ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Gender and Achievement in Botswana&apos;s Basic Education: Exploring Boys&apos; Underachievement
Author: Mungoo, Judith
Date: 2017-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Gender Differences,Academic Achievement,Males,Junior High School Students,Underachievement,Achievement Tests,Educational Environment,Educational Practices,Foreign Countries,Behavior Problems,Learning Motivation,Aggression,Teacher Student Relationship

This paper highlights boys' underachievement in Botswana junior secondary schools. The paper argues that there is need to establish the root cause of boys' underachievement and institute possible remedies, while safeguarding the gains made in girls' education. Drawing from findings at school level, the discussion demonstrates a structured gender based performance which mirrors what happens in the final examinations. Findings showed that just as in the final examination, boys underperform in school internal examinations. The study concluded that there is need to mainstream the issues leading to boys' underachievement and mitigate them. Implication for practice is that schools should create child friendly environment where boys (and girls) can learn effectively.
Research Provocation: Creating Opportunities for Deeper Authentic Learning for Teachers to Improve Teaching and Learning in Schools
Author: Kameda, Quincy
Date: 2017-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Authentic Learning,Instructional Improvement,Faculty Development,Reflective Teaching,Classroom Techniques,Teacher Collaboration,Professional Autonomy,Workshops,Constructivism (Learning),Program Implementation,Educational Environment,School Administration,Program Effectiveness

The goal of teacher professional development should not only be to improve knowledge of the subject matter, but also to provide opportunities for teachers to reflect on their own teaching practices and consider how they can better support learners in their classrooms. For professional development to be effective and purposeful, it must support teachers during the crucial implementation phase where they directly apply what they "learn" to what they &quot;do&quot; in their classrooms. This paper attempts to explore the implications of a social constructivist Vygotskian model as it applies to teacher development, and how it can increase opportunities for deeper authentic reflection on teaching practices in the classroom, and support the creation of environments that nurture authentic teacher collaboration and teacher autonomy.
The State of Youth Policies in the Central African Sub Region
Author: Zukane, Mbuih
Date: 2017-05-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Economic Development,Sustainable Development,Youth,Youth Programs,Public Policy,Student Participation,Young Adults

The growing population of young people in the world today makes them an indispensable factor in international, regional, national and local development today. The UN World Programme of Action for Youth (WPAY) and the African Union's African Youth Charter all attest to the concern development stakeholders pay to youth development. This paper analysis youth policy within 9 member states of the Central African Sub region, showcasing the vital, yet significant role that polities are creating in fostering an enabling environment for youth participation. It explores the tenets of youth policy within this sub region by depicting how the participation of youths in societal activities and decision making instances should be an asset and a prerequisite for sustainable economic growth and social development. It also expresses abysmal concern about the magnitude of youth unemployment and underemployment throughout in Africa and its profound implications for the future of our societies, particularly those residing in the Central African sub region. The study is descriptive and applies a qualitative approach based on expert interviews and desk research. It employs the explanatory case study approach, and the combined anthropological research techniques through the use of key informant interview, written records and non-participant observations. The authors also conducted research in major databases like google scholar, PUB Med with the search phrase being youth policies, participation and youth governance. The 2016 Youth Development Index Report indicates that all 9 Central African countries have a low index, and 4 of the 9 countries are ranked in the bottom 10 of the classification. The findings also reveal that conflicts, underdevelopment and lack of political willingness are customarily accountable for the lagging of this Sub region in youth policy matters. The paper also proposes indicators to monitor and evaluate Youth Policies in the Central African Sub region, using the model proposed by Tanya BASARAB, develop initiatives to promote youth participation, and encourage networking among youth organizations and institutions with the Central African Sub region.
Exploring Primary School Teachers&apos; Multicultural Competence and Its Correlates
Author: Alemu, Yirgalem
Date: 2017-08-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Cultural Awareness,Elementary School Teachers,Multicultural Education,Teacher Competencies,Scores,Second Languages,Language Proficiency,Age Differences,Teaching Experience,Gender Differences,Case Studies,Teacher Education Programs,Foreign Countries

The study examined multicultural competence of primary school in-service teachers at one of the local teachers training colleges. Data was collected from 183 in-service teachers who were randomly selected from all batches of students (first year to fourth year). Multicultural teaching competence scale that had 44 items was used as an instrument to collect data. The result revealed that the majority of the participants were sure about knowledge dimension of the competence scale but not sure about their skill competence. The t-test result showed that the participants who had taken multicultural training had significantly higher mean score in awareness, knowledge, and skill domains compared to the participants who had not taken multicultural instruction/training. The number of languages participants could speak was also a good predictor of multicultural competence. However, age and teaching experiences, stream and gender were not significantly related to multicultural competence.
Public School Toilets: A Curse or Blessing for Girls with Physical Impairment
Author: Chigunwe, Gilliet
Date: 2017-08-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Females,Physical Disabilities,Public Schools,Sanitary Facilities,Foreign Countries,Accessibility (for Disabled),Privacy,Developing Nations,Students with Disabilities,Enrollment,Special Needs Students,Inclusion,Educational Policy,Gender Differences,Hygiene,Parent Attitudes,Physiology,Student Attitudes,Dropouts

The study was set to assess the effects of inaccessibility of school toilets to girl pupils with disabilities. Statistics staggered around the world reveal that 2.4 billion people lack access to basic toilets. According to UNICEF report, more than half of the schools in the developed world lack private toilets. Whilst this is so, people with disabilities do not only lack privacy in terms of toilets but face challenges in accessibility of these toilets especially in developing countries. World over, most nations including Zimbabwe have domesticated the United Nations Declaration Charter on equalisation of opportunities for People with Disabilities (PWDs). Zimbabwe Ministry of Education Policy Minute No. 36 of 1996 saw the enrolment of children with disabilities in their home schools. In spite of the Government policies on sanitary facilities that meet the needs of PWD, it had been observed that some toilets in Bindura town of Zimbabwe did not meet the requirements of inclusive education. Earlier study revealed that school toilets were inaccessible or difficult to access by pupils with physical disabilities. Inaccessibility of school toilets seemed to adversely affect females with disabilities much more than males with disabilities. By the time this research was done, the researchers had not come across a study that assessed the effects of inaccessibility of toilets to girl pupils with disabilities. Qualitative methodology was used for this study and grounded method was used. Data was collected through interviews and observations. The following question guided the study: To what extent are school toilets accessible to pupils with disabilities? Does inaccessibility to school toilets have more effects to girls with disabilities?
Does Education Represent a Social Protection for Lifetime in Sub-Saharan Africa?
Author: Checchi, Daniele
Date: 2017-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Role of Education,Attendance,Educational Attainment,Correlation,Literacy,Resources,Economic Factors,Teacher Student Ratio,Outcomes of Education,Employment Level,Wages,Parent Background,Access to Education,Natural Disasters,War,Probability,Elementary Education,Secondary Education,Postsecondary Education,Enrollment Rate

This study provides evidence on the distribution of school attendance and educational attainment across African countries, focusing on the correlation with literacy rates in the population, level of resources and country institutional features. The study also estimate sample correlations between enrolment and macroaggregates, related to resources (GDP per capita, student/teacher ratio), computing some counterfactuals. The authors then move to micro-data, selecting three African countries as representative examples of low (Mauritania), middle (Uganda) and high (Ghana) educational attainment. Using social surveys conducted in these countries, the authors estimate the returns to education in terms of better quality of employment (for those who are in the labour market) and of higher monetary returns (for the sub-sample of those earning a monetary wage). In addition, the authors collapse the data at household level, in order to study the determinants of individual educational attainment of children aged between 5 and 25, showing the correlation between parental education, availability of schools at community level, external shocks (like drought, famine, war) and the individual probability of being in school.
Factors Associated with Antiretroviral Treatment Default at Citimed Hospital, Zimbabwe
Author: Choto, M.
Date: 2017-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Hospitals,Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS),Foreign Countries,Health Services,Drug Therapy,Correlation,Knowledge Level,Clinics,Administrator Attitudes,Compliance (Psychology),Transportation,Barriers,Unemployment,Interdisciplinary Approach,Economic Factors,Patient Education,Program Implementation,Participant Characteristics,Poverty

While the HIV prevalence rate in Zimbabwe dropped from 24 to 14%, a lot of people continue to live with the virus. Anti-retro Viral Treatment was introduced in the country to prolong lives. The objectives of the study were to determine the factors associated with antiretroviral treatment (ART) default at Citimed hospital, establish the causes of default and to ascertain clients' knowledge about the importance of adhering to ART. This was necessitated by a preliminary analysis of the 2015 data at Citimed hospital which revealed that out of 1200 clients who had registered for ART, about 10% of the clients had defaulted treatment since 2013, when it opened its doors to cater for ART clients. This raised a lot of concern among ART clinic programme managers on why that was happening. A quantitative research was conducted. Respondents were identified using systematic random sampling to come up with a sample size of 60 respondents. A structured questionnaire was used for data gathering. Results are presented in tables and pie-charts as well as narratives for descriptive statistics. The major findings included lack of transport to visit the hospital, time constraints as the employee could not be readily released from work to visit the hospital, unemployment resulting in lack of funds and knowledge deficit. The major recommendations to the ART facilities included implementation of the multi-disciplinary centred approach, establishing patient education programmes and patient support.
The Barriers to Developing Critical Thinking in Life and Earth Sciences Curricula in Tunisia
Author: Atig, Adel
Date: 2017-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Barriers,Critical Thinking,Biological Sciences,Earth Science,Foreign Countries,Cognitive Processes,Educational Objectives,Behavioral Objectives,Classification,Visual Arts

The purpose of this research is to analyze the life and earth science curricula in Tunisia in order to determine its characteristics and to know if it really helps to develop critical thinking as it is claimed in curriculum documents. In this analysis, the authors applied the revised Bloom's taxonomy. The results show that curriculum authors ignore the more complex cognitive processes and the most abstract knowledge, which leads to imagine that there is a barrier to encountering the higher levels which makes it impossible to develop critical thinking among students.
Promoting Community Participation in Improving Education in South Sudan
Author: Ginsburg, Mark
Date: 2017-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Community Involvement,Educational Improvement,Foreign Countries,Program Implementation,Conflict

This article examines an initiative by the USAID-funded Room to Learn South Sudan project (2013 to 2016) to encourage and enable community participation in improving education access, quality and safety. Project staff engaged parents and teachers as well as women, youth, and other community members in developing and implementing school improvement plans. These plans were informed by their participation in a &quot;good school&quot; visioning exercise; their interpretation of data on measures of access, quality, and safety; and their appraising community assets that could contribute to implementing the school improvement plan. The project provided in-kind grants (mainly books and other instructional materials) and organized one capacity building workshop for PTA members and one for teachers, but was not able to provide other kinds of support (e.g., funds for construction, on-going technical assistance). Nevertheless, many of the school communities reported that they had made progress in implementing some aspects of their school development plans, drawing on Room to Learn grants but also resources from the community, the government, and other projects. The project's implementation--and the daily life of school community members--were both interrupted and challenged by periods of violent conflict between political groups associated with the two major ethnic groups (Dinka and Nuer). The conflict-affected context not only limited implementation of the school development plans but also calls into question the sustainability of this and other initiatives undertaken by educational development projects funded by international organizations.
Differential Parental Social Capital Investment in Children&apos;s Education: Research Evidence
Author: Kuranchie, Alfred
Date: 2017-09-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Social Capital,Parents,Outcomes of Education,Rural Urban Differences,Parent Participation,Adoption,Student Development,Child Welfare,Parent Background,Junior High School Students,Early Adolescents,Foreign Countries,Compulsory Education,Educational Attainment,Occupations,Family Environment,Caregivers,Parent Role

When parents bring forth children, they perceive and act on their upbringing. However, some children live with and are brought up by non-biological parents. The phenomenon of children living with non-biological parents has been a long standing practice in most societies, yet little comparative research interest had been shown to examine the involvement of real and pseudo parents in children's education. The study sought to fill the lacuna by examining differential family social capital investment in children's education. Cross-sectional survey was utilised to study children from three geographical settings and data was gathered from administration of survey instrument. Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS), version 20, was used to analyse the data. Several findings emerged from the study. Firstly, the study unveiled moderate manifestation of social capital in the families of the study subjects. Secondly, there was a relatively high rate of pseudo parenting, which means that a good percent of the children were not living with their real parents. Thirdly, the results revealed that pseudo parents did not commit much time and energy into their wards' education as much as the real or biological parents did for their children. Fourthly, parents residing in urban centres tended to socially invest more in their children's education as opposed to their counterparts in the other communities. Consequently, parents, irrespective of their status and community of residence, are urged to demonstrate much interest and participate in their children's education.
Teacher Quality, Development and Motivation in Nigeria
Author: Nwokeocha, Steve
Date: 2017-05-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teacher Effectiveness,Teacher Motivation,Faculty Development,Foreign Countries,Models,Professionalism,Preservice Teachers,Preservice Teacher Education

The paper discusses teacher quality, development and motivation as pillars of teacher professionalization and critical determinants of educational quality. It started with analysis of the concepts and moves on to provide the international contexts and documents that guide the management of teacher quality, development and motivation. It then reviews the frameworks and level of implementation of these issues in Nigeria. At the end, the paper offered recommendations which among others are the need to domesticate and actualize international instruments regarding teacher professionalization, recognition and status; need to implement existing policies regarding teacher quality, development and motivation rather than creating new ones with little efforts to implement them; and synergy among the organisations involved in pre-service and on-going teacher professional development so as to reduce duplication, wastage of resources and lack of standardization of professional development programmes.
National Integration and Democratic Consolidation in Nigeria
Author: Oyadiran, Phillip
Date: 2017-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Democracy,Democratic Values,World History,Constitutional Law,Political Issues,Resources,Income,Resource Allocation,War,Ethnic Groups,Crime,Public Officials,Federal State Relationship

There have been sterile and robust debates on the issue of national integration as an indelible mark of unity. Democratic consolidation comes to mind when the heterogeneity and differences are seen as factors that cannot hinder our peaceful co-existence in a fair, just and egalitarian society where people's voices and inputs are significant. The feeling of national spirit is evident in the sensitivity of the leaders and the led in attending to national issues as touching the plights and yearnings of the citizens irrespective of background and other factors. This paper examined the factors militating against the continuous existence of Nigeria as a united, indissoluble and sovereign nation due to the perceived mistake of 1914 amalgamation by Lord Lugard. Methodologically, the study adopted a qualitative technique of data collection through the content analysis of documents, reports, journals, books and articles. At the end of the study, it was discovered that the factors militating against the consolidation of the Nigerian nascent democracy are national questions such as the continuous agitation of resource control, constitutional amendment, minority/majority syndrome, revenue sharing formula, unjustifiable distribution of resources, activities of ethnic militias, unequal representation in the National Assembly, zoning/rotational presidency and corruption. Therefore, the study recommended for the convocation of sovereign national conference through which a true Nigerian constitution would emerge in favour of true federalism.
The Influence of Quality on E-Learning Implementation in Botswana Tertiary Institutions: The Case for Botswana College of Distance and Open Learning
Author: Tladi, Lekopanye
Date: 2017-11-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Electronic Learning,Technology Integration,Open Education,Distance Education,College Students,Usability,Users (Information),Student Attitudes,Information Security,Educational Quality,Online Courses,Asynchronous Communication,Confidentiality,Instructional Materials,Colleges

This paper sought to investigate the extent to which selected quality factors influence e-Learning implementation, which the current body of knowledge purports to be an alternative way of leveraging the provision of support for effective teaching and learning in the new millennium. The study is a case study of Botswana College of Distance and Open Learning (BOCODOL) learners whose studies are supported through online. It is situated within the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) theoretical framework model. The purpose of the research study was to investigate the extent to which the identified quality issues influence e-Learning implementation within the context of BOCODOL. The quantitative research approach used involved sixty-six (66) students from BOCODOL. Data were collected from students using questionnaires and the Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS) were used for data analysis. The results revealed that the identified quality factors had a significant positive influence on eLearning implementation at the institution. The study concluded that quality criteria had a positive influence on e-Learning implementation. The study has thus contributed to the existing body of knowledge as the results could be used to inform practice regarding how e-Learning might be implemented within the context of Botswana tertiary institutions.
Causes and Management of School Related Conflict
Author: Isabu, M. O.
Date: 2017-05-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Conflict,School Administration,Conflict Resolution,Educational Environment,Cooperation,Competition,Student Behavior,Teacher Behavior,Standards,Educational Resources,Communication Problems,Role Conflict,Peer Relationship,Teacher Administrator Relationship,Teacher Student Relationship

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the causes and management of school related conflict. The review of relevant literature shows that conflict is an essential and unavoidable human phenomenon because where there is human interaction, there is a likelihood of personal likes and dislikes. These agreements and disagreements among individuals and groups in the school sometimes lead to conflict. Conflicts are neither constructive nor disruptive but the ways these are handled in the school make them either positive or negative. Causes of conflict include difference in perceptions, limited resources, overlapping authority amongst others; while conflict management strategies include accommodation, avoidance, competition and collaboration. Based on this discussion, the paper suggests that there should be regular staff meetings, good communication network and the teachers' and students' code of conduct should be made available to all staff and students so as to know their limit and avoid conflict.