UNAM Open Access Journal University of Namibia
Not a member yet
612 research outputs found
Sort by
The use of teaching aids in environmental studies teaching and learning process: A case study of a selected school in Oshana Region
Get PDFThe purpose of this study was to explore the junior primary teachers’ use of teaching aids in the Environmental Studies teaching and learning process. The study used a case study design within the qualitative research approach. The sample comprised of five (5) junior primary teachers who were purposively selected. Observation and individual interview methods were employed to collect data. Data were analysed by the using thematic approach. The study results revealed financial constraints, lack of knowledge in designing aids, lack of time for making teaching aids for each lesson, limited space in the classroom and inadequate storerooms as hindrance to effective use of teaching aids. The study provided crucial information on the use teaching aids in the Environmental Studies teaching and learning process and recommends that teachers be trained on learning material development. The Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture should also provide adequate teaching resource materials and facilities to schools for junior primary teachers to effectively teach and impart knowledge and skills in learners at this crucial phase
Evaluation of Musca domestica (House fly) larvae production from organic waste
Get PDFThe objective of the study was to investigate the effect of organic waste (pig manure and chicken layer droppings) on the production of house fly larvae (HFL) and its nutritive value. A completely randomised design was used, with three treatments (pig manure, chicken layer dropping and equal combination of the pig and chicken excreta) replicated six times. The data for biomass reduction, larvae wet and dry weight, moisture, ash, crude fibre, crude protein, fat, calcium and phosphorus were analysed using analysis of variance. While the least square means were generated using the Tukey's honestly significant difference. Pig manure produced the highest yield of HFL significantly (P < 0.05), as indicated by both wet (3.61 g) and dry (0.63 g) larvae weight. Introduction of HFL reduced organic waste by 39–42%. Furthermore, results indicated HFL to contain high protein 50-53%, considerable levels of Ca (1.32–1.465%) and P (1.72–2.09%) on as is basis. It can be concluded that pig manure and chicken layer droppings are suitable substrates for the production of HFL, which contain a suitable nutritional value for use as a protein source in animal diets. The study recommends further studies on HFL production on a larger scale for inclusion in animal diets
Instructional leadership
Get PDFInstructional leadership is one of the transformational leadership theories which focus on the task-person tension and dominates the world of organizations into the twentieth and twenty first centuries. The notion of instructional leadership emerged in the early 1980's. This was due to the fact that the public wanted change in education and to close the gap in the achievement between students who traditionally do well in schools and those who do not. Instructional leadership is also one of the most useful tools in creating a forward-looking environment. Various research studies show that instructional leadership has been criticized because it focused on curriculum and instructions from principals; as a result a principal is a center of power and authority. Instructional leadership model also focuses on the direction of influence which is increasingly concerned with teaching and learning
Teachers understanding of the use of everyday contexts in the teaching of Mathematics at three selected urban junior secondary schools in Windhoek, Namibia
Get PDFThe primary aim of this study was to gain insight into how effectively BETD teachers used everyday contexts to facilitate a meaningful understanding of the Mathematics content by the learners. The study used a qualitative research approach conceptualized within a constructivist framework. Nine Mathematics teachers from three junior secondary schools were purposively selected for the study. The data were collected using questionnaires, and interviews with the teachers. The results revealed varying levels of integration and effectiveness of everyday contexts used by the teachers to facilitate meaningful conceptual understanding of mathematics by the learners. The findings suggested that preference of procedural mathematical skills over conceptual understanding impeded the effective integration of contextual teaching. The teachers also regarded the use of everyday contexts as time consuming. From this study, it can be concluded that the teachers had a clear understanding of the essence of contextual teaching of Mathematics and its advantages. Nonetheless, several factors seemed to affect their use of everyday contexts in the teaching of Mathematics. There is a need to change the perceptions of the Mathematics teachers toward the use of everyday contexts as a waste of time if teachers are to use everyday experiences in their Mathematics classrooms
Lecturers experiences, challenges and prospects on continuing professional development
Get PDFThis study was undertaken at the School of Education, University of Zambia, to establish factors that influence lecturers to engage in Continuing Professional Development (CPD) as well as factors inhibiting their participation in CPD. To establish these factors, open-ended questionnaires were used in conducting the study by means of a descriptive survey. Data were analysed qualitatively using emerging themes from the respondents’ answers and descriptive statistics were also utilised. The findings show that University lecturers are motivated to engage in CPD to update their current qualifications and as a way of showing professional competence. Among factors inhibiting lecturers from taking up CPD was lack of funds, to engage in some CPD activities and time constraints
Three Poems
Get PDFI decided to use Silozi language in writing my poetry firstly to promote it countrywide and possibly to take it to another level whenever possible. It is a language that I can easily and best express all my deep thoughts and emotions on the topics that I have chosen to explain everything clearly. Also I was driven to write in Silozi due to limited writings in this language from our local writers. My main purpose is to communicate easily with general readers, but also with learners in schools, who are doing this language as a subject. I believe that, through this process such learners will have a better understanding of life and different issues that they may encounter on their way up to tertiary and university levels of learning
A discourse analysis of the second Aristotelian canon, arrangement, in the selected speeches of Bishop Dumeni
Get PDFThis study investigates arrangement in the speeches of Bishop Kleopas Dumeni. The paper hinges on an Aristotelian theory of rhetoric. Aristotle divides arrangement into the following components, exordium (introduction), narratio (statement of facts), partitio (division), confirmatio (proof), refutatio (refutation) and peroratio (conclusion). These components of arrangement were used to evaluate arrangement in the speech of Bishop Kleopas Dumeni. Bishop Dumeniconducted various speeches calling for the independence of Namibia from 1979 to 1988. However, the speeches of Bishop Dumeni were not subjected to analysis to reveal how his speeches were organised to woo the audience to his side to support him in his decolonising efforts. Content analysis was used to dissect the speeches of Bishop Dumeni to identify the elements of arrangement in these speeches. The study reveals that Bishop Dumeni effectively used the elements of arrangement as expounded in Aristolean theory
Passive constructions in Setswana: Argument structure alternations from Lexical Mapping Theory perspective
Get PDFThe paper analyses passive constructions in Setswana from morpho-syntactic view point, showing that the suffixation of a passive morpheme to the verb reduces the argument structure of the verb. Previous studies carried out in Setswana verbal suffixes have confined their investigations to these morphemes as elements of morphology but have failed to observe that these affixes overlap into syntax. Chebanne (1996) observes that in Setswana, verbal extensions can combine with a single verbal base but fail to observe the overlap into syntax. Further, the studies do not give any insight in the features that Setswana shares with other Bantu languages. The passive construction in Setswana, like in other Bantu languages, is a bit complex in the sense that the verbal extension –iw brings into effect the dropping of the subject, and the object becomes the grammatical subject, thus rendering the transitive verb, such as, apaya ‘cook’ intransitive. Conversely, other derivational suffixes, such as applicative and causative, increase the verb’s arguments by two. For instance, the suffixation of the verbal suffix –el suggests an entity carrying out the action and somebody benefiting. The paper also compares passive with other verbal extensions such as neuter, applicative, causatives and reciprocals. It shows that while the passive occurs with most verbs and other verbal extensions, such as, applicative or causative suffixes, the neuter is rigid in occurring with other verbal extensions. The paper also appeals to Lexical Mapping Theory, whose role is to constrain mapping relations between thematic roles, such as an agent or patient and the corresponding grammatical functions, such as the subject, patient and oblique that have been subcategorized for by predicate
Uushiindaism as a collective poverty alleviation mechanism and social support
Get PDFThere are attempts to break the cycle of poverty among indigent people in communities globally and in Namibia in particular. In Africa, attempts are made to devise various strategies and develop tools to alleviate poverty. There is, thus a need to implement poverty alleviation tools based on the indigenous knowledge system. By employing and promoting the existing tools among the indigenous people, poverty is likely to be alleviated. This paper presents uushiindaism as one of the existing indigenous tools that can be used to lessen poverty among the poor and marginalized people. Using the collectivism theory which advocates for communal, societal, or national interests in various types of political, economic, and educational systems, the study investigates the concept of uushiindaism as practiced by Aawambo. Data was collected through semistructured interviews. The narrative approach is used in the paper to unravel the role, significance and relevance of uushiindaism and to highlight threats to uushiindaism. It is revealed, in this paper, that poverty may be alleviated through sharing of resources, coupled with work related programs and not through the creation of dependency syndrome
Sexism in Haya Language Personal Names Selection
Get PDFThis paper examines sexism in naming focussing on the meaning of Haya personal names used in Haya community of North Western Tanzania. It is based on the assumption that some conscious personal names are selected in favour of men. This disparity is well examined by using the Critical Discourse Analysis approach. The paper presents field data from Bukoba Rural district in Kagera Region. The results reveal that meanings of male names were associated with high worthwhile the meanings of female names were associated with low worth. This was justified by the point that Haya male names referred to male as a saviour and helper of the family and society, a strong person, a fighter, a winner, rich and famous person while female names were connected with love, attraction, comfort, soothes and parents disappointment for having a baby girl. The study found that names of female children indicate an important argument that parents considerfemale child as a burden and liability. Generally, it was observed that selection of some Haya personal names was done in discriminatory manner that need an urgent emphasis on the value of names of girls in families and society in general