Articles
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Volume : 5 Issue : 1 Year: 2025
Occupational Commitment Among Women Clinical Educators in Pakistan: The Impact of Social Status and Work-Family Interference
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Abstract
Women clinical educators play a vital role in strengthening a nation's healthcare system by training future doctors and healthcare professionals. Despite the fact that more than 80% of medical graduates are females, less than 50% are practicing clinicians, and even less are engaged as clinical educators. To complicate matters, the retention of women clinical educators in the health sector and their occupational commitment is also low, due to challenges such as low social status and work interference with family. The aim of this research was to identify the relationship between social status and occupational commitment in woman clinical educators, and also to identify the influence of work interference with family on social status and occupational commitment. A survey was administered to 200 currently working woman clinical educators from three cities through a purposive sampling technique. Multiple linear regression results revealed that (i) the higher social status, the higher the occupational commitment [F (11, 196) = 4.181, p< 0.000], (ii) the higher the work interference with family, the lower the social status [F (11, 196) = 5.870, p< 0.000], and (iii) the higher the work interference with family, the lower the occupational commitment [F (11, 193) = 3.263, p> 0.000]. Pakistan is in dire need to increase and retain woman clinical educators in the health sector. This is possible if policies are launched to support improved social status and work family balance for woman clinical educators in the country. Improvement in occupational commitment of women clinical educators will have wider implications on job satisfaction, patient safety practices, teaching quality, family quality of life, and the quality of care provided to patients and family attendants. Keywords: Social status, Occupational commitment, Women clinical educators, Role burden, Work interference with family.
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Khadija Mazher1 and Sara Rizvi Jafree2*
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Volume : 5 Issue : 1 Year: 2025
Manipulating Grades and Evaluations: Unpacking the Power Dynamics Between Students and Teachers in Higher Education
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Abstract
The methodological challenges in evaluation of teaching and learning in higher education institutions (HEIs) worldwide emphasize the pressing need for reliable metrics that measure teaching quality and effectiveness. Despite concerns, HEIs still rely on Student Evaluation of Teaching (SET) scores on key faculty decisions (e.g. promotion). This study investigates the reciprocal dynamics between SET and TAL in HEIs in Pakistan. The research investigates whether SET and TAL scores can influence one another and whether these interactions contribute to grade inflation. Using a Manipulating Power Matrix that categorizes the dynamics of manipulative power between teachers and students, this study examines the correlation between SET scores and TAL results across various assessment components including sessional assessment (i.e. formative assessment) and midterm and final term examinations (i.e. summative assessments). Ordered logistic regression on 6,230 SET responses (across 297 courses) shows a strong positive link between SET scores and sessional assessment results with little to no correlation in midterm or final exams. The sessional component—most prone to manipulation—seemingly appears to drive both higher SET ratings and grade inflation. The findings of the study question the use of SET scores for evaluation of teaching quality and highlight the impact of institutional policies on outcomes in HEIs Pakistan. We recommend a more balanced approach that can integrate the SET scores with peer reviews and other teaching portfolios. This triangulated approach not only mitigates the risk of grade inflation but it also ensures a fairer and accurate evaluation process. Keywords: Higher Education; Students’ Evaluation of Teaching (SET); Teachers’ Assessment of Learning (TAL); Grade Inflation; Summative Assessment; Formative Assessment.
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Riaz Ahmad1, Idrees Waris2 and Muhammad Ayyoub3*
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Volume : 5 Issue : 1 Year: 2025
Grammatical Errors as Strategic Adjustments: A Corpus-Based Study of Definite Article Use in EAP Learners’ Oral Presentations
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Abstract
Grammatical accuracy remains a persistent challenge for second language learners, particularly in spoken academic contexts This study investigates the grammatical errors made by English for Academic Purposes (EAP) learners during oral presentations at the undergraduate level. The collected data is taken in the recorded form that is transcribed and processed via Antconc 3.5.9.0 software. Corder’s theory of error analysis (1967) is adopted as framework to discuss the findings which are presented in the form of four separate tables representing four semesters of BS. Fixed-Size sampling technique is utilized for this study as it follows qualitative research methodology and only the syntactic errors of definite article are considered for discussion and analysis. The finding presents two types of errors one is incorrect use of definite article with proper nouns and second is repetition of definite article with single noun and without noun. The final results justify the purpose of this study and support the argument that even though the errors are due to lack of grammatical knowledge but they are also adopted as strategies by the EAP learners to compensate the pauses they take to think next words or syntactic structure to communicate. This study is beneficial for language teachers and also for researchers who look to analyze stage fright and its impact on language. Keywords: Error Analysis (EA), English for Academic Purpose (EAP), Syntactic Errors, English as Second Language (ESL), Second Language Acquisition (SLA).
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Muhammad Waqar Amin1 and Musarat Yasmin2
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Volume : 5 Issue : 1 Year: 2025
Getting Empowered and Developing an Environment of Administrative Resilience for the Effective Functioning of Public Colleges
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Abstract
This qualitative research explores strategies for empowering principals and fostering administrative resilience to enhance the effective functioning of public colleges in Pakistan. A purposive sample of 12 principals from various public colleges was selected to collect data through semi-structured interviews. The study explores principals' perceptions of existing administrative challenges, their experiences with empowerment initiatives, and their conceptualizations of an ideal resilient administrative environment. Motivation to work, community engagement, and missionary zeal emerged as the main themes of the study after undertaking a thematic analysis. The findings suggest that empowering principals through increased autonomy in decision-making, professional development opportunities, and access to necessary resources significantly contributes to improved college management. Furthermore, the development of administrative resilience, characterized by adaptive leadership, robust communication channels, and a supportive organizational culture, is crucial for navigating unforeseen crises and ensuring sustained operational efficiency. The study highlights the critical need for policy interventions aimed at decentralizing authority, investing in leadership training, and building collaborative frameworks to cultivate empowered and resilient administrative structures within Pakistan's public college system, ultimately leading to enhanced educational outcomes. Keywords: Empowerment, resilience, academic development, visionary leadership, work-motivation, community engagement.
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Ikram Ul Haque Bhatti1, Nadia Gilani2 & Syed Abdul Waheed3*
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Volume : 5 Issue : 1 Year: 2025
Competency based learning framework of Introductory Programming course to enhance learner’s motivation and skills
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Abstract
Computers have revolutionized business, education, government, commerce, and research, creating rapidly expanding career opportunities in computer science and related fields. As a result of these technological breakthroughs, computer science-related jobs are growing at a fast pace. However, computer science graduates have a high unemployment rate despite a significant need for computing and technology experts. This high level of unemployment is due to the discrepancies between the concepts taught in computer science degree programs and the skills required in the software industry. To fill this skill gap, Computing Machinery (ACM) and IEEE Computer Society (IEEE-CS) have devised guidelines for a new computing curriculum of BS (Computer sciences/IT) 1st semester in 2020 that has shifted the trend from Knowledge-based Learning to Competency-based learning. Many researchers have discussed skills and competencies, but they are not designing the programming courses by specifically targeting the skills needed in the IT industry. Therefore, this research aims to enhance the skills of students to match the skills needed in the IT industry by following competency-based learning among BS students. We have designed the introductory programming course based on three mega competencies that the software industries value. These are further divided into 8 mini competencies and sixty-two mini competencies to be easily taught in a 2-3 hour lecture duration. We also present our teaching experience with undergraduate computer science students at the University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore, Pakistan. Results show that competency-based learning had a positive impact on increasing students' motivation and improving their programming skills. Keywords: Competency-based learning, competencies, 4C/ID model, programming skills, Undergraduate computing course, teaching framework
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Muhammad Usama Ijaz1, Maida Shahid2 & Talha Waheed3*