Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal

Advancing E-Learning Adoption in Saudi Arabia: Extending TAM with Multi-Level External Variables and Accessibility

Raghad Alsubaie — 2025-12-06

This study explores the key factors influencing the adoption of E-learning systems among undergraduate students in Saudi Arabia by extending the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) with multi-level external variables. These include individual-level factors (self-efficacy, enjoyment, computer anxiety), cultural-level (subjective norms, experience), and system-level (content quality). Furthermore, the study examines the moderating effect of accessibility on the relationships between perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and intention to use Blackboard as a representative E-learning platform. Data collected from 400 undergraduate students at Shaqra University and analyzed using PLS-SEM. The findings indicated that self-efficacy significantly predicts perceived ease of use but not perceived usefulness. Subjective norms positively influenced only perceived usefulness. Enjoyment and experience positively affected both perceived ease of use and usefulness, while computer anxiety negatively impacts ease of use alone. Content quality demonstrates a strong positive effect on both core TAM constructs. Accessibility moderates the relationship between ease of use and intention to use Blackboard. Aligned with Saudi Vision 2030’s educational goals, these findings highlight the importance of digital infrastructure, skill development, and inclusive access in shaping students’ adoption of E-learning technologies.

Diversity and Integration or Hannibal Intra Portas?

Apostolia Matziouri — 2025-12-16

According to the Old Testament «When the Most High divided the nations, as He scattered the sons of Adam, He set the boundaries of the nations according to the number of the angels of God». (Deuteronomy 32:8-9). Therefore, every mass movement and settlement of people in foreign lands is condemned. Especially, when it has elements of invasion (dictated for example by a specific religion), the deliberate population transfer for demographic alteration, is considered poaching-colonisation and should be condemned under the Article 49 of the Geneva Treaty (1949), the violation of which, results in penal sanctions (Article 146). Even more so, when the inhumane crimes at the expense of the natives committed by the conqueror are equal to war crimes (Article 147). Therefore, we have been in a state of war. But what do the United Nations do about it? They have been always very selective about when to mediate and in favour of whom. What do Western state leaders do? Demonstrations have recently been recorded in various parts of the Western world against illegal immigration as a reaction to the explosion of crime and the alteration of morals, customs, profile and principles of the West, while all that talk that was developed over the past years, trying to blur the image that stood in front of our eyes is no longer convincing. The purpose of this article is not to bridge a gap in the name of a peaceful coexistence but to disillusion by revealing what is behind the curtain and the role played by key people in positions of power and/or in the public eye.

A Community Informatics Framework for Enhancing Digital Capability Among Mature Women: A Conceptual Model for the Trefoil Guild Melaka

Muhammad Suhaizan Sulong — 2025-12-13

Digital capability has become essential for participation in social, civic, and organisational life, yet mature women continue to experience persistent obstacles that inhibit effective digital engagement. Although Malaysia’s digital transformation initiatives—such as the Malaysia Digital Economy Blueprint (MyDIGITAL)—have expanded infrastructural access, national-level improvements do not automatically translate into sustained capability among older women. Their digital trajectories are shaped more significantly by learning environments, community expectations, organisational routines, and trust in data use practices than by technology availability alone. Within voluntary organisations such as the Trefoil Guild Melaka, members express interest in using digital tools but face barriers related to unfamiliar interfaces, inconsistent workflows, device limitations, and uncertainty surrounding the sharing, storage, and governance of community-generated data. Drawing on Digital Capability Theory, Community Informatics (CI), Sociotechnical Systems (STS), and emerging literature on Community Data Governance, this paper proposes a Community Informatics–Based Digital Capability Framework tailored to mature women’s learning and participation contexts. This expanded conceptual model explains how social learning environments, sociotechnical alignment, and transparent data practices jointly shape confidence, skill development, digital agency, and sustained organisational participation. The model consolidates theoretical insights, clarifies mechanisms linking community practices to capability outcomes, and offers a foundation for empirical evaluation. Implications for programme design, leadership decisions, and community data stewardship are discussed to support mature women’s empowerment in digitally mediated environments.

Whose Bodies Matter? Exploring Historical Flows and Fractures in Indian Reproductive Norms

Ami Sahgal — 2025-12-16

Sexual and reproductive health (SRH), especially for women, continues to be stigmatised and silenced across cultures. The female body in Asia has long been a site of control, contestation, and power. As scholars suggest, it is embedded in a patriarchal arrangement of gender relations. Yet, this story is not a linear narrative. Religion, colonialism, caste, class, and capitalism, amongst other social forces, have continually reshaped gendered realities, producing distinct rights, struggles, and lived experiences across Asian nations. This paper examines India - the world’s most populous country - at the intersection of women’s SRH law(s), histories, and practice. India’s legal framework regarding SRH is comparatively liberal, but translating it from theory to practice requires our focus. To challenge patriarchal structures, it is necessary to trace their roots. Ancient Indian medical texts elucidate health issues, contain detailed medical treatises; however, the question stays. Were women’s needs ever conceptualised beyond fertility? By tracing continuities and ruptures in reproductive health discourse - from early expositions to contemporary debates and data figures on menstruation, reproduction, and abortion - we interrogate whether the female body has ever been truly centred on its own terms. The analysis bridges historical and sociological perspectives with field-based insights, mapping how rights-based narratives continue to challenge entrenched hierarchies. In doing so, we aim to offer a feminist vision for sustaining and democratising SRH rights and realities in India and beyond, in alignment with the SDG goals.

Influence of Parental Perception on Students’ Willingness to Pursue Vocational Careers: A Synthesis of Literature

Margaret George Kennedy — 2025-12-07

This position paper examines the influence of parental perception on students’ willingness to pursue vocational careers, drawing on a synthesis of current literature from African and Asian contexts. Findings consistently demonstrate that parents’ beliefs, expectations, cultural values, and understanding of vocational pathways significantly shape students’ career decisions. In many societies, vocational education is perceived as inferior to academic professions, contributing to stigma, low enrolment, and reduced student confidence in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET). Misconceptions about income potential, global relevance of skilled trades, and employment opportunities further reinforce negative parental attitudes. Conversely, studies show that when parents are informed about the economic and developmental benefits of vocational careers, they become strong advocates for their children’s participation. The paper argues that school counsellors play a central role in reshaping parental perceptions and supporting evidence-based career guidance. A gap remains in the literature regarding structured parent-focused interventions and culturally responsive counselling models that can realign parental beliefs with contemporary labour market realities. The paper concludes with suggestions for policy, school counselling practice, and parental engagement strategies aimed at improving students’ willingness to pursue vocational careers.

Psychological and Psychiatric Correlates of Herpes Labialis

Kinneret Weissler — 2025-12-16

Herpes labialis (HL) has been studied very little from a psychological point of view despite its interest as a relatively nonsevere affliction and a cognate disorder to herpes genitalis, that has been studied extensively. The purpose was to study the psychological correlates of HL in several domains so as to establish whether there is a psychological profile characteristic for HL. The subjects were 89 HL patients recruited from three outpatient clinics and 92 controls matched in demographic characteristics to the HL patients. The subjects were administered instruments assessing personality dimensions (the Eysenck Personality Inventory), emotional tendencies (the Profile of Mood States and the Schalling-Sifneos scale of alexithymia) and psychiatric features (the Brief Symptom Inventory by Derogatis). The results showed that HL patients differed from controls in scoring significantly lower on anxiety and psychoticism (each according to two instruments), obsessive-compulsive tendencies, interpersonal sensitivity (inferiority) and alexithymia and in scoring higher on defensiveness, and the emotions of anger, vigor and interest. A discriminant analysis with the psychiatric scales as predictors enabled correct identification of 73% (p < .001) of the subjects. The conclusions are that there is a psychological profile chracteristic of HL, that it differs from that identified for herpes genitalis and that it is characterised by better mental health features than in the controls.

Design Principles for a Community Informatics–Driven Data Integration Platform: A Conceptual Architecture for the Trefoil Guild Melaka

Azlianor Abdul-Aziz — 2025-12-13

Community-based organisations increasingly rely on digital systems to support membership coordination, activity tracking, and capability-building programs. However, small volunteer-led associations often lack platforms that reflect their community values, participatory practices, and user-centered needs. This paper proposes a conceptual data-integration architecture for the Trefoil Guild Melaka, guided by contemporary perspectives in Community Informatics, Participatory Information Systems, and User-Centered Design. Adopting a conceptual modeling approach rather than empirical evaluation, the paper synthesises socio-technical frameworks to outline an integrated platform comprising membership, activity-tracking, and capability-building modules. The contribution is both theoretical and methodological, demonstrating how socio-technical principles can inform platform design for grassroots organisations and support digital inclusion, collective agency, and participatory engagement. The discussion also highlights implications for digital empowerment strategies, participatory system development, and future implementation pathways, emphasizing how carefully conceptualised architectures can provide community-driven organisations with sustainable trajectories for digital transformation.

Using Audio-Visual Aids to Improve the Concept of Dentition in Second Year Science Students at Mfantsipim School

John Ekow Mbir Amoah — 2025-12-16

This action research investigated the effects in using audio-visual materials on the academic performance of second year science students of Mfantsipim School in the concept dentition in humans. An action research design was used with a sample of 43 students. The main instruments for data gathering were tests (pre-test and post-test) The pre-test results revealed generally low performance, with a mean score of 10.77, whereas after the intervention with audio-visual aids (videos, diagrams, interactive presentations), the post-test mean rose significantly to 16.63. A paired-samples t-test showed that this improvement was statistically significant (t (42) = 15.842, p = 2.54 × 10⁻¹⁹ < 0.05), confirming that the intervention impacted positively on student achievement. The results further demonstrated that fewer students scored in the lower scores after the intervention, while more attained higher marks (including scores of 26–30, which was absent in the pre-test). The findings suggest that the use of audio-visual materials not only enhanced comprehension and retention but also fostered greater student engagement and interest in science learning. It was recommended that, biology teachers should adopt audio-visual materials in teaching complex topics. Whilst, regular workshops should be organized to train teachers in the effective use of technology in teaching.

Determinants of Health Seeking Behaviour among Typhoid Fever Patients in Buea Health District, Cameroon

Gansey Carine Kunlohmi — 2025-12-16

Despite the availability of effective biomedical treatments, typhoid fever remains endemic in Buea Health District, Cameroon, underscoring a critical gap between disease awareness and health-seeking behavior (HSB). This article aimed to examine how knowledge of typhoid transmission influences HSB among residents with typhoid symptoms in Buea Health District. Guided by Avedis Donabedian’s Theory of Healthcare Quality, which postulates that the quality of care is determined by the interrelationship between healthcare structures, processes, and outcomes, the study explored how system-level and individual factors shape decisions to seek medical treatment. Methodologically, a quantitative cross-sectional survey was conducted among 150 adults selected through systematic sampling in selected health facilities. Data were collected using structured questionnaires and analysed using descriptive statistics and multiple linear regressions. Findings revealed that demographic factors, particularly age, significantly influenced HSB, with individuals under 30 years comprising 68.7% of respondents and demographic variables showing a strong positive relationship with care-seeking (β = 0.064, p = 0.003). Conversely, socio-economic factors such as income and occupation, while positively correlated, were not statistically significant predictors (β = 0.031, p = 0.355). Although 61.3% of respondents correctly identified contaminated water as a transmission route and 50% linked typhoid to poor sanitation, knowledge of transmission showed no significant impact on HSB (β = 0.012, p = 0.732). The model explained 45.3% of the variance in HSB (R² = 0.453). These findings imply that health interventions in Buea should shift from generalised education to demographically focused strategies. It is recommended that public health policy prioritize youth-centered outreach including mobile clinics, peer education, and digital campaigns; to improve timely and appropriate health-seeking behaviors.