Post-Corporal Punishment Challenges Facing Eswatini Primary School Teachers When Disciplining Learners and the Necessary Counselling Services

The purpose of this study was to explore post-corporal punishment challenges facing Eswatini primary school teachers when disciplining learners and the necessary counselling services. The research employed embedded research design using 48 primary teachers in the Hhohho region in the Kingdom of Eswatini. A purposive sampling was used to select the most accessible research participants. Instruments used were questionnaires and one-on-one interviews. Sixteen schools were selected. Data was collected and analyzed both quantitative and qualitatively. For analyzing data for questionnaires and observation, descriptive statistics such as frequencies and percentages were used and for analyzing data for interviews, thematic analysis was used. Findings show that teachers are facing challenges regarding learner discipline in post corporal punishment in primary schools. Teachers are confused and afraid of infringing learners’ rights. Given the findings, some notable recommendations were highlighted.

Current Disciplinary Practices by Primary School Teachers in Eswatini: Implications for School Counselling

This study explored current disciplinary practices by primary school teachers in Eswatini. A missed method design was employed using 48 primary teachers in the Hhohho region in the Kingdom of Eswatini. Instruments used were questionnaires and interviews. Data was collected and analyzed both quantitative and qualitatively. For analyzing data for questionnaires and observation, descriptive statistics such as frequencies and percentages were used and for analyzing data for interviews, thematic analysis was used. The findings of this study indicated that the participants are using guidance and counselling to discipline student as disciplinary measure. The study established that some disciplinary practises are not effective to curb students’ misbehaviour in schools such as corporal punishment and suspension. Conclusions arrived at indicate that public primary schools have adopted the use of guidance and counselling services. Few disciplinary practices were also found to be detrimental to academic performance. Therefore, this study suggested that guidance and counselling training should be given to all teachers. This therefore necessitates further investigation on the use of disciplinary practises and their impact towards the learner behaviour in all the four regions of Eswatini, since this study focuses in one region.

Understanding the Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Management Accounting Students

A switch to emergency remote teaching, learning, and assessment (TLA) has become necessary as a result of the social distancing brought about by the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) were forced to switch from face-to-face to online teaching and learning to ensure successful completion of the academic year as well as the safety of their staff and students from a global pandemic. This arrangement has created teaching problems in terms of familiarizing oneself with technology, losing face-to-face contact, and limiting access to essential facilities such as laboratories and libraries. The new normal is when remote learning is employed to fulfil TLA obligations. Therefore, students are expected to adjust from a traditional to a remote learning environment. This change in environment highlights the importance of exploring students’ perceptions as the recipients of this novel learning. Hence, the aim of this study was to explore the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on student learning, underpinned by the activity theory. Quantitative research methods were applied to elicit students’ perceptions of remote learning through the use of an online questionnaire. The target population comprised undergraduate management accounting students. The paper provides interesting implications for government, policymakers, regulatory bodies, and other researchers because it offers a student perspective on the challenges experienced with remote learning.

Training Kuwaiti Teachers to Lead: A Case Study of Competitive Debate at the Basic Education College

This paper presents a case study of a competitive debate program designed for teachers-in-training at the Basic Education College in Kuwait. Stakeholders at different levels have expressed an interest in introducing more constructivist-based pedagogies into the Kuwaiti national education system, but institutional and ideological challenges have hindered implementation. Teachers at the college designed and implemented a debate program based on constructivist principles of authenticity, student meaning-making, collaboration, and high performance expectations. Survey data suggest that participants experienced debate as a transformative experience, changing their perception of themselves, of the world, and of their ability to effect change in it. Participants came to imagine themselves as future system leaders preparing future generations with higher-order skills involving complex solving, which an increasingly complex social reality demanded. From 2015 to 2018, a group of professors formed debate teams at the Kuwait University National English Debate League. This endeavour formed the empirical research presented here as evidence to support a move from instructivist teaching to constructivist learning for future teachers in Kuwait.

Message from the Editor-in-Chief

Message from the Editor-in-Chief

Reviewer Acknowledgements for International Journal of Higher Education, Vol. 10, No. 6, 2021

Reviewer Acknowledgements for International Journal of Higher Education, Vol. 10, No. 6, 2021

The Challenge of Inequality in University Education: Is the District Quota Scheme Addressing Socio-Economic Disparities in Access to University Education in Uganda?

Access to university education is one of the fundamental educational questions in contemporary educational debates. This is because university education is seen as having an array of benefits to individuals, their households, and their nations. However, the challenge of inequality in terms of gender, income, location, and socio-economic status has constrained some individuals and households to access quality university education. In 2005 the government of Uganda introduced the District Quota Scheme to address the social inequalities in accessing university education. This study examined how the District Quota Scheme is addressing the rural-urban divide in access to university; how the District Quota Scheme has increased access to university education for children with parents who have low levels of education; and whether the District Quota Scheme is improving access to university education for children from low-income families. Following the social constructivist research paradigm and integrating both quantitative and qualitative research methods, the study found a change in access to university education by students from rural areas, students whose parents have lower levels of education, and those from low-income families as a result of introducing the District Quota Scheme. The study recommends that the government of Uganda and other stakeholders in the higher education sector should address the structural challenges to ensure that mainly the socially disadvantaged students take the biggest advantage of this scheme.

Assessment of Female University Students’ Digital Competence: Potential Implications for Higher Education in Africa

This study assessed the digital skills of female university students and the implications for higher education in Africa. A descriptive survey was used to sample 100 female university students from four African countries (Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, and Uganda). The instrument used was the digital competence survey. Two research questions and two hypotheses were postulated and tested. According to the study's findings, most female university students in Nigeria and South Africa have expert and advanced levels of information and digital literacy, communication and collaboration, digital content creation, and safety.On the other hand, Uganda was mainly found at the basic or no levels, whereas Rwanda was mostly found at the intermediate levels. The chi-square analysis reveals a significant difference between the ages of female university students and their DC levels (χ2 =.000; p < 0.05). A significant difference exists between female university students’ program of study and their levels of DC (χ2 = .000; p < 0.05). Students also faced challenges such as a lack of ICT tools, insufficient knowledge and skills, data issues, and poor internet connectivity. The implications of these findings for African higher education institutions suggest that female students, particularly in Rwanda and Uganda, require training to be digitally competent and compete globally with their peers. As a result, we recommend that students from different programs of study with less demand in technology be allowed to take compulsory electives in technology courses while older female students are given adequate support.

Exploring Experiences of Accounting Student Teachers with Digitally Mediated Learning: A Phenomenological Perspective

Conducted against the backdrop of forced online learning imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, this study sought to explore the learning experiences of accounting student teachers with digitally mediated learning. Anchored in phenomenological research design, focus group interviews were used to generate qualitative data from purposefully selected accounting student teachers while member checking was used for validation. Content analysis of data revealed sufficient concurrence in the phenomenological voices of students that they experienced anxiety, stress, isolation, demotivation and lack of contact with their classmates. In mitigation of these experiences, the study recommends that lecturers need to develop learning material with which students can interact meaningfully, and create and maintain a live, interactive virtual learning environment in which student learning is monitored and evaluated continuously. The students appreciated the flexibility of digitally mediated learning and its provision for real opportunities for learning beyond the physical learning environment. The study found that digitally mediated learning creates a platform for a creative, innovative and non-contact learning environment in the new educational dispensation of the COVID-19 pandemic era. It therefore calls for a radical paradigm shift in the pedagogical assumptions and practices of lecturers towards a student-centred virtual learning environment which thrives on digital technology.

Self-Directed Learning Through Computer-Aided Mathematics Instruction: First-Year Teacher Education Experience

Objective: The study investigates first-year teacher education students’ self-directed learning through Computer-Aided Mathematics Instruction (CAMI).Methods: A total of 230 first-year mathematics teachers specialising in Further Education and Training (FET) phase teaching participated in the study, where responses from 50 student teachers were purposively and conveniently selected to report on in this paper. A qualitative research method approach was used and open–ended questionnaires were utilised to collect the data for first-year teacher education students’ self-directed learning. The questionnaires were analysed using descriptive data analysis.Results: Results of the study revealed that CAMI was used to monitor students’ learning, the time the learning takes place, the performance of the student within the duration of time, and to evaluate student performance. The results also revealed the skills that characterised self-directed learning and active learning where the student teachers were motivated to learn more and to solve difficult problems in mathematics.Conclusions: The study recommends technology integration, such as CAMI, in teacher education and teaching and learning in the Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), to promote self-directed learning and support effective learning for future learners.