Cigarette Smoking and Cessation Perception in Student Population in India: An E-Survey

Background and objectives: Cigarette smoking is one of the major types of tobacco consumption seen worldwide. It contains the highest number of carcinogens and is associated with various forms of cancer. The early initiation of smoking is a cause of addiction and causing greater harm in younger population. Hence, this study aimed to evaluate the patterns of cigarette smoking and cessation perception in college students in India. Methods: 1009 participants between the ages of 18 to 30 years were recruited in the study. Self-designed questionnaire was prepared in the form of Google forms and links were posted on social media (including E-mails, Whatsapp, Instagram and Facebook). Results: Out of 1009 participants 54.2% (n=547) 72.22% males and 24.27% females smoked cigarettes. 68.55% smokers were between the ages of 22 to 26 years. 67.1% smoked for the first time when they were in the age group of 18 to 21 years. More than 60% were daily smokers consuming 1 to 5 cigarettes/day. 38.19 of the participants wished to stop smoking and around 62% of the participants had never made and attempt to quit. Conclusion: The present study demonstrated that more than half of Indian college students who participated in the study smoked cigarettes with the number of males being significantly higher than females. The study suggests for more tobacco prevention and cessation programs to be undertaken targeting the Indian student population leading to cancer prevention in later years of life. KEY WORDS: Cigarette Smoking, Cessation, Students.

Diverse perspectives of migrant student teachers in early childhood education

As a result of rapid demographic changes in today’s globalised world, more student teachers come from different cultural backgrounds. New Zealand too has seen an influx of international students in the early childhood sector. In this article the author reports on a research study that explores the perspectives of a group of eight Indian student teachers. It explores their identity within New Zealand as Indian teachers and how they have enculturated themselves in the local context. This study focuses on the discourse of difference and diversity to understand the identity of global teachers in the local context. It critically analyses some assumptions and issues related to diversity and difference in early childhood education.

An investigation of Indian student attitudes towards entrepreneurs and managers

Purpose The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of business students in India toward business managers (not self-employed) and entrepreneurs. Design/methodology/approach Students’ perceptions of the ethical behaviors of business managers and entrepreneurs were measured using the Bucar and Hisrich (2001) model. The scale comprises 20 behavioral descriptors, and the students were asked to indicate the degree to which they believed entrepreneurs and business managers would consider these actions as ethical. Findings Responses to general items of ethical behavior demonstrated a difference in the perception of Indian students between business managers and entrepreneurs. Originality/value This study contributes to the field of entrepreneurship in two ways. One involves the results of the hypothesis testing presented herein to evaluate the perceptions of business students in India toward entrepreneurs and business managers. The second contribution is comparing these results to that of a similar study using a US sample (Batchelor et al., 2011) to compare the differences in perceptions toward entrepreneurs and business managers across these two nations.

FAMILY'S SOCIO-ECONOMIC INFLUENCE ON THE DROPOUT OF INDIAN STUDENTS: A CASE STUDY IN THE DISTRICT OF KUALA MUDA KEDAH

The problem of dropping out of Indian students should be addressed especially with regard to low-income households (B40). There are many factors driving the dropout of Indian students in schools. The purpose of this study is to examine the socioeconomic factors of the family and the parents' commitment to Indian student dropout. Among its objectives are to identify the socioeconomic influence of the family and the parents' commitment to the dropout of Indian students; learn about the implications of Indian student dropout rates and identify steps to curb Indian student dropout problems. This study was conducted in selected areas in Kuala Muda District of Kedah State, Malaysia involving high school dropout Indian students. This research is qualitative and cannot be extended to other states as researchers use interviewing observation and documentation research. The respondents to this study were 5 dropout students, mostly from B40 families. The findings of this study found that low socioeconomic influence of parents and lack of parental commitment to children's education caused students to drop out of school. The implications of dropping Indian students are also discussed and some suggestions have been made to reduce dropout rates among Indian students.