Amir Mahmood, Xiao Huang and Nadia Rehman
In 2002, Pakistan made a notable advancement toward inclusive education by approving the national policy for people with disabilities (Durrani et al., 2017). This policy, advised…
Abstract
Purpose
In 2002, Pakistan made a notable advancement toward inclusive education by approving the national policy for people with disabilities (Durrani et al., 2017). This policy, advised by the Ministry of Women’s Development, Social Work, and Special Education, aimed to integrate students with special needs into mainstream schools, emphasizing the significance of inclusive learning environments (Ashfaq and Rana, 2015). Despite these efforts, the practical application of this policy in high schools has encountered numerous obstacles. Effective integration of students with special needs requires more than just policy implementation; it demands effective educational practices. Teachers are crucial in this process as they are the primary facilitators of learning and significantly influence these students’ academic and social adaptation. Administrative support is essential in fostering an environment conducive to including and adapting students with special needs. This study aims to investigate these dynamics in high schools, focusing on the role of teacher interactions and administrative frameworks in supporting or hindering the adaptation process for students with special needs. Understanding these relationships is crucial for identifying gaps, challenges and opportunities within the current educational system, thereby contributing to the development of more effective strategies for inclusive education in Pakistan.
Design/methodology/approach
This study used a correlational research strategy to investigate the effects of administrative and teacher support on the adaptation capabilities of high school students with special needs. The correlational design was chosen to explore the relationships between different types of support and students’ adaptation capabilities without manipulating any variables (Seeram, 2019). The study involved 230 participants, comprising 170 educators and 60 support staff. Stratified random sampling ensured that the sample represented various school types and experience levels (Sharma et al., 2017). This sampling method helps provide a more accurate and comprehensive understanding of the population under study. The demographic characteristics of the sample are summarized in Table 1. Participants were categorized based on sex, level of education, age and experience level to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the sample’s diversity.
Findings
This study reveals that teacher and administrative support significantly impact students’ adaptation capabilities. Teacher support emerged as a strong predictor (ß = 0.502, p < 0.001), highlighting its crucial role in enhancing students’ adaptability. Administrative support also showed a positive and significant effect (ß = 0.211, p < 0.001), and its interaction with teacher support (ß = 0.102, p < 0.001) suggests that administrative support amplifies the positive effects of teacher support. These findings underscore the importance of a holistic support system within schools. While teachers provide direct instructional support and foster an inclusive learning environment, administrative support ensures teachers have the necessary resources and institutional backing to support students effectively (Carter et al., 2022). The interaction between these forms of support suggests that administrative efforts to support teachers can significantly enhance the overall adaptation capabilities of students (Gibbs, 2023b).
Research limitations/implications
Several limitations should be considered when interpreting the findings of this study. First, the data were collected using self-reported questionnaires, which may be subject to biases such as social desirability or recall bias. Second, the study’s cross-sectional design limits the ability to establish causality between the variables. Longitudinal studies would be beneficial in exploring the causal relationships between teacher and administrative support and students’ adaptation capabilities. In addition, the study was conducted within a specific context and population, which may limit the generalizability of the findings to other settings. Future research should aim to replicate this study in different educational contexts to validate and extend the findings.
Practical implications
The practical implications of these findings are significant. Schools should prioritize developing comprehensive support systems that include robust teacher support mechanisms and strong administrative backing. Professional development programs should focus on enhancing teachers’ skills in differentiated instruction, formative assessment and the use of technology in the classroom. Moreover, administrative policies should aim to provide continuous support for teachers through resources, training and collaborative opportunities. This dual approach ensures that teachers are well-equipped to address the diverse needs of students with special needs and that students receive consistent, high-quality support across their educational experience.
Originality/value
This study uniquely explores the combined effects of administrative and teacher support on the adaptation of high school students with special needs in mainstream education, highlighting the synergistic relationship between these support systems. Using a robust correlational design and stratified random sampling, it provides valuable insights into the dynamics of inclusive education within a Pakistani context. The findings emphasize the critical role of holistic support systems, offering practical implications for enhancing educational policies and practices. By addressing gaps in existing research, this study contributes significantly to the discourse on inclusive education and the development of effective support frameworks for special needs students.
Details
Keywords
Ming Yu Cheng, Wai Sei Chan and Amir Mahmood
The purpose of this paper is to trace the development of entrepreneurship education in Malaysia; and to evaluate its effectiveness and limitations.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to trace the development of entrepreneurship education in Malaysia; and to evaluate its effectiveness and limitations.
Design/methodology/approach
Primary data are collected to reveal students' perceptions of the effectiveness of the entrepreneurship teaching and their knowledge about entrepreneurship.
Findings
The results show that entrepreneurship education in Malaysia is not matching students' skill expectations with skill acquisition. The findings also indicate that the level of understanding on “what is entrepreneurship” is still low among the respondents selected in this paper.
Research limitations/implications
The paper only concerns students' perceptions towards the effectiveness of entrepreneurship education in their respective institutions. Results from this paper are limited in terms of their ability to demonstrate “actual” outcomes of entrepreneurship education.
Practical implications
The paper provides an important exploratory analysis of the state of entrepreneurship education in Malaysia to enable further research to be taken in the area of entrepreneurship education. The findings provide valuable insight on effective teaching methodologies in the area of entrepreneurship education.
Originality/value
The paper expands the framework of Morris et al., Drucker, and Gorman et al. to provide a basis to improve the effectiveness of entrepreneurship education in Malaysia.
Details
Keywords
Najeeb Alam Khan, Amir Mahmood and Asmat Ara
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the approximate solution of the couple stress fluid equations in a semi‐infinite rectangular channel with porous and uniformly…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the approximate solution of the couple stress fluid equations in a semi‐infinite rectangular channel with porous and uniformly expanding or contracting walls.
Design/methodology/approach
Perturbation method is a traditional method depending on a small parameter which is difficult to be found for real‐life nonlinear problems. The governing partial differential equations are transformed using a transformation into an ordinary differential equation that is solved by homotopy analysis method (HAM) and shooting technique.
Findings
To assess the accuracy of the solutions, the comparison of the obtained results reveals that both methods are tremendously effective. Analytical and numerical solutions comparison indicates an excellent agreement and this comparison is also presented. Graphs are portrayed for the effects of some values of parameters.
Practical implications
Expansion or contraction problems occur naturally in the transport of biological fluids, the air circulation in the respiratory system, expanding or contracting jets and the synchronous pulsating of porous diaphragms. This work provides a very useful source of information for researchers on this subject.
Originality/value
In the present study, the flow of couple stress fluids in expanding and contracting scenarios is investigated.
Details
Keywords
Najeeb Alam Khan, Asmat Ara and Amir Mahmood
The purpose of this paper is to use the generalized differential transform method (GDTM) and homotopy perturbation method (HPM) for solving time‐fractional Burgers and coupled…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to use the generalized differential transform method (GDTM) and homotopy perturbation method (HPM) for solving time‐fractional Burgers and coupled Burgers equations. The fractional derivatives are described in the Caputo sense.
Design/methodology/approach
In these schemes, the solutions takes the form of a convergent series. In GDTM, the differential equation and related initial conditions are transformed into a recurrence relation that finally leads to the solution of a system of algebraic equations as coefficients of a power series solution. HPM requires a homotopy with an embedding parameter which is considered as a small parameter.
Findings
The paper extends the application and numerical comparison of the GDTM and HPM to obtain analytic and approximate solutions to the time‐fractional Burgers and coupled Burgers equations.
Research limitations/implications
Burgers and coupled Burgers equations with time‐fractional derivative used.
Practical implications
The implications include traffic flow, acoustic transmission, shocks, boundary layer, the steepening of the waves and fluids, thermal radiation, chemical reaction, gas dynamics and many other phenomena.
Originality/value
The numerical results demonstrate the significant features, efficiency and reliability of the two approaches. The results show that HPM is more promising, convenient, and computationally attractive than GDTM.
Details
Keywords
Amrit Thapa, Mary Khan, Will L. H. Zemp and James Gazawie
This paper provides a snapshot of educational and economic trends across South Asia with an exploratory and comparative approach. Before COVID-19, South Asia was the world’s…
Abstract
This paper provides a snapshot of educational and economic trends across South Asia with an exploratory and comparative approach. Before COVID-19, South Asia was the world’s fastest-growing regional economy, concurrently achieving major strides in poverty reduction and access to education. Despite the region’s economic and educational accomplishments, the countries of South Asia fall short of international benchmarks in public education expenditure, resulting in a persistent lag in educational quality that hampers individuals, the workforce, and overall economic productivity. The paper highlights themes in the literature, including context-specific evidence for the various theories of economic growth, the returns to education, and educational inputs (e.g., teachers and private schools) that highlight how spending can be leveraged to increase educational outcomes. In addition, it examines the relationship between education, poverty, and marginalization factors that explain why some populations are deprived of education and its benefits. We provide a broad perspective of the dynamics of the economics of education and the related challenges in this region. This discussion aims to enhance the understanding of the inefficiencies in South Asia’s educational systems and, ultimately, in the development of the region’s human capacities.
Details
Keywords
Amir Saedi Daryan and Mahmood Yahyai
This paper aims to predicting the behavior of welded angle connections (moment-rotation-temperature) in fire using artificial neural network 10.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to predicting the behavior of welded angle connections (moment-rotation-temperature) in fire using artificial neural network 10.
Design/methodology/approach
An artificial neural networking model is described to predict the moment-rotation response of semi-rigid beam-to-column joints at elevated temperature.
Findings
Data from 47 experimental fire tests and verified finite element model are used for training and testing and validating the neural network models. The model’s predicted values are compared with actual test results. The results indicate that the models can predict the moment-rotation-temperature behavior of semi-rigid beam-to-column joints with very high accuracy. The developed model can be modified easily to investigate other parameters that influence the performance of joints in fire.
Originality/value
The results indicate that the models can predict the moment-rotation-temperature behavior of semi-rigid beam-to-column joints with very high accuracy. The developed model can be modified easily to investigate other parameters that influence the performance of joints in fire.
Details
Keywords
Amir Riaz, Zahid Mahmood, Ahmad Qammar and Imran Ali
This study aims to propose and empirically examine the simultaneous complementary mediating role of bank branch collective human capital and justice climate between implemented…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to propose and empirically examine the simultaneous complementary mediating role of bank branch collective human capital and justice climate between implemented high-performance work system (HPWS) and bank branch performance in the banking sector.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected at three different intervals of time between March 2022 to July 2022 from a final sample of 323 branch managers and 1,369 employees of commercial banks operating in Pakistan. Partial least square structural equation modeling was used to test the theoretical model proposed by this study.
Findings
Study results revealed that collective human capital and justice climate simultaneously mediate the relationship between implemented HPWS and branch performance.
Research limitations/implications
The study contributes to the strategic HRM theory by proposing the complementary mediating roles of human capital and organizational justice to reap the benefits of implementing HPWS for improving branch-level performance. The managers should focus on developing and exploiting the knowledge, skills and experiences (human capital) of branch employees and improve their collective perceptions of justice to reap the benefits of HPWS for enhancing branch-level performance.
Originality/value
Drawing upon the resource-based view of the firm and organizational justice theory, this novel study examines the simultaneous and complementary mediating effects of collective human capital and justice climate between implemented HPWS and branch performance relationships at the branch-level analysis.
Details
Keywords
Faezeh Nejati, Mahmood Hosseini and Amir Mahmoudzadeh
Almost design code is required for repairability of the buildings after a major earthquake. One such idea is “directed-damage design” (DDD), which means guiding the damage to some…
Abstract
Purpose
Almost design code is required for repairability of the buildings after a major earthquake. One such idea is “directed-damage design” (DDD), which means guiding the damage to some pre-decided parts of the structural system. To use the DDD idea for creation of repairable buildings, in this study, a structural system with seesaw motion with respect to a central massive support has been considered for steel buildings with square plan, and the bottom ends of the all circumferential columns at the lowest story have been equipped with double-ADAS (DADAS) dampers, which dissipate a great portion of the seismic input energy. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the hysteretic behavior of DADAS dampers by using finite element analysis. At first, a set of regular steel multistory buildings with five stories have been designed based on the conventional code provisions. Then, the structures of the designed buildings have been changed into the structure with seesaw motion by using, at the base level of the building, a massive central column, eliminating other middle columns, and equipping circumferential columns with DADAS dampers.
Design/methodology/approach
For repairability buildings in the last three mentioned studies a set of orthogonal strong girders, in the form of grid, has been used. In the present study, the number of bays in the considered building is four in both directions. A major modification has been made in the yielding-plate energy dissipating elements of the circumferential columns, which makes their manufacturing and installation much practical as illustrated in the following sections of the paper.
Findings
In the proposed rocking structural system for regular multistory steel buildings, creation of the possibility of rocking motion has been done by using a space truss resting on a huge central hinge support at base level with a series of circumferential energy dissipating columns at that level.
Originality/value
One such idea is DDD idea, which means guiding the damage to some pre-decided parts of the structural system.
Details
Keywords
Amir Moslemi and Mahmood Shafiee
In a multistage process, the final quality in the last stage not only depends on the quality of the task performed in that stage but is also dependent on the quality of the…
Abstract
Purpose
In a multistage process, the final quality in the last stage not only depends on the quality of the task performed in that stage but is also dependent on the quality of the products and services in intermediate stages as well as the design parameters in each stage. One of the most efficient statistical approaches used to model the multistage problems is the response surface method (RSM). However, it is necessary to optimize each response in all stages so to achieve the best solution for the whole problem. Robust optimization can produce very accurate solutions in this case.
Design/methodology/approach
In order to model a multistage problem, the RSM is often used by the researchers. A classical approach to estimate response surfaces is the ordinary least squares (OLS) method. However, this method is very sensitive to outliers. To overcome this drawback, some robust estimation methods have been presented in the literature. In optimization phase, the global criterion (GC) method is used to optimize the response surfaces estimated by the robust approach in a multistage problem.
Findings
The results of a numerical study show that our proposed robust optimization approach, considering both the sum of square error (SSE) index in model estimation and also GC index in optimization phase, will perform better than the classical full information maximum likelihood (FIML) estimation method.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, there are few papers focusing on quality-oriented designs in the multistage problem by means of RSM. Development of robust approaches for the response surface estimation and also optimization of the estimated response surfaces are the main novelties in this study. The proposed approach will produce more robust and accurate solutions for multistage problems rather than classical approaches.
Details
Keywords
Faisal Mahmood, Abdul Zahid Khan, Sajid Amir Shah and Muhammad Adil
The purpose of this study is to investigate the post–enterprise resource planning (ERP) issues and challenges in the context of Saudi Arabia. There is a lack of research in the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to investigate the post–enterprise resource planning (ERP) issues and challenges in the context of Saudi Arabia. There is a lack of research in the context of developing countries regarding post-ERP implementation issues and challenges. The high failure rate of the ERP system is a reflection of many management issues that occurred at different phases of ERP implementation. Previous research indicated that even after a successful implementation, the ERP system was unable to sustain itself in the organizations.
Design/methodology/approach
An exploratory case study design was adopted to proceed with this research process at two organizations in Saudi Arabia. The interviews of the top and middle management are conducted and transcribed. These case studies were further analyzed using the Creswell approach to generate several themes, and descriptions provided a deeper understanding of the post ERP implementation issues and challenges.
Findings
Research findings show that for successful ERP implementation, identified factors are top management support, integration, strategy, employee resistance, BPR, change management, vendor selection, team formation and culture. Moreover, factors for the post-ERP implementation that led to sustainability are top management support, training, system adoption, system testing, data migration, cost overrun, employee retention and post-implementation support.
Originality/value
This study is unique in its type to examine the issues and challenges organizations face after deploying ERP initiatives. This research's findings were useful and supportive for the senior management interested in successfully sustaining such an initiative in the organization.