UFS Publications Platform (Univ. of the Free State)
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Alcohol Consumption and its Socio-demographic Correlates among Secondary School Teachers in Uganda
Get PDFAlcohol consumption among teachers is becoming an issue of concern in Uganda. Markedly, alcohol consumption among teachers varies by socio-demographic characteristics. This study establishes the relationship between socio-demographic characteristics and alcohol consumption among secondary school teachers in Greater Bushenyi of Uganda. The study employed a cross-sectional design with a quantitative method of data collection and analysis. Multistage sampling was employed, first stratified proportionate and then simple random sampling. The study sample consisted of 266 participants from 11 secondary schools. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and logistic regressions were the analytical strategies, using Stata 15.0 version. Significance was set at p = 0.05. The rate of alcohol consumption among teachers was 44.7%. Male teachers were more likely to consume alcohol as compared to females (AOR: 2.2, 95% CI: 1.22-3.80, p< .01). As compared to Muslim counterparts, teachers identifying with the Roman Catholic denomination were three times more likely to consume alcohol (AOR: 3.1, 95% CI: 0.98-9.10, p = 0.05). Relative to comparable populations of adults whose alcohol consumption rates were already known, alcohol consumption among particularly male and Roman Catholic teachers in greater was high. It is recommended that school-based interventions should focus on male teachers
Rethinking Mental Health Literacy Programmes For Enhanced Help-Seeking Behaviour among Young Male Adults
Get PDFEducating and sensitization through mental health literacy (MHL) programmes is germane to raising awareness, reducing stigma towards help-seeking, and ultimately improving help-seeking behaviours in young male adults. This theoretical paper problematises various trajectories and approaches that are engaged with; in providing mental health literacy to enhance young male adults’ help-seeking behaviour. It further advances the critical pedagogical (CP) approach as an alternative trajectory for this task. This was achieved by positioning mental health literacy as a critical engagement that relies on transformative education in order to enhance help-seeking behvaiour. This article discusses the relevance of some prominent themes in critical pedagogy to the design of mental health literacy programmes for enhanced help-seeking. It, therefore, submits that for any meaningful improvement and change to take place in the ideologies, beliefs, and attitudes of young male adults towards help-seeking, a critical pedagogical approach should be engaged, with believed that this approach will facilitate critical dialogues, reflexive thinking, and participatory learning processes. It is anticipated that embedding the CP principles into the design of MHL programmes would assist practitioners and health educators to produce a transformational change in the behaviour of young male adults towards help-seeking
Dissemination of Quality Knowledge for Educational, Community and National Development: Our Inaugural Editorial Statement
Get PDFThis is an editorial statement for the Journal of Education Research and Rural Community Development (JERRCD); the journal is releasing its inaugural publication. The article provided a brief background to the journal, and the research forum that birthed the Journal was situated, coupled with it meritorious promises for quality knowledge production. The reviews and the review processes, the ethical issues considering the operation of the journal was itemised with request for adequate compliance by the contributors (authors). In order to describe the compendium of originality and quality production, the article also described the calibre of pioneering scholars that constitute the editorial board. The article conclusively described it modus operandi as second to none with an affirmative recommendation for well-meaning scholars to partner with us in the journey
Adopting the ICT Innovation to Administrative and Activity Procedures in a University
Get PDFInformation Communication Technology (ICT) has made performing administrative tasks more convenient for organisations. This paper discusses the contribution of ICT innovations to administrative effectiveness with respect to the Open University of Tanzania (OUT) and, specifically, their examination process. An analytical study guided by one hypothesis has been applied in this paper to understand the utilisation of ICT at OUT and framed within the timeframe of the COVID-19 pandemic. The hypothesis states that there is no significant difference in the mean response of students, lecturers, and administrators on the effectiveness of ICT in the Online Oral Examination System (OREX) and administrative process of the OUT. The use of both primary data collected through administered questionnaires to the university population and secondary data sourced from existing literature aided in determining the findings. The results revealed that ICT innovations could be effective if well used in university activities and more suitable if adapted in an innovative way for online admission and a perfect fit for online examination system such as OREX, which was developed as a response to the pandemic. The study also inveterate that the students, lecturers and senior administrative Staff (Registry) had very similar responses on the effectiveness of ICT innovation on the administrative process and academics of the OUT. It was recommended, among others, that the university should mobilise resources towards the provision of facilities and training of its ICT personnel for more relevant innovations, particular for online examination processes such as OREX
COVID-19 Anxiety and Associated Factors among Finalist Undergraduate Science Teachers
Get PDFThe advent of the COVID-19 pandemic inflicted excruciating psychological problems and elevated social concerns globally, including anxiety among university students. This study assessed the prevalence and factors associated with COVID-19 anxiety among finalist undergraduate students pursuing a degree in bachelor of science with education. A cross-sectional survey utilised data from 132 undergraduate science teachers at a university of science and technology recruited by census technique. Self-report data were obtained using the COVID-19 Anxiety Scale. Descriptive and logistic regression statistics were used to analyse the data. The prevalence of COVID-19 anxiety was found at 11.36%. Career aspects in pursuing postgraduate studies and a close person with a diagnosis of COVID-19 were independent factors associated with COVID-19 anxiety. Students with an intention to pursue postgraduate studies indicated a higher likelihood of COVID-19 anxiety (AOR=4.8, 95%CI: 1.04-21.69, p < .05). Furthermore, students that had no close person diagnosed with COVID-19 indicated a lower likelihood of COVID-19 anxiety (AOR=0.1, 95%CI: 0.02-- 0.63, p < .05). Higher COVID-19 anxiety was associated with lower future academic aspirations. Hence, knowledge of acquaintance diagnosed with COVID-19 was associated with an increased chance of developing the disease
Compensation Management and Employee Wellbeing of Academic Staff in Ugandan Private Universities during COVID-19 Lockdown
Get PDFThis study examined the impact of compensation management on academic staff\u27s employee well-being in private universities in Uganda during the COVID-19 lockdown. Two dimensions of compensation management considered were compensation determination and compensation administration. Employee well-being was studied in terms of psychological well-being, social well-being, workplace well-being and subjective well-being. This study used a cross-sectional design on a sample of academic staff from five private universities. Factor analysis was used to identify key items of compensation management and employee well-being, followed by descriptive, correlation and multiple regression analyses. Multiple regression analysis assessed the magnitude and strength of the impact of compensation management on employee well-being. The results supported the hypotheses on the influence of compensation determination and administration on employee well-being. Therefore, compensation determination and administration are important in enhancing the academic staff\u27s well-being in private universities in contingent situations such as COVID-19 lockdown. In managing compensation issues in contingent situations, managers of private universities should determine and administer compensation considering employees\u27 interests. This study adds to the scanty literature on compensation management and employee well-being. It identifies compensation management factors that organisations should consider to promote employee well-being in contingent situations
Rural Teachers’ Teaching of Algebraic Functions Through a Commognitive Lens
Get PDFRural contexts and their schools have continuously been overlooked by researchers of mathematics education in South Africa. This is despite the assumption that the educational landscape may vary markedly in rural areas compared to urban and township areas which have been solely researched in the post-apartheid dispensation. To address the dearth of mathematics education research located within South Africa\u27s rural contexts, the study explored five Grade 10 rural mathematics teachers\u27 discourses and approaches of teaching algebraic functions with five teachers from five different school sites. This qualitative multiple case study, using Sfard\u27s commognitive theory, draws attention to rural mathematics teachers\u27 classroom practices and views about the teaching of algebraic functions which is unexamined in the South African context. Three data generation tools were used to gain insight into teachers\u27 discourses and approaches while teaching the topic. These are individual semi-structured interviews, classroom observations and Video-Stimulated Recall Interviews (VSRI). Research findings focus primarily on the data generated through classroom observations. To analyse the data, I use Sfard\u27s commognitive theory to give meaning to teachers\u27 classroom practices. Focusing on the distinction between two tenets of commognitive theory, ritual and explorative routines, the findings demonstrate that four participating teachers acted in an extremely ritualised way. The other teacher was more explorative in her classroom observable actions. The findings illuminate that teachers need to move more towards the participationist approach during teaching to enable them to think, observe, and communicate about mathematical objects that commognitively link more with explorative routines
Addressing the Trajectory of Cultural and Gender Discrimination among Marine Women Officers
Get PDFSeafaring is openly challenging working circumstances for females. For the last twenty-two years, females in western countries have been interested in joining the fleet, but as the captaincy roles aboard, their numbers are minimal compared to other jobs. In every working place, females always face many unusual problems, which are more in seafaring. The manuscript derives the discrimination factors of marine women officers (MWOs) onboard due to cultural (or racial) or being a woman using the experiences of 149 women officers from 18 different countries. Two experiences such as onboard discrimination due to cultural reasons (DDCR) and not being promoted in the company as being women (NPCW) for MWOs are considered the responses in the present study. It was found out that mean DDCR is positively associated with age (P=0.0313), nationality (P=0.0047), current position onboard (P=0.1051), while it is negatively associated with cohabitation (P=0.0137) and type of contract (P=0.0719). Variance of DDCR is negatively associated with male companions\u27 support (P=0.1432). Also, mean NPCW is negatively associated with her male companions\u27 support (P<0.0001), while its variance is positively associated with professional qualification (P=0.1317). It was found out herein that MWOs from other nations (except Spanish) at older ages, second class officers, staying single with temporary contracts are highly discriminated against based on cultural (or racial) reasons. In addition, MWOs with higher male companions\u27 support are very rarely promoted in the company
Minority Males and Graduate Education: Confronting Microaggressions in Counsellor Education Programs
Get PDFMicroaggressions are intentional or unintentional exchanges that communicate hostile, derogatory, negative slights and insults to people of colour. Microaggressions are prevalent on college campuses across the United States. This article explores the impact of microaggressions on minority male graduate students in counsellor education programs. The article further discusses how institutions and counsellor education programs must address racial stereotypes through cultural competency training and hiring diverse faculty and staff. A quantitative design was employed to understand minority males’ perceptions of microaggressions. The sample of the study consisted of (n=99) participants comprised of Asian (n=30), Hispanic (n=33), and Black (n=36) male degree recipients from counsellor education programs. The data were collected using the Racial and Ethnic Microaggressions Scale (REMS) while a one-way ANOVA was used to examine the impact of microaggressions. The study revealed a difference in perceived microaggressions between Asian, Hispanic, and Black students in counsellor education programs. 
The causes of ethical turpitude in schools: Evidence from four schools in Gauteng, South Africa
Get PDFThis article reports the findings of a qualitative study that explored the causes of ethical turpitude in the four schools in Gauteng Province of South Africa. Semi-structured interviews were held with each school principal, eight heads of department and sixteen teachers. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the generated data. The findings suggest that most participants had pedestrian knowledge of ethical leadership and failed to demonstrate an appreciation of their agency role in promoting an ethical culture both in leadership and teaching despite the prescripts of the SACE Code of Professional Ethics and other laws governing their profession. Despite these negative findings, a minority of participants indicated how they promoted an ethical culture, integrity and honesty in their interactions with their learners. Amidst all the ethical challenges at the school level, the findings further suggest that there was minimal support by the Provincial Department of Education, SACE and teacher unions to equip the school management teams and teachers on ethical leadership and teaching. While numerous ethical turpitudes were unearthed, this study posits that the school management teams have agency and direct responsibility to address ethical challenges in their schools. While outside role-players have a supportive role to play, school management teams cannot give up and solely blame them for internal ethical turpitudes.