Dr. Naeem Akhtar | SZABIST (szabist.edu.pk) (original) (raw)
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Papers by Dr. Naeem Akhtar
Impact of Multitasking on Students' Performance, 2020
This research has been created to analyze the adverse effects that result from the increase use o... more This research has been created to analyze the adverse effects that result from the increase use of electronic devices for multitasking on the academic performance of the students. The research has specifically examined whether increase use of electronic/technological devices like mobile phones and laptops that students utilize for the purpose of multitasking is undermining their concentration on their studies, reducing their grades and increasing their dropout rates within their educational institutes (such as universities). To carry out the analysis within this research, the methodology of quantitative research was used and a questionnaire was administered on a sample size of 100 students (by conducting a survey) who were selected from a degree awarding institute after utilizing convenience sampling technique. To analyze the impact of explanatory variable (i.e., multitasking on laptops and mobile phones) on explained variables (i.e., poor grades, increased drop-out rates, and loss of concentration) the statistical technique of regression analysis was used. Moreover, to further validate the relationship between dependent and independent variables of this research, the analysis of correlation was also utilized in the research. Finally, to assess the reliability of scale associated with each variable, the Cronbach Alpha analysis technique was also used within the research. The findings of the study concluded that multitasking on mobiles phones and laptop devices was significantly undermining the academic performance of the students by decreasing their concentration on the studies, reducing their grades in the courses, and increasing their drop-out rates.
International Journal of Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity, 2020
To acquire effective writing skills has been a major concern in the countries where English is ta... more To acquire effective writing skills has been a major concern in the countries where English is taught as foreign or second language. Memorization is one of the major techniques, the students use in Pakistan, to fulfill their written assignment tasks without understanding the content and context of their writing. The limitations of educational systems and untrained teachers of ESL in Pakistan do not assist the students to try the creative writing at elementary level. Considering the dilemma, this study has aimed at experimenting the impact of oral communication skills to enhance students' writing skills. Effective oral communication skills have proved handful in enhancing students' integral language skills and have contributed in developing their creative and critical thinking. This research was conducted in a private grammar school in Karachi, Pakistan. Two groups of 30 students each of grade VII participated in this experiment. The data was collected using independent sample t-test applying pre and post tests. After conducting pre-test, one group (controlled) was taught using traditional method of teaching whereas the other group (treatment) was experimented applying oral communication methods. The results showed that there was a significant positive difference in the treatment group towards creative writing skills as compare to the controlled group. Although, this study was performed using a very little sample size, the results were encouraging to further experiment this technique to enhance students creative writing skills. The study recommends persuading English teachers at elementary level in Pakistan to apply this technique to improve students' ability in creative writing.
Academic Research International, 2020
Formative assessments are valuable tools that can be used to monitor academic progress and increa... more Formative assessments are valuable tools that can be used to monitor academic progress and increase student learning. This study focused on examining their experiences with the practice. The research question that guided this study was: What are teacher's experiences with formative assessments? Cognitive sense-making framework served as a theoretical lens to explore this phenomenon. Utilizing case study, five elementary school teachers of semi-government organization participated in semi-structured interviews to discuss their experiences with the practices in English subject classroom. The themes generated in this study indicated that the participants were initially confused when first asked to implement formative assessments; however, their understanding developed over time. There were also barriers to implementation which were a lack of time and student behavior. The findings suggest that the participants would benefit from training that emphasizes introducing the learning goal at the beginning of a lesson.
Journal of Education & Educational Development, 2019
Effective communication skills demonstrate the capacity and efficacy of any business graduate; ho... more Effective communication skills demonstrate the capacity and efficacy of any business graduate; however, the business industries have continuously raised their concerns on the lack of effective business communication (BC) skills, to serve the requirements of rapidly growing communication within and outside the organizations. Among many factors, teaching methods at higher education have been identified as a major factor that does not allow working skills to be developed. Scholars and researchers have tried to explore and test Experiential Learning (EL) techniques in teaching different courses of business administration programs. EL theory presents a playfield where learners can learn the best by doing (Kolb, 1984). Although business education around the world has already inculcated EL strategies into its system, in Pakistan EL theory is at its initial stage. In this regard, the researcher developed an ERE cycle which was based on Kolb's (1984) EL theory and tested its impact on the grades of the students of oral and written communication skills. The study was conducted using one sample t-test in the paradigm of quantitative research. Three classes of BBA and MBA from oral and written communication courses were selected for this study. This research compared mean scores of these classes with the population mean over the last three years. The results showed a significant positive difference between the sample mean scores and population mean. The study proved that EL based ERE cycle could prove very effective in the enhancement of the skills of business communication students that were reflected in their performance in exams. The study aimed to provide communication faculty, trainers and institutes the opportunity to explore and utilize the effectiveness of the ERE cycle and perform further researches to extend the utilities of EL based teaching methods.
Journal of Education & Educational Development , 2017
Attaining a professional engineering degree is a dream of many pre-engineering intermediate stude... more Attaining a professional engineering degree is a dream of many pre-engineering intermediate students in Pakistan. Several students face scarcity of resources to accomplish and enliven their dreams of getting admission into an engineering institute, which results in great hardships and turmoil for them. The literature reveals that quantitative work in this area has been done to some extent, which restricts the comprehension of deeper understanding, profound feelings, perceptions, personal meanings, effects and experiences surrounding this dilemma at the time of rejection. This study has tried to ferret out the experiences of the students who could not get admission in the field of their own interest and went through the phase of uncertainty concerning their future. The research is grounded in the tradition of hermeneutic phenomenology as guided by Heidegger (1962), Gadamer (1960/2003), Casey (1993) and Levinas (1961/2004). By calling forth the philosophical and methodological tenets of this approach, the endeavor was to uncover the lived experiences of the students at the time of failure as well as how they felt about their future. A group of five students from 7
International Journal of Psycho-social Rehibilitation , 2020
English language speaking anxiety is a universal phenomenon. Several studies have been conducted... more English language speaking anxiety is a universal phenomenon. Several studies have been conducted to explore and find out the reasons behind it which unearthed many different aspects of anxiety. The purpose of this study is to find out the levels of speaking anxiety among Pakistani university students and to see if EFL speakers of Pakistan have the same factors of speaking anxiety, as pointed out in the adapted version of Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS). An adapted version of FLCAS was employed to find out the answers to these questions. The sample was taken from a public sector university comprising a total number of 512 students. The results show that, overall, the students have a low level of speaking anxiety and the adapted version of FLCAS does not completely serve the purpose of measuring the level of speaking anxiety in the Pakistani context. From this study it is recommended that a thorough study comprising other disciplines as well must be carried out to find out the factors causing speaking anxiety in Pakistani learners of English as second language
Pacific Business Review International, 2015
The growing business competitions in the world have allowed the researchers to adopt different st... more The growing business competitions in the world have allowed the researchers to adopt different strategies to go ahead of their competitors. In the last two decades, especially, it has been seen to exploit the celebrities as their brand ambassadors to put a positive impact on the customers.The research has been conducted to wirness the advertisement communication and its impact on the customers' purchase intentions with the celebrity endorsement. The survey is conducted on the students of a business university who frequently buy and sell new mobile phones. The instrument was adopted and approved by the experts of the filed in Pakistan. The sample of 300 students filled the questionnaires and data is analysed through Regression analysis. The instrument reliability is tested through Chronbach Alpha test and Factor Analysis.The results indicate that the celebrity endorsement has put a positive impact on the cusutomers' purchase intention. The customes are inclined to purchase those models of mobile phones which are endorsed by their favourite celebrities. It is,0 on the basis of results, recommended to involve famous and attractive celebrities to introduce new models of mobile phones on the market to grab the purchase intentions of the customers.
This study targets to probe the effectiveness of Communicative Language Teaching Method (CLTM) in... more This study targets to probe the effectiveness of Communicative Language Teaching Method (CLTM) in teaching recommended ELT textbooks at Intermediate level in Karachi, Pakistan to enhance students’ reading comprehension skills. The research was performed in one of the educational institutes (Commecs College, Karachi), two classes of Intermediate First Year Science Group (Pre Engineering) were chosen for this study. Group A (Vohra Group) was the controlled group and Group B (OHK Group) was the treatment group. The rationale of the study stems from the need that teaching strategies for reading comprehension should be equipped with modern and practical methodologies being practiced worldwide. This research was aimed to take broader understanding of strategies to apply Communicative Language Teaching Method (CLTM) against the Grammar Translation Method (GTM) to use ELT textbooks more effectively to enhance students’ reading comprehension skills. The Six Steps Strategies (SSS) were introduced to practice CLTM effectively. The research design adopted was the Experimental Research design within the paradigm of Quantitative Research and the results are reflected through T Test; a Pre-Test was conducted followed by a post-test to test the hypothesis. At the end of the posttest the results showed that CLTM approach proved better to enhance students’ reading comprehension skills.
The study was aimed to utilize the social networking site “facebook” in enhancing students’ learn... more The study was aimed to utilize the social networking site “facebook” in enhancing students’ learning experiences in a specialized branch of social studies i.e. Pakistan Studies at O’ levels. This subject has a vital role to play in developing a student’s personality in that befitting manner which caters his/her needs to become a responsible, patriotic and productive citizen of Pakistan. This study was conducted at an O’ levels Institution duly registered by British Council named Beacon Askari Secondary and O’ Levels School, Kazimabad, Karachi, Pakistan. Two sections of class IX were taken for conducting this research. Section OL IX-A was taught through the conventional teaching methodology whereas OL IX-B was the experimental group. Students of OL IX-B were assigned topics and were told to search related material from internet and present it pictorially while mentioning at least ten points regarding the facts, figures or important events on one side of the picture. At the end of month, a comprehensive test was taken from both the sections. Results revealed that the performance of Snr OL IX-B students was 22% better than Snr OL IX-A. It was also observed that the students of experimental group were good at debatable question hence showing their creative skills development which is the highest level of learning in cognitive domain as per Blooms Taxonomy.
The study was aimed to test the effectiveness of Information & Communication Technology (ICT) to ... more The study was aimed to test the effectiveness of Information & Communication Technology (ICT) to improve students’ Academics writing skills. Academics writings are an integral part of syllabus of English in Pakistan where English is taught as a foreign/second language. The idea to use ICT to improve students’ essay writing skills came from the increasing use of technology in Pakistan. The Educational system in Pakistan has many limitations which include obsolete teaching methodologies, limitations of syllabus and discouraging environment for the teachers which do not help many of the students to get good skills in writing. It has been observed, all over the world, the ICT has become an important part of education. Teachers use modern means of communication technologies in their teaching practices which help the students to understand the lessons better and their individual skills are enhanced by the help of these tools. However, in Pakistan, only at higher level of education ICT is being encouraged, though, it is not being practiced with full effects. The students after passing their intermediate join universities and degree awarding institutes where they are expected to have good language skills. Unfortunately, their twelve years of education had have not helped them improving language skills and especially their writing skills. The study was conducted in a degree awarding HEC recognized institute, Newports Institute of Communications & Economics, Malir Campus Karachi, Pakistan, where 34 students of BBA & BSCS programmes were selected for the study. The students were given an assignment to complete in eight academic weeks by the help of ICT. They were asked to write an essay of 3000 words on the topic of their own choices. They were guided and taught to use internet resources effectively and they were instructed to avoid plagiarism which was allowed up to 20 %. The students showed a positive response and most of the students were able to write as per instructions. Majority of the students could not keep the plagiarism they were asked but most of the students were able to keep the plagiarism less than 40 % which was quite encouraging as their first attempt in a limited time. The research demonstrated a welcoming sign of interest among the students and, the students were excited using ICT, helping to improve their academic writing skills. The Basic writing skills of the students improved significantly and the mean of the students score also rose significantly which was compared by the help of T-Test. It also suggested including ICT as a permanent tool in educational system and especially its growing effects to improve students’ academics writing skills.
Impact of Multitasking on Students' Performance, 2020
This research has been created to analyze the adverse effects that result from the increase use o... more This research has been created to analyze the adverse effects that result from the increase use of electronic devices for multitasking on the academic performance of the students. The research has specifically examined whether increase use of electronic/technological devices like mobile phones and laptops that students utilize for the purpose of multitasking is undermining their concentration on their studies, reducing their grades and increasing their dropout rates within their educational institutes (such as universities). To carry out the analysis within this research, the methodology of quantitative research was used and a questionnaire was administered on a sample size of 100 students (by conducting a survey) who were selected from a degree awarding institute after utilizing convenience sampling technique. To analyze the impact of explanatory variable (i.e., multitasking on laptops and mobile phones) on explained variables (i.e., poor grades, increased drop-out rates, and loss of concentration) the statistical technique of regression analysis was used. Moreover, to further validate the relationship between dependent and independent variables of this research, the analysis of correlation was also utilized in the research. Finally, to assess the reliability of scale associated with each variable, the Cronbach Alpha analysis technique was also used within the research. The findings of the study concluded that multitasking on mobiles phones and laptop devices was significantly undermining the academic performance of the students by decreasing their concentration on the studies, reducing their grades in the courses, and increasing their drop-out rates.
International Journal of Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity, 2020
To acquire effective writing skills has been a major concern in the countries where English is ta... more To acquire effective writing skills has been a major concern in the countries where English is taught as foreign or second language. Memorization is one of the major techniques, the students use in Pakistan, to fulfill their written assignment tasks without understanding the content and context of their writing. The limitations of educational systems and untrained teachers of ESL in Pakistan do not assist the students to try the creative writing at elementary level. Considering the dilemma, this study has aimed at experimenting the impact of oral communication skills to enhance students' writing skills. Effective oral communication skills have proved handful in enhancing students' integral language skills and have contributed in developing their creative and critical thinking. This research was conducted in a private grammar school in Karachi, Pakistan. Two groups of 30 students each of grade VII participated in this experiment. The data was collected using independent sample t-test applying pre and post tests. After conducting pre-test, one group (controlled) was taught using traditional method of teaching whereas the other group (treatment) was experimented applying oral communication methods. The results showed that there was a significant positive difference in the treatment group towards creative writing skills as compare to the controlled group. Although, this study was performed using a very little sample size, the results were encouraging to further experiment this technique to enhance students creative writing skills. The study recommends persuading English teachers at elementary level in Pakistan to apply this technique to improve students' ability in creative writing.
Academic Research International, 2020
Formative assessments are valuable tools that can be used to monitor academic progress and increa... more Formative assessments are valuable tools that can be used to monitor academic progress and increase student learning. This study focused on examining their experiences with the practice. The research question that guided this study was: What are teacher's experiences with formative assessments? Cognitive sense-making framework served as a theoretical lens to explore this phenomenon. Utilizing case study, five elementary school teachers of semi-government organization participated in semi-structured interviews to discuss their experiences with the practices in English subject classroom. The themes generated in this study indicated that the participants were initially confused when first asked to implement formative assessments; however, their understanding developed over time. There were also barriers to implementation which were a lack of time and student behavior. The findings suggest that the participants would benefit from training that emphasizes introducing the learning goal at the beginning of a lesson.
Journal of Education & Educational Development, 2019
Effective communication skills demonstrate the capacity and efficacy of any business graduate; ho... more Effective communication skills demonstrate the capacity and efficacy of any business graduate; however, the business industries have continuously raised their concerns on the lack of effective business communication (BC) skills, to serve the requirements of rapidly growing communication within and outside the organizations. Among many factors, teaching methods at higher education have been identified as a major factor that does not allow working skills to be developed. Scholars and researchers have tried to explore and test Experiential Learning (EL) techniques in teaching different courses of business administration programs. EL theory presents a playfield where learners can learn the best by doing (Kolb, 1984). Although business education around the world has already inculcated EL strategies into its system, in Pakistan EL theory is at its initial stage. In this regard, the researcher developed an ERE cycle which was based on Kolb's (1984) EL theory and tested its impact on the grades of the students of oral and written communication skills. The study was conducted using one sample t-test in the paradigm of quantitative research. Three classes of BBA and MBA from oral and written communication courses were selected for this study. This research compared mean scores of these classes with the population mean over the last three years. The results showed a significant positive difference between the sample mean scores and population mean. The study proved that EL based ERE cycle could prove very effective in the enhancement of the skills of business communication students that were reflected in their performance in exams. The study aimed to provide communication faculty, trainers and institutes the opportunity to explore and utilize the effectiveness of the ERE cycle and perform further researches to extend the utilities of EL based teaching methods.
Journal of Education & Educational Development , 2017
Attaining a professional engineering degree is a dream of many pre-engineering intermediate stude... more Attaining a professional engineering degree is a dream of many pre-engineering intermediate students in Pakistan. Several students face scarcity of resources to accomplish and enliven their dreams of getting admission into an engineering institute, which results in great hardships and turmoil for them. The literature reveals that quantitative work in this area has been done to some extent, which restricts the comprehension of deeper understanding, profound feelings, perceptions, personal meanings, effects and experiences surrounding this dilemma at the time of rejection. This study has tried to ferret out the experiences of the students who could not get admission in the field of their own interest and went through the phase of uncertainty concerning their future. The research is grounded in the tradition of hermeneutic phenomenology as guided by Heidegger (1962), Gadamer (1960/2003), Casey (1993) and Levinas (1961/2004). By calling forth the philosophical and methodological tenets of this approach, the endeavor was to uncover the lived experiences of the students at the time of failure as well as how they felt about their future. A group of five students from 7
International Journal of Psycho-social Rehibilitation , 2020
English language speaking anxiety is a universal phenomenon. Several studies have been conducted... more English language speaking anxiety is a universal phenomenon. Several studies have been conducted to explore and find out the reasons behind it which unearthed many different aspects of anxiety. The purpose of this study is to find out the levels of speaking anxiety among Pakistani university students and to see if EFL speakers of Pakistan have the same factors of speaking anxiety, as pointed out in the adapted version of Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS). An adapted version of FLCAS was employed to find out the answers to these questions. The sample was taken from a public sector university comprising a total number of 512 students. The results show that, overall, the students have a low level of speaking anxiety and the adapted version of FLCAS does not completely serve the purpose of measuring the level of speaking anxiety in the Pakistani context. From this study it is recommended that a thorough study comprising other disciplines as well must be carried out to find out the factors causing speaking anxiety in Pakistani learners of English as second language
Pacific Business Review International, 2015
The growing business competitions in the world have allowed the researchers to adopt different st... more The growing business competitions in the world have allowed the researchers to adopt different strategies to go ahead of their competitors. In the last two decades, especially, it has been seen to exploit the celebrities as their brand ambassadors to put a positive impact on the customers.The research has been conducted to wirness the advertisement communication and its impact on the customers' purchase intentions with the celebrity endorsement. The survey is conducted on the students of a business university who frequently buy and sell new mobile phones. The instrument was adopted and approved by the experts of the filed in Pakistan. The sample of 300 students filled the questionnaires and data is analysed through Regression analysis. The instrument reliability is tested through Chronbach Alpha test and Factor Analysis.The results indicate that the celebrity endorsement has put a positive impact on the cusutomers' purchase intention. The customes are inclined to purchase those models of mobile phones which are endorsed by their favourite celebrities. It is,0 on the basis of results, recommended to involve famous and attractive celebrities to introduce new models of mobile phones on the market to grab the purchase intentions of the customers.
This study targets to probe the effectiveness of Communicative Language Teaching Method (CLTM) in... more This study targets to probe the effectiveness of Communicative Language Teaching Method (CLTM) in teaching recommended ELT textbooks at Intermediate level in Karachi, Pakistan to enhance students’ reading comprehension skills. The research was performed in one of the educational institutes (Commecs College, Karachi), two classes of Intermediate First Year Science Group (Pre Engineering) were chosen for this study. Group A (Vohra Group) was the controlled group and Group B (OHK Group) was the treatment group. The rationale of the study stems from the need that teaching strategies for reading comprehension should be equipped with modern and practical methodologies being practiced worldwide. This research was aimed to take broader understanding of strategies to apply Communicative Language Teaching Method (CLTM) against the Grammar Translation Method (GTM) to use ELT textbooks more effectively to enhance students’ reading comprehension skills. The Six Steps Strategies (SSS) were introduced to practice CLTM effectively. The research design adopted was the Experimental Research design within the paradigm of Quantitative Research and the results are reflected through T Test; a Pre-Test was conducted followed by a post-test to test the hypothesis. At the end of the posttest the results showed that CLTM approach proved better to enhance students’ reading comprehension skills.
The study was aimed to utilize the social networking site “facebook” in enhancing students’ learn... more The study was aimed to utilize the social networking site “facebook” in enhancing students’ learning experiences in a specialized branch of social studies i.e. Pakistan Studies at O’ levels. This subject has a vital role to play in developing a student’s personality in that befitting manner which caters his/her needs to become a responsible, patriotic and productive citizen of Pakistan. This study was conducted at an O’ levels Institution duly registered by British Council named Beacon Askari Secondary and O’ Levels School, Kazimabad, Karachi, Pakistan. Two sections of class IX were taken for conducting this research. Section OL IX-A was taught through the conventional teaching methodology whereas OL IX-B was the experimental group. Students of OL IX-B were assigned topics and were told to search related material from internet and present it pictorially while mentioning at least ten points regarding the facts, figures or important events on one side of the picture. At the end of month, a comprehensive test was taken from both the sections. Results revealed that the performance of Snr OL IX-B students was 22% better than Snr OL IX-A. It was also observed that the students of experimental group were good at debatable question hence showing their creative skills development which is the highest level of learning in cognitive domain as per Blooms Taxonomy.
The study was aimed to test the effectiveness of Information & Communication Technology (ICT) to ... more The study was aimed to test the effectiveness of Information & Communication Technology (ICT) to improve students’ Academics writing skills. Academics writings are an integral part of syllabus of English in Pakistan where English is taught as a foreign/second language. The idea to use ICT to improve students’ essay writing skills came from the increasing use of technology in Pakistan. The Educational system in Pakistan has many limitations which include obsolete teaching methodologies, limitations of syllabus and discouraging environment for the teachers which do not help many of the students to get good skills in writing. It has been observed, all over the world, the ICT has become an important part of education. Teachers use modern means of communication technologies in their teaching practices which help the students to understand the lessons better and their individual skills are enhanced by the help of these tools. However, in Pakistan, only at higher level of education ICT is being encouraged, though, it is not being practiced with full effects. The students after passing their intermediate join universities and degree awarding institutes where they are expected to have good language skills. Unfortunately, their twelve years of education had have not helped them improving language skills and especially their writing skills. The study was conducted in a degree awarding HEC recognized institute, Newports Institute of Communications & Economics, Malir Campus Karachi, Pakistan, where 34 students of BBA & BSCS programmes were selected for the study. The students were given an assignment to complete in eight academic weeks by the help of ICT. They were asked to write an essay of 3000 words on the topic of their own choices. They were guided and taught to use internet resources effectively and they were instructed to avoid plagiarism which was allowed up to 20 %. The students showed a positive response and most of the students were able to write as per instructions. Majority of the students could not keep the plagiarism they were asked but most of the students were able to keep the plagiarism less than 40 % which was quite encouraging as their first attempt in a limited time. The research demonstrated a welcoming sign of interest among the students and, the students were excited using ICT, helping to improve their academic writing skills. The Basic writing skills of the students improved significantly and the mean of the students score also rose significantly which was compared by the help of T-Test. It also suggested including ICT as a permanent tool in educational system and especially its growing effects to improve students’ academics writing skills.