Chatting On-line: An Assessment of Bilingualism and The Social Contexts of Language in Lebanon

This study aims to explore the Lebanese sociolinguistics as manifested in chatting, that is, to assess how a sample of Lebanese students use their languages skills while carrying an on-line conversation via chatting. The research will also investigate the variations governed by sociolinguistics branding the Lebanese chatting community. To carry out this study, a mix approach of quantitative and qualitative methodology is used. Indeed, the research will describe the participants’ computer literacy and how this is interrelated to the choice of chatting language. The researcher uses two methods, formal interviews with selected chatters and a survey questionnaire that reflects both linguistic issues and computer and chatting literacy. Data analysis uses SPSS version 25 software and performed descriptively. Findings show that although having a multilingual society is considered a positive and uplifting certitude, this fact should not be taken for granted and languages must be directed properly. Students cannot be left without guidance to the use of any language.

Teachers and Students’ Perceptions of Science and Scientists: A Comparative Study

Teaching science is still relying mainly on frontal teaching and assessed by paper-and-pencil-tests. Also, students in developed countries view science production through doing experiments in a lab, that’s why these students hold a negative view about science and scientists and they do not like to choose their future careers in science. The purpose of this study is to explore Lebanese and Omani school science teachers’ and their students’ perceptions of science and scientists. Using the Draw-a-scientist-test (DAST), qualitative and quantitative data were collected from 26 Lebanese and Omani teachers and their students (N= 571) enrolled in Grades 4 till 9, in both countries, from the public sector. Results showed that the main sources of Lebanese and Omani students of their drawings are the television and the internet. In addition, these sources are significant with the increase in students’ levels. Also, Lebanese students have more stereotypical image of the scientist than Omani counterparts. Overall, Lebanese and Omani students have a positive attitude towards science and scientists, as their teachers, but they emphasized the social and the private life of the scientist. Overall, students choose to have a future career in science and technology; but Omani students choose to have a career in science and technology more than the Lebanese ones. In addition, female students showed a higher interest in doing science in the future more than technology. Finally, Lebanese students do not have common contemporary or past Arab scientists as their Omani peers, but only scientists from the western culture. Data revealed that Einstein was the most popular idol among the sample of the study.

HbA1c AND BLOOD PRESSURE MEASUREMENTS: RELATION WITH GENDER, BODY MASS INDEX, STUDY FIELD, AND LIFESTYLE IN LEBANESE STUDENTS

Objective: The purpose of this study is to determine the prevalence of prediabetes/diabetes in Lebanese university students and to examine the relationship between both hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and blood pressure (BP) and gender, body mass index (BMI), study field, and lifestyle factors. Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out at the Saint-Joseph University of Beirut. A total of 603 students aged 18 to 25 years were recruited from both the medical science campus (MSC) and the social science campus (SSC) between January, 2016, and May, 2018. Waist circumference (WC), BMI, and BP were determined for each student and HbA1c was measured using the Siemens vintage DCA device. Participants completed a self-administered questionnaire about their eating habits and level of physical activity. Results: The mean age of the population was 20.31 ± 1.76 years. The percentage of participants recruited from the MSC was 59.2%. The prevalence of prediabetes was 2.5%. Lower BMI, WC, and HbA1c values, and higher diastolic BP (DBP) were found in MSC students compared to SSC ones. HbA1c, systolic BP (SBP), and DBP were correlated with BMI ( P = .02, P<.0001, and P = .017, respectively). HbA1c was not associated with eating habits or physical activity. DBP was inversely associated with physical activity ( P = .002), while SBP was positively associated with fast food consumption ( P = .003). Conclusion: The present study shows a low prevalence of prediabetes in Lebanese students. BMI and the study field are the main factors predicting HbA1c and BP. Further studies are needed to extrapolate our results to the overall young Lebanese population. Abbreviations: ADA = American Diabetes Association; BMI = body mass index; BP = blood pressure; DBP = diastolic blood pressure; HbA1c = hemoglobin A1c; HTN = hypertension; MSC = medical science campus; SBP = systolic blood pressure; SSC = social science campus; T2D = type 2 diabetes; US = United States; USJ = Saint-Joseph University; WC = waist circumference