The study investigated the impact of the affordance of computer assisted language learning (CALL) and mobile assisted language learning (MALL) on EFL reading comprehension at tertiary level. Pre-formed intact groups were used to conduct this quasi-experimental study. It used a pretest and post-test control group design. The participants were 122 first year university students. Computer-based reading comprehension exercises were used as intervention that lasted for six weeks. Vocabulary was pre-taught through WhatsApp. Post-test results of the reading comprehension achievement test revealed that the treatment group outperformed their counterparts in the control group. The results indicate the significance of technology incorporation in language learning process. The study shows the effective use of technology in EFL reading instruction. It works best when integrated in the instructional scheme. Results of the study also suggest that freely available technological resources can be used to create a conducive reading environment. The study needs to be replicated with bigger sample and longer period of intervention for more accurate results.

Based on institutional theory, the current study examines the relationship of coordination, job security, psychological safety, and coercive pressure with employees’ performance. Further, coercive pressure is treated as a boundary condition between coordination, job security, and psychological safety with employees’ performance. A survey method was used to collect data from 235 faculty members of higher education institutions (HEIs) in Pakistan. Study results show that there is a positive and significant relationship between job security and coordination with employees’ performance. The results also reveal that coercive pressure moderates job security, coordination, and psychological safety with employees’ performance. Implications for organizations and HEIs administration are discussed.

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The aim of the present study was to understand the reasons of MA TEFL students’ silence and unwillingness to participate in class discussions as perceived by their professors. A qualitative method was conducted to understand the issue from teachers’ perspectives at three different Iranian universities (Alzahra University, Tehran University and Azad University). Qualitative data were collected through observational check-list, field notes and semi-structured interviews with 12 professors to reflect their understanding of students’ silence and the ways of involving them in class activities. Then, thematic analysis was run to answer the related research questions. The results of professors’ perspective through thematic analysis have mirrored four different reasons including affective, lingu-cognitive, sociocultural and pedagogical reasons. Some further strategies were proposed by the professors for breaking the wall of silence. The study ended with a number of pedagogical implications.

The Android platform is designed to support mutually untrusted third-party apps, which run as isolated processes but may interact via platform-controlled mechanisms, called Intents. Interactions among third-party apps are intended and can contribute to a rich user experience, for example, the ability to share pictures from one app with another. The Android platform presents an interesting point in a design space of module systems that is biased toward isolation, extensibility, and untrusted contributions. The Intent mechanism essentially provides message channels among modules, in which the set of message types is extensible. However, the module system has design limitations including the lack of consistent mechanisms to document message types, very limited checking that a message conforms to its specifications, the inability to explicitly declare dependencies on other modules, and the lack of checks for backward compatibility as message types evolve over time. In order to understand the degree to which these design limitations result in real issues, we studied a broad corpus of apps and cross-validated our results against app documentation and Android support forums. Our findings suggest that design limitations do indeed cause development problems. Based on our results, we outline further research questions and propose possible mitigation strategies.

Tapeworms of zoonotic importance have been described as a leading public health problem. Current research was aim to assess the prevalence of tapeworms among 5-12years school children residing in district Lower Dir, Pakistan from January 2019-December 2019. The wet mount preparation in saline/iodine/methods were used for stool examination. Data was analyzed using appropriate descriptive, static methods. Of the 400 children studied 71.7% were infected with one or more species of intestinal parasites. Single infection of cestode species was found in 69 individuals with 17.2% prevalence and multiple parasitic infections were identified in 19.7% (n=79/400) individuals. The multiple infection were comprised as 10% (n=40) double, 6.75% (n=27) triple and 3% (n=12) quadruple. A total of 9 species of helminths and one species of protozoan infection. Among the helminths Ascaris lumbricoides was the most prevalent 33.1% (n=95), Taenia saginata 22.6% (n=65), hookworm 19.8% (n=57), Hymenolepis nana 18.8% (n=54), Enterobius vermicularis and Hymenolepis diminuta 1.39% (n=4each), Trichuris trichura 1.04% (n=3), Toxocara spp 0.69% (n=2) and Schistosoma japonicum 0.34% (n=1) were reported. One protozoan species was Cryptosporidium spp 0.69% (n=2) in current study. In case of A.lumbricoides, hookworm, E.vermicularis, T.trichura, T.saginata, H.nana and H.diminuta the male children of below 8 years of age were highly infected. Other infections are reported in the same prevalence with slight difference if any. We conclude that there is a need for mass scale campaigns to create awareness regarding health and hygiene in children and the need for development of effective poverty control programs because deworming alone is not adequate to control parasitic infections.

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