The Impact of Social Support on the College Enrollment Aspirations of Ethnic Minority Vocational Students: A Case Study of a Modern Industrial College in Xinjiang

/in /by

In recent years, China has been striving to enhance the quality of the population in ethnic minority areas, promote local talent cultivation, and accelerate local economic development by increasing investment in basic education resources and expanding enrollment in higher education. This study conducted semi-structured interviews with 27 ethnic minority students from a modern industrial college in Xinjiang to explore the influence of social support on academic aspirations. Employing qualitative research methods and drawing on the interview outline by Wang (2020), supported by Ajzen’s (1991) Theory of Planned Behavior, the study concludes that national policies, schools, teachers, and parents influence the academic aspirations of ethnic minority students. Based on these findings, the study suggests the effective implementation of relevant national policies and calls for schools, teachers, and parents to pay attention to and encourage the academic aspirations of ethnic minority students. This study inspires future scholars to pay more attention to the academic aspirations of ethnic minority students, aiming to provide them with more assistance and improve the overall education level of ethnic minority students.

Examining the Factors Influencing Parents’ Preschool Selection in Malaysia Post-COVID-19

/in /by

The COVID-19 pandemic brought about significant disruptions and transformations in the operations of preschools across Malaysia. Consequently, parents’ decision-making process when choosing a preschool for their children has become less straightforward. This study aims to elucidate the factors that influence parents’ selection of preschools. A questionnaire survey was conducted involving 70 parents of preschool children enrolled in four kindergartens in Malaysia. Descriptive and ANOVA analyses were employed to assess the levels of various factors and their interrelationships. Our findings uncovered nine key post-COVID-19 elements that impact parents’ decisions when selecting a preschool: culture, religion, teachers, curriculum, safety, practical considerations, management, reputation, and facilities. These factors exert varying levels of influence on parents’ preschool choices. Among these factors, safety, the curriculum and educational philosophy, and the practical aspects of a preschool emerged as the top three considerations for parents. The results revealed a significant disparity in parents’ preschool selection based on income levels. Lower-income parents displayed less enthusiasm for preschools that required substantial parental support for blended online learning than their higher-income counterparts. These findings offer valuable insights into the criteria parents use to choose a preschool for their children, shedding light on their specific needs and expectations.

The Effectiveness of Policies to Accelerate the Elimination of Extreme Poverty in Indonesia (A Case Study on the Implementation of Presidential Instruction Number 4 of 2022 in Kediri County)

/in /by

The purpose of this study is to describe and analyze the effectiveness of policies to accelerate the elimination of extreme poverty in 2024, including in Kediri County.  This research process uses a qualitative approach and the type of research is a case study, which was conducted in Kediri County, East Java Province, Indonesia. The research was conducted with in-depth interviews with 6 (six) key informants from 7 (seven) Regional Apparatus Work Units (SKPD) who are considered to represent SKPD. The focus of this research is the effectiveness of policies to accelerate the elimination of extreme poverty. Data collection techniques using interviews for primary data and documentation for secondary data. The analysis technique used content analysis The conclusions of this study are: First, The Central Government has issued Presidential Instruction Number 4 of 2022 concerning the Acceleration of the Elimination of Extreme Poverty. Kedua, The implementation of Presidential Instruction Number 4 of 2022 requires integration, synergy and cooperation between ministries and local governments, so that Ketiga, the effectiveness of the implementation of policies to accelerate poverty eradication is less effective due to communication system constraints in cooperation between ministries and local governments, especially in human resource management and funding.

Role of Handicraft in Tourism Promotion and Economic Empowerment in Nigeria

/in /by

The paper examined the role of traditional handicraft in tourism promotion and economic empowerment in Nigeria. The paper highlighted concept of handicraft and craftsmanship. The types of Nigerian traditional handicrafts; the cultural significance of arts and handicrafts were highlighted. The potentials of traditional handicrafts in tourism development and economic empowerment such as job creation, revenue generation; and increase in foreign exchange earnings to the country were established based on the revenue literature. Challenges in the development of arts and craft industries in Nigeria and strategies to overcome them were examined. The reviewed literature established that handicrafts are essential parts of tourists’ experience in a destination. It was revealed that traditional handicrafts play significant roles in preserving the cultural heritage of a region as it symbolizes cultural identity. The reviewed literature indicated that traditional handicrafts attracts tourists to a destination as they are interested in purchasing crafts with symbolic meanings, as souvenirs to take to their homeland as memory of the place visited. Handicrafts also has the potential for job creation by providing source of income to those who engage in producing them, and also increase the foreign exchange earnings of the country as the foreign tourist purchase them. However, in Nigeria the performance of the arts and handicraft sector is far below its potentials due to the various challenges faced by the sector which among others include: lack of funding and non-financial support if form of policies by the government and its agencies to favor the growth of the sector; lack of collaboration between the handicraft producers and stakeholders in the tourism sector on product design to meet the market demands (needs of the tourists, poor marketing strategies which result in low patronage of arts and craft products; and scarcity strategies to overcome the challenges were also suggested which among others includes: Government granting both financial and non-financial support in form of funding and policies to favor the development of the arts and handicraft sector; collaboration and synergy between the art/craft sector and tourism sector for mutual benefits and promote cultural tourism, development of art/craft centres where artisans of the same trade can network and improve the quality of their products and also form co-operative society to make it easier to approach government for financial and non-financial help; and also develop marketing strategies for quick and profitable sales of their products both locally and globally.