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The Usage of social media in Creating Land Degradation Awareness in Rombo District, Kilimanjaro Region - Tanzania
Get PDFThe environment is the fundamental for all living things, and land conservation is of greater apprehension for the sustainable economic development. To attain higher level of land conservation there should be greater effort in creating awareness to people on land degradation conservation. The study aimed to find out the usage of social media in creating land degradation awareness. Specifically, the study intended to: find out the causes of land degradation, identify the status on the usage of social media for land degradation awareness, likely determine the type of social media frequently used for land degradation awareness. The field work covered Rombo district in the Kilimanjaro region Tanzania, where five administrative wards were scrutinized, to mention: Tarakea, Motamburu, Olele, Mahida, and Ngoyoni. Data was collected employing household survey and interview and analysed using descriptive and thematic analysis techniques. The results show that the usage of social media that can be used in creating land degradation awareness includes providing education through media for peoples to understand relationship between human activities and land quality, providing user-friendly tools for knowledge sharing, enabling users to create, edit and add online contents, engaging discussions through social media on environmental issues as well as reporting on land degradation. Further, social media can be used to create land degradation awareness to peoples in Rombo district by 59%. It was concluded that, public campaign program to enhance awareness on land degradation should be strengthened through the usage of social media for sustainable land usage
Teachers Involving Parents (TIP): Comparing Tanzanian In-service and Pre-service Teachers' Beliefs on Parental Involvement
Get PDFIn this study, we compared in-service and pre-service teachers’ perceptions of parental involvement. The study involved 106 in-service teachers from 55 primary schools and 509 pre-service teachers from five teacher colleges. Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler’s model of parental involvement and its questionnaire was used to assess pre-service and in-service teacher’s general beliefs about parental involvement, the importance of specific parental involvement activities, teachers’ beliefs about parent’s efficacy for helping a child succeed in school, and teacher beliefs on the importance of parental involvement in promoting girls education. The parametric test (independent sample t-Test) indicated similarities and differences in pre-service and in-service teacher beliefs on parental involvement. Findings showed more significant means for pre-service teachers on general beliefs about parental involvement and teachers’ beliefs on parents’ efficacy in helping a child succeed in school. Results showed more significant means for in-service teachers’ beliefs on the importance of specific involvement practices and equal means for both pre and in-service teachers on teachers’ beliefs on the importance of parent involvement in promoting girls’ education. This study recommends including parental involvement in teacher education curriculum and ongoing professional development to in-service teachers to stimulate effective parents’ involvement in children’s education. Funding information:The authors received funding from the Flemish Interuniversity Council (VLIR-UOS) for a JOINT project “A capacity building teacher training to enhance parental involvement in primary education as a key factor in child literacy” (JOINTTZ2020JOI031A101)
Analysis of Factors Influencing Academic Performance in Primary School National Examination in Tanzania: A Case of Kilosa District
Get PDFThis paper examined the factors influencing academic performance in primary schools in the Kilosa district, Mrogoro region in Tanzania. The study employed a qualitative research approach through a cross-sectional research design. About 106 participants were involved including five (5) head teachers (from five schools), one (1)district education officer, one (1)ward education officer, 30 primary school teachers, and 69 students from the five selected primary schools. Data were collected through interviews and focus group discussions. The collected data were qualitatively analyzed. The study shows that poor academic performance in primary schools in the Kilosa district was first, contributed by a learning environment characterized by the poor quality of school infrastructures, long distance to schools, few desks, and poor teachers' houses. The second was a lack of motivation and the last one was a lack of parental involvement. The findings of this study add to the body of literature on academic performance and learning environment. It also underlines the importance of creating favourable working conditions for both teachers and students that fosters high morale among workers and students. This study also broadens our understanding of the importance of government intervention as part of the strategies for improving teaching and learning environments to improve academic performance
Misspellings of Swahilized English Loan Words Committed in Kiswahili Functional Writing by Form Four Learners in Public Secondary Schools in Nyamira County, Kenya
Get PDFThis study investigated types of misspellings ofSwahilized English loanwords made by form learners in Kiswahili functional writing in public secondary schools in NyamiraCounty, Kenya. This study was guided by Corder’s Error Analysis Theory (1967). A total of 326 participants of equal gender proportion sampled from 8 public secondary schools in Nyamira County were involved in the study. All 326 participants wrote a Kiswahili functional essay that provided data for the study. Descriptive research design was used in carrying out this study.The descriptive statistics (frequencies and percentages) were used in conformity with five stages of erroranalysis asputforward byCorder (1967). The study found that learners committed five categories ofSwahilized Englishloanwords in theirKiswahili functional essays. The misspellings were:preservation (33.3%), addition (30.3 %), substitution (27.1 %) omission (6.2%)and split (3.1%). The study recommends the following: a) special attention be paid to the teaching of preservation, deletion, insertion and substitutionmisspellingsas they relate to therephonologization of English loanwords adapted into Kiswahili b) teachers of Kiswahili language need toemploy instructional methods and media which enrich learners’ understanding of the process of adapting English loanwords into Kiswahili c)pronunciation and spelling of loanwords be taught concurrently for they are symbiotic and reinforce each other d) an English –Kiswahili borrowings adaptation model be designed by Kiswahili and English phonologists,semanticists and teachers of Kiswahili to enhance learners’ understanding of how the process is carried out in relation to the three phonological processes; deletion ,insertion and substitution
Relationship between Banks’ Perception on Bank of Tanzania Regulatory Reviews and Financial Performance: Evidence from selected Commercial Banks in Tanzania
Get PDFThe Central Bank of Tanzania has undergone various bank regulations reviews at different periods of time such as the one undertaken in 1998, 2008 and 2014. This study, therefore, intended to assess the relationship between banks perception on regulatory requirements reviews decisions and the bank performance. The study employed a cross-sectional design with the target population of 36 commercial banks. A sample of 120 respondents were selected from 24 commercial banks obtained in Dar es Salaam City. Primary data were collected from bank managers while secondary data were collected from audited annual financial statements. Descriptive statistics and correlation analysis were used for data analysis. Findings from the study showed that most banks had high perception regarding new regulations. However, the study noted low perception on the number of quarterly publication days, and on liquidity and cash reserve ratios requirements which seemed to be difficult for most banks to afford. Correlation analysis results showed that the relationship between banks perception on the new regulatory requirements and the financial performance was positive and significant with a high degree of correlation. The study concludes that most banks highly supported the reviews made by the BoT on capital adequacy and information reporting and disclosure requirements. The study recommends that commercial banks need to implement the new capital adequacy requirements and information reporting and disclosure requirements with special attention in order to make banks more profitable. Moreover, the regulator of banks needs to think on reviewing publication days and liquidity requirements
Role of Servant Leadership Conglomerate Conflict Behaviour on Team Performance, Conflict Resolution Efficacy, and Turnover Intentionin Tanzania’s Higher Learning Institutions
Get PDFThis paper explores the intricate relationship between servant leadership, conflict management behaviour, and organizational outcomes in the context of Tanzania's higher learning institutions. Through a longitudinal study involving 800 respondents from four public universities, the research investigates the interplay between servant leadership and conflict management styles, specifically focusing on integrating and compromising behaviors. The study employed a comprehensive methodology, utilizing questionnaires distributed over two waves with a one-year time lag. The findings revealed a positive correlation between servant leadership and integrating conflict management styles, specifically avoiding and accommodating. However, the anticipated correlation between integrating and compromising conflict behaviours in servant leadership is not confirmed. The study further examined the prevalence of cooperative conflict management patterns among Tanzanian university leaders, highlighting a combination of problem-solving and compromising strategies. A significant aspect of the research involved cluster analysis, which revealed distinct conflict behaviour patterns in Tanzanian universities. The result showed a preference for compromising and low-integrating (co-operative) patterns, as well as high-integrating and low-compromising (competitive) patterns. Notably, these patterns were not mutually exclusive, indicating a nuanced approach to conflict management. In the second part of the study, the paper delved into the impact of servant leadership's cooperative behaviour on team performance, conflict resolution efficacy, and turnover intention. The results affirmed the positive relationship between integrating and compromising conflict management styles and team performance while forcing behaviour showed a negative correlation. Moreover, the study identified a negative relationship between accommodating and forcing conflict management styles and turnover intention. The paper concluded that servant leaders in Tanzanian universities adeptly combined different conflict management styles, mitigating the adverse effects of conflicts on team performance and turnover intention. Even though avoiding and accommodating conflict behaviours were used together, problem-solving and compromising strategies were used a lot. This showed that servant leadership was used in a more complex way in Tanzanian higher education. The study contributed valuable insights into the dynamics of servant leadership, conflict management, and organizational outcomes, emphasizing the need for a contextual understanding of leadership behaviours and their cultural implications
The capability of Artificial Neural Networks as a Model for Predicting Total Electron Content (TEC): A Review
Get PDFThe results of investigations from a complete analysis of ANN application on Total Electron Content (TEC) prediction are presented in this paper. TEC is important in defining the ionosphere and has many everyday applications, for example, satellite navigation, time delay and range error corrections for single frequency Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite signal receivers. The total electron content (TEC) in the ionosphere has been measured using GPS. GPS are not installed in every point on the earth to make global TEC measurements possible. As a result, it is crucial to have certain models that can aid to get data from places where there is not any in order to comprehend the global behavior of TEC. Neural Network (NN) models have been shown to accurately anticipate data patterns, including TEC. The capacity of neural networks to represent both linear and nonlinear relationships directly from the data being modeled is what makes them so powerful. The survey from literature reveals that, Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm is preferred and used mostly because of its speed and efficiency during learning process, and that ANN showed a good prediction of TEC compared to the IRI model. As a result, NNs are suitable for forecasting GPS TEC values at various locations if the model's input parameters are well specified
Clusters of Agrocredit Suppliers in Tanzania and their Associated Transaction Costs: A Scholarly Personal Narrative
Get PDFThis paper blends the Scholarly Personal Narrative (SPN) with desk reviews of selected literature on the key concepts and their applications in understanding the key features of agrocredit supply in rural areas. The findings of this exploratory study indicate that the informality of agrocredit supply is associated with low transaction cost, low levels of credit and low levels of repayment rates. It is also noted that the formalised and regulated suppliers are more associated with higher levels of transaction cost with relatively higher levels of repayment. Transaction costs related to searching for potential borrowers, negotiation and enforcement are higher for most regulated suppliers because they involve third parties. Where the transaction involves small volumes of agrocredit, the transaction cost increases due to supplier’s compliance to legal formalisation and licensing. In-kind agrocredit supply models are recommended to be the most plausible models for resource poor smallholder farmers due to the fact that in-kind credit is not agile and that it can be used on intended cause. It is also recommended that in order to reduce transaction cost, agrocredit suppliers of in-kind agrocredit should deal with the farmer groups or primary cooperatives which act on behalf of member farmers
Internal Audit Attributes on the Performance of Projects in Local Government Authorities in Tanzania
Get PDFThis study examined the attributes of internal audit on the performance of the projects in Local Government Authorities in Tanzania, in the way projects are operated and managed, based on the prevailed internal control systems. The role of an internal audit is to ensure the entity provides independent assurance towards risk management, governance and internal controls of the entity. In Tanzania, the Performance of projects are inadequate regardless of massive investments done by the Government. Internal control systems are not strong enough to ensure the performance of projects is compounded at paramount. Hence internal control systems should be addressed to cater the inadequate performance of projects in Local Government. Through examination of the attributes of internal audit work and the performance of projects in Local Government authorities in Tanzania, the study revealed that internal audit had positive influence on the performance of projects. This implied that a unit change in internal audit will increase project performance by the rate of 0.168. Therefore, the study showed that there is a significant direct relationship of internal audit and the performance of the projects in Local Government Authorities. Quantitative data, Likert scale, and multiple linear regression model was used under the study. Likert scales from questionnaires were used whereby data was analyzed by using SPSS V.26 software. These software packages have features that accommodate variables under the study and they are user–friendly. The study concluded that a great use of value-added strategies (rather than consecutive strategies) in audit results to greater performance of the projects implemented into various Local Government Authorities in Tanzania.