Baynoon Centre for Studies and Development (BCSD): OJS
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Contemporary Overstimulation in the Age of Information: The Blurring of The Personal and Political in Ben Lerner’s 10:04 and Olivia Laing’s Crudo
Get PDFOlivia Laing’s Crudo and Ben Lerner’s 10:04 depict the constant interruption of the personal by global concerns and politics. Both novels are concerned with the decision between the personal and the global selves, and how these impending social, environmental, or political crises cloud the narrators’ minds. Their structure reflects this confusion and dislocation of the personal self, as the novels contain non-sequiturs, urban noise, and unrelated sections that have been pieced together deliberately. These novels capture the overstimulation of contemporary life and mass media or the information age while trying to navigate how art can reflect that and encapsulate a reality that is at once absurd and (seemingly) not contrived. While the barrier between the personal and global collapses, Lerner and Laing find a space in between where a realist yet raw (or ‘crudo’) retelling of contemporary media-addled experience can be represented. This essay incorporates commentary on how these texts engage with the idea of the troubled personal and the demise of individuality in the light of 21st-century overstimulation
Rationale for Material Selection in Landscaping for Checking Intrusion in Public and Private Primary Schools in Nsukka Urban Area of Enugu State, Nigeria
Get PDFPurpose: The study identified the rationale for material selection in landscaping for checking intrusion in public and private primary schools in Nsukka urban, Enugu state, Nigeria.
Methodology/Approach/Design: A descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. Three research questions guided the study. The population for the study was 102 respondents comprising 82 public/private school teachers and 20 builders. Due to the manageable size of the population, there was no sampling as the entire population was used for the study. The instrument used for data collection was a 25-item questionnaire derived from literature reviewed. The instrument was validated by three experts from the Faculty of Vocational and Technical Education, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Cronbach’s Alpha was used to determine the reliability of the instrument and a reliability coefficient of .85 was obtained. The data collected for this study was analyzed using mean and t-test.
Results: The findings revealed some rationale for material selection in landscaping for checking intrusion in public and private primary schools which includes; the durability, maintenance, aesthetic and cost of each landscaping material; the initial and ongoing costs, the availability of the material to be used and the life cycle assessment considerations such as material performance, and impact on the environment and the ability to reuse the material.
Practical Implications: The results of the study might be of interest to school principals and builders. The study reflects the common perceptions about landscaping to prevent intrusion into schools, and hence of practical implications to concerned education authorities in Nsukka urban, Nigeria.
Originality/Value: The study identified the effects of poor landscaping in public and private primary schools which include; exposure of schools to risk of attacks, theft and exposure of schools to ecological problems such as flooding, erosions, deep gullies and a degrading environment
Higher Education In The Middle East And North Africa: Exploring Regional and Country-Specific Potentials
Get PDFIn addition to providing a comprehensive summary of the main topics covered in the book "Higher Education in the Middle East and North Africa: Exploring regional and country-specific potentials", this review presents a critical evaluation of the book's main arguments where impartial evidence was most needed but severely lacked. 
University Instructors’ Perceptions toward Online Teaching at the Onset of the COVID-19 Outbreak in Lebanon: A Descriptive Study
Get PDFPurpose: The study aims at understanding to what extent university instructors are ready for the sudden shift from face-to-face teaching to online teaching and how they perceive the usefulness and feasibility of this new modality of teaching.
Methodology/Approach/Design: Faculty members from the nine campuses of the largest private university in Lebanon were invited to participate in the completion of a survey, made available in English and Arabic. The survey was completed by 692 respondents. Descriptive analyses were performed by summarizing the count and percentage of responses within each category.
Results: Analyses showed that university instructors possess the infrastructure for online teaching. Moreover, they reported positive perceptions about their readiness to teach online and about the feasibility and usefulness of online teaching. However, instructors reported that online teaching was deficient in assessment, teaching large classrooms, and delivering the practical components of the courses they taught.
Practical Implications: Findings suggest that instructors require formal training on how to integrate pedagogy with technology.
Originality/Value: Since online instruction is new in Lebanon, the study findings can help universities and other educational institutions direct their efforts in their endeavor to improve their online experience
Impact of Information and Communications Technology Integration on Electrical Installation and Maintenance Work Trade Teachers in Technical Colleges of Kano State, Nigeria
Get PDFPurpose: The main purpose of this study is to assess the impact of ICT integration on Electrical Installation and Maintenance work trade teachers in technical colleges in Kano state, Nigeria.
Approach/Methodology/Design: Descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The population of the study was 57 which consisted of 26 experienced 31 inexperienced teachers of Electrical Installation and Maintenance Works Trade. No sampling technique was employed as the entire population was used. The instrument used for data collection was a structured questionnaire titled: Impact of ICT Integration on Electrical Installation and Maintenance Work Trade Questionnaire (IICTIEIMWTQ) developed by the researchers. The instrument was validated by three experts and a reliability coefficient of 0.89 was obtained using Cronbach’s Alpha reliability method. Mean and standard deviation was used to answer the research questions, while z-test was used to test the null hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance.
Findings: The finding of the study revealed that the level of ICT integration in teaching electrical installation and maintenance trade is low; the impact of ICT on the performance of electrical installation and maintenance trade teachers indicated negative impact.
Practical Implications: The study has practical implications for teachers. Based on the findings, Electrical Installation and Maintenance Work Trade Teachers should engage themselves in group discussion and idea sharing among them on improving ICT integration in teaching electrical installation and maintenance trade among others.
Originality/value: The performance of ICT users will improve as there are several platforms available for the ICT
Motivation toward English Language Learning among Iraqi University Students
Get PDFPurpose: This study aimed to examine motivation toward learning the English Language among learners from different universities in Iraq. The study focused on identifying the type of, instrumental and integrative, and also the activities that learners prefer to use in the classroom.
Methodology/Approach/Design: The study applied both qualitative and quantitative design. The instruments used in the study included questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. A sample of 200 participants were engaged in an online survey and filled the questionnaire questions. An interview through zoom was also conducted with the selected group of learners.
Results: The findings of the study revealed that learners were motivated more instrumentally as compared to integratively. It was also evident that the students were interested in different learning activities.
Practical Implication: This study will have a greater contribution to the pedagogy of English language learning. The findings of the study might be used by curriculum developers to make changes and implement the best techniques of teaching English in the Iraqi EFL curriculum.
Originality/Value: The results of this study may make the university teachers and students aware of the significance of motivation in enhancing the English learning process. Also, the findings may make university teachers more creative in developing interactive learning activities that will be suitable for students
The Burden of Infectious Diseases: A Trend Appraisal in Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Trade Blocs
Get PDFPurpose: The study aimed at presenting a comparative appraisal of the trends of the two most prevalent infectious diseases bedeviling the region: human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and tuberculosis (TB).
Subject & Methods: Data on fourteen ECOWAS member countries and also fourteen member countries of the SADC bloc. This represents about 93.3% and 87.5% membership of the ECOWAS and SADC blocs respectively. Although the choice of sample size is determined largely by the availability of data, the choices were carefully made to maximize available observation. The data were sourced from World Development Indicators online database published by the World Bank. We use two measures of infectious diseases: the prevalence rate of human immunodeficiency virus and the incidence of tuberculosis.
Results: The HIV prevalence rates and incidence of TB were uneven in the two selected trade blocs. The magnitude and the severity of the diseases varied. The burden of both diseases was higher for SADC and lesser for ECOWAS. The average prevalence rate of HIV in the SADC bloc over the study period was 600% of the prevalence rate in ECOWAS (SADC = 12.5%, ECOWAS = 2.1%). Likewise, in the same period, the average TB incidence per 100,000 people was 578.8 and 181.7 respectively in the SADC and ECOWAS blocs.
Conclusions: The study finds that the magnitude and severity of the diseases vary widely between the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS) and the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) trade blocs. And, while concerted efforts at curbing the diseases have yielded results, there is still much to be done in both blocs
Clinical Conditions and Risk Factors of Acinetobacter Baumannii Producing Metallo Beta-Lactamases Among Hospitalized Patients
Get PDFPurpose: The study aimed to determine the clinical conditions and risk factors associated with MBL produced by A.bumannii among hospitalized patients.
Subjects and Methods: The clinical samples were collected from inpatients and subcultured on routine culture media for growth. Identification of bacteria along with antimicrobial sensitivity testing was done by VITEK®2 compact (bioMerieux). Isolates that were resistant to Meropenem and/or Imipenem were followed to detection of MBL by using metallo-β-lactamases by imipenem EDTA combined disc test (IMP-EDTA CDT) method. Demographic and clinical data of each patient were collected in terms of the type of infection, hospital-stay, associated factors, and outcome till discharge.
Results: A number of 73(86.9%) isolates of A.baumannii were resistant to carbapenem. out of 73 carbapenem-resistant isolates, 64(87.7%) were found to be MBL positive. The patients with age more than 60 years i.e. 35.9% (23/64) were found to be more common in MBL positive isolates of A. baumannii. The difference in the distribution of MBL positive and MBL negative cases with endotracheal intubation and in Surgery during the last 30 days of incubation was found to be statistically significant. The mortality rate of patients infected by MBL positive isolates of A.baumannii was 12.5%.
Conclusion: The MBL positive strains among carbapenem-resistant isolates of A.baumannii were high. endotracheal intubation and Surgery during the last 30 days were independently associated with MBL positive cases
Does IFRS Implementation Improve Qualitative Characteristics of Accounting Information: Evidence from Saudi Commercial Banks
Get PDFPurpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS) implementation on the quality of financial reporting of commercial banks in Saudi Arabia. The quality of financial statements was measured using qualitative characteristics of accounting information i.e., relevance, faith representation, understandability, comparability and timeliness.
Approach/Methodology/Design: This study is cross-sectional and a questionnaire was used to collect data regarding the effect of implementing IFRS on five of the qualitative characteristics of the accounting information, including two of fundamental characteristics: relevance, faithful representation and three of the enhancing characteristics: understandability, comparability, and timeliness. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. The population of the study includes all the 12 commercial banks listed in the Saudi Stock Exchange.
Findings: The finding of the study reveals that the quality of financial reports which is measured through qualitative characteristics of accounting information (relevance, faith representation understandability, comparability and timeliness) was improved significantly after implementing IFRS compared with the period prior to the implementation of these standards.
Practical Implications: The study has implications for standards makers and users of the financial statements of banks in Saudi Arabia. Results of the study confirm the positive effect of implementing IFRS on the qualitative characteristics of accounting information, which is the basis for decision-making. These results are evidence in support of the transition plan to implement IFRS approved by Saudi Arabia
Originality/value: The benefits of implementing IFRS have undergone many studies in developed countries, especially Europe. Little is known about these benefits in developing countries. The study adds to this limited body of studies by examining the effect of implementing IFRS in Saudi Arabia as one of the developing countries