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Shaping Young Minds: How School Environment Predicts Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) in Primary Schools
Full text linkThe current quantitative cross-sectional study addresses how SEL can be meaningfully embedded in a resource-constrained primary school environment. The main objective of the study was to examine the predictive relationship between different dimensions of the school environment on SEL. Through proportionate stratified random sampling (25%), 302 students (males = 156, Females = 146) were selected from classes IV and V from Karachi West schools. The Panorama Social-Emotional Learning Survey for Grades 3–5 was used for data collection on-site, which covers SEL competencies and school environment aspects. The findings reveal that there is a significant positive correlation between SEL and classroom effort (r = .291), and SEL and rigorous expectations (r = .428). However, for other dimensions, the relationship was negative and weak. Additionally, non-significant correlations were found for engagement (r = .034, p = .277) and school safety (r = -.083, p = .074) with SEL. Similar findings were observed with the multiple regression analysis, as classroom effort and rigorous expectations were the significant positive predictors, engagement was not a significant predictor of SEL, school climate was not a significant predictor, and school safety showed a marginal, non-significant effect. Thus, the study\u27s findings can provide actionable insights for multiple stakeholders, including policymakers, curriculum developers, and educators, to create an emotionally supportive and equitable educational environment that facilitates effective SEL implementation. For this to be truly effective, aspects of SEL need to be integrated into the students’ total environment, school policy, culture, and programs. This creates an inclusive environment where students develop self-awareness, empathy, and emotional regulation, enabling them to become emotionally mature and make wise decisions.
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Trends and Economic Consequences of Paramphistomosis: A Statistical Analysis from a Two-Year Abattoir Study
Full text linkParamphistomosis is an emerging pathogenic disease of ruminants, inflicting severe economic losses on the livestock sector through reduced milk and meat production, weight loss, treatment costs, and high mortality, particularly in young animals. This study aimed to quantify the prevalence and economic impact of paramphistomosis in cattle and buffaloes slaughtered in the Lahore district. A comprehensive two-year abattoir survey (January 2023 – December 2024) was conducted, recording monthly condemnation data. Statistical analysis revealed a highly significant disparity (Mann-Whitney U test, p < 0.001) in infection rates between species, with buffaloes exhibiting a markedly higher overall prevalence (22.99%) compared to cattle (8.41%). A powerful seasonal pattern was identified (Kruskal-Wallis H Test, p < 0.001), with infection rates peaking dramatically during the monsoon season (July-October), exceeding 41% in buffaloes. This fluctuation was strongly correlated with environmental conditions. Crucially, no significant temporal trend was found (p > 0.8), indicating stable, endemic disease levels. Direct economic losses from organ condemnation alone amounted to several thousand crore Pakistani rupees annually. When combined with indirect losses from an estimated 20-30% reduction in milk yield, weight loss, mortality, and treatment costs, the total economic burden is profound. The findings underscore the endemic nature of paramphistomosis and highlight the ineffectiveness of current control measures. The study concludes with urgent recommendations for implementing strategic deworming programs aligned with seasonal epidemiology, promoting integrated parasite management, and enhancing farmer education and veterinary infrastructure to mitigate these substantial losses and secure Pakistan\u27s agricultural economy.
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Beyond STEM: A Narrative Review of STEAM Education\u27s Impact on Creativity and Innovation (2020–2025)
Full text linkSTEM education, although essential for building technical competencies, has faced criticism for its limited capacity to develop the innovation and creativity needed for the 21st century. STEAM education has emerged as a paradigm shift by embracing the Arts for developing comprehensive problem-solving, divergent thinking, and adaptability alongside analytical proficiency. This narrative review of research from 2020 onwards examines the consolidated evidence of published studies from 2020 to 2025 on the shift from STEM to STEAM education\u27s effects on the innovation-readiness of learners. Complying with PRISMA guidelines, the present review examined 40 peer-reviewed articles to map the international landscape of STEAM research that reveals a predominant contribution from the USA, Spain, and other nations from Asia. The majority of the findings demonstrate convincingly that STEAM\u27s project-based, transdisciplinary, and technology-facilitated teaching approaches substantially enhance the creative thinking, problem-solving capacity, motivation, and collaborative skills of learners across varying age groups and learning levels. CPACK and Design Thinking as crucial theoretical pillars are important in its effective implementation. Despite the fact that the evidence demonstrates the positive impact of STEAM, there is an existing need for successful curricular changes, continuous professional development of teachers, and effective investments in the development of digital infrastructure. It was concluded in this review that STEAM education has a considerable potential as a catalyst for preparing learners to engage with a more complex and innovation-driven world, and offers insights for potential directions to inform policy development and practical implementation.
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Conde, M. Á., Rodríguez‐Sedano, F. J., Fernández‐Llamas, C., Gonçalves, J., Lima, J., & García‐Peñalvo, F. J. (2021). Fostering STEAM through challenge‐based learning, robotics, and physical devices: A systematic mapping literature review. Computer Applications in Engineering Education, 29(1), 46–65. https://doi.org/10.1002/cae.22354
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Conradty, C., & Bogner, F. (2020). STEAM teaching professional development works: Effects on students’ creativity and motivation. Smart Learning Environments, 7, 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40561-020-00132-9
Conradty, C., Sotiriou, S., & Bogner, F. (2020). How creativity in STEAM modules intervenes with self-efficacy and motivation. Education Sciences, 10(3), 70. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci10030070
Deák, C., & Kumar, B. (2024). A systematic review of STEAM education’s role in nurturing digital competencies for sustainable innovations. Education Sciences, 14(3), 226. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14030226
Erol, A., Erol, M., & Başaran, M. (2022). The effect of STEAM education with tales on problem-solving and creativity skills. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 31(2), 243–258. https://doi.org/10.1080/1350293X.2022.2081347
Filipe, J., Baptista, M., & Conceição, T. (2024). Integrated STEAM education for students’ creativity development. Education Sciences, 14(6), 676. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14060676
Gonzales, L., Salazar, G., Negrete, P., & Vargas, C. (2025). Integrating STEAM in primary education: A systematic review from 2010 to 2024. Journal of Educational and Social Research. https://doi.org/10.36941/jesr-2025-0064
González, M., Rodríguez-Sedano, F., Llamas, C., Gonçalves, J., Lima, J., & García-Peñalvo, F. (2020). Fostering STEAM through challenge‐based learning, robotics, and physical devices: A systematic mapping literature review. Computer Applications in Engineering Education, 29(1), 46–65. https://doi.org/10.1002/cae.22354
Gu, X., Tong, D., Shi, P., Zou, Y., Yuan, H., Chen, C., & Zhao, G. (2023). Incorporating STEAM activities into creativity training in higher education. Thinking Skills and Creativity. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2023.101395
Hsiao, P., & Su, C. (2021). A study on the impact of STEAM education for sustainable development courses and its effects on student motivation and learning. Sustainability, 13(7), 3772. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13073772
Jia, Y., Zhou, B., & Zheng, X. (2021). A curriculum integrating STEAM and maker education promotes pupils’ learning motivation, self-efficacy, and interdisciplinary knowledge acquisition. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 725525. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.725525
Kuo, H. (2024). Transforming tomorrow: A practical synthesis of STEAM and PBL for empowering students’ creative thinking. International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10763-024-10511-0
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Marín-Marín, J., Moreno-Guerrero, A., Dúo-Terrón, P., & López-Belmonte, J. (2021). STEAM in education: A bibliometric analysis of performance and co-words in Web of Science. International Journal of STEM Education, 8, 26. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40594-021-00296-x
Martín-Cudero, D., Cid-Cid, A., & Guede-Cid, R. (2024). Analysis of mathematics education from a STEAM approach at secondary and pre-university educational levels: A systematic review. Journal of Technology and Science Education, 14(1), 2349. https://doi.org/10.3926/jotse.2349
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Ramírez-Montoya, M., Zavala, G., Patiño, A., & Ibarra-Vázquez, G. (2025). STEAM education of the future in the framework of complexity: Case of good practice in OER LATAM community. Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies. https://doi.org/10.36941/ajis-2025-0054
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Tran, V., Duong, T., Phan, T., Huynh, T., Nguyen, T., & Nguyen, T. (2024). Researching STEAM in early childhood education between 2013-2023: A bibliometric analysis of Scopus database. Dong Thap University Journal of Science, 13(7). https://doi.org/10.52714/dthu.13.7.2024.1334
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Zakaria, S., & Osman, S. (2024). STEAM innovation: Curriculum alignment, experimental learning, and transdisciplinary approaches. International Journal of Modern Education. https://doi.org/10.35631/ijmoe.622024
Zhan, Z., Yao, X., & Li, T. (2022). Effects of association interventions on students’ creative thinking, aptitude, empathy, and design scheme in a STEAM course: Considering remote and close association. International Journal of Technology and Design Education. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10798-022-09801-x
Zhao, S., & Abdullah, A. (2025). Integrated STEAM and problem-based learning: A teaching framework to enhance undergraduates’ creative thinking. International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development, 14(1). https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarped/v14-i1/2449
FinTech Innovations and Financial Inclusion: Digital Credit, Micro-Lending, and Poverty Alleviation
Full text linkThis research explored the transformative impact of FinTech innovations on financial inclusion, focusing on the roles of digital credit, micro-lending, and their contributions to poverty alleviation in developing economies. Employing a mixed-methods research design that integrated survey data and participant interviews, the study analyzed how technology-driven financial services enhanced accessibility, affordability, and equity among financially marginalized populations. The findings indicated that FinTech significantly reduced barriers to credit access through mobile-based lending platforms and algorithmic credit scoring, thereby improving economic resilience, entrepreneurial growth, and household income. However, the study also revealed disparities in adoption, with women, rural residents, and individuals with limited digital literacy facing greater challenges. The analysis emphasized that while FinTech served as a catalyst for inclusion, its success depended on strong regulatory oversight, consumer protection, and digital financial education. Qualitative insights further highlighted users’ perceptions of increased autonomy, trust, and empowerment through digital finance. The study concluded that FinTech holds substantial potential for inclusive growth but requires careful alignment with social, institutional, and ethical frameworks. Recommendations included expanding digital infrastructure, strengthening financial literacy, and ensuring equitable algorithmic governance to enhance sustainability and social justice in financial ecosystems.
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Employee Empowerment and its effects on job satisfaction-A case study of KHAADI, Karachi, Pakistan
Full text linkEmployee empowerment is a critical strategy for enhancing organizational performance, yet its application within the hierarchical cultural contexts of non-Western industries, such as Pakistan\u27s textile sector, remains understudied. This research addresses this gap by investigating the manifestation and impact of empowerment practices at KHAADI, a leading Pakistani fashion brand. A qualitative case study approach was employed, utilizing semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions with a purposive sample of 30 employees and managers from various departments and hierarchical levels. Data were analysed using thematic analysis to identify perceived empowerment practices and their correlation with job satisfaction.
The analysis revealed that empowerment practices, particularly delegated decision-making, supportive leadership feedback, and recognition, significantly enhanced job satisfaction. Employees reporting high autonomy demonstrated greater intrinsic motivation, innovation, and a 40% higher self-reported satisfaction score. However, the effectiveness of empowerment was heavily moderated by managerial style, with significant inconsistencies observed across departments. A key finding was the critical role of cultural context, where traditional hierarchies both constrained full autonomy and increased the value of supportive, trust-based leadership. Empowerment is a potent driver of job satisfaction and performance at KHAADI, but its success is contingent on consistent implementation and adaptation to the local socio-cultural environment. This study provides contextualized evidence from a developing economy, challenging the direct transferability of Western-centric empowerment models and offering practical implications for human resource management in similar cultural and industrial settings.
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Reimagining Workplace Fun: Unveiling Its Impact on Employee Engagement, Organizational Support, and Employee Performance
Full text linkThis study explores the influence of workplace fun on employee engagement, organizational support, and performance. It aims to understand how fun-driven activities contribute to employee creativity, satisfaction, and organizational outcomes. The research further investigates the moderating role of perceived organizational support in strengthening the relationship between workplace fun and employee performance. A qualitative research design was employed, using semi-structured interviews with fifty employees from diverse organizations in Rawalpindi and Islamabad. The sample represented multiple sectors and job roles to ensure varied perspectives. Thematic analysis was conducted to interpret employee views on workplace fun, engagement, and cultural impact. Results indicate that workplace fun positively correlates with motivation, engagement, collaboration, and creativity. Employees perceived fun activities as essential to fostering a supportive and dynamic work culture. However, barriers such as time constraints and limited administrative backing were identified as challenges to sustaining meaningful workplace fun. The findings also revealed that education level significantly influenced employees’ perceptions of fun, engagement, and performance.
Organizations that integrate fun strategically within their culture, aligned with core values and supported by leadership, can enhance employee morale, commitment, and overall productivity. Leaders are encouraged to customize fun activities based on employee demographics and to regularly assess their impact on engagement and performance. This research contributes to the growing discourse on positive organizational behaviour by demonstrating that fun at work is not merely recreational but an essential element of employee engagement and organizational success. It highlights the significance of organizational support as a moderator and encourages leaders to view fun as a strategic management tool.
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Linking Ethical Leadership to Employee Green Behaviour: Mediating Mechanism of Green Organizational Identity
Full text linkThis study aims to investigate the intricate relationships between Ethical Leadership (EL), Green Organizational Identity (GOI), and Employee Green Behaviour (EGB) within the context of public-sector universities in Balochistan, Pakistan. Increasingly, organizational sustainability is becoming an essential objective for organizational leaders, and scholars need to understand the challenges of how ethical leadership influences employees\u27 sustainable behaviours within organizations. Based on Social Learning Theory and Social Identity Theory, this study aims to explain how ethical leaders can influence employee pro-environmental attitudes and behaviours, both directly and indirectly, through organization members’ identification with the organization. Using quantitative research design, data were gathered through a structured questionnaire from 230 faculty members from different public sector universities in Balochistan. The Hayes PROCESS macro (Model 4) was used to analyse the data to test the hypothesized mediation model. The findings showed that Ethical Leadership has a significant, positive impact on both Green Organizational Identity and Employee Green Behaviour. Additionally, the research revealed that leaders who demonstrate fairness, integrity, and a strong environmental commitment are more likely to foster sustainable behaviour among their employees. However, it was not possible to confirm the mediation role of Green Organizational Identity as a mediator between Ethical Leadership and Employee Green Behaviour, as the impact of ethical leadership on employees\u27 environmentally friendly actions does not occur solely through organizational identity or identification processes. The work makes a significant contribution to theory by integrating the moral and ecological facets of leadership and by extending the current frameworks of sustainable behaviour in the higher education sector. Besides, it offers practical implications to researchers and practitioners who may call for the increased development of ethical leadership programs, the fostering of sustainability-oriented values, and the facilitation of employee engagement in green activities. In brief, this research highlights the importance of ethical leadership as a driver of eco-friendly culture in organizations and paves the way for further investigations into additional variables that mediate or moderate the relationship between ethical leadership and employees\u27 sustainable behaviours.
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The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Shaping Digital Media Consumption
Full text linkThe widespread application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to digital media spaces altered both the quality of the content curation and personalization and the interaction between users and the content. One should know how it affects the consumption patterns, user awareness, and user perceptions to navigate the evolving world of digital. The purpose of this study is to empirically examine how AI affects the formation of digital media consumption with several objectives to determine the awareness of users, the behavioural impact, perceptions and concerns, and the overall effect on convenience and dependency.
Quantitative research design was used, and a structured online survey was used among a sample of 320 users of digital media. Data analysis was done using the descriptive statistics as a means of summarizing demographic features and important variables and the results were presented graphically using bar charts. The results show that the awareness of users regarding the application of AI is high as 78.1% of the participants acknowledge the usage of AI in platforms. AI has a huge effect on behaviour with 71.9% indicating that it had more time on media because of recommendations and 72.5% indicating that it had an impact on their entertainment decisions. Although three out of four (79.1) were in agreement with the idea of AI making things more convenient and enhancing the experience, there have been serious questions about privacy (64%), diversity of content (63.2%), and the bias of the algorithm (64.1%). A resounding majority (79.1) demanded increased openness in the activities of AI.
AI is a revolutionary impact in digital media increasing personalization and user satisfaction, at the same time creating dependency and ethical issues. The paper concludes that an ethically transparent, user-centric, and digitally literate comprehensive approach is necessary when integrating AI into future digital ecosystems.
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Employer Branding in Fintech Startups: A Mixed-Method Study on Talent Attraction, Customer Perception, and Investor Interest
Full text linkEmployer branding has emerged as a strategic tool for climate-focused FinTech startups, influencing organizational attractiveness, stakeholder perceptions, and sustainability orientation. This study employed a mixed-method research design to investigate the impact of employer branding on talent attraction, customer perception, investor confidence, and climate finance orientation. Quantitative data were collected through structured surveys from employees, prospective recruits, customers, and investors, while qualitative insights were obtained from semi-structured interviews with founders, HR managers, and sustainability leads. Descriptive, correlation, and regression analyses were conducted to examine relationships among variables, and thematic analysis was employed for qualitative data. The results revealed that employer branding significantly influenced talent attraction, demonstrating the strongest effect on internal stakeholders. It also positively affected customer perceptions and investor confidence, indicating its role as a reputational and credibility signal. Qualitative findings highlighted that purpose-driven, sustainability-focused employer branding aligned organizational culture with employee values, strengthened stakeholder trust, and reinforced climate finance orientation. Integration of quantitative and qualitative results suggested that employer branding functioned as a multidimensional strategic asset, extending beyond recruitment to support broader organizational legitimacy and sustainability objectives. The study provides practical insights for FinTech startups seeking to leverage employer branding as a tool for human capital optimization, stakeholder engagement, and climate-aligned strategic growth. Future research is recommended to explore longitudinal effects, cross-cultural variations, and digital employer branding strategies.
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Deep Learning-Driven Student Performance Analysis: Detecting Anomalies and Predicting Academic Success
Full text linkAccurately predicting student performance and identifying anomalies in academic datasets has become increasingly crucial for enhancing educational outcomes and enabling data-driven interventions in modern learning environments. Traditional statistical methods and conventional machine learning approaches often struggle with the multidimensional nature and increasing scale of contemporary student datasets, which encompass diverse academic, behavioral, and socio-demographic variables. This study explores advanced deep learning techniques; including Autoencoders for unsupervised anomaly detection, Recurrent Neural Networks with Long Short-Term Memory architectures for temporal pattern recognition, and Deep Neural Networks for comprehensive performance prediction to address these challenges. The proposed framework demonstrates significant improvements in detecting subtle performance anomalies that often precede academic difficulties, while simultaneously predicting longitudinal success patterns with greater accuracy than traditional methods. By leveraging the hierarchical feature learning capabilities of deep architectures, our system enables early identification of at risk students through continuous analysis of complex, nonlinear relationships in educational data, allowing institutions to implement timely, personalized interventions. Research studies have empirically validated the effectiveness of these models in educational contexts, showing superior performance in measuring student achievement patterns and predicting learning outcomes. The findings contribute to theoretical advancements in educational analytics but also provide practical insights for curriculum designers and policy makers seeking to optimize instructional strategies. Furthermore, the study establishes significant benchmarks for educational contexts by demonstrating how deep learning can enhance both teaching methodologies and student support systems through data-driven insights. This research makes a substantial contribution to the growing field of Educational Data Mining by proposing a robust deep learning framework that serves as both a predictive tool and a baseline for future studies in student performance analysis, while also addressing critical challenges in model interpretability and implementation scalability within real-world educational settings.
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