International Journal of Sciences: Basic and Applied Research (IJSBAR)

Factors That Influence Students’ Entrepreneurial Intention in Xi’an, China: Perceived Entrepreneurial Education as a Mediating Effect – A Pilot Test

Li Yuan, Chin Nyuk Sang — Fri, 10 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This study explores the factors influencing students' entrepreneurial intention in Xi’an, China, with a focus on the mediating role of perceived entrepreneurial education. A pilot test was conducted with 50 undergraduate students from private and public universities to assess the reliability and validity of the survey instruments. Key independent variables include perceived behavioral control, subjective norms, student attitudes, risk-taking propensity, perceived desirability, and self-efficacy. The pilot test results indicate high internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha > 0.70) and construct validity for all variables. The findings suggest that perceived entrepreneurial education significantly mediates the relationship between these factors and entrepreneurial intention. This paper highlights the importance of refining instruments to ensure data quality and provides insights for enhancing entrepreneurship education programs.

The Use and Future of Social Humanoid Robots in Special Education: A Systematic Review

Bahadır İnan, Birkan Güldenoğlu — Fri, 03 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The rapid advancement of technology enables the development of innovative approaches in education. In the field of special education in particular, technological tools aimed at meeting students' individual needs have gained significant importance. Within this context, social humanoid robots emerge as innovative tools that can support students' learning processes, enhance their social interactions, and foster the development of their individual abilities. However, questions such as how social humanoid robots can be effectively used in special education, the educational value of these robots, and the types of future developments that may occur remain largely unanswered in the literature. This research employs a systematic review approach to critically examine studies on the use of social humanoid robots in the education of children with special needs, assessing the concrete field experiences, adaptability to inclusive education, and outcomes of these studies. To achieve this, twelve studies were analyzed in detail using the PRISMA reporting guidelines. Inclusion criteria for this review included studies conducted with individuals diagnosed with special needs aged 2-15, published between 2014 and 2023, involving at least one case or participant group regardless of qualitative or quantitative research methodologies, and published in a peer-reviewed journal. A majority of these studies focused on children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Findings from studies conducted with social humanoid robots (such as NAO, ZENO, QTROBOT, PROBO, KASPAR) with ASD children indicate improvements over time in eye contact and joint attention skills, significant increases in interaction initiation abilities, support for verbal and non-verbal communication skills, though with limited gains in imitation skills.These studies reveal certain limitations, particularly related to small sample sizes, low female participation, and lack of control groups. Furthermore, it can be suggested that one of the most critical areas researchers need to focus on is conducting large-scale studies to assess the effects of social humanoid robots on special education across diverse child populations. In conclusion, the use of social humanoid robots in special education holds substantial potential to enrich these students' educational experiences. However, effective utilization of this potential requires careful planning, ongoing research, and providing educators with necessary guidance.

Knowledge Attitude and Practice of Educators Allied Health and Direct Care Professionals Dealing with Autistic Children: A Non-Randomized Quasi-Experimental Pretest-Posttest Study

Jatheender Kumar — Fri, 10 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

A knowledgeable, well-trained professional dealing with autistic children can minimize or reduce challenging behaviors. However, educators, allied health, and direct care professionals need to be adequately trained and equipped to meet these challenges daily in giving evidence-based care. This quasi-experimental pretest-post test study investigates whether an evidence-based intervention, autism spectrum disorder-care pathway (ASD-CP), has significantly changed the knowledge, attitude, and practice and the importance of educating these professionals. A pretest and post-test survey questionnaire were used, with the intervention taking place at two different locations, one at the school of autism and another in a group home of the institute. The results indicate the training effectively improved participants’ knowledge measured by using the survey questionnaire. Similarly, the increase in average participants’ scores of their attitudes, interests, and perceived self-efficacy toward individuals with ASD indicates the training was practical and effective. Notably, there was an increase in participants’ awareness of structured training, relationship development, joint attention, and naturalistic teaching techniques after the training. The study suggested increased knowledge, attitude, practice, and professional awareness of interventions as evidence-based practices in educators, allied health, and direct support professionals dealing with ASD children during the twelve weeks of the study at the institute.

Causes of Miscarriage: Evidence from Logistic Regression Analysis

Nasir Elmesmari — Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The unexpected end of a pregnancy before the birth is called Miscarriage. The miscarriage rate among pregnant women is about 15 to 20%. The first step in emotional recovery is to gain a better understanding of miscarriages. Next, it’s important to identify the factors that can elevate the risk of miscarriage. The objective of this study was employing a logistic regression model to evaluate the impact of various factors, including maternal age, embryo weight, chronic conditions, the number of previous miscarriages, and the embryo's gender. Our analysis reveals that when we control for these characteristics, the findings based on the data sample show that maternal age, chronic conditions, and the number of previous miscarriages have statistically significant impact on the incidence of miscarriage.

Workplace Spirituality and Readiness for Innovative Education in International Schools of Shaanxi, China: A Pilot Test

Zhao Junqiong, Lee Khiam Jin — Fri, 10 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This study aims to explore the role of workplace spirituality in enhancing the readiness of academic staff to foster innovative educational practices in international schools in Shaanxi, China. The research employed a structured questionnaire designed to measure seven key constructs: workplace spirituality, readiness for innovative education, organizational justice, cross-cultural competency, work-life balance, school culture and support, and curriculum adaptation. To ensure the feasibility and effectiveness of the research design and methodology, a pilot study was conducted with a sample of 50 academic staff members selected using simple random sampling from various international schools in Shaanxi Province. The reliability and validity of the questionnaire were rigorously assessed. Cronbach's alpha values for the constructs ranged from 0.76 to 0.85, demonstrating acceptable to excellent internal consistency. Additionally, Pearson’s correlation coefficient was used to evaluate the relationships between constructs, confirming the questionnaire's construct validity. The correlation matrix revealed significant positive correlations between workplace spirituality, readiness for innovative education, and school culture and support.

The results of this pilot study indicate that the research instrument is both reliable and valid, providing a robust tool for assessing the interplay between workplace spirituality and readiness for innovative education among academic staff in international schools. These findings have important implications for policy and practice, suggesting that fostering a spiritually enriched work environment can enhance educational innovation. The study contributes to the growing body of literature on workplace spirituality by highlighting its potential influence on educators' preparedness to adopt innovative teaching methods, thereby supporting the continuous improvement of educational practices in international contexts.