IIUM Journal of Human Sciences (IJOHS)
Not a member yet
89 research outputs found
Sort by
The Role of Learning in Nurturing Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Toilet Hygiene Among Youth in Malaysian University
Get PDFIn Malaysia, the cleanliness of public toilets continues to be a challenge. A dirty toilet could become a site that spreads diseases and hurts the image of the country as a whole. Even though campaigns promoting good toilet hygiene practices have been ongoing since 1997, not much has been achieved from these campaigns. A good toilet hygiene practice requires knowledge and the right attitude among users. Therefore, early education is required to shape the public’s perception and influence their practice of toilet hygiene. Hence, this study selected the Knowledge Attitude and Practice (KAP) theory to measure the factors influencing university students’ toilet hygiene practices. Moreover, the education factor was added to the model to see how the teaching and learning process affects the knowledge and attitude of youth. This study used the partial least squares (PLS) method and structural equation modelling (SEM) software to examine the selected factors. The results show that respondents level knowledge (87%), attitude (88%), practice (81%) and education (79%) on toilet hygiene are high. Moreover, education, knowledge, and attitude have a significant influence on the practice of toilet hygiene. This study has extended the KAP theory by adding education as a factor that influences youth’s knowledge and positive attitude towards toilet hygiene. The findings are useful for policymakers, higher education institutions, and public relations (PR) practitioners in their effort to improve campaign strategies to generate attitudal and behavioural change towards hygiene and cleanliness issues. Limitations and suggestions for future research are also included in this paper
Eco-Activist Social Media Influencers (SMI) on Twitter: Does Credibility Matter?
Get PDFThe emergence of social media specially twitter plays a significant role in today’s era. The bond between people and their smartphones is also inseparable. The first thing that people would do when they wake up is to check their phones. This leads to the deprivation of people watching television. People have now turn to Twitter for any news or trends that are occurring and substitute the physical newspaper. With the vast number of users on social media, Social Media Influencers (SMI) have also been influencing others by their opinions or expertise. However, with all the technologies and changing that are going on, environment still suffers from these man-made developments. Therefore, this paper seeks to understand how the eco-activist SMI create awareness on environment on Twitter. Using Social Credibility Theory, a qualitative content analysis of eco activist SMI twitter accounts was conducted. The findings indicate that trustworthiness, expertise and active online presence are salient features of an eco-activist SMI when communicating environmental messages through twitter
The Evaluation of an Online Peer Support Group on the Level of Situational Motivation among University Students Amidst a Pandemic: A Self-Determination Theory Approach
Get PDFDuring the Covid-19 pandemic, many students have reported a loss of motivation whilepursuing remote learning. The loss of motivation can be attributed to various factors,among which are a loss of social support, such as from friends and lecturers, incompleting their assessments. This study aimed to help IIUM undergraduate students toincrease their level of motivation through online peer support group sessions using aSport Psychology approach. The Self Determination theory was adopted as a frameworkin guiding the process of the research. This study also employed two other psychologicaltechniques which are a cognitive behavioural approach and a relaxation exercise. A totalof 13 undergraduate university students of IIUM from different faculties were selectedusing a convenience sampling method based on their voluntary participation in the peersupport group. The participants were required to answer two online surveys and committo joining two online peer support group sessions. The first online measure used wasconducted as a need analysis to assess their level of motivation. This measure compriseddemographic information form, an informed consent form, and a few qualitative openendedquestions related to their level of motivation. This yielded useful indicators for thecontent of the peer support group sessions while the second online measure was used asa pre-test and post-test measure using the Situational Motivation Scale (SIMS). The datacollected using the online questionnaire was measured using a paired sample T-test toevaluate the effectiveness of the online peer support group sessions on the level ofsituational motivation among IIUM undergraduate students. The findings of the studyshowed that although there was no statistically significant difference in the pre-test andposttest results of the SIMS scale, interestingly qualitative findings from the participantsyielded positive results which were evident through several meaningful emergent themesthat were obtained from the feedback of the participants post intervention. It is hoped thatthe planned initiative of peer support groups will be expanded to include more studentsin order to help prevent any further progression of loss of motivation and secondary crisisof compromised mental health in those who have suffered from self-isolation, physicaldistancing, and quarantining
The Paternal Side of the Family within a Matrilineal Society: An Example of the Minangkabau in Indonesia
Get PDFThere are numerous publications about the Minangkabau society in West Sumatra. Often the focus of the anthropologists is on the matrilineal social structure. Only very few researchers look at the situation of the father and the male family members. In this article, the researchers want to consider the paternal side of the family. This view is essential as there have been many changes in the past years. The researchers used a qualitative research approach that observed the village life of one community. Various open-ended interviews were conducted. Both the traditional representatives of the matrilineages and the local population were given the opportunity to express their opinions. In addition, the local publications were analysed too. In these books, traditional scholars publish their views. In the past, there were patrilineal elements, like the kingdom, within the Minangkabau society. The historical perspective shows that such patrilineal elements were important in daily life. Furthermore, it was discovered that cognates play a crucial role in certain rites and have become more influential nowadays. Nevertheless, the matrilineal concept still plays an essential role, particularly in the rules of exogamy and inheritance
The Relationship between Religiosity and Psychological Distress among University Students during COVID-19 and Movement Control Order (MCO)
Get PDFThe outbreak of COVID-19 has forced the Malaysian government to initiate a Movement Control Order (MCO) that requires people to stay at home. All businesses have been shut down including private and public higher learning institutions. This pandemic and the MCO may add to the existing stress faced by university students as past studies have reported that psychological distress is prevalent among them. In addition, earlier studies associated low levels of psychological distress with high religiosity. In this regard, this study would like to investigate if there is any association between the degree of psychological distress reported by university students and their religiosity during the pandemic and the MCO. This study was conducted on a purposive sample of Malaysian Muslim undergraduate and postgraduate students (N = 257, Mage = 22.28, SD = 2.16) using the IIUM Religiosity Scale (IIUMRelS) and the General Health Questionnaires (GHQ-12). The results suggest higher average scores in religiosity and lower scores in psychological distress. Furthermore, there was a weak but statistically significant negative correlation between religiosity and psychological distress (r = -.286, p <0.01). These findings provide good suggestions for future studies to explore the predictive effect of religiosity on psychological distress as in this study both variables are associated.
Stateless Filipino Children in Modern Day Sabah: Issues of Concern and Responses of the State Government
Get PDFStateless children have been an ongoing issue specifically in Sabah state for years since independence in 1963. The civil war back in the late 1960s in Southern Philippines saw a tremendous number of refugees from the country seeking refuge in Sabah. They were among the earliest refugees from Mindanao that came to the state whose presence over the years has resulted in the rising number of stateless children of Filipino origin. Although being born and raised in Sabah, legally the children are not citizens of Sabah due to the absence of proper documentation of birth records or certificates. This paper is based on a qualitative study using content analysis. The analysis involves mainly secondary sources with the aim to shed light on the root cause of the issue and identify actions taken by the Sabah government towards finding solutions to the problem. In doing so, the study is assessed against the standpoint and response of the Sabah government, the background of Filipino migrants in Sabah and their stateless children, and the socio-economic and political contexts of the state as a whole. The findings indicate that the root cause of the issue is very complicated and despite some actions taken by the Sabah government, the matter continues to persist affecting not only the refugees and their stateless children but the local people and state of Sabah. Finally, the paper ends with some recommendations i.e. several proposed actions to be taken by relevant parties so that the issue which has been ongoing for decades in Sabah and affected the lives of so many children could be finally solved
Facebook and Political Communication: A study of Online Campaigning During the14th Malaysian General Election
Get PDFEvery democratic country has to go through the general election where political candidates must convince the public to vote for them. In recent years, Facebook has become one of the most popular social media used in election campaigning. Due to its popularity and easy access to the public, Facebook offers election candidates the ability to personalise their political messages and directly communicate with the voters and win the voters’ trust. This study looks into this phenomenon by studying how election candidates used Facebook to campaign during the 14th Malaysian General Election. The study investigated how the candidates’ personalised their campaign by looking at the types and characteristics of the candidates’ Facebook posts as well as the issues highlighted and slants applied in the posts. Content analysis of the candidates’ Facebook posts showed that the candidates were very active on Facebook and had strategically used Facebook to create and maintain a positive image rather than promoting issues and engaging in discussions with the public. The study also found a significant case of personalisation in the Malaysian politicians’ campaign strategies on Facebook
Intellectual and Entrepreneurial Leadership: Reflection on Thailand’s Emerging Middle Power Diplomacy in the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD)
Get PDFThailand’s diplomacy was considerably more active during Thaksin’s premiership than the governments after him. Thailand’s intellectual and entrepreneurial leadership in the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) is characterised as a catalyst, facilitator and manager state as described in the behavioural middle power approach. Utilising the behavioural model of the middle power approaches, this study argues that Thailand is a potential emerging middle power state in Asia for its role in intellectual and entrepreneurial leadership in the ACD. Even though the ACD after 2006 was somewhat negligent due to Thailand’s internal political strife. The ACD remains a significant foreign policy reflecting Thailand’s middle-power status
The Quranic-based Healing through Sound and its Psychological Effect: A Review of Literature
Get PDFThe effects of sound in human psychology and physiology are complex. The psychology of sound, also called auditory psychology, has its own features of pitch, intensity and timbre. The study of the effect of healing through the sound of recitation the Qur’an is an important issue that has not been given sufficient attention to research. Also, Muslim believes that the Qur'an is not like other books whose sources may be obscure. Furthermore, in several verses, the Qur'an has been said as a "cure", and also it is known as a heart healer (And We send down of the Quran that which is healing and mercy for the believers, but it does not increase the wrongdoers except in loss, (Al-Israa 82). Many studies have been conducted on the effect of healing through the Qur'an in many areas. Based on the studies, the sound of recitation the Qur’an can improve the psychological and the physiological parameters including reducing heart rate, anxiety and stress, increasing mental health and memory performance for children and adults. Therefore, listening and reading the Qur’an can be recommended as supportive care improvement especially the psychological performance of people. This article reviews studies that have been conducted on Quranic recitation and the psychological effects associated with it
Media Agenda in Politics: How Malaysian RTM Radio Stations Cover 14th General Election
Get PDFThe media and communication technologies have changed media consumption for good, and traditional media publishers are struggling to integrate their businesses using communication technologies. However, when fake news is increasingly prevalent on social media, where everyone can be the prosumer-produce and consume news, the people seek to verify the facts through different media, and traditional media have therefore made a comeback. This research paper attempts to answer “What are the issues reported by the media”. This study provides findings made during the 14th General Election campaigning period on the political issues reported by traditional media, in this case, radio. This study used a purposive sampling method, with the sample drawn from nomination day to the voting day (April 28 – May 9, 2018); a total of 12 days. The radio stations chosen for this study are operated by a national broadcasterRadio Television Malaysia (RTM), which were Nasional FM (95.3 MHz), Ai FM (89.3 MHz) and Traxx FM (100.1 MHz). The findings showed that the news reporting patterns among the three radio stations were consistent throughout the examination period. Most of the news reported by the three radio channels were neutral but 10 RTM reports were still pro-Barisan Nasional (BN), which was the leading slant of the reports ahead of anti-PKR ones. Media-related issues (false news, imbalance news, inaccurate information) were received the second higher-ranked of issues reported by the radio channels