Exploring Early Childhood Teachers’ Beliefs About STEAM Education in Saudi Arabia

This study explores Saudi teachers’ beliefs about STEAM education in early childhood education settings. The study sample consisted of 245 teachers working in kindergartens. The participants completed a survey comprising twelve items to elaborate teachers’ beliefs toward implementing STEAM practices in their classrooms, as well as four close-ended questions to evaluate teachers’ knowledge of and familiarity with the terminology of STEAM education and their professional training in STEAM-related content. The findings reveal overall positive beliefs toward STEAM education for young children and rather moderate beliefs regarding the implementation of STEAM practices. The results also reveal that teachers were somewhat familiar with the term STEAM; however, they reported limited knowledge of the integration process and basic strategies and skills needed for its implementation. The results also demonstrate that the majority of the Saudi teachers participating in this study believed they needed additional professional development and training regarding STEAM implementation. A chi-square test indicated statistically significant associations between teachers’ knowledge of STEAM education and their beliefs and between teachers’ previous professional training in STEAM education and their beliefs. The implications and future recommendations are also discussed.

Monetary Policy between Mexico, United States of America, and Canada

This article examines the evolution of the monetary policy of the economies that make up the North American Free Trade Agreement ( NAFTA ), for the period 1980-2015. Based on an empirical analysis, which includes the scrutiny of stylized facts of the monetary variables of Canada, the United States and Mexico, causality tests Granger quality and error correction models ( VEC ), it is concluded that, in parallel to the trade integration process of these countries, the monetary side of NAFTA exhibits divergences and convergences that imply an asymmetric integration of the economy Mexican with the United States and, to a lesser extent, with Canada.

The Integration of Bosnia and Herzegovina Into the European Union

This chapter focuses on the analysis of the EU integration process of Bosnia and Herzegovina, dealing with the internal and external political challenges that country is facing on its path towards aspired EU membership. As one of the main internal challenges, the authors recognize a very pronounced ethnocracy and leaderocracy that captures democratic process, making the country unstable and unable to fulfill criteria even to achieve the status of candidate for EU membership. Furthermore, there is a strong influence of the neighboring countries, which were involved in the 1992-1995 war in Bosnia and continue to play very often an obstructive role in internal politics of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As the authors argue, in BiH, the issue of Euro-Atlantic integration is less a matter of political and economic transition, and more, it is not primarily an issue of stabilizing the peace and creating fundamental preconditions for overall development.

The Contribution of Serious Games for the Success of Students in Entrepreneurship

The adoption of serious games as a complement to traditional classroom training is still an emerging theme, but it offers relevant potentialities for both students and teachers. This study describes the integration process of serious games in an entrepreneurship course over five years (2014-2018). In the first three years, the ENTRExplorer was adopted, while in the last two years the FLIGBY was used. The experience of using entrepreneurship serious games is analyzed according to multiple perspectives, such as complexity, generation of more entrepreneurial or group working skills, engagement, interactivity, learning outcomes, or even the impact on the intention to establish a new venture. The findings allowed a comparative analysis of the two games, indicating significant differences in some of those dimensions. Nevertheless, the learning outcomes provided by each game were considered relevant by the students, showing that both games can be useful in the process of learning and acquiring entrepreneurship competencies.

Roadblocks and Expectations in the Process of Bosnia and Herzegovina's Accession to the European Union

The European Union (EU) and Bosnia and Herzegovina have a long and specific relationship dating back to the early 1990s and the break-up of the former Yugoslavia. While the EU didn't present itself in a flattering light during the breakup of the SFRY, after the Dayton Peace Agreement and post-conflict governance, it tried to impose itself as a factor of stability in the eyes of B&H public. The aim of the chapter is to present key elements, problems, and consequences of unsuccessful integration into the EU. After a short presentation of the chronology of relations between B&H and the EU, the authors aim to answer several questions. First, what are the main issues in B&H-EU relations? Second, who is responsible for the stalemate in integration process? Third, how successful is the EU conditionality policy towards B&H?

Franklin Collinear Antenna 2 Levels Different Sides using Array Method 4 Stacking Units 360ᵒ with Integrated Reflector and Power Combiner for ADS-B S-Receiver Mode

In this study, an antenna system that could cover the 360ᵒ detection area using the microstrip method was created. The antenna design proposed uses the franklin collinear method with the addition of an array of arms to the left and right of the antenna and the addition of reflectors as a gain enhancer. The four antenna array units are combined using a power divider (combiner) as a unifying antenna. Antenna design with end fire radiation pattern cannot be used in receiving the ADS-B antenna system, because it works only in certain sectors with certain beamwidth, so it needs to be modified by adding an array of 4 units that make up 360◦ radiation of directional diagrams. The addition of the reflector is done by testing the optimum width. The most optimum width is obtained by the width of the side addition on the side of the antenna aperture cross section width of 80 mm. Based on the results of experiments that have been carried out for the design of receiver antennas for ADS-B applications that are required in the form of a radiation pattern in all directions using the reflector technique, the most appropriate gain increase is to use a phase difference for the antennas that are closest both left and right by 90o in ¼ λ conditions in the integration process using a 4 way power combiner. Response return loss at frequency 1.0752 GHz and 1.109 GHz is -15 dB, it means antenna has 33.8 MHz bandwidth with maximum response return loss at -23.22 dB and gain of 7.586 dBi, this antenna design is very suitable for use in the ADS-B application. Design and simulation at this antenna used CST software.