Asian Research Journal of Arts & Social Sciences

From Theory to Practice: The Experiences of the Elementary Pre-Service Teachers in a Community-Based Reading Program

Nellievil P. Batay-an — 2026-09-05

Reading difficulties remain a persistent concern in Philippine basic education, creating opportunities for pre-service teachers to engage in community-based literacy support before entering professional practice. This study explored the lived experiences of elementary pre-service teachers who volunteered as tutors in Brigada Pagbasa, a community-based reading program conducted in partnership with the Department of Education. Using a qualitative phenomenological design, the study drew on semi-structured interviews with pre-service teachers from the Bachelor of Elementary Education program at Apayao State College who provided weekly tutorial sessions within a service-learning framework without receiving academic credit. The data were analyzed using Saldaña's coding technique. Five themes emerged from the participants' accounts: motivation and purpose, enjoyment and fulfilment, challenges and learning, confidence and personal growth, and a sense of responsibility and impact. Participants described the tutoring experience as an opportunity to apply theoretical knowledge, respond to difficulties encountered while working with struggling readers, seek appropriate teaching strategies, and reflect on their developing roles as future teachers. Their accounts also indicated perceived growth in confidence, professional responsibility, and understanding of learners' needs. The findings suggest that community-based reading engagement can provide a meaningful context for connecting teacher education coursework with authentic instructional experience while strengthening reflective and community-oriented dimensions of pre-service teacher preparation.

Assessment of Passenger Flow and Transport Logistics Efficiency across the Urban-Peri-Urban Interface in Southwestern Nigeria

O. M. Gegeleso — 2026-09-07

Mobility between urban and peri-urban areas has become increasingly challenging due to urbanisation and population growth. This has made transport logistics challenging. The study sought to analyse passenger flow patterns and examine the determinants of transport logistics efficiency. It also investigated the relationship between passenger flow patterns and logistics performance in selected areas. Several theories explain the complexities of passenger flow and logistics efficiency in peri-urban settings, including Central Place Theory, Urban Transport Theory, and Accessibility Theory. A descriptive survey research approach was adopted. Primary data were obtained from 400 respondents and analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The study revealed a high intensity of passenger movements in the study area, as 55.0% of respondents were daily commuters, while 45.0% travelled mainly for work purposes. Bus transport was the major mode of transport used by passengers, accounting for 42.0% of total trips. The findings indicated high levels of travel delays, waiting times, congestion, and overcrowding, especially during the morning and evening rush hours. Regression analysis established a strong correlation between passenger flow characteristics and transport logistics efficiency (R = 0.812; R² = 0.659). Transport infrastructure (β = 0.337; p = 0.000), passenger flow (β = 0.302; p = 0.000), and route connectivity (β = 0.254; p = 0.000) positively and significantly affected transport logistics efficiency, while travel time (β = −0.218; p = 0.000), waiting time (β = −0.201), and transport cost (β = −0.173) negatively affected transport logistics efficiency. The regression model was statistically significant (F = 130.285; p = 0.000).

In conclusion, the study shows that, although public transport remains the basis of passenger mobility along the Ibadan urban and peri-urban corridor, demand has surpassed transport capacity because of increasing urban needs, resulting in relatively moderate transport logistics efficiency. The study recommends increasing public transport services, improving road infrastructure, and integrating transport planning strategies.

Assessing Urban Road Network Connectivity Using GIS and Graph Theory in Lucknow, India

Piyush Singh — 2026-09-15

This study provides a spatially explicit assessment of Lucknow’s road network by examining connectivity and spatial coverage as fundamental dimensions of urban transportation infrastructure. The analysis encompasses 110 municipal wards and evaluates a road network comprising 58,876 nodes and 79,646 edges, providing a detailed representation of its structural configuration. Recognising that road infrastructure adequacy cannot be determined solely by total road length, the study examines node–link relationships, route alternatives, network organisation, and spatial distribution. An integrated Geographic Information System (GIS) and graph-theoretical framework is employed for ward-level assessment using Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Eta, and Grid-Tree Pattern indices. The results reveal a developing yet spatially heterogeneous network characterised by limited circuitry, moderate node–link integration, and considerable variation in structural connectivity. Connectivity is comparatively lower in historically developed wards, including Raja Ram Mohan Roy and Yahia Ganj, whereas Bhartendu Harishchandra, Ismail Ganj, and Vivekanand Puri exhibit stronger connectivity. Coverage analysis identifies pronounced spatial disparities, with several older urban areas demonstrating relatively high road density but weaker structural integration, while peripheral wards generally exhibit lower road densities owing to their larger spatial extent and prevailing land-use characteristics. The findings demonstrate that road-network expansion alone does not necessarily improve connectivity. Enhanced network performance requires integrated routes, greater continuity, alternative corridors, and coordinated transportation and land-use planning. The study therefore supports differentiated interventions for historically developed areas and rapidly expanding peripheral zones. Overall, the GIS and graph-theoretical framework provides a systematic basis for diagnosing spatial disparities and informing efficient, integrated, and sustainable transportation planning in rapidly urbanising Indian cities.

Students' Perceptions of Future Challenges in the Nigerian Education System in the Post-COVID-19 Period: A Descriptive Survey

James S. Etim — 2026-09-21

Nigeria's education system continues to confront longstanding pressures related to educational quality, financing, access, teacher supply, infrastructure, insecurity, and the after-effects of COVID-19-related disruption. This descriptive survey examined how a sample of students perceived future educational challenges and possible responses. Data were collected in June 2026 from 100 secondary-school, undergraduate, and postgraduate students using the 15-item Issues, Trends and Future Challenges in Education Questionnaire, which forms part of a wider study of education in Africa. Responses were summarised in SPSS using frequencies and percentages. The most frequently identified future challenge was lower educational standards (37%), followed by sustainable funding (28%), affordability of education (19%), and graduate unemployment (16%). The most frequently selected proposed solution was the provision of scholarships (54%), followed by improved education funding (21%), better facilities for practical learning (10%), increased staff strength (6%), measures to address insecurity (6%), and stronger industry partnerships for internship experience (3%). These findings describe the priorities expressed by the participating students; they do not constitute forecasts of future conditions or estimates of intervention effectiveness. The results indicate that student perspectives may provide a useful complementary source of evidence for education planning when interpreted alongside administrative data, learning outcomes, financing indicators, teacher-workforce evidence, and broader socioeconomic conditions.

Lived Experiences of Long-Term Male Sikad Drivers in Ozamiz City: A Phenomenological Study

Carl Jeric Da-Anoy — 2026-09-21

Sikad drivers provide short-distance, pedal-powered transport in many Philippine communities, yet their working lives remain underrepresented in qualitative scholarship. This phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of ten long-term male sikad drivers in Ozamiz City, Misamis Occidental, Philippines. Participants were purposively selected from drivers who were married, had at least two children, and had more than 15 years of experience. In-depth interviews examined sources of motivation, everyday hardships, coping practices, and hopes for the future. The accounts were synthesised into four overarching themes: (1) family as the central source of purpose and dignity; (2) poverty, restricted opportunity, and social vulnerability; (3) faith and everyday coping; and (4) hope, perseverance, and resourcefulness. Participants described unstable earnings, difficulty meeting food and health needs, limited alternatives to informal work, road-safety concerns, competition from motorised transport, housing insecurity, and experiences of disrespect. At the same time, they emphasised responsibility to family, children's education, honesty, religious faith, gratitude, and persistent effort. The findings show that resilience among these drivers is relational and practical rather than simply individual: it is sustained by family obligations, spiritual meaning, everyday routines, and adaptive livelihood strategies while remaining constrained by informal employment and material insecurity. Because the sample was small, homogeneous, and context-specific, the findings are not intended to serve as population estimates. They nevertheless provide locally grounded evidence that can inform more inclusive discussions of informal transport, occupational health, road safety, social protection, and livelihood support.

The Nishads at the Edge of the Ken River: A Qualitative Inquiry into Livelihood, Culture, and Everyday Life in Bundelkhand

Rambaboo Tiwari — 2026-09-25

The Ken River is a major tributary of the Yamuna and an important ecological and livelihood resource in the Bundelkhand region of central India. This qualitative case study examines how river-dependent livelihoods, cultural practices, and everyday life are experienced by members of the Nishad community in Bhurendi Gram Panchayat, Banda district, Uttar Pradesh. The study analyses field records dated 2020 and 2023. The reported interview sample comprised 30 participants, including 10 women, 10 young adults aged 18-30 years, and 10 other adult community members; an additional focus group discussion brought together locally knowledgeable community and institutional actors. Open-ended interviews, field observations, documentary sources, and the focus group discussion were used to examine fishing, riverbank cultivation, animal husbandry, boat-based mobility, sand extraction, and sociocultural practices. Thematic organisation of the reported field material indicates a livelihood system closely linked to the river but undergoing substantial transition. Participants described reduced reliance on fishing and boating, expansion of sand-related wage and transport work, contraction of riverbank vegetable cultivation, and continuing dependence on the river for livestock, water-related activities, and religious and cultural practices. These perceptions are consistent with wider evidence that inland fisher livelihoods are vulnerable to changing access regimes, environmental degradation, and hydroclimatic variability. However, participants' observations concerning river flow decline and the effects of sand extraction should be interpreted as local perceptions rather than direct hydrological measurements. The findings demonstrate the value of integrating community knowledge with ecological monitoring and transparent resource governance when planning river conservation and livelihood support in drought-prone Bundelkhand.

Assessing Medical Students Perception on Personal Values and Professional Ethics

Khalid Juma — 2026-09-28

This study assessed medical students’ perceptions of personal values and professional ethics and explored how sociocultural, educational, and clinical influences shape their understanding of these domains. A qualitative approach using a phenomenological/content-analysis design was applied. One hundred respondents were included, comprising 50 medical students and 50 clinical medicine students from the School of Health and Medical Sciences, State University of Zanzibar. Data were collected through unstructured interviews adapted from the Schwartz Values Survey and analysed in Taguette through systematic coding and thematic identification. Participants described personal values and professional ethics in relation to self-awareness, communication and interpersonal skills, professional identity, moral reasoning, and knowledge of ethical issues. Family and upbringing, the education system, culture and ethnicity, and religion or spirituality were identified as sociocultural influences. Educational and clinical experiences were reflected in role modelling and the hidden curriculum, learning through experience, ethical instruction and guidance, reflective practice, and feedback and assessment. Students also reported challenges in integrating personal values with professional expectations, including emotional and psychological burden, knowledge-to-practice gaps, cultural and social tensions, conflicting values, and patients’ values and social expectations. The findings indicate that medical students’ personal values and professional ethics are interrelated and shaped by multiple personal, educational, and sociocultural influences. Ethics education may therefore benefit from reflective practice, constructive role modelling, feedback, and attention to individual values and experiences.

The Intensity and Nature of Agricultural Crisis among Different Farmer Groups in Uttar Pradesh, India: A Comparative Study

Khursheed Ahmad Khan — 2026-09-28

The agricultural crisis is closely associated with declining farm viability, fragmented landholdings, indebtedness, limited livelihood opportunities, and uneven access to productive resources. These concerns are particularly important in Uttar Pradesh, where agricultural conditions vary substantially across regions and categories of farming households. This paper investigates the magnitude and nature of the agricultural crisis among farming households in the selected districts of Meerut, Jalaun, and Kushinagar, representing the Western, Bundelkhand, and Eastern regions of Uttar Pradesh, respectively. The study is based on primary data collected from 540 households across the three districts. To analyse the nature of the agricultural crisis, a composite index is constructed using indicators related to cropping intensity, crop yield, indebtedness, foodgrain availability, access to modern technology, livelihood opportunities, and agricultural viability. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is used to compute the composite index. The study then compares the crisis index across different farm-size groups and employs regression analysis to examine factors associated with variations in the intensity of the agricultural crisis. Data show that the agricultural crisis is more severe among small farmers than among large farmers. The regression results also show that social-group characteristics, total factor productivity, irrigation facilities, and alternative livelihood options are significantly associated with variations in the crisis index, while farm size is also statistically significant. The findings indicate that agricultural crises cannot be defined solely by the extent of landholdings. Rather, they reflect the combined influence of production capacity, access to resources, social characteristics, and livelihood diversity. The study therefore highlights the need for policies that address the multidimensional nature of agricultural distress, particularly among marginal and small farming households.