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Supervisor and doctoral student perspectives on roles, approaches and type of relationship : a study at Kyambogo University
No full text140-162 p.African universities are increasing enrolment in higher degrees, especially at doctoral level. Supervisors play an important role in guiding the doctoral candidate to become an independent professional researcher, able to adapt to various fields of research, whether in academia or industry. Kyambogo is one of the universities in Africa, found in Uganda, that is offering doctoral studies, though it is still fairly young. This study explored the perspectives of supervisors and doctoral students regarding their roles, approaches and type of relationship, as well as understanding how these relationships impact doctoral education at Kyambogo University. The study design was an exploratory survey using qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection. Online questionnaires and structured interviews were used as methods of data collection. Data was collected in two phases; Phase 1 was a face-to-face interview with the Heads of respective departments, and Phase 2 online survey which was emailed to 28 respondents. Findings revealed that the most important roles of the supervisors are constructive critics (87.5%) and providing guidance (75.0%). Adhering to ethics was ranked as the most important role (88.3%), followed by adhering to evaluation and follow-up, together with self-management and pacing and making use of consultation. The study confirms that the supervisors and doctoral students have a set of roles they play in the supervision process. However, the results also indicated that those who had gained full admission for doctoral study were very few. No single doctoral student had graduated since it was introduced. Low institutional capacity and lack of funding were key factors in this. The features of the supervision approaches are emphasised differently in each approach. The approaches form a continuum with different stages of development of the doctoral candidate. Each stage determines the type of supervision approach. Eight types of relationships occur in the supervision process, but at different frequencies. The finding also indicates that out of all the eight types of relationship, the “captive” and “con” relationships had not occurred at all. The study concluded that the roles and approaches can be affected by the type of relationship that exists between the supervisor and the doctoral candidate
Physical infrastructure management and curriculum implementation in public universities in northern Uganda
No full textThis study aimed to assess the level of curriculum implementation,
evaluate the level of physical infrastructure management, and investigate
the influence of physical infrastructure management in the areas of lecture
room facilities, technology facilities and safety devices on curriculum
implementation in public universities in Northern Uganda. The study
employed a positivist approach. The sample consisted of 123 academic staff
selected using a simple random sampling technique. Data was collected
using a self-administered questionnaire and analysed using frequencies,
percentages and means at the descriptive level, correlations at the bivariate
level, and multiple linear regression at the multivariate level. The results
showed that the level of curriculum implementation was low and the level
of physical infrastructure management was moderate. Also, lecture room
facilities had a significant positive influence on curriculum implementation.
However, technology facilities and safety devices had a positive but
insignificant influence on curriculum implementation. Therefore, it was
concluded that physical infrastructure management, concentrating on
lecture room facilities, technology equipment and safety devices, is vital
for curriculum implementation in public universities. Thus, this study
recommended that the government and public universities should make
deliberate efforts to provide sufficient lecture room facilities, modern
technology equipment and sufficient safety devices to further improve
curriculum implementation, especially in activities such as preparation
for teaching, content delivery and assessment of learning in the public
universities
The effectiveness of self-help interventions in the treatment of depressive symptoms in low-and-middleincome countries (LMICs): a meta-analysis
No full text1-27 p. ;Background: Self-help psychological interventions show great potential to close the treatment gap for depressive symptoms in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs). The current meta-analysis investigated the pooled effect of self-help interventions for people with depressive symptoms in LMICs and moderators of these psychological interventions.
Method: PubMed, Cochrane Register of Randomized Controlled Trials, PsychInfo, Embase, and Sabinet databases were searched between June 2021 and December 2022 to select studies that met pre-defined inclusion criteria. A coding protocol was used to retrieve and code relevant data from selected studies. We measured publication bias and assessed the study quality using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool. The program ‘Comprehensive Meta-Analysis’ (CMA) was used for the data analysis. Overall effect sizes were calculated to assess the effectiveness of selfhelp programs for depression.
Results: Eighteen studies were included in the meta-analysis. Self-help interventions were found to have a medium positive effect on depressive symptoms at post-test (Hedges’ g = 0.74) and at follow-up (Hedges’ g = 0.82). There was evidence for publication bias. Larger effects were found for studies that were conducted in lower-middle income countries, had at least mild depression as inclusion criterion, reported less than 30% attrition, did not use relaxation techniques, had a low or medium risk of bias, and that used a booklet form of intervention.
Conclusion: This meta-analysis suggests that self-help interventions have a positive effect on people with depressive symptoms in LMICs. The findings could inform the design and implementation of mental health interventions that could prevent or treat depression
Quality and safety of iron biofortified bean-silverfish composite instant flour for making sauce
No full textBeans are the main source of protein in the diet of many Ugandans, especially rural households, the urban poor, schools, and prisons. Beans are mainly utilized following drying with hardly any value addition and require long preparation times. This study evaluated the nutrition quality and safety of instant iron biofortified beans and silverfish composite flour using extrusion cooking. Three varieties of iron biofortified beans (NARO BEAN 1, 2, and 5C) were composited with ground fish in the ratios of 70:30, 80:20, and 90:10. The composite flour was analyzed for proximate composition, selected minerals, iron bioavailability, phytate content, folic acid content, and microbiological safety. The composite flour (50 g) was reconstituted into a gravy-type in-stant sauce with boiling water (100 mL) and subjected to sensory evaluation using a panel of 50 semi trained analysts. Addition of silverfish to the beans enhanced the sensory acceptability of the instant sauce with the sample containing the yellow bean variety NARO BEAN 5C (80:20) being the most preferred. Compositing beans with silverfish significantly increased moisture, protein, calcium, zinc, magnesium, and folic acid content. The combination yielded more bioavailable iron. The product had low levels(< 0.25 ppb) of aflatoxins, which is lower than the FDA's action level for aflatoxins in food/feed of 20–300 ppb and undetectable Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus aureus indicating its safety
Prevalence of antibiotic and heat resistant Salmonella species in the dairy value chain : a review
No full text22 p.Milk and dairy products are essential constituents of balanced and nutritious diets worldwide; however, they are susceptible to contamination by Salmonella species, which can cause salmonellosis in consumers. This contamination raises significant public health concerns as epidemiological evidence has repeatedly identified milk and dairy products as sources of infectious disease outbreaks. Additionally, Salmonella infections can also affect dairy animals, impacting milk quality and resulting in economic losses for farmers. Traditional control methods include the use of antibiotics and heat, but Salmonella can develop resistance to these interventions, complicating efforts to ensure safety in the dairy industry. This review highlights the global prevalence of Salmonella in the dairy value chain, factors contributing to its contamination, and the demographics most affected. It also highlights commonly reported serotypes, their resistance
mechanisms, and the urgent need for implementation of control strategies to reduce the public health burden of Salmonella contamination in milk and dairy products, with particular emphasis on resource-limited settings
Conceptualizations of Africa: Perspectives from Sciences and Humanities
No full textIn this chapter, we elucidate the state of E-learning and the way forward in higher education in Africa. We look at E-learning as an emerging discipline, the progress achieved in education through the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) and specifically the Internet, the multiple definitions that have emerged during the past few decades, and the advance in the uptake in African institutions of higher education to suggest a way forward. Since this chapter is an exploration of the state of the field, it is a critical review. The chapter familiarizes stakeholders in education with current knowledge and trends in E-learning in higher education in Africa. This offers an understanding of the progress, the steps taken to implement E-learning, and the way forward. The pertinent question that emerges is the following: Why evaluate E-learning in African higher education? The answer to this question is a simple one. Basically, since the education landscape worldwide has changed following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) which made E-learning a requirement, and is no longer a peculiar way providing education by specific institutions and departments, mainly those offering distance education, stakeholders in higher education in Africa have to take steps to fully integrate E-learning in teaching and learning. This chapter provides insights for the implementation of E-learning in higher institutions of education in Africa. But, in order to do this effectively, we deem it very important to show how E-learning has conceptualized the continent
Evidence for motivated control? Climate change related distress is positively associated with domain-specific efficacy beliefs and climate action
No full textRecent cross-sectional and experimental research has found measures of climate change related distress to be positively associated with measures of efficacy beliefs. Authors of some of these studies have interpreted this finding in terms of motivated control, that is, people who experience climate change related distress are motivated to believe that they can help mitigate climate change. We extend this notion of motivated control by assuming that efficacy beliefs flowing from climate change related distress play a role in encouraging climate action. In two cross-sectional studies, we investigate this assumption: Study 1 used data from a multi-country study and found that negative emotions regarding climate change were positively associated with climate action and both individual and collective efficacy. Furthermore, we found evidence for an indirect effect of negative emotions on climate action via efficacy beliefs (individual and collective). Study 2 conceptually replicated this mediation effect, using data from a sample of citizens in Germany and a different measure of distress, focusing on climate change worry. Additional exploratory analyses revealed that the association with individual efficacy was stronger for more adaptive forms of climate change worry, compared to less adaptive forms. We conclude that our findings provide correlational support for motivated control being one of the psychological processes – and efficacy beliefs being one of the person-level factors – that account for adaptive behavioral reactions to climate change related distress. Experimental and longitudinal studies are needed to further substantiate this conclusion
A booklet self-help intervention for people living with HIV and depressive symptoms in Botswana: a randomized controlled trial
No full textP. (1-14) ;In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), there is a scarcity of psychological treatment options for people living with HIV (PLWH) with depressive symptoms. Self-help programs for depressive symptoms, in particular, are cost-effective and scalable, and therefore a promising tool in the treatment of depressive symptoms for people in low-resourced countries. This paper presents the results of a study that examined the effectiveness of a guided self-help program in reducing depressive symptoms in PLWH in Botswana. A Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) was conducted on a sample of PLWH who were screened at HIV treatment centers in Botswana. The RCT had two conditions: an intervention group that received the self-help program with coaching and an attention-only control group. In both groups, a pre-test, post-test, and 3-month follow-up measurement were administered. Patients in the intervention group followed a booklet Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)-based self-help program. Seventy-two participants were included in the study. The results indicated significantly larger decreases in depressive symptoms in the intervention group than in the attention-only control group, both in the short and longer term, with large effect sizes. In addition, there were significant reductions in anxiety symptoms in the intervention group compared to the control group. The user satisfaction was high. Implementing this low-cost and scalable self-help program in a LMIC such as Botswana is critical in bridging the existing mental health treatment gap. This clinical Trial was registered with the Netherlands Trial registry, number NTR5407on August 23, 2018.
Keywords Depressive symptoms · Self-help · HIV · Randomized clinical trial · Low-and-middle income countrie
Farmers’ awareness and use of mobile phones in the management of banana xanthomonas wilt disease in Uganda
No full textMobile phone technology awareness and use in developing countries, Uganda
inclusive, is growing at a faster rate in many sectors, including Agriculture.
Mobile phone usage has enhanced information flow to the rural communities
for the advancement of agriculture. A survey was conducted in four bananagrowing districts of Uganda, representing the western region (Isingiro and
Mitooma Districts) and the central region (Luwero and Mukono Districts), to
assess the extent of awareness and use of mobile phone applications by
smallholder banana growers. Data were collected using a questionnaire from
144 farmers representing 144 households. Most of the farmers (66.7%) were
aware of mobile phone applications used for accessing agricultural
information, although the percentage of farmers (25.7%) using mobile phones
to access information for banana Xanthomonas disease management was low.
Many factors determined mobile phone use, but banana plantation size,
education level, and constraints encountered in the use of mobile phones were
the most significant. The leading challenges encountered by farmers using
mobile phones for accessing agricultural information were identified as a lack
of smartphones, limited knowledge and skills, and poor network connection.
We recommend the creation of awareness about mobile phone applications and
their use in farming communities by both public and private agricultural
extension and advisory service providers
Validating the measures of transformational-transactional leadership theory in the context of selected public universities in Uganda
No full text356-373 p.The study validated the measures of Transformational-Transactional Leadership Theory in the context of selected administrative and academic heads of public universities in
Uganda. Basing on the conceptualization by Avolio et al., (1999), Transformational –Transactional Leadership Theory was studied in terms of: idealised influence attributed, idealised influencebehavioural, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, individualized consideration; contingency rewards, active management by exception, and passive-avoidant leadership. The study used a correlational research design on a sample of 93 respondents that were university managers, namely administrative and academic heads of Busitema and Kyambogo Universities in Uganda. Data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire and analysed using quantitative methods
that were descriptive and partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) with the help of SmartPLS to determine the measures of Transformational –Transactional Leadership Theory.
Descriptive results indicated that eight constructs of Transformational –Transactional Leadership Theory of idealised influence attributed, idealised influence-behavioural, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, individualized consideration; contingency rewards, active management by exception, and passive-avoidant leadership were high. PLS-SEM indicated that the eight constructs of idealised influence attributed, idealised influence-behavioural, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, individualized consideration; contingency rewards, active management by exception, and passive-avoidant leadership were appropriate measures of the Transformational –Transactional Leadership Theory. It was concluded that managers of public universities in Uganda need to promote a high level of idealised influence attributed, idealised influence-behavioural, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, individualized consideration; contingency rewards, active management by exception, and passive-avoidant leadership among administrative and academic heads of departments . Therefore, the study recommended that managers of public universities in Uganda should emphasise idealised influence attributed, idealised influence-behavioural, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, individualized consideration; contingency rewards, active management by exception, and passiveavoidant leadership among administrative and academic heads of departments