Pedagogical Science Practices in Public Higher Education Institutions of Ethiopia: Progress Made but Challenges Remain

The contribution of education to the overall development of a nation becomes evident especially through higher education. This is because higher education is considered a key to delivering the knowledge required for ensuring sustainable development. Studies reveal a strong positive correlation between higher education participation rates and levels of development, as high levels of education are essential for designing and producing new technologies, and enhancing innovative capacities for the development of a society. While the reforms of higher education in high-income countries have received much attention, relatively little is known about the change dynamics in higher education system in developing countries. Therefore, with this research I want to contribute to a better understanding of higher education system in Africa, from the perspective of the type of pedagogy being practiced frequently and its consequences in producing competent graduates for the world of work by taking Ethiopian public higher education system as a case. To this end, data were collected from selected higher education institutions’ officials and instructors using questionnaire and interviews. The collected data were analyzed using mixed method. Findings of the study revealed that despite the offering of on-job pedagogical science trainings in the sample universities, little progress has been made in terms of applying student-centered pedagogy. Most of the instructors in the institutions still predominantly use traditional teaching methods. It is recommended that instructors in higher learning institutions should use critical pedagogy. Keywords: higher education, pedagogical science practice, progressive pedagogy, traditional pedagogy, transformative pedagogy

A prevenção das infecções sexualmente transmissíveis entre jovens e a importância da educação em saúde

Objective: To analyze sexual practices and the adoption of prevention practices for sexually transmitted infections among university students.Method: A descriptive, cross-sectional and quantitative study, carried out in a public higher education institution, located in the city of Rio de Janeiro. A sample of 173 students from the Nutrition, Medicine, Nursing and Biological Sciences courses was selected from the matrix research database.Results: There was predominance of young women (76.88%), aged between 18 and 23 years old (84.39%), sexually active (78.03%), who did not use condoms continuously with stable (47.22%) and casual (30.36%) partners; the majority negotiated condom use (37.78%); never performed a test to detect HIV (56.07%) and denied previous occurrence of STIs (91.33%).Conclusion: The low adherence of young people to condoms with stable and casual partners is a risky sexual behavior that can contribute to acquiring STIs. Expansion of the provision of timely testing and intensification of educational activities in the university environment are necessary practices to reduce the group's vulnerability to STIs. Objetivo: Analizar las prácticas sexuales y la adopción de prácticas de prevención de infecciones de transmisión sexual entre estudiantes universitarios.Método: Investigación descriptiva, transversal, cuantitativa, realizada en una institución pública de educación superior, ubicada en la ciudad de Río de Janeiro. Se seleccionaron 173 estudiantes de las carreras de nutrición, medicina, enfermería y ciencias biológicas como muestra en la base de datos matricial de investigación.Resultados: Hubo predominio de mujeres jóvenes (76,88%), de 18 a 23 años (84,39%), sexualmente activas (78,03%), que no usaban preservativo de forma continuada con parejas estables (47,22%) y casuales (30,36%); la mayoría negoció el uso del condón (37,78%); nunca realizó una prueba para detectar el VIH (56,07%) y negó la ocurrencia previa de ITS (91,33%).Conclusión: La baja adherencia de los jóvenes al condón con parejas estables y casuales son conductas sexuales de riesgo que pueden contribuir a contraer ITS. La ampliación de la oferta de pruebas oportunas y la intensificación de las actividades educativas en el ámbito universitario son prácticas necesarias para reducir la vulnerabilidad del grupo a las ITS. Objetivo: Analisar as práticas sexuais e a adoção de práticas de prevenção de infecções sexualmente transmissíveis entre estudantes universitários. Método: Pesquisa descritiva, transversal, quantitativa, realizada em instituição pública de ensino superior, localizada no município do Rio de Janeiro. Foram selecionados como amostra 173 estudantes dos cursos de nutrição, medicina, enfermagem e ciências biológicas, no banco de dados da pesquisa-matriz. Resultados: Houve predomínio de jovens do sexo feminino (76,88%), faixa etária 18 a 23 anos (84,39%), sexualmente ativos (78,03%); não faziam uso contínuo do preservativo com parceiros fixos (47,22%) e casuais (30,36%); a maioria negociava o uso do preservativo (37,78%); nunca realizaram teste para detectar o HIV (56,07%) e negaram ocorrência prévia de Infecções Sexualmente Transmissíveis (IST) (91,33%). Conclusão: A baixa adesão dos jovens ao preservativo com parceiros fixos e casuais são comportamentos sexuais de risco que podem contribuir para adquirir IST. A ampliação da oferta de testagem oportuna e a intensificação de ações educativas no ambiente universitário são práticas necessárias para reduzir a vulnerabilidade do grupo às IST.

Isomorphism and organizational performance: evidence from quality management in higher education

Purpose Quality management has become an integral part of management reforms in public sector organizations. Drawing on a new institutionalist perspective, this study aims to investigate the relation of management reforms and organizational performance in the context of higher education. Design/methodology/approach The authors analyse the interaction between isomorphic conformity in quality management adoption, organizational learning and quality improvement and, in so doing, address the central theoretical question of what effects isomorphic conformity has on organizational performance. Empirically, the study draws on survey data from quality managers at public higher education institutions in Germany. Methodically, it applies confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling. Findings The results suggest that mimetic isomorphism is surprisingly compatible with processes of organizational learning, and thus, does not inevitably compromise organizational development. Originality/value By presenting these findings, the authors contribute to the controversial theoretical debate concerning the effects of isomorphism and to the ongoing discussion regarding the organizational impact of quality management in higher education.

ELT in Both Private and Public Higher Education Institutions (HEIs): An Approach to New Normal Pedagogy of Teaching

The study aims to analyze the different approaches to ELT in the new normal for both private and public Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) as the basis for teaching pedagogy in terms of the trend in teaching, syllabus utilization, materials, and resources, activities in learning, and competency learning. The study comprised thirty-nine (39) respondents only which employs the descriptive quantitative research design and random sampling. Results show that trend in teaching context based and content instruction on the English language as the medium of teaching and instruction in English Language Teaching (ELT) focuses on the language cooperative approach in teaching approaches that suits to the learning capacity of students. It emphasizes on the complex and competency based learning and outcome of the process of learning as to skills, application, knowledge, and attitude of the learners, materials and resources, show that different centered on the instruction of the English language approach to learning, the activity is focused on the task based-learning and the process of usage in the important skills of the ELT, and competency process of learning show to provide students in the competency of ELT and language learning inside the classroom and direction in the specific task in the English competency of learning. Findings show that there is a significant correlation between the different approaches to ELT in the new normal for both private and public Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) as the basis for teaching pedagogy among the respondents.

Academic dishonesty intentions in the perspectives of higher education in Malaysia

Nowadays, academic dishonesty has become an endemic academic phenomenon because students seem to be treating cheating on tests or examinations as a common thing. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the intentions for engaging in academic dishonesty among degree students in public higher education in Malaysia by explaining the most prevalent predictors of academic dishonesty, which are attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, ethical behavior, and moral reasoning. A total of 346 respondents were involved in this study, composed of degree students from accountancy, surveying, plantation, applied science, marine science, business and management, computer science, and sports science programs. Results illustrate that subjective norms were found insignificantly related to the intentions to be involved in academic dishonesty because the respondents have treated cheating as common norm and considered it not weird to be involved in cheating. Attitude, perceived behavioral control, ethical belief, and moral reasoning were found to be significantly related to academic dishonesty intentions.

Exploring the Dimensions of Innovation Culture in the Public Higher Education Institutions: Towards Improved Organizational Performance in Research and Development

This paper extends the concept of innovation culture to the academic organizations, particularly public higher education institutions (HEIs). Through a case study approach, a total of 40 individuals composed of research and development (R&D) managers and administrators, innovators, and faculty research personnel from four selected public HEIs participated in the in-depth interviews and FGDs. Institutional statements were also used as secondary data. Through synthesis of previous studies, we learned the different organizational, human, and collaborative dimensions of innovation culture, however in the context of private manufacturing organizations. Results revealed that in academic organizations like public HEIs, the aspects of innovation and the concept of innovation culture were embedded in the institutional statements as well as in the values of the participants. It was also found that innovation culture is a widely understood concept in terms of its attributes or building blocks. Through this study, we understood the importance of innovation culture in promoting performance amidst the challenges of doing R&D in public HEIs. We learned that creativity and flexibility, innovation resources, training and capacity development, and coaching and mentoring were the key elements of innovation culture that can help address the managerial and institutional challenges in doing R&D in academic organizations. Lastly, identifying and assessing the specific dimensions and elements of innovation culture in academic organizations as well as determining their impacts of innovation culture on research productivity in academic organizations were relevant research areas to explore in future studies.

The Fight for a Public University in Boston: Making a Public-Private Educational System

This article explores the conflict between US public and private higher educational institutions by tracing the long struggle for a public university in Boston between 1890 and 1980. This history reveals how the competitive relationship between public and private institutions was central to the formation of each sector, while also complicating a clear dichotomy between the two. Educational innovations such as state scholarships, teacher-training initiatives, university extension courses, and junior colleges are also recast in this story as strategies to limit, rather than expand, the public sector. Finally, this history should prompt a reinterpretation of the current neoliberal moment. Rather than view contemporary budget cuts and public-private partnerships as novel historical departures of the late twentieth century, they appear in this Massachusetts story as a return to a political landscape long hostile to public higher education.

Digital Maturity of Higher Education Institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Teachers’ Assessment

This paper presents the research results on digital maturity in higher education institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). Empirical research was conducted among employees of eight public higher education institutions in spring 2020. Digital maturity was examined through seven dimensions. The results show that higher education institutions in BiH started the digitalization process more than five years ago. They have been continuously working on the digitalization of all business processes and activities. According to employees, on a scale from 1 to 5, digitalization of their higher education institutions is somewhere in the middle (between 3 and 4). The institutions have room for improvement in all dimensions. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

The Role of Crowdfunding for New Funding Challenges in Public Universities: An Italian Case Study

This article aims to understand how the public higher education sector is dealing with new challenges, like sustainability in services provision and delivery, which means to fulfil all the functions of a university. In order to fulfil their mission and be sustainable, the public higher education sector should start an innovation process, through which they can improve their resilience to socio-economic changes. Obviously, this involves new conditions in terms of service production, which can turn into co-production, collaboration within and outside the university’s organizational borders, and, eventually, partnerships with other organizations. This research studies in deep all these topics by investigating the case study of an Italian university, which has developed its own crowdfunding platform in order to sustain its functions. The results show some of the changes within the public universities’ fundraising culture. Moreover, though the results relate to the context of analysis, it would be interesting to develop this study by comparing public universities located in different countries.