Journal of Social Sciences & Humanities
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Assessing the Relationship Between Public Trust and Ethical Reporting of Afghanistan International TV
Get PDFThis study examines the perceptions of Afghan journalists and political analysts regarding Afghanistan International TV’s adherence to journalistic ethical standards in its coverage of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA). The research aims to evaluate the channel’s performance in terms of impartiality, accuracy, fairness, independence, and potential bias. A structured online questionnaire was distributed to 122 respondents, both inside and outside Afghanistan. The collected data indicate that ownership influence and editorial bias remain key concerns for most viewers, despite frequent channel changes. Respondents identified persistent ethical deficiencies, including limited transparency, weak confidentiality practices, and a lack of respect for individual privacy, all of which undermine public trust. Many participants also noted that the channel’s content often reflects promotional narratives that appear to encourage the liveliness and rhetoric of the Islamic Emirate members. Furthermore, while more than half of the respondents reported that the channel’s coverage has little direct impact on their professional reporting, they acknowledged its broader influence on public perception. Overall, the findings highlight widespread skepticism toward media credibility in Afghanistan and underscore the urgent need for stronger ethical standards and more balanced reporting practices across Afghan media outlets
Investigating Research Anxiety Among Undergraduate English Major Students at Kabul University
Get PDFResearch has a crucial role in developing the academic achievements of undergraduate students. However, majority experience extreme stress and anxiety while they are conducting their academic research. This study examines the factors contributing to research anxiety among undergraduate English major students at Kabul University. Although global studies have broadly explored academic stress, limited attention has been paid to the specific phenomenon of research anxiety within Afghan higher education, which this study aims to address. This investigation is conducted through a quantitative research design. Seventy-two students participated in this study. The findings revealed that most participants reported moderate to high levels of anxiety during conducting their research. It attributed to a variety of factors. The primary cause of this anxiety is a lack of experience or training. Additionally, fear of failure and inadequate academic support are significant contributing factors. Generally, senior students exhibited lower levels of anxiety than the lower level students. It is reflecting their growing familiarity with the research process. In result, it highlighted the urgent need for academic institutions and universities to address this anxiety. The study recommends integrating research training, mentorship programs, and enhanced access to investigation resources to reduce anxiety among students. Furthermore, addressing this type of anxiety will enhance the academic quality of research
Start Strong, Finish Stronger: Classroom Warm-Ups as a Bridge to Student’s Learning
Get PDFWarm-up activities are considered to be an effective way of engaging students in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classes for enhanced and quality learning. If the class begins with a warm-up activity, the rest of the class time could be utilized to the best of the students’ learning. This paper intends to explore students\u27 perceptions towards the use of warm-up activities in EFL classes and to assess the extent to which warm-up activities are used in the EFL classes of Kandahar University. A quantitative survey design was used to collect data from a randomly selected sample of 136 EFL students at Kandahar University. A questionnaire was used as the primary tool for data collection. The findings revealed that the students perceive warm-up activities as beneficial in the class. It was also found that the lecturers in the EFL classes of Kandahar University do not implement warm-up activities sufficiently. This study contributes to filling the identified research gap and offering specific implications based on the study\u27s findings for educators, lecturers, and curriculum designers regarding integrating warm-up activities as part of the teaching and learning process
A Brief Study of Clitics in English Linguistics
Get PDFThis research article comprehensively analyzes English clitics and the process of cliticization. The cliticization process explores clitics\u27 linguistic significance and functional roles, which are linguistic elements that share characteristics with both words and affixes. Clitics rely on their hosts for pronunciation and meaning, distinguishing themselves as an essential yet often overlooked grammatical feature. While many learners recognize the concept of "contraction," a subcategory of clitics, a significant gap exists in understanding the broader linguistic aspects of clitics. This study aims to bridge this gap by examining the types of clitics, their phonological and syntactic functions, and their relevance in English grammar. Clitics, classified as simple and special, exhibit unique features that require detailed exploration. This qualitative research leverages online academic resources, books, and peer-reviewed articles complemented by library research to ensure thorough analysis. The collected data was systematically organized based on relevant research questions. The findings provide detailed examples of clitics, their typologies, and the grammatical processes they entail, offering deeper insights into their structure, function, and application
Traumatic Events, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and Post-Traumatic Growth among University Students in Kabul City
Get PDFAlthough trauma and PTSD are relatively common in Afghanistan, not everyone who is exposed to such events goes on to develop PTSD. In actuality, some people demonstrate resilience and experience positive psychological transformation, a phenomenon known as post-traumatic growth. This research focused on exploring how traumatic experiences and PTSD symptoms are structurally linked to PTG in university students. 250 students participated through the snowball sampling method. The Traumatic Experience Checklist, PCL-5, and PTGI questionnaires, with acceptable reliability, were used to collect the data. The data was analyzed using SPSS-24. The results indicate that most participants went through multiple traumatic events, and more than half (61.2%) of the participants personally experienced a natural disaster, 29.3% were witnesses of traffic accidents, and 33.6% heard about an assault with a weapon. The prevalence of PTSD symptoms was 48.8% and 35.6% of participants reported experiencing moderate to high degrees of PTG. Furthermore, the results showed that traumatic experiences and symptoms of PTSD directly influence and significantly predict PTG. It can be concluded that experience of traumatic events and PTSD may lead to a positive change. These results can guide future research to examine the mechanisms and moderating factors like resilience, social support and ways of coping and that influence this relationship.. Interventions can be designed not only to treat PTSD but also to nurture PTG by incorporating trauma-informed and strength-based approaches
Gamification and Social Media: Transforming English Grammar Learning in EFL Classrooms
Get PDFThis study investigated the impact of gamification and social media on enhancing English grammar learning in EFL classrooms. A quasi-experimental research design was employed, involving 65 male students from a private higher education institution. Participants were divided into experimental and control groups. The experimental group engaged in gamified activities and utilized social media platforms, while the control group followed traditional learning methods. After the experiment, a survey questionnaire was administered to the experimental group to gather their perceptions of the interventions. Pre- and post-test scores were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The results demonstrated that gamification and social media significantly improved student engagement and grammar retention. A statistically significant improvement was observed in the grammar scores of the experimental group compared to the control group. Gamified activities, such as points, leaderboards, and rewards, enhanced motivation and created a more interactive learning environment. Similarly, social media platforms, particularly WhatsApp and Facebook groups, facilitated peer feedback, collaborative learning, and the practical application of grammar rules in authentic contexts. Participants in the experimental group reported greater confidence in using grammar structures correctly, with many highlighting reduced language learning anxiety and increased motivation due to gamification and social media use. This study contributes to the growing body of literature on technology-enhanced language learning, providing practical implications for EFL educators seeking to integrate these tools to improve language proficiency
Investigating the Causes of Youth Addiction to Drugs: A Case Study of Bamyan Center in 2024
Get PDFThe present study, which was conducted to investigate the causes of youth turning to drugs in the center of Bamyan province, has sub-objectives such as investigating individual, interpersonal-environmental, and social causes. It is applied from an objective perspective, descriptive from the perspective of the method, and interpretive from the perspective of qualitative problem-solving. The data collection method was through semi-structured interviews in which 16 men were interviewed, including 13 people with an addiction, one doctor from the aforementioned hospital, and a psychology professor at Bamyan University who taught the psychology of drug addiction at the university. The findings of this study showed that individual factors such as pride, fatigue relief, curiosity, pleasure, relief of severe physical pain, lack of emotion, pessimism, stress, mental disorders, positive attitude towards drugs, weak religious beliefs and values, lack of sufficient awareness about the harms of drugs, and interpersonal-environmental factors such as the availability of drugs, peers, having bad friends, school, room, and place of residence, inappropriate role models in personal life, falling in love, and leisure time. Social factors such as immigration, arrogant politics, family, addiction of family members, poverty, unemployment, hard work, lack of sports and recreational facilities, lack of service facilities, social disorder and insecurity, and lack of law enforcement played a role in turning young people to drugs. Therefore, based on the study\u27s findings, it is recommended that the authorities take the necessary measures to address these issues
From Chalkboards to Cultural Relevance: A Mixed-Methods Study on ELL Support in Post-Conflict Higher Education
Get PDFThis study investigates the relationship between access to institutional resources and student satisfaction among English Language Learners (ELLs) at the English Language and Literature Department of X University, a post-conflict, resource-constrained higher education setting. Employing a mixed-methods approach, the research integrates quantitative data from surveys and academic writing tests with qualitative insights from classroom observations, focus groups, and semi-structured interviews. Spearman correlation analyses revealed a weak but statistically significant positive relationship between student satisfaction and access to online learning platforms (ρ = 0.184, p < .05) and language labs (ρ = 0.127, p < .05), while access to library resources (ρ = 0.082, p = .095) and textbooks (ρ = 0.041, p = .412) showed minimal or no significant association. Qualitative findings reinforced these results, with students reporting outdated materials, limited lab availability, frequent power outages, and heavy reliance on lecture-based instruction. The study further found that scaffolded instruction improved student writing scores by 22% (ρ = 0.286, p < .001), and culturally responsive teaching increased engagement by 15%. Despite their effectiveness, these strategies remain underutilized due to a lack of faculty training and institutional support. The findings underscore the need for comprehensive reforms, including investment in infrastructure, professional development in inclusive pedagogy such as Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT), and curriculum revisions to incorporate local cultural content. These interventions are crucial for enhancing English language education and promoting academic equity in post-conflict and low-resource university settings
The Influence of Student–Teacher Rapport on Master’s Degree Classroom Dynamics
Get PDFThis study investigates the influence of student–teacher rapport on master’s classrooms, emphasizing its role in fostering engagement, participation, and academic development. The research problem addresses the limited scholarly attention given to student–teacher rapport in postgraduate education, despite its recognized importance at other academic levels. Employing a qualitative research design, semi-structured interviews were conducted with three professors from Kabul Education University and eight master’s students from Kabul Education University and Kabul University. Thematic analysis was used to interpret participants’ experiences and perceptions of rapport. The findings suggest that strong student–teacher relationships may contribute to a more interactive and psychologically supportive learning environment, potentially enhancing students’ motivation and reducing academic stress. Furthermore, the study identifies several strategies for developing and sustaining rapport, including personalized feedback, active listening, and encouraging student participation. Although the small sample size (N = 11) limits the generalizability of the findings, this is consistent with phenomenological research, which emphasizes depth of understanding over breadth. Additionally, as data were collected only from face-to-face classrooms, hybrid and online interactions were not examined. Nevertheless, the results provide valuable insights into the significance of student–teacher rapport in graduate education and offer practical guidance for creating inclusive and engaging learning environments
Foreignization and Domestication in Translating Culture-Specific Items: A Case Study of Yusuf Ali’s Surah Al-Baqarah
Get PDFTranslation of culture-specific items (CSIs) has always posed a challenge for translators, as these items are deeply rooted in the culture of the source language. To address this issue, scholars have proposed various translation strategies. This study aimed to achieve two objectives: (1) to explore the translation strategies employed by Yusuf Ali in his English translation of CSIs in Surah Al-Baqarah, based on Venuti’s (1995) theoretical framework of domestication and foreignization, and (2) to categorize the types of CSIs found in the text. The study adopted a qualitative approach, collecting data from the second chapter of the Noble Qur’an. The findings revealed that the translator employed both strategies. Domestication was the most frequently used strategy (67%), whereas foreignization was employed less often (33%). In terms of CSI categories, proper nouns were the most dominant (39.66%), followed by religious activities (25.86%) and material culture (20.69%). The ecology and miscellaneous categories were less common, comprising 3.45% and 10.34%, respectively. The results of this study could be beneficial for both translation students and practitioners in the field, helping them become familiar with the most influential strategies for rendering CSIs