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The aim of this study was to observe Orientation and Mobility (O&M) with effective parental involvement within the Expanded Core Curriculum (ECC) for visually impaired learners (VILs) to make them independent in their environment in Pakistan. O&M practices have become significant as these are essential in independence and one of the main components of the ECC for VILs. This research explores O&M practices within the ECC from the perspectives of the teachers by using a qualitative approach and semi-structured interviews of O&M teachers were conducted from two public secondary level institutes of VILs Lahore, Pakistan. This paper endeavors to answer the question: What are the O&M practices within ECC that needed for VILs to enhance their independence in classroom settings? The findings of the study indicate that VILs need to use the knowledge of O&M practices to get their independence in their environment. Therefore, it is appropriate for O&M teachers to add the skills of mobility techniques under the subsection of O&M practices within the guidelines of ECC. The VILs seemed to benefit from immediate instructions from their O&M teachers. However, the VILs still need more help in O&M practices with effective parental involvement under the guidance of ECC. So, in the context of the study, it is the urgent need of VIL to align their O&M practices with mentioned instructions in ECC.

Parental involvement, as one of the most widely researched and discussed issues. It has been characterized by a variety of meanings, definitions and frameworks. Such notions and definitions provide a foundation for solving parental involvement challenges in the education of the visually impaired learners. This study provides a literature review on a quite number of related theories and models in regard to this study. However, Epstien parental involvement theory, Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler parental involvement model, Turnbull, Summers, and Brotherson parental involvement model, and Rieser social model of disability are discussed. These theories are connected significantly and linked closely to the main focus of this study. Hence, the current study finds the relevance of employing the four perspectives of the theories with the conviction that the involvement of parents can be deeply examined and explained if the four interrelated theoretical perspectives will be jointly employed for better understanding and representation of the phenomenon.

This research seeks to identify strategies to solve communication barriers between parents and teachers of visually impaired learners (VIL) in Pakistan. The design of the study is qualitative case study research design. Five parents and five teachers of VIL were selected as the sample for this study from two government secondary level institutes of visually impaired students in Lahore Pakistan. The researcher adopted the purposive sampling technique in selecting ten respondents. Interview guide was prepared based on the objectives and research question of the study. Content validity of interview guide was validated by two qualitative experts with their teaching experience. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with the help of an interview guide. Collected data were analyzed with cross case analysis. The findings of the study indicated that daily diaries as a way of communication, increasing parent-teacher interaction, provision of parental assistance and parent-teacher meetings are the strategies to solve communication barriers between parents and teachers of VIL in Pakistan. Based on the findings, some recommendations were made which include that parents should take the responsibility to show their involvement in the school of their VIL that can create communication with teachers.

The study is aimed at investigating the impact of orientation and mobility (O&M) training as a part of the special education curriculum on the social adjustment of visually impaired children. The population consisted of visually impaired children between the ages of (5-15), studying at different special education institutes in Pakistan was the assessable population for the study. A sample of 125 male and female visually impaired children from public and private special education institutes of Islamabad, Pakistan were conveniently selected as a sample of the study. The study used two sub-dimensions of social adjustment, namely Self-Personality and Pro-social behavior, to be explored in terms of their relationship with orientation and mobility training. The results showed a significant relationship between O&M training and social adjustment of children in terms of personality well-being and social interaction while with the others. The variables were found to be correlated with each other. The results were in line with most of the previous research studies. The novelty of the study lies in selection of cultural context of Pakistan, which is a developing country and to date international standard trainings and social care is not provided to the visually impaired at large.

Sehar Iqbal's Strategic Myth: 'Underdevelopment' in Jammu and Kashmir (2021) addresses the trajectory of development in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) in post-independence India. In the book, Iqbal challenges and debunks [...]

The aim of this study was to investigate relationship between university students' academic achievement and their cognitive ability. The cognitive ability has variety of domains including reasoning, memory, and problemsolving skills. The study aimed to improve learning and fostering academic success among diverse student population in universities. Understanding the perceptions of university students about cognitive ability & academic achievement is a major challenge for university students. The relationship between university students' academic achievement and cognitive ability is significant area of research in education. The sample was collected from Punjab University Lahore. 300 university students were selected as sample. Data was collected over stratified random sampling. Questionnaire was used with 5-point Likert scales to collect the data. The data analysis was performed over frequency distribution to analyze research objectives. The findings highlighted the significant effect of cognitive ability on students’ academic achievement. The information from the questionnaire shed light on a number of cognitive skills, including comprehension, problem-solving, and fast thinking, all of which were found to have an impact on students' academic achievement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research assessed the students' attitudes toward blended learning at universities, specifically accenting delivery mode preferences, exam format preferences, and trust in the digital instructional resources. The study used a quantitative research method with descriptive survey design. A purposive sample of 450 students from public and private universities was used. The study utilized the validated instruments. It was also notable that students had highly positive inclination toward face-to-face interaction, and handson practice, which suggested a hybrid approach of face-to-face teaching and online instruction was preferred over the fully online style of teaching. The analysis revealed that university type and academic year influence attitudes. Concerning the exam types, students were more comfortable with traditional paper and pencil tests; but male students were more accepting of technology-based tests. The level of trust in digital instructional materials was high, although it varied by year of study. Thus, teachers should adopt a gradual approach in integration of blended learning into their classroom. There is need to support learning from diverse backgrounds. The study can help inform educational policy, course development & faculty professional growth in institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the social and political context of aggrieved mothers in Kashmir through personal narratives collected by the author. The context for this analysis is contemporary Kashmir positioned precariously in geopolitics. The paper attempts to reconstitute the meaning of motherhood within the context of the ethnic culture of Kashmiri Muslim society. At the same time, it seeks to explore how mothers deal with the political situation that is responsible for the early and violent deaths of their children and offers a discursive theoretical framework to demonstrate how mothers find the meaning in their own motherhood. The paper explores, through two case studies, the degree of choice mothers may have in either restraining their sons from joining the current violent political situation through militancy, or in their active resistance to these engagements. The article concludes with reflections on how mothers make sense of their sons' militancy by uniting the political with the emotional intimacy of mothering following the death of their sons. Keywords: Kashmir, Kashmiri women, motherhood, personal narratives, women's narratives. Kashmiri Muslims, violence and motherhood, militancy., Introduction This paper examines the social and political context of aggrieved mothers in Kashmir through personal narratives collected by the author. The theme of motherhood as a counter-piece of feminist [...]

Dicleptera chinensis J. (Acanthaceae) has been employed in traditional medicinal systems for treating various ailments. It has been used as an anti‐inflammatory, wound healing, diuretic, and detoxifying agent in different regions of the world. This study determines several pharmacognostic standards, which are useful to ensure safety, efficacy, and purity of D. chinensis. Different parts of the plant were examined through a scanning electron microscope and light microscope, and cross‐section images revealed several useful botanical features of the plant. The color, size, odor, shape, and surface characteristics of plant parts were also examined macroscopically. Pharmacognostic standardization parameters including ash values, loss on drying, swelling index, hemolytic index, and foaming index were determined in accordance with WHO guidelines. Heavy metal analysis was executed through atomic absorption spectrophotometer which depicted the presence of heavy metals and trace elements within the acceptable range. Qualitative phytochemical tests for alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, glycosides, tannins, carbohydrates, lipids, protein, and so forth of plant extract were also performed, which showed the valuable amount of these phytochemicals useful for medicinal purposes. Preliminary phytochemical tests provide an indication for major phytoconstituents classes present in the plant. These quantitative and qualitative microscopic features are helpful in establishing the pharmacopeia standards of plant. Assessment of various pharmacognostic features such as morphology of various plant parts explained along with physicochemical and phytochemical analysis could be very helpful for future research. Research Highlights: Pharmacognostic standardization is employed as reported evidence for correct identification of D. chinensis.Structures identified by scanning electron microscopy and light microscopy serve as diagnostic features of plant.Important secondary metabolites present in the plant suggest the need for further exploration through advanced metabolomics and other analytical techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radical changes across almost all areas, including education, due to the COVID-19 outbreak. One of the rapid transformations is digital learning, also known as e-learning. Digital learning transformation has been taking place for more than a decade. However, little comprehensive analysis of digital transformation in teaching in public schools. To the best of the authors' knowledge, no comprehensive analysis incorporates external and internal barriers and examines the prominent theories to study successful e-learning integration among teachers. The aim of this study was to provide a thematic and theoretical understanding of digital learning transformation among teachers in public schools. The data for the study was acquired from the Scopus databases. The study employed content and comparative analysis and advocated a grounded theory approach to inductively analyze and criticize the theme construction for answering two research questions. Based on a set of criteria to determine whether each derived study should be included or excluded, 42 articles were reviewed between 2010 and 2022. The analysis uncovered 10 themes of antecedents that were constructed as a framework based on the first-second-order barriers. Results also indicated that CHAT, TPACK, TAM, and UTAUT are the most prominent theories used to conduct digital transformation research. The findings offered significant implications for digital transformation and educational technology communities, especially for policymakers to strategize and reflect on the practice they implemented and improvised if necessary for future sustainable education and efficient teachers' performance in teaching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]