scholarly journals Challenges of Teaching Literature-in-English in Secondary Schools in Borno and Yobe, Nigeria

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (12) ◽  
pp. 233-244
Author(s):  
Muhammad Dahiru

This paper investigates challenges of teaching Literature-in-English in secondary schools within Yobe and Borno states in north-eastern Nigeria, and the impact this has on university admission requirements. A core requisite for admissions into B.A English and LL.B. in all Nigerian universities is an O’ level credit pass in SSCE or its equivalent in Literature-in-English. This poses a major challenge to many candidates from Yobe and Borno States due to either the non-teaching or the inability of the students to pass with the required credit in the end of secondary school examinations. Adopting a mixed-method approach, the paper investigates reasons that bring about these problems within the period 2009 – 2019. Quantitative and qualitative approaches, through questionnaires and interviews, and Consensus Workshop, through Focus Group Discussion (FGD), were adopted to gather the data. The paper finds and concludes that socio-cultural factors, unavailability of effective and specialist teachers and gender issues were the major reasons for the non-teaching of the subject and the failure of students in public secondary schools to pass with credit in the two states. The paper recommends amenable measures to be taken to address these problems and challenges.

Author(s):  
Mohamed G. Ahmed

This study aimed to identify the reality of applying administrative entrepreneurship in public secondary schools in Egypt and its constraints from the view point of the administrators and teachers. It aimed also to identify the impact of these variables: job, experience and gender. To identify the problem, the study utilized the descriptive design. Sample of the study were 227 participants, of which 52 administrators and 175 teachers in the school year of 2013/2014. Questionnaire was utilized for the sample including 2 variables and 4 dimensions including 61 items. Reliability and validity were verified. Results showed that responses of the sample were medium. There were statistically significant mean differences between the responses in all of the dimensions related to job. There were statistically significant mean differences due to gender in creativity dimension only; and due to experience in creativity and risk taking. The main challenges in entrepreneurship application were financial and nonfinancial shortage and pressure. The study recommended enhancing work environment for entrepreneurship and fostering its culture.  


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 70
Author(s):  
Ronald Adamtey ◽  
John Victor Mensah ◽  
Gifty Obeng

Over the past three decades, various countries and stakeholders have aimed at having cities that can better handle natural and human-made disasters, protect human life, absorb the impact of economic, environmental and social hazards and promote well-being, inclusive and sustainable growth. This paper investigates how informal ties result in in-filling and the creation of slums in the context of efforts to make cities resilient in Ghana using the Accra Metropolis as case study. The United Nations Habitat classification of slums was used to purposively select two slum settlements in Accra for the study. The study used mixed methods of quantitative and qualitative approaches to collect data from April 2018 to August 2018. Quantitative data was collected from 400 slum dwellers while qualitative data was collected from eight focus group discussion sessions and in-depth interviews with at least one senior official from related institutions such as Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD), Ministry of Water Resources (MWR), Ministry of Works and Housing (MWH), Ministry of Inner City and Zongo Development (MICZD), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Ghana Police Service, and Ghana National Fire Service. Descriptive techniques were used for the analysis. The findings are that informal ties contribute to in-filling in slums. Slum dwellers do not plan to return home, they are not involved in land use decision making and the slums have opportunities and challenges to the slum dwellers and AMA. The AMA should avoid forced eviction of slums and rather enforce development control bye-laws, implement slum upgrading programs, and involve slum dwellers in upgrading programs. Slum dwellers must cooperate with AMA to make Accra resilient. The mainstreaming of the issue of slums in all urban development agendas needs to be given the needed political and policy attention by central government and all stakeholders.


2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 2097-2108
Author(s):  
Robyn L. Croft ◽  
Courtney T. Byrd

Purpose The purpose of this study was to identify levels of self-compassion in adults who do and do not stutter and to determine whether self-compassion predicts the impact of stuttering on quality of life in adults who stutter. Method Participants included 140 adults who do and do not stutter matched for age and gender. All participants completed the Self-Compassion Scale. Adults who stutter also completed the Overall Assessment of the Speaker's Experience of Stuttering. Data were analyzed for self-compassion differences between and within adults who do and do not stutter and to predict self-compassion on quality of life in adults who stutter. Results Adults who do and do not stutter exhibited no significant differences in total self-compassion, regardless of participant gender. A simple linear regression of the total self-compassion score and total Overall Assessment of the Speaker's Experience of Stuttering score showed a significant, negative linear relationship of self-compassion predicting the impact of stuttering on quality of life. Conclusions Data suggest that higher levels of self-kindness, mindfulness, and social connectedness (i.e., self-compassion) are related to reduced negative reactions to stuttering, an increased participation in daily communication situations, and an improved overall quality of life. Future research should replicate current findings and identify moderators of the self-compassion–quality of life relationship.


Author(s):  
Rathika Krishnasamy

Background: The rate of multidrug-resistant organisms (MDRO) colonisation in dialysis populations has increased over time. This study aimed to assess the effect of contact precautions and isolation on quality of life and mood for haemodialysis (HD) patients colonised with MDRO. Methods: Patients undergoing facility HD completed the Kidney Disease Quality of Life (KDQOL–SFTM), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Personal Wellbeing-Index Adult (PWI-A). Patients colonised with MDRO were case-matched by age and gender with patients not colonised. Results: A total of 16 MDRO-colonised patients were matched with 16 controls. Groups were well matched for demographics and co-morbidities, other than a trend for older dialysis vintage in the MDRO group [7.2 years (interquartile range 4.6–10.0) compared to 3.2 (1.4–7.6) years, p=0.05]. Comparing MDRO-positive with negative patients, physical (30.5±10.7 vs. 34.6±7.3; p=0.2) and mental (46.5±11.2 vs. 48.5±12.5; p = 0.6) composite scores were not different between groups. The MDRO group reported poorer sleep quality (p=0.01) and sleep patterns (p=0.05), and lower social function (p=0.02). BDI scores were similar (MDRO-positive 10(3.5–21.0) vs. MDRO-negative 12(6.5–16.0), p=0.6). PWI-A scores were also similar in both groups; however, MDRO patients reported lower scores for “feeling safe”, p=0.03. Conclusion: While overall scores of quality of life and depression were similar between groups, the MDRO group reported poorer outcomes in sleep and social function. A larger cohort and qualitative interviews may give more detail of the impact of contact precautions and isolation on HD patients. The necessity for contact precautions for different MDRO needs consideration.


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