International Journal of Social Sciences Bulletin
International Journal of Social Sciences Bulletin {IJSSB} ISSN (E) 3007-1917 (P) 3007-1909, is a multidisciplinary, open-access, and quarterly journal. The IJSSB is published by the Institute for Excellence in Education and Research (IEER), duly registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) under registration number 0224595. The IJSSB is committed to completing the double-blind peer-review process within one month and informing the author(s) accordingly. IJSSB aims at wide circulation and visibility in social sciences. IJSSB upholds rigorous standards of excellence. The respective authors hold copyrights of all content published in the journal.
Institute for Excellence in Education & Research
EXPLORING THE EFFECT OF NURSE STAFFING RATIOS ON PATIENT OUTCOMES IN AN EMERGENCY SETTING: A QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS IN A PRIVATE TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL, KARACHI, PAKISTAN
Introduction: Optimal care provision is the major concern among the healthcare leaders globally, often influenced by inadequate staffing levels and linked with negative patient outcomes. Nurses in tertiary care settings face several challenges during their heavy shifts, which impact their ability to provide comprehensive care. Hence, optimal patient-nurse ratios are fundamental for providing optimum quality healthcare, but this remains underexplored in the Pakistani healthcare context. Therefore, our study aimed to explore nurses' experiences and perceptions and possible solutions to mitigate such challenges. Methodology: A Qualitative Exploratory Descriptive Design utilizing semi-structured in-depth face to face interviews, guided by Donabedian’s conceptual model, was used to inquire this study. Through purposeful sampling, 13 participants were selected from the tertiary care hospital in Karachi. Furthermore, it employed thematic analysis to identify patterns and insights related to staffing ratios and patient outcomes. Findings: The finding revealed that insufficient staffing has a detrimental impact on patient outcomes, which in turn raises stress levels, lowers nurses’ wellbeing, and increases nurse turnover. Conclusion: The findings emphasize the critical importance of adequate staffing, which is crucial for enhancing quality care and improving effective patient outcomes. Moreover, the study also identified gaps, including the need for retaining experienced staff, investment in career-enhancing opportunities for nurses, and adoption of evidence-based staffing models along with self-scheduling of working hours, which could significantly enhance nurses’ work-life balance
Patient safety; evidence-based staffing models; ED nurses; work-life balance; nurse staffing
Copyright (c) 2026 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
TO REPENT OR NOT TO REPENT: THE UNCANNINESS OF ALBERT CAMUS’THE FALL
This study analyses Albert Camus’ The Fall through Sigmund Freud’s views on ‘‘Uncanny”. Described in Freud’s essay titled ‘‘Das Unheimliche,’’ published in 1919, the German word Unheimliche, the uncanny, means a sense of strangeness, horror, or ambivalence that arises out of a familiar situation, place, individual, or experience. The study explores that the strange ambivalence to repent or not to repent even after the confession of delinquency seems essentially uncanny. In Albert Camus’ The Fall, the strangeness that Clamence feels by suffering from guilt and after confessing in front of a stranger heightens the uncanniness as he struggles to avoid repentance because it is that aspect of his personality that was supposed to have remained secret and hidden but has come to light. Freud’s notion is that experiencing two contradictory or paradoxical feelings at once is also uncanny. The protagonist is torn between two personalities and is often held hostage by his alter ego. His alter ego is Freudian “unheimlich” which is familiar yet frightening. Clamence’s narcissistic personality halts him from repenting as he pronounces himself as a judge-penitent giving no weakness to any soul to judge him but continues to feel uncanny and frightened due to the guilt.
uncanny, repentance, confession, guilt, judgement, punishment
COLONIAL MODERNITY AND MUSLIM RESPONSES IN BRITISH INDIA: A STUDY OF THE ALIGARH MOVEMENT
The purpose of this study is to investigate the Indian Muslim response to British colonialism and modernism, with a particular focus on Sir Syed Ahmad Khan’s (1817–1888) Aligarh Movement, launched in the latter half of the nineteenth century. The destruction of Mughal sovereignty and the disastrous failure of the Great Revolt of 1857 inflicted severe harm on Indian Muslims. Colonial modernity, constructed on the categories of Western rationalism, secular education, and new administrative structures, challenged traditional Islamic epistemologies and sociocultural paradigms that had shaped the identity of Muslims in the subcontinent for centuries. In this context, Sir Syed Ahmad Khan emerged as one of the most important intellectual and educational reformers of South Asian Islam. In 1875, he founded the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College at Aligarh to synthesize Islamic principles with Western scientific thinking, contending that the reasons for Muslim decline lay in intellectual stagnation and the futility of armed confrontation with a dominant colonial power, rather than in Islam itself. He led the Aligarh Movement, which promoted an amalgamation of Islamic identity and contemporary education, and strategic loyalty to the British Raj as a pragmatic means of Muslim sociopolitical rehabilitation. Drawing on primary sources, including Sir Syed’s texts, and secondary scholarship on colonial and South Asian history, the Aligarh Movement is situated within broader global discourses of colonialism, modernism, and indigenous responses to Western hegemony. It argues that the intellectual basis of Muslim nationalism in South Asia was the reformist agenda of Sir Syed, which orthodox religious leaders stridently opposed, leading to the creation of Pakistan in 1947. The paper also examines the movement’s cultural legacy, including its effect on Urdu literature, progressive political thought, and Marxist historiography in the subcontinent. The discourse in this study is based on archival sources and given normative analysis.
colonialism, modernism, South Asia, Muslims, Aligarh Movement, Sir Syed Ahmad Khan
REMEMBERING AS RESISTANCE: ETHICAL MEMORY IN OLD GOD'S TIME
This article explores the concept of ethical memory in Old God's Time by Sebastian Barry. It argues that memory in the novel is not a stable or simple recall of past events but an active, unstable, and morally charged force that continuously shapes the present. Ethical memory is understood in this study as a form of remembering that carries responsibility toward truth, suffering, and hidden histories especially those erased or silenced by institutions. The study focuses on how the novel presents memory as fragmented, intrusive, and emotionally overwhelming. The protagonist does not experience memory as a clear narrative of the past but as sudden returns of images, feelings, and partial recollections. These memories disturb his present life and create a constant sense of psychological pressure. Aging intensifies this condition, as the weight of lived experience becomes heavier and more difficult to contain. In this way, memory is not only personal but also ethical, because it forces confrontation with unresolved pain and moral conflict. The article also examines how the novel reveals institutional violence and systemic silence. It suggests that institutions such as religious and state structures often suppress uncomfortable truths, particularly those related to abuse and moral failure. Within this context, ethical memory becomes a form of resistance, as it refuses to allow silence to erase suffering. Memory becomes a space where hidden histories reappear and demand recognition. Finally, the article connects ethical memory with trauma theory and trans modernist thinking. While memory is fragmented and unstable, it still carries moral meaning and the possibility of truth. The study concludes that remembering in the novel is not only a psychological process but also an ethical act that challenges forgetting, exposes injustice, and resists institutional erasure.
Ethical Memory; Trauma; Institutional Violence; Haunting; Resistance; Memory Studies; Trans modernism
ASSESSING MEDIA FRAMING OF INDIA’S NUCLEAR PROGRAM
This research investigates how Indian and Western media portray India’s nuclear ambitions. The study highlights how these portrayals legitimize India’s exceptional position in the global non-proliferation regime and affect the strategic balance and crisis behaviour in South Asia. In the Indian media, the Indian nuclear program is framed as safe and progressive while ignoring the risks and challenges of the facilities, which are not under proper safeguards. Western media also portrays India as a “responsible nuclear state”, whilst framing Pakistan through the narrative of instability and escalation. By applying Robert Entman’s Media Framing Theory, the study suggests that this selective framing strengthens India’s nuclear exceptionalism and influences strategic perceptions in South Asia. This dual narrative is supported by the 2008 NSG waiver and civil nuclear agreements legitimizing India’s exceptionalism. In parallel, it erodes the effectiveness of global non-proliferation norms and increases the imbalance in the South Asian region. It shows how media narratives and biased Western media coverage play an important role in shaping strategic signalling and regional stability. The study finds that regional stability can be strengthened through equitable non-proliferation measures and strategic parity.
Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), Nuclear Exceptionalism, Media Framing, Nuclear Non- Proliferation Treaty (NPT), South Asia.
THE ROLE OF SCHOOL COUNSELORS IN ADDRESSING STUDENT TRAUMA DURING ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL CRISES: STRATEGIES FOR RESILIENCE AND RECOVERY
Around the world, environmental and social crises, like natural disasters, epidemics or social unrest, have increasingly occurred on a more frequent basis in schools. In this case, the students are at the risk of trauma and further mental problems. These people oftentimes have much anxiety, depression and lack of motivations to study. This points to the fact that schools should be involved in offering trauma-informed care. In this study, the qualitative and quantitative approach was used to test how school counselors have worked to help students go through this tough period dealing with trauma. It provides an overview of trauma-informed care and the resilience theory, as well as explore numerous solutions to the question of how counselors can be prepared to rise up. It analyzes the intervention measures of social and emotional learning, peer support and family/community partnerships. It also indicates the actual issues that the counselors must grapple with such as lack of resources, cultural differences and always operating in crisis mode. The conclusion is that counselors should be thoroughly trained, schools should provide ample guidance to them and give them access to long term measures of recovery to students. The research will also dwell upon the topic of trauma-sensitive education and present a strong argument in favour of the fact that the school counselling services should be fixed up in case of a crisis.
: School Counselors Role, Student Trauma, Strategies, Social and Environmental Crises, Resilience and Recovery
MORPHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF NOUN PATTERNS IN SARAIKI: A CORPUS-BASED STUDY
This descriptive study investigated and categorized the morphological patterns of noun formation in Saraiki, an under-researched language in the Indo-Aryan family spoken in Pakistan. To fulfil these goals, a vast corpus of two million words was created. The data that was not machine-readable was turned into editable documents using OCR. The text was evaluated using the AntConc 3.5.9.0 procedure, which entails extracting words that end in specified morphological patterns and analyzing them for their syntactic role as nouns. The productivity and frequency of the patterns were used to classify the results. The results demonstrated that patterns such asق, س, and غ were much more productive in creating nouns than other patterns. These patterns were important in Saraiki's grammatical structure, and their production was higher in formal and academic settings. In contrast, patterns like ݨی exhibited reduced productivity, primarily functioning as adjectives or adverbs. This ے pattern advances our knowledge of Saraiki grammar and offers insightful information on the morphology of a language that has received little attention in linguistic research. According to this research, in addition to basic nouns, the Saraiki language also has derived nouns, a small number of compound nouns with unique regional vocabulary, and words borrowed from Urdu and English. The results also have applications in computational linguistics and the creation of Natural Language Processing (NLP) tools for Saraiki. Future studies should broaden the corpus and delve more into the grammatical functions of these noun-forming patterns.
Saraiki, computational linguistics, morphological patterns, noun formation, and corpus analysis.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE PEDAGOGY: BENEFITS, CHALLENGES, AND PEDAGOGICAL IMPLICATIONS
The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into English language teaching has opened up exciting opportunities such as personalised learning, automated grading and 24/7 access. However, these advances offer promise of better learning outcomes, but also come with significant hurdles. This study uses a mixed-methods approach the merits and demerits of using artificial intelligence in English language learning, through surveys, interviews and review of existing AI tools. This research explores learner perceptions, pedagogical adaptability and the efficacy of AI-driven instructional approaches. It seeks to offer actionable insights to educators and learners to harness the potential of AI responsibly and efficiently
Artificial Intelligence, English Language Teaching, Challenges, Opportunities, Technology Integration.
STABILITY OVER SELF: A CONSTRUCTIVIST GROUNDED THEORY OF THE MARITAL PARADOX AMONG PAKISTANI COUPLES
Marriage in Pakistani society is widely regarded as a lifelong institution sustained by cultural, religious, and familial obligations. Yet a pervasive paradox exists whereby many couples remain in marriages characterized by emotional dissatisfaction, conflict, and psychological distress. This qualitative study explored the lived experiences of Pakistani married couples who maintained stable but emotionally unfulfilling marriages, a phenomenon conceptualized as the marital paradox. Drawing on Constructivist Grounded Theory (CGT) as outlined by Charmaz (2006), semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 14 participants (seven couples) recruited through purposive sampling across diverse regions and socioeconomic backgrounds in Pakistan. Data analysis proceeded through iterative cycles of initial coding, focused coding, and theoretical coding using NVivo 12, yielding 59 initial codes, 23 focused codes, and eight theoretical categories. The emergent grounded theory of Stability Over Self reveals that marital endurance in the Pakistani context is primarily sustained not by mutual affection or satisfaction but by a convergence of deeply embedded sociocultural forces, economic constraints, religious obligations, and internalized coping mechanisms. The eight theoretical categories are: Social and Cultural Pressures, Emotional Regulation and Acceptance, Fear of Divorce and Reputation, Financial Dependency, Children as a Stabilizing Force, Coping through Distraction and Faith, Gender Role Expectations, and Emerging Hopes for Change. These categories illuminate how individuals suppress personal emotional needs to preserve the marital institution, often at significant psychological cost. The findings contribute a culturally grounded theoretical framework to the marital and family literature and carry important implications for counseling practice, policy reform, and community intervention in collectivist societies.
marital paradox, Pakistani couples, marital stability, emotional dissatisfaction, grounded theory, collectivism, coping mechanisms, gender roles, divorce stigma
DIGITAL CAPITAL, SOCIAL INEQUALITY, AND TECHNOLOGICAL EXCLUSION IN RURAL COMMUNITIES OF PAKISTAN
Digital transformation has become a key driver of socioeconomic development; however, unequal access to digital technologies and digital competencies continues to reinforce social disparities, particularly in rural communities of developing countries. This study examined the relationships among digital capital, social inequality, and technological exclusion in rural communities of Pakistan. Guided by Digital Capital Theory, the study investigated how digital capital influences technological exclusion directly and indirectly through social inequality. A quantitative, cross-sectional research design was employed, and data were collected from rural residents using a structured questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to assess the measurement and structural models. The findings revealed that digital capital had a significant negative effect on both social inequality and technological exclusion, while social inequality significantly increased technological exclusion. Furthermore, social inequality partially mediated the relationship between digital capital and technological exclusion, indicating that greater access to digital resources and stronger digital competencies reduce technological exclusion by improving socioeconomic opportunities. The study contributes to the literature by providing an integrated framework linking digital capital with social inequality and technological exclusion in the context of rural Pakistan. The findings offer important theoretical, practical, and policy implications for promoting digital inclusion through investments in broadband infrastructure, affordable internet access, digital literacy, and inclusive digital governance. Strengthening digital capital is essential for narrowing the rural digital divide and supporting sustainable socioeconomic development in Pakistan.
Digital Capital, Social Inequality, Technological Exclusion, Rural Communities, Digital Inclusion, Pakistan.
THE IMPACT OF FAMILY SUPPORT ON WOMEN’S ACADEMIC ENGAGEMENT, PERSISTENCE, AND SELF-EFFICACY IN HIGHER EDUCATION
This study examines the role of family support on women's higher education including academic engagement, persistence in education and self-efficacy in learning.Women in many developing countries have to overcome problems with finances, traditional expectations, marriage and freedom of choice to access and complete higher education.Support from the family is one important factor of their success in school among all these data were collected through semi-structured interviews from 20 female students studying in different public and private universities in Pakistan.Internally participants were selected with care to represent diverse backgrounds and experiences.Thematic analysis was used to identify common themes and patterns from the data collected.It is found that family support is significantly affecting the higher education of women.Family members are able to provide emotional support, which enhances students' motivation, confidence and participation in studies.They get financial support that helps to minimize financial issues and keep them in school.Support provided practically in the form of doing household work etc., boosts students' confidence and ability to perform academic tasks.Furthermore, family support contributes to women having clear goals for their future careers and remaining focused on their studies.In conclusion, family support plays an important role in women’s academic success in higher education.Family support is crucial for women to stay in school and do well.The study draws attention of the importance of having a supportive family environment that will enhance women's education and equality in society.
Family support, women’s higher education, academic engagement, academic persistence, self-efficacy, gender equality
THE INFLUENCE OF STRESS ON STUDENTS' ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AT UNDERGRADUATE LEVEL IN UNIVERSITY OF GUJRAT
Academic stress has become a common trend which cuts across all undergraduate students all over the world and has been found to be a major predictor of academic performance. The proposed research conducted is aimed at exploring how stress affects the academic performance of undergraduate students at the University of Gujrat (UOG), Pakistan. The nature and extent of the relationship between stress and academic performance were studied using a quantitative, descriptive survey design. Purposive random sampling enabled the selection of 150 undergraduate students (who are representatives of different academic departments at UOG). The data was gathered using a self-constructed, tested questionnaire of 25 questions on a five point Likert scale, which included academic stressors, physiological reactions, psychological aspects, and academic performance indices. Descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation analysis were used for data analysis. The results are supposed to show statistically significant negative association between stress levels and academic performance where high level of stress is related with low Grade Point Averages (GPA). The research additionally predicts that academic load, examination pressure, time management issues and money issues are the most eminent stressors among undergraduate students. The findings are part of the expanding literature on student mental wellbeing and academic achievement as well as practical implications of university leadership and faculty to create supportive academic conditions and support academic counseling.
Academic Stress, Academic Achievement, Undergraduate Students, University of Gujrat, Quantitative Research, Likert Scale, Descriptive Survey, GPA, Student Mental Health.
GENDERED BEHAVIORAL RESPONSES TO AGRI-ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES: EFFECTS OF AIR POLLUTION AND WILDFIRE SMOKE ON PRODUCTIVITY AND WELFARE IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES: A PANEL DATA ANALYSIS
Agri-environmental policies (AEPs) are increasingly employed in developing countries to address environmental degradation, climate change, and agricultural sustainability. However, the effectiveness of these policies often depends on behavioral responses that vary across gender groups. This study investigates how air pollution and wildfire smoke influence productivity and welfare outcomes under agri-environmental policies, with a particular focus on gender differences. Using panel data from 1,200 rural households across India, Bangladesh, Kenya, and Ghana from 2015–2023, the study employs Fixed Effects (FE) and Random Effects (RE) models to estimate the impacts of environmental stressors on agricultural productivity and household welfare. The findings reveal that women experience significantly greater productivity losses and welfare reductions from pollution exposure compared to men. Female farmers demonstrate stronger support for environmental conservation measures and higher responsiveness to informational nudges. The results highlight the necessity of integrating gender-sensitive approaches into agri-environmental policy design. Policy recommendations include strengthening women's access to environmental information, financial resources, climate-resilient technologies, and decision-making institutions.
Agri-environmental policies, panel data analysis, gender, air pollution, wildfire smoke, agricultural productivity, welfare, developing countries.
ROLE OF POSITIVE STUDENT-TEACHER RELATIONSHIP IN LEARNING
Student-teacher relationship has consistently been one of the strongest predictors of student learning, academic performance and educational well-being at all levels of formal education. The relational foundation on which successful learning is based is formed on positive student-teacher relationships characterized by trust, warmth, emotional support, clear communication, respect and high expectations. Nevertheless, in the educational institutions in Pakistan, the relational aspect of instruction has been the subject of relatively little systematically oriented empirical research, although institutional worries abound regarding a decrease in student engagement, lack of motivation, and the maintenance of an authoritative, impersonal instructional culture that compromises the relational context most favorable to learning. This article is a quantitative and descriptive-correlational research which investigates the role of positive student-teacher relationships in learning in undergraduate students at the University of Gujrat (UOG), Punjab, Pakistan. The University of Gujrat, Gujrat campus is used to select a stratified random sample of n= 150 undergraduate students. Two researcher-developed instruments are used to collect data: the Student-Teacher Relationship Scale (STRS), a 25-item Likert-scale measure of five dimensions of student-teacher relationships quality: trust and safety, emotional support, academic encouragement, respectful communication, high expectations, and Learning Outcomes Perception Scale (LOPS]a 20-item Likert-scale measure of students self-reported learning on four measures: academic motivation, conceptual understanding, classroom engagement, and academic self-efficacy. IBM SPSS Statistics Version 28.0 is used to perform statistical analyses such as Pearson Product-Moment Correlation, multiple linear regression, independent-samples t-tests, and one-way ANOVA to statistically analyze the data. The hypothesized results imply that every one of the five dimensions of positive student-teacher relationship quality would have a significant and positive relationship with student learning outcomes, and academic encouragement and trust and safety would be the most powerful predictors. The paper finishes with the presentation of evidence-based suggestions to teacher preparation programs, university administrators and education policymakers on how to develop positive student teacher relationships in a systematic fashion as part of the institution-wide effort at enhancing the quality of learning at the university level.
Student-Teacher Relationship, Learning Outcomes, Academic Motivation, Trust, Emotional Support, Academic Encouragement, Descriptive Research, Pearson Correlation, Higher Education, Pakistan, Gujrat.
STRATEGIC POLITENESS: A PRAGMATIC STUDY OF RICHARD POWERS ‘THE OVERSTORY
The present study represents a practical discussion of strategic politeness in Pulitzer Prize-winning author Richard Powers novel The Overstory (2018) exploring how language strategies create and define environmental activism and the human-nature interactions. The research uses a qualitative and interpretive methodology based on the literary pragmatics and eco- pragmatics with close textual analysis of 28 purposely chosen passages of the novel that relied on the Politeness Theory by Brown and Levinson (positive, negative, bald-on- record, and off-record strategies), as well as the Speech Act Theory by Searle, complemented by the ecolinguistics by Stibbe and the notion of face created by Goffman. The results show that politeness is a strong ideological machine: positive politeness strategies build activist solidarity and work towards interspecies kinship, negative politeness is a finely crafted strategy in negotiating power inequalities, bald-on-record is a feature of an ethical break, and off-record strategies enable subversion and transcendent knowledge. Finally, Powers restructures politeness as an ecological praxis, which goes beyond the anthropocentrism to apply a relational ethics that is appropriate to the Anthropocene, thus placing.
Politeness, Strategic Politeness, Pragmatic, Ecolinguistics, SFL
COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE PROBLEMS FACED BY SPECIAL STUDENTS AND REMEDIAL MEASURES AT PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN DERA ISMAIL KHAN
This study examined the challenges of special students and the remedial measures identified in District Dera Ismail Khan’s public and private secondary schools. Barriers in social and educational domains, and problems in the infrastructure and resources of contemporary educational systems, limit the educational participation of students with disabilities, and consequently the achievement of students with disabilities. A quantitative descriptive survey was employed in this study. The target population of this study comprised public and private secondary school teachers in the District of Dera Ismail Khan. The sample consisted of a total of 422, 222 public secondary school teachers, and 200 private secondary school teachers. For data collection, a structured questionnaire containing 24 items was developed and was measured using a five-point Likert scale. For data analysis, SPSS was used to compute the percentages, means, standard deviations, and t-tests. The study found that special students experience challenges from peers and teachers’ negative attitudes, communication challenges, feelings of inadequacy, physical and structural barriers, difficulties in note taking, and inadequate support services. The study observed that teachers from public and private secondary schools differed in their perceptions of barriers and challenges of special students, supportive services and facilities for special students. Despite the recognition of educational rights of special students, both public and private secondary schools have inadequate supportive services and facilities for special students. The study suggests the improvement of school infrastructure, inclusion of special education services, and positive changes in the community.
Inclusive Education, Special Students, Disabilities, Remedial Measures, Secondary Education, Public Schools, Private Schools, Dera Ismail Khan
THE EFFECTS OF STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH ON ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT: A COMPREHENSIVE ACTION RESEARCH STUDY
Educational results is given to external factors more often than interior motivations for schools internationally. While instruction professors solution, and facilities continue to be a fantastic weight in shaping good results, studies now show that suggests might be a better predictor of GPA-the defining factor often surpassing externallyschool-related metrics. Using a highly validated questionnaire called DASS-21, as well as authentic school statistics (GPA, track documentation, and home work completion) we materialized for 162 high school and college students. Strangely enough, stark segments show up with high pressure and low GPA-these almost reverse indicators proclaim the exact same story. While partials if not all imply possible fixes, support systems are anything but common. A hard-hitting message proves quite loud Scholars truly speak loudly in Here is what they were trying to communicate: our model presents fairly clearly and looks at key positions. We also project our data slowly and parses it with detail.
THE EFFECTS OF STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH ON ACADEMIC
ACHIEVEMENT: A COMPREHENSIVE ACTION RESEARCH STUDY
COMPARING TRADITIONAL AND AI-ASSISTED INTERVENTIONS FOR LANGUAGE RECOVERY IN ADULTS WITH APHASIA
Background: Aphasia is an acquired language disorder that significantly impairs communication and quality of life among stroke survivors. In Pakistan, the critical shortage of registered speech-language therapists relative to the population creates an urgent need for scalable rehabilitation alternatives. Objectives: This study compared the effectiveness of traditional speech-language therapy and AI-assisted interventions in improving language recovery among adults with aphasia in Pakistan. Methods: A quantitative quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test design was employed. Forty adults with mild-to-moderate aphasia were recruited from tertiary care hospitals in Lahore, Rawalpindi and Islamabad, Pakistan, and assigned to either a traditional therapy group (n = 20) or an AI-assisted therapy group (n = 20). Both groups received three sessions per week for eight to ten weeks. Language recovery was assessed across six domains using an Aphasia Language Recovery Assessment Scale. Data were analysed using paired and independent sample t-tests, ANCOVA (controlling for baseline scores), Mann-Whitney U test, Pearson correlation, and Cohen’s d effect size. Results: Both groups demonstrated statistically significant improvements from pre-test to post-test. However, the AI-assisted group achieved significantly higher post-test scores (M = 78.60, SD = 6.85) compared with the traditional group (M = 68.40, SD = 7.21), yielding a mean difference of 10.20 points, t(38) = −4.58, p < .001, 95% CI [−14.76, −5.64]. Cohen’s d values ranged from 0.94 to 1.45, all indicating large effects. ANCOVA confirmed the group difference after controlling for baseline scores, F(1, 37) = 19.61, p < .001, partial η² = .344. Pearson correlation revealed a moderate negative association between diagnosis duration and recovery scores (r = −0.48, p = .002). Conclusion: AI-assisted intervention produced superior language recovery outcomes across all domains compared with traditional therapy. Given Pakistan’s severe speech-language therapy workforce shortage, AI-assisted rehabilitation represents a scalable, cost-effective, and linguistically adaptable solution for aphasia rehabilitation. Early referral and integration of AI tools into national rehabilitation policy are strongly recommended.
aphasia rehabilitation, AI-assisted therapy, language recovery, Pakistan, neuroplasticity, quasi-experimental design, speech-language pathology
EFFECTS OF MENTAL WELL-BEING ON STUDENTS' ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AT SECONDARY LEVEL IN GUJRAT DISTRICT
The importance of mental well-being as a pre-learning requirement to success in academic performance over the long-term among adolescent learners in schools is gaining popularity. This research study analyzes the impacts of mental well-being - in its fundamental psychological factors of stress, anxiety and depression - on the academic performance of secondary school students in government high-schools of Gujrat district Pakistan. The study uses a quantitative, descriptive survey design and focuses on students of Grade 9 and Grade 10 studying in Grade 9-10 of public secondary schools in Gujrat. Purposive random sampling was used to pick a sample of 150 students. The questionnaire was developed and validated to gather data via a 25 item questionnaire that was based on a five-point Likert scale profiles, three independent sub-dimensions of mental well-being, and four dependent academic outcome measures of academic grades, classroom concentration, school attendance, and academic motivation. Data was analyzed using SPSS (v.26) and Pearson correlation coefficients and descriptive statistics. The research expects an academic achievement-mental state poor relationship to be statistically significant and anxiety and stresses concerning examination to be the most widely spread psychological issues. The results will be used to advise educational policy makers, school heads, teachers and parents at the Gujrat district, on the essence of ensuring that mental health support mechanisms are incorporated in secondary schools so as to protect the psychological and academic destiny of teenaged students.
Mental Well-being, Academic Achievement, Secondary School Students, Stress, Anxiety, Depression, Grades, Concentration, Attendance, Motivation, Gujrat District, Quantitative Research, Likert Scale.
EFFECTS OF MOTIVATION THROUGH REWARDS ON LEARNING BEHAVIOUR AT THE ELEMENTARY LEVEL IN DISTRICT GUJRAT
This paper discusses how motivating students with rewards can influence their learning behavior at the elementary level in District Gujrat. The use of reward strategies such as praise respect gifts, marks, and classroom recognition, and how these can play a part in students' participation attention task completion, and positive learning habits is the focus of the paper. This is an important issue because young students generally require clear encouragement and supportive classroom practices to stay engaged in their academic work. But, new studies suggest that the use of rewards must be well thought out so that the support for learning is not at the expense of the students' internal motivation. The paper is organized around three research objectives and three questions. It references the latest literature from 2021-2026, including articles on extrinsic motivation, self-determination theory, reward systems, classroom engagement, and learning behaviour. The authors propose a quantitative survey as an appropriate method for the empirical part of the research, using a structured questionnaire with the students and teachers at the elementary level. The planned techniques of data analysis are frequency percentage reliability via Cronbach's alpha, descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and regression analysis. The finished paper / manuscript offers a professional layout for submission and an analysis-ready findings section. Actual numerical results must be filled from the gathered field data or SPSS output before the final academic submission.
Motivation, Rewards, Learning Behaviour, Elementary Students, District Gujrat, Classroom Participation, Extrinsic Motivation
INVESTIGATING THE DECLINE IN STUDENT ATTENDANCE FOLLOWING POLICY CHANGES ALLOWING EXAMS WITHOUT MANDATORY ATTENDANCE
Background: The announcement of the new academic rules that allow students to take exams without meeting the required minimum attendance enforced in classes has raised a concern among educational administrators, the faculty, and policymakers all over the world. Although this kind of policies was mostly established due to growing needs to curricular flexibility and due to the spread of online learning platforms, these impacts on classroom interaction and attendance behaviours have not been deeply explored. Purpose: In this work, the researcher explores the degree to which introduced changes in policy that permit examinations without the compulsory attendance policy have led to a quantifiable undergraduate decrease in the number of students attending classes. Methodology: A mixed-methods research design was used where 1,240 undergraduate students and 86 faculty members were sampled in five universities in three countries. The analysis of quantitative attendance data based on the institutional databases over six academic years (20192025) has been conducted using the qualitative data collections obtained through semi-structured interviews and structured questionnaires. Findings: It was found that there was a statistically significant decrease in the average attendance rates, i.e., 84.3% before implementing the policy and 61.7% after, representing a decrease of about 22.6 points. Qualitative results show that attendance seems to be not obligatory to students when the relationship between examination eligibility and attendance is broken. Faculty indicated classroom worsening, less involvement and poor performance. Conclusion: The paper finds that non-mandatory attendance policies provide only minimal flexibility in the short term, but with serious dangers to academic life, quality learning and institutional culture. It is highly recommendable that evidence-based policy revisions be done including hybrid accountability mechanisms.
: student attendance, attendance policy, exam eligibility, academic engagement, higher education, policy reform, absenteeism, learning outcomes, educational administration, flexible attendance.
CORPOREAL MAPPING AND SUBJUGATION IN FIPPS’ STARFISH: A BIOPOLITICAL STUDY
This study analyzes corporeal mapping and subjugation in the middle-grade verse novel, Starfish (2021), by Lisa Fipps, and looks at this work biopolitically. This goal is to track fat's governance, pathologisation, and symbolic erasure by overlapping familial, medical and institutional regimes of power and to identify the counter-conducts with which the protagonist restores corporeal sovereignty. The theoretical framework is a combination of the theories of Michel Foucault on biopolitics and disciplinary power, Achille Mbembe on necolitics and Roxane Gay on the unruly body. This study uses research philosophy interpretivist and qualitative research method of close textual analysis. Data collection takes place through purposive documentary analysis and the analysis of 1 primary literary text (Starfish, 294 pages), 1 theoretical memoir (Gay's Hunger) and 28 peer-reviewed secondary sources (2003–2025; total purposive sample of 30 texts selected on criteria of theoretical relevance and currency). Data analysis is done by using a method called Biopolitical Textual Analysis (BTA) which combines three approaches, namely Foucauldian Discourse Analysis, Necropolitical Reading, and Corporeal Mapping Analysis. The findings show how the home, the clinic and the school are interlocking panoptic devices which reduce Ellie's body to a pathological deficit. Resistance is not a breaking, but a piling up of micro-conducts: poetic expression, spatial assertion, linguistic reclamation, and solidarity, all leading to the protagonist's assertion of embodied sovereignty, through the posture of the starfish.
Biopolitics, Necropolitics, Corporeal Mapping, Fat Adolescent Body, Disciplinary Power, Docile Bodies, Technologies of the Self, Unruly Body, Verse Novel, Corporeal Sovereignty
THE EFFECT OF GROUP LEARNING ON UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT
The challenge of enhancing student academic performance at institutions of higher learning the world over has been the thorn in the flesh due to growing large classes, the passive classroom instruction and deteriorating student attendance. Group learning Group learning as a learner-centered pedagogical strategy (including cooperative learning, collaborative learning, and peer-assisted study strategies) has been subject to an extensive range of proposals as an academic achievement-enhancing learning strategy through its ability to promote active cognitive interaction, construction of peer knowledge and academic responsibility. Although it plays prominent role in pedagogical theory and educational research in other countries, the impact of structured group learning on academic success at the higher university level in Pakistan is still under-researched. The article is a quantitative, quasi-experimental pre-test, post-test control group design study that will be used to test the impact of a structured group learning strategy on the academic success of undergraduate university students. In Pakistan, a study of 180 students (n = 90 experimental, n = 90 control) is selected in a stratified random sample at one of the public universities of Punjab. The experimental condition goes through an intervention program that involves a 10-week group learning which is structured, compared to the control group that receives regular lecture-based instruction. A validated Academic Achievement Test (AAT) is used to measure academic achievement. Statistical methods involve independent-samples t-test, Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA), and Pearson correlation which are performed by means of the use of the IBM SPSS Statistics Version 28.0. To determine the student perceptions along five dimensions of group learning the Group Learning Perception Questionnaire (GLPQ) made of 25 items is also conducted to the experimental group on a Likert scale. The findings expected that academic achievement to be significantly improved among the experimental group as compared to the control group. The paper ends by an evidence-driven set of recommendations to faculty, curriculum designers, and university administrators to institutionalize structured group learning in the undergraduate pedagogy in Pakistan.
Group Learning, Cooperative Learning, Collaborative Learning, Academic Achievement, University Students, Quasi-Experimental Design, Peer Learning, Higher Education, Pakistan, CGPA.
IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA DISTRACTION ON TIME MANAGEMENT AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS
Contemporary university students are catching up in an academic milieu full of e-distractions. Social media platforms, such as Instagram TikTok WhatsApp, and YouTube, are inverting the students' focus to grab it through lectures or study sessions and even assignment deadlines in ways the previous generations had not encountered. This article formulates an exact empirical query: does social media distraction result in a measurable decline in university students' time management performance? From 150 undergraduate students' data recorded by a reliable Likert scale questionnaire, the result is positive and statistically noteworthy. This research employing quantitative correlational method investigates the association between social media distraction (IV) and time management (DV) of university students. IBM SPSS Statistical Analysis Package was utilized to apply Pearson correlation and multiple regression analysis. Results indicate an extremely negative relationship (r = .62, p <.001) between social media distraction and time management performance. Besides Social Media Distraction, the regression model featured demographic control variables (Gender, Year Level, and Faculty) and was responsible for 42.1% of the variation in time management scores (R =.421). The contribution of Social Media Distraction as the strongest individual predictor was highlighted ( = .58, p <.001). All cited literature is extracted from the peer-reviewed journals published within 2021-2026.
social media distraction, time management, university students, Likert scale, correlational research, SPSS, academic performance, self-regulation, digital distraction, higher education
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE LITERACY AND ITS ROLE IN DEVELOPING CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS AMONG 4TH SEMESTER STUDENTS OF UNIVERSITY OF GUJRAT
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become a permanent part of academic and professional life and has brought along a whole new set of skills AI literacy that educators are just starting to seriously consider. This paper is a study of how AI literacy affects critical thinking skills among 4th semester students of University of Gujrat (UoG), Pakistan. With a mixed-methods sequential explanatory design to collect and analyse data first a quantitative phase was undertaken. Quantitative data were collected from 150 students using a validated AI Literacy Scale and a critical thinking instrument based on the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal and the California Critical Thinking Skills Test. Later, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 purposively selected participants. ... AI literacy and critical thinking scores Quite a bit and positively correlated, as the Pearson correlation test (r = 0.54, p<0.001). With regression analysis, it was established that AI literacy was a significant predictor of critical thinking and could explain 38% of the variance. The qualitative themes revealed the three ways of mechanisms: questioning AI outputs, recognizing AI limitations, and developing intellectual autonomy. According to the study, AI literacy is considered a large intellectual capability rather than merely a technical skill, and it also has a significant impact on the students' reasoning, evaluation, and engagement with knowledge. The paper calls for increased initiatives in curriculum revision, teacher training, and strengthening college policy.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE LITERACY AND ITS ROLE IN DEVELOPING
CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS AMONG 4TH SEMESTER STUDENTS OF
IMPACT OF SCREEN TIME ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS
The rapid increase in digital technology and internet-enabled devices has essentially transformed the day-to-day activities of students at the university campuses, where they dedicate large proportions of their active lives to screens, be it academic, social or recreational. Although moderate and intentional screen time can help in learning, unregulated screen time of excessive and uncontrolled time was attributed to sleep disturbance, lack of concentration, cognitive burnout, and decreased academic performance. Although this issue is of global concern, there is not much empirical research exploring the link concerning the amount of screen time and university performing of students at the university level in Pakistan. The research study identifies the role of screen time in academic performance among university students in Pakistan that utilizes a quantitative, descriptive-correlational type of research design. A total of 200 undergraduate students of a public university at Punjab are selected in a stratified random fashion. The data are gathered by a validated researcher-created Screen Time and Academic Performance Questionnaire (STAPQ) based on 30 Likert items (placed in five domains: patterns of daily screen time, academic screen use, recreational screen use, sleep and health effects, self-regulation of screen use). The student cumulative Grade point average (CGPA) is used as a measure of academic performing. Statistics used in the study are descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, multiple linear regression, independent samples t-test and were analysed using IBM SPSS Statistics Version 28.0. The result indicates the total recreational screen time and CGPA have a statistically significant negative relationship whereas there is a weak positive relationship between academic screen use and performance. The most predictive factor of poor academic performance is excessive screen consumption of social media and entertainment. The research ends with practical suggestions to students, faculty and the university administration.
Screen Time, Academic Performance, University Students, Digital Technology, Social Media, CGPA, Quantitative Research, Pakistan, Correlational Study, Sleep Quality.
IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON STUDENTS' ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE AT SECONDARY LEVEL
The unpredictable growth of social media networks has dramatically changed the communication patterns and leisure interests, as well as school life of teenagers across the world: Facebook, Tik Tok, Instagram, WhatsApp, YouTube, and Snapchat have been used. The group of students in the age group of 13 to 18 (secondary level) reflect the most intensive group of social media operators in Pakistan and the penetration and the usage of social media and use of smartphones among the younger demographic are rapidly growing in both urban and semi-urban Pakistan. Although there can be no doubt about the possible of social media in educational communication and learning in groups, the reality of social media as a means of entertainment, socialization, and passive content consumption among secondary schools has prompted serious questions regarding its influence on the study habits, academic attention, coping with sleep, and the end results, which are academic achievements. In spite of these apprehensions, there are relatively few empirically rigorous, locally based studies considering the correlation concerning the usage of social media and academic performing in secondary-level students in Pakistan. This paper is a quantitative, descriptive-correlational research study aimed at exploring how the use of social media influences the academic achievement of Grade 9-10 students in both public and private secondary schools in the Gujrat district, Punjab in Pakistan. Stratified random selection of 200 students (100 in public schools, 100 in private schools) is taken out of the secondary schools in Gujrat. A researcher-constructed, 30-item, Likert-scale Social Media Usage Scale (SMUS) is used to collect data on five dimensions of social media use and academic performance is based on the most recent annual, examination scores of students. IBM SPSS Statistics Version 28.0 is used to conduct statistical analyses such as Pearson correlation, multiple linear regression, independent-sample t-test and one-way ANOVA. The proposed hypotheses suggest that there is a considerable negative relationship between excessive recreational use of social media and academic performance and a weak positive relationship between social media use in education. The research is summarized by evidence-based students, parents, teachers, and education policy recommendations.
Social Media, Academic Performance, Secondary Students, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Descriptive Research, Pearson Correlation, Gujrat, Pakistan, Screen Time
EXPLORING STRATEGIES TO DEAL WITH OVERCROWDED CLASSROOMS USED BY SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS IN LARKANA
Overcrowded classrooms are the most widespread issue in Larkana secondary schools, that have an impact on teaching quality, student motivation, and classroom control. In this qualitative study, it was examined how the secondary school teachers manage to deal with overcrowded classrooms efficiently. Recording teachers' actual experience through semi-structured interviews, the study found issues like constrained space, differential student attention, discipline problems, unstable training, or administration direction. Despite all these challenges, teachers adopt adaptive strategies such as class seating plans, group work, peer tutoring, the use of visual aids, activity-based learning, and careful use of technology. All these steps ensure discipline is intact, enhance student engagement, and decrease teacher stress. However, the study highlights the need to implement better infrastructure, continuous professional development, and policy support. The results provide policy implications for policymakers, school administrators, and educators to facilitate enhancing teaching and learning in overpopulated classrooms through the appreciation of teacher labor and promoting realistic solutions.
Overcrowded classrooms, teaching strategies, classroom management, Student Engagement, Instructional Strategies, Learning Environment
SIR JOHN MARSHALL AND SOUTH ASIAN ARCHAEOLOGY: A SKETCH
Sir John Marshall was one of few Director Generals of the Archaeological Survey of India. He served the Survey from 1902 to 1928. During this time, Marshall carried out numerous excavation and conservation works. The present paper attempts to comprehend this gigantic work in a meaningful way. It provides some major themes related to Marshall’s activities in India and a long list of publications which resulted from the decades-long archaeological activities done during Marshall’s Director Generalship.
Marshall, Survey, Taxila, Director General, conservation
ROTE MEMORIZATION IN PAKISTAN: HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS’ PERSPECTIVES AND CHALLENGES
Rote memorization is the dominant mode of academic preparation in Pakistan, yet the lived experiences of the students who navigate it remain largely absent from the research literature. This study explored how high school students at the matriculation and intermediate levels perceive and experience rote memorization, and what challenges their reliance on it creates for understanding, motivation and well-being. A qualitative design was adopted: semi-structured, bilingual (Urdu–English) interviews were conducted with six purposively selected students from Lahore, Gujranwala and Okara, and the data were analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s six-phase thematic analysis. Six master themes emerged: perceptions of rote versus conceptual understanding; motivational and engagement dynamics; learning strategies and academic self-regulation; psychological and emotional impact; impact on creativity and critical thinking; and the role of teachers, environment and system. Students universally framed rote learning as a short-term survival tool rather than genuine knowledge, reported stress, anxiety and boredom, and described creativity and critical thinking as casualties of an exam-driven system. The findings indicate that meaningful reform must extend beyond classroom pedagogy to the examination structures that make rote memorization rational and necessary.
Rote Memorization, Student Perspectives, Thematic Analysis, Conceptual Understanding, Academic Self-Regulation, Examination Culture