Polysemy: A Journal of Interdisciplinary Scholarship

Students’ Perception of Quality Education: A Review

Khagendra Acharya — 2020-09-29

This article presents review of scholarly works on students’ perception of their learning environment. Particularly, the literature published between 1990 and 2019 February that examine university level students’ perception of the factors that they consider the benchmark of quality education or the causes of poor academics were reviewed.

In total 63 articles were analyzed in terms of four criteria, namely, 1) the methods used to examine students’ perception of quality education, 2) the elements that were perceived to impact positively on quality education, 3) the perceived causes of poor academics, and 4) the students’ perception of quality education in relation to their demographic characteristics.

The findings related to the methods used to study the issue, students’ perception on different aspects of quality education, the causes of poor quality education, and the role of demographic variables on students’ perception are derived. We believe that the conclusions from these findings may help not only the researchers interested in perceived quality of education to plan for further research but also the institutions of higher education to execute their activities to improve their students’ satisfaction levels.

Editorial Framing of the Post-quake Nepal and its Response to the Gorkha Earthquake

Bal Krishna Sharma — 2020-09-29

This paper examines eleven editorials of The Himalayan Times, The Kathmandu Post, and The Rising Nepal (henceforth THT, TKP and TRN) published after the Great Gorkha Earthquake of April 2015. The representations of this disaster in these mainstream papers form the main concern of this study. It identifies the post-quake Nepali government’s emergency response to the catastrophe as the dominant theme and then examines how this theme has been framed in the sampled editorials. Although the 2015 disaster has been studied in various writings, these are mostly restricted to reviews, field reports, write-ups and surveys. Research works exist even little. This lack of scholarly works reveals a gap in the studies conducted so far. Using framing analysis, this paper broadens the editorial representation of the April catastrophe. It engages a two-fold analytical process: identifying the dominant theme first and then analyzing how the theme has been framed. The paper also compares the editorials to understand whether they converge or diverge in terms of their framing, focusing on the major question: what dominant theme(s) have the editorials covered and how the frames used in the editorials project the overall national image of Nepal. The conclusion reveals that the frames used in the editorials have ultimately controlled readers’ perception of the post-quake Nepali government and the way it has responded to the emergency situation.

Ideological Othering of Maoists in The Kathmandu Post

Bharat Prasad Neupane — 2020-09-29

This paper explores representation of Maoists in The Kathmandu Post during and after People’s Movement II, especially after 12-point understanding between Seven Party Alliance (SPA) and the Maoists in Delhi. By utilizing Althusserian notion of ideology, particularly his notion of Ideological State Apparatus (ISA) and media ethics, the paper critically scrutinizes why The Kathmandu Post epitomized Maoist and the movement the way it did. The paper claims that the Post’s depiction of Maoists is basically motivated by their economic position, ideology and vested interests which are contrary to the notion of ISA. Further, the research also substantiates that Althusserian conception of ISA does not apply in the context of Nepal. The Kathmandu Post’s explicit support to People’s Movement II and at the same time misrepresentation of Maoists despite 12-points agreement between Maoists and SPA undercuts Althusser’s notion.

Nothing Endures But Change: Haris Adhikari's Flowing with a River

Gordon Hilgers — 2020-09-29

Nothing Endures But Change: Haris Adhikari's Flowing with a River