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ThesisItem Embargo Awareness and usage of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools among school teachers of Punjab(Punjab Agricultural University, 2024) Mahi Singh; Dr. Mandeep SharmaThe present investigation entitled “Awareness and usage of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools among school teachers of Punjab” was conducted with the objectives to ascertain the awareness about ICT tools among school teachers, to measure the extent of use of ICT tools by school teachers and to identify the constraints faced by them in using ICT tools. The research was conducted in five districts of Punjab purposively which are not adjoining to each other. Two urban schools from each district belonging to different blocks were taken by the use of convenient sampling method. From each school, 20 teachers were selected by using simple random sampling method. A total number of 200 respondents were selected in order to collect data. The findings of the study revealed that majority of the respondents were from age group of 36 to 48 years and were post-graduates. Maximum per centage of the respondents were designated as teachers and about one-third were designated as lecturers. More than half of the respondents had received in-service trainings related to ICT. Most of the ICT tools were accessible to all respondents. Majority of the teachers were having medium level of awareness and medium extent of using ICT tools in the school. WhatsApp and audio calls were highly used for contacting students and their parents. Constraints faced by teachers included slow speed of internet, poor maintenance of ICT tools, lack of technical and trained staff to handle ICT tools. All of the respondents agreed upon various benefits of ICT tools and its importance after implementation in the educational curriculum. The study suggested that the respondents needed more advanced trainings on ICT tools and provision of budget to improve ICT infrastructure for efficient use of ICT tools in the schools.ThesisItem Restricted Communication apprehension among postgraduate students of Punjab(Punjab Agricultural University, 2024) Danu, Nikita; Mittal Gupta, RituThe study entitled “Communication apprehension among postgraduate students of Punjab” was undertaken to study the oral and written communication apprehension among postgraduate students and identify the factors affecting the level of communication apprehension. Data was collected through questionnaire from 200 postgraduate students drawn from four oldest and well-established universities of Punjab state. It was found that majority of students had moderate level of oral communication apprehension (OCA) in English as well as in mother tongue. Half of the students had moderate level of written communication apprehension (WCA) in English whereas in mother tongue, more than half of the students had moderate level. Nearly half of the students had high level of overall communication apprehension followed closely by moderate level. There was no gender difference in overall communication apprehension. The study reported that methodological factors followed by psychological factors were the most affecting factors. Therefore, these factors should be considered to reduce communication apprehension in higher education. The findings of the study revealed that there was negative and significant relation of participation in sports and cultural activities with overall communication apprehension. All the psychological, social, cognitive and methodological factors affecting communication apprehension were significantly and positively corelated with all kinds of communication apprehension irrespective of the language. Hence it is recommended that more communication opportunities should be provided to students and focus should be laid upon the overall development of student’s personality in order to decrease their apprehension.ThesisItem Restricted Development of video modules for creating awareness on safe and judicious use of chemicals at household level(Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, 2022) Jasbir Kaur; Kanwaljit KaurThe rural women play an important role in managing major household activities. Due to their involvement in farming and household activities, they are exposed to poisonous chemicals in daily life. There is a need to encourage them to adopt corrective measures to minimize the use of chemicals during the performance of day to day activities. In this context, study was conducted to identify different household practices on safe and judicious use of chemicals at household level. On the basis of 30 identified practices, a knowledge test and video modules were developed. A knowledge test was administrated on 100 rural women of Ludhiana district of Punjab. After that, prepared video modules were shown to the women through WhatsApp message. Post knowledge scores of the video modules were recorded. Comparison of pre and post knowledge scores showed that significant change was seen for all major practices related to safe and judicious use of chemicals at household level. The overall significant change in mean knowledge score for all five major practices was 42 per cent. After video exposure, percentage of the respondents in high level of knowledge category was shifted from 2 to 77 per cent. So, prepared video modules are proved to be effective for creating awareness among people regarding safe and judicious use of chemicals at household level.ThesisItem Embargo Analytical study of women engaged in income generation activities(Punjab Agricultural University, 2022) Monika; Sidhu, KiranjotPresent study entitled „Analytical study of Women engaged in Income Generation Activities‟ was conducted to identify the type of income generating activities (IGAs), factors influencing the selection of activity and contributing to success and failure and determine economic and employment generation performance of IGA. Data were collected personally from 200 women who had started IGA and had either continued or discontinued IGA. Largest percentage were young, middle aged, married , matriculate, not members of any organization belonged to nuclear and small families with farming as major source of income. More than half had family income between 100000 - 350000 rupees. Majority were continuers and were sustaining since 8-14 years and were independently functioning. Initial funds were pooled from different sources. Own saving was used by majority and very few took loan from the bank. Largest percentage of continuers were engaged in garment construction and among discontinuers in dairy and processing. Largest percentage of continuers and discontinuers were self-motivated. Low family income and continuity of family IGA were major reasons for starting the IGA. Profitability, previous involvement of family and use of family labor were factors contributed to selection of IGA. Majority of income generating women (IGW) that is 160 earned between 30000-60000 rupees generating 62954 man days of employment. Very few attended formal trainings. Majority of continuers wanted to upscale or continue with the activity. Half of them cited financial independence and enjoyment of being a role model for other as the major reason for it. Unprofitability was major reason to discontinue. Lesser demand, inability to compete, time management and lack of physical support from the family were reasons given by those who had already discontinued. Educational status was negatively and significantly related to duration of sustainability. Higher income from the IGA and number of trainings attended were positively related with duration of sustainability. Employment generation was positively significantly related with family size and percentage of loan returned. It was recommended that women motivated to start IGA should be identified, trained and supported through linkage development with different agencies for managing resources, marketing and other aspects in which women lack desired level of competencies.ThesisItem Restricted Analysis of entrepreneurs trained by Punjab Agricultural University(Punjab Agricultural University, 2022) Ikjot Kaur; Sidhu, KiranjotThe present study entitled ‘An analysis of entrepreneurs trained by Punjab Agricultural University’ is an attempt to determine the capacitator and facilitator role of Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) in setting up and management of the enterprise set up by PAU trained entrepreneurs, profile them and identify problems faced by them along with the factors contributing to their success. Data collected personally from 64 entrepreneurs who were trained and provided stalls at Kisan Mela organized by PAU at campus revealed that majority of entrepreneurs were middle aged, female, married and belonged to small-sized families nuclear families. Majority sourced their income from entrepreneurship. One fourth were graduates. Majority were producing and selling agro-processing based products and least percentage were dealing with household utility articles. Large percentage were found to have started their enterprise in the last 2-8 years. Majority were functioning under the umbrella of self-help group (SHG) and had registered their enterprise and were earning between 1 to 6 lakhs annually. It was found that entrepreneur’s interaction with consumers was the major source of advertisement. Nearly half were motivated by PAU experts during training to start the enterprise. PAU experts at the campus emerged as a source of help for registration of enterprises. Majority of entrepreneurs were members of PAU Associations/Clubs and were regularly attending the meeting. Maximum number of trainings attended by entrepreneurs were organized by PAU. They were supported by PAU with information about trainings and Kisan Melas beside facilitating them for developing linkages with different institutions for availing subsidies, awards, loans or setting up of marketing. PAU provided a platform for marketing during initial years to understand the market demand and plan marketing strategies as per consumer demand. Entrepreneurs were recognized by different agencies for their work and large percentage out of them had received 1-3 awards and were awarded and honoured by PAU for their role as entrepreneurs. Total of 523010 hours of paid employment was generated through these enterprises. Nearly half of them had started the enterprise to substitute family income. Difficulty in marketing of products and lowering sales during COVID- 19 were the major problems faced by entrepreneurs. Education, higher organizational membership, number of products, more recognition, large family size, use of mass media , use of ICT , subsidy and training were contributing factors to success. It can be concluded that PAU was playing a vital role in facilitating entrepreneurship development.ThesisItem Restricted Awareness and extent of use of natural sweeteners in daily diet by women of Punjab(Punjab Agricultural University, 2022) Davinder Singh; Kanwaljit KaurNatural sweeteners are nutritive and provide energy to the body. Artificial sweeteners are non-nutritive. Various natural sweeteners can act as a substitute for sugar. Besides their sweetening quality, these natural sweeteners are also non-toxic and safe to use. The role of women in the balanced nutritional intake of family members is of utmost importance. The primary responsibility to take care of the health of every family member is on the woman in the house. Woman can change the diet of the family in an exemplary fashion. Keeping these facts in minds study was conducted to measure awareness level of urban and rural women regarding use and benefits of selected natural sweeteners. Four natural sweeteners i.e. Jaggery,Shakkar, Honey and Stevia were selected for study. Extent of use of these selected natural sweeteners in daily diet was also assessed. The study was conducted on 100 urban and 100 rural women in four districts of Punjab. Data were collected by using interview schedule. Study finding revealed that 89 per cent urban and 79 per cent rural women were using three natural sweeteners i.e. jaggery, shakkar, and honey. Ninety nine percent of rural and urban respondents were not aware about stevia and they were not using at all. Medium level of awareness regarding benefits of jaggery, shakkar and honey was observed by 55 per cent of rural as well as urban respondents. But low level of awareness regarding nutrients and nutritive value of natural sweeteners was seen in all respondents (rural and urban). Level of awareness regarding benefits of jaggery and shakkar was more in rural respondents as compare to urban respondents. Extent of use of shakkar for making the value added products was highest as compare to other three selected natural sweeteners. So it is suggested that the professionals who are involved in promotion of organic farming should create awareness among people related to stevia. Subject Matter Specialist of Food and Nutrition Department should create awareness regarding nutrients and nutritive value of natural sweeteners. Awareness should to created about different value added products of natural sweeteners i.e. jaggery, honey and stevia. It may motivate women to start small scale enterprises in value added products of natural sweeteners.ThesisItem Restricted Effectiveness of extension strategies for disseminating household water management practices(Punjab Agricultural University, 2023) Loveleen Kaur; Kanwaljit KaurThe polluted water and its crisis is the major issue that is worsening day by day. There is a need to create awareness among people through effective media. Thus, the present study was conducted to assess the effectiveness of extension strategies for disseminating information related to household water management practices. Total 200 rural women were selected from eight villages of Ludhiana district by snowball sampling technique. Action-cum-experimental research design was used in the study. Accordingly, one control and three experimental groups were formulated. Six major household water management practices i.e. procurement of drinking water, quality testing of water, water purification, safe storage of drinking water, cleaning of household water storage tank and use of water-saving gadgets were selected for purpose of the study. These practices were further comprised of 31 sub-practices. Three extension strategies were developed for dissemination of information on household water management practices. These extension strategies were, Strategy I: use of interpersonal methods (lecture, demonstration and discussion), Strategy II: use of multimedia through ICT platform (videos delivered through WhatsApp) and Strategy III: delivery of both interpersonal methods and multimedia through ICT platform (lecture, discussion and WhatsApp video messages). Effectiveness of these extension strategies was measured in terms of gain in knowledge and change in adoption status of respondents after exposure to intervention. Data were collected through personal contact with a self-structured interview schedule in two phases i.e. before intervention and after a gap of three months from the intervention. The results of the study showed that about 95 per cent the respondents from experimental and control group had a low level of existing knowledge on selected practices. All three strategies significantly changed the knowledge of respondents on these practices. However, after exposure through strategy I and strategy III, the knowledge of hundred per cent of the respondents from experimental group changed to high level. Since both the strategies included the use of interpersonal methods, thus it is suggested that personal contact methods, solely or in combination with ICT-based methods, should be used more for creating awareness and changing knowledge of people on different topics of concern. In case of adoption, the interpersonal extension strategy (strategy I) emerged to be the most effective in changing the adoption status of respondents. As live demonstrations in this strategy helped in increasing the adoption, they should be used more proactively in the trainings targeted towards the adoption of recommended practices/technologies. Socio-personal profile of the respondents was found to have no relationship with the gain in knowledge and change in adoption status of the respondents. Hence, it can be concluded that the change in respondents’ knowledge and adoption status was due to the intervention through different extension strategies.ThesisItem Embargo Development and evaluation of social and behavior change communication programme for domestic violence against women(Punjab Agricultural University, 2023) Sachdeva, Suriti; Sharma, PreetiThe rise in domestic violence against women in India, especially in the pandemic and postpandemic period, is an alarming issue that needs immediate attention. The dominant explanation for this emerging trend is structural inequality, internalized patriarchy, misogyny and existence of norms that encourage violence in society. This study was conducted among ever – married female victims of domestic violence in the age group of 18 – 55 years. The objectives of the study were to conduct situational analysis on domestic violence against women in Punjab, to ascertain relationship between domestic violence and socio-personal and economic characteristics. Further, it studied the opinion of service providers in terms of prevalence of various forms of domestic violence and the constraints faced by them. In order to prevent this type of gender-based violence, a Social and Behaviour Change Communication Programme was developed, validated and evaluated for its effectiveness. The study revealed that all forms of violence prevalent among the respondents. Considering each type of violence, emotional violence topped the chart, followed by economic violence and social violence. Respondents also reported to suffer from sexual violence and physical violence. Causes like intoxication and to release stress, were the prime causes of physical violence. The main reasons of emotional violence were bad mood of family member, constant yelling and swearing on the respondent and not bringing enough dowry. No access and control over financial resources led to economic violence. Sexual assault under the influence of intoxication, victim being forced to perform sexual acts which they found degrading or humiliating were some of the reasons which led to sexual violence. A significant association was reported between domestic violence and education, age, caste, income group, type of family and type of marriage. There were multiple perpetrators such as husband, mother – in – law, father- in – law and in certain cases brother – in – law as well. Large proportion of respondents reported to take an action after the violence episode. Lesser number of respondents reported to be aware of the laws that exist for protection of rights of women pertaining to domestic violence. The social and behaviour change communication programme was developed and validated by experts and was found to be effective in substantiating the knowledge of males and females related to domestic violence against women.ThesisItem Embargo Perception and knowledge of senior school students regarding climate change(Punjab Agricultural University, 2023) Bisht, Shakshi; Sidhu, KiranjotStudy was conducted to understand the perception and knowledge of youth regarding climate change. Data was collected using an interview schedule and a knowledge test from 400 students of government and private schools representing rural and urban areas of one district from each agro-climatic zone of Punjab State. Arts was the most opted stream by the students and ICT the most used media. Perception between rural and urban students varied significantly regarding causes and effects of climate change. It varied between government and private schools regarding all aspects except indicators. Overall perception did not differ significantly. Knowledge between rural and urban students varied significantly regarding concept and coping technologies/practices and between government and private regarding all aspects except effects. Overall knowledge differed significantly between rural and urban students. Student‘s families had medium level of adoption of both general and farm and agril-allied technologies/practices. Students aware and the potential adopters among them varied between locales and school types for different technologies. Perception of climate change was positively and significantly related to family size, but had negative and significant relation with parent‘s education, monthly income of the family, students‘ media exposure and their participation in activities organized by school society/club. Knowledge was negatively and significantly related to parent‘s education and family income. Decision to adopt technologies/practices for coping with climate change was positively and significantly related to family size but had negative and significant relationship with parent‘s education, monthly income of the family, student‘s mass media exposure and membership of societies. Perception of different aspects of climate change were significantly related to each other. Knowledge of causes and technologies/ practices significantly and positively affected the perception regarding indicators and causes of climate change. Knowledge of technologies/ practices also had an effect on perception of causes. Knowledge about climate change was positively and significantly related to its perception. The decision of the students to adopt technologies/practices was significantly and positively affected by their awareness, perception and their family‘s adoption of general technologies/ practices to cope with climate change. Student‘s choice of educational streams was significantly associated with their perception and decision to adopt general technologies/practices. Environment education should be introduced from elementary classes with more emphasis on practical knowledge.
