Census 2022 of Saudi Arabia was released recently, with 12 years of intercensal interval. Although it appeared provisional having no reports similar to the 2010 census, efforts to analyze, interpret, disseminate, and discuss were essential for building structures and systems at par with demographic trends and patterns. An analysis was carried out with this census data compared to 2004 and 2010 to track population change—demographic pace, trends, and patterns—over the two decades. Data from all three censuses were analyzed with conventional demographic techniques. A reduction in growth was observed with a declining percentage of the childhood population but with an expanding percentage of the adults (working age) indicating a demographic dividend resulted, mostly, from fertility decline. An aging trend established by the previous censuses was lost, recently: the constriction of the pyramid of 2010 was changed to a different shape. Not only the percentage distribution trends were uneven but also the age-based indices. Thus, these trends revealed a demographic difference to an extent, that demands standardized reports, uniform procedures for the data collection and compilation, and geographic distribution equations. The increasing concentration in urban centers of major administrative areas—Al-Riyadh, Makkah Al-Mokarramah, and the Eastern Region demand redistribution policies. Self-contained townships appear as a strategic option in population redistribution, guaranteeing quality standards and lifestyle.
Use of technologies and online presence is now almost inevitable in language learning. The practice of virtual exchanges (VEs) has been receiving a lot of attention among educators at all levels over the past years. This research paper sheds light on 13 VEs carried out in pre-service teacher education in the last six years and proposes its own VE design based on recommendations from the literature with the future perspective of designing a specific VE for the research. The aim of the systematic review was at first to determine the exchange and interaction set-ups and the potential gains in the terms of pre-service teachers’ skills development. Afterwards, we identified areas for improvement and proposed our design of a VE between pre-service teachers of English in Slovakia and Turkey. Some of the expected contributions of the proposed VE design are development of a linguistic and intercultural communicative competence, digital literacy, and other competences relevant for development of VEs.
This study developed a specific scale to measure the impact of extrinsic motivations on students’ decisions to pursue online graduate programs at business schools in Latin America. Using a mixed-methods approach, the research proceeded in three stages. In the first stage, the construct was defined by identifying key extrinsic factors motivating students to enroll in online graduate programs, followed by the creation and initial validation of the scale in Colombia. The second stage involved testing the scale in Chile to determine its cross-cultural applicability. In the third stage, the scale’s predictive validity was confirmed, demonstrating its effectiveness in explaining how extrinsic motivations influence students’ intentions to enroll in online graduate programs. The findings indicate that the scale, composed of five dimensions—Cost Reduction, Ability to Study from Any Location, Control Over Learning Pace, Flexibility to Balance Study and Work, and Avoiding Commuting Time—is a reliable predictor of student preferences and intentions in online graduate education. The final scale includes 25 items across these dimensions, measuring extrinsic factors through items related to flexibility, time savings, and global accessibility. Validation in two Latin American countries confirms the scale’s relevance across diverse cultural contexts, enhancing its applicability within the region. This study provides empirical evidence that extrinsic motivation is a key determinant of students’ intentions to enroll in online programs in developing countries. It confirms that extrinsic motivations reflect a preference for flexible learning options compatible with students’ lifestyles and professional needs, linked to their beliefs about time management, professional advancement, and career opportunities associated with earning a graduate degree.
Purpose: This study aimed to explore the perception types of workplace spirituality among nurses. Method: To achieve this, Q methodology was applied, selecting 34 Q samples from a total of 102 Q statements extracted. The Q samples were distributed among 40 nurses and categorized into a normal distribution. A 9-point scale was used for measurement, and the data were analyzed using the pc-QUANL program. Results: The four types identified were ‘reflective type’, ‘nursing-oriented type’, ‘relationship-oriented type’, and ‘spirituality-oriented type’. Conclusion: The four types derived in this study classify nurses’ perceptions of workplace spirituality for establishing a nurse’s workplace spirituality that provides integrated nursing care. This categorization can serve as foundational information when planning workplace spirituality programs, considering each type’s characteristics.
Sustainable leadership matters, spreads and lasts. It is shared responsibility, that does not unduly deplete human or financial resources, and that cares for avoids exerting negative damage on the surrounding educational and community environment. In fact, sustainability does not simply mean whether something can last. It addresses how particular initiatives can be developed without compromising the development of others in the surrounding environment, now and in the future. Sustainable leadership is one of the most valued characteristics that employers and stakeholders are looking for, especially in this new fast changing market. Having a good Leadership sense is essential for the success of a company and for its collaborative working environment. Leadership is usually linked with sustained learning, success, diversity, capacity and maintaining a continuous development of other team members and coworkers. However, various authors are debating and discussing how we define good and sustainable leadership and what we expect from a leader to do, but few of them are raising the question how we can build and create leaders?. We present in this paper an overview of leadership definition and the challenges set by this important and complex concept. We propose a vision based on four pillars to create an adequate environment to build leaders. We present and describe our perspective on what we need to provide and establish as a company or a community in order to create an effective team of leaders in the perspective of the new requirements of the market and the expectations of companies.
Our study evaluated the effect of vanadium (V) on the behavior of Zinnia elegans “double variegated”. In this experiment, Zinnia plants grown in a greenhouse were fed with a nutrient solution and two concentrations of vanadium (0, 6, and 10 μm) applied four times during the experiment. The V at its levels of 6 µm and 10 µm increased plant length, number of inflorescences and fresh weight. We observed that during the development and appearance of flower buds, and flowering were earlier with the addition of 6 µm and 10 µm. During harvest the changes in size and shape were homogeneous with the control treatment. With the addition of 6 µm, flowers of different sizes were induced, with non-uniform petals, but with different shades of color. With 10 µm the shape of the petals, the distance between them and changes in the shades of the flowers were modified. The postharvest life for the flowers of the control treatment was shorter (15 days), the petals, anthers and floral disc at this time were observed in a poor condition. While 6 µm and 10 µm had a longer postharvest life (20 days), the flowers had a good presentation, their colors were more intense compared to the harvest stage. The application of this beneficial element contributed to the development and flowering of Zinnia in the greenhouse. It is suggested that future research be carried out on the accumulation and/or concentration of vanadium in the different stages of growth or its effect on the concentration of other nutrients.
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