Universitas Terbuka (UT, literally Open University) is Indonesia's state university and employs open and distance learning (ODL) system to widen access to higher education to all Indonesian citizens, including those who live in remote islands throughout the country as well as in various parts of the world. It has a total student body of 1,045,665 as of 2019/2020 according to Indonesia's Ministry of Education Higher Education database. According to a distance education institution in the UK, UT, including one from "The Top Ten Mega Universities" UT-3 ranks after similar universities in China and Turkey.
Language and social development of children plays an important role in influencing further development. The objectives of this research are to determine the effect of drawing based on story- telling toward language development and social development of children age 5–6 years. Single subject research with reversal design ABAB was used in this experimental research. Four kindergarten children identified having language and social problems became the subjects. The observation was used to col- lect data. In addition, the data were put into graphs to be analyzed by using visual inspection. The results showed that drawing activities based on story telling could improve the scores of language development for each subject; and also improves the pro-social attitude of each subject. And at the same time the aggressive attitude for each subject decreased. It concludes that drawing based on story telling improve language and social development of children aged 5–6 years effectively.
This work of literature critically reflects on what appeared to be rude yet tactical communication styles by Islamic preachers on online platforms. This article, on the one hand, employs an integrated theoretical approach that integrates the Quranic communication ethics with pragmatics, critical discourse analysis (CDA) and politeness theory to understand how deviant practices of the classical Islamic communication norms are pragmatically used to forge solidarity, emotional closeness and authenticity of da’wah within a modern digital setting. This article, after studying the speech of well-known digital preachers in detail, demonstrates that strategic impropriety is not merely an ethical offense but a rhetorical maneuver for renegotiating religious authority in the online community. Based on the concept of qaulan in the Quran, this research provides a normative Islamic approach to the development of da’wah communication styles and to the relationships among politeness, pragmatic effectiveness and social relevance in the development of authority and audience interest in the digital world.
Efficient and thermally stable catalysts are crucial for enhancing bio-oils through deoxygenation reactions, a key step toward sustainable fuel production. In this study, we used a hybrid approach combining density functional theory (DFT) and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to explore the effects of Ce doping on the structural, electronic, and oxygen diffusion properties of LaNiO3-based perovskites (La,-xCexNiO3). DFT simulations showed that Ce substitution at the La site improved the structural stability of the perovskite framework, evident from the decrease in total energy and changes in the electronic state near the Fermi level. MD simulations assessed oxygen ion mobility and oxygen adsorption energy across various Ce doping concentrations (x = 0 to 1). The results revealed that oxygen diffusion peaked at x = 0.58, with maximum mobility at this concentration, suggesting its suitability for applications requiring efficient oxygen transport, such as catalytic deoxygenation. Adsorption energy calculations further showed that at x = 0.58, the surface exhibited enhanced stability and favorable oxygen adsorption energy, indicating its potential for catalytic processes with balanced oxygen-surface interactions. By evaluating thermodynamic stability, oxygen-vacancy formation energy, oxygen mobility, and adsorption energy, we identified an optimal Ce doping range of x approximate to 0.5-0.6. These findings demonstrate the potential of Ce-doped LaNiO3 perovskites as promising catalysts for the deoxygenation of oxygen-rich organic compounds, advancing cleaner, renewable fuel technologies.
Stochastic optimal control problems are commonly formulated as optimization problems constrained by stochastic dynamical systems, whose value functions satisfy Hamilton–Jacobi–Bellman (HJB) equations. Owing to their strong nonlinearity and high dimensionality, closed-form solutions of HJB equations are rarely available, thereby motivating the development of robust and highly accurate numerical methods. This research introduces two hybrid spectral–collocation strategies for the numerical solution of stochastic HJB equations, constructed from different combinations of orthogonal polynomial bases. The first strategy utilizes shifted Chebyshev polynomials for time approximation and fractional-order Legendre polynomials for state approximation, while the second utilizes shifted Legendre polynomials in time and fractional-order Chebyshev polynomials in state. A convergence analysis is developed within the Caputo fractional derivative framework to justify the proposed methods and to establish the associated error estimates. The resulting nonlinear algebraic system is then solved using the collocation method. Numerical simulations, including an application to a resource extraction model, confirm that the proposed methods attain a high level of accuracy and exhibit convergence rates in strong agreement with the theoretical predictions. These results demonstrate that the developed hybrid spectral–collocation frameworks constitute reliable and efficient tools for addressing stochastic optimal control problems based on HJB equations.
Background: Critical thinking is recognised as the highest level of thinking, essential for exploring knowledge and generating new ideas. In the context of mathematics education, particularly at the elementary level, understanding how students engage in critical thinking when solving Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) problems is particularly important. Objective: This study investigates students’ critical thinking processes in relation to their self-efficacy levels using the FRISCO framework—Focus, Reason, Inference, Situation, Clarity, and Overview—during the HOTS mathematical problem-solving process. Method: An exploratory case study design was conducted with 45 elementary school students. Data were gathered through a self-efficacy questionnaire, written tests, interviews, and content analysis of documentation to identify patterns and characteristics of students’ critical thinking processes. Results: Not all components of the FRISCO framework were fully demonstrated by the students. However, they were able to perform mathematical reasoning to formulate ideas and devise problem-solving strategies based on conceptual understanding. In interviews, they frequently used visual representations to clarify their thinking, especially in the 'Clarity' component. Additionally, elements of metacognition emerged spontaneously during the 'Overview' stage, suggesting self-initiated reflection without external intervention. Conclusion: Although elementary students do not consistently exhibit all components of the FRISCO framework, their demonstrated abilities in reasoning, use of visual clarification, and spontaneous metacognitive behaviours highlight a developing capacity for critical thinking. Unique Contribution: This study provides empirical insights into how young learners engage in higher-order thinking through the FRISCO lens, illustrating a novel application of the framework in elementary mathematics education and examining the moderating influence of self-efficacy. Key Recommendations: Educators should cultivate learning environments that foster metacognitive development and encourage the use of visual tools to aid conceptual clarity. Future research should investigate scaffolding strategies to strengthen each FRISCO component across varying levels of self-efficacy.
