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Improving the practices of teacher educators through collaborative action research: challenges and hopes
By Yosief, Amanuel
This study focuses on three essential concepts–collaboration, action, and research. It was initiated by three former teacher educators (TEs) at Asmara Community College of Education (ACCE), Eritrea (now defunct), and data was drawn from their written accounts and rigorous reflective discussions. It illuminates the lines of development while attempting to improve practices, the tensions this created among individuals, collective agencies, and institutional transformations. It reveals realities about the perpetual and unpredictable challenges the TEs encountered and the outcome of the actions they attempted to execute. Along the way, they uncovered evidence on why and how they could enrich their professional values when they come together and collaborate in exploring the essence of their practices. The findings reveal that TEs who systematize their practices through collaborative action research (CAR) can significantly develop their professional effectiveness. They have established that TEs should collaborate, act, and engage in research to develop enduring professional identities which can adapt to changing educational situations. © 2022 Educational Action Research.
Youth-led participatory action research (YPAR) in Ethiopia: a promising practice to examine systemic economic injustices
By Hailu, Meseret F.
Youth unemployment in Ethiopia is a widespread problem that threatens the country’s economic and political stability. This quantitative article, driven by the active participation of the youth, aims to provide insight into the national context of youth unemployability in Ethiopia. Methodologically, we conducted a quantitative analysis of secondary data collected as part of a national youth-focused project in Ethiopia between 2021 and 2023 using a participatory action research (YPAR) framework. YPAR serves as the theoretical foundation that undergirds this analysis. Regarding the demographic characteristics of the participants, 3,215 youth were surveyed about their employment experiences. The data reported in this article comes from 545 survey respondents who were higher education students enrolled in 10 universities and six colleges across Ethiopia. Among the respondents, 52.1% were women and 47.9% were men. The respondents were aged between 18 and 29, with 13.5% falling into the 18–19, 58.5% in the 20–24, and 28% in the 25–29 age brackets. We conducted a descriptive analysis: all non-Likert categorical variables and demographic questions were evaluated using frequency and percentage computations, while means, medians, and standard deviations were generated for the Likert-scaled questions to provide insight into the participants’ responses. The findings from this analysis can help education researchers and practitioners understand that a major stakeholder group is missing from policy development conversations in Ethiopia: students. We conclude by discussing how YPAR, emphasizing youth participation, can be helpful for future research and policy development about employment for Ethiopian university graduates. © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
Journalism educators’ evaluations of conflict reporting and the imperatives for peace journalism in Nigeria
By Ciboh, Rodney
This study examines current methods of reporting conflict in Nigeria from three perspectives: (i) how journalism academics regard current methods; (ii) what best reporting methods they recommend; and (iii) what kind of training they think is suitable for journalists who report conflicts. Participatory Action Research (PAR) was used as methodology and focus group discussion was conducted in three phases: evaluation, proposition and education. Answers suggest that current methods of reporting conflict are irresponsible and capable of discouraging nonviolent reactions to conflicts, that many journalists are prejudiced by ethnicity, religion and party politics that skew their reporting and that Nigeria needs peace journalism to obviate obstacles to peace. The study recommends mainstreaming conflict-sensitive reporting and peace journalism into the curricula of journalism education and training to improve the reporting of conflicts and terrorism. The authors believe that synergized policy between media and universities can profit from the values that conflict analysis and peace journalism offer. © The Author(s) 2024.
Theory, policy, and practice: bridging the gap between teacher training and classroom practice in language of instruction in Zambia
By Mandyata J.
This participatory action research project conducted through the USAID-funded Transforming Teacher Education activity examined how two pre-service teacher education programs in Zambia prepared teachers for primary reading instruction. College and university lecturers and in-service primary grade teachers participated in focus groups and interviews. We identified gaps between training and practice within the framework of Zambia’s language of instruction policy. We find that pre-service teacher preparation was generally theoretical and not practical. Opportunities for practice were limited, leading to teachers lacking required competencies and using outdated approaches in schools. We suggest strategies to improve the alignment of pre-service teacher education and classroom instruction. © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
Umuzigo w’inyongera: girls’ differential experiences of the double-burden of language and gender in Rwandan English medium secondary education
By Aline Dorimana
This paper argues that learning in an unfamiliar language of learning and teaching (LoLT) negatively impacts Rwandan girls in the early years of lower secondary education. Based on classroom observation and interviews with case-study girls in four Rwandan secondary schools, we show that where girls’ life circumstances differ, so too does the way in which the use of an unfamiliar LoLT affects them. Through the development of five typologies, we explore the ways that when girls face inequalities at the levels of time, space, material and emotional support they have for learning, the requirement that education be conducted and assessed in an unfamiliar language works to compound these inequalities. Our conclusions advocate for greater attention to be paid to the language of learning and teaching in global and national girls’ education policies to alleviate the ‘double burden’ that many girls carry. © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
Efficacy of indigenous games on literacy and numeracy development in pre-schoolers in Zambia
By Mwinsa, Grant M.
Background: The most effective indigenous games well known to pre-schoolers must be used in schools, given the significance of literacy and numeracy abilities in children’s future educational prospects and successes. Aim: The goal of this article was to determine the efficacy of indigenous games in promoting literacy and numeracy skills among preschool children. Setting: Ten teachers were selected from the four rural selected schools in Zambia with Early Child Education (ECE) centres. Methods: The article used a participatory action research design with a purposive sampling technique. The researchers used interviews and participatory observations to collect data. Results: The study found that indigenous games, when used effectively, can have the potential to promote the child’s literacy and numeracy skills, even though some teachers found them challenging to execute. The study adopted a thematic analysis approach to analyse a set of data and search for patterns in its interpretation to identify themes. Conclusion: The study has shown that indigenous games have many benefits for pre-schoolers’ learning. The study recommends that teachers should attend intensive continuing professional development (CPD) workshops and seminars to gain the knowledge and abilities necessary to effectively and suitably teach ECE learners pertinent skills through traditional games. Parents should be involved in teaching traditional games. Besides, the curricula of universities and colleges of education should include instructions in indigenous games for teacher preparation. Contribution: Research on the use of indigenous games in promoting the acquisition of literacy and numeracy skills in Zambia is limited, hence this enquiry. © 2024. The Authors.
Decolonizing democratic aims of education in Botswana: Kagisano and outcome-based education
By Thenjiwe Major
Botswana’s history is one of an unwavering exercise of self-determination and quest for self-rule. Post-independence, self-government prioritized an overarching philosophy of Kagisano or social harmony within which the aims of education were framed, in conjunction with a political commitment to Botho through democracy. For economic and social reasons the current educational policy of Botswana is driven by outcome-based education (OBE), with its metrics of quantifiable outcomes. This article argues that Olúfemi Táíwò’s analysis of decolonization provides a philosophical lens through which to interpret Botswana’s current educational pathway within the prevailing decolonization discourse. OBE clearly exhibits features of neocolonialism, as it pertains to the national value principles. We draw on Ndlovu-Gatsheni’s decolonial epistemic perspective to frame the discussions. Insofar as OBE can be integrated with Botswana’s ethnically inclusive, community-based view of democracy and associated virtues, this is a worthy goal for education, and it could lead to a particular form of indigenized democracy. Substantive distinctions among the concepts of decolonization, neocolonialism, and decoloniality underwrite this thesis. We see the project of envisaging a future of education in Botswana as having to do with disentangling colonialist–imperialist cultural reproduction from indigenous aspirations. © The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Philosophy of Education Society of Great Britain. All rights reserved.
Can Conversational Thinking serve as a suitable pedagogical approach for philosophy education in African schools?
By Jonathan O Chimakonam
This article investigates whether Conversational Thinking can suitably serve as a pedagogical approach for philosophy education in African schools (primary and secondary levels). We argue that there is a need to introduce and teach philosophy in schools in Africa. Additionally, we argue that it would be apropos to adopt a decolonial approach in developing such curricula, which, amongst others, could accommodate African approaches to philosophy. We contend that African homegrown frameworks, such as Conversational Thinking, can serve as appropriate decolonial strategies for philosophy education in parts of Africa. Our reason is that the proposed approach can train the emerging young generations in Africa, not only to be critical, creative, and innovative, but also to view reality from African epistemic perspectives. This stems from the fact that Conversational Thinking is one strategy amongst others that can promote African culture-inspired approaches to knowledge that combine with basic thinking skills to offer truly African forms of epistemic liberation. © The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Philosophy of Education Society of Great Britain. All rights reserved.
Assessing University-Society Engagements: Towards a Methodological Framework
By Denis Thaddeus Ofoyuru
Higher education institutions pursue three distinct yet interrelated missions of education, knowledge production, and community engagement. Until the last decades of the twentieth century, the third mission, also known as community engagement, has received little attention. Although the third mission generally aims to contribute to the socio-cultural and economic transformations of society, its distinct characteristics are still under-theorized. None of the existing methodological and conceptual frameworks provides a holistic analysis of significant engagement indicators that transcend specific application contexts. Collecting data on university engagement with society and making meaningful interpretations is thus a challenge to researchers and practitioners. To contribute to filling this gap, this modified Delphi study proposes a comprehensive methodological framework of university-society engagements in Africa. The core thesis is that engagement is ubiquitous- university missions and support systems embody it. The framework thus constitutes eight engagement domains aligned with university core functions (teaching, knowledge production, and societal service) and support systems (governance, digitalization, internationalization, partnerships, and sustainability), with 52 items, rating scales, and descriptors. The framework contributes to conceptual and methodological clarity, informs data collection, and interpretations of the different modalities of university engagements. The alignment of engagement domains to university activities and the simplified articulations of the indicators ensure straightforward interpretations and applications of the framework by practitioners and researchers. It is also significant as it comes at a time when universities are expected to contribute more directly and significantly to the realizations of the UN 2030 SDGs and the African Union 2063 centennial development ambitions. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V. 2023.
Attitude of teachers toward the adoption of learning management systems in secondary schools in delta state
By James Urien
The purpose of this study is to investigate the attitudes of teachers toward the adoption of learning management systems (LMS) in secondary schools in Delta State. A descriptive survey research design was employed, and a total of three research questions were answered and one hypothesis was tested. The study initially recruited 384 teachers, evenly distributed between genders, but a final total of 361 participants completed the study. Data collection involved the use of a validated questionnaire, with a reliability index of 0.83. The data was analyzed using the mean, standard deviation and an independent samples t-test, with a significance level set at 0.05. The findings of the study revealed that teachers' attitudes toward LMS adoption in secondary schools in Delta State are generally positive, and there was no statistically significant difference in the attitudes toward LMS adoption between male and female teachers. Based on these results, it is recommended that educational institutions in Delta State continue to invest in the integration of learning management systems in their teaching and learning processes. © 2024 Conscientia Beam. All Rights Reserved.
Towards Enhancement of the Student Teacher Internship Programme in Rwandan Teacher Training Colleges: A Case of Selected Teacher Training Colleges
By Eugenia Takavarasha
The study aimed to critically examine the pre-service teacher internship model in Rwanda Teacher Training Colleges (TTCs) to establish whether the components of demonstration school practice, school attachment, and final lesson were effectively aligned to the Competence Based Curriculum (CBC) for the production of the 21st-century competent teacher. The study sought to bring to the fore the three Rwandan TTC internship components‘field empirical data and highlight the gaps that may affect the quality of the teacher product in line with the CBC requirements. The research is guided by the Theory of Change (ToC) using a qualitative research method, specifically a case study of four teacher training colleges in Rwanda. A qualitative data-gathering approach was adopted using participatory research, open-ended questionnaires, document analysis, and in-depth interviews. A total of fifty participants were purposefully selected. The participants included thirty year-three student teachers, eight school-based mentors, and twelve TTC tutors. The research revealed that the current TTC internship programme suffers from a lack of coherence and coordination, as well as discrepancies in timing and duration, which have had a detrimental effect on the achievement of quality education. The study concludes that if the existing gaps are left unchecked, they may impede the effective acquisition of the 21st-century skills required for the achievement of the CBC and quality education. The study recommends the adoption of a realigned TTC model to scale up the development of knowledge, skills, competencies, and attitudes required by CBC and the effective achievement of quality education. © 2024 Adonis and Abbey Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
Impact of Institutional Quality on the Quality of Life in Africa: An Economic Approach
By Martins Iyoboyi
This study examines the impact that institutional quality exerts on the quality of life. Using the 2-step system Generalized Method of Moments technique on panel data covering 2006 through 2018 on 47 African countries, the empirical results indicate that institutional quality, proxied by Political Stability and Absence of Violence, Voice and Accountability, and Control of Corruption have a positive impact on the quality of life. While real income, CO2 emissions, internet, education and globalization were found to exert a statistically significant positive impact, government health expenditure, unemployment, urbanization and unemployment negatively affected the quality of life within the period under study. The paper recommends an improvement in the institutional environment. © The International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies (ISQOLS) and Springer Nature B.V. 2023.
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