Africa Education Review最新文献

{"title":"Selection Criteria and Outcomes in a Problem-Based Learning Bachelor of Pharmacy Programme in South Africa","authors":"L. A. Mabope, B. Summers, A. Wium, J. Meyer","doi":"10.1080/18146627.2023.2197151","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/18146627.2023.2197151","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Failure and low completion rates are a general concern at universities. We investigated the relationship between students’ admission profiles, undergraduate academic outcomes and completion rates in a four-year Bachelor of Pharmacy (BPharm) programme in South Africa. The programme uses a unique student selection method and problem-based learning pedagogy. A retrospective cohort study, including 112 BPharm students, compared selection marks with annual cumulative final marks for each of the four years of study. The relationship between admission and cumulative marks were determined using Pearson’s correlation (p˂0.05 considered significant). The overall pass rate was high (93%) irrespective of the number of years taken to graduate, whereas 64.3% of students graduated in the minimum time of four years. Matriculation life sciences admission marks correlated with cumulative academic final marks in the second (p=0.032), third (p=0.005), and fourth (p=0.041) years of study. Physical sciences matriculation marks correlated with the fourth-year cumulative final marks (p=0.015). Correlation between the admission marks and academic outcomes was moderate, suggesting that the problem-based learning BPharm programme is able to level students’ admission profiles and academic outcomes. However, other factors could have influenced academic success/failure during the post-admission period. Current understanding of students’ success could benefit from qualitative studies exploring these factors.","PeriodicalId":44749,"journal":{"name":"Africa Education Review","volume":"19 1","pages":"64 - 82"},"PeriodicalIF":0.4,"publicationDate":"2022-03-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43536367","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":"Reimagining the Needs of Rural Schools: Teachers’ and Parents’ Experiences of Parental Involvement in School Activities","authors":"H. Mbhiza, T. Nkambule","doi":"10.1080/18146627.2023.2181727","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/18146627.2023.2181727","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract The nature of the relationship between parents, teachers, and the school are continuously important because of teachers’ changing social expectations. While formal education is traditionally viewed as the job of teachers, they cannot be expected to address all educational issues that are influenced by multifaceted social issues. We explore parents’ and teachers’ understanding and experiences of parental involvement, and the nature of parental involvement in rural schools. We used the phenomenological approach; semi-structured interviews were administered to comprehend teachers’ and parents’ experiences of parental involvement in school activities. Complex parental views of schooling shaped the manner of involvement in school activities, and the nature of partnerships that were imbalanced. Teachers’ discourses of parental involvement were unsurprisingly influenced by associating classroom spaces with professional qualifications and curriculum pressure, resulting in the exclusion of parents from classroom activities. The dominant nature of parental involvement that teachers mentioned was that parents’ participation was limited to helping outside the classroom to ensure the upkeep of the schools. The findings also revealed that parents’ dominant experiences relate to viewing schools as inaccessible spaces without invitation or permission, as they view themselves as outsiders, and questioned the nature of communication channels.","PeriodicalId":44749,"journal":{"name":"Africa Education Review","volume":"19 1","pages":"100 - 115"},"PeriodicalIF":0.4,"publicationDate":"2022-03-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41915132","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":"Factors Influencing Students’ Academic Performance in Junior Secondary Schools in Maun, Botswana","authors":"Nonofo S. Nchinyi, Oluwatoyin Dare Kolawole, Gondo Reniko","doi":"10.1080/18146627.2023.2210754","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/18146627.2023.2210754","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Students’ academic performance is determined by certain intrinsic and extrinsic attributes, which are shrouded in their stages of development. The focus of this study was, therefore, to analyse factors influencing students’ performance in two randomly selected junior secondary schools in Maun, Botswana. Guided by McClelland’s motivational theory, a multi-stage sampling procedure was used to select a sample of 124 students. Demographic/socioeconomic data were obtained from the students in the study area through the use of questionnaires. Data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Descriptive statistics (including mean and standard deviation) were used to summarise the data while Cramer’s V, Pearson product-moment correlation, multiple linear regression, and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were employed to determine the relationships between explanatory variables and students’ academic performance. Results revealed that students’ academic performance is affected by both home background (e.g. family size) as well as the school environment (e.g. class size), including their study habits. The study recommends that teachers’ self-efficacy, more parental involvement, and improved government policies in educational development are critical for the attainment of high-quality education in Botswana.","PeriodicalId":44749,"journal":{"name":"Africa Education Review","volume":"19 1","pages":"116 - 140"},"PeriodicalIF":0.4,"publicationDate":"2022-03-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42810000","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":"Emergency Blended Synchronous Learning Model during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Analysis","authors":"A. Hadizadeh, Mehmet Kanık","doi":"10.1080/18146627.2023.2210756","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/18146627.2023.2210756","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic impacted various aspects of our lives causing economic, social and psychological challenges all around the world. A sector that immediately responded to this unprecedented change was education, which migrated to online platforms. This study explored the attitudes, perceptions, and experiences of a group of students participating in an emergency blended synchronous learning model during the pandemic in Northern Cyprus. The study adopted a qualitative study by surveying a group of 68 undergraduate students’ experiences through analysing their reflective accounts regarding the instructional mode of education that they received over the fall academic semester in 2020. The results of the study indicated that the new mode of instruction adopted in the context of the study not only presented technological, social, and psychological challenges for the students but also provided them with various learning opportunities and options during the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings of the study offer some implications for the use of technology in education in general and language teaching in particular.","PeriodicalId":44749,"journal":{"name":"Africa Education Review","volume":"19 1","pages":"40 - 63"},"PeriodicalIF":0.4,"publicationDate":"2022-03-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41483507","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":"Non-Specialist Primary School Mathematics Teachers’ Professional Identity","authors":"Sonja van Putten, N. Blom, Zanele Dibane","doi":"10.1080/18146627.2023.2225750","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/18146627.2023.2225750","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract This study explored the mathematics teacher identity (MTI) of three purposefully selected grade 6 non-specialist primary school mathematics teachers. The participants’ subject matter knowledge and didactical skills were explored by means of semi-structured interviews, lesson observations, and document analysis of lesson plans. The data were analysed using thematic analysis; themes were predetermined from the conceptual framework, and codes and categories emerged from the semi-structured interview transcriptions. The conceptual framework describes teacher identity in terms of subject knowledge, teaching and learning knowledge, and the skills and ability to care for the learners as people. The analysis of the data indicated that non-specialist primary school mathematics teachers not only lack subject matter knowledge, but also do not have the teaching skills to recognise and address the learners’ lack of understanding of concepts. In turn, this influences the teaching and learning of mathematics in their classroom and results are generally poor. In particular, the three participants demonstrated difficulties in explaining new concepts and in employing a learner-centred approach. It is recommended that in-service training workshops be tailored to teach both content and didactics as well as the skills required to become reflective practitioners to better equip non-specialist mathematics teachers for the mathematics classroom.","PeriodicalId":44749,"journal":{"name":"Africa Education Review","volume":"19 1","pages":"141 - 160"},"PeriodicalIF":0.4,"publicationDate":"2022-03-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41849020","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 the Free Senior High School Education Policy and Double-Track System on Quality Education Outcomes: A Quasi-Experimental Policy Evaluation Study in Ghana","authors":"D. Dwomoh, A. Godi, J. Tetteh, C. Amoatey, R. Appiah Otoo, Leticia Tornyevah, C. Hazlett","doi":"10.1080/18146627.2023.2225754","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/18146627.2023.2225754","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract In the 2017/2018 academic year, the government of Ghana, through the Ministry of Education, began an educational reform policy codenamed the “Free Senior High School” (FSHS) policy to fully absorb the cost, increase enrolment, and improve the quality of education for all public senior high schools in Ghana. To accommodate more students and reduce overcrowding in schools, the government, as part of the FSHS policy, introduced the double-track system, which divides the total student population and staff into two tracks; as one of the tracks attends school, the other is on vacation and vice versa. No study has assessed this policy on education outcomes. This study assessed the impact of the FSHS policy and the double-track system on quality education outcomes and explored the challenges associated with the implementation of the policies. The study further identified strategies needed to address these challenges. The study employed a quasi-experimental study design using a pre-post data collection instrument designed to assess quality education metrics. We also used a comparative cross-sectional study design and qualitative design methodologies to evaluate the FSHS policy and the double-track system. We quantified the impact of the policies using quantile and ordinary least square regression models with cluster robust standard errors. Our evaluation of the policy showed a significant decline in quality of education outcomes and academic performance. Students who attended the double-track schools performed poorly in all the core subjects compared with non-double-track schools. The challenges associated with the implementation of the policy were financial constraints, infrastructure deficit, inadequate and delayed release of food items, lack of teaching and learning materials, inadequate contact hours, and poor implementation of the policy and the double-track system. Government must comprehensively review the FSHS policy and consider cost sharing with parents and caregivers to sustain the policy.","PeriodicalId":44749,"journal":{"name":"Africa Education Review","volume":"19 1","pages":"1 - 24"},"PeriodicalIF":0.4,"publicationDate":"2022-03-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44198075","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":"Factors Affecting Learner Motivation in Physical Science at a Public School in the Gauteng Province: The Teacher’s Role","authors":"Lilian Mashupye, S. Schulze","doi":"10.1080/18146627.2023.2225747","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/18146627.2023.2225747","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract South Africa lags behind in terms of competing globally in science and technology. Thus, the purpose of the study was to investigate teacher factors that influenced learners’ motivation to learn science in a secondary school. The study also aimed to determine whether significant differences in motivation regarding teacher influence existed among age groups and genders. The research was conducted in a public secondary school in Gauteng province, South Africa with 462 learners from Grade 8 to Grade 11. Using a quantitative approach, the learners completed a questionnaire that involved several motivation constructs (mastery and performance goal oriented). The study identified some problems that could impact on learner motivation and also found that some significant differences existed among different grades and genders. A number of recommendations were made regarding the teacher’s role in motivating science learning.","PeriodicalId":44749,"journal":{"name":"Africa Education Review","volume":"19 1","pages":"83 - 99"},"PeriodicalIF":0.4,"publicationDate":"2022-03-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49196976","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":"Resource Provisioning and Implications on Learner Performance in Schools in Limpopo Province, South Africa","authors":"A. M. Molaudzi, K. Adeyemo","doi":"10.1080/18146627.2022.2153068","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/18146627.2022.2153068","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract This study investigates the relationship between resource provisioning and learners’ performance in public schools in Limpopo province, South Africa. The education production function theory was used to address a set of policy questions such as: how much will outcomes improve if resources are increased by some amount? Or can schools deliver better outcomes with existing resources? Or will better outcomes require more resources-efficiency? This quantitative study used a survey of four validated questionnaires distributed to 272 representatives from the school principals, heads of departments, teachers, and school governing bodies. The sample was drawn from 68 public secondary schools from different quintiles (1 to 5) in Limpopo province using a probability stratified and purposive random sampling technique. Descriptive and Pearson correlation statistics were used in data analysis. The findings indicate that resource provision was shown to be to the determinant of learners’ performance in public schools. Specifically, the findings indicated that the way in which school resources are allocated, distributed, and utilised have an influence on learners’ performance. As a result, the study recommends that a review of resource provision is a factor that the Department of Basic Education, including stakeholders, should pay more attention to in order to improve learners’ performance in public schools.","PeriodicalId":44749,"journal":{"name":"Africa Education Review","volume":"19 1","pages":"120 - 142"},"PeriodicalIF":0.4,"publicationDate":"2022-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45958747","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":"Principals’ Practices of Human Relationships in Faith-Based Schools: A Servant Leadership Perspective","authors":"M. Shula, Chris van Wyk, J. Heystek","doi":"10.1080/18146627.2023.2180040","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/18146627.2023.2180040","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract This article reports on an exploration into the human relationships practices of school leaders at faith-based schools as viewed through a servant leadership lens. The researchers employed a qualitative research design. Data were collected by means of individual semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions. The interviews were audio-taped and transcribed, and the data were analysed using a process of deductive data analysis. The following themes were employed to understand the human relationship practices of faith-based school leaders: teamwork, collaborative environment, development of others, and enhancing values-based attributes in day-to-day leadership. Overall, the principals were found to be efficacious leaders who were involved in a hands- on manner in both task-orientated and person-orientated activities, such as daily managerial and leadership functions with a special focus on the servant leadership ideal. Among the participants, there was a common understanding that leadership was not practiced as an individual action but was practiced by involving other school members. We strongly recommend that the ongoing professional development of school principals should include components related to servant leadership in their day-to-day leadership practices.","PeriodicalId":44749,"journal":{"name":"Africa Education Review","volume":"19 1","pages":"56 - 75"},"PeriodicalIF":0.4,"publicationDate":"2022-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45588122","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":"Instructional Interventions to Address Mathematics Anxiety in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Systematic Review (1980–2020)","authors":"K. Luneta, Gladys Sunzuma","doi":"10.1080/18146627.2023.2201660","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/18146627.2023.2201660","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Research indicates that mathematics anxiety is among the factors that contribute to poor performance in mathematics. Learners have a risk of developing severe mathematical difficulties that might impede their socio-emotional development and future mathematics careers; therefore, an understanding of instructional strategies to reduce mathematics anxiety is important. The objective of this systematic review is to summarise the existing body of research on instructional interventions for addressing mathematics anxiety in the classroom. Nine articles that met the inclusion criteria were identified. To address mathematics anxiety in learners, two of the identified articles used problem-solving, one collaborative learning, two personalised instruction, one peer teaching using a photovoice approach, one brain-based instructional strategy, and one team-assisted individualised instructional strategy, whilst one was computer-based. All nine interventions had a positive effect on reducing mathematics anxiety as well as improving performance among learners. The systematic review revealed that little has been done in terms of research on instructional strategies that reduce mathematics anxiety in Sub-Saharan Africa. It is recommended that more studies on instructional strategies that address mathematical anxiety in Sub-Saharan Africa need to be conducted.","PeriodicalId":44749,"journal":{"name":"Africa Education Review","volume":"19 1","pages":"103 - 119"},"PeriodicalIF":0.4,"publicationDate":"2022-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41523006","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}