Reflections On Doing Qualitative Research

A ZBTE article on the methodology used for research into mentoring and the professional development of student teachers at Masvingo Teachers' College, Zimbabwe.In this paper, I reflect on the methodology I used for a research into mentoring and the professional development of student teachers of Masvingo Teachers College. This was a case study of the mentoring programme. Masvingo Teachers' College and six of the schools to which it deploys student teachers provided the context for the programme. I adopted the Constructivist interpretive research paradigm in order to obtain the perceptions of the three groups of participants involved in the programme on a regular basis, i.e. lecturers, student teachers and mentors. I used such ethnographic techniques as personal accounts, observations, interviews and documents to collect data. Qualitative data analysis procedures were adopted for analysing, interpreting and presenting the data. I discuss the strengths and weaknesses of these techniques in this paper. The paper also presents a summary of the major findings of this study

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF FACILITATORS IN AN OPEN AND DISTANCE LEARNING MODEL: THE CASE FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF SWAZILAND

The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of the professional development offered to the facilitators of the Certificate in Psychosocial Support programme offered by the Institute of Distance Education, University of Swaziland. It also explores the effect this has on the learners being supported. The study was qualitative using open ended questionnaires and focus group discussions to gather data from the facilitators and the mentor supervisor and her assistant. Data was analysed through content analysis applying the Harland and Kinder (2014) model of professional development outcomes. The results show that the professional development offered to facilitators of the Certificate in Psychosocial Support of the UNISWA once every semester has positive results. The facilitators generally agreed that through the professional development they acquire knowledge and skill in handling face-to-face sessions, using modules and other learning materials, motivating learners, psychosocial support principles, approaches and child protection; the delivery model and application of content rather than spoon feeding. These gains are largely to do with the pedagogical approach selected for the programme. The facilitators also acquired new learning/ teaching materials in readiness for a new semester. Each session provided an opportunity for facilitators to interact with the modules coordinators and among themselves. The facilitators were unhappy with the lack of preparation by some module coordinators. The study recommends that IDE reviews the performance of module coordinators and replace those who are no longer performing. IDE should also devise creative ways of offering the professional development so that it continues to be educative and motivating to the facilitators.   Article visualizations

Pragmatic Measures to Obviate Staff Retention Challenges: A Case Study of Perceptions of Selected Human Resources Personnel in Zimbabwe’s Public and Private Universities

This exploration critiqued out pragmatic measures to obviate staff retention challenges faced by purposely sampled Zimbabwe’s two public and two private universities from the Human Resources Personnel perceptions. Two private universities and one public university’s Human Resources personnel were selected by means of stakeholder sampling. Data were generated using open-ended interviews. Data were analysed using NVivo software. The study found out pragmatic measures to obviate staff retention challenges faced by Zimbabwe’s public and private universities called for the need for a concerted approach by all stakeholders in the overall development of the universities if staff retention challenges were to be curtailed. The study’s major conclusion was that engagement of diverse strategic partners is one of the routes to effective staff retention in public and private universities. The study recommends that Government needs to be involved in the funding operations of private universities in the similar manner it does to private schools by paying lecturers’ salaries and giving grants and scholarships because it is the government’s duty to educate its citizens. Further studies in staff retention strategies in universities need to be conducted on a wider scale to establish how universities in the country are managing the retention of their academic staff. Keywords: Pragmatic Measures to Obviate Staff Retention Measures, Human Resources Personnel, Staff Retention Challenges,

A report on the Zimbabwe Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) programme: progress towards achieving MDG6 target 6B: achievement and challenges

A journal article on Zimbabwe's target to achieve universal access to treatment of HIV/AIDS thereby achieving one of the stipulated UN MDG's.Zimbabwe's target to achieve Universal Access to treatment for HIV and AIDS, was severely affected by a decade long economic recession that threatened to reverse all the country's social and economic indicators. Despite these challenges, by September 2010, 282,916 adults and children (47.7% of those in need of treatment) were on treatment at 509 sites countrywide since national scale up started.. ART services are predominantly offered through the public sector, with the private sector being an untapped potential resource for ART services for the future. Challenges of skilled and adequately trained human resources have hindered progress towards service availability. Providing access to children in particular has been constrained by lack of clinical mentor-ship for health workers, weak systems for support supervision, and inadequate HIV diagnostic services especially for children under 18 months and challenges with follow up of the HIV- exposed infants. Though the country has not met Its target of Universal Access by 2010, significant progress has been made with over a30- fold increase in service availability

Prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV services: viral load testing among pregnant women living with HIV in Mutare District of Manicaland Province, Zimbabwe

Background The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a leading cause of death among women during pregnancy and the postpartum period, especially in areas of high prevalence. In 2018 there were approximately 1.3 million pregnant women living with HIV globally.Infants born to women living with HIV are at increased risk of contracting HIV as the virus can be transmitted to the foetus/ infant during pregnancy, labour, delivery and breastfeeding, posing a serious risk to their survival and well-being. Viral load (VL) testing of pregnant women living with HIV could contribute to improved care, thereby reducing the risk of vertical transmission of HIV from the mother to her infant. Aim The objective of this study was to describe HIV VL testing amongst pregnant women living with HIV at entry into the prevention-of-mother-to-child-transmission (PMTCT) services at selected health facilities in Mutare district of Manicaland Province, Zimbabwe from January to December 2018. Methods This descriptive cross-sectional mixed methods study evaluated the uptake of HIV VL testing amongst pregnant women living with HIV at entry into the prevention-of-mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) services at 15 health facilities and explored factors that influence the provision of HIV VL testing services. Results Among 383 pregnant women living with HIV enrolled in antenatal care (ANC) and known to be on antiretroviral therapy (ART), only 121 (32%) had a VL sample collected and 106 (88%) received their results. Among these 106 women, 93 (88%) had a VL< 1, 000 copies/mL and 77 (73%) had a VL< 50 copies/mL. The overall median duration from ANC booking to VL sample collection was 87 (IQR, 7-215) days. The duration was significantly longer among pregnant women newly started on ART [207 (IQR, 99-299) days] compared to those already on ART [50 (IQR, 0-162) days], p< 0.001. The median time interval for the return of VL results from date of sample collection was 14 (IQR, 7-30) days. There was no significant difference when this variable was stratified by time of ART initiation. Viral load samples were significantly less likely to be collected at local authority facilities compared to government facilities [aOR=0.28; 95% CI: 0.16- 0.48]. Barriers for VL testing identified by health care providers included staff shortages, nonavailability of consumables and laboratory forms and weaknesses in sample transportation. Additionally, the turnaround time (TAT) was long as VL testing was centralised at the provincial hospital, and results feedback was not done electronically. High levels of knowledge among health care providers (75%) did not translate into high HIV VL testing coverage amongst pregnant women living with HIV. Conclusions and recommendations The low rate of HIV VL testing among pregnant women living with HIV in Mutare district is a cause of concern and needs to be addressed urgently in the interest of contributing to the eliminating mother to child transmission of HIV. The Ministry of Health should consider disseminating ARV and PMTCT guidelines and other policy documents using electronic platforms as these are more accessible and result in quicker dissemination, which may translate into faster implementation of new policies and policy updates. There is need to conduct regular mentorship and supervision processes and establish quality improvement initiatives for PMTCT services. Interventions like alert systems should be implemented for ease of identifying women who require HIV VL testing. Point of care technology and mHealth could reduce VL result turnaround time. All this should be aimed at ensuring that policies and guidelines are implemented, and targets are reached within agreed timeframes, to ensure that positive outcomes can be experienced by all pregnant women living with HIV

Delivering quality in the Zimbabwe Open University: A paradigm shift on the role of the programme co-ordinator

This study sought to find out the role of the programme co-ordinators in the Zimbabwe Open University in delivering quality service to students. A case study (Flick 2004) of a purposive sample of 50 students and 12 programme coordinators participated in this research. Data was obtained from students and programme coordinators’ essays evaluated with Qualitative content analysis. Respondents were of the view that there is need for a paradigm shift in the way in which programme co-ordinators work and pay critical attention to developing trust in students, empowering students, and work as knowledge creators and knowledge retrievers. They suggested that the programme co-ordinators must run parallel leadership centres and be visible in the community. The study recommended a paradigm shift in the work of the programme co-ordinators. Programme coordinators need to work as managers of their programmes, incorporating students in planning, instructional design and course development. Quality decision making by the programme coordinators in their endeavours to provide quality serviced to the students need not to be emphasised in the contemporary higher education programme management. Further studies need to be done on supporting the programme co-ordinators in the regions. Key Words: Quality; open and distance learning; programme co-ordinator; paradigm shift

Pathways for Measures to Mitigate Staff Retention Challenges in Selected Zimbabwe’s Public and Private Universities: Retained Lecturers’ Perceptions

The study assessed pathways for measures to mitigate staff retention challenges in purposely selected Zimbabwe’s two public and two private universities from the perceptions of Retained Lecturers. Three Retained Lecturers and one Retained Lecturer were selected using criterion sampling from the public (Cases 1 and 4) and private (Case 2) universities, respectively. One private university (Case 2) had no Retained Lecturer participant of at least five years’ experience at that station. The study generated data using open-ended interview method. Research data were analysed using NVivo data analysis software. The study found out that Retained Lecturers in public and private universities agreed that the key measures to mitigate staff retention challenges were stakeholder involvement, housing and car loans among other measures. They however differed on how sources of funds and external partners could be measures to mitigate staff retention strategies. The study concluded that provision of adequate funds and engagement of diverse strategic partners can mitigate staff retention strategies. The study recommended that the Government needs to be involved in the funding operations of private universities in the similar manner it does to private schools by paying lecturers’ salaries and giving grants and scholarships because it is the government’s duty to educate its citizens. Keywords: Retained Lecturer, Public University, Private University, Staff Retention, Staff Retention Challenges,  Retained Lecturers’ perception

Analysis of the relationship between business cycles and bank credit extenstion : evidence from South Africa

This study provides evidence of the relationship between bank-granted credit and business cycles in South Africa. The study is conducted in three phases, namely qualitative research (Phase I), quantitative research (Phase II) and econometric analysis (Phase III). A sequential (connected data) mixed methodology (Phase I and II) is used to collect and analyze primary data from market participants. The qualitative research (Phase I) involves structured interviews with influential or well informed people on the subject matter. Phase I of the study is used to understand the key determinants of bank credit in South Africa and to appreciate how each of the credit aggregates behaves during alternate business cycles. Qualitative survey results suggest key determinants of commercial bank credit in South Africa as economic growth, collateral value, bank competition, money supply, deposit liabilities, capital requirements, bank lending rates and inflation. The qualitative results are used to formulate questions of the structured survey questionnaire (Quantitative research- Phase II). The ANOVA and Pearman’s product correlation analysis techniques are used to assess relationship between variables. The quantitative results show that there is direct and positive relationship between bank lending behavior and credit aggregates namely economic growth, collateral value, bank competition and money supply. On the other hand, the results show that there is a negative relationship between credit growth and bank capital and lending rates. Overall, the quantitative findings show that bank lending in South Africa is procyclical. The survey results indicate that the case for demand-following hypothesis is stronger than supply-leading hypothesis in South Africa. The econometric methodology is used to augment results of the survey study. Phase III of the study re-examines econometric relationship between bank lending and business cycles. The study employs cointegration and vector error correction model (VECM) techniques in order to test for existence of long-run relationship between the selected variables. Granger causality test technique is applied to the variables of interest to test for direction of causation between variables. The study uses quarterly data for the period of 1980:Q1 to 2013:Q4. Business cycles are determined and measured by Gross Domestic Product at market prices while bank-granted credit is proxied by credit extension to the private sector. The econometric test results show that there is a significant long-run relationship between economic growth and bank credit extension. The Granger causality test provides evidence of unidirectional causal relationship with direction from economic growth to credit extension for South Africa. The study results indicate that the case for demand-following hypothesis is stronger than supply-leading hypothesis in South Africa. Economic growth spurs credit market development in South Africa. Overall, the results show that there is a stable long-run relationship between macroeconomic business cycles and real credit growth in South Africa. The results show that economic growth significantly causes and stimulates bank credit. The study, therefore, recommends that South Africa needs to give policy priority to promotion and development of the real sector of the economy to propel and accelerate credit extension. Economic growth is considered as the significant policy variable to stimulate credit extension. The findings therefore hold important implications for both theory and policy.Business ManagementD.B.L

File of Uncertainties: Exploring student experience of applying decolonizing knowledge in practice

It is critical that nursing education programs in Canada respond to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s call to develop a course about the documented impacts of Indigenous-specific racism on the health outcomes of Indigenous people. Initiatives such as San’yas Anti-racism Indigenous Cultural Safety Education, courses on trauma-informed care, and required Indigenous health and history classes in nursing programs are providing a solid beginning. However, the effectiveness of this education requires interrogation. This mixed methods study aimed to identify barriers and supports to incorporating decolonizing and antiracist knowledge into nursing practice with Indigenous patients/clients. Fourth-year nursing students at a Canadian university who had completed a core course on the impacts of colonization and Indigenous-specific racism on Indigenous health and wellness in Canada were surveyed to explore their experience of applying this knowledge during their clinical rotations. Sixteen participants responded to an anonymous online survey consisting of three short-answer open-ended questions and six Likert-style questions about their experiences. The emergent narrative themes and Likert-scale data indicate that although the students valued the information provided in the class, they continued to feel cultural tension and uncertainty when caring for Indigenous clients. Prominent areas of uncertainty included applying knowledge to practice, student confidence in disrupting racist treatment of Indigenous patients by their healthcare colleagues and knowing how to approach sensitive client situations to avoid re-traumatization. This article discusses the study’s implications and identifies areas for future research. Résumé Il est essentiel que les programmes de formation en sciences infirmières au Canada répondent à l’appel de la Commission de vérité et réconciliation pour élaborer un cours traitant des impacts documentés du racisme spécifique aux Autochtones sur les résultats pour la santé des Peuples Autochtones. Des initiatives telles que San’yas Anti-Racism Indigenous Cultural Safety Education, des cours sur les soins tenant compte des traumatismes ainsi que des cours obligatoires sur la santé et l’histoire des Autochtones dans les programmes de sciences infirmières, constituent un bon point de départ. Cependant, l’efficacité de cette formation demande à être questionnée. Cette étude à méthodes mixtes visait à identifier les obstacles et les facteurs favorisant l’intégration des connaissances décolonisatrices et antiracistes dans la pratique infirmière avec les patients/clients autochtones. Des étudiantes en sciences infirmières de quatrième année d’une université canadienne qui avaient suivi un cours de base sur les impacts de la colonisation et du racisme spécifique aux Autochtones sur la santé et le bien-être des Autochtones au Canada ont participé à un sondage visant à explorer leur expérience d’application de ces connaissances lors de leurs stages cliniques. Seize participantes ont répondu au sondage anonyme en ligne composé de trois questions ouvertes à réponses courtes et de six questions de style Likert sur leurs expériences. Les thèmes narratifs émergents et les données de l’échelle de Likert indiquent que même si les étudiantes appréciaient les informations fournies en classe, elles continuaient à ressentir des tensions culturelles et de l’incertitude lorsqu’elles prodiguaient des soins à des clients autochtones. Les principaux domaines d’incertitude comprenaient l’application des connaissances à la pratique, la confiance des étudiantes à interrompre un comportement raciste à l’endroit de patients autochtones par leurs collègues et le fait de savoir comment aborder les situations sensibles des clients pour éviter un nouveau traumatisme. Cet article discute des implications de l’étude et identifie les domaines de recherche future

Scaling up isoniazid preventive therapy in Zimbabwe: has operational research influenced policy and practice?

Setting: Following the operational research study conducted during the isoniazid preventive therapy (IPT) pilot phase in Zimbabwe, recommendations for improvement were adopted by the national antiretroviral therapy (ART) programme. Objectives: To compare before (January 2013-June 2014) and after the recommendations (July 2014-December 2015), the extent of IPT scale-up and IPT completion rates, and after the recommendations the risk factors for IPT non-completion, in 530 ART clinics. Design: Retrospective cohort study. Results: People living with the human immunodeficiency virus newly initiating IPT increased every quarter (Q), from 585 in Q 1, 2013 to 4246 in Q 4, 2015, with 5648 new IPT initiations in the 18 months before the recommendations compared to 20 513 in the 18 months after the recommendations were made. The number of ART clinics initiating IPT increased from 10 (2%) in Q 1, 2013 to 198 (37%) in Q 4, 2015. Overall IPT completion rates were 89% in the post-recommendation period compared with 81% in the pilot phase (P < 0.001). After adjusting for confounders, being lost to follow-up from clinic review visits 1 year prior to IPT initiation was associated with a higher risk of not completing IPT, while having synchronised IPT and ART resupplies was associated with a lower risk. Conclusions: Implementation of recommendations from the initial operational research study have improved IPT scale-up in Zimbabwe