A Preliminary Survey Of Marital Adjustment Among Zimbabwe Open University Students

A ZJER survey.This study sought to establish the level of marital adjustment among 198 students (135 male and 63 female) of the Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU) at the Manicaland and the Masvingo regional campuses. These students were on the B.Sc. Counselling, B.Sc. Psychology and B.Sc. Special Education programmes. The adapted Locke’s Marital Adjustment Test (LMAT) was administered to collect data. The results showed that the bulk of the ZOU students were perfectly happy and only a small percentage was outright unhappy in their marriages. The former would remarry the same partner if thy were given a second-chance, while a high percentage of the latter would marry a different partner. The respondents in unhappy marriages predicted divorce, but those in happy marriages did not. Even those unhappy in their present marriages wished to remarry again if given a second chance, although, understandably, they would wish to marry different partners from those thy presently live with. Recommendations on overcoming marital maladjustment were given, and these are given as suggestions for comprehensive research studies in the area

School Counsellors’ Perceptions Of Headmasters’ Attitudes Towards Guidance And Counselling In Zimbabwe Secondary Schools

The study sought to find out school counsellors’ perceptions of headmasters’ attitudes towards the guidance and counselling programme in Zimbabwe Secondary schools. Two hundred and six (N=206) school counsellors participated in the study. A questionnaire was developed to collect the data. The SPSS 7.5 version was used to analyze the data. A t-test for independent samples was used. The results revealed that headmasters were perceived as having negative attitudes towards the guidance and counselling programme. There was no significant difference between male and female counsellors’ perceptions of headmasters’ attitudes towards the guidance and counselling programme. Recommendations for improving headmasters’attitudes were made

Teaching practice generated stressors and coping mechanisms among student teachers in Zimbabwe

We sought to establish stressors and coping mechanisms for student teachers on Teaching Practice from a Christian-related university and a government-owned teachers' college in Zimbabwe. The sample was made up of 77 participants (38 females, 39 males). Thirty-two participants were from the university and 45 were from the teachers' college. A questionnaire and an interview schedule were used to collect data. Frequencies and percentages were used in quantitative data analysis while qualitative data were thematically analysed. The main stressors revealed were problems with difficult learners, low allowances, heavy workload, and shortage of teaching and learning aids and, to some extent, supervision-related matters and the effect of the protracted industrial action by serving teachers that overlapped with the Teaching Practice period in the study. Most coping strategies were in the form of social-support networks, particularly interactions with family and friends. Student teachers suggested a number of actions to be taken to reduce the related stress. Recommendations are made

Supporting Adolescent Orphan Girls to Stay in School as HIV Risk Prevention: Evidence From a Randomized Controlled Trial in Zimbabwe

Objectives. Using a randomized controlled trial in rural eastern Zimbabwe, we tested whether comprehensive support to keep orphan adolescent girls in school could reduce HIV risk

Independent and combined effects of improved water, sanitation, and hygiene, and improved complementary feeding, on child stunting and anaemia in rural Zimbabwe: a cluster-randomised trial.

BACKGROUND: Child stunting reduces survival and impairs neurodevelopment. We tested the independent and combined effects of improved water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), and improved infant and young child feeding (IYCF) on stunting and anaemia in in Zimbabwe. METHODS: We did a cluster-randomised, community-based, 2 × 2 factorial trial in two rural districts in Zimbabwe. Clusters were defined as the catchment area of between one and four village health workers employed by the Zimbabwe Ministry of Health and Child Care. Women were eligible for inclusion if they permanently lived in clusters and were confirmed pregnant. Clusters were randomly assigned (1:1:1:1) to standard of care (52 clusters), IYCF (20 g of a small-quantity lipid-based nutrient supplement per day from age 6 to 18 months plus complementary feeding counselling; 53 clusters), WASH (construction of a ventilated improved pit latrine, provision of two handwashing stations, liquid soap, chlorine, and play space plus hygiene counselling; 53 clusters), or IYCF plus WASH (53 clusters). A constrained randomisation technique was used to achieve balance across the groups for 14 variables related to geography, demography, water access, and community-level sanitation coverage. Masking of participants and fieldworkers was not possible. The primary outcomes were infant length-for-age Z score and haemoglobin concentrations at 18 months of age among children born to mothers who were HIV negative during pregnancy. These outcomes were analysed in the intention-to-treat population. We estimated the effects of the interventions by comparing the two IYCF groups with the two non-IYCF groups and the two WASH groups with the two non-WASH groups, except for outcomes that had an important statistical interaction between the interventions. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01824940. FINDINGS: Between Nov 22, 2012, and March 27, 2015, 5280 pregnant women were enrolled from 211 clusters. 3686 children born to HIV-negative mothers were assessed at age 18 months (884 in the standard of care group from 52 clusters, 893 in the IYCF group from 53 clusters, 918 in the WASH group from 53 clusters, and 991 in the IYCF plus WASH group from 51 clusters). In the IYCF intervention groups, the mean length-for-age Z score was 0·16 (95% CI 0·08-0·23) higher and the mean haemoglobin concentration was 2·03 g/L (1·28-2·79) higher than those in the non-IYCF intervention groups. The IYCF intervention reduced the number of stunted children from 620 (35%) of 1792 to 514 (27%) of 1879, and the number of children with anaemia from 245 (13·9%) of 1759 to 193 (10·5%) of 1845. The WASH intervention had no effect on either primary outcome. Neither intervention reduced the prevalence of diarrhoea at 12 or 18 months. No trial-related serious adverse events, and only three trial-related adverse events, were reported. INTERPRETATION: Household-level elementary WASH interventions implemented in rural areas in low-income countries are unlikely to reduce stunting or anaemia and might not reduce diarrhoea. Implementation of these WASH interventions in combination with IYCF interventions is unlikely to reduce stunting or anaemia more than implementation of IYCF alone. FUNDING: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, UK Department for International Development, Wellcome Trust, Swiss Development Cooperation, UNICEF, and US National Institutes of Health.The SHINE trial is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (OPP1021542 and OPP113707); UK Department for International Development; Wellcome Trust, UK (093768/Z/10/Z, 108065/Z/15/Z and 203905/Z/16/Z); Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation; US National Institutes of Health (2R01HD060338-06); and UNICEF (PCA-2017-0002)

Career Perceptions and Visions of Boys and Girls in Secondary Schools in Zimbabwe: Some Implications for Teachers and Parents

The study investigated the career perceptions and visions of boys and girls in secondary schools. Subjects (N=120) were students enrolled in Forms 1 to 6 who were drawn from secondary schools in Manicaland and Masvingo educational regions. An open-ended questionnaire was used to generate data. The Pearson Product Moment Correlation (r) was used to analyse the data. Results showed that both boys and girls had similar perceptions about male and female jobs. It was also indicated that relatives were the chief influences in career choice among boys and girls. Male students had higher educational aspirations than females. The study recommended the education of relatives especially parents on careers so as to avoid negative influences on career choice. A vigorous offering of guidance and counseling in secondary schools was also recommended

Sources of Stress and Coping Mechanisms among Under-Twenty High School Athletes: A Study Conducted at the Zimbabwe National Youth Games (Znyg) Manicaland 2013 Chapter

ABSTRAC

Sources And Levels Of Stress Among Teachers In Zimbabwe

A ZBTE article on stress inducing environments for teaching personnel.The study sought to establish levels of stress among teachers, what stresses Zimbabwean teachers and how these teachers cope with the stress. Subjects (N-165) were teachers drawn from Masvingo and Manicaland Educational Provinces. A questionnaire was used to collect data. A t-test for independent samples was used to analyse the data. The results showed that teachers have moderate stress levels. The results showed that there is no significant difference in stress levels between male and female teachers and between graduate and non-graduate teachers in Zimbabwe. It also emerged that teachers are stressed by heavy teaching loads, low salaries, student indiscipline and poor working environments. The teachers also indicated that they use more than one strategy to reduce stress. Recommendations on coping with stress were made

A Preliminary Survey of Marital Adjustment among Zimbabwe Open University Students

No Abstract Available Zimbabwe Journal of Educational Research Vol.15(3) 2003: 161-17