International Journal of Educational Development in Africa最新文献

{"title":"African Students’ Capacity Building for Career Success","authors":"R. Donkoh, Lee Wing On, J. Donkor","doi":"10.25159/2312-3540/9461","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.25159/2312-3540/9461","url":null,"abstract":"Youth unemployment has been a major concern for African governments in recent times. A factor that contributes to this is employers who have ridiculous hiring requirements that become an impediment for most applicants. Although the literature blames school leadership and the school environment as the main causes of graduate unemployment, there seems to be a paucity of literature on the actual causes of graduate unemployment and the reasons for their poor performance in the workforce. This study assesses the actual causes of graduate unemployment in Africa and suggests remedies to salvage the situation. It provides a content analysis of papers presented at conferences, magazines, books, reports, and existing literature on academic articles. This study discovered that graduates lack work experience, computer skills, soft skills, problem-solving skills, creativity, etc. and these are the key drivers of youth unemployment in Africa. The study recommends that graduates should undertake an internship or voluntary work to acquire work experience and learn soft skills such as courtesy, politeness, and good manners at the workplace. They should also learn how to use basic computer software packages, find mentors in the profession who will guide them on the job, pursue life-long learning education, have a back-up career, and learn presentation skills. These are the remedies that will prepare new graduates to find their dream job.","PeriodicalId":262655,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Educational Development in Africa","volume":"2012 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-02-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"127403968","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Enhancing Graduate Attributes through Work-Integrated Learning: Students’ Perspective","authors":"R. Moalosi, Paulson Letsholo, Botumile Matake, Mathews Ollyn","doi":"10.25159/2312-3540/9696","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.25159/2312-3540/9696","url":null,"abstract":"Work-integrated learning inspires students to embrace prospective future careers, thereby contributing to economic innovation and growth. Universities must incorporate work-integrated learning into the curricula to promote students’ personal and career development goals. It enables students to integrate theory and practice and to assess their experiential learning as well as exposing them to the world of work. This study investigates the contribution of work-integrated learning to enhancing graduate attributes of industrial design students at the University of Botswana. Few in-depth studies have assessed how work-integrated learning enhances the graduate attributes of industrial design students. A case study was conducted with 21 University of Botswana industrial design students. The results were based on students self-reporting after undertaking a 14-week work-integrated learning experience. The participants reported that 98% of the graduate attributes were positively attained. Teamwork and adaptability were the top two graduate attributes that were perceived to have been attained. The results suggest that work-integrated learning enables students to learn by doing, which enhances personal and professional graduate attributes important to gain employment and succeed in the workplace. Consequently, institutions of higher learning must review their teaching and learning pedagogies to align them with the needs of the work environment, civic engagement and the fourth industrial revolution to produce technically and professionally competent graduates. The curriculum review should also foster a decolonial and transformative lens in higher education in the Global South","PeriodicalId":262655,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Educational Development in Africa","volume":"9 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-02-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"127189746","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Impact of Incentives on Early Childhood Teachers’ Proficiency in Lubombo Region, Eswatini","authors":"Melody Matsvange, Collen Mudimba, Malandvula Lee-Ann Simangele Tholakele","doi":"10.25159/2312-3540/9267","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.25159/2312-3540/9267","url":null,"abstract":"Early childhood development programmes have been found to be crucial in the development of children in physical, cognitive, socio-emotional and linguistic domains. For early childhood development (ECD) programmes to be effective, several factors need to be considered, among them human and material resources. Although the availability of the aforementioned factors is of the utmost importance, there is also a need to establish the unforeseen factors that can help ECD programmes to be more effective. Currently, there is little information regarding what can facilitate proficiency among early childhood teachers in their daily practice. This study focused on the impact of incentives on the performance of early childhood development teachers in the Lubombo region in Eswatini, formerly Swaziland. The objectives of the study were to find out the types of incentives given to ECD teachers, to examine the factors affecting the ECD teachers’ incentives and proficiency, and to explore the best ways of incentivising ECD teachers to improve their effectiveness. The research questions guiding the study were derived from the research objectives and the approach used in the study was purely qualitative. The study adopted a case study design and used unstructured questionnaires, cell phone interviews and focus group discussions as data collection tools. The research was confined to Lubombo, where a sample of 30 participants was selected. The sample included 10 ECD teachers, 10 parents and 10 administrators. The findings of the study were that ECD teachers are paid low salaries, which are not sustainable, and they are not hired by the government and so have no pensionable benefits. The study recommends that the use of incentives can improve the proficiency of early childhood teachers; ECD teachers should be paid salaries like any other teacher that are scaled according to their qualifications. Scholarships to further their studies should also be made available to them. More research is essential in areas of teachers’ proficiency and quality early childhood development programmes.","PeriodicalId":262655,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Educational Development in Africa","volume":"252 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-02-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"115645692","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Quality of Primary School Teacher Training in HIV/AIDS Pedagogy in Manicaland Province, Zimbabwe","authors":"M. Maphalala, Savania Magaya","doi":"10.25159/2312-3540/9291","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.25159/2312-3540/9291","url":null,"abstract":"Teacher training is important for both pre-service and in-service teachers to allow them to increase their competence and confidence in teaching about HIV/AIDS in schools. The link between instruction and culture in HIV/AIDS teaching and learning within African contexts is subject to debate. Some argue that African culture is adaptable to Western pedagogic styles, while others maintain that the two are dichotomised. For this study, a qualitative research approach was used to explore the quality of training received by primary school teachers in preparing them to teach about HIV/AIDS using participatory pedagogy. Purposive sampling was used to identify 15 participants from 10 schools. Semi-structured face-to-face interviews followed by non-participant observation were used to collect data from five teachers. Focus group discussions with 10 teachers were conducted and document analysis was also done. The study reveals that teachers have knowledge about participatory teaching techniques. However, this is not fully reflected in the documents and practical lesson delivery. The nature of primary school teacher training in HIV/AIDS pedagogy is weak and limited. There is a lack of teacher training to handle sensitive cultural issues in HIV/AIDS teaching and learning. The study concludes that primary school teachers’ preparation for HIV/AIDS teaching and learning is inadequate. It is recommended that both pre-service and in-service teachers should undergo a structured HIV/AIDS training programme to increase their competence and confidence in teaching this critical aspect.","PeriodicalId":262655,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Educational Development in Africa","volume":"18 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-11-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"123979096","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Editorial Preface by the Editorial Board Chairperson","authors":"V. Gasa","doi":"10.25159/2312-3540/10035","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.25159/2312-3540/10035","url":null,"abstract":"EDITORIAL","PeriodicalId":262655,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Educational Development in Africa","volume":"2 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-11-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"131824044","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Educational Development Issues in Ghana in Light of Educational Policy and Planning","authors":"R. Donkoh, Lee Wing-On, J. Donkor","doi":"10.25159/2312-3540/9224","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.25159/2312-3540/9224","url":null,"abstract":"The persistent educational reforms and interventions in Ghana’s education system showcase the government’s ambition to make Ghana Education Service a first-class institution that guarantees the right to education for millions of Ghanaians and engenders the attainment of quality education (Sustainable Development Goal 4). This article shows how the Ghanaian government has provided free senior high school education, capitation grants, free lunch, personal protective equipment for all schools as a precautionary measure against COVID-19, and a new curriculum that includes complementary education for a sustainable educational system. Yet, it is interesting to note that the Ghanaian government continuously implements educational interventions without consideration for policies and implementation strategies to sustain them. This study implements textual analysis of some reviewed literature including articles, academic papers, magazines, books, and reports. It discovered that many educational reforms face great obstacles that mar the attainment of the reforms’ objectives because educational policies in Ghana are based on the incumbent president’s manifesto, causing policymaking in Ghana to suffer compromises and negotiations at the parliamentary level. This study suggests that educational policymaking in Ghana should be left in the custody of educational philosophers who are policymakers to separate it from political relationships (the politics-administration dichotomy) because politics and administration are inherently different. Also, teachers’ and principals’ professional development should be encouraged, and educational facilities and equipment should be provided to sustain educational development in Ghana.\u0000 \u0000 ","PeriodicalId":262655,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Educational Development in Africa","volume":"87 4 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-11-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"127992890","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Parental Perceptions of Male Early Childhood Development Teachers in Khami District, Zimbabwe","authors":"Melody Matsvange, Collen Mudimba, Mangena Codelia Siziwe Sithole","doi":"10.25159/2312-3540/9266","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.25159/2312-3540/9266","url":null,"abstract":"The purpose of this study was to establish parents’ perceptions of the involvement of males as early childhood development (ECD) teachers. The research adopted a qualitative approach and used a case study design to allow interaction with the subjects and to draw conclusions based on their diverse perceptions. A sample was drawn from the Khami District population that comprised 10 parents, four administrators, four female teachers and two male teachers. Two sampling techniques, namely convenience and purposive sampling, were used. Convenience sampling allowed the researcher to select a small sample where participants were chosen on the basis of being accessible and convenient. Only parents with children taught by male teachers were purposively sampled. Ethical considerations were observed during data collection by explaining to participants that participation was voluntary, with confidentiality guaranteed. Online questionnaires, telephone interviews and virtual focus group discussions were used to collect data, making it easy to maintain social distancing during the Covid-19 lockdown. The following are some of the major findings of this study: parents have mixed perceptions about the involvement of males as ECD teachers; female teachers and school administrators have more positive perceptions about the involvement of males as ECD teachers because they are viewed as qualified for their job. However, in spite of the positive perceptions established about male teachers, some factors such as gender and societal inclinations still cause parents to have fears about the involvement of males as ECD teachers. The study recommends that more male teachers should be recruited to balance gender representation and more workshops and refresher courses for both parents and teachers should be conducted to develop trust.","PeriodicalId":262655,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Educational Development in Africa","volume":"418 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-11-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"124253521","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Agency Curtailed: Implications for the Integration of Environmental Education in Life Sciences","authors":"Khathutshelo Ronald Munasi, N. Madikizela-Madiya","doi":"10.25159/2312-3540/9685","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.25159/2312-3540/9685","url":null,"abstract":"When realised and exercised, professional agency may contribute towards the achievement of the global environmental education (EE) goals. Based on this notion, we embarked on a research project to identify this possibility regarding the integration of EE in Life Sciences in a South African context. While the South African national education policy makes provision for the integration of EE across curricula, previous research has indicated non-integration in practice. This research project was aimed at clarifying why this was the case. Three teachers and one subject advisor were interviewed using semi-structured questions. The exam-oriented approach to teaching was found to be the main factor that curtailed professional agency of both the teachers and the subject advisor towards promoting practices for the integration of EE in the subject. The article concludes by pointing to the implications of the exam-oriented approach for the socio-environmental relevance of the education system and EE in particular.","PeriodicalId":262655,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Educational Development in Africa","volume":"26 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-11-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"121525151","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Economic Challenges and Students’ Persistence at Zimbabwe Ezekiel Guti University (ZEGU) in Zimbabwe","authors":"Itai Kabonga, Admire Chipamaunga, K. Zvokuomba","doi":"10.25159/2312-3540/8124","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.25159/2312-3540/8124","url":null,"abstract":"Using Vincent Tinto’s persistence framework and human agency perspective, we ask how economic challenges impact students’ sense of self-efficacy, their sense of belonging and students’ perception of the curriculum. In times of economic difficulties, the importance students attach to education often declines, as they fear to be examples of graduates without jobs. Zimbabwe Ezekiel Guti University’s (ZEGU) unique Christian outlook is discussed as somewhat stifling the students’ sense of belonging. Despite their initial motivation and desire to complete their university education, financial difficulties are resulting in some students deferring their studies whereas other students are balancing education and survival strategies. As agentic beings, students are strategically calculating and showing resilience to cope with the challenges through being “prisoners of hope,” transactional relationships and entrepreneurial activities.","PeriodicalId":262655,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Educational Development in Africa","volume":"11 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-11-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"130396440","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Availability of Learner Support Services in Selected Open, Distance and e-Learning Institutions","authors":"V. Gasa, Tabitha Rangara-Omol","doi":"10.25159/2312-3540/10000","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.25159/2312-3540/10000","url":null,"abstract":"Learner support is regarded as a survival tool necessary for any student who chooses to learn in an Open, Distance and e-Learning (ODeL) institution. It is a necessary service and component of a student’s academic experience. Distance learning providers are, therefore, expected to sensitise students on the demands and challenges of distance learning formats so that they can acquire coping mechanisms as challenges arise. However, it has been noticed that, although many institutions provide several forms of learner support, they are sometimes inaccessible or minimally useful to the students. The purpose of this article is to investigate the extent of support services’ availability for students in ODeL institutions. It draws from a study that was carried out to evaluate learner support services rendered by ODeL institutions to first entrant undergraduate students. To collect data, a questionnaire was constructed to test variables (9 learner support indices) within the construct. It was uploaded into SurveyMonkey and sent to 272 undergraduate students in two selected universities. The results indicated that out of nine indices only four were positive. The following were negatively rated: counselling and mentorship, regional centres and library use, interaction and communication, skills training as well as student associations and representation. This indicates that students from both universities were dissatisfied with the availability of the mentioned support. There is thus a need for support services to be available not only to solve arising problems but as an assistive companion accompanying the students throughout their academic journey.","PeriodicalId":262655,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Educational Development in Africa","volume":"65 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-11-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"129723877","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}