
MY WRITING MAKES IT SO OTHERS CAN FEEL SEEN: A QUEER PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY OF LGBTQ+ COLLEGE STUDENTS AFFECTIVE EXPERIENCES IN AN OUT-OF-SCHOOL POETRY WORKSHOP
Get PDFThis dissertation explores the affective experiences of LGBTQ+ undergraduates in an out-of-school poetry workshop. Through the lens of queer and affect theories, the study asks the following research questions: 1) How does reading and writing poetry foster community in an LGBTQ+ out-of-school poetry workshop? (2) How can participation in an out-of-school poetry workshop with members who identify as LGBTQ+ engender a love of writing in queer students? (3) How do LGBTQ+ college students’ affective experiences manifest in a queer out-of-school poetry workshop? Using queer phenomenological methods (Ahmed, 2006) to engage with such data sources as audio and video class recordings, semi-structured interviews, field notes, memos, and student writing, the study explores the way that two self-identified LGBTQ+ undergraduate students came to understand their writing and experiences in a queer out-of-school writing workshop space. Specifically, it engages with the ways young people interact with texts and writing prompts that center queer topics and issues, and how reorienting a space in which queer bodies and subjects are made visible can lead to increased engagement, empathy, and confidence in literacy skills
PERSPECTIVES FROM MENTEES AND MENTORS: A STUDY OF HOW MENTOR PROGRAMS INFLUENCE TEACHER SELF-EFFICACY
Get PDFSchool districts often implement teacher mentor programs to support educators new to teaching. The components of mentor program frameworks require further research to determine their effectiveness in supporting new teachers. This non-experimental correlational study used Kram’s Mentor Theory and Bandura’s Self-Efficacy theory to determine if there is a significant influence of mentor programs on new teacher self-efficacy, classroom environment, instruction, and preparation and planning. The participants were teachers who have served as a mentor or mentee from suburban school districts in the northeastern United States. This study used a survey to collect participants’ demographic data and mentor program characteristics. Data were analyzed through multiple regression and correlation analyses, as well as the coding of an open-ended question for emergent themes. Results found that common planning time, professional development, individual meetings, a manageable workload, administrative support, clear expectations, common grade level, years of experience, cross visitation and small group meetings time had a significant influence on participants’ perceived self-efficacy and classroom environment, instruction, and preparation and planning. There were no significant differences in self-efficacy scores of mentor and mentee teachers. The present study offers insight to school building leaders as to the most effective elements to include in their mentor programs, which will increase new teacher self-efficacy
EVOLUTION OF CHITINASES IN AMPHIBIANS: A MULTI-FACETED GROUP OF ENZYMES WITH DUAL FUNCTION IN DIGESTION AND AT THE FOREFRONT AGAINST FUNGAL INFECTIONS
Get PDFChitinases are essential enzymes found in living organisms such as amphibians, and they ensure that amphibians survive in their varied ecosystems. They are crucial in the digestion and immunity of most organisms, including plants and animals. Chitinases’ diversity of functions is a testament to their evolutionary adaptability. The primary function of chitinases is the breakdown of chitin, a complex polymer of saccharides often found in the exoskeleton of insects and the walls of fungi. Amphibians that feed on insects make use of chitinases to hydrolyze chitin into simpler sugars that can be easily absorbed to extract the necessary nutrients from the prey. Most amphibians inhabit moist habitats and have thin skins, so their life history makes them susceptible to fungal infections. Again, this makes chitinases essential in protecting them against these pathogens by identifying them and degrading the chitin in fungal cell walls, leading to their quick elimination. In spite of chitinase relevance, only a few evolutionary studies exist in amphibians that have revealed gene duplication and specialization patterns. This functional diversity has led to the origin of different chitinase genes, each of which is designed to adapt to harsh adaptation conditions or dietary use. Several genomic findings indicate that chitinases in vertebrates are often well-conserved. In contrast, those in amphibians have new modifications in need of further characterization, such as their ability to prevent fungal infections and help in the digestion of a chitin-rich diet. Continued study and understanding of the diversity and activity of amphibian chitinases hold an immeasurable source for further discoveries on their evolution, amphibian health and conservation, and possible mechanisms to mitigate fungal pathogens
THE EFFECTS OF SINGLE-GENDER PRIVATE PAROCHIAL SCHOOL EDUCATION ON PERFORMANCE IN STEM COURSEWORK
Get PDFTraditionally, women do not enter STEM fields as often as men. Stereotype threat could be one of the causes behind this. This study sought to examine the effects on classroom climate, self-efficacy, and performance on girls in single gender and mixed gender private parochial school settings. Eight schools were chosen, four schools with mixed gender classes and four with single gender classes. The target population were secondary school seniors currently in a STEM course. Surveys were distributed to these schools (N=222 from the mixed gender schools, N=25 from the single gender schools). The questions were answered by students using a Likert scale of one (do not disagree) to four (Strongly agree). It was found that in terms of classroom climate [mixed gender classrooms (M=3.14, SD = 0.37), single gender classrooms (M = 2.88, SD = 0.36). (t (225) =-3.34, p=.001)] and Performance [single gender classrooms (M = 2.88, SD = 0.65), mixed gender classrooms (M = 2.10, SD = 0.47). (t (225) = -7.67, p \u3c .001)], there was a statistically significant effect. Students in single gender schools reported more negative effects on these qualities. There was no statistically significant effect on self-efficacy [single gender group (M = 3.19, SD = 0.66), mixed gender group (M = 3.28, SD = 0.60), t (224) = -0.69, p = .25]. The effects of stereotype threat can be seen to have the more negative effect in the single gender parochial schools. That could impact further enrolment in those schools, which are often tuition driven. It also raises questions at to the classroom climate effects being limited to STEM classes, or a systemic problem. Further research into this could provide additional answers to the question of why women do not enter the STEM career fields
PROTEIN-METAL INTERACTIONS OF a-SYNUCLEIN AND BIOACTIVE TRANSITION METALS VIA MOLECULAR DYNAMICS
Get PDFParkinson’s Disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative movement disorder which has been found to target the dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra. It is characterized by the formation of masses known as Lewy Bodies, formed by aggregates of the intrinsically disordered protein (IDP) -synuclein (asyn). Research suggests that alpha synuclein can undergo aggregation in the presence of heavy metals, which may accumulate in the body through a variety of mechanisms. To study how metals may play a role in wildtype (WT) asyn aggregation, MD simulation of the protein was performed in the presence of bioactive transition metals including Fe2+, Fe3+, Cu+, Cu2+, Zn2+, and Mn2+ ions to observe the proteins behavior. This was done by monitoring changes in polymeric properties, exposure, secondary structure, and interdomain communication. In the study it was found that the protein observed drastic changes and general trends in these properties, many of which were consistent in the different metal-bound systems compared to the metal-free protein. In addition to finding different binding-sites and changes in the protein’s behavior, certain motifs including the positioning of specific amino acid residues as a result of metal-binding were observed, which are suggested to prime the protein-metal complex for further pathways involved in PD biomolecular pathology such as oxidative, nitrosative, and nitrative stress were observed. Finally, future work was suggested to explore the precise molecular mechanisms by which these metals influence asyn aggregation, as well as other biologically relevant mutations and post-translationally modified variants of asyn. These insights lay the groundwork for a deeper understanding of PD pathology and the potential environmental factors involved
THE EFFECT OF WORKING MEMORY ON PSYCHOLOGICAL HARDINESS: THE MODERATING EFFECT OF STRESS AND MOTIVATION
Get PDFPsychological Hardiness is a resilience personality trait with extensive empirical evidence of its combative effects against stress (Bartone et al., 2008; Oliver, 2009; Johnsen et al., 2013). However, the cognitive processes underlying this skill are not well understood. Understanding the mechanisms of resiliency is imperative for all human persons to succeed, especially those involved in high-stress occupations. This study will investigate the relationship between working memory capacity and psychological hardiness, as well as assess stress and motivation as potential moderating variables. We hypothesized that 1) Higher vs. Lower levels of working memory capacity (WMC) will predict higher levels of Hardiness, 2) The experimental condition (i.e., stress) will moderate the relationship between WMC and Hardiness, specifically: in the high stress condition, those with high levels of WMC and Hardiness are expected to outperform those in the no stress condition, 3) Higher scores of source motivation will predict high Hardiness scores, regardless of stress or WMC. 30 participants were recruited and randomly assigned to either a stress condition or an active control condition. Psychological Hardiness (Disposition Resilience Scale, DRS-15), motivation (Motivation Sources Inventory, MSI), stress (induced via auditory stressor), and WMC (automatized complex span tasks) were utilized. Results show that WMC significantly predicted a decline in Hardiness scores, and that motivation significantly predicted Hardiness scores positively. The implications of these findings are discussed
PROMOTING STUDENT RACIAL/ETHNIC DIVERSITY: AN EXPLANATORY SEQUENTIAL STUDY AMONG HIGHER EDUCATION ADMINISTRATORS
Get PDFThis mixed-methods explanatory sequential study explored how administrators can promote student racial/ethnic diversity in higher education. Phase 1 determined quantitatively if schools with diverse full-time faculty have diverse students. Participants were 1,464 four-year degree-granting Carnegie-classified undergraduate institutions from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). These schools employed 557,858 full-time faculty and admitted 12,007,388 students. Phase 2 explored administrators’ perspectives on racial/ethnic diversity in higher education through narrative interviews. Participants were 10 full-time administrators responsible for hiring faculty, recruiting students, and managing campus climate. Quantitative results revealed that schools with diverse faculty have diverse students. Qualitative results indicated that ongoing, explicit, and continuous efforts are needed to develop more effective strategies for promoting student racial/ethnic diversity. This study is significant and has valuable implications for administrators and researchers in understanding the perceptions, experiences, and challenges when promoting student racial/ethnic diversity. The findings seek to assist higher education leaders and policymakers in identifying strengths and weaknesses concerning administrators’ perspectives in promoting diversity. Keywords: higher education, administration, racial/ethnic diversity, hiring, admissions