Social, Systemic, Individual-Medical or Cultural? Questionnaire on the Concepts of Disability Among Teacher Education Students

The individual-medical concept of disability, whereby disability is believed to be caused by some intractable impairment, is perhaps the most widely held view in society. However, other concepts exist with which teachers in inclusive schools should be familiar (e.g., social, systemic), to better inform teacher behavior, attitudes and understanding. We therefore developed an instrument to capture education students’ concepts of disability. We constructed the questionnaire according to four theoretical models of disability (individual-medical, social, systemic, and cultural concepts), which are commonly used in inclusive teacher education, and validated this on a sample of 775 education students. Additionally, we administered the Attitudes towards Inclusion Scale (AIS) and measured key demographic variables. The instruments, data and analysis code used are available online at https://osf.io/dm4cs/. After dropping redundant items, a shortened form of the questionnaire contained 16 items, with satisfactory psychometric values for scales pertaining to four concepts of disability (CFI = 0.963, TLI = 0.955, RMSEA = 0.037, SRMR = 0.039). These four concepts of disability showed small correlations with the AIS, indicating that our questionnaire measured an independent construct. The more experience education students had with disability and the more courses they had attended on inclusive education, the more likely they were to agree with the social concept of disability. The questionnaire shows promise in measuring concepts of disability and might be used to stimulate students’ critical reflection during teacher education.

Karakteristik Peternak Sapi di Sentra Produksi Ternak Potong Di Kabupaten Sorong

The development of beef cattle needs to be supported by regional potential which includes natural resources and human resources. Sorong Regency is one of the areas for beef cattle development in West Papua Province. This research was conducted for three months, from February to April 2021. The study was conducted in four districts that have a high population of beef cattle in Sorong Regency, West Papua Province. namely Salawati District, Segun District, Mayamuk District, and Moisegen. This research was conducted using a survey method with interview techniques and field observations. Breeding experience, education, age have a relationship with the number of livestock kept. The result showed that farmers were in the productive age and had low education. The traditional rearing with extensive system was a common management practice with less than six cows per household. The experience of rearing cattle, age and education had a correlation with number of cows per household (r<0.05). However, there was not very strong relationship with the variable number of beef cattle. The land area factor does not affect the number of livestock and education was not influence management system. It concluded that livestock activity purposed was not up to business level but it was only for saving purposes. Keywords: Beef cattle; Development; Potential; Production; Sorong Abstrak Pengembangan ternak potong perlu didukung oleh potensi wilayah yang mencakup sumberdaya alam dan sumberdaya manusia. Kabupaten Sorong merupakan salah satu wilayah pengembangan ternak potong di Provinsi Papua Barat. Penelitian dilakukan di empat distrik yang memiliki populasi ternak sapi potong yang cukup tinggi di Kabupaten Sorong Provinsi Papua Barat. yaitu Distrik Salawati, Distrik Segun, Distrik Mayamuk, dan Moisegen, pada bulan Februari sampai dengan April 2021. Penelitian ini dilakukan menggunakan metode survei dengan teknik wawancara dan observasi lapangan. Kriteria responden pada penelitian ini adalah memiliki sapi > 3 ekor dan memiliki pengalaman beternak lebih dari 3 tahun. Penentuan jumlah sampel menggunakan rumus Slovin. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa karakteristik peternak antara lain: berada pada usia produktif, memiliki pendidikan yang cukup rendah, pengalaman beternak yang cukup lama dan tingkat kepemilikan ternak yang rendah. Sistem pemeliharaan ternak bersifat tradisional dengan pemberian pakan dan pengobatan seminimal mungkin. Pengalaman beternak, pendidikan, umur memiliki hubungan dengan jumlah ternak yang dipelihara. Hal ini ditunjukkan dengan nilai koefiesien korelasi r= (r <0.05). Pengalaman beternak dan pendidikan memiliki keeratan hubungan yang tidak terlalu kuat terhadap variabel jumlah ternak sapi potong. Faktor luas lahan tidak mempengaruhi jumlah ternak yang dipelihara. Hal ini dikarenakan sistem pemeliharaan yang dilakukan peternak dominan dengan sistem umbar terbatas dan pemberian pakan ditambah dari sumber lain seperti pinggir jalan dan sumber lain. Faktor luas lahan tidak mempengaruhi jumlah ternak yang dipelihara. Berdasarkan hasil penelitian ini dapat disimpulkan bahwa peternak di sentra peternakan sapi Kabupaten Sorong masih bersifat tradisional yang bertujuan untuk tabungan keluarga dan secara umum belum berorientasi bisnis. Kata kunci: Pengembangan; Potensi; Produksi; Sapi potong; Sorong.

Agro-Pastoralists’ Perception of Climate Change and Adaptation in the Qilian Mountains, China

Global climate change affects all aspects of human society, especially agricultural and animal husbandry production. Northwest China has detrimentally affected by the climatic variations due to its high exposure to extreme climatic events. A number of studies have reported on agro-pastoralists' perceptions, adaptation and mitigation of climate change, but the current knowledge of agro-pastoralists' perceptions of climate change in China is insufficient. To fill this research gap, this study aims to investigate the cognition level of agro-pastoralists in Northwest China on climate change and related factors. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire based on household surveys of 554 study participants in four counties in Gansu Province, China. Raw data were collected using stratified random sampling. A probit model was used to analyze the respondents' understanding of climate change and its related socio-economic and demographic variables. Our results show that more than 70% of agro-pastoralists are perception of the changes of temperature and precipitation. Socioeconomic and demographic variables such as gender, farming experience, education level, cultivated land size, agricultural income, livestock, village cadre experience, access to weather information of agro-pastoralists are pertinently related to agro-pastoralists' awareness of climate change. Farming experience, education level, household size, grassland size, agricultural income, association membership, village cadre experience has a high impact on agro-pastoralists' adaptation to climate change. The results of this study will help guide government agencies and decision makers, and help arid and semi-arid areas to build sustainable adaptation measures under the framework of climate change.

The Analysis of Groundwater Quality and the Impact of Remedial Measures Adopted by the Wheat Growers: Using Endogenous Switching Regression Model Approach

Groundwater pollution is a serious problem, posing severe problems on many economic activities. The study's main objectives were to access the groundwater quality in the study area and analyze the role of farmers in improving the groundwater quality. Total 108 groundwater samples were collected from different locations along the 11-L distributary located in District Sahiwal, Punjab-Pakistan. Samples were tested to analyze the quality of groundwater for agriculture and livestock. The parameters included pH, Ec, and TDS, were tested. Results showed that 14 samples were found to be fit, 23 were marginally fit and 71 were declared unfit for agricultural consumption. The results of CCME water quality index were also in favour of lab reports. Most wheat-growing farmers were using gypsum as a remedial measure to minimize the side effects of poor groundwater quality. Few farmers were using farmyard manure to improve groundwater quality. There are many factors that influence the adoption of remedial measures to compensate for the poor groundwater. Farmers were facing a few limitations that compelled them to avoid incurring any further costs in order to improve groundwater quality. The financial constraint was the main issue. The endogenous switching regression model was used for data analysis. The findings revealed that family workers, experience, education, and soil quality positively impact remedial measures adoption. The study recommended that proper groundwater quality monitoring is required on a regular basis. Farmers should be educated regarding the proper use of gypsum. The sewerage system was absent in many villages of the study area. To avoid the further leaching of hazardous materials into groundwater, it is critical to construct an effective waste management system.

CHRO firm dinosaur versus CHRO role gorilla: the effect of CHRO company and role tenure on firms’ social performance

Academics and practitioners emphasize the rising importance of Chief Human Resource Officers (CHROs). CHROs act as heads of staff—they motivate the personnel and offer guidance. This study helps clarify the impact of increasingly relevant CHROs and reveals how their company and role tenure influence firms’ social performance. Drawing on a multisource longitudinal dataset of S&P 500 firms, we empirically validate our hypotheses. The sample contains 283 companies with 1944 firm-year observations from 2005 to 2017 and combines manually collected top management team data with data from Thomson Reuters Datastream. Our results show that there is a negative relation between CHROs with long company tenure and firms’ social performance, whereas CHROs with long role tenure positively relate to firms’ social performance. We also investigate the moderating role of CEO prior experience (i.e., HR experience, education, company and role experience) on the effect of CHRO company and role tenure on firms’ social performance. Surprisingly, CEO prior experience negatively moderates the relationship between CHRO role tenure and firms’ social performance. Overall, this article offers novel implications for the CHRO role and uncovers a distinction between two types of CHROs: CHRO firm dinosaurs versus CHRO role gorillas.

FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE THE DECISION TO ELECT YOUNG VOTERS IN THE 2020 ELECTIONS

The Covid-19 pandemic has made the government work harder to adapt to conditions that are still critical. All areas of life have undergone very significant changes so that the government pays special attention to immediately make new policies by innovating so that everything returns to normal. In times like today, the government needs an update that brings changes for the better. Brilliant thoughts and ideas are needed to be able to lift Indonesia to adapt to the situation. One of them can start by improving human resources in the government sector with the implementation of the simultaneous Regional Head Elections in 2020 later, the elected people will become the channel for public aspirations to work together in synergy to overcome the current pandemic situation. Public participation is needed to choose which candidates are ready to devote their bodies and mind to Indonesia. Therefore, it is important to know the track record of regional head candidates because it will impact their performance in the next leadership period. In addition, social political culture can shape the personality and thoughts of a group. The purpose of this study is to find out and empirically test the influence of the track record of regional head candidates, government financial information, and political culture on the decision to choose young voters in the 2020 Pilkada. The method used in this research is quantitative with a questionnaire technique and analyzed by Smart PLS. The population used active students class 2017 at UPN "Veteran" East Java. The results show that work experience, education level, socio-economic background of regional head candidates, government financial information, and political culture positively and significantly impact the decision to choose young voters in the 2020 simultaneous elections. Keywords: Track Record, Financial Information, Political Culture, Regional Head Election 2020, Luder Contingency Model

Students with Special Educational Needs: Explaining Their Social Integration and Self-Concept

Social integration of special need students is viewed as a necessary phenomenon for the skills&rsquo; development which adds quality to their lives and provides them with satisfaction. This study explores the perception and attitude of the teachers towards social integration as a general school policy. A total of 150 individuals were selected from the integrated primary schools in KSA. Survey approach was employed to collect data using a close-ended questionnaire which was then statistically analysed. The results revealed that there is a positive impact of the social integration upon the special needs students. A statistically significant difference was found among participants based on their experience, education, and age. Moreover, there was significant difference in the attitudes of participants with Diploma in Education qualifications and Bachelor in Education qualifications towards integration. The study concluded that the implementation of the integrated school as general policy should be considered and an effective teacher training curriculum with special needs courses should be introduced.

Effects of Soil and Water Conservation at Different Landscape Positions on Soil Properties and Farmers’ Perception in Hobicheka Sub-Watershed, Southern Ethiopia

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of soil and water conservation (soil bund with desho grass and soil bund only) at different landscape positions on selected soil properties and farmers’ perception in the Hobicheka sub-watershed (with an area of 400 ha) of Kechabira District. Composite soil samples were taken from soil bunds with desho grass and soil bunds only at three landscape positions with three replications, whereas 117 respondents were identified using simple random sampling. The result revealed that the clay, soil moisture content, soil pH, OC, TN, Av.P, and CEC were higher in soil bund with desho grass as compared to adjacent soil bund only, whereas, bulk density, silt, and sand contents were higher in adjacent soil bund only compared to soil bund with desho grass. About 83.5% of the respondents were users of soil and water conservation measures and among them, 40.19% perceived that soil bund with desho grass has an effect on soil properties, while 25.35% perceived that soil bund only had better soil and water conservation practices. Respondents’ years of experience, education level, and access to soil and water conservation extension services significantly ( p ≤ 0.1 ) affected their perception of the use of soil bunds with desho grass. Therefore, soil bund with desho grass at appropriate landscape positions by considering farmer perception improves the soil’s physicochemical properties.

Farmers’ perception and economic impact assessment of agromet advisory services in rainfed regions of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh

All India Coordinated Research Project on Agrometeorology (AICRPAM) of ICAR has started the micro-level Agromet Advisory Service (AAS) through its 25 cooperative centers across the country. Microlevel advisory based on weather forecast is the newer dimension of the AAS in the country. Studies on economic impact of these micro-level advisories are uncommon. Therefore, the present study was conducted using the field survey to assess the farmer’s perception and economic impact of micro-level AAS in Vijayapura and Anantapur centers on pilot basis. Two groups i.e. AAS and non-AAS farmers, consisting of 40 farmers in each group were selected through multi-stage stratified random sampling technique. The probit regression model was employed to assess the factors influencing willingness to pay (WTP) for AAS. Majority of farmers (65%) rated micro-level AAS as ‘very good’ on scale of ‘very poor’ to ‘very good’. Majority of non-AAS farmers were aware about micro-level AAS but lagged in adopting the service. It needs further detailed investigation of underlying causes of not adopting the service. Farming experience, education, land holding size and income were found to be most important factors influencing the farmer’s willingness for pay-based services. Results of economic impact revealed that there was 12 to 33 per cent increase in profit for AAS farmers as compared to non-AAS farmers.