JOURNAL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES DEVELOPMENT

INVESTIGATING UNIVERSITY LEVEL STUDENTS’ PREFERENCES BETWEEN TRADITIONAL AND BLENDED LEARNING APPROACHES

Aqsa Mansha, Shazia Malik, Tehmeena Gul — Mon, 05 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000

This research assessed the students’ attitudes toward blended learning at universities, specifically accenting delivery mode preferences, exam format preferences, and trust in the digital instructional resources. The study used a quantitative research method with descriptive survey design. A purposive sample of 450 students from public and private universities was used. The study utilized the validated instruments. It was also notable that students had highly positive inclination toward face-to-face interaction, and hands-on practice, which suggested a hybrid approach of face-to-face teaching and online instruction was preferred over the fully online style of teaching. The analysis revealed that university type and academic year influence attitudes. Concerning the exam types, students were more comfortable with traditional paper and pencil tests; but male students were more accepting of technology-based tests. The level of trust in digital instructional materials was high, although it varied by year of study. Thus, teachers should adopt a gradual approach in integration of blended learning into their classroom. There is need to support learning from diverse backgrounds. The study can help inform educational policy, course development & faculty professional growth in institutions.

LIFE SKILLS INTEGRATION IN PAKISTAN STUDIES TEXTBOOK GRADE-XII: A QUALITATIVE CONTENT ANALYSIS

Muhammad Jamil, Imran Riaz Chohan, Rabia Tabassum — Wed, 14 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000

This qualitative research aimed to analyze the integration of twelve core competencies in the Pakistan Studies textbook for Grade Twelve based on the framework of the UNICEF MENA report (2017). The textbook was selected through purposive sampling. In analyzing the text, the approach used was qualitative content analysis with help of NVivo 14 software. The analysis showed that the textbook exhibited a mixed view of these life skills. To some extent, critical thinking, problem-solving, communication & participation are covered through historical analysis of specific instances or a description of governance structures and active citizenship. However, important skills like creative thinking, communication, self-management, and empathy are paid minimum attention. Textbook mainly seems to be information sharing on Pakistani history, politics, and social organization, and process of learning and developing life skills is not very visible. Based on study, it is suggested that curriculum developers make a more conscious effort to ensure that life skills are integrated into content of textbooks; in the form of extra exercises, problem-solving activities, actual conversations about these as the worthy lifelong skills.

INFLUENCE OF CELEBRITY ENDORSEMENT ON PURCHASE INTENTION: BRAND AWARENESS & BRAND PERCEPTION AS MEDIATORS

Sajid Mushtaq, Sana Mukhtar, Ariba Ramzan — Fri, 23 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The global celebrity endorsement market is growing to be worth millions of dollars. The celebrity endorsements are used in advertising by marketers to boost sales and have a good effect upon viewers' views, which in turn affects their purchasing decisions. Using quantitative approach, this study assesses how celebrity endorsements affect customers' perceptions of the company's product or brand & their choice to buy. The questionnaire was used to gather data from 100 respondents, was then examined. The study investigated how respondents perceived celebrities, their traits & how celebrity endorsements affected their purchase choices. Results show that celebrity endorsements in commercials make them more enticing than those that don't. Furthermore, the results further revealed that the consumer purchase behavior is greatly influenced by celebrity endorsements, with the celebrity popularity having a major influence upon these selections. This study explores the purchasing habits of the consumers while considering the number of criteria, including preference, age, and gender. The results offered significant information for reaching the conclusion and extracting some recommendations based upon the conclusion.

EFFECTS OF PARENTS' ECONOMIC STATUS ON STUDENTS’ EDUCATION DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC AT SECONDARY LEVEL

Tanveer Ahmed, Sidra Kiran, Sehrish Sarfraz — Mon, 26 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The current study investigated the effect of parents' economic status on the education of the secondary students in District Panjgur, Balochistan, during COVID-19. It was a quantitative study with a survey of 150 male and female students from the public and private schools. The respondents were selected through a random sampling technique. Keeping in view the objectives of the study, a self-developed questionnaire was used. As per findings of the study, the pandemic had a significant effect on economics, education, and health sectors. Regression analysis approved significant relationship amid parent status & student education outcomes, helpful with parents' financial status impacts students' education over pandemic. The work environment also had a significant effect on educational outcomes. The study features the connected challenges of financial hardship, insufficient infrastructure for online learning & education. The recommendations include investment in digital setup, employing targeted financial support for concerned families, teacher training, creating community learning centers & supporting public health education.

EMBRACING DIVERSITY: THE ROLE OF MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION IN MITIGATING ETHNIC CONFLICT & FOSTERING UNITY IN PAKISTAN

Samina Safdar, Yasira Waqar, Yaar Muhammad — Wed, 28 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000

This paper aims to analyze and synthesize whether multicultural education can serve as a means of easing the ethnic conflict and cultural diversity in Pakistan. The ethnic diversity of nations, languages, and cultures has been a strength and, simultaneously, a weakness due to conflicts. This study submits that it is possible to coordinate multicultural education in schools and make it important tool for improving understanding amid different communities. This paper relies on the review of current policies concerning the education systems and proposals drawn from case studies of multicultural societies to provide an understanding of the way forward for Pakistan in responding to the multicultural realities in its education systems that how incorporating multicultural perspectives into the curriculum can help students appreciate different cultures and reduce biases. According to studies, minimization of conflict amid different forms of identities is possible by adopting presented cultural-structural model, that may boost positive attitude toward multiple Pakistani identities and promote the enhancement of the social cohesion in the country.

NARRATIVE BUILDING THROUGH MEMES ON RAPE AND HARASSMENT VICTIMS: A MULTIMODAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS

Nudrat Javed, Muhammad Sabboor Hussain — Tue, 03 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The social media memes on rape and harassment victim in Pakistan create verbal and semiotic sexual violence for the victims along with their online supporters. Online misogyny is online abuse against women and girls that is rooted in a hatred and mistrust of women which seeks to silence the victims of rape and harassment, further reinforce gender inequalities. This research explored the role of linguistic and semiotic choices made by social media users to create social media memes serving victim blaming, victim silencing and revealing the diseased cognitive structures of such netizens (internet users) in the virtual world. The research is based on five social media memes on the most talked about cases of rape and harassment in the online world. The researcher selected those rape and harassment cases on which there were at least 25-50 memes. The present study data was taken from Facebook and Twitter in the form of screen shots of the memes. The data was analyzed at two level Micro-Discourse Analysis and Macro-Discourse Analysis. The research findings explored the triangular relationship between linguistic, social and cognitive structures. Thus, the social media memes revealed the cognitive structures of the meme creators through their linguistic as well as semiotic choices.

THE INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON SOCIAL INTERACTIONS AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS WITH FAMILY & SOCIAL CIRCLE

Shahid Ullah, Robina Roshan, Komal Mehreen — Wed, 04 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The current study aimed to investigate the effects of social media on social interactions among university students in KP with family and social circle. The objectives include, to examine the new pattern of social media for social relationship, association of gender communication pattern with family and social circle with respect to social interactions by using the survey research design. A sample of 900 students (270 male & 630 female) were selected over stratified sampling method. A questionnaire was used to collect the primary data. The descriptive statistics and inferential statistics were used for data analysis. The study concluded that majority of the male students frequently communicate with friend whereas female students sometime communicate with friends. Majority of male and female students frequently communicate with classmate. The majority of male and female students communicate with peers and never communicate with classmate. Majority of male and female students sometime communicate with religious scholar. Therefore, the study concluded that both male and female frequently interact through the social media with family and social circle but still physical interactions exist with in family.

THE STYLISTIC ANALYSIS OF PAKISTANI HAND WASH ADVERTISEMENTS DURING COVID-19

Nadia Abdul Ghani, Aisha Farid, Rida Rehman — Tue, 10 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The study focused on style of advertising language used in Pakistani hand wash products’ audiovisual advertisements during COVID-19 to explore what is conveyed through visual, musical, verbal, and nonverbal features, and how it is conveyed to the target audience through the use of linguistic & figurative devices. Guy Cook’s (1992) model ‘describing TV advertisements’ recommended in his book discourse of advertising was used as a theoretical framework for the investigation of the link between verbal, visual, image, & music used in audiovisual advertisements to target audience. The findings showed that hand wash products’ advertisements were full of creativity and for marketing perspective they used diverse verbal and nonverbal features to arouse interest, attract attention, create conviction, stimulate desire, and get action from the target group in the COVID-19 context. The results offer significant information in extracting the desired outcomes and reaching the conclusion & making decision. In this drive, the study can be advantageous for those who want to understand the socio-pragmatic functions of language in AV advertisements through a stylistic lens from commercial to academic perspective.

EXAMINING EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATORS' IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CONCRETE-PICTORIAL-ABSTRACT (CPA) MODE

Ambreen Siddique, Tanzeela Urooj, Tasneem Kousar — Sun, 15 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The early childhood educators facilitate interactions to assist your child in improving his or her comprehension and reading skills. Reading regularly helps two-year-old expand their vocabulary. Educators tie stories to events in children's lives, teaching them that written material and pictures have value. The basic objective of particular study was to investigate the Early Childhood teacher's role in using the concrete, pictorial, and abstract CPA models at ECE Level in government primary schools. Quantitative research approach was used for current study by deploying a survey research design. The population of the study was all ECE teachers in districts Mianwali and Lodhran. Using the purposive sampling technique, study sample was based on 100 ECE teachers and 100 caregivers. The result of the study reveals that most respondents agreed about using CPA model at ECE level. They suggest that this model should be used at different levels of education because it increases students' interest in teaching and learning process. Based on data, it is suggested that ECE should be applied in all public schools nationwide to increase primary enrolment and, through this approach, make learning more effective.