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Overview of Ethiopian Public Higher Education: Trends, System, Challenges, and Quality Issues
By Getachew Tassew Woreta
Education is a pillar of the socio-economic development of a nation. Higher education (HE) is an engine for national development through producing the required skilled manpower, technology, innovations, research, and training services. The purpose of this study is to highlight the functioning, challenges, and emerging initiatives in public universities in Ethiopia. It employs a narrative review method for the synthesis of the findings. A total of 2004 published articles were searched using Boolean syntax from Scopus, ProQuest, ScienceDirect, and Web of Sciences databases, and 40 articles were maintained for analysis. Thus, the Ministry of Education (MoE) oversees the overall system of higher education. Public universities have shown relatively rapid expansion in the last three decades compared to the 1950s, followed by an increase in gross enrollment rate (GER). However, concerns were raised about the sustainability of these changes due to low investment in the educational sector. Various reforms have been introduced into the higher education system like differentiation, curriculum changes, national comprehensive exit exams for undergraduates, and admission tests for postgraduate programs. The higher education system is struggling with persistent challenges such as quality concerns, inadequate educational inputs, rigid structure, poor working environments, unemployment, and professional skill gaps. Due emphasis should be given to strengthening leadership, supplying adequate educational resources, sustainable financing, staff development, improving service delivery, and quality education.
Approaches to Learning in Elementary Classrooms: Contribution of Mastery Motivation and Executive Functions on Academic Achievement
By Stephen Amukune
This study examines the possible roles of mastery motivation and executive functions on academic achievement. Grade one children were selected using stratified random sampling. Teachers completed school versions of the Dimensions of Mastery Questionnaire (DMQ 18) and the Childhood Executive Functioning Inventory (CHEXI) to assess mastery motivation and executive functions, respectively. Standardized tests were used to assess academic achievement in Math, English and Kiswahili. The results indicated that mastery motivation, specifically cognitive persistence and mastery pleasure sub-scales, influence academic achievement directly and indirectly through executive functions. Furthermore, significant differences were found ranging from moderate to large effect sizes between those learners with high mastery motivation and low executive function difficulties and those with low mastery motivation and high executive function difficulties in academic achievement. Focusing on subject-specific curricular intervention alone is insufficient to enhance academic achievement and school success. Since mastery motivation and executive functions are malleable throughout life, intervention strategies to enhance them can improve approaches to learning, academic achievement and life success. © 2023 Eskisehir Osmangazi University. All rights reserved.
Comparing Kenya and Hungary preschool to school transitions within the theoretical perspectives of transition
By Stephen Amukune
Despite progress in enrolment in most countries, preschoolers still face challenges before joining grade one prompting a critical understanding of child experiences during the preschool-to-school transition. This paper compares preschool-to-school transition characteristics in Kenya and Hungary based on six recurrent concepts in the theories of preschool-to-school transition: relationships, pedagogy, readiness, transition activities, power, and policy proposed by Boyle and colleagues in 2018. We followed narrative research to review the literature published in Google Scholar, ERIC, APA Info, Scopus, Science Direct, and Web of Science Databases from 2000 to 2022 based on the six themes. Despite the heavy emphasis on reducing the risk, the children undergo during the transition to school, there is more focus on the child than other stakeholders in preschool to school transition; family, peers, and community. Further, there is more discontinuity regarding relationships, pedagogy, readiness, and transition activities in Kenya than in Hungary. Therefore, children in Kenya, face more risks than in Hungary during the transition to school.
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