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Navigating University Life: A Qualitative Study of Social and Academic Challenges and Coping Strategies Among Introvert Students in Higher Education
Get PDFThis qualitative study investigated the social and academic challenges encountered by introvert university students, aiming to deepen the understanding of their distinct experiences. Through in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 12 undergraduate students from Foundation University in Rawalpindi, the study identified key challenges faced by introverts. Participants expressed that social anxiety, particularly in group discussions and public speaking, led to discomfort and avoidance of activities that interfered with their academic performance. The findings indicated issues related to academic support and social interactions, often resulting in negative self-perceptions and feelings of isolation. Students reported difficulties in connecting with peers, which impacted their engagement with the learning process. Nonetheless, the results revealed that introvert students employed various coping strategies, such as seeking solitude for reflection, utilizing learning environments effectively, and seeking assistance from peer sand instructors. The study under scored the necessity for educational institutions to accommodate the diverse needs of introvert students through integrated teaching methods and tailored support programs
A Hybrid Group Decision-Making Approach for Prioritizing Regional Development Programmes in South Sulawesi Province, Indonesia
Get PDFThis research developed a Group Decision Support System (GDSS) to support decision makers in ranking the regional development programmes for South Sulawesi Province in Indonesia to overcome the development gap towards national development stability. Determining regional development programs in Indonesia necessitates the involvement of multiple decision-makers (DMs), including the government, investors, universities, community organizations, and non governmental organizations, to facilitate group decision making. There are always procedures involved when using a decision-making system, especially when deciding which regional development program to be prioritised among several possible alternatives. Implementation of the regional development programmes in Indonesia has not fully taken into account the scale of priorities and elements of justice. In carrying out regional development programmes, it was found that there are development programmes that were prioritized, actually not according to regional development criteria. This has resulted in regional development programmes in Indonesia not in accordance with the targets to be achieved. Hence, it would cause development gaps, which impacted on national development stability. Determining regional development program priorities often does not pay attention to whether there is a link with the target indicators set in The Medium-Term Regional Development Plan (RPJMD). This results in budget inefficiencies, social injustice and unsustainable programs. Therefore, the objectives of this research are :- to identify a new ranking model for prioritising regional development programs in South Sulawesi Region, to develop a new decision-making technique for Decision Makers in determining the priority scale according to the criteria set out in the regional development program in South Sulawesi Province, to develop a new group decision making technique for a group Decision Maker in determining priorities which are aligned with the specified criteria in the regional development program in South Sulawesi Province and to validate the developed Group Decision Support System in identifying the priority in regional development programs. This research developed Group Decision Support System based on decision ranking models for regional development program namely AHP, ELECTRE, ARAS, AHP+ ARAS, AHP+ELECTRE, ELECTRE+ARAS, and AHP+ELECTRE+ ARAS. Based on the accuracy test, it was found that GDSS based on hybrid AHP + ELECTRE + ARAS method resulted in the highest accuracy which is 86.67%. The prioritised regional development programs obtained from the developed hybrid AHP + ELECTRE + ARAS Group Decisions Support System were also validated by experts review which show strong correlation. The prioritised regional development programs determined from the developed Group Decisions Support System will be used as recommendations for regional development programs implementation
Factors Influencing the Successful Adoption of Information Technology in High School Institutions in Indonesia
Get PDFThe COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted the global community, compelling businesses across all sectors to adapt to advancements and trends in Information Technology (IT). The education sector, mainly High School Institutions (HSI), has experienced significant adaptation due to the pandemic. Stakeholders play a vital role in HSIs as they oversee and control IT decisions that can positively or negatively influence business outcomes. Therefore, HSI must establish an effective IT success implementation that guides decision making and ensures IT initiatives align with business value. This research aims to identify factors influencing IT Success () Adoption for HSI. The success of factors influencing IT Adoption are specifically tailored for HSIs in Indonesia. The HOP, BTH, DSC, and INS influence the QOI, QSY, and QSV. They all also affect the system trust variable. This study focuses on quantitative methods by sharing the questionnaire and interview. In this research, 400 respondents from 20 High School Institutions (HSIs) were selected as the sample for the study. SMART PLS analyzes the data starting from the validity of the questionnaire was assessed, and the results indicated that it is valid, as the Average Variance Extracted (AVE) test score was 0.756, which is higher than the recommended threshold of 0.5. The reliability of the questionnaire was also assessed. It was reliable, as the average Cronbach's alpha test score exceeded the threshold of 0.7. The analysis of the Bootstrapping technique revealed that all exogenous constructs collectively accounted for 81.4% of the impact. This indicates that the selected constructs have a significant influence. Further analysis of the Bootstrapping results revealed that seventeen direct effects significantly influenced, as their p-values were lower than 0.05. On the other hand, six direct effects were found to be not significant, as their p-values were higher than 0.05. These findings suggest that the selected constructs and their corresponding direct effects substantially influence HSIs. The research provides empirical evidence supporting the importance of these factors in shaping effective IT adoption in Successful practices. there were three research findings. Firstly, this research succeeded in knowing problems in the HSI sector in Indonesia. Secondly, the framework has been developed for HSI in Indonesia. Third, this framework can help to solve the IT Adoption problem at HSI in Indonesia. The recommendation of this thesis research is this study can influence the mindset of HSI stakeholders to consider IT Adoption implementation for the HSI Business value. The benefit after this research finishes is the stakeholders who are interested and consider to use this framework can implement this framework
Emotional Freedom Technique for Reducing Depression and Improving Quality Of Life among Stroke Patients in Pakistan: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Get PDFStroke is a significant cause of disability, often leading to psychological distress and impacting the lives of patients and their caregivers, particularly in regions like Pakistan, where traditional rehabilitation primarily focuses on physical recovery, neglecting mental health and psychological rehabilitation. Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) is an evidence-based practice that is an innovative psychological intervention. This study investigated the feasibility and efficacy of the Emotional Freedom Technique in alleviating depression and enhancing the quality of life (QOL) among stroke patients and assessed the caregiver burden (CGB) in Pakistan. The deductive approach is employed, as EFT is an independent variable. The dependent variables were decreased depression, increased quality of life, decreased Subjective distress units, and reduced caregiver burden. The severity of stroke is a moderator, and mediator variables are coping mechanisms, emotional stability, and comorbidities. In a randomized controlled trial, 100 ischemic stroke patients were enrolled from Pakistan, they were explicitly located in Islamabad and Rawalpindi; five rehab hospitals were short-listed, two from Islamabad and three from Rawalpindi. Patients were allocated equally to EFT intervention, and standard care (Physical rehabilitation) was conducted in control groups. MMSE-U was used to cater to the inclusive criteria. Depression and quality of life were assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II-U) and World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-U) scale at baseline and post intervention and follow-up with single blinding. Statistical analyses included paired t-tests, independent t-tests and repeated measure ANOVA to evaluate within-group and between group differences. In Post-intervention, the EFT group exhibited significant reductions in depression, BDI-II-U scores (p < 0.01), and notable improvements in quality of life (WHOQOL-U) scores (p < 0.01) compared to the control group, indicating EFT's effectiveness in reducing depression levels and enhancing the quality of life in stroke patients and also decreased the caregiver burden as measured by the BSFC-10 items scale. Integrating EFT into stroke rehabilitation in Pakistan and LMIC could offer an effective strategy for addressing the psychological needs of stroke patients, emphasizing a holistic approach to recovery. Future research should explore the long-term benefits of EFT and its applicability in diverse healthcare settings
Development of a Valid Instrument for Assessing University Student Character Strengths in Pakistani Academic Setting
Get PDFThis research comprised two studies. The purpose of Study 1 was to develop and evaluate the psychometric properties of the Character Strengths Scale for University Students (CSSUS)—a domain-specific measure reflecting the use of character strengths in the academic setting. The purpose of Study 2 was to test the application of the CSSUS. The study population comprised students from 18 undergraduate programs under the disciplines of social sciences, management sciences, and computer sciences at 22 universities of Islamabad. A random name picker on the Internet randomly identified three sets of different undergraduate programs from the 18. Astratified random sample was drawn from each set. Derived from best practices, the item development of the CSSUS was based on four steps (1) identification of the domain, (2) item generation, (3) content validity, and (4) field pre-testing of the items of the CSSUS. Furthermore, findings of Study 1 based on scale development (extraction of factors) and scale evaluation (tests of dimensionality, validity, and reliability) indicated that the CSSUS has good psychometric properties. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) performed on sample 1 indicated a four-factor structure of the CSSUS with eigenvalues greater than one. Four factor retention criteria were employed. Three criteria indicated a four-factor structure of the CSSUS. However, one criterion indicated a two-factor structure, which was also tested. Results indicated that as compared to the two factors, the four factors could be better interpreted because they presented a psychologically meaningful solution having greater conceptual clarity. The four factors were named as justice and positivity, wisdom and excellence, courage and cautiousness, and knowledge and purposefulness. Next, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed on sample 2 to test the two- and four-factor structures of the CSSUS obtained through EFA. CFA also tested a unidimensional model of the CSSUS to examine whether the character/academic strengths construct was best explained by a single underlying factor or multiple distinct factors. Results revealed that as compared to the one- and two-factor structures, the four-factor structure had the best fit. Tests of validity and reliability were also performed on sample 2. The CSSUS and its subscales demonstrated good concurrent validity as each was significantly positively correlated with the Personal Growth Initiative Scale and Brief Perceived Social Support Questionnaire. The CSSUS and its subscales also showed adequate convergent validity as each was significantly positively correlated with the Brief Strengths Scale and its subscales. Further, the CSSUS and its subscales demonstrated appropriate discriminant validity because each was not significantly correlated with the Academic Anxiety Scale. The CSSUS and its subscales also showed adequate internal consistency reliability and the CSSUS strong split-half reliability. Moreover, based on sample 1, character virtues added unique variance in the prediction of career adaptability above and beyond the variance accounted for by gender, age, and personality traits. This indicated incremental validity of the CSSUS. Additionally, findings of Study 2—based on sample 3 indicated that three virtues (justice and positivity, wisdom and excellence, and knowledge and purposefulness) out of the four moderated the relationship between academic stress and academic thriving. Also, three virtues (wisdom and excellence, courage and cautiousness, and knowledge and purposefulness) out of the four mediated the relationship between prosocial behavior and academic engagement. The two strengths-based applications provide additional evidence of the construct and predictive validity of the CSSUS. Overall, researchers in Pakistan and abroad may use the psychometrically sound CSSUS to add greater specificity to results pertinent for furthering academic development, student learning, and career readiness
The Relationship Between Organisational Culture and IT Utilisation Using the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology Among Credit Unions in Indonesia
Get PDFMuch research has been conducted to study IT acceptance in organisations by considering organisational culture as a determining factor. This study became the first to use the Competitive Value Framework (CVF) and quadrant driving value as an antecedent for individual perception from Unified Theory Acceptance and Use Technology (UTAUT). Data was collected using a questionnaire. Data from two hundred eighty-eight respondents were analyzed using the SEM-PLS method and SMART-PLS4 software. The analysis uses the Reflective Formative Second Order Two-Stage Approach, where organisational culture (OC) variables are analyzed using
formative methods. In contrast, the other variables are analyzed reflectively. The linear regression calculations are conducted for each OC dimension to each UTAUT individual's perceptions to see the relationship. The results have a significant relationship between OC and BI via EE and SI, while OC to BI via PE is insignificant.
In linear regression, all dimensions affect PE; the dimensions that affect EE are clan and adhocracy, while those that affect SI are hierarchical, market, and adhocracy dimensions. From these results, OC can affect individual perceptions of wanting to use information technology. These results will contribute to theories about culture,
especially organisational culture and information technology. The result proved that OC can be an antecedent of individual perception. In addition, using value drivers from each dimension becomes a valuable input for survey methodology. These findings help decision-makers pay more attention to value drivers in organisations if they want to
implement new technologies to avoid employee rejection
From Resource-Based View to Practical Strategies: Internal Service Quality, Corporate Image, and Organizational Performance at Pakistan Railways
Get PDFThis study, grounded in the Resource-Based View (RBV) theory, investigates the strategic impact of Internal Service Quality (ISQ) on Organizational Performance (OP), with a specific focus on Corporate Image (CI) as a mediator. Conducted at Pakistan Railways' Head Quarters in Lahore, the research employed purposive sampling, involving 325 permanent employees. SmartPLS 4 was utilized for data analysis. The results revealed that all hypotheses were statistically significant including the identification of corporate image as a significant partial mediator in the relationship between ISQ and OP. Aligned with RBV principles, the study emphasizes the strategic role of ISQ in enhancing OP. Practical implications highlight the importance of a strategic emphasis on ISQ, with a focus on leadership, integrated marketing communications, stakeholder engagement, and continuous monitoring for sustained improvements. These insights provide actionable strategies, particularly beneficial for entities like Pakistan Railways, aiming to optimize internal service quality to foster a positive external image, and enhance overall organizational performance
Ethical leadership and public sector performance: mediating role of corporate social responsibility and organizational politics and moderator of social capital
Get PDFEvidence from the body of knowledge shows that ethical leadership influences organizational outcomes. Thus, drawing on social learning and social exchange theories, this study empirically examines the impact of ethical leadership on public sector organizational performance, focusing on the mediating effects of perceived organizational politics and corporate social responsibility and the moderating role of organizational social capital. A quantitative cross-sectional online survey was conducted using a convenience sampling strategy to collect data from 292 federal government employees and federal member state employees across Somalia. Structural equation modeling (SEM–PLS) was used to analyze the data using SmartPLS4. The results reveal that ethical leadership directly affects organizational performance, perceived organizational politics, and corporate social responsibility. Furthermore, perceived organizational politics partially mediate the relationship between ethical leadership and organizational performance. This study offers practical recommendations for public sector agencies and policymakers to enhance organizational performance through ethical leadership. This study fills a literature gap by exploring the association between ethical leadership and organizational performance in the public sector, specifically in Somalia. Various mediating and moderating factors have deepened our understanding of how ethical leadership influences organizational performance in the public sector
Optimizing Air Handling Unit Induction Motor Frequency Predictions: Evaluating and Advancing Forecasting Techniques with a Modified Chen's Fuzzy Time Series Model
Get PDFThe purpose of this study is to introduce a novel approach to predict induction motor frequency adjustments in Air Handling Units (AHU). This is essential as traditional methods have frequently been unable to effectively address the complex seasonal and stochastic fluctuations that are inherent in these environments. To overcome this challenge, the research focuses on utilizing experimental Chen’s Fuzzy Time Series model, specifically designed to incorporate temporal and seasonal patterns into the predictive analysis. Various predictive models, including Seasonal Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (SARIMA), Holt-Winters Exponential
Smoothing (HWES), neural network (NN) based ensemble model, hybrid of artificial neural network (ANN) and SARIMA, and Seasonal Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average with Exogenous factors (SARIMAX), are compared to determine the most effective model in optimizing AHU induction motor frequency. Results indicate that the modified Chen's Fuzzy Time Series model demonstrated high efficacy with an R-squared value of 0.9945 in a one-hour time interval in the seasonal pattern, showing an almost perfect fit between predicted outcomes and actual data compared to other prediction models. Furthermore, the modified Chen's model achieved a Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) of 2.41% and a Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) of 0.72, significantly outperforming other models in predictive accuracy and reliability. The modified Chen's model showed an efficiency improvement of 86% in MAPE and 87% in RMSE compared to other prediction models
Understanding the Root Cause of Cybersecurity Incidents Through DuPont’s Dirty Dozen Framework
Get PDFCybersecurity incidents, such as data breaches, posea significant threat to organisations. Shockingly, 95% of these incidents occur due to human errors. Despite organisations making substantial efforts to reduce the likelihood of such occurrences through technological and non-technological means, the frequency of these incidents has been increasing. Previously, organisations relied on technology as the primary barrier to minimise cybersecurity incidents and achieve their objectives. Although research indicates that humans are the weakest link in an organisation's efforts to combat cybersecurity incidents, organisations still consider technology as the key to improving security defences. Therefore, the researchers suggest improving human interventions should precede technological means to overcome the problem. They propose that existing information security plans should consider human factors in cybersecurity risk management. Prioritising an understanding of human factors in managing information security can help organisations identify the relationships between various dimensions of human errors and cybersecurity incidents. To achieve this, the paper suggests solving the human factor problem in cybersecurity incidents by explaining how DuPont's Dirty Dozen framework, commonly used in aviation, can help understand why cybersecurity incidents and accidents occur. The framework lists twelve human behaviours that can be used to understand the relationships between various dimensions of human errors and cybersecurity incidents. By understanding these relationships, organisations can improve their cybersecu