Exploring the Kindergarten Teachers’ Assessment Practices in Ghana

The study aimed at investigating kindergarten teachers’ assessment practices based on two subscales: (a) teachers’ modes of assessment frequently used, and (b) their reasons for selecting a particular mode of assessment. The sequential mixed methods research design was employed. The quantitative data were gathered through questionnaires administered to 192 teachers in public and private kindergartens in six regions of Ghana. The qualitative data were gathered through interviews with three participants selected from the 192 sampled teachers. Independent samples t-test was employed to test the quantitative data. The results of the study indicated that paper- and- pencil test mode of assessment is used frequently by the teachers. In addition teachers also appeared to be using a particular mode of assessment just to meet the expectations of the parents and educational leaders without meeting the curriculum assessment prescription. Results further showed no significant difference between the public and private kindergarten teachers on almost all the items in the two subscales used in this study but differed significantly on four reasons for selecting a particular mode of assessment. Teachers’ assessment practices are therefore not supported by any known developmentally assessment theory for children. Workshops and in-service education and training are therefore recommended for all the stakeholders including the parents, educational leaders and teachers on the use of developmentally appropriate assessment practices in a much more interactive manner

Chronic pyogenic osteomyelitis of long bones at specialized hospital in Nigeria

Introduction: Chronic pyogenic osteomyelitis of long bones is common and difficult to treat.Objectives: The aim of this study was to examine the pattern of presentation and outcome of treatment of chronic osteomyelitis of long bones at specialized hospital in Nigeria.Patients and methods: Case records of patients who were managed for chronic osteomyelitis between January 2009 and December 2011 at Nongu u Kristu u I Ser u sha Tar (NKST) Rehabilitation Hospital, Mkar, were retrieved from the Medical Records Department and analyzed retrospectively for age, gender, bones involved, microbiological isolates, treatment modalities and recurrence.Results: Fifty-three patients with chronic pyogenic osteomyelitis of 57 long bones were studied. This consisted of 30 males (56.6%) and 27 females (43.4%) giving a male-to-female ratio of 1.1:1.The age range was 3 – 60 years (mean 20.34±13.48). Poorly-treated or neglected acute haematogenous osteomyelitis was the predominamt cause of chronic osteomyelitis (n=40, 70.2%). The involved bones include tibia (n=29, 50.9%), femur (n=11, 19.3%), humerus (n=9, 15.8%). Staphylococcus aureus was the most common offending organism isolated (n=13, 52%).Sequestrectomy and curettage (n=51, 96.2%) was the main surgical procedure carried out.Conclusion: Chronic osteomyelitis is mostly a disease of children and predominantly affects the tibia. Poorly-treated or neglected acute  haematogenous osteomyelitis is the predominant cause of the disease.Keywords: Chronic osteomyelitis, Pattern, Causes

IHTIOFAUNA RIJEKE BIJELI DRIM (KOSOVO)

This paper presents data obtained from literature and by sampling of the fish fauna in the Drini i Bardhë River (the White Drin). A table containing all 18 fish species of Drini i Bardhë River, which were collected by the authors in the period between 2005 and 2007, is presented. The results from the two–year research period in Drini i Bardhë River show that the composition of fish fauna is very complex. In total, 457 individual fish of different taxa were caught or 164.9 kg of ichtyomass. In six selected sampling sites of the river, 18 taxa fish belonging to 6 families were found. Based on complex research we can conclude that the Drini i Bardhë River is an ecosystem with relatively favorable ecological conditions for the development of ichthyofauna.Ovaj članak sadržava podatke o ihtiofauni rijeke Bijeli Drim dobivene iz analize prikupljenih uzoraka ribljih vrsta i usporedbom s dostupnom literaturom. Sastav ihtiofaune rijeke Bijeli Drim obuhvaća 18 ribljih vrsta prikupljenih tijekom 2005. i 2007. godine. Rezultati dvogodišnjeg istraživanja u rijeci Bijeli Drim upućuju na vrlo složen sastav ihtiofaune te rijeke. Ukupno je ulovljeno 457 jedinki različitih vrsta riba koje čine ukupnu ihtiomasu od 164,9 kg. Na šest izabranih postaja istraživanja u uzdužnom profilu rijeke ustanovljeno je 18 ribljih vrsta koje pripadaju šesterim porodicama. Na osnovi iscrpnih razmatranja može se zaključiti da je rijeka Bijeli Drim ekosustav s relativno optimalnim ekološkim uvjetima, ali zbog izravnih negativnih raznih antropogenih utjecaja razvoj ihtiofaune u toj rijeci slabi

Early childhood teachers’ pedagogical assessment leadership practices and skills in Ghana

Abstracts in English, Afrikaans and Northern SothoAn effective pedagogical leader requires a variety of knowledge and skills for assessment leadership. This study aimed to determine how Ghanaian early childhood teachers perceive pedagogical and assessment leadership and how assessment literacy, technology, school culture, and gender influence pedagogical leadership in relation to classroom assessment and its associated challenges. The study employed a pragmatic philosophical perspective underpinned by Vygotsky’s socio-cultural theory in a distributed leadership orientation. The study utilised a concurrent triangulation design within the mixed-methods approach. It also employed a descriptive survey for the quantitative phase and a case study for the qualitative approach. The quantitative datasets were collected by administering a questionnaire to 700 randomly selected respondents. In addition, semi-structured interviews were undertaken with ten purposively selected participants for the qualitative approach. Descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, measurement model assessment, and structural equation modelling were used to analyse the quantitative data. Six significant themes of teachers’ pedagogical assessment leadership practices emerged from the qualitative thematic analysis after integrating both datasets as some convergence and divergence were discovered in the findings. The teachers accepted their roles as assessment and pedagogical leaders, assessors, and facilitators but have limited skills and knowledge. This unique scholarly finding led to the conceptualisation of pedagogical assessment leadership as the process of leading and teaching while collaboratively improving learning and assessment in the classroom and beyond. Male teachers were found to be more task-oriented and strict. In contrast, female teachers often relied on their lobbying skills to elicit support from their colleagues in classroom assessment practices. Lack of capacity and resources, resistance to change, frequent policy changes, and the fear of being perceived as all-knowing emerged as themes relating to the challenges teachers face as pedagogical assessment leaders. The results from the quantitative data also indicated that the teachers are literate in pedagogical leadership and assessment with an average score of M = 3.10 and SD = 0.74; M = 3.11 and SD = 0.76 respectively. Hypothesis testing revealed that teachers’ classroom assessment practices and literacy and technology use have a significant influence in relation to their pedagogical assessment leadership practices with (β = 0.510, p-value = 0.000) and (β = 0.089, p-value = 0.01) respectively, but not to that of the school culture which recorded insignificant positive influence of (β = 0.023, p-value = 0.514). Similarly, a significant influence was observed regarding teachers’ gender and their pedagogical assessment leadership practices with (β = 0.035, p-value = 0.306). The findings are discussed using literature on teachers’ leadership in pedagogy and classroom assessment practices in the early childhood setting. It is concluded that the teachers have limited pedagogical leadership skills in classroom assessment practices but felt a need to improve their practices. The study therefore identified a need for more training, communication, and encouragement to assist the teachers to attain the desired level of pedagogical assessment leadership skills and practices. The implications for educational policy formulation, research, practice, and teacher leadership development are also discussed.'n Doeltreffende pedagogiese leier moet oor ’n verskeidenheid kennis en vaardighede vir assesseringsleierskap beskik. Hierdie studie wil vasstel hoe Ghanese vroeekinderjareonderwysers pedagogiese en assesseringsleierskap beskou en hoe assesseringsgeletterdheid, tegnologie, skoolkultuur en geslag pedagogiese leierskap met betrekking tot klaskamerassessering en sy verwante uitdagings, beïnvloed. Die studie het ’n pragmaties-filosofiese perspektief gebruik wat deur Vygotsky se sosiokulturele teorie in ’n verspreide leierskaporientasie ondersteun word. Die studie het ’n samelopende triangulasie-ontwerp binne die gemengdemetodebenadering gebruik. Dit het ook ’n beskrywende ondersoek vir die kwantitatiewe fase en ’n gevallestudie vir die kwalitatiewe benadering gebruik. Die kwantitatiewe datastelle is ingesamel deur ’n vraelys aan 700 willekeuriggeselekteerde respondente te stuur. Vir die kwalitatiewe benadering is semigestruktureerde onderhoude bykomend onderneem met tien doelbewusgeselekteerde deelnemers. Beskrywende statistiek, verkenningsfaktorontleding, bevestigendefaktorontleding, metingsmodelassessering en strukturele gelykstellingsmodellering is gebruik om die kwantitatiewe data te ontleed. Ses betekenisvolle temas van onderwysers se pedagogiese assesseringsleierskappraktyke het uit die kwalitatiewe tematiese ontleding na vore gekom nadat beide datastelle geintegreer is en enkele konvergensie en divergensie in die bevindings opgespoor is. Die onderwysers het hulle rolle as assesserings- en pedagogiese leiers, assessore en fasiliteerders aanvaar, maar het oor beperkte vaardighede en kennis beskik. Hierdie unieke wetenskaplike bevinding het tot die konseptualisering van pedagogiese assesseringsleierskap gelei as die proses om te lei en te onderrig terwyl leer en assessering terselfdertyd in die klaskamer en verder verbeter word. Daar is bevind dat manlike onderwysers meer taakgeorienteerd en streng is. In teenstelling hiermee maak die vroulike onderwysers dikwels staat op hulle oortuigingsvaardighede om die ondersteuning van hulle kollegas in klaskamerassesseringspraktyke te kry. ’n Gebrek aan bevoegdheid en hulpbronne, teenstand teen verandering, gereelde beleidsveranderinge en ’n vrees om as alwetend gesien te word, het as temas wat met die uitdagings wat onderwysers as pedagogiese assesseringsleiers verband hou, na vore gekom. Die resultate van die kwantitatiewe data het ook aangetoon dat onderwysers geletterd is in pedagogiese leierskap en assessering met ’n gemiddelde puntetelling van onderskeidelik M = 3.10 en SD = 0.74; M = 3.11 en SD = 0.76. Hipotesetoetsing het aangetoon dat onderwysers se klaskamerassesseringspraktyke en geletterdheid en tegnologiegebruik ’n betekenisvolle invloed ten opsigte van hulle pedagogiese assesseringsleierskappraktyke het met onderskeidelik (β = 0.510, p-waarde = 0.000) en (β = 0.089, p-waarde = 0.01), maar nie ten opsigte van die skoolkultuur nie, wat ’n onbeduidende positiewe invloed van (β = 0.023, p-waarde = 0.514) getoon het. Op soortgelyke wyse is ’n betekenisvolle invloed waargeneem wat betref die onderwysers se geslag en hulle pedagogiese assesseringsleierskappraktyke met (β = 0.035, p-waarde = 0.306). Die bevindings word met behulp van literatuur oor onderwysers se leierskap in pedagogie en klaskamerassesseringspraktyke in die vroeekinderjare-omgewing bespreek. Die gevolgtrekking word gemaak dat die onderwysers beperkte pedagogieseleierskapsvaardighede in klaskamerassesseringspraktyke het, maar dat hulle die behoefte het om hulle praktyke te verbeter. Die studie het dus ’n behoefte aan verdere opleiding, kommunikasie en aanmoediging om die onderwysers te help om die verlangde vlak van pedagogiese assesseringsleierskapsvaardighede en -praktyke te bereik, geidentifiseer. Die implikasies vir opvoedkundige beleidsformulering, navorsing, praktyk en onderwyserleierskapontwikkeling word ook bespreek.Moeteledipele yo o nonofileng mo mekgwathutong o tlhoka kitso le dikgono tse di farologaneng tsa go etelela pele tlhatlhobo ka tirisano le ba bangwe. Thutopatlisiso eno e ikaelela go tlhomamisa tsela e barutabana ba thuto ya go sale gale ba kwa Ghana ba bonang ka teng boeletedipele mo mokgweng o ba rutang ka one le go dira tlhatlhobo le gore kitso ya go diragatsa tlhatlhobo, thekenoloji, mokgwatsamaiso wa sekolo, le bong di tlhotlheletsa jang boeteledipele mo mokgwathutong malebana le tlhatlhobo ya mo phaposiborutelong le dikgwetlho tse di amanang le yone. Thutopatlisiso e dirisitse ntlhatebo ya filosofi ya tharabololo ya mathata mo maemong a a rileng e e tshegediwang ke tiori ya ga Vygotsky ya loago le setso mo mokgweng o o anameng wa boeteledipele. Thutopatlisiso e dirisitse mokgwa wa go kgobokanya deitha e e seng ka ga dipalo le deitha e e ka ga dipalo mo molebong wa mekgwa e e tswakantsweng. Gape e dirisitse patlisiso e e tlhalosang dipalopalo mo legatong la tshekatsheko ya deitha ya dipalo le tshekatsheko le patlisiso e e tseneletseng e e dirwang mo maemong a mmatota ya kgobokanyo le tshekatsheko ya deitha e e seng ka ga dipalo. Dideithasete tse di ka ga dipalo di kgobokantswe ka go neela lenaane la dipotso go baarabi ba le 700 ba ba tlhophilweng kwa ntle ga thulaganyo epe. Mo godimo ga moo, go dirilwe dipotsolotso tse go bodiwang dipotso tse di se nang dikarabo tse di rileng, mo batsayakarolong ba le lesome ba ba tlhophilweng ka maikaelelo mo kgobokanyong le tshekatsheko ya deitha e e seng ka ga dipalo. Go dirisitswe mekgwa ya go sobokanya le go tlhalosa dipalopalo, tshekatsheko e e utololang dintlha tsa botlhokwa, tshekatsheko e e tlhomamisang nepagalo ya kamano ya deitha, tlhatlhobo ya sekao sa tekanyetso, le mokgwa wa go lekanyetsa le go sekaseka kamano ya deitha go sekaseka deitha e e ka ga dipalo. Go tlhageletse dintlha di le thataro tsa botlhokwa tsa mekgwatiriso ya boeteledipele jwa tlhatlhobo ya thuto jwa barutabana go tswa mo tshekatshekong e e sekasekang le go tlhalosa deitha e e seng ka ga dipalo morago ga go kopanya dideithasete ka bobedi gonne go lemogilwe kopano le katogano go se kae mo diphitlhelelong. Barutabana ba amogetse ditiro tsa bone jaaka baeteledipele ba tlhatlhobo le mokgwathuto, batlhatlhobi, le bafatlhosi mme fela ba na le dikgono le kitso e e lekanyeditsweng. Phitlhelelo eno e e kgethegileng ya thuto e dirile gore go nne le ditlhaloso tsa dikakanyokgolo tsa boeteledipele jwa tlhatlhobo ya thuto jaaka tirego ya go etelela pele le go ruta ka go dirisana mmogo le ba bangwe go tokafatsa go ithuta le tlhatlhobo mo phaposiborutelong le kwa ntle. Go fitlhetswe fa barutabana ba banna ba tsepamisa thata mo go fitlheleleng maikaelelo a tiro e bile ba latela melao ka tsela e e gagametseng. Ka tsela e e farologaneng, barutabana ba basadi bone gantsi ba ne ba ikaegile ka dikgono tsa bone tsa go tlhotlheletsa badirammogo ba bone go bona tshegetso mo go bone ka mekgwatiriso ya tlhatlhobo ya mo phaposiborutelong. Tlhaelo ya bokgoni le ditlamelo, go gana phetogo, go fetolwa gangwe le gape ga pholisi, le poifo ya go bonwa jaaka maitsegotlhe di tlhageletse jaaka dintlha tse di amanang le dikgwetlho tse barutabana ba lebaneng natso jaaka baeteledipele ba tlhatlhobo ya thuto. Dipholo go tswa mo deitheng e e ka lekanyediwang ka dipalo le tsone di kaile gore barutabana ba na le kitso ya boeteledipele le tlhatlhobobo ya thuto ka maduo a palogare ya M = 3.10 le SD = 0.74; M = 3.11 le SD = 0.76 ka go latelana. Teko le papiso ya tshitsinyo e bontshitse gore mekgwatiriso ya tlhatlhobo mo diphaposiborutelong tsa barutabana le kitso ya go kwala le go buisa, le tiriso ya thekenoloji di na le tlhotlheletso e kgolo malebana le mekgwatiriso ya bone ya boeteledipele mo tlhatlhobong ya thuto ka (β = 0.510, p-value = 0.000) le (β = 0.089, p-value = 0.01) ka go latelana, mme e seng mo mokgwatsamaisong wa sekolo o o rekotileng tlhotlheletso e e siameng mme e se botlhokwa ya (β = 0.023, p-value = 0.514). Fela jalo, go bonwe tlhotlheletso e kgolo malebana le bong jwa barutabana le mekgwatiriso ya bone ya boeteledipele mo tlhatlhobong ya thuto ka (β = 0.035, p-value = 0.306). Go sekasekilwe diphitlhelelo ka go dirisa dikwalwa tse di ka ga boeteledipele jwa barutabana mo mekgwatirisong ya tlhatlhobo ya mo phaposiborutelong le mokgwathuto mo maemong a thuto ya go sale gale. Go nnile le tshwetso ya gore barutabana ba na le dikgono tse di lekanyeditsweng tsa boeteledipele jwa mokgwa wa go ruta mo mekgwatirisong ya tlhatlhobo ya mo phaposiborutelong mme go tsewa gore go na le tlhokego ya go tokafatsa mekgwatiriso ya bone. Ka jalo, thutopatlisiso e lemogile tlhokego ya katiso e ntsi, tlhaeletsano, le thotloetso go thusa barutabana go fitlhelela maemo a a eletsegang a dikgono le mekgwatiriso ya tlhatlhobo ya thuto. Go sekasekwa gape le dipoelo tsa tlhamo ya pholisi ya thuto, tlhotlhomiso, tiriso, le tokafatso ya boeteledipele jwa barutabana.Early Childhood EducationD. Phil. (Education (Early Childhood Development)

Diabetic foot disease in north central Nigeria: A hospital-based study

Background: Diabetic foot disease contributes significantly to the morbidity and mortality of patients with diabetes mellitus. The patients have a high risk of  amputation. This 173 study aimed to evaluate the pattern of diabetic foot disease in Benue State University Teaching Hospital, Makurdi (BSUTH).Methods:  A retrospective study of diabetic foot disease patients who presented to BSUTH from July 2012 to October 2016. Socio-demographic and clinical  characteristics were extracted from hospital records and analyzed with SPSS version 21.0 (Armonk, NY: IBM Corp.) .Results: A total of 77 patients with diabetic foot disease were studied. There were 39 males (50.6%) and 38 females (49.4%). Their ages ranged from 26 to 75 years with a mean of 54±11. The modal age group was 55-64 years. Twenty six percent (n=20) of study subjects had no formal education. Twenty patients (31.2%) claimed to have regular follow up in clinic while 12 (15.6%) were diagnosed diabetic while being investigated for a foot lesion. Out of the 68 foot lesions treated, 45 (66.2%) were treated surgically while the rest had wound dressings and antibiotics. Major amputation accounted for 38.2% of treatment form offered. Use of ill-fitting shoes was the most common antecedent contributory factor (n=30, 30.6%) for  development of diabetic foot disease. Mortality was significantly related to Wagner's grade ≥ 3 (P = 0.0271).Conclusion: Diabetic foot disease constitutes a major source of morbidity and  mortality among patients with diabetes mellitus in BSUTH.Most patients presented late with advanced disease. Public enlightenment on foot care in high-risk diabetics may aid early detection.Keywords: Diabetic foot disease, diabetic ulcers, pattern, presentation, Nigeria

IHTIOFAUNA RIJEKE BIJELI DRIM (KOSOVO)

This paper presents data obtained from literature and by sampling of the fish fauna in the Drini i Bardhë River (the White Drin). A table containing all 18 fish species of Drini i Bardhë River, which were collected by the authors in the period between 2005 and 2007, is presented. The results from the two–year research period in Drini i Bardhë River show that the composition of fish fauna is very complex. In total, 457 individual fish of different taxa were caught or 164.9 kg of ichtyomass. In six selected sampling sites of the river, 18 taxa fish belonging to 6 families were found. Based on complex research we can conclude that the Drini i Bardhë River is an ecosystem with relatively favorable ecological conditions for the development of ichthyofauna.Ovaj članak sadržava podatke o ihtiofauni rijeke Bijeli Drim dobivene iz analize prikupljenih uzoraka ribljih vrsta i usporedbom s dostupnom literaturom. Sastav ihtiofaune rijeke Bijeli Drim obuhvaća 18 ribljih vrsta prikupljenih tijekom 2005. i 2007. godine. Rezultati dvogodišnjeg istraživanja u rijeci Bijeli Drim upućuju na vrlo složen sastav ihtiofaune te rijeke. Ukupno je ulovljeno 457 jedinki različitih vrsta riba koje čine ukupnu ihtiomasu od 164,9 kg. Na šest izabranih postaja istraživanja u uzdužnom profilu rijeke ustanovljeno je 18 ribljih vrsta koje pripadaju šesterim porodicama. Na osnovi iscrpnih razmatranja može se zaključiti da je rijeka Bijeli Drim ekosustav s relativno optimalnim ekološkim uvjetima, ali zbog izravnih negativnih raznih antropogenih utjecaja razvoj ihtiofaune u toj rijeci slabi

THE ICHTHYOFAUNA OF DRINI I BARDHË RIVER (KOSOVO)

This paper presents data obtained from literature and by sampling of the fish fauna in the Drini i Bardhë River (the White Drin). A table containing all 18 fish species of Drini i Bardhë River, which were collected by the authors in the period between 2005 and 2007, is presented. The results from the two–year research period in Drini i Bardhë River show that the composition of fish fauna is very complex. In total, 457 individual fish of different taxa were caught or 164.9 kg of ichtyomass. In six select%ed sampling sites of the river, 18 taxa fish belonging to 6 families were found. Based on complex research we can conclude that the Drini i Bardhë River is an ecosystem with relatively favorable ecological conditions for the development of ichthyofauna

SPECIFIC CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SHIP AND PORT SERVICES AS ASPECTS OF MARITIME MANAGEMENT

Abstract: Several ship and port services have been considered, along with their specific characteristics and in the context of their place and role in the entire maritime transport management. A general analysis has been conducted and classification of services of the maritime transport has been done. The specific components and features of the functioning of enterprises of maritime transport services and management of their respective departments and transport stages of sea shipping have been described. tain specific tasks in the logistics customer service in marine transportation has been given. Some features of the production and service management in seaports have been identified and discussed. A detailed analysis has been provided in terms of modern logistical approaches to customer service of freight transport service in general and marine cargo transport services, in particular. The major starting point hypothesis has been confirmed that the quality of services plays a dominant role in the competitive transport environment. The results for a particular seaport and maritime transportation organisations have been determined by the quality of services. In the context of rapid and continuous development of the service sector and its growing contribution to the gross domestic product, the consideration of the ship and maritime transport services is very important, especially for the maritime coastal countries, because they generate extraordinary possibilities for increasing employment, raising competitiveness and the economy of countries and development of their territories. In addition, quality maritime and port services make part of the modern transnational logistic network