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Assessing the Inclusiveness of Housing Conditions in Ogbomoso Township, Nigeria
Get PDFIt is against the background of deficit in housing stock in Nigeria major cities and its associated exclusion in that this study evaluates housing condition in Ogbomoso Township. This is with a view to proffering recommendations that will aid the achievement of sustainable and inclusive housing in the town, and other ones with similar socioeconomic characteristics. Assessed were the socioeconomic characteristics of residents in the study area, characteristics and condition of housing units and impact of the identified condition on residents. The study utilized a multistage sampling approach to sample 150 buildings, and questionnaire administered to an adult resident in each of the sampled building. Data obtained were summarized using tables and percentages while analysis of variance was used to evaluate variation in the condition of housing units across political wards in the study area. The study discovered that 50.7% of the residents are male, and 52.7% are youths. Also, 50.7% of the respondents are single as about 29.3% are students, and 46% of the residents earn below N18, 000 monthly. About 44.7% of the residents have been living in their residences for less than 5 years, 26.7% have used 6-10 years in their residence while about 8% have used 16-20 years in their residences. Thus suggesting frequent change of residences by residents to adjust and readjust to various exclusion tendencies. The predominant housing type in the study area is flat (58.7%), and 69.3% of the housing units were constructed between 1 and 3 years. Meanwhile, 78.7% of the housing units have good roof, 12.0% are leaking and 9.3% are sagging. 48.7% of the housing units were perceived to be substandard, 45.8% were standard building while 5.5% were dilapidated. With F=13.050, p=0.000; there is variation in the condition of housing units across political ward in the town. Urban renewal, granting of loans for housing renovations as well as subsidizing of building materials were therefore recommended. The study concluded that sustainable and inclusive housing can only be achieved with conscious policy and planning intervention.
 
COVID-19 and eHealth: A Promise or Peril Paradox?
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“I haven’t had the fun that is portrayed”: First-year student expectations and experiences of starting at university
Get PDFOften students have many expectations, and anxieties, about what university experiences would entail. It is against this backdrop that this study explored first year students’ expectations and experiences at university. Three hundred and twenty-two purposively selected first year pre-service teachers participated in this qualitative phenomenological research study. Social inclusion is the theoretical framework and Maton’s Legitimation Code Theory (2014) is the conceptual and analytic framework that underpins this research. The findings indicated that participants foregrounded social interactions as crucial to them feeling included (41%) and excluded (31%) at university. After six weeks at university participants continued to regard social interactions as paramount for them feeling included (40%) but less important concerning them feeling excluded (25%). We recommend that university orientation programmes place more focus on the academic demands of university as this was an aspect that participants did not focus much on
Measuring preservice teachers’ ethnocentrism: A South African case study
Get PDFThe 21st century can be marked by growing ethnocentrism. Ethnocentrism in education could have detrimental effects on classroom practices and learner performance. With a quantitative, institutional case study research design and positivist paradigm, this study used the Generalised Ethnocentrism survey to measure 1164 preservice teachers’ ethnocentrism at a private higher education institution. The Generalised Ethnocentrism survey consists of 22 statements about ethnicity. Preservice teachers who attended multicultural schools scored significantly lower on the ethnocentrism scale than those who attended mono-ethnic schools. Preservice teachers’ beliefs about ethnicity-in-education issues could be an indication of their degree of ethnocentrism. High degrees of ethnocentrism could indicate intolerance towards diversity within the classroom which if left unaddressed, could affect learner performance and further hinder transformation in classrooms. This study also discusses how ethnocentrism should be measured and addressed within teacher education programmes in order to cultivate preservice teachers who are able to critically reflect on their own ethnocentrism and act as agents of change
The quest for ongoing support by parents of learners with intellectual disabilities
Get PDFBackground: In this article researchers explore the need for ongoing support when raising children with intellectual disability. The aims of this study were: (i) to explore experiences of support offered to parents of learners with intellectual disability in Soweto; and (ii) to evaluate how support services affect parent perceptions and expectations of their children’s futures.
Method: Thirty-five parents of learners from four schools diagnosed with intellectual disability were purposefully selected to participate in this qualitative research, with one focus group discussion administered at each school.
Results: Findings highlight parents’ concern about their children’s future when exiting the school system. Further to this, findings emphasise the need for ongoing support in multiple aspects throughout the various developmental stages of the child’s life.
Conclusion: Researchers propose a framework for coordinated support, which may serve to guide parents.
 
“They would not like it if men taught in the foundation phase”: SGBs’ perceptions of the employment of male FP teachers
Get PDFEfforts to recruit and retain men in the Foundation Phase (FP) teaching and learning have been a global phenomenon. In South Africa, School Governing Bodies (SGBs) are tasked with the responsibility to diversify schooling by recommending the employment of teachers in all educational phases to the Department of Basic Education (DBE). Two and a half decades since the dawn of democracy in South Africa, the teaching of children in the early years is still dominated by women. This study explores how SGBs in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa approach the employment of male teachers in FP. Using a qualitative research approach, a semi-structured focus group discussion was adopted to generate data with five SGB parent component members. The data was analysed thematically using a feminist post-structural lens. The study found that SGBs’ employment of male FP teachers is based on societal constructions of gender over employment policy guidelines. The SGB members showed a lack of policy understanding and at times misinterpreted the policies. These findings have implications for education policymakers and teacher training institutions in facilitating the smooth incorporation of males in FP teaching
Exploring the views of educators and students on privileged knowledge domains in a teacher education programme: a case study
Get PDFThe reported case study solicited the views of teacher educators and students on the teacherknowledge taught and the way it was imparted in a teacher education programme thatoffered commercial subjects at the Bachelor of Education degree level. The objective was toestablish the extent to which the knowledge domains were interconnected or whether somewere prioritised. Data was collected from twenty students and seven educators using semistructuredinterviews, and analysed using deductive qualitative analysis method. TheMinimum Requirements for Teacher Education Qualifications policy framework was usedas a source of codes and the five domains of the framework were used as a priori codesunder which analysed data was placed. The findings confirmed that some knowledgedomains were prioritised. A disjuncture was discerned between teacher knowledge andpractical experiences of students from disadvantaged backgrounds. The study concludeswith a discussion which has implications for teacher education programme
Localizing children’s play spaces through the child friendly city lens : Reframing tools for children’s inclusivity in Mzuzu City, Malawi
No full textThis paper draws on a review of childhood discourses on child focused literature and content analysis of some of Malawi’s planning instruments to argue that Mzuzu City is not a child-friendly city. Specifically, the planning instruments which include the planning law, national urban policy, planning guide book and Mzuzu city structure plan which dictate public space apportioned for various activities are noted to fulfill the needs and aspirations of adults at the expense of children’s play needs. Furthermore, despite the fact that a malleable definition of childhood is likely to accommodate the lived experiences of children living in the City, child agency is conspicuously absent. This paper suggests that there is need to reframe these planning instruments as a way of reimaging the built environment to capture the needs and aspirations of children as it does for adults.
 
Safeguarding the Food Basket from Oil Spills/Pollution in Nigeria: Post-Oil City Perspective
No full textThe ecological and health damage of oil spills and pollution in Nigeria is unquantifiable and the systematic degradation of the environment, health, livelihoods and food system of people residing in oil spill areas is visibly intolerable. This paper using secondary data, reviews literature on oil spills and contends that decades of environmental inequities significantly contribute to oil spills, environmental toxicity and contamination, and impoverishes the food basket and people’s health in the Niger Delta region in Nigeria. Oil spill is the release of oil or liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the natural and built environment. Findings revealed oil spills results in the collapse of the local economy, impact negatively on lives, livelihoods, stifles food production and food security. Oil spills also have consequential health implications both for human in the region and the ecosystems. Paper suggests that in the post-oil city an inclusive approach that detoxifies the environment, preserve livelihoods and health, restores human dignity and promotes environmental justice will help rebuild and safeguard water and food security.