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Technical Efficiency of Sorghum Production in Garu District of the Upper East Region, Ghana
Get PDFThis study analyzed the technical efficiency and identified its determinants in sorghum production. Two-stage sampling technique was used to collect cross-sectional data from 100 smallholder sorghum farmers in Garu district in the upper east region of Ghana using a semi structured questionnaire. The stochastic frontier analysis was used to estimate the level and determinants of technical efficiency while Kendall's coefficient of concordance approach was used to identify and rank the constraints restraining sorghum production. The study revealed that only farm size and fertilizer were found to have a significant influence on the output. Technical efficiency varied widely among sorghum farmers, ranging from 16.14% to 99.11% with a mean technical efficiency of 88.92%. This means that farmers could improve the productivity of sorghum by 11.08% without requiring extra inputs. The main determinants of technical efficiency were age, level of education, association membership, household size, experience, crop variety, and access to extension, access to credit, access to market and distance to market. Major constraints limiting sorghum production were natural disasters, the incidence of pest and diseases, lack of access to credit and high production cost. The study recommends that fertilizer supply at subsidized prices to farmers in the study area should be improved. Also, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture through extension agents should educate farmers on the impact of these farm and farmer specific characteristics on technical efficiency
Impact of Manager’s Social Commitment on Organization’s Social Performance Influenced by Socially Sustainable Supply Chain Practices and Sustainability Culture
Get PDFThe social dimension of sustainability in supply chain management is significant but less prominent. This study investigates the role of a manager’s social commitment in achieving an organization’s social performance. A model with four constructs was developed to study the impact of the manager’s social commitment on social outcomes. Research was carried out on Pakistani firms through a survey-based questionnaire. From a total of 360 respondents (managers of Pakistani organizations) identified initially, 158 sent their responses after repeated follow-ups. Structural Equation Modeling was used for data analysis. The results show that socially committed managers play a significant role in achieving organization’s social performance. Furthermore, implementing social sustainable supply chain practices mediates the relationship between manager’s social commitment and organization’s social performance. This study shows that an organization’s culture promotes the implementation of social practices and helps managers adopt social responsive activities and achieve social outcomes. Additionally, this study along with theoretical support to understand the manager’s role in changing the business environment to resolve emerging social issues and improve the firm’s reputation, also provides empirical evidence from a developing country’s perspective, supported by the significant results
Impact of Monitoring Mechanisms on Environmental Disclosure Quality in Nigeria
Get PDFEnvironmental information can be a key element of corporate disclosure. It can alarm stakeholders due to various problems as well as low data quality and infrequent reporting, in Nigeria. In order to address these problems, this study examines the impact of monitoring mechanisms on environmental disclosure quality in Nigeria. The data in this study is drawn from annual reports and content analysis of 46 listed environmentally sensitive firms over seven years (2012–2018) obtained from the Nigerian Stock Exchange. The authors analyzed the data using panel corrected standard error (PCSE) regression analysis. The findings show a significant positive correlation between board independence, the presence of an environmental committee, environmental audit, and environmental disclosure quality. However, institutional ownership has an insignificant relationship to environmental disclosure quality. In conclusion, the overall results reinforce the study’s general argument of monitoring the how companies respond to the needs and interests of various stakeholder groups and consequently, determining the quality of environmental disclosures made by those same companies. Based on the results that show lower rates of environmental reporting, this study provides a way forward for the government and policy makers to address environmental issues in Nigeria
The Level of Passion for Knowledge among High School Students while Learning Social Studies in Saudi Arabia
Get PDFThe present research paper aims to measure the level of passion for knowledge while learning social studies among high school students in Saudi Arabia. It adopts a descriptive approach. To achieve its objectives, the researcher created a scale of passion for knowledge that consists of 25 sentences. The study population covered all high school students in Jeddah, but the scale was applied to a stratified sample of 1142 students only who were selected randomly from all the public high schools in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The results show that the level of passion for knowledge is high as it reached 3.77. Compared with the other grades, the highest level of passion for knowledge was found for the first-grade high school students because they studied the new curricula in all stages, while those in the second and third grades studied the curriculum that was implemented before curricula were developed according to Saudi Vision 2030
Enhancing Thai EFL Students’ EFL Vocabulary Knowledge through the Use of Task-Based Language Teaching and Storytelling Technique Adopting Thai Folktales
Get PDFThis study aimed to examine the development of EFL students' vocabulary knowledge adopting a task-based method with 32 Thai students who enrolled in an English for Communication course at a university in northern Thailand. This study emphasized improving the Thai EFL students’ English vocabulary knowledge by requiring students to retell six Thai folktales in English translation to their group members. The pretest-posttest design, as well as an interview, were employed to indicate the students' vocabulary improvement after retelling Thai folktales. The findings showed that the students' post-test scores were statistically higher than their pre-test scores, and the students felt that the folktale tasks helped them enhance their vocabulary knowledge. The results of this study indicate that the students learned English vocabulary in an engaging and meaningful way through storytelling; therefore, the students’ vocabulary retention is likely high
Mineralization Characterization of Psammitic Rocks in Efon-Alaaye and Environs using Remote Sensing and Field Studies
Get PDFThis paper analyses remotely sensed data over a part of the Psammitic Rocks in Efon-Alaaye and Environs to elucidate its geology and structural framework as well as delineate the potential zones of mineralization. The study area belongs to the Precambrian Basement Complex terrain of Southwestern Nigeria and lies within the eastern unit of the Ilesha schist belt. The lithologic units comprise schistose quartzites, quartz schists, quartz-mica-schists, and granitic gneisses. Landsat 8 satellite imagery and Shuttle Radar Topography Mission imagery (SRTM), both of path 190 and row 055, were used for the purpose of this study. A total of 138 lineaments of total length of 147.948 Km, were automatically extracted from both data. Rose diagram showed that the lineaments are bi-directional, with major lineaments trending NE-SW, E-W and the subsidiary ones in the NW-SE direction. These lineaments are mostly mapped on the schistose quartzites. Also, N-S trending faults were mapped from the Digital Elevation Model map generated from the SRTM data which was confirmed to be reverse fault based on field studies. The mineral alteration map generated revealed signatures of gold, iron oxides and silica minerals, while the mineralization potential map was done with reference to established geological settings of the area in conjunction with the structural elements such as folds, faults, joints and fractures mapped and measured on the field. These structures are typical of gold mineralization and associated metallic minerals in the Ilesha schist belt. This study also confirmed that mineralization in the study area is structurally controlled and type of mineralization is epigenetic in nature as a result of favorable ground preparation
Some Physicochemical Properties of Soils from Three Steel Welding and Fabrication Workshops in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria
Get PDFSome physicochemical properties were assessed in soils within steel welding and fabrication workshops in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria. The study was carried out between May to November, 2020. The physicochemical parameters were determined using standard conventional methods of analysis to ascertain the different levels of the selected physicochemical parameters in the studied environment. The results obtained within the months revealed that pH average range was between 6.8±0.08-7.1±0.05, the electrical conductivity average range was between 65.25±0.83-76±0.71µs/cm, percentage organic carbon was within average range of 0.396±0.001-0.525±0.001%, percentage soil organic matter was in the average range of 0.682±0.002-0.904±0.002% and for particle size analysis, percentage sand was in the average range of 75±0.71-79±0.71%, percentage clay was in the average range 9.25±0.83-11±0.71% and percentage silt was in the average range 10.75±0.43-14±0.71% for the Egbelu, Elioparanwo and Saint John soils respectively. Observation from the nature of occurrence of the physicochemical parameters in the steel-welding and fabrication workshops showed that that the steel-welding and fabrication has not yet influenced the level of the physicochemical parameters in the soils studied
Area-Based Learning Approach to the Competency Development of Social Studies Pre-Service Teachers in the Chiangmai Education Sandbox Area, Thailand
Get PDFThe purposes of this research were 1) to study the requirements for the competency development of social studies pre-service teachers in the Chiangmai Education Sandbox Area; 2) to develop a manual for the competency development of social studies pre-service teachers in the Chiangmai Education Sandbox Area; and 3) to study the results of the Area-Based Approach to the transversal competency development of social studies pre-service teachers. The study was descriptive and included 64 participants in total: 1) 33 school administrators, supervisors, and teachers; and 2) 31 social studies pre-service teachers. A volunteer sampling method was used. The research instruments included 1) a non-structured interview, 2) an assessment of the manual, and 3) an assessment of competency. In the data analysis, a content analysis was carried out and presented in description, and the quantitative data were analyzed to find means and standard deviation. The results of the study revealed the following: 1) The 4 main competencies schools require of the social studies pre-service teachers are: (1) content knowledge, (2) learning management, (3) engagement strategies, and (4) professional development. 2) A manual for the area-based approach was developed, consisting of 4 learning units in 4 steps referred to as the “AAAR Area-Based Approach”. It was judged to be very appropriate and effective. And 3) The results of the assessment of the perception of the social studies pre-services teachers regarding the area-based competencies in the Chiangmai Education Sandbox Area was at the ‘good’ level
Is Internet Reciprocal Teaching the Remedy for Saudi EFL Learners’ Reading Difficulties During the Covid-19 Pandemic?
Get PDFThe aim of this study was to investigate the applicability of Internet Reciprocal Teaching (IRT) for remedial English reading instruction in the EFL context, specifically for the purpose of overcoming the reading difficulties encountered by low-achieving Saudi students majoring in English at the University of Jeddah. The treatment phase lasted three months and, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting shift to online teaching, the instruments used were an online pre- and post-test of reading comprehension, an IRT dialogue rubric downloaded on the Blackboard platform that is used for online teaching, as well as a phone interview conducted with randomly selected students from the sample. The findings indicated significant improvements in the reading comprehension of the Saudi learners participating this study, as reflected in the students’ effective use of the different IRT strategies and the significant results of the post-test. However, despite the proved effectiveness of IRT in strengthening reading comprehension, some challenges were voiced by the participants. These include computer competency, familiarity with online courses and, most notably, their linguistic difficulties with English, which justified their resorting to their native language (Arabic) as one way of demonstrating their comprehension. Finally, the paper draws pedagogical implications from the research results
Comparing Collaborative Writing Activity in EFL Classroom: Face-to-Face Collaborative Writing versus Online Collaborative Writing Using Google Docs
Get PDFCollaborative writing is acknowledged as one of the most beneficial writing exercises for improving writing skills. This study aimed to look at the errors of online collaborative writing using Google Docs and face-to-face collaborative writing, as well as to find out how satisfied students were with both modes. Purposive sampling was used to pick 32 Thai second-year English major students (19 females, 13 males) from Writing II. A record form of the error kinds derived from Norrish (1983) a questionnaire, and a semi-structured interview were used as instruments. Frequency and percentage were the statistics used. The data revealed that 346 errors were discovered in online mode, while 389 errors were discovered in face-to-face mode, which was at a higher level. The most common types in the online mode were sentence fragments, while the most common kinds in the face-to-face mode were determiners. Grammars were presented to students in both modes, followed by lexis and mechanics. Furthermore, the findings indicated that the students reported being highly satisfied with online mode using Google Docs (X ̅ = 3.50), followed by face-to-face setting (X ̅ = 3.45). Students also had an overall positive feedback on Google Docs and found it useful in terms of writing anywhere and anytime. Based on the results of this study, students in online co-produced texts better than in face-to-face mode. Time independence and features of Google Docs might be the crucial factors which facilitated the students’ writing in online mode