The study is an analytical investigation on morality decline with the youth at Higher Education Institutions in Swaziland. The contribution which this article has made with regard to the issues of morality is to share on how morals can be formed with the Youth at Higher Education Institutions. The study addressed the cultural and religious factors which contribute to the tendency of the youth to act in ways that are congruent with their own well-being and the welfare of others. The main objectives of the study were to analyze the extent to which tertiary institutions see the need for Pastoral care at higher education institutions. It was also to formulate a methodology for pastoral care that will be appropriate to the life situation of students in Tertiary institutions. This would prepare young people to be able to nature the next generation. Morals were shared with the recognition of religion and culture, of course without neglecting the value of education as the means of developing appropriate behavior with the youth more especially in Higher Education Institutions. Morals were also discussed looking at justice. Such that how to behave when the national laws are against human rights and the holy biblical mandate. Pastoral care was identified as the basic task of fostering the development of young people who respect themselves and others. This was the core concern for moral judgments and consequent actions in the content of moral development of young people. / Dissertation (MA(Theol))--University of Pretoria, 2013. / Practical Theology / unrestricted

With the increasingly widespread adoption of online learning, education is at an important crossroads. Spirituality and character building were once an important part of formal education. In the more secular modern era, many institutions of higher learning have neglected the spiritual aspects of teaching and learning. There is increasing academic interest in the relationship between spirituality and education. At the same time, relatively little attention has been paid to how spiritual and character development can be facilitated in online courses. This study seeks to better understand the how to develop spirituality and character building more effectively in online education through three related studies. The first article explores published research related to spirituality and education. Definitions are derived for two different perspectives, a contemporary North American view, and the Brigham Young University view. A second article reports on a quantitative analysis of how spiritually strengthening and character building, both Aims of a BYU Education, were accomplished in 63 online courses taught recently at BYU from the perspective of approximately 1730 students. The third article, “Spiritual and Character Development in Online Education from the Instructors’ Perspective”, qualitatively investigates the actions of instructors to more effectively accomplish these two Aims in their online courses based on their self-reported responses to six open-ended questions. Students responded to 77 questions (using 7-point Likert Scales) related to these two Aims. Structural Equation Modeling showed four constructs as having significant influence on their spiritual and character development: genuine caring for students (by teachers), Gospel connections, instructor’s morality, and ethics in relation to the course. Twelve subfactors of social, cognitive and teacher presence, and student engagement indicated these four subfactors related to spiritual and character development. Instructors that are more intentional and explicit also utilize active learning techniques. These ask students to do more than just read about or talk about spirituality and character development. Rather, they involve students in active learning activities such as reflecting on ethics, creating personal value statements/constitutions, and setting and periodically reporting on related goals.

With the increasingly widespread adoption of online learning, education is at an important crossroads. Spirituality and character building were once an important part of formal education. In the more secular modern era, many institutions of higher learning have neglected the spiritual aspects of teaching and learning. There is increasing academic interest in the relationship between spirituality and education. At the same time, relatively little attention has been paid to how spiritual and character development can be facilitated in online courses. This study seeks to better understand the how to develop spirituality and character building more effectively in online education through three related studies. The first article explores published research related to spirituality and education. Definitions are derived for two different perspectives, a contemporary North American view, and the Brigham Young University view. A second article reports on a quantitative analysis of how spiritually strengthening and character building, both Aims of a BYU Education, were accomplished in 63 online courses taught recently at BYU from the perspective of approximately 1730 students. The third article, “Spiritual and Character Development in Online Education from the Instructors’ Perspective”, qualitatively investigates the actions of instructors to more effectively accomplish these two Aims in their online courses based on their self-reported responses to six open-ended questions. Students responded to 77 questions (using 7-point Likert Scales) related to these two Aims. Structural Equation Modeling showed four constructs as having significant influence on their spiritual and character development: genuine caring for students (by teachers), Gospel connections, instructor’s morality, and ethics in relation to the course. Twelve subfactors of social, cognitive and teacher presence, and student engagement indicated these four subfactors related to spiritual and character development. Instructors that are more intentional and explicit also utilize active learning techniques. These ask students to do more than just read about or talk about spirituality and character development. Rather, they involve students in active learning activities such as reflecting on ethics, creating personal value statements/constitutions, and setting and periodically reporting on related goals.

Most research universities in the United States began as religiously affiliated institutions. Beginning in the late 19th century and continuing over the course of the 20th century, the vast majority of these institutions engaged in a process of secularization through which faith moved from the center of academic life to the periphery. This paper elucidates a conceptual framework for understanding how and why Brigham Young University did not follow the path of secularization that so many research universities, originally religious in nature, pursued. It examines the steps that the university and its sponsoring institution (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) took during the mid-1930s and 1940s to ensure that the university maintained its religious affiliation. These actions laid a firm foundation upon which the university rests today.

This study using a quantitative, descriptive design with a questionnaire investigated cultural, religious and social factors that might impact on ARV treatment in HIV/AIDS-infected women in Botswana. The study found that the majority never missed any doses, a few missed doses once or twice, and a small minority missed more than three times. The respondents’ perception of cultural influence on treatment of HIV/AIDS in women revealed that the majority (70%) believe culture has an influence on the treatment. Social factors also impacted on ARV adherence. A few of the respondents indicated that side effects and the number of pills prevented ARV medication adherence. The main reason for non-adherence, however, was forgetfulness. There had been an improvement in the majority of the respondents’ health status and quality of life. Maximizing adherence is essential. Providers and patients both have responsibilities in this regard. / Health Studies / M.A.(Health Studies)

This study using a quantitative, descriptive design with a questionnaire investigated cultural, religious and social factors that might impact on ARV treatment in HIV/AIDS-infected women in Botswana. The study found that the majority never missed any doses, a few missed doses once or twice, and a small minority missed more than three times. The respondents’ perception of cultural influence on treatment of HIV/AIDS in women revealed that the majority (70%) believe culture has an influence on the treatment. Social factors also impacted on ARV adherence. A few of the respondents indicated that side effects and the number of pills prevented ARV medication adherence. The main reason for non-adherence, however, was forgetfulness. There had been an improvement in the majority of the respondents’ health status and quality of life. Maximizing adherence is essential. Providers and patients both have responsibilities in this regard. / Health Studies / M.A.(Health Studies)

This research examined the relationship between spirituality and emotional intelligence among Black women in higher education. The hypotheses state that spirituality has a positive effect on emotional intelligence.Twenty-nine questions were administered to 110 participants of various demographics. The survey was used to gather data and examined three areas: level of spirituality, level of emotional intelligence, and academic satisfaction. A specific conclusion drawn from the findings suggest that Black women who identify as spiritual and frequently participate in spiritual activities will also have high emotional intelligence.

This thesis examines the implementation, enforcement and evolution of IP laws and regulations in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. The period of interest includes the last decade of the twentieth century and the first decade of the twenty first century, with emphasis on the role played by Free Trade Agreements struck between Jordan and the United States, the European Union, and Jordan’s accession to the World Trade Organization. This thesis also examines the enforcement of the current set of IP laws in Jordan, and looks at their social and economic compatibility with the Jordanian societal norms and economic realities. This thesis argues that Jordanian IP laws lack a meaningful social and economic texture, and have failed to be evenly enforced in Jordan, essentially because they do not fit the Jordanian culture and are not compatible with Jordan’s economic stage of development. Additionally, the thesis argues that IP laws have had insignificant economic impact on the Jordanian economy as the majority of technologies used in Jordan, and the majority of foreign direct investments attracted to Jordan, are not IP related. Finally, the thesis argues that the current Jordanian enforcement model, which is built on coercion by donor countries, is serving the interests of foreign companies to the exclusion of the local citizens, and will not, in the long run, produce an enforcement model based on self-regulation by Jordanians, themselves. The laws, therefore, are unable to produce tangible results for the Jordanian people, or help meet their economic interests. The last part of the thesis deals with recommendations and suggestions aimed at creating an integrated approach to the adoption of IP policies.