Climate Change Knowledge Assessment for Farmers in Bundelkhand, Uttar Pradesh: Test Development and Validation

An assessment of climate change knowledge is important to understand farmers' knowledge. There are several tests available to measure it, but they are all dispersed, making the study tedious. The present study, conducted in 2022-23, aimed at developing a composite climate change knowledge test that would aid in the amalgamation of various aspects to holistically study climate change such as farmers’ knowledge of climate change; climate change extreme events knowledge (rainfall, temperature, relative-humidity, drought and so on); and adaptation strategies. Initially, items from diverse literature were collected and discussed with specialists. A total of 63 items were selected. At two levels, the knowledge item was judged and screened. For the first level of screening, 63 items were sent to 100 experts for review. 39 items were chosen for item analysis based on the opinions of 60 experts. These 39 items were distributed to 60 non-sample farmers for second-level screening. The difficulty and discrimination indexes were calculated using the item analysis score. Items with difficulty index of 0.30 to 0.80 and discrimination index of 0.25 and higher were chosen. Following that, 29 items were selected for the final climate change knowledge test for farmers. Finally, the split-half method reliability of the test was 0.85. The developed knowledge tool aids in identifying knowledge gaps and planning the future policy for better adaptation. Furthe, enhancing farmers' knowledge can also help them solve problems more effectively and with a more optimistic outlook when dealing with the challenges posed by climate change.

Assessment of Farmer Knowledge Level about Recommended Production Technology in Maize (Zea mays) Crop

The present research work was conducted in the Darbhanga and Bhagalpur district of Bihar to assess the knowledge level of farmers about recommended maize production technology. The ex-post facto research design was used. Three villages are purposefully chosen for each district and a total of 210 respondents were selected randomly. Results shown that the majority of respondents (40.5%) fall into the 40–54-year age group followed by most the respondents have educational background up to the level of senior secondary. It was observed that most the respondents have farming experience range of 9 -14 years followed by BAO (Block Agriculture Officer) is the most preferred extension exposure by the respondents, most of the respondents had the membership of panchayat. The average knowledge level of respondents is determined by knowledge test which contains question regarding different cultivation practices of maize further data from result revealed that the average knowledge level in planting time, soil and land preparation, method of sowing, seed rate and spacing, irrigation management, insect- pest management is higher in Bhagalpur respondents compare to Darbhanga district respondents. Average knowledge level in insect -pest management is low in both districts compare to other cultivation practices.

Study on Knowledge Level of Paddy Farmers on Climate Change in Nagapattinam District of Tamil Nadu, India

This study examined the Knowledge level of Paddy farmers on Climate Change the Nagapattinam district of Tamil Nadu state in India. It is situated in the coastal area and is very often subjected to natural calamities which were mainly reflected in the Paddy cultivation to the worst status. The ex-post facto research design was used in this research study. A sample size of 200 was fixed for the study. The data were collected with the use of a well-structured and pre tested interview schedule for farmers covering all the aspects of knowledge on Climate change. The respondents’ knowledge level of climate change was measured by designing exclusively the knowledge test. The study revealed that more than half of the respondents (55.00%) had a medium level of knowledge of climate change. Nearly one-third (32.50%) of the respondents had a high level of knowledge and a lesser number of respondents (12.50%) were found to be under the category of low- level knowledge. Educational status, farming experience, contact with extension agencies, information seeking behaviour, social participation, innovativeness, risk orientation and awareness had shown positive and significant associations with paddy farmers knowledge and these variables contributed to improving the knowledge level of the Paddy farmers on climate change. They had knowledge of changes in the rainfall patterns, extreme climatic events, changes in the crop growths stages, ground water table and pest and disease outbreaks but the famers don’t have enough knowledge on climate change adaptation strategies in Paddy cultivation with respect to tackle the problem of salinity, sodicity and effects of humidity in grain filling to cope up with climate change. Hence, it is recommended that special training programmes may be frequently offered in the study area to improve the knowledge and skill of the farmers on climate change.

Translation and Validation of Malay Version of the Simplified Diabetes Knowledge Test (DKT)

@#Introduction: Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease which is highly prevalent in Malaysia. In managing diabetes, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) have advocated self-management to be the basic component of diabetes care. However, an ongoing discussion, education and assessment of the patient’s diabetic knowledge should be implemented in the patient’s empowerment process. There are various assessment tools available worldwide but very few are available in the Malay language. This study is aimed to perform the Malay translation of the Simplified Diabetes Knowledge Test (DKT) questionnaire and validate it. Methods: Forward-backward translation procedure was used to translate the simplified version of the DKT questionnaire. A total of 120 respondents with type 2 diabetes mellitus from a selected government health clinic were recruited to answer the questionnaire which consists of socio-demographic, diabetes characteristics and the 20-item Malay version of simplified DKT questionnaire. Reliability and construct validity were tested with Cronbach’s alpha coefficient and Exploratory Factor Analysis. Results: Factor analysis with Varimax rotation identified five meaningful domains for the final 18 items. The Cronbach’s alpha for the overall scale of the translated questionnaire was 0.573 with values of each five significant domain’s Cronbach’s alpha ranged from 0.370 to 0.564. Conclusion: The Malay version of simplified DKT is valid and reliable to be used as a brief assessment of knowledge among Malaysian diabetic patients.

Validity and Reliability of the Arabic Translation of Diabetes Knowledge Test (DKT1)

@#Introduction: Diabetes Knowledge Test (DKT1) is a tool to assess patients’ diabetes knowledge and lifestyle. It comprises two subscales: the DKT1-general and DKT1-insulin-use. This study aimed to translate the DKT1 into Arabic and tested its validity and reliability in the Saudi population. Methods: This single-centre, cross-sectional study examined diabetes-related knowledge and lifestyle of Saudi patients with diabetes who used anti-diabetic medication and/or insulin. The participants’ mean scores for the two subscales of DKT1 were compared according to their type and duration of diabetes, medication use, and levels of education. Internal consistency tests and factor analysis were applied to examine the reliability and validity of the subscales, respectively. Results: In total, 400 individuals with diabetes (mean age 43.8±16.1 years) were enrolled. Of these, 44.2% had type 1 diabetes, and 51% were men. The Arabic version of DKT1 received internal consistency scores with coefficient alpha (95% confidence interval) values of 0.541 (0.472–0.604) and 0.741 (0.699–0.785) for the DKT1-general and DKT1-insulin-use subscales, respectively. The validity test showed that the participants with type 1 diabetes attained marginally higher score in the DKT1-general subscale and significantly higher score in the DKT1-insulin-use subscale than those with type 2 diabetes. Additionally, the scores increased with higher levels of education and longer durations of the disorder. Conclusion: The Arabic translation of DKT1 is an acceptable tool which can be used to measure the effectiveness of diabetes education programmes and would help to identify patient’s education needs.

Teste de conhecimento tático processual 3x3 com os pés: alternativa para a orientação esportiva / Tactical Knowledge Test Procedure 3x3 with feet: alternative to sporting orientation

Resumo O objetivo constituiu em avaliar o comportamento tático processual de crianças entre oito e 14 anos de idade em situação de jogo 3x3 com os pés, sem finalização. A amostra se compôs de 100 crianças (10,32 ± 1,45 anos de idade). O presente instrumento apresentou um total de 16 itens a serem observados, sendo quatro itens para cada situação tática ou dimensão (jogador no ataque sem bola - JSB, jogador no ataque com bola - JCB, marcação ao jogador no ataque sem bola - MJSB, marcação ao jogador no ataque com bola - MJCB). No Coeficiente de Validação de Conteúdo (CVC), obtiveram-se valores satisfatórios para as quatro dimensões avaliadas. Estabeleceu-se a fidedignidade do instrumento pelo cálculo do índice Kappa inter e intra-avaliadores, demonstrando concordância entre os avaliadores. O instrumento idealizado apresenta índices de validade para avaliar o conhecimento tático processual de crianças nos domínios propostos para modalidades que utilizam dos pés como forma de jogo.

Astract The objective was to evaluate the behavior of children tactical procedural between 8 and 14 years old in the game situation 3x3 with feet without finishing. The sample comprised 100 children (10.32 ± 1.45 years old). This instrument has a total of 16 items to be observed, with 4 items for each tactical situation or size (player without the ball on offense - JSB player with ball in attack - JCB, marking the player without the ball on offense - MJSB, marking the player with the ball in attack - MJCB). In Coefficient Content Validation (CVC), we obtained satisfactory values for the four situations evaluated. The reliability of the instrument was established by calculating the Kappa inter and intra-rater, showing consistency among raters. The instrument has idealized presents validity indexes to evaluate the procedural tactical knowledge of children in the areas proposed for modes that use the feet as a form of play.

Construção e validação de uma prova de Matemática para alunos do 1º ao 4º ano de escolaridade / Development and validation of a Math test for 1st to 4th grade students

Este estudo tem como objetivo apresentar um instrumento de 46 itens para avaliação de conhecimentos matemáticos para os primeiros quatro anos de escolaridade. Participaram no estudo 505 crianças portuguesas do 1º ao 4º ano do primeiro ciclo, com idades compreendidas entre os seis e os 12 anos. Uma análise fatorial de primeira e de segunda ordem revelou a existência de cinco fatores primários que se agrupam num único fator de segunda ordem relacionado com o conhecimento geral em matemática. Uma análise psicométrica com base no modelo de Rasch da Teoria de Resposta ao Item (TRI) permitiu depurar as propriedades psicométricas dos itens. A validade desenvolvimental do instrumento para os quatro anos de escolaridade abrangidos foi igualmente investigada e discutida. (AU)

This study presents a forty-six item instrument for the assessment of mathematical knowledge for first to fourth graders. Participants are 505 primary school Portuguese students from 1st to 4th grade, between six and 12 years old. A first and second order factor analysis of the items shows that there are five primary factors that are grouped in a single factor of second order related to general mathematical knowledge. A psychometric analysis based on Rasch's model of the Item Response Theory (IRT) was conducted in order to clear up the psychometric properties of the items. The developmental validity of the instrument for primary grades is also reported and discussed. (AU)

Research on Guilty Knowledge Test (GKT) Paradigm and Its Variation / 中国临床心理学杂志

Objective: To confirm the cognitive rationale of Guilty Knowledge Test (GKT) with a polygraph lie-detection test,explore the merits of GKT's variation as narrowing unclear range of guilty knowledge, and to discuss the problems of the commonly used scoring method which was introduced by Lykken initially in order to obtain more scientific scoring method in accordance with the cognitive rationale. Methods:40 college students were chosen as participants.The study was designed under non-motivational instructions and neutral materials of meaningless letter strings. Results: The lie detection accuracy of this research was 73% under standard GKT paradigm (namely, the tester knowing the guilty knowledge clearly) with the scoring method introduced by Lykken, which confirmed the cognitive rationale of GKT. The accuracy of reducing guilty knowledge range from 5 to 2 was 78.4% in the condition of unclear-clue GKT (namely, the tester only knowing the guilty knowledge in the range of five items) with the scoring method of height and vicinity.Conclusion: The accuracy of lie detection with standard GKT in this study is similar to top accuracies of foreign studies with the same pattern and verified the rationale of cognition for GKT. The innovative scoring method suggested in this paper bears merits in application and is worth further studying.

Nutrition knowledge and attitude analysis of elderly people for the development of nutrition education program

The purpose of this study was to examine the nutrition knowledge and attitude of the elderly for developing nutrition education program. The nutrition knowledge test was consisted of nutrition, nutrients, weight control, food safety, and shopping tips by developing the table of specifications. The nutnition attitude test was comprised of seventeen questions for invention, self-efficacy, control, and outcome expectation. A total of 140 elderly living at home responded to both nutrition knowledge and attitude test. According to the results of nutrition knowledge test, the mean was 13.3 at the maximum 18 points and 51.4% respondents got more than 14 points. Significant differences were found with age (p<0.05, chi-square=21.46), charge of income (p<0.05, chi-square=8.86) and monthly expenses(p<0.05, chi-square=22.95). The results of nutrition attitude test showed that the mean value of 40.89 points at the maximum 51 points and 58.6% of respondents rated more than 40.89 points. In exploring the relationship between the demographic variables(sex, age, educational level, and monthly expenses) and for attitude concepts, a significant correlation was found. Corrrelation among the knowledge for nutrition, nutrients, and the attitudes for nutrition was significant(p<0.05).