The University of Zambia Journals
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Teacher-Learner Relationships and the Effect on Student Learning at Secondary Schools in the Khomas Region, Namibia
Get PDFGiven the limitations of almost no research information in Namibia and Khomas region about teacher-learner relationships and its effect on student learning in secondary schools. This study aimed at exploring and investigating factors affecting teacher-learner relationships and the effect on student learning at selected secondary schools in the Khomas Education region of Namibia. This study applied qualitative research approach/method and employed explanatory case study design within attachment theoretical framework. In-depth interviews, focus group discussions and classroom observations were used to collect the data. The study population consisted of 30 respondents (10 subject teachers and 20 grade 12 learners) from two selected secondary schools, and were chosen by using purposive sampling techniques based on specified criteria and thematic content analysis was used to analyses qualitative data. The study findings revealed that the majority of teachers and learners have common understanding and shared same sentiments that a positive teacher-learner relationship can only develop in a conducive learning environment, and motivation, communication skills are among central key factors that enhance student’s learning in the secondary school. It also emerged that few learners argued having developed a negative relationship due to teachers’ personal attitudes in the classroom learning. Findings of the study indicated that teachers’ behaviours and level of education were vital factors affecting quality of teacher-learner relationships while the major factors were lack of physical resources and ill-disciplined learners. It also emerged that teachers have positive or negative influence on student’s learning, depending on how they interact with learners in the school environment. The study further recommended that teachers should cultivate and build quite enabling and conducive learning atmosphere for effective teaching and learning. Thus this improves the student academic learning in the school learning environment
Business Education University Curriculum and Students’ Entrepreneurial Skills Empowerment in Lagos State, Nigeria
Get PDFThis study assessed the concept of entrepreneurship development of business education undergraduates in Lagos State. A survey research design was used for this study. The population comprised of 565 business education undergraduates in public universities in Lagos State, Nigeria while a sample size of 160 were used for the study. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions, while t–test was used to test the hypotheses. The t-test comparison showed that the difference in mean ratings on the influence of business education undergraduate curriculum on promotion of human resources management skill among male and female respondents in Lagos State was not statistically significant. Based on the findings of the study, the researchers recommended among others that the curriculum planners should ensure that business education curriculum content is relevant to the skills required of industries because of the relevance of the programme in providing the needed manpower in industries
Lipid Nanoparticle Technology a Key Component of COVID-19 mRNA Vaccines
Get PDFBackground: The emergency use authorization (EUA) by the US-FDA for two mRNA-based vaccines BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) and mRNA-1273 (Moderna) has increased the confidence of addressing the COVID-19 pandemic which has killed millions of people worldwide. The aim was to review literature on lipid nanoparticle technology as a key component of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines.
Methods: An introductory literature search was conducted by using keywords including “COVID-19”, mRNA vaccines” nanotechnology” and others in the databases; Google Scholar and PubMed.
Results: Using coronavirus disease-2019 vaccine related articles it was evident that lipid nanotechnology has played a significant role in the success of mRNA vaccines. Nanoparticles (NPs) as delivery vehicles render stability to the encased mRNA from ribonucleases, facilitating delivery of high mRNA concentrations into the target cells. The ionisable "lipid nanoparticle" (LNP) facilitates Ribosomal nucleic acid (RNA) complexation and has the capacity to avoid reticuloendothelial clearance and subsequent endocytosis. These unique properties of the lipid nanocarrier technology can be attributed to the overwhelming success of the two-mRNA based COVID-19 vaccines with ~95% efficacy in phase III clinical trials. When compared against the traditional liposomal bilayer carriers, LNPs possess rigid morphology, better stability profile and improved cellular penetration of the cargo.
Conclusion: The efficacy and rate at which BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) and mRNA-1273 (Moderna) mRNA vaccines were formulated has showcased the potential of nanotechnology in aiding the alleviation of the COVID-19 health crisis and has further demonstrated the undeniable impact of nano-medicine in tackling future health challenges reducing morbidity and mortality worldwide
Aspects of Gothic Tradition in the Literary Imagination of Nnedi Okorafor
Get PDFThe Gothic writing has often been perceived as a form of Western fiction- making. This apparently is based on the fact that Gothic genre originated in Europe in the late 18 th century and has been widely exploited in the West (Europe and North America). Contrary to these assumptions, it can be confirmed that Gothic mode has indeed been appropriated by many non–Western fiction writers. An in- depth interrogation of Nnedi Okorafor’s, selected novels like ‘Who Fears death’, Akata Witch and The Book of Phoenix reveal that she does indeed appropriate Gothic elements. This article therefore critically examines aspects of Gothic tradition in Nnedi Okorafor’s selected novels. It seeks to portray how unique Gothic motifs like monstrosity, villainy and morality have been appropriated, transformed and complicated in Nnedi Okorafor’s selected novels ‘Who Fears death’, ‘Akata Witch’ and ‘The Book of Phoenix’. This study found out that that the three motifs indeed exist in Okorafor’s selected novels and are closely related. Gothic Monsters are generally implicated in subversion of social norms and nature. This often renders them villainous and their defeat, as portrayed in the analysed texts, leads to a restoration of moral order in a given society. Yet the findings affirm that physical or moral monstrosity of a character does not necessarily qualify her or him to be a villain. Villainy is tied to innate monstrosity which manifests itself through characters’ inhuman, unjust, and oppressive attitude towards the perceived other. This piece therefore concludes that Nnedi Okorafor does indeed appropriate the Gothic motifs of monstrosity, villainy and morality in a manner that offers radically fresh means of highlighting Africa’s complex reality
A Contrastive Study of IciBemba and Mambwe at Phonological Level
Get PDFA contrastive study between IciBemba and Mambwe at phonological level sought to find out how Standard Bemba and Rural Mambwe differ in terms of phonology. The investigation was motivated by the proximity of Bemba and Mambwe speaking communities in Mbala district of Northern province. The researcher used qualitative research design because he sought to focus on words rather than on numbers. His methods were exploratory and descriptive: seeking to unearth the opinions, thoughts and feelings of the respondents. In this study, respondents were freely able to disclose their experiences, thoughts and feelings without constraint. This research design enabled the researcher to have an in-depth involvement by way of semi-structured interviews, focus-group discussions and observation. The researcher had an opportunity to follow up, through focus-group discussions, on the responses given earlier by the key informant who is very proficient in Mambwe. All the informants are proficient in the languages under study. It is this in-depth involvement by the researcher with the informants and his analysis and interpretation of the data that has shaped the outcome of this study. The differences have been noted in segmental phonology with regard to vowels and consonants, the application of deletion, insertion and allophonic rules, sound segments in causative and intensive verbal forms, semivocalisation, coalescence and vowel harmony It is, therefore, concluded from the study that the phonological differences between the languages under study contribute to: (1) mutual unintelligibility between IciBemba and Mambwe speakers who have had no experience of each other’s language and (2) the absence of linguistic convergence between IciBemba and Mambwe despite that they are spoken in the same geographical space
Examining Challenges that Affect the Implementation of the National Reading Programme by Teachers: A Case of Selected Schools in Malawi
Get PDFThe Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MoEST) in Malawi introduced the National Reading Programme (NRP) in 2015 to improve early grade learners’ literacy skills. However, results from the 2017 and 2018 national reading assessment for Standard 2, Standard 4 and the NRP monitoring strategy revealed that the state of reading achievement was still below average. This study therefore examined challenges that affect the implementation of NRP by teachers. The study was qualitative in nature and was guided by the Social Constructivist Theory. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with sixteen teachers, four head teachers, two Primary Education Advisors (PEAs) and one NRP Officer. Documentary analysis and classroom observations were done to triangulate data collected through interviews. The study revealed that improvements in aspects of education systems including proper training and distribution of teachers, improved school infrastructure and community involvement, etc., are certainly necessary to achieve universal literacy. The study also suggested that it is only through everyone’s hard work and commitment that would ensure the realisation of the important goal of having all Malawian children be able to read and write. The study is important because it provides a set of principles of learning about ideas and practices that promote learners’ academic achievement in reading and writing. Another anticipated value of the study is that it aggregates previous relevant studies on the problems surrounding the language curriculum implementation and synthesise the findings of previous studies
An Examination of Common Errors in Essays Written By Secondary School Students in Malawi: Some Implications for Teaching
Get PDFThis study aimed at analysing errors in essays written by Malawian students who were learning English as a Second Language (ESL). Its specific focus was three-fold: to analyse errors using Corder’s (1974) five-stage approach to Error Analysis, to assess sources of the errors and to identify measures that could be applied to help students attain proficiency in English. The study utilised qualitative and quantitative designs. The participants in this study were students and teachers. The former were required to write essays which were analysed using Corder’s (1974) five-stage approach to Error Analysis while the latter were interviewed to establish sources of errors and ways to overcome them. The study has revealed that the following were the most frequent errors: tense, spelling, subject-verb agreement, articles, nouns, capitalisation and fragment. The study has further revealed that inter- lingual and intra-lingual interferences were the main sources of errors. The study has further demonstrated that other factors such as a lapse in reading culture, carelessness and social media’s writing style influence students’ errors. This study has shown that Error Analysis is helpful to teachers because it enables them to identify specific and common problems. Teachers can, therefore, focus more attention on the identified problems. The findings have pedagogical implications for ESL teachers because they would employ appropriate pedagogy to minimise students’ errors in the area of grammar and sentence structures. The findings also have practical implications in the sense that some platforms could be organised in order to grill teachers on how to improve their content and pedagogical skills in ESL writing. Teachers could also use these platforms to share their experiences with fellow teachers and map the way forward to improve their instruction skills
Determination of the Outcomes of Laparoscopic Appendecectomies at the University Teaching Hospital, Zambia
Get PDFSeveral studies have demonstrated the superiority of Laparoscopic appendicectomy (LA) in managing acute appendicitis. Acute appendicitis has been managed solely by open appendicectomy at the University Teaching Hospital (UTH). This was the first study that looked at the management of acute appendicitis by laparoscopy at UTH. This study aimed at determining the outcomes of laparoscopic appendicectomy at UTH.
This was a prospective cohort study that included patients that were diagnosed with acute uncomplicated appendicitis. All patients admitted between August 2015 to March 2016 were included in the study. Variables analyses were patient’s data (age, gender, previous surgery, White Blood Cell (WBC)count, symptoms, signs, symptoms), operating time, intra/post operative complications, and length of stay.
A total of 9 laparoscopic appendicectomies were performed during the study period. The patients had an average age of 31.8 years and were predominantly female (70%). One case was converted to open appendicectomy and was not included in the laparoscopic data group. The mean operative time for the procedure was 75.5 min (range 50-110min) and the length of stay was on average 2.3 days (range 2-3 days). The patients in the study had no complications noted during the follow-up period. No patient developed an intra-abdominal abscess during the study period.
Laparoscopic appendicectomy for uncomplicated acute appendicitis resulted in good surgical outcomes in this institution compared to the regional statistics as a reference point. It may be preferred in patients presenting with uncomplicated appendicitis or where the diagnosis is equivocal. Laparoscopic appendicectomy is recommended, especially for young female patients in our setting
Small-Scale Poultry Farmer’s Perception on the Emerging Impact of Covid-19 Pandemic in Zambia
Get PDFThe covid-19 pandemic has been reported to have disrupted the food systems globally, thereby, negatively affecting production of agricultural commodities. This study was carried out to examine the emerging impact of the pandemic on small-scale poultry farmers in Lusaka Province, Zambia. Questionnaires were administered to 100 farmers in Chongwe rural area (Lusaka city sub-hub) to collect information on socio-economic characteristics, poultry production system, impact of covid-19 on poultry operations and coping mechanisms instituted. The data collected were subjected to descriptive and correlation analysis. The research findings revealed that the pandemic has a significant negative impact on the small-scale poultry farmer access to feed availability, vaccines and day old chicks. Similarly, the pandemic had a significant impact on market availability, accessibility and the purchasing power of the consumers. The research also indicated that a significant positive correlation exist between difficulties in accessing essential inputs for poultry productivity and the coping strategy that the poultry farmer adopted. The study concluded that farmers experienced a great effect of the pandemic on their poultry business due to the restriction imposed by government which caused inaccessibility of input supplies and market for the sales of birds. While the government provided financial incentives to some industrial and commercial entities, most small-scale farmers in this study did not benefit from the scheme. This shows that the government is more focused on industrial entities rather than small-scale farmers and producers. The study suggested mitigating strategies such as facilitating access to production inputs, market linkages and financial assistance (soft loans, grants, relief etc.) for small-scale poultry producers to build a resilient poultry system and cope with the emerging challenges covid-19 imposed on the poultry industry are recommended
The Role of Politics, Policy, and Governance in Tackling Unemployment in Nigeria
Get PDFPolitics, people-oriented policies, and good governance are the tripod on which sustainable economic activities and employment thrive. However, in the recent past, politics, a faceless sociological contraption that is devoid of emotion and conscience have swallowed up good governance and sound policies that would have tackled the problem of unemployment in Nigeria. It is on this premise that this paper examines policies, programmes and intervention agencies of the Nigerian government that were established to tackle unemployment. Recommendations were made based on the factors identified as being responsible for the failure of such policies and programmes