Ethiopian Journals Online (EJOL)
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The Practices and Challenges of SNE Teachers on the Identification of Students with Intellectual Disabilities in Two Selected Primary Schools of Gondar City
No full textThe purpose of the present study was to document the current practices and challenges Teachers face in the identification of students with intellectual disabilities in primary schools. In this qualitative case study, six special needs education teachers currently engaged in supporting students with intellectual disabilities (SWID) were purposefully selected from those working in two public primary schools in Gondar city. The data was gathered through interviews, observations and consultation of relevant documents. A thematic analysis method was used to analyze and present the qualitative data and two major themes emerged. These are (1) the processes of identification of students with intellectual disabilities (SWID) where participant teachers of the two schools demonstrated their practices; and (2) the challenges teachers faced in the identification process. The findings indicated that the process of identification practices is based on teachers’ own experiences rather than on standardized assessment tools. The findings of the study also showed that in addition to the absence of assessment tools, the lack of clear policy implementation guidelines and the lack of sufficient skill to identify SWID were found to be the major challenges. Based on the findings of the study, some practical implications are discussed for improving the current identification practice so that it would be possible to get their needs met
THE PREDICTIVE VALIDITY OF THE ETHIOPIAN SCHOOL LEAVING CERTIFICATE ENGLISH AND THE INTEGRATIVE STUDY
No full textBasically,the Ethiopian School Leaving Certificate Examination (ESLCE) is an achievementtest. But ever since the elimination of the GCE in 196?, it has been used as a University Entranceexamination. Entrance exams are usually proficiency tests with predicative power to determine the testee's future academic performance at the higher level. This research attempted to determine the predicative validity of the ESLCE's English test of 1987/88 by comparing it to the predictive ability of two locally designed integrativelanguage proficiency tests
An I nvestigation of the Relationship Between Students' Evaluation of Teachers and Evaluation of Teachers by Principals and Department Heads in Ethiopian Teacher Training Institutes
No full textTo introduce possible ways of giving genuine decision about the effectiveness of teachers t work efficiency the present study tried to examine the kind of relationship that could exist among the principal t s, department heads' (Colleague) and students' ratings of teachers in T.T.ls'. Data for the Research was collected using a rating form from 5 principals, 30 colleagues and 1908 students in the pre-examination and 1864 students in the post-examination rating of 79 teachers selected randomly from Harar, Nazareth, Awassa, Debrebirhan and Dessie Teacher Training Institutions. The data collected were analysed for three cases; for overall teachers' ratings of all T. T. Is t for ratings of overall teachers in each T. T. I, and for each teacher's ratings in all T.T.ls
A PRELIMINARY SURVEY OF THE READING INTERESTS OF ADDIS ABABA UNIVERSITY STUDENTS
No full textThis preliminary survey of the reading interests of A.A. U. students is a descriptive study based on questionnaires, interviews, and observations. Addis AbabaUniversity students were the target subjects of the study. However, instructors, librarians and personal observations were used as additional sources of data. The result of the study indicates that most of the subjects do read materials outside their courses in their free time. However, the amount of reading is very small. They appear to have no specific reading interests largely due to lack of variety in the reading materials they manage to read. Their leisure reading in English has a utilitarian purpose. That is, they read ill English both for language improvement and for pleasure
Concise Amharic Dictionary. Leslau Wolf, Berkeley: University of California Press, 1996.pp. Ilus:XIV + 533+547. Reviwed by Amanuel Gebru, Lecturer, AAU
No full textReverse Inclusive Education at Mekanissa School for the Deaf, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
No full textThis study explores the inclusive practices at Mekanisa School for the Deaf, utilizing purposive sampling to select the participants. Participants for this case study were selected based on their involvement in reverse inclusion at Mekanisa School. The study included twelve students (six deaf, six hearing), six teachers, four parents a principal and his advisor in general nineteen participants. Among the twelve students (two deaf and two hearing were involved in the interview. The remaining eight (four deaf and four hearing) were chosen to participate in focus group discussions (FGD). Data were collected using interview and FGD guidelines, as well as an observation checklist, all developed prior to data collection. The findings reveal that Mekanisa School for the Deaf is viewed by most participants as a reverse-inclusive school as it accommodates hearing children within the special school setting for the deaf. The school has notably improved communication between the deaf and hearing students, as well as between the school community and the students. Hearing students are highly proficient in sign language and often serve as interpreters for their deaf peers. This reverse-inclusive practice has also contributed to enhanced academic performance among the deaf students, though challenges remain. Key challenges identified include the difficulty of using two instructional languages (sign language and Amharic) simultaneously for deaf students, insufficient teaching materials, and the lack of proficiency in sign language among some newly hired teachers. Overall, the reverse inclusive practices at Mekanisa School for the Deaf are seen as beneficial and transformative, benefiting both the deaf and hearing learners. This model represents the first transformation of a special school for the deaf into an inclusive school in Ethiopia. The study suggests that these practices should be further strengthened within the school and potentially scaled to other special schools in Addis Ababa
Quality Assurance in Ethiopia’s Higher Education Institutions: A Systematic Review of Literature
No full textThe objective of this review was to critically examine scholarly literature on quality assurance (QA) in Ethiopian higher education and thereby provide readers with a state-of-the-art understanding of the subject with future research direction. To this end, a systematic review method (evidence synthesis technique) was employed. Major data sources were journal articles, dissertations, theses, conference papers, national QA policy documents, and higher education proclamations. Findings of the studies suggest that the introduction of QA to Ethiopia’s HE is a recent phenomenon that is affected both by external factors, like international discourses on quality in HE, and internal pressing factors. The legal and regulatory frameworks of QA are enshrined in the HE proclamations of 2003, 2009 & 2019 and the national Quality Audit guidelines (HERQA guideline); both IQA & EQA methods were applied in the HEIs. QA largely focused on the input and process domains giving little attention to the output domain. A robust QA system is lacking. The implementation of QA has been fettered by challenges and problems related to policy, structural and functional issues. Accordingly, the existing QA lacks conceptual, legislative and structural comprehensiveness, and thus, can be labeled as a system in the infancy stage. Recommendations for policymakers, regulators, and leaders of higher education institutions include creating a robust, dynamic, and responsive system by eliminating the existing deficiencies and anomalies of the system. Finally, this paper winds up by readdressing gaps identified in the studies as areas of further investigation and interventions
Transboundary Water Resources Management Practices: Comparative Analysis of Nile and Senegal River Basins
Get PDFThis study discusses the existing transboundary water resource management practices in Nile and Senegal River basins. By identifying key drivers of change that contribute to successful management of shared water resources, this study draws lessons in building effective institutional frameworks towards a common call for cooperative utilization of Nile waters. It adopted a Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) design, with in-depth qualitative analysis of selected cases and Key Informant Interviews (KII) to analyze the drivers of change and evolution of the institutional frameworks that have been governing the Nile and Senegal River Basins and how they are affecting the cooperation process. The study argues that the compound effects of hydro-ecological phenomenon, legal regimes, historical beliefs and unilateral actions of the riparian’s have been among the major factors that have influenced the cooperation process and determined their outcomes. The study has put forward some recommendations aimed at striking win-win solutions that could pave the way for Nile riparians come to a cooperative framework. These include, among others, focusing on benefits sharing than water allocations, focusing on scientific or technical issues than political, understand the views of local actors, contest the legitimacy of the old-regimes through re-negotiation of Cooperative Framework Agreement (CFA) with Egypt and Sudan, and change power relations in the basin
Spatiotemporal Rainfall Variability in the Borena Zone, Southern Ethiopia, and Its Linkage to Large-Scale Climate Oscillations: Implications for Food Security Among Pastoral Households
Get PDFThis study focuses on daily extreme climate indices and their underlying causes, rather than traditional average climate investigations. The primary aim is to effectively strategize adaptation measures for climate extremes and ensure food security. The research was conducted in the Borena Zone, an area that has experienced recurrent extreme weather events, particularly droughts, over the past few decades. Utilizing daily rainfall and temperature data sourced from the National Meteorological Agency (NMA) spanning from 1981 to 2020, the study examines the variability of climate extreme indices within the Borena Zone. In addition to mean maximum and mean minimum temperatures, six extreme temperature indices and five extreme rainfall indices were employed for a comprehensive analysis. The results from temporal analysis indicate that maximum daily maximum temperature (TXx), maximum daily minimum temperature (TNx), minimum daily maximum temperature (TXn), and maximum daily minimum temperature (TNn) exhibit significantly increasing trends ranging from 0.016 to 0.053°C/year. Conversely, the extreme temperature indices for cool days (TX10) and cool nights (TN10p) show decreasing trends ranging from 0.058 to 0.406%/year. The spatial analysis of extreme indices also reveals an overall increase in temperature across the zone, confirming a higher warming trend in the area. Among the extreme rainfall indices, the total precipitation (PRCPTOT) shows a very significant increasing trend (p = 0.006) of 3.65 mm/year. The number of very heavy rainfall days (R20mm) and the number of very wet days (R95p) also exhibit significant increasing trends, ranging from 0.05 to 2.044 mm/year. Conversely, continuous wetdays (CWD) show a decreasing trend, while continuous dry days (CDD) demonstrate an increasing trend. The spatial analysis of rainfall indices corroborates the findings from the temporal analysis. Correlation analysis of daily rainfall with global indices such as Sea Surface Temperature (SST) and Sea Level Pressure (SLP) reveals a significant positive correlation with consecutive dry days (CDD) and a negative correlation with consecutive wet days (CWD). The results of this study indicate warming trends in the area, accompanied by erratic rainfall patterns that significantly affect evaporation rates and various key sectors, notably rainfed agriculture, leading to increased drought conditions
Beyond Capital and Commodity: Exploring the Notion of Land among Indigenous Farmers and Land-related Conflicts in Addis Ababa Peri-urban Areas
Get PDFOne of the primary challenges in addressing land-related conflicts is the divergent notions of land held by various actors. In the modern urban context, land is valued as a crucial economic resource, serving as capital to invest in or as a commodity to buy and sell for profit. Most existing studies and discussions on land also view it as a resource for the economy, overlooking its social, cultural, political, and religious values. This paper explores the notions of land among Indigenous farmers in Addis Ababa peri-urban areas (AAPUA) and their implications for land-related conflicts. The study employed a qualitative approach and used key informant interviews and focus group discussions to generate data from the participants. The findings show that for the indigenous farmers in AAPUA, land is categorized into five types based on the notions and values attached to it as “qe’ee” (homestead), “maasaa” (farming land), “tifkata” (grazing land), “abdaari” (sacred land), and “bakka-awwala” (graveyards). As part of the larger Oromo culture, land is considerably more than just an asset, source of income, and commodities for the indigenous farmers in the study areas rather they have profound ties to their lands as sites of social, cultural, and religious significance; they also serve as repositories for ancestral spirits, sites for sacred rituals, and historical landmarks that bind an individual to a specific location. Land is a status symbol that goes much beyond its economic value for farmers. In the study area and beyond, the land is an instrument of political power and control for the government, while it’s just capital and commodity for private business. Thus, the divergent notions of land amongst the key actors have caused and perpetuated land-related conflicts in the study area. The paper recommends that the appeal to end land grabbing and the displacement of farmers in AAPUA should go beyond ensuring the evicted farmers receive financial compensation. The government must enact a law that protects the indigenous farmers’ rights while appropriating land for development projects and urbanization