Interrogating the Dropout Phenomenon with Reference to Five High Schools in Bikita District of Masvingo Province: Zimbabwe

This study was carried out when a myriad of problems were vexing the Zimbabwean education sector, amongst them the dropout phenomenon. The dropout problem appeared to transcend all levels of the education system. The study then, was premised on the quest to determine the demographic characteristics of 2017 ordinary level student dropouts, with focus on five high schools. Second and most importantly, the study sought to examine the factors underlying the high incidence of dropouts in the selected high schools. Also at the centre of this investigation was the need to expose dropout trends by gender. The study was conducted within the framework of the descriptive survey research design. A multiple dimension questionnaire (MDQ) was developed and used to elicit the required data. On the basis of the major findings of the study and subsequent conclusions, recommendations were enunciated. Recommendations pronounced embraced a matrix of interventions and mitigation measures to control and arrest the incidence of dropouts among ordinary level students in Bikita  District’s high schools in Zimbabwe. Keywords: dropout, ordinary level, education sector, high school, interventions. Acronyms BEAM- basic education assistance module DPR- dropout prevalence rate EFA- education for all G & C- guidance and counselling MDQ- multiple dimension questionnaire SPS- school psychological services OVCs- orphans and other vulnerable children

Multilevel Assessment of the Predictive Validity of Teacher Made Tests in the Zimbabwean Primary Education Sector

The principal focus of this study was to undertake a multilevel assessment of the predictive validity of teacher made tests in the Zimbabwean primary education sector. A correlational research design was adopted for the study, mainly to allow for statistical treatment of data and subsequent classical hypotheses testing using the spearman’s rho. The variables that provided the bedrock for the study were aggregate test scores for pupils’ performance in: Midyear tests and End of year tests, in 2016. The four null hypotheses that underpinned the study were tested on the basis of correlation coefficients computed using test scores generated through the aforementioned tests. After subjecting the hypotheses to the court of empirical evidence, through significance testing, some depictable results emerged. The major finding was that homogeneous results were observed, as all the four null hypotheses upon which the study was based were rejected. The major finding attested to the conclusion that teacher made tests in the Zimbabwean primary education sector were valid for prediction purposes. The study also observed that if tests being appraised were found to be valid, then the same tests were also reliable. In the light of the foregoing, recommendations on the broad applications of teacher made tests in educational programming were promulgated Keywords: Predictive validity, Multilevel Assessment, Predictor, Predicand, Criterion, Null Hypothesis, Significance Testing, Educational Programming

Factors influencing first year pre-service teachers’ acceptance and use of a synchronous collaborative online application

Abstract : Technological tools and online platforms seems to be developing swiftly in the 21st century. For example, online applications are being created, developed and designed. Furthermore, learning technologies, new and emerging are repeatedly disconnecting and disrupting the teaching and learning discourse. As such, students’ acceptance and use of technologies introduced in the academic learning ecosystems is of great importance as this helps to determine their successful use. Through the utilisation of Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 (UTAUT2) this research seeks to identify factors influencing first year preservice teachers’ acceptance and use of the VIA application (VIA app) as a synchronous collaborative online application. An online questionnaire was employed to gather data from the XZ Institute for Higher Education (XZ) preservice teachers in this research. The questionnaire tested six of the UTAUT2 constructs to determine acceptance using a 5-point Likert scale. The constructs performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions, hedonic motivation and habit were used. Price value as a construct was excluded partly because technological devices such as laptops or tablets are the facilitating means to the solution of acceptance of the VIA app, and free Wi-Fi coverage is available at all of the campuses. Data was processed through the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS version 25). Furthermore, the justification for the use of Mann Whitney U test and Kruskal–Wallis H test was explored in this study. Factors that influence the acceptance and use of a VIA app as a synchronous collaborative online application of first year undergraduate pre-service teachers at XZ were explored. Analysis shows that performance expectancy significantly influences the use and acceptance of VIA app. In addition, findings suggest that effort expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions, hedonic motivation and habit partially satisfies the influence towards the use of VIA amongst the respondents in this study. For this reason, it can be established that the UTAUT2 is a relevant instrument as far as the conceptualisation and identification of vi factors which influence the use of technological tools such as the VIA app. It also seems reasonable to conclude from the analysis of findings that gender is a significant determinant that contributes to influence the use and acceptance of pre-service teachers towards the synchronous and collaborative VIA app.M.Ed. (Educational Psychology

Assessment of smallholder irrigation perfomance; management of conveyance and distribution infrastructure (at Murara and Nyamatanda North East Zimbabwe)

A JASSA assessment of factors leading to poor performance of irrigation agriculture by small-holder farmers in rural Zimbabwe.A study was carried out on two smallholder surface irrigation schemes; Murara in Mutoko District and Nyamatanda in Mudzi District, north east Zimbabwe, between 1999 and 2001. The objective was to investigate possible causes of poor performance, emphasis on water management along the conveyance and distribution infrastructure. The methodologies used included a socio-economic survey questionnaire, an inventory of the existing infrastructure and assessment of its hydraulic suitability, monitoring of the irrigation process and practices, and calibrating the infrastructure for easy use by the farmers. Results showed that the farmers have an appreciation of the irrigation process and the flow in the canals was adequate for irrigation with water duty of at least 8.2 l/s/ha in an eight hour day, for both irrigation schemes against a demand of two l/s/ha. Between the two schemes an average of 60 percent of the canal slopes are outside the recommended 1:300 to 1:2 000 limits that seriously affects water management. It was also observed that both irrigation schemes have distribution and regulation structures that lack water-measuring mechanisms and the water control mechanism is poorly defined, resulting in poor water management. Evidence of poor water management was observed in poor crop yields, use of lost water for fish farming at Murara Irrigation Scheme and loss of about two ha of irrigated fields at Nyamatanda Irrigation Scheme due to waterlogging. Our general recommendations are to rehabilitate the irrigation infrastructure that does not meet design specifications, improve on water management through proper use, repair and maintenance of the infrastructure and generally to educate the farmers to take responsibility for their schemes

Pre-service teacher’s acceptance and use of a synchronous and collaborative online tool to support teaching and learning at a private higher educational institute

New and emerging technologies continue to disrupt the teaching and learning processes and these new innovations are not always easily accepted. In this study, the researchers employed Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 (UTAUT2) in order to identify the factors that influencing the use and acceptance of a digital emerging technology called the VIA App at a private higher education institution in South Africa. VIA App is a wireless presentation and synchronous collaboration application affording multiple users access to shared content that can be review a quantitative descriptive approach wed and amended in real-time during the learning process. This qualitative study made use of a questionnaire to teste six of the UTAUT2 constructs to determine acceptance using a 5-point Likert scale. Results indicate constructs such as performance expectancy significantly influence the use and acceptance of VIA app. In addition, findings suggest that effort expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions, hedonic motivation and habit partially influence the use of the VIA App during teaching and learning. Pre-service teachers’ gender was also found to be significant determinant to the overall acceptance and use of the synchronous and collaborative VIA App.Institute for Science and Technology Education (ISTE

The impact of microfinance on the sustainability of ‘poor’ clients: a conceptual review

Debates on the impact of microfinance on alleviation of poverty have revolved around two contrasting approaches that advocate sustainable lending and subsidised lending, respectively. This conceptual paper presents literature reviews on sustainable lending and the subsidised lending approaches, and their impact on the sustainability of ‘poor’ clients. Literature reviews highlighted that the sustainable lending paradigm mainly focuses on serving the ‘active poor’ clients, whilst the subsidised lending approach focuses on serving ‘extremely poor’ clients, respectively. ‘Active poor’ clients are regarded as those who have marketable skills and/or control over earning assets and are considered creditworthy borrowers. In contrast, ‘extremely poor’ clients have neither marketable skills nor earning assets. Smallholder farmers were used as a proxy for extremely poor clients conceptualising the notion of sustainability. A conceptual framework was developed to identify the nature of the relationship amongst constructs, informing the relationship between microfinance and poor clients (smallholder farmers). The conceptual framework has been undertaken for a study on the impact of sustainable lending approaches on smallholder farming sustainability in rural Zimbabwe

Essays on the Impact of Development on Agricultural Land Amenities and Values in Texas

Market land prices ignore the non-market value of ecosystem goods and services; hence, too much agricultural land may be developed. Correct land valuation must include these non-market values. Values of ecosystem services provided by the Richland-Chambers constructed wetlands are assessed through meta-analysis to derive confidence intervals for the willingness-to-pay (WTP) for wetland services. Replacement costs are also used to estimate cost savings of creating wetlands to cleanse river water instead of constructing a conventional wastewater treatment facility. Benefit transfer is used to estimate WTP for non-market agricultural land amenities. Ecosystem services of runoff in the western and recharge in the eastern part of Comal County based on hydrological models are also calculated. Finally, seemingly unrelated regression is used to quantify the effects of growth on current agricultural land values in Texas. Using two different meta-analysis transfer functions, mean WTP for the Richland-Chambers wetlands are $843 and$999 / acre / year. Estimated 95% confidence interval is $95 to$7,435 / acre / year. This confidence interval clearly indicates the uncertainty associated with valuing ecosystem goods and services. The replacement cost of the Richland?Chambers constructed wetlands is estimated to be $1,688 / acre / year. Aggregate WTP to preserve farm and ranchland non-market amenities in Comal County is estimated to be$1,566 / acre. Using hydrologic models, the runoff is valued at $79 / acre, whereas, recharge value is$1,107 / acre. Development will cause a change in recharge, runoff, and pollution which will decrease societal welfare by $1,288 / acre. Seemingly unrelated regression results show that a percentage increase in population growth in the closest metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is associated with increases in land values of approximately$2 / acre. A one-mile increase in distance from the nearest MSA decreased land values by $4 / acre in 1997,$6 / acre in 2002, and $8 / acre in 2007. The diversity of studies illustrates that a cookbook type of methodology is not appropriate for valuing ecosystem goods and services. On the other hand, development contributes positively to land values through encroachment on agricultural lands

A Purview of the Gacaca Courts of Rwanda from the Teleological and Deontological Perspectives of Ethics and Peace Building

This paper attempts to give a synopsis of the historical background of Rwanda before the 1994 genocide. As an aid to analysis an exposition of two sets of ethical theories is presented, namely Teleology and Deontology, as a prelude to the historical background. The two theoretical perspectives provide a framework for assessing the moral implications of actions of all those involved before, during and after of the genocide. As the discourse unfolds, the paper delves into the events that constituted the genocide itself. In this connection real episodes of how more than 800 000 people lost their lives are chronicled. The paper also highlights the conceptual and legal foundations of the Gacaca courts. Against this background the discussion proffers the role of the Gacaca courts of Rwanda in the peace building process in the post genocide era. However, limitations of the Gacaca courts of Rwanda as a quasi-judicial system are also examined. On the basis of insights gleaned from both the model of the Gacaca courts of Rwanda as well as the teleological and deontological theoretical frameworks conclusions and recommendations are showcased. Though the recommendations are generally and universally applicable in ensuring sustainable peace in a variety of circumstances, they are more amenable to peace building efforts in post conflict states. Key Words: Teleology, Deontology, peace building, post conflict state, ethical theory, genocide, conflict resolution, Rwanda and Gacaca court

Opportunities and Challenges of Regionalism: Zimbabwe in the Comesa Customs Union

A case study of Zimbabwe in the COMESA customs union is given to analyse the opportunities and challenges countries may face from different Regional Integration Agreements (RIA). The tools that are used to assess the costs and benefits of the COMESA customs union are applicable to any regional trade agreement; therefore, many countries who want to evaluate their membership gains and losses from various regional groups may find this study very useful. Keywords: Regionalism, Opportunities, Challenges Custom Union, Economic Communities

The influence of demographic variables on customers' expectations in restaurants in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa

The restaurant industry in South Africa is undergoing a period of anaemic growth due to the after effects of the 2009 global economic recession. Despite lowering their prices and spending marketing funds on promotions, restaurants seem to be finding great difficulty in meeting customers’ expectations.The purpose of the study was to determine the influence of demographic variables on customers’ expectations in restaurants. The research sample included in the study entailed relevant data that were collected from 400 customers of the eight selected formal full-service restaurants. Descriptive statistical analysis, analysis of variance and t-tests were performed to reach the objectives of the study. The findings show that on a 5 point Likert scale, respondents’ mean expectation scores varied between 3.69 and 4.25. Expectations of customers for food and beverages and service were influenced by their gender, age, monthly income and level of education. However, these demographic variables did not have an influence on the ambience expectations. The only demographic variable that did not influence customers’ expectations was home language. None of the demographic variables had an influence on the ambience expectations of customers. From a managerial perspective, it is important for restaurateurs to focus on customers’ gender, age, monthly income and level of education to meet and/or exceed customer expectations and gain a competitive advantage over other restaurant categories. The contribution of this article is unique in that, for the first time, the influences of demographic variables on customers’ expectations are investigated from the context of restaurants