Gender and Location as Factors Determinants of Secondary School Students Civic Engagement in Oyo State, Nigeria

The research adopted a descriptive research design of the survey type. The population consisted of 411,912 public secondary school students in Oyo State, Nigeria’s urban and rural areas. The study sample consisted of 600 public secondary school students’ selected using multistage sampling procedures, including simple random sampling techniques and stratified random sampling techniques. The instrument used to collect data was a questionnaire titled ‘Students’ Civic Engagement Questionnaire’ (SCEQ). The instrument’s validity was established through the face and content validity while the instrument’s reliability was determined using the Cronbach alpha method and a reliability coefficient of 0.72 was obtained. The data collected were analyzed using inferential statistics of the t-test to test the hypotheses formulated. All hypotheses were tested at a 0.05 level of significance. The study revealed no significant difference between male and female students’ attitudes towards civic engagement, but there is a significant difference between the civic engagement of secondary school students living in rural and urban areas. It was recommended that students be enlightened and encouraged to participate in civic obligations especially in urban areas such as community service to develop positive attitudes towards civic engagement.

An Appraisal of Husband’s Support for Contraceptive Use in Low Resource Setting of Chattogram City, Bangladesh

This study aimed to explore the current status concerning the roles of husbands in family planning and to identify the associated factors in the slum areas of Chattogram city in Bangladesh. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among the women living in different slums (N = 400) of Chattogram city. Data were collected using a structured and facilitator-administered questionnaire. Cross tabulation with chi-square tests and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed using IBM SPSS version 24.0. This study revealed that 70.5% of the husbands supported wives’ contraceptive use. This study explored that husbands’ having education (OR = 2.45, 95% CI: 1.42-4.22), having two children (OR = 0.37, 95% CI: 0.18-0.76) and more than two children (OR = 0.21, 95% CI: 0.09-0.50), more utility facility in the slum areas (OR = 2.32, 95% CI: 1.15-4.68), a good relationship between husband and wife (OR = 1.97, 95% CI: 1.13-3.44), commencing reproductive health communication after the birth of the second child (OR = 0.43, 95% CI: 0.19-0.99), respondents’ having moderate knowledge on RH (OR =4.46, 95% CI: 2.10-9.46) and husbands’ visiting any health center to take wives’ reproductive health care (OR = 2.08, 95% CI: 1.06-4.09) were the predictors for supporting their wives in terms of contraceptive use.

Team Members’ Perspectives on Factors Affecting Virtual Team Working in Information Technology Consulting Firms

This study aims to explore team members’ perspectives on factors affecting virtual team working in information technology consulting firms. Using semi-structured interviews with 25 research participants, this research adopted 2 virtual teams in different contexts. One that had no face-to-face interaction whereas and the other one had the initial face-to-face meeting. The results showed that communication, trust, socialization, cultural diversity and leadership were factors affecting virtual team working for both teams. Communication was the main challenge due to different time zones but both teams overcame by organizing overlapping hours to have online synchronous meetings. The initial face-to-face meeting and open lines of communication developed affect-based trust among team members whereas cognition-based trust based on consistent work performance existed in virtual teams that lacked physical interaction. Conducting virtual bonding exercises occasionally is necessary for virtual team members in order to renew interpersonal ties among team members. In terms of culture diversity, team members from individualistic cultures favored direct communication whereas team members from collectivistic cultures soured out group-based information before reaching unanimous decisions. In terms of leadership, managers of both virtual teams ensured that work progress was on schedule and maintaining positive leadership attitudes is the key to lead virtual teams.

The Approach of Upgrading Sustainability Competencies in the Market for One Tambon One Product Entrepreneurs in Praiwan Subdistrict, Tak Bai District, Narathiwat Province, Thailand

The objectives of this study were to (1) study OTOP (One Tambon One Product) entrepreneurs’ competencies in Praiwan Subdistrict, Tak Bai District, Narathiwat Province, and (2) upgrade sustainability OTOP entrepreneurs’ competencies in Praiwan Subdistrict, Tak Bai District, Narathiwat Province. The mixed-method research technique was used in this study; the sample was 286 OTOP entrepreneurs in Praiwan Subdistrict, Tak Bai District, Narathiwat Province; and the interviewees were seven groups of OTOP (One Tambon One Product) entrepreneurs in Praiwan Subdistrict, Tak Bai District, Narathiwat Province. Questionnaires and interview forms were used to gather data, then analyzed using percentage, mean, and standard deviation statistics. The research results can be summarized as follows: 1) In Praiwan Subdistrict, Tak Bai District, Narathiwat Province, Overall, OTOP (One Tambon One Product), entrepreneurs’ competencies, are at a high level. The character feature was the most important, followed by the knowledge feature, and the skill feature was the least important; and 2) upgrading sustainability OTOP (One Tambon One Product) entrepreneurs’ competencies in Praiwan Subdistrict, Tak Bai District, Narathiwat Province by arranging course training workshops including product photography workshop, online marketing, Facebook page, live broadcasting, group storytelling, packaging, and branding.

The School Administration Affecting the Life Skill and Career of Students in the Opportunity Expansion School, Narathiwat Province, Thailand

This study was aimed to study the school administration that influenced the promotion of life skills and career of students of Educational Opportunity Expansion Schools in Narathiwat Province. The samples were 200 teachers who served as heads of four divisions in Educational Opportunity Expansion Schools in Narathiwat Province, chosen through the purposive sampling technique. Research tools were five-scale questionnaires with reliability of 0.952. Statistics used for this research include percentage, mean, standard deviation, and stepwise multiple regression analysis. It was found that administrative performance and the promotion of life skills and career of students were at the high level, both overall and each aspect. School administrators’ administrative performance that affects students’ life skills and career of Educational Opportunity Expansion Schools in Narathiwat Province consisted of three variables; coordination and network building, assessment and evaluation, and development and encouragement. The multiple regression analysis values were 0.803, and the prediction discrepancy value was 0.153, which could predict the promotion of life skills and career of students of Educational Opportunity Expansion Schools in Narathiwat Province as high as possible 64.5 percent.

The Ambiguity of the Gender of Avalokiteśvara: A Comparative Study on the Representations of Avalokiteśvara from India and China during Sui-Tang-Period

Buddhism was transmitted to China during the Han Dynasty (202 BCE-220 CE) and integrated with existing Chinese cultures such as Confucianism and Taoism. Within Buddhism itself, Avalokiteśvara, a Bodhisattva who is believed to have made a great vow to assist sentient beings in times of difficulty and postpone his Buddhahood until he has assisted every sentient being in achieving nirvana, experienced a long process of change. One of the striking changes in the image of Avalokiteśvara in China is the shifting of the gender of Avalokiteśvara. The great Sui-Tang dynasties patronized Buddhism as a state cult during the more significant portion of their reign. Many scholars like Wu Yan, Jiao Jie, Sun Xiushen, Cui Feng, etc. observed that the Sui-Tang period was the turning point for the gender transformation of Kuan-yin.[1] In this paper, I am going to do a comparative study on the representations of Avalokiteśvara from both India and China broadly from the seventh to tenth centuries, to see how Kuan-yin transformed in China and whether there might be influences from India in the ways that Kuan-yin’s gender is constructed in the iconography.

The Impact of the No-Plastic-Bag Campaign on Customer Repurchase Intentions and its mechanism in the Modern Trade Business in Bangkok

This research investigated the impact of the no-plastic-bag campaign on customer repurchase intentions in the modern trade business in Bangkok. Six hundred customers of modern trade stores in Bangkok were initially approached using a stratified random sampling method, but only 418 of them participated in this survey. The partial least squares structural equation results indicated that the no-plastic-bag campaign promotes customer repurchase intentions (β=0.098; p=0.038). Also, the no-plastic-bag campaign could indirectly foster customer repurchase intentions via both enhancing brand image (t=7.379; p<0.001) and increasing customers’ perceived value (t=2.806; p<0.001). Therefore, it can be concluded that the no-plastic-bag campaign benefits modern trade businesses, promoting customer repurchase intentions by enhancing their brand image and customer perceived values. This research also explored the mediating roles of brand image and perceived value on the relationship. These findings provide new knowledge of the no plastic bag campaign’s contribution to customer repurchase intentions which has not yet been investigated, and the mechanism linking them together. The results can be applied as a guideline to other modern-trade businesses or other businesses to enhance their brand image and promote customer repurchase intentions, which is crucial to sustainable business accomplishment. This research investigated the impact of the no-plastic-bag campaign on customer repurchase intentions in the modern trade business in Bangkok. Six hundred customers of modern trade stores in Bangkok were initially approached using a stratified random sampling method, but only 418 of them participated in this survey. The partial least squares structural equation results indicated that the no-plastic-bag campaign promotes customer repurchase intentions (β=0.098; p=0.038). Also, the no-plastic-bag campaign could indirectly foster customer repurchase intentions via both enhancing brand image (t=7.379; p<0.001) and increasing customers’ perceived value (t=2.806; p<0.001). Therefore, it can be concluded that the no-plastic-bag campaign benefits modern trade businesses, promoting customer repurchase intentions by enhancing their brand image and customer perceived values. This research also explored the mediating roles of brand image and perceived value on the relationship. These findings provide new knowledge of the no plastic bag campaign’s contribution to customer repurchase intentions which has not yet been investigated, and the mechanism linking them together. The results can be applied as a guideline to other modern-trade businesses or other businesses to enhance their brand image and promote customer repurchase intentions, which is crucial to sustainable business accomplishment.

The Development of a Self-leadership Model for Students’ Creativity at Universities in Yunnan Province, China

In a knowledge-based economy, creativity is important for maintaining a country’s competitiveness. As the main educational institution that provides fresh blood to the nation’s talent pool, universities need to find appropriate ways to nurture creative minds to enhance the nation’s competitiveness. The purpose of this study was to develop a self-leadership model to increase students’ creativity at universities in Yunnan Province, China. The research methodologies used in this study were literature synthesis, descriptive statistics, regression analysis, focus group discussion, and paired-samples t test. Through such a combination of qualitative and quantitative research, this model was developed with students’ self-leadership skills as the key, with activities for creativity, supervisor leadership and organizational structure as supporting factors for creativity development. After a four-week intervention, the model was proven to be effective in enhancing students’ creativity. The researcher recommends that university administrators in Yunnan Province, China, consider using this model as a means of increasing students’ creativity.

From Medicalizing State to Sacralizing Status of Thai Buddhist Monks in Secular Space: A Case Study of the Priest Hospital

This paper examines the sacred status of Thai Buddhist monks who have been engaging with the modern secular healthcare system, which also contrasts with their monastic traditions. It questions how modern medication has affected the sacred figure of Thai monks and what is their reaction to maintain their sacred status in such a secular space? Participant observations and informal interviews have been conducted, and data are conceptualized through the ideas of the birth of the clinic and biopower proposed by Michel Foucault. It finds that the traditional healing previously played by Thai monks has been challenged by modern medication eventually the monks also access the modern hospital. This phenomenon helps to change the idea of the cause of sickness, from demons to germs. This is interesting when some Buddhists request the monastic code-based healthcare system and monk patients’ zone. This paper argues that such an effort aims to maintain the sacred status of monks, who are perceived as holy persons and should not be seen by laypeople especially when they are in sickness, pain, and sorrow, which portray their ordinary human natures. Therefore, zoning management in the government hospital is needed to sacralize the monks’ status.

Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation for University Staff Satisfaction: Confirmatory Composite Analysis and Confirmatory Factor Analysis

The hierarchical construction model (HCM) may be used to minimize colinear formative indicators while increasing the statistical power of content-specific constructs. However, the present research discovered a strong correlation between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation and job satisfaction, indicating a lack of discriminating validity that limits the use of HCM. Thus, this research condensed data on job satisfaction for university staff by comparing a consistent partial least square (PLSc) model to a composite model without utilizing higher-order constructs. The sample consisted of 392 individuals working in a Thai university with a total of 1,042 staff. The results show that the composite model performs better than a consistent partial least square, generating bias. Intrinsic motivation is both a direct and indirect effect on job satisfaction. Extrinsic motivation is a complementary model mediator effect. The limitation of the study is an inherent relation between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation and indicators of job satisfaction, which can cause a common factor model bias. Further studies where the partial least square structural equation model (PLS-SEM) is compared early with the covariance-based structural equation model (CB-SEM) are needed, particularly studies using composite indicators. PLS-SEM can now be used to measure both confirmatory composite analysis and confirmatory factor analysis, while CB-SEM can only estimate confirmatory factor analysis. The method of condensing data may help eliminate discriminant validity issues.