UW Journal of Social Sciences

POST-MISCARRIAGE HEALING PRACTICES: CULTURAL BELIEFS, TRADITIONS AND TABOOS IN VILLAGE ANDROT, AZAD JAMMU & KASHMIR

Bushra Farooq — 2025-12-25

With an emphasis on cultural beliefs and customs around pregnancy loss, this qualitative study investigates post-miscarriage healing practices in Village Androt, Azad Jammu & Kashmir. The findings of this study show that women's experiences and coping mechanisms are greatly influenced by the idea of "Pachawa" (evil eye), which is connected to spiritual causes of miscarriage. These insights underscore the importance of culturally responsive healthcare interventions that respect local beliefs in enhancing reproductive health outcomes, particularly given the scarcity of existing literature on the subject. An unstructured interview guide was prepared to collect in-depth information from the 21 respondents that has faced miscarriage. For this ethnographic study, twenty-one in-depth interviews were conducted by applying a purposive sampling technique to choose the participants. The recorded interviews were transcribed for doing a thematic analysis. The field notes were separated into various themes. The results of this study emphasize the shame and social stress that women experience following a miscarriage, which frequently leads to social exclusion and limited involvement in community activities. The research adds important knowledge to the understanding of women's health challenges in rural areas by shedding light on these cultural frameworks.

EXPLORING CHALLENGES IN UNITY AND COHERENCE IN PARAGRAPH WRITING BY ESL UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN PAKISTAN

Bahawal Soomro — 2025-12-25

In this study, unity and coherence errors in a paragraph by ESL learners are explored at undergrade level in Higher Education Institutions in Pakistan. The main purpose of this study was to explore what kind of errors of unity and coherence in a paragraph are made by undergrade students in Pakistan. Mix method was used to conduct this study. In this study, interviews from the students and their writeups were taken for data collection. The data was analyzed thematically. The findings show that there are many unity and coherence errors in students’ paragraph writing. They were unable to write properly organized paragraphs as their paragraphs lack unity and coherence. This study concluded that ESL students make many mistakes in writing a paragraph. It is suggested that students need to read, practice and get feedback daily from the instructors.

TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATIONS AND LEADERSHIP IN HIGHER EDUCATION: A CASE STUDY OF ETHIOPIA WITH INSIGHTS FROM SOUTH ASIA

Zahid Mushtaq — 2025-12-25

This study investigated the impact of technological advancements and leadership strategies on the enhancement of higher education delivery in East Africa, with a specific focus on Ethiopia. Through scholarly research conducted by studying and analysing relevant literature and themes, this study explained the critical roles of advanced educational technologies and transformative leadership in enhancing educational outcomes. Evidence obtained, highlighted those technologies such as Learning Management Systems (LMS), virtual classrooms, and online libraries drastically enhanced the delivery and availability of education, especially to underserved communities. Forbey's (2019) work revealed that leadership plays a critical role in creating a culture that supports the use of technology and the adoption of its innovations. The paper also assessed the level of technological advancement in East Africa, using support and infrastructure as factors that may cause or hinder advancement. Comparing it with other regions such as Pakistan and India, one can learn about the regular issues and peculiarities of technology use. Infrastructural support, faculty training, and related policies were suggested to sustain learning technology implementation. The present study provided East African countries with knowledge on educational reforms and offered strategic directions for countries aspiring to use technology to strengthen education.

THE IMPACT OF PARENTAL STRESS ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF BEHAVIORAL MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES AT HOME

Sumreen Zahid — 2025-12-25

Raising a child with special needs presents exceptional challenges, especially in executing Behavior Management Techniques (BMTs) at home. This explanatory research examines the connection between the home-based application of BMTs and parental stress in the Pakistani context. Through a purposive sampling technique, 150 parents who used behavior management techniques at home were selected. The Parents' Stress Checklist was used to assess parents' stress levels, with additional questions to understand which parents use behavior management techniques at home and how. Results reveal that parents experience high levels of stress during implementation, which may delay the efficiency of interventions. Particularly, no significant gender differences were found in the described stress levels, signifying that both fathers and mothers are similarly affected. These outcomes emphasize the essential role of culturally sensitive, stress-reducing support systems to improve the accomplishment of home-based interventions and overall family well-being.

SOCIAL MEDIA AND POLITICAL POLARIZATION AMONG EDUCATED YOUTH IN ISLAMABAD

Umair Ibrahim — 2025-12-25

This paper analyzed the political engagement of Pakistani millennial educated people living in Islamabad through social media as well as it investigated the connection between the political engagement and political awareness and engagement. A mixed-method design was also used and a purposively chosen sample of 150 university students was used and recruited with the help of Quaid-i-Azam University, COMSATS University, FAST University as well as the international Islamic university Islamabad. The presence of quantitative survey tools that obtained demographic data and self-reported social-media-based political engagement and open-ended survey items provided qualitative data which were complementary. The results indicate that social media serves as a focal point towards political engagement among youths, as an important medium of political expression, information exchange, and deliberation. The respondents also reported that the continuous use of the internet increased their awareness of politics and encouraged them to participate in meaningful political debates. The results showed that undergraduate or higher education contributed to political engagement as it increased political understanding; furthermore, stable employment was associated with reduced political polarization, again suggesting that one's socio-economic status, particularly employment status, affects one's political identity. In sum, the research provides insights into the roles of digital platforms, education, and employment in youth political engagement in Islamabad. The results raise the important need for initiatives to support balanced online communication, political media literacy, and accessible inclusive forms of civic engagement in the reality of Pakistan's digital society.