Bahria Journal of Professional Psychology

Number 1, 2012

4-18
Effect of Shyness on the adjustment of high school children.

Authors: Muazzama Abidi, Irfan Shahzad.

Abstract

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The present study explores the effects of shyness on the adjustment of high school children. The findings of the study can be applied in educational settings. It can be support for teachers to understand the phenomenon among students which create adjustment problems. For this purpose, two scales were used i.e., Shyness Questionnaire (Yasmeen, 2005) for measuring Shyness level and Bell Adjustment Inventory (Bell, 1934) for measuring different types of adjustment. Shyness questionnaire was in Urdu whereas Bell Adjustment Inventory was in English and both had highly satisfactory reliability. There were 150 school children and the age range was 13-15years. There were 75 girls and 75 boys in the present study. The main hypothesis of the present study was that shyness has no differential effect on home and health adjustment but there was significance linear increase in social and emotional adjustment. Results also support this hypothesis that shyness has no effects on home and health adjustment but effects social and emotional adjustment of school children. Other hypothesis proved that girls are shyer as compared to boys and nuclear family children are shyer as compared to extended family system children.

19-42
Voices of hope and despair – themes in the lives and English language works of women creative writers of Pakistani heritage published in the last decade.

Authors: Kiran Bashir Ahmad.

Abstract

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Number of views: 1036

The present study explored the bipolar psychosocial dimensions of hope and despair through corresponding themes in the lives and works of twelve English language women creative writers of Pakistani heritage who had their work published during the years 2000 to 2010. Themes and data obtained from publication reviews, autobiographical and biographical essays, and videotaped and published interviews were analyzed. The study was conducted from the participant – observer standpoint. The analytic induction method of constant comparison was used which is generally helpful in generating social theory. The study answers the research questions: 1.What is the predominant psychosocial factor in the bipolar dimensions of hope and despair among women creative writers as shown by themes portrayed in their work? And 2.Does the nature of life themes of Pakistani women creative writers affect the derived psychosocial factor of hope or despair shown in their work? The study revealed hope as the predominant factor and validated the effect of the nature of life themes on both bipolar dimensions of hope and despair. A total of thirteen themes emerged from the four categories of developmental events, professional situations, personality characteristics and main writing themes.

43-66
The Degree of difference between the performances of trained versus untrained teachers

Authors: Bint e Zehra, Gul e Zehra Abbas.

Abstract

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Number of views: 1292

This research aims to investigate the degree of difference in the performance of trained and untrained teachers of English in private secondary Schools of Karachi. This area of investigation has been chosen to ascertain the significance of teacher training in the teaching learning process. The research assesses the performance of ten trained and ten untrained English teachers working at six local schools. The research data is based upon classroom observation, though the informants have been interviewed for the purposes of triangulation. The analysis of the results suggests that in some cases the trained teachers are better than the untrained ones, while in others it is vice versa. The study clarifies certain beliefs and misconceptions such as, only those who are fluent in English can teach the subject etc. The study highlights the relationship between the linguistic and pedagogic competence of the teachers, and the influence of teacher training on them. Many writers use the terms ‘teacher education’, and ‘teacher training’ interchangeably. However, these terms can be distinguished.