Information skill is a way of learning through engaging with information. Information skill includes ‘library research skills’ and ‘IT literacy’ but it is broader than these. Information skills are not just about finding and presenting information, it is about higher order analysis, synthesis, critical thinking and problem solving. It involves seeking and using information for independent learning, lifelong learning, participative citizenship and social responsibility.” (Lupton 2004). Information skills include various behaviours like: need for information, the resources available, how to find information, the need to evaluate results, how to work with the results, ethics and responsibility of use, how to communicate or share your findings, how to manage your findings Information may be available on paper, digitally, through other media such as broadcast or film, or from a colleague or friend. It may or may not be conveniently closed to hand and easily accessible, and quantifying your need and making a decision about the use of an information source may be tempered by the ease and speed with which an answer can be obtained. It focuses on six levels, defining, locating, selecting, organizing, presenting and assessing. Knowledge comprehension is more like experiential learning. It is the way of learning that how it is shaped through a learner''s cognitive processes. As the metaphor of development infers, cognitive constructivist hypotheses expect that knowledge is a thing made by the mind processes instead of got from a source. It can be characterized as scholarly capacity shaped through an individual''s encounters and collaborations with the earth (O''Mara et al., 2006; Valentine et al., 2004). According to Valentine et al., (2004) students, who are more involved with the utilization of their experiences are liable to take part in more accomplishment related practices, which may v incorporate managing data, get ready assignments, finishing homework, concentrating on for tests, and taking an interest in class exercises. Secondary school students from the Punjab were the population of the study. Six districts from the whole province were randomly selected. Two instruments were used to collect data. The information skills instrument was developed based on Information literacy skills continuum, k-12 (1998). Cronbach’s alpha value obtained for the whole scale was α = .92.Knowledge comprehension instrument was developed to check academic understanding of the students. Cronbach’s alpha value obtained for the whole scale was α = .92. Collected data was analysed by using descriptive statistics, correlation and independent sample t test. Results of the study revealed that there is no significant difference between the information skills of males and females. It was also clear that information skills of the science and arts students are not significantly different from each other. Knowledge comprehension of males was slightly better than females. There is statistically significant positively strong relationship between levels of information skills and knowledge comprehension of secondary school students. This means students with good information skills automatically build good understanding of their academic subjects. The findings of this study may help teachers to adopt appropriate teaching methodologies and curriculum developers to modify or plan curriculum according to the need of students.
جدید اور حالیہ ماخذ ِ تحقیق میں ایک اہم اور نہایت مفید و ناگزیر ماخذاشاریہ بھی شامل ہے، جوایک اصول کے طور پر اولاً ان کتابوں میں شامل کیا جانے لگاتھا جوطویل متن پر مشتمل ہوتی تھیں اور اشاریے کے اسماء (اشخاص،اماکن، مطبوعات، عمارات وادارے، وغیرہ اس متن کے اندرسے اخذ کیے جاتے اور متون کے آخر میں حروف تہجی کے اعتبارسے سائنسی بنیادوں پرترتیب دے کر شامل کیے جاتے تھے۔اس روایت کا آغاز کوئی تین سوسال قبل ہوا تھا اور خاص طور پر مغرب کے ترقی یافتہ ممالک کی علمی روایات میں علمی و تحقیقی اور تاریخی متون مروج رہا۔جنوبی ایشیا یا ہندوستان اور پاکستان میں بھی یہ مغربی اثرات کے زیر اثر یہاں کی زبانوں کی تصانیف میں قریباً دوسوسال قبل سے یہ روایت دیکھنے میں آتی ہے۔علمی دنیا میں اشاریہ سازی نے کئی مفید و ناگزیر انداز اختیار کیے ہیں اور کامیابی سے اپنا فرض ادا کررہی ہے۔ اسی عمل نے محض متون کی اندر سے اسماء کو اخذ کرنے ہی تک خود کو مخصوص نہ رکھا بل کہ رسائل کے حوالے سے ان کے مشمولات کی فہرست سازی کو بھی اس عمل نے اہمیت دی ہے اور رسائل کے اشاریوں کی ترتیب مختلف صورتوں میں اس طرح انجام دی ہے کہ جن سے متعلقہ رسالے میں شائع شدہ مضامین و مقالات یا جملہ تخلیقات و نگارشات بھی اس کے دائرے میں شامل ہوکر ایک نہایت جامع مشمولات کی فہرست بن گئی ہے جو مختلف صورتوں: اشخاص، مطبوعات، اماکن، ادارے و عمارات غرض سارے ہی موجودہ عنوانات اس ترتیب میں شامل ہوجائیں کہ کسی طرح کاکوئی عنوان اس فہرست سے باہر نہ رہ جائے۔
Manuscript is a handwritten book. The writer of such book is known as "khattat". In the field of research editing and Makhtoota hold primary position. No research is possible without it. Editing is the farther goal than research. Therefore, being an expert in the manuscript is an obligatory factor for editing Manuscripts are the richest treasure of the human civilization, and their great contribution. They are the chronological records of past memories, incidents and circumstances. They need great expertise to understand these. A person who is not capable expert of manuscripts, he can’t carry out the research or editing task effectively.
The overall aim of the study entitled as “Determinants of agriculture production and supply price along with non-price response of major crops in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan” is to investigate, analyze and evaluate price and non-price factors influencing the adoption, acreage and production of major crops (i.e wheat, rice, sugarcane and cotton) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Influence of prices and impact of non-price factors are quite essential supply response determinants of major crops in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as they assist them in shaping their agronomic practices right from seed preparation to the disposal of final produce in market for production and acreage enhancement. The present study is carried out to estimate supply response of farmers and contribution of each explanatory variable to the production and acreage of major crops. In this regard, annual time series data over a period of time (1976-77 to 2007-08) have been used. The Ordinary Least Square (OLS) techniques of estimation are run on various combinations of price and non-price factors along with their respective lagged values, which have provided useful information as policy guidelines in order to enhance the major crops returns in the shape of its production and acreage. To investigate more precisely the farmer’s responses to price and non-prices determinants of wheat, rice, sugarcane and cotton crops, the Nerlovian Partial Adjustment Model, being popular supply response model, has been applied to bring about significant influences of explanatory variables on production and acreage responses of major crops. On the identification of stationarity issues in selected price and non-price determinants of model equations in all nine cases of thesis, Augmented Dickey Fuller Unit Root Test is applied for the purpose of determining the order of integration through process of differencing. When 1st, 2nd and 4th difference variables are applied to various combinations of price and non-price factors in logarithmic version of basic model equations, which clearly proved that respective variables are stationary of order 1, 2 or 4 in respective production and acreage responses of major crops. In view of production and acreage responses of wheat, rice, sugarcane and cotton, the short run and long run price as well as non-price elasticities were found sizeable with slightly widest divergence in various combinations of model equations of nine cases, indicating the intensity of influence of respective explanatory variables (price and nonprice factors) on the dependent variable (production and acreage of major crops). In concluding remarks, it has been revealed during discussions of all nine cases of study that agricultural prices certainly played vital role in making sure the proper allocation of productive resources for the growers of wheat, rice, sugarcane and cotton. Enhanced production and acreage of major crops encourages farmer’s income, savings and investments, which induced them to adopt latest techniques of crop management i.e seed bed preparation, cultivation, watering, weeding, chemical fertilizations, insecticides, harvesting, preventing post-harvest losses, marketing, processing, storages etc. Due to fluctuations in prices of major crops (i.e support price, nominal support price, real support price, market price, price of fertilizers etc) and the impact of non-price factors (rainfall, cultivated area, cropped area, cropping intensity, area irrigated by different sources, agricultural credits, fertilizer offtake, culturable waste, land use intensity, total reported area, total cultivated area, net cultivated area etc) have exerted significant influences at P<0.10, P<0.05 and P< 0.01 as well as non-significance impact shown on production and acreage responses of wheat, rice, sugarcane and cotton. Finally the author suggests and recommends policy statements that market and support price policy of Government needs to be streamlined by stabilizing the price (i.e especially elimination of cyclical and seasonal fluctuation of price), acreage adjustments (i.e elasticity of price and area), avoiding post harvest losses (i.e timely storage, effective means of communications and transport for bringing the produce from point of production to the point of consumption in time), processing of agriculture produce (i.e enhancing withholding capacity of produce due to its perishable nature), initiation of government procurements (i.e obtaining surplus produce directly from growers), provision of subsidy (i.e minimizing the burden of price on consumers), rational import-export policy (i.e meeting the growing demand through importing the goods and enhanced supply through exporting the produce). The study has made policy recommendations to improve the supply responses of price as well as non-price factors and returns to major crops in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (Pakistan).