Teacher-reported quality of schooling indicators in Botswana primary schools: an exploratory study

This study examined teacher self-reported views on quality indicators in Botswana primary schools. A purposively selected sample of primary school teachers in the city of Gaborone, Botswana (N = 72, females = 56; males = 16; mean age = 39 years, SD = 7.17 years; mean years of service = 15.6; SD= 8 years; public schools = 65%; private schools = 35%), completed a survey on their perceptions of quality of education indicators relevant to their school setting. Data were analyzed by type of school contrasting private and public schools. Findings suggest teachers in public schools to associate the use of teacher-led student supports as important quality indicators whereas those in private school consider access to learning materials significantly more important than other learning context variables. Type of school influenced perceptions of quality of schooling indicators in Botswana primary schools

Experiences of Teachers of Deaf and Hard- of- Hearing Students’ in a Special Needs School: An Exploratory Study

This study reports on the experiences of teachers of the deaf and hard-of- hearing students in a special needs high school for the deaf in Eswatini. The study adopted a qualitative approach and was exploratory in nature. Participants comprised of eighteen (n =18) purposively sampled teachers of deaf and hard-of-hearing students. They participated in individual in-depth and focus group discussion interviews on the teaching and communication aspects with deaf and hard- of- hearing students. Data were also collected through documents review. Credibility and trustworthiness of data were established through member checks. Data were thematically analysed for important meanings. Teachers reported to experience gaps in professional competencies to teach the mainstream curriculum for which they needed further education. Variation in sign language impacting learner engagement hindered teachers’ communication with the deaf and hard-of-hearing students and their parents. Teachers reported to have in service professional training needs which included collaboration, consultation, assessment instruments and language skills. The findings have important implications for policy and practice in educating the deaf and hard- of- hearing students and for interpreting previous research. There is urgent need for the country to consider having a standardized sign language which could enhance positive teaching and learning outcomes as well as social integration for the future lives of these students. Understanding experiences of these teachers from the lived cultural milieu are important for the design and implementation of programmes for supporting the deaf and hard- of hearing learners, their teachers and parents

Lived Experiences of Parents’ of Children with Disabilities in Swaziland

Raising a child with disability is a challenge to most parents. The study explored the lived experiences of parents of children with disabilities in Swaziland. The specific objective was to determine the challenges which parents of children with disability encounter at home, school and community, which may hinder them to work collaboratively with educators for the betterment of the children. A phenomenological design was adopted. Participants were parents (female =16; Males=4) who were purposively sampled from a rural setting (Maphalaleni area) whose children attended in 20 primary schools in the same area. Data were collected using semi structured interview guides and were thematically analyzed. The findings revealed that the parents encounter challenges at work, at home, school and in the community such as emotional stress, failure to cope with the children’s disability and financial challenges. The study also indicated that the parents were not sure of what was expected of them in making educational decisions on behalf of their children. It also reported that parents of children with disabilities were not trained on how to cope with their children’s disability and how to work with educators. The findings suggest the need for the development of training programmes which will empower parents with knowledge to better partner with educators for the benefit of the child. To address these challenges, government will need to put in place policies which will look at the needs of parents of the children with disabilities

In-school psychosocial support services for safeguarding children's rights : results and implications of a Botswana study

In-school psychosocial support services are intended to create safe learning environments for children, enabling the children to attain age-appropriate developmental tasks. This study investigated protections to children’s right to safe learning environments through the provision of in-school psychosocial support services. Participants were 230 learners from a cross-section of Botswana schools (females¼124, males 106; age range 10.7–17.7 years; school grades 5 to 12; median age¼14.5 years, SD¼3.65 years). Data on learner access, utilization, and preferences of in-school psychosocial support services were collected using focus group discussions, individual interviews, and a semi-structured survey. The data were analysed thematically and with supplemental quantitative analysis. A social risk management analysis approach was adopted for the interpretation of findings. Learners perceived their schooling rights to be protected when they had direct input into the type, scope, and delivery of the psychosocial support services. Botswana learners are sensitive to social risks to their rights to safe learning environments. Children’s rights to safe learning environments are likely to be realized with learner-oriented in-school psychosocial support services.http://spi.sagepub.com/hb201

Constructing a framework for the use of tests within a developing nation's school system

Interpretive participatory action research methods were used to assist the education community in Botswana, a developing nation, to identify a framework for the use of tests in the nation’s schools. User preferences for understanding important learner-related qualities through the use of tests were emphasized. Participant informants were educators and school counselors (n = 1,221), learners (n = 355), parents/guardians (n = 162), and education program personnel from civic and multilateral agencies (n = 47). The learners and school personnel were drawn from a nationally representative sample of 328 schools (49% primary and 51% secondary levels; 92% public and 8% private schools). Data on the components and content of a prospective framework were gathered using concept mapping and preference methods. The data were analyzed to construct a locally grounded test use framework appropriate to the Botswana school system. Findings suggest a test use framework spanning the following preferred assessment domains: learning readiness, aptitude, personal development, community norms, socialization, and guidance and counseling. Learners and their parents/guardians prefer that learners access test information first from their classroom teachers followed by guidance and counseling personnel. The use of a consensus-driven multilayered participatory action research consultative processes to develop a framework for test use with the education community has potential for replication in educational and other settings in other developing countrieshttp://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/ipp/index.aspxhb201

Multicultural and Social Justice Counseling within the Scope of Rehabilitation Counseling

Historically, people with disabilities are a marginalized cultural group in that their lived world is less well represented in mainstream services. The rehabilitation counseling profession has the goal to prioritize and empower people with disabilities for thriving in their personal and community lives. However, cultures exist within social systems often characterized by inequities, obliging a need to go beyond multicultural counseling to address social injustices that would occur to populations with historical disadvantages such as people with disabilities. The present study discusses the multicultural counseling movement and its impact in the field of rehabilitation counseling. The study first introduces the birth of multicultural counseling and how it has landed in the field of counseling. From a chronological perspective, authors then extended their discussion to address controversies and debates in the phase of the multicultural counseling movement that contributed to tailoring the concept of multicultural counseling. Authors further elaborated discussion on the future direction of multicultural counseling in the field of rehabilitation counseling by emphasizing the importance of individualized service needs one of the philosophical tenants of rehabilitation counseling, and how diversity and cultural differences can be further empowered within the commonality we have as human beings

Understanding Human Abilities in Sub-Saharan African Settings

Cultural communities define and promote human abilities they perceive to give expression to their core values. Indigenous sub-Saharan African communities place a high premium mainly on abilities that promote or give expression to the value of social interests. This article considers human abilities from a cultural psychology perspective, one that reflects the understandings of culturally competent informants of valid and valued abilities in their context together with ways of knowing about such abilities. This article describes the utilization of an appreciative inquiry approach to understand human abilities among sub-Saharan African communities, including increasingly important abilities associated with schooling or modernization and particularly as they enable the expression of social interest values. Cultural emphasis on social interest are likely to continue to heavily influence which and how human abilities are valued by sub-Saharan African communities

Pathways to sexual decision making by Pentecostal church youths in Botswana

BACKGROUND: The ways church youth make sexual decisions are incompletely understood and yet important for public health interventions. This study aimed to examine personal religiosity influences on the sexual decisions by church youth from the country of Botswana, taking into account their sense of personal agency. METHOD: Participants were 235 Botswana Pentecostal faith church youth (females = 67.2%, male = 32.8%; age range 12-23 years). They completed measures of personal religiosity, personal agency, sexual abstinence, and contraception use predisposition. We analysed the data applying Structural Equation Modelling to test five paths - personal religiosity to personal agency, personal agency to abstinence, personal religiosity to abstinence, personal agency to contraceptive use, and personal religiosity to contraceptive use. RESULTS: Results suggest that personal religiosity influences the youth in their sexual abstinence and contraception decisions through personal agency. High personal agency, but not personal religiosity, was associated with pro-sexual abstinence, and contraception use was associated with religiosity. Personal agency augmented the likelihood of both abstinence and contraception use decisions among the older church youth and with church youth with higher levels of formal education. CONCLUSION: Church youth likely adopt discretionary sexual behaviours over the developmental period from early to older adolescents, which would make them more receptive to public sexual health messages. Personal agency appears to be an important resource for public health interventions aimed at influencing church youth\u27s sexual decisions

Resilience through the Lens of Optimism, Self-Esteem, Life Satisfaction, and Virtues: Hierarchical Regression Analysis

Background The present study is to examine the effect virtues (courage, practical wisdom, integrity, committed action, emotional transcendence) in predicting resilience. Methods 595 adults participated in the study. At the first stage of regression analysis, resilience was predicted based on participants’ optimism, self-esteem, and life satisfaction scores. Then, five virtues that include courage, integrity, practical wisdom, committed action, and emotional transcendence were added in the second stage regression model, and changes in the Adjusted R2 were inspected via hierarchical regression analysis. Results In the first stage, 21% of the variance in resilience was explained by the combination of optimism, self-esteem, and life satisfaction. With the addition of virtue factors, the total variance of resilience explained was then improved to 56%. Conclusion Change in the Adjusted R2 was 35%, indicative of virtue effect. Virtue was a popular concept in the early history of behavior science but became disfavored with the rise of empiricism as it was viewed as a moral and philosophical construct. The results of this study reassure that virtue can be studied empirically and findings necessitate additional research into the virtue effect in the context of resilience and adjustment to life\u27s challenges