Ethiopian Journals Online (EJOL)
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Continuous Professional Learning in North Shoa Zone Secondary Schools: Enhancing Teacher Agency and Student Achievement
No full textThe purpose of this study is to assess the practice of continuous professional learning for teachers. A concurrent mixed research design is employed, and both quantitative and qualitative research methods are used. The convenience sampling technique is used to select three secondary schools in the zone. Data are collected through questionnaires, semi-structured interview guides and document analysis. The collected data are analyzed using descriptive statistics (percentage, frequencies, mean and standard deviation). Moreover, data collected through interview guides and document analysis are qualitatively analyzed and described through narrations. The major findings indicate that the majority of teachers believed initial training (pre-service training) is sufficient to make one a professional teacher. Furthermore, it is disclosed that the majority of teachers do not have a positive attitude towards the teaching profession. They tend to consider CPD as a useless activity that does not have any financial return, and it is a deliberate imposition on teachers. Moreover, the absence of well-planned and organized CPD activities both at the institutional and individual teachers’ level, as well as the lack of adequate monitoring and evaluation, and timely and appropriate feedback, are among the main challenges that hinder the effective implementation of CPD in the secondary schools. Based on the major findings, it is concluded that the practice of CPD in secondary schools is ineffective with regard to the development of teacher agency as well as students’ academic performance. Finally, it is recommended that CPD has to be properly institutionalized as part of the schools’ responsibility; monitoring and feedback provision mechanisms need to be established, and teachers' CPD performance needs to be featured in their career structur
Teachers’ Job Satisfaction at Hawassa University: Exploring the Influence of Hygiene Factors
No full textThe purpose of the study was to investigate teachers’ job satisfaction in the College of Education at Hawassa University in relation to hygiene factors. A cross-sectional descriptive survey design was employed in this study. Survey questionnaire was administered to 30 teachers selected using a stratified sampling technique, and all were filled out correctly and returned. The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics such as mean standard deviation, correlation, and linear regression. Findings showed that teachers’ job satisfaction was low. Prominent influential factors were found to be institutional facilities and working conditions, working relations, salary, and benefit packages, and organizational policy and leadership. To reverse the situation, positive measures should be taken with regard to strategies that can improve working conditions, facilities, working relations, teachers’ salaries, and similar benefits. Reducing income tax, reviewing teachers’ salary scales, reconsideration of teachers’ career structure improving benefit packages such as house and transportation allowance, and designing the health and life insurance benefits are recommended
Employers’ Perception of Hiring Graduates of Vocational Education
No full textWhile developing countries are striving to install a strong technical and vocational system in response to changes in technology and emerging jobs that require contemporary skills and unforeseen challenges, the Ethiopian system is in short supply for employers. It has left many graduates unemployed for several months and years. This study examined the perception of employers in hiring graduates from technical and vocational institutions in Addis Ababa, using a convergent parallel mixed method. Data collected from randomly selected 228 subjects (42 employers and 186 employees) through a semi-structured interview guide and self-administered questionnaire were analyzed using thematic analysis and descriptive and inferential statistics techniques. The study found that though employers have an understanding of the sub-sector, they tend not to hire graduates for reasons of incompetence, the complex nature of hiring, a lack of holistic knowledge of occupational areas, and employers’ belief that graduates from the technical and vocational stream are prepared for self-employment rather than wage employment. The effort of training providers, authorities in the sub-sector, and policymakers in improving awareness of employers and the community at large remained weak
Assessment of the Relationships among Appraisal and Feedback, Professional Development, and Teachers' Effectiveness at Bonga College of Education
No full textIn Ethiopia, the effectiveness of teachers plays a crucial role in the quality of education; however, many face challenges in improving their instructional practices due to limited access to quality professional development (PD) opportunities. To enhance teachers’ effectiveness, much has not been done to support their academic development, and their efficacy has not been adequately evaluated through proper appraisal and feedback. Despite the availability of PD programs, low participation rates and a lack of relevant content often reduce their impact on teaching effectiveness. Similarly, appraisal and feedback (APF) systems, although in place, are hindered by inconsistent application and a general lack of feedback. This study examines the impact of PD and APF on teachers' effectiveness at Bonga College of Education (BCE). A survey research design using a quantitative approach was employed to collect and analyze data through structured questionnaires. The target population included 192 teachers (170 males and 22 females), from which a random sample of 72 teachers (50 males and 22 females) was selected, representing 37.5% of the population. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS software, applying descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, one-sample t-tests, and one-way ANOVA. The findings highlight several challenges, including low participation in PD activities—only 28% of teachers attended workshops, and 26% were engaged in qualification programs. Experience-sharing visits were virtually non-existent, with 96% of teachers having not participated in them. A strong negative correlation between PD participation and its perceived impact points to systemic issues in the availability and quality of PD opportunities. However, teachers perceived APF as beneficial, albeit with less impact than PD. The study found that PD and APF together predicted 78.8% of the variance in teachers' effectiveness. PD showed a strong positive correlation with teaching effectiveness (β = 0.868, p < 0.05), while APF had a moderate effect (β = 0.698, p < 0.05). The study concludes that while both PD and APF contribute to teachers' effectiveness, improvements in PD design, implementation, and incentives, along with a structured experience-sharing program and enhanced feedback mechanisms, are essential for maximizing their impact. Recommendations include establishing targeted PD programs, providing regular and constructive feedback, and promoting a culture of continuous learning and development in BCE
The Gap between Classroom Learning and Career: Implementing Industry-Relevant Curriculum in the Ethiopian Private Higher Education Institutions
No full textThis study examines how Ethiopian private higher education institutions (PHEIs) integrate industry needs into their curricula. Using a grounded theory approach, the research collected data through semi-structured interviews held with 33 academic managers and staff members from three private universities (University A, B, and C). The study also used document analysis to corroborate findings. A purposive and theoretical sampling approach was used to select participants. The findings reveal varying efforts toward implementing industry-relevant curricula. University A excelled in market-driven curriculum design and industry input, while University B had structures in place but needed a stronger stakeholder involvement. University C involved stakeholders but lacked documented procedures and a focus on transferable skills. A comparative analysis showed that TVET programs had successful collaboration and practical learning, while undergraduate programs needed stronger collaboration and more industry practitioners. Faculty development practices also varied, with TVET programs emphasizing industry-specific training. University C’s Higher Diploma Program with industry placement offered a promising model. The innovative practices we identified included targeted internships, project-based learning, and online platforms. The study proposes a cyclical model for effective industry-relevant curriculum implementation to produce job-ready graduates
Economic impact of dairy cooperative membership in Machakel District, North Western Ethiopia
Full text linkThe emergence of agricultural cooperatives is widely seen as a crucial institutional structure that can help smallholder farmers in developing countries overcome the limitations that prevent them from fully benefiting from opportunities in agricultural production and marketing. However, there are limited studies in measuring the economic contribution of dairy cooperatives for member households. Thus, this study was done to examine the economic impact of dairy cooperative membership in Machakel District. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to select the sample households. Data were collected from 266 randomly selected households through an interview schedule. In addition, 4 focus group discussions and 10 key informant interviews were held to collect primary data. An endogenous switching regression model was applied to estimate the treatment effect by controlling selection bias and unobserved factors. The finding indicates, being a member of dairy cooperative increases household income by over 9% milk production by almost 70%, and milk productivity by over 21 percent. The study concluded that dairy cooperatives can be efficient in fostering the economic welfare of farmers with relatively higher income, milk production and milk productivity. Therefore, stakeholders should support dairy cooperatives to make them more attractive and sustainable for farmers
የነውር እሳቤ በሰሜን አቸፈር ማኅበረሰብ የዕደጥበባት ዝግጅትና አጠቃቀም ዐውድ ውስጥ
No full textጥናቱ በዕደጥበባት ዝግጅትና አጠቃቀም ዐውድ ውስጥ የማኅበረሰቡን የነውር እሳቤ መተንተንን አላማው ያደረገ ሲሆን ዓይነታዊ የምርምር ዘዴን የተከተለ ነው። በሰሜን አቸፈር ወረዳ ከሚገኙ ሠላሳ ኹለት ቀበሌዎች መካከል በዓላማተኮር ንሞና ስምንት ቀበሌዎችን በመምረጥ በተሳትፏዊና ተዓቅቧዊ ምልከታ፣ በከፊል ነጻና በነጻ ቃለመጠይቅ እንዲሁም በቡድን ተኮር ውይይት መረጃዎች ተሰብስበዋል። መረጃዎቹ በማኅበራዊ ግንባታና በመዋቅራዊ ጠቀሜታዊነት ንድፈሃሳቦች ተቃኝተው ተተንትነዋል። ከግኝቱም በማኅበረሰቡ የዕደጥበባት ዝግጅትና አጠቃቀም ዐውድ ውስጥ የሚስተዋሉ የነውር እሳቤዎች መነሻቸው የማኅበረሰቡ ልማዳዊ እምነቶች እንደሆኑ ከመረጃዎች ታውቋል። ይኸም ማኅበረሰቡ ነውሮችን በመጠበቁ አገኛለሁ ብሎ ከሚያምነውና በአንጻሩ በመጣሱ ደግሞ ይደርስብኛል ብሎ ከሚያምነው ነገር አንጻር የሚታዩ ናቸው። በዕደጥበባቱ አዘገጃጀትና አጠቃቀም ዐውድ ውስጥ ከክብር ጋር የተያያዙ፣ ከበረከትና ከገድ ጋር የተያያዙ እንዲሁም ከክፉ ዐይን ተጋላጭነት ጋር የተያያዙ የነውር እሳቤዎች እንዳሉ መረጃዎች አመላክተዋል። በተጨማሪም በማኅበረሰቡ እምነት መሠረት ነውሮች ለተጠኚው ማኅበረሰብ ማኅበራዊና ሥነልቦናዊ መረጋጋት የመፍጠርና መዋቅራዊ ሥሪትን የማጽናት ሚና እንዳላቸው ይታመናል። በአንጻሩ ማኅበረሰቡ ነውር ብሎ ያወጃቸውን ክልከላዎች መጣስ ማኅበረ ባህላዊ ቅጣት የሚያስከትል ሲሆን ቅጣቱም ከክብር መውረድ፣ ትችት፣ ለመጥፎ ነገሮች ተላልፎ መሰጠት፣ የትዳር ፍቺና የማዕረግ ወይም የሹመት መነጠቅ የሚያስከትል እንደሆነ ጥናቱ አሳይቷል
Matters of Muslim Menus, Meals and Manners: Foreign Foods and Formation and Alteration of Argobba Alimentation
No full textMuslim Argobba alimentation and culinary customs are anchored by the social aspects of menus, meals and manners, and by the composition of ingredients and preparation and processing methods, and commensality and boundary relationships. They also reflect variation in food preferences and their formation and alteration due to contact with foreign foods coming both from within and outside Argobba escarpment habitats. Muslim Argobba cooking and cuisine thus requires no temporal guidance because grain and legume foods, for example, result from complicated and fragile fermentations, involve delicate preparations and must be made at specific times of the year if they are to succeed. However, the Muslim Argobba do not limit themselves to a formal calendar because they combine climatic and seasonal conditions, and all indigenous knowledge into an annual plan of agricultural tasks. Thus, food products that will keep for longer and shorter periods of time figure significantly and local meal patterns make time for indigenous culinary contexts and also respond to hegemonic pressures pilling from Argobba involvement in trade and wage labour in towns. This article examines the cultural assumptions and social practices through which these food identities are constructed and how in turn they inform the production, distribution, preparation and consumption of foods. It looks at household practices by comparing towns and rural settings because the structure of Argobba household time related to food habits depends above all on the length and combination of the undertakings. It explores how the scale and scope of the current condition of Argobba alimentation is in the process of erosion and alteration due to contact with neighbouring Amhara, Oroomo and Afar foodways, caused by the introduction of foreign foods and seemingly by the reorientation of trade trails and modern markets and marts related to changing commercial currents, and entrepreneurial and wage labour engagements in north-eastern Šäwa and south-eastern Wällo
የምርቃን ስርዓተ ከበራ ኃይል በሰሜን ወሎ ማኅበረሰብ: The Power of the Blessing Ritual Practices in the North Wollo Community
No full textየዚህ ጥናት ዋና ዓላማ የምርቃን ስርዓተ ከበራ የሚያስገኘውን ማኅበረ-ስነልቦናዊ ፋይዳ መመርመር ነው፡፡ ስለሆነም የሰሜን ወሎ ማኅበረሰብን ፍልስፍና፣ አስተሳሰብ እንዲሁም አመለካከት ለመረዳት ላቅ ያለ ሚና ይኖረዋል፡፡ ጥናቱ በባህርይው ከአይነታዊ ምርምር የሚዋገን ነው፡፡ በተለያዩ መስፈርቶች ከተመረጡ የመረጃ አቀባዮች በምልከታ ፣ በቃለ መጠይቅ እንዲሁም በቡድን ውይይት የመረጃ መሰብሰቢያ ዘዴዎች የተሰበሰበውን መረጃ በሀቲታዊ ትንተና ስልት እየተተነተነ እና በክዋኔ ንድፈ ሃሳብ እየተመራ ዘልቋል ፡፡ የጥናቱ ግኝት የምርቃን ስርዓተ ከበራ አመክንዮአዊ አስተሳሰብ ላይ የሚመረኮዝ ሲሆን ትኩረቱም ጤንነትን ፣ ተደማጭነትን ፣ አዱኛን ፣ የልጅ ፍሬን እንዲሁም ረጅም እድሜን የሚመኙበት ስርዓታዊ እሳቤ ነው ፡፡ የምርቃን ቱርፋት ተመራቂው ህይወቱን በአርያነት የመምራት፣ ማኅበራዊ ትስስርን የማጠናከር ፣ ቀና የመሆን እንዲሁም ሰዎችን ለመልካም ተግባር የማሰለፍ ኃይልን የሚያጎናጽፍ መሆኑ ተመላክቷል ፡፡ ከዚህም በተሻጋሪ የማኅበረሰብን ማንነት ፣ ስርዓት ፣ አኗኗር ፣ ልማድ ፣ ወግ ፣ ታሪክ ፣ ስነልቦና ፣ ርዕዮተ ዓለም እንዲሁም የህይወት ፍልስፍና ገላጭ ሆኖ የሚቀርብ መሆኑን ጥናቱ ጠቁሟል ፡፡ ምርቃን በተለያዩ ዐውዶች ላይ የሚከወን ቢሆንም በዋናነት ግን ልጅ ሲወለድ ፣ አዲስ ቤት ተሰርቶ ሲገባ ፣ በግጭት አፈታት ስርዓት ፣ በእርሻ ስራ ፣ በሰርግ ፣ ቡና ሲጠጣ እንዲሁም በቱፋታ ስርዓት ላይ የሚሉት ተጠቃሽ ናቸው፡፡ ምርቃን ከአምላክ እና አላህ ጋር የመገናኛ ድልድይ መሆኑ ተመላክቷል፡፡ እንዲሁም እውነታ ላይ ሲመሰረት በልዕለ ተፈጥሯዊ ኃይል ቅቡል እንደሆነ ይታመናል ፡፡ የምርቃን ስርዓተ ከበራ ማኅበራዊ ፣ ስነ ልቦናዊ ፣ አስተዳደራዊ እንዲሁም አዱኛዊ አበርክቶዎች ያሉት መሆኑን ጥናቱ ጠቁሟል፡፡ ይሁን እንጂ ምርቃን ለልማት እንዲውል በማድረጉ ሂደት ውስጥ ውስንነት ታይቷል፡፡ በመሆኑም የሀገር ሽማግሌዎች፣ መንግስታዊ ያልሆኑ ድርጅቶች እንዲሁም የባህል ተመራማሪዎች ምርቃን ለልማት በሚውልበት ሁናቴ ላይ ትኩረት ቢሰጡ መልካም ነው፡፡
The main purpose of this study is to examine the socio-psychological benefits of the blessing ritual practices in the North Wollo community. The study argues that studying blessing rituals plays a significant role in understanding the philosophy, thinking, and attitudes of a given community. To that end, a qualitative research approach and a descriptive research design were employed. The data were collected from selected informants through observation, interviews, and focus group discussions. The study used performance theory. The results of the study indicated that the ritual practice of blessing is based on logical thinking. Moreover, the ritual practice seeks health, honor, prosperity, and longevity. It is indicated that the product of blessing empowers the graduate to lead a noble life, strengthen social relations, be kind, and inspire people to do good deeds. The study also indicated that the blessing ritual is a reflection of the community’’s identity, lifestyle, customs, traditions, history, psychology, ideology, and philosophy of life. Blessing is performed in various contexts; it is mainly mentioned when a child is born, when a new house is built, in conflict resolution systems, during agricultural work, at weddings, when drinking coffee, and during the Tufata system. It is indicated that the blessing is a bridge of communication with God and Allah. It is also believed to be endowed with supernatural powers when based on reality. Moreover, the study indicated that the blessing ritual has social, psychological, administrative, and economic benefits. However, there have been limitations in the process of using the blessing for development. Therefore, it would be good if elders, non-governmental organizations, and cultural researchers paid attention to the way in which the blessing is used for development
Evolution of Teacher Education in Ethiopia: A Critical Review of the Historical Roots and Contemporary Perspectives
No full textThis Article presents a critical analysis of the evolution of teacher education in Ethiopia, tracing its roots from religious-based education to modern pedagogical frameworks. Historically, teacher education in Ethiopia began within the religious institutions of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church, where instruction was closely tied to spiritual teachings. The transition to modern education was marked by Emperor Menelik II's initiatives and further expanded under Emperor Haile Selassie, who established the first formal teacher training institutions. Over the decades, the system has undergone significant changes. The introduction of secular education, the establishment of formal training programs, and the socialist restructuring during the Derg regime - infused with Marxist-Leninist ideologies - were pivotal moments in Ethiopia's educational evolution. In the early 2000s, the Teacher Education System Overhaul (TESO) represented a ground-breaking shift towards modern approaches, focusing on competency-based training and student-centered learning. Despite these advancements, challenges continue to exist. Resource limitations, disparities in quality across regions, and the struggle to retain skilled teachers - especially in rural areas - highlight persistent issues. The Article also examines the socio-political and economic influences shaping teacher education, including the contributions of international organizations like UNESCO and USAID. By weaving together historical and contemporary perspectives, this Article sheds light on Ethiopia’s progress and persistent challenges in teacher education. The Article recommends policy improvements. It also emphasizes the importance of continuous professional development to ensure the system's long-term success and effectiveness