Volume 14 | Issue 2 |

 Abstract

The impact of life skills training on teaching and learning practices among teacher candidates was investigated in this study, with a focus on evaluating life skills changes before and after the intervention and examining how they relate to particular demographic traits. Using a quasi-experimental pre-test-post-test design with no control group, 153 teacher trainees enrolled in pre-service teacher education programs were included. A standardized Life Skills Questionnaire with 30 items covering six core domains--self-awareness, empathy, creative and critical thinking, decision-making, and stress management--was used to collect the data. The intervention included planned training sessions with the goal of enhancing classroom management, communication, problem-solving, and decision-making skills through interactive and experiential methods. ANOVA, paired t-tests, and descriptive statistics were used in statistical analyses to assess demographic correlations and mean differences; significance was set at p < 0.05. The overall life skills score increased significantly from 113.29 in the pre-test to 129.26 in the post-test (t = -8.863, p < 0.001), indicating the effectiveness of the life skills training. After the intervention, the majority of participants (94.1%) moved into the high life skills group, and the improvement of life skills was strongly correlated with both gender and the medium of instruction. The study emphasizes how important it is to incorporate life skills instruction into teacher preparation programs in order to develop reflective, sensitive, and flexible teachers. The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 states that in order to improve lifetime learning and comprehensive professional development, life skills training should be incorporated into pre-service and in-service teacher education programs.

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 Keywords

Pedagogical approaches, life skills education, teacher candidates and life skills.

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This paper explores the complex intersections of gender, sexuality and homo-nationalism in Indian English fiction through a critical analysis of Arundhati Roy's "The Ministry of Utmost Happiness (2017)". Engaging with queer theoretical frameworks, particularly Judith Butler's notion of gender performativity and Jasbir Puar's concept of homo-nationalism, the study examines how the Indian nation-state selectivity incorporates certain queer identities to project an image of progressiveness while continuing to marginalize others who do not conform to dominant cultural, religious and political norms.

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 Keywords

Gender, Sexuality, Homo-Nationalism, Indian English fiction, Queer Theory)

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Women's are the wealth of the world. She is working equally to that of men in all the fields, subjected to various injustices and inequalities at every stage of work life. However, another reality of Indian society is that over the past few years, the issue of women's safety has become a prime focus of public attention and concern as there is fear of sexual violence against them. Sexual harassment at workplace has been recognized as a violation of human rights and it is considered as a crime which violates the dignity and respect of a women. It is yet another form of violence reflecting patriarchal mind sets and gender based discrimination that women experience at work. It reduces the quality of working life, jeopardizes the well-being of women. Sexual harassment which was otherwise invisible menace until quite recently, has now become a major social problem with the widespread entry of women as a work force. Supreme Court decided several landmark cases that set forth new and broader standards for holding employers liable when management-level employees engage in conduct that creates a hostile environment for women subordinates. Meanwhile 'The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act, 2013' was enacted to overcome this problem. But, most Indian employers have not implemented the law despite the legal requirement that any workplace with more than 10 employees need to implement it. The government has threatened to take stern action against employers who fail to comply with this law. Hence it is focused that employers must ensure that their workplace harassment prevention policies and all other policies are up-to-date and are effectively communicated to each employee. The policy should clearly define what constitutes harassing behaviour, and the employer should reinforce a zero-tolerance response and outline the range of disciplinary consequences for harassers.

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ENSURING GENDER - SAFE WORKPLACES: THE ROLE AND LIABILITY OF EMPLOYER

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EDM has become an important and cost-effective method of machining extremely tough and brittle electrically conductive materials. It is widely used in the process of making mould/dies, automobile and electronics industries where intricate complex shapes need to be machined in very hard materials. The work piece material selected in this experiment is AISI 304 Stainless steel taking into account its wide usage in industrial applications and it is very difficult to machine by conventional machining. The tool material selected in this experiment is copper based on the good electrical conductivity compared to other tool materials like brass, tellurium copper and graphite. In this work, the influence of variable process parameters such as pulse current, pulse on time, pulse off time, open circuit voltage, gap distance and machining time over performance characteristics like material removal rate, tool wear rate, and different aspects of surface integrity for AISI 304. Stainless steel such as topography of machined surface, crack formation will be investigated. The variations of material removal rate, tool wear rate versus input machining parameters will be optimized by using Response Surface Methodology which allows us to get best output characteristics.

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 Keywords

EDM, TWR, MRR, Stainless steel, Copper

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The rapid growth of digital payment systems has led to a significant increase in credit card fraud, creating serious financial and security challenges. This study proposes a machine learning-based framework for detecting fraudulent transactions using historical transaction data. The approach emphasizes data preprocessing, feature engineering, and handling class imbalance to improve detection accuracy. Multiple supervised learning models, including Logistic Regression, Random Forest, and XGBoost, are implemented and evaluated using precision, recall, and F1-score. Experimental results show that ensemble methods, particularly Random Forest and XGBoost, provide superior performance for fraud detection under highly imbalanced conditions. The proposed framework enhances real-time transaction monitoring and helps reduce financial losses.

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 Keywords

Credit Card Fraud Detection, Machine Learning, Random Forest, XGBoost, Imbalanced Data, Anomaly Detection, Financial Fraud, Supervised Learning

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Career selection is one of the most significant decisions in an individual's life. However, traditional career counseling systems often provide generalized guidance that does not consider individual differences, evolving industry demands, or emerging technologies. The rapid transformation of the global job market, influenced by artificial intelligence (AI), automation, and digitalization, has created the need for intelligent, adaptive, and personalized career guidance systems. This research paper presents a personalized career guidance system powered by artificial intelligence techniques such as machine learning (ML), natural language processing (NLP), and predictive analytics. The proposed system analyzes academic performance, skills, interests, aptitude, and personality traits to generate customized career recommendations. It also integrates real-time labor market insights and skill gap analysis to ensure industry-relevant suggestions. The study explores system architecture, methodology, recommendation processes, applications, challenges, ethical considerations, and future scope. The findings suggest that AI-based systems significantly improve recommendation accuracy, scalability, and user satisfaction compared to traditional counseling models. This research highlights the transformative role of AI in building future-ready career decision frameworks.

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 Keywords

Artificial Intelligence, Career Guidance, Machine Learning, Personalized Recommendation System, Skill Gap Analysis, NLP

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Background: Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) is an effective and evidence-based treatment modality used in psychiatric practice for severe mental illnesses. Safe administration of ECT depends largely on the competency of nursing personnel responsible for preparation, assistance during the procedure, monitoring, and post-procedure care. Inadequate knowledge and skill in handling ECT equipment may compromise patient safety and treatment outcomes. Objectives: 1. To assess the competency of nurses in handling Electroconvulsive Therapy equipment. 2. To evaluate nurses' knowledge and practical skills related to ECT machine operation. 3. To determine the association between competency levels and selected demographic variables. Methods: A quantitative descriptive research design was adopted in a selected hospital at Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh. Staff nurses working in psychiatric wards were selected using a convenient sampling technique. Data were collected using a structured knowledge questionnaire and competency observational checklist. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: The study findings indicated variation in competency levels among nurses. Majority demonstrated moderate competency, while a smaller proportion showed high competency in ECT equipment handling. Competency levels were significantly associated with professional experience and previous training exposure. Conclusion: The study concluded that continuous competency-based training and regular skill enhancement programmes are essential to improve nurses' performance in handling ECT equipment and to ensure patient safety during psychiatric procedures.

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 Keywords

Electroconvulsive Therapy, Nursing Competency, Psychiatric Nursing, ECT Equipment, Staff Nurses, Mental Health Hospital.

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This study examined the impact of Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 as enforced in Barangay Macanaya, Aparri, Cagayan. Specifically, it determined the level of community awareness regarding selected commonly violated provisions of the law, assessed the perceived extent of its implementation, and identified the perceived effects of its enforcement in the community. A mixed-method descriptive research design was employed. Data were collected from thirty community respondents using a structured questionnaire anchored on Sections 5, 6, 8, 11, 15, and 16 of RA 9165. A three-point Likert scale was used to measure awareness and extent of implementation, while Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) tested significant differences. Results showed that respondents were "Very Much Aware" of the provisions of the law (overall mean = 2.61) and perceived its implementation as "Well Implemented" (overall mean = 2.67). Significant differences were found across provisions in both awareness and perceived implementation (p < .05). Qualitative findings revealed perceived reductions in drug-related activities and increased compliance with the law, although some respondents expressed fear associated with enforcement operations. The study concludes that enforcement of RA 9165 in the barangay is perceived as effective, but sustained community education and balanced implementation strategies are recommended.

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 Keywords

Republic Act 9165, community awareness, drug law enforcement, policy implementation, Philippines

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Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 and The Open Definition

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Social media has become an integral part of college students in their daily part of their normal life. Students are addicted to the different platforms in social media with an impact of reducing the self- esteem levels. Social media usage have a negative impact in one's self esteem how it can potentially have positive effect. This impacted student's social interaction, emotional bond, self- perception. With this view an effort has been made to review the concept of self-esteem and social media addiction among college students by reviewing 10 selected research articles found by using databases like Google Scholar, Research gate only 5 articles are selected based inclusion criteria other articles are excluded from the study. This study explores the relationship between self-esteem and social media addiction among college students, aiming to understand how excessive engagement with social media influences self-perception of an individual. Research provides a positive correlation between media addiction and self-esteem through excessive screen exposure, frequent comparison with online portrayals and emotional reliance on social networking platforms were identified as major factors contributing to decreased self-worth. The findings suggest that moderate and interactive use of social media may positively influence self-esteem by fostering social connection, peer support, and a sense of belonging.

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Social-media, Addiction of media, Self-esteem, College Students.

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Language proficiency is the cornerstone of academic writing, as it ensures the structuring of complex ideas with a clear, consistent flow, thereby providing clarity of thought. Expressing ideas clearly is an integral part of writing. ESL learners often struggle to organise their ideas coherently. When a text is said to be coherent, it is built on a sequence of thoughts, expressed in a language that follows the metrics and mechanics of good writing skills. At the tertiary level, learners are expected to have basic or average knowledge of writing skills, as they are likely to write large content of text at this stage of education. Boosting their competence in their use of language can help them excel in their writing as well as communication. To cultivate language proficiency among tertiary learners, this study designed an instructional Task-based Language Teaching framework that can be followed in the classrooms. This framework would benefit learners to a great extent as it encourages them to be active participants in an activity-based environment. TBLT encourages the practical use of language in real-life situations, it helps them boost their competence. A structured framework is designed based on the cyclical frameworks of Willis, Ellis, and Skehan. In this framework, each component of writing is paired with a functional task to promote effective language learning. Ultimately, this pedagogy shifts the focus toward learner autonomy. Integrating activity-based learning can systematically improve the writing proficiency of ESL tertiary learners, helping them to bridge the gap between fragmented ideas and level them to professional academic discourse.

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 Keywords

Language Proficiency, Task-Based Language Teaching, Academic Writing, ESL tertiary level learners, activity-based learning

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Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 and The Open Definition