An analysis of the most commonly committed errors in essay writing and their relationship with students' achievement: Jimma university in focus

The aim of this research was to analyze the most commonly committed essay writing errors. Three hundred fifty seven samples participated in this study were non English major second year students who were taken as a class unit from six randomly selected departments. Students' errors were collected via essay writing test, and analyzed quantitatively using SPSS 16.0 and ranked according to the mean value of each error. From the study, 7859 errors were found from sample students' essays. Furthermore, a questionnaire was administered to obtain further data about students' writing errors and their possible sources. The data gained through essay writing test and questionnaires were analyzed quantitatively using SPSS 16.0 software. Students' responses for open ended questions were summarized and listed. Analytical scoring guidelines and numerical scores were used to mark the essays and group students into three achievement levels. It was found that the ten most common errors that the participants made were word choice, missing /extra/ wrong article, verb-missing, sentence fragments, missing /extra/ wrong preposition, run-on sentences, word form errors, misplaced/dangling modifiers, and subject verb agreement errors. Furthermore, the frequency of errors and students' achievement in essay writing were computed and the Pearson correlation coefficient revealed that there is a negative relationship between frequency of writing errors and students' essay writing fluency. The findings of this study revealed that the errors students made might have resulted from poor vocabulary knowledge, mother tongue interference, false hypothesis, ignorance of the correct sentence patterns of English structures and lack of knowledge in grammatical rules, avoidance strategies, and students' motivation and attitude. The attempts made to highlight some of the possible causes of those errors might. lead to the solution to inform teachers lessen those errors, and the findings may also enable students to be aware of the problematic areas in writing and prevent such errors and shape their learning strategies accordingly.Jimma Universit

Causes for Biodiversity Loss in Ethiopia: A Review from Conservation Perspective

Although there is ample theoretical evidence of the economic and social causes of biodiversity loss, empirical evidence for most of these relationships is fragmented, meager or non-existent.  Important biological causes for the loss of biological diversity include the loss of habitats, the introduction of exotic species, over-harvesting of biodiversity resources, and homogenization of species in agriculture. The common factor of all these elements is that they are human-driven. More research in this area is imperative. It is also most questionable and expected whether current nature-conservation directions provide sufficient answers to these root causes of biodiversity loss and are able to counteract the loss of biodiversity-related cultural values, biological species and ecosystems in an effective way. This Review paper gives the overview on the economic and social root causes behind biodiversity loss and identifies potential opportunities in Ethiopia. Furthermore, it also identifies the challenges and future directions to put into practice. The analysis is based only on theoretical considerations and overviews on current estimates. To scale up biodiversity conservation loss, better promotion with practical conservation practices, community based management approaches and sector based conservation and integration should be implemented throughout the whole resource area. Keywords: Biodiversity loss, conservation, climate change, Ethiopi

Nursery propagation, field adaptation and carbon sequestration potential of Pistacia chinensis (Chinese Pistachio)

The study was conducted to assess appropriate means of nursery propagation and to evaluate field adaptation and carbon sequestration potential of Pistacia chinensis- a root stock for edible nut bearing pistachio. The trial was conducted at Debre Zeit and Wondo Genet in 2006. Matured seeds of the species with protective seed coats were sown on standard soil mixture (SSM) that comprised 3 % top soil, 2 % cow dung and 1 % sand and their germination was compared with seeds with protective seed pods that were sown on composted farm yard manure (FYM). Two independent experiments were conducted in completely randomized design with four replications, each replication containing one hundred pure viable seeds. Mean comparisons of germination percentages revealed highly significant differences between the treatments (seeds with protective seed coats sown on farm yard manure) and control groups (seeds with protective seed coats sown on standard soil mixture) at P<0.05. Thus, the most viable means of propagating Pistacia chinensis under the nursery conditions of Debre Zeit was sowing seeds with pods on farm yard manure. In a separate experiment, seeds without pods were also sown in replicates on standard soil mixture and their germination was compared with that of intact seeds (Seeds with their pods) sown on standard soil mixture. Mean comparisons of germination percentages for seeds without pods disclosed a highly significant decline as compared to the control groups i.e. intact seeds at P<0.05. Height and collar diameter of trees averaged 194.61cm and 4.82 cm for Debre Zeit and thus are found significantly different from their counterparts (141.1cm for height and 3.35cm for diameter) at Wondo Genet

Agronomic and Economic Evaluation of Nitrogen Fertilizer Rates and Intra Row Spacing on Growth and Bulb Yield of Onion (Allium cepa L.) under Rainfall Condition

A field experiment was conducted at Shire,  Lemlem demonstration farm under rainfall condition to study the impact of nitrogen (N) fertilizer rates and intra row spacing on growth bulb yields and profitability of onion (Allium cepa L.). Treatments consisted of factorial combination of four rates of N fertilizer (0, 50, 100 and 150 kg ha-1) and four intra row spacing (4, 6, 8, and 10 cm). The experiment was laid out as a Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications. The result of this study revealed that the interaction effect of N and spacing affected days to maturity and plant height. The main effect of N significantly affected most of the studied parameters while spacing affected number of leaves and yield. Days to maturity of onions were prolonged in response to the increased rate of nitrogen application. Increasing nitrogen from the nil to 150 kg N ha-1 decreased bolting percentage by 62%. Increasing the rate of nitrogen from 50 to 100 kg N ha-1 increased the total bulb yield and leaf number by about 26.7% and 29% respectively. However, increasing the rate of N further from 100 to 150 kg N ha-1 tended to decrease total bulb yield by 5.3 %. Higher marketable yield of 31.455 t ha- 1 were obtained at 100 kg N ha.-1. The result of partial Budget analysis showed that 100 kg N ha-1 combined with 6 cm intra row spacing was found the best treatment than others in relation to bulb yield and economic benefits under the condition of Shire, northern Ethiopia. Keywords: Nitrogen, Intra row spacing, Onion Bombay Red, Growth and Yiel

Ethnic Identity Status Among University Students in Ethiopia

Ethnic identity is conceptualized as that part of a person’s self-knowledge defined by membership in, and emotional connection to an ethnic group, together with beliefs and emotions related to membership. The development of a strong ethnic identity has also been proven as a basis for positive attitudes toward other groups (Phinney &amp; Devich-Navarro, 1997). Hence, the aim of this study was to examine the status ethnic identity among university students in Ethiopia in light of Phinney’s ethnic identity model. To attain the purpose of the study cross sectional survey research design was employed. A total of 771 participants (484 males and 287 females) were sampled from four government universities in Ethiopia. The adapted measuring scale was the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (Phinney, 1992). The combinations of multistage cluster sampling, stratified simple random sampling, simple random sampling and purposive sampling procedures were employed to select the sample participants. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistical measures (mean, SD, quartile &amp; percentile scores), frequency percentage and chi-square. The findings of the study uncovered that the target group university students in Ethiopia were labelled at ethnic identity search or exploration status. In the ethnic identity search or exploration stage, people begin to learn more about their culture of origin by actively participating in cultural activities and talking to family or friends about issues related to ethnicity (Phinney, 1993). Hence, peers, parents, counseling psychologists, elders, university staffs and management and other concerned bodies should encourage and help to construct their ethnic identity to the achieved status. Keywords: Ethnicity, Identity, Ethnic Identity, University Students DOI: 10.7176/JPCR/49-02 Publication date:June 30th 202

Politics, Practices, and Potentials: Analyzing the Role of Diaspora-Owned Businesses in Ethiopia's Development

In 2010, under the guidance of its developmental state planning, Ethiopia launched its Growth and Transformation Plan (GTP) aimed to achieve accelerated economic growth and middle income country status by 2020-2025. In an attempt to realize its GTP, the Ethiopian government has strategically engaged its diaspora population as ‘development partners’. Existing policies and proclamations outlined by the Ethiopian government speak to the institutionalized attempts to attract diaspora capital for the development of the country. Through an exploratory case-study of small and medium sized businesses in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa, this paper interrogates the complexities surrounding Ethiopia’s state-led engagement of its diasporas and explores the potential of the Ethiopian diaspora to contribute to the country’s development. While the politics of engagement and challenges with Ethiopia’s business environment emerge as salient issues, findings indicate that diaspora business owners possess a unique potential to contribute to human capability transformation in the country