The University of Zambia Journals
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Averting Learner Absenteeism in Zambian Urban and Rural Primary Schools: A Case of Kalingalinga and Simweendengwe Primary Schools
Get PDFThe study investigated the causes of learner absenteeism, the impact it has on academic performance and ways of averting learner absenteeism. The study used a mixed design which involved the use of questionnaires to obtain information from the teachers, and school administrators, research interview guides for the parents and focus group discussions for the learners from Kalingalinga and Simweendengwe primary schools and their catchment area respectively. The research population was composed of one hundred and twenty (120) respondents which included; fourty (40) education administrators and teachers, fourty (40) parents who were randomly selected and 40 learners who were purposefully selected. The data collected through questionnaires was analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences and the focus group discussions data was analysed thematically. The findings established that the leading cause to learner absenteeism were home related factors. The study further established that the performance of learners who consistently abscond from school in academic terms was average and in extreme cases bad. The findings also established that Pupil, Parent Teacher engagement is the best methods to use if absenteeism is to be addressed. From the findings, it was established that good policy support would enhance efficiency if learner absenteeism was to be addressed by teachers and educational administrators
Drought Coping among the Small-Scale Farmers of Luangwa District in Zambia
Get PDFLuangwa district in Zambia’s Lusaka province lies within a marginal area
that is prone to both drought and floods in the rainy season (Luangwa
District Council, 2007). Despite documenting drought coping in other areas
that are prone to drought, little to no study has been done to document
drought coping among the small scale farmers of Luangwa district. The
aim of the study was to establish drought coping among small scale farmers
of Zambia’s Luangwa district. To achieve this aim, small scale farmer’s
perception of drought hazard was ascertained. Effects of drought on the
livelihoods of small scale farmers were also investigated. Having done the
above, the study established drought coping strategies among small scale
farmers of Zambia’s Luangwa district. The study was a critical realist
case study within a setting of qualitative methodologies. A semi structured
interview guide was used on disaster management officers, agriculture
supervisor, town planner and extension officer, while a focus group
discussion was conducted among the small scale farmers. Observations of
farming activities on small holdings were also done. The study established
that small scale farmers of Luangwa district employed various ways
of coping with drought such as wild food harvesting, income generating
activities, employing traditional farming practices and relief food. Thus the
study findings confirmed literature assertion that wild food harvesting and
engaging in economic activities were prominent drought coping strategies.
Furthermore, one unique negative effect of drought revealed by this study
was that drought turned the small scale farmers into drunkards. The study
recommend introduction of environmental learning for drought coping.
Environmental learning would be a steering wheel for the integration of
different knowledge systems sources such as traditional and modern science.
Thus this will make learning relevant and therefore would empower small
scale farmers with knowledge and skills needed to cope with drought in a
relevant manner
The Meaning and Role of Action Research in Education
Get PDFAction research in education is known for improving the teachers and
administrators’ professional practice and deemed favourable by most
educationists for solving problems in education. It is a formative study
usually conducted by teachers and administrators in schools. Action
research is a cyclical or spiral process that includes problem identification
(by a teacher, a group of teachers or administrators) taking action and fact
finding about the result of the action taken. Action research in education
helps the teachers to adopt or craft the most appropriate strategies within
teaching-learning environments. Teachers around the world employ action
research in their classrooms and schools, as part of their teaching and
research. In this article we discuss action research in education, show the
differences between action research and traditional research and we have
illustrated forms of action research in education. The paper has also made
an attempt at describing the steps in action research. In the concluding
section we have discussed the importance of action research to the teacher
and all involved in education. All in all, we will labour to present a literature
review of what action research is, its elements and the critical role it plays in
perfecting the art of teaching
Mining Induced Displacement and Resettlement (Midr): A Case of Muzabula Compound In Solwezi Mining District, Zambia.
Get PDFLiberalisation of the economy in the early 2000s by the Zambian government led to the privatisation of the State owned mining assets. Kansanshi Mine in Solwezi, North-western province of Zambia was sold to First Quantum. When the company started mining in 2004, some families in Muzabula compound that where in proposed mining area were displaced. Mining induced displacement and resettlement (MIDR) led to loss of socio-cultural, economic and environmental aspects of the displaced families thereby affecting their livelihood. Included was loss of land, common property resources, and disruption of social networks, loss of traditional authority and identity and destruction of forests and loss of access to the river. The objective of the research was to evaluate the impact of MIDR on the livelihood of the displaced community of Muzabula Compound. The conceptual and theoretical framework was based on the ‘Impoverishment Risks and Reconstruction model’ that looks at impoverishment risk assessment of socio-cultural, economic and environmental aspect in its analysis that arise from displacement. Qualitative research methods were used to collect data through semi structured interviews with the community, mine representative and government officials. A total number of forty-seven participants took part in the interviews. Grounded theory was used for data analysis and interpretation. Displacement took place in two phases, in 2004 at the beginning of mining and in 2015 during the construction of the smelter road. During the first phase, people were compensated in form of money at $3190 (US Dollars) per 50 x 50 metres of land. The amount included houses, fruit trees, fields and whatever was on the land. The second phase, compensation was in form of good concrete houses better than the mad houses demolished and help in farming inputs and skills. The displaced families who were subsistence farmers improved their produce. The first displacement resulted in increased risks of impoverishment for the displaced due to loss of livelihood as the displaced families were not involved in the planning. The second displacement was properly planned and improved the displaced families’ livelihood. Planning must include all stakeholders who are the community, the government, Civil Society like the Church, Non-Governmental Organisations working in the community and the Mining Company officials. The
96interests of the community to be displaced must be considered as a first priority. The paper concludes that Government must adhere to policies that govern mining displacement and resettlement to reduce on loss of livelihood for the displaced. In the first displacement this was not considered as the displaced families were not engaged in any planning meetings and were just informed by the government officials and traditional leadership that they will be displaced and compensated
Research Paradigms and Designs with their Application in Education
Get PDFThis is a theoretical paper of research paradigms and designs and how such terminologies are applied in educational research. Research provides the basis for understanding natural phenomenon and can be used as a tool to find solutions to human problems. A researcher’s understanding of research paradigms and designs in education forms the basis for an effective research undertaking. The application of research paradigms and designs in education is the focus of this article. The paper is divided in two major sections. Section one is on research paradigms and covers philosophical foundations of research and research paradigms or world views such as positivism, post-positivism, interpretivism, constructivism and pragmatism are included in this paper. Section two covers research designs, types of quantitative, qualitative and mixed research designs and provides basic knowledge on research designs
Gender and School Type as Correlates of Secondary School Students’ Extensive Reading Habit and Writing Performance in Ilorin, Nigeria
Get PDFReading is a critical skill, both within and beyond the classroom. The nature of writing too cannot be described without reference to literacy, because the latter subsumes the former. This study investigated the relationship between extensive reading habit and writing performance of secondary school students in Ilorin, Nigeria, based on gender and school type. The research is descriptive in nature. Senior Secondary 2 students were purposively sampled based on the variables of the study. Two schools from each of Ilorin East and South and four schools from Ilorin West were proportionately sampled for the study. Fifty students were selected through the simple random sampling technique from each of the eight schools sampled for the study. A total of four hundred respondents were therefore involved in the study. The data collected through the Students’ Reading Habit Questionnaire (SRHQ) and a Students’ Writing Performance Test (SWPT) were analyzed using mean ratings, percentages and the Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation Co-efficient at 0.05 significance level. The findings of the study revealed that there was a significant relationship between students’ extensive reading habit and their writing performance. Also, no significant relationship between students’ extensive reading habit and their writing performance in relation to gender and school type even though a greater percentage of the students (88.7%) recorded low writing performance and ambivalent reading habit. The study recommended among others that teachers should make reading and writing activities at the secondary school extensively functional irrespective of gender and school type
Ergonomic Factors Associated with Lower Back Pain Amongst Load-Haul-Dump Truck Operators at Freda Rebecca Gold Mine, Bindura, Zimbabwe
Get PDFBackground
Lower back pain is broadly defined discomfort or pain within the lumbar region of the human spine and it is the leading cause of function limitation, resulting in significant losses in productivity and billions of dollars in medical costs yearly. Its prevalence is estimated to be associated with a lower socioeconomic status and lower education levels. The intention of this study was to analyse the ergonomic factors linked with lower back pain amongst load-haul-dump truck operators at Freda Rebecca Gold Mine.
Methods
A descriptive non-interventional cross-sectional study was used with the probit model and the chi-square used as the estimation techniques. The simple random sampling method was adopted in the survey with a total of 140 respondents who are all employees at Freda Rebecca Gold Mine, Zimbabwe. The Statistical Package Stata was used 12.
Results
The study indicated that 77.8% of the respondents suffered lower back pain at one time or the other. Results showed an association between lower back pain with demographic factors such as experience, gender and age, organisational factors such as type and duration of shift work, biomechanical factors such as lifting and handling protocols, postures, whole body vibrations exposure resulting from work related conditions such as road conditions, equipment conditions and design and other psychosocial factors.
Conclusion
Therefore, the study promoted the adoption of a broad approach to reduction and management of LBP, including equipment engineering solutions to manage whole body vibration exposure, operator education, equipment assistive technology, strong equipment maintenance regime. Further interventions include adoption of best practice systems and improved clinical treatment systems
Politics of gender in sports administration and leadership in Zambia
Get PDFThis was a phenomenological study aimed at investigating experiences of women in sports management and leadership in Zambia given the limited numbers of women in sports administration and leadership positions. Thus, this study sets to find out the reasons for the low rate of female involvement in sports administration and leadership in Zambia. This involved finding out roles played by females in administration and leadership of sports, difficulties that they face and how they mitigate the challenges faced. Purposive sampling involved 13 coaches, 8 physical educators, and 20 sports administrators. Semi-structured interviews and documentary studies were used to collect data from participants. Findings indicate that the sports industry was male-dominated. Female sports leaders faced challenges including gender stereotyping, lack of education and other capacity-building opportunities and lack of gender-sensitive policies that impeded women from taking up administrative and leadership roles. Governments and their agencies should implement policies to provide access to opportunities like educational programmes, ensure a safe environment for females and promoting the appointment of females to senior positions in sports
Investigating School Administrators’ and Education Standards Officers’ Monitoring and Evaluation of Teacher Performance in Nyimba District of Zambia
Get PDFThis study aimed at establishing whether there were any particular challenges that faced school administrators and Education Standards Officers (ESOs) in Nyimba district in their Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) of selected secondary school teachers’ performance. The objection of the study was to investigate the major challenges to monitoring and evaluation faced by school administrators and Education Standards Officers, if any. This study was conducted within the framework of mixed methodology using an embedded mixed design, the study collected data from 68 participants drawn from six secondary schools and the District Education Board Office in Nyimba. The data were collected using questionnaires and interviews. The findings were that most teachers were faced with the challenges of inadequate teaching and learning materials at their schools, minimal feedback by ESOs, inadequate staffing of ESOs and minimal motivation of teachers. Moreover, some teachers feared to meet standards officers due to inadequate preparation. On the other hand, the district was also faced with inconsistent funding from the government and therefore making timely inspections in distant schools almost impossible. My recommendations for addressing the challenges that emerged from the findings included continuous professional trainings where Education Standards Officers and teachers in Zambia are inducted on professional ethics, shared vision, timely school visits by standards officers, the incorporation of ICTs into monitoring and evaluation, awarding of hard working teachers, recruitment of additional standards officers and the undertaking of cluster monitoring and evaluation teachers in schools
Recent Judicial Decisions Criminal Law
Get PDF(i) Kelvin Mwinga and Aphias Muchindu v. The People (Appeal No. 10, 11/2017)
(ii) Chrismar Hotel Limited v. Stanbic Bank Zambia Ltd (SCZ Judgement No. 06 of 2017)
(iii) Ndola Energy Company Limited v. Lamamuda Limited (Appeal No. 62/2014)
(iv) Maguwudge v. Mopani Copper Mines PLC (Appeal No. 234/2013)
(v) Kenny Sililo v. Mend-a-Bath and Spencon Zambia Limited SCZ Appeal No. 168/2014
(vi) Reba Industrial Corporation Limited v. Nicholas Mubonde CAZ Appeal No. 005/20