Challenges with Institutional Support Services for Undergraduate Students with Visual Impairment in University of Nigeria Nsukka

Purpose Addressing overweight in the population is an important public health challenge. Use of social media such as Facebook has been proposed as a platform to deliver weight loss interventions to influence behavior change to tackle obesity. The purpose of this paper is to compare the effectiveness of weight loss education and support interventions delivered through online social media (experimental group) vs conventional method (control group). Design/methodology/approach The six-month experimental study comprised of a four-month intervention and a two-month follow up from May 2016 to October 2016. All faculties in a university were randomly selected into the experimental or control group. Then, undergraduate students (n=66) were randomly recruited from each faculty into the corresponding groups (experimental group=33 and control group=33). Both groups received health education and support services through either Facebook or the offline support system. The mean differences of main outcomes including body mass index (BMI) and waist to height ratio (WHtR) between groups at baseline and fourth month and baseline and sixth month were compared using t-test. Findings The results show those in the experimental group had significantly better outcomes in term of BMI and WHtR at the end of four-month intervention with the mean difference (95% CI) at 0.7 (0.1, 1.3) and 0.01 (0.00, 0.01), respectively. The differences at the end of the study, however, became insignificant. Originality/value The health education and support services through Facebook can be used in a weight loss promotion program for BMI and WHtR reduction. On a larger scale to replace conventional programs, a long-term continuous measure is needed.

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An examination of undergraduates’ perceptions on faculty members’ and institutional support and its effects on their appreciation of scientific skills and research endeavors

International Journal of Educational Management ◽

10.1108/ijem-03-2018-0120 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 33 (4) ◽

pp. 780-791

Author(s):

Deneb Elí Magaña Medina ◽

Norma Aguilar Morales ◽

Ángel Alberto Valdés Cuervo ◽

Lizeth G. Parra-Pérez

Keyword(s):

Undergraduate Students ◽

Structural Model ◽

Attitudes Toward Science ◽

Institutional Support ◽

Faculty Members ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Content Type ◽

Students Attitudes ◽

Cross Sectional Design ◽

Scientific Skills

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyze the relationship among undergraduate students’ perception of faculty members’ and institutional support, undergraduate students’ appreciation of scientific skills and undergraduate students’ research endeavors.Design/methodology/approachA structural model was calculated to relate the variables. The sample included 1,882 undergraduate students from a State University located in the Southeast of Mexico. Undergraduate students came from different fields, and all of them that had taken at least 60 percent of their curricular credits.FindingsThe structural model suggests that faculty members’ and institutional support are positively related to undergraduate students’ appreciation of scientific skills and undergraduate students’ research endeavors. The findings suggest faculty members’ and institutional support are key factors to develop scientific research in undergraduate students. Therefore, the researchers argue that science programs taught in Mexican colleges and universities must endorse supportive practices among faculty members and institutions.Research limitations/implicationsThe cross-sectional design does not allow to set clear causal relationships among the explored variables. In addition, the sample included only one public university. Thus, further empirical research with research participants from different universities across the country is suggested. These improvements may enhance the strength of the proposed theoretical model.Practical implicationsCurrently, there are a plethora of studies looking at students’ attitudes toward science. Those studies have also discussed the conditions and contexts that influence research practice among undergraduate students. Nonetheless, there are no studies known by the authors that include the set of variables and relationships considered in the present study.Originality/valueDespite the plethora of studies looking at several conditions and contexts influencing undergraduate students’ attitudes toward science, no studies known by the authors have included the set of variables and relationships considered in the present study.

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Taska Kyrana Sdn. Bhd.: to change or not to change its operating days?

Emerald Emerging Markets Case Studies ◽

10.1108/eemcs-04-2016-0050 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 8 (2) ◽

pp. 1-15

Author(s):

Hazirhah Hashim ◽

Rohaida Basiruddin ◽

Farzana Quoquab ◽

Maizaitulaidawati Md Husin

Keyword(s):

Undergraduate Students ◽

Consumer Behaviour ◽

Institutional Support ◽

Subject Area ◽

The State ◽

Growth Strategy ◽

Marketing Management ◽

Promotion Strategy ◽

Content Type ◽

The Right

Subject area Entrepreneurship, Marketing management, Consumer behaviour Study level/applicability Undergraduate students, taking courses of entrepreneurship, marketing management and/or consumer behaviour that cover the topics related to entrepreneurial challenges, institutional support, growth strategy, market segmentation and marketing promotion strategy. Case overview This case demonstrates the dilemma of a founder, cum entrepreneur dealing with the issue related to a change in operating days that would affect her business profitability in the kindergarten industry. The case begins with the problem faced by Azizah Ayob, the founder and entrepreneur of Taska Kyrana when she hears that the state minister of Johor has announced that business operation days will be changed from Sunday to Friday with effect from 1 January 2014. The change would be applicable to government institutions in the state. However, businesses and corporations in the private sector can choose to continue observing Saturday-Sunday weekends or switch to the new official rest days of Friday-Saturday. As customers of Taska Kyrana consist of parents working in public and private sectors, as well as Singaporean parents, Ayob needs to choose either to follow the state requirement or to maintain the usual operation days. Expected learning outcomes Using this case, the students should be able to understand the need for institutional support for an entrepreneur; understand a possible growth strategy to cope with the volatile situation; understand the importance of a proper segmentation strategy to target the right group of customers; and understand the importance of a promotional strategy to attract new customers and to retain the existing one in a volatile situation. Supplementary materials Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email [email protected] to request teaching notes. Subject code CSS 8: Marketing.

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Fear of Stigmatisation among Students with Disabilities in Austria

Social Inclusion ◽

10.17645/si.v6i4.1667 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 6 (4) ◽

pp. 182-193 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Sarah Zaussinger ◽

Berta Terzieva

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Academic Success ◽

Students With Disabilities ◽

Social Factors ◽

Support Services ◽

Sense Of Belonging ◽

Institutional Support ◽

Influential Factors ◽

Social Survey ◽

Education Report

In Austria, 12% of all students in higher education report a disability that, at least somewhat, limits their study activities. As they still face many barriers throughout their studies, support services play a key part in their academic success. However, data from the Austrian Student Social Survey demonstrate that every second student with a disability is reluctant to contact fellow students, lecturers, or institutional support in case of study-related difficulties. One in four students with disabilities does not seek any assistance because of stigmatisation fear. With respect to these tendencies, our article examines factors that promote or inhibit the reluctance of students with disabilities to seek support due to fear of stigmatisation. For this purpose, we construct a binary indicator of stigma fear, which encompasses items concerning social isolation or drawbacks to academic opportunities, inhibitions about contacting people or disclosing one’s disability. In a regression model, we identify influential factors such as noticeability of disability and degree of study-related limitations as well as social factors like the feeling of anonymity and sense of belonging.

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