Assessment of the education of deaf students in the integrated primary schools of Amhara national regional state : practices, opportunities and challenges

The purpose of this study was to assess the educational practices, opportunities and challenges of deaf learners in Amhara National Regional State Integrated Primary Schools. Both qualitative and quantitative research approaches and descriptive research design have been used to accomplish this purpose. The samples of this study were deaf learners, teachers of deaf learners, and principals from ten (10) Integrated Primary Schools in the research area. From 343 deaf learners in Grades 5–8, only 170 (50%) of them were selected through simple random sampling technique. Of the 110 teachers of deaf learners, 55 (50%) of them were selected using probability sampling method of simple random sampling technique and from the 10 Integrated Primary Schools, 10 principals were selected using the non-probability sampling technique of the purposeful sampling method. The data was gathered by means of observation, interview and questionnaire. Deaf learners, their teachers in the classroom and the school compound of the Integrated Primary Schools were observed. Deaf learners, teachers of deaf learners and school principals were interviewed, and questionnaire was also administered to deaf learners and their teachers. The result indicated that the overall school environments of the Integrated Primary Schools are not conducive for deaf learners. In the classrooms, oral communication is used as a means of instruction and to exchange ideas among deaf learners, teachers and learners without hearing impairment that did not help deaf learners to be socially integrated. In the teaching-learning process, deaf learners’ classroom participation was poor, and their overall achievement is found to be less than learners without hearing impairment. Besides, in the Integrated Primary Schools, teacher’s inability of sign-language, shortage of teaching materials and resources, absence of different types of teaching and assessment methodologies were the major challenges faced by deaf learners. The opportunities that deaf learners receiving were monthly pocket money and school uniform from the Integrated Primary Schools. The Integrated Primary Schools need to design policies, strategies and mechanisms that solve and/or minimize the educational challenges of deaf learners and on how to maximize the integration of learners with and without hearing disabilities, teachers and the school community in general to achieve better in the education system.Inclusive EducationPh. D. (Inclusive Education

Determinants of time to first marriage and birth intervals among women of child bearing age in Dabat Health and demographic surveillance system site, Northwest Ethiopia.

BackgroundEvent histories such as marriage and birth have been used to study fertility behavior of women. Understanding the timing of these events provide insight to reproductive patterns of the population. Thus, the aim of this study was to assess the timing of marriage and durations of birth intervals and their associated factors, and and to examine their effects on the current fertility among women in Dabat health and demographic surveillance system site, Northwest Ethiopia.MethodsA community based cross-sectional survey was carried out in the beginning of 2020 among 1649 women of reproductive age group. Data were collected using structured and interviewer administered questionnaire. The parametric survival analysis was employed to estimate the relationships among socioeconomic and demographic variables with outcome variables, the timing of age at first marriage and duration of birth intervals.ResultsThis study confirmed that median age at first marriage was the lowest estimated at 15 years which was below the national and regional average. The result of the study also revealed that married women waited almost a median duration of three years for their first, second, third and fourth child which was increased to nearly four years for three years preceding the survey. The parametric survival analysis showed woman's education, occupation, and current age were the predictors of age at first marriage. divorce experience, women empowerment and marriage cohort were the determinant factors of first birth interval; women education, child death, and ideal number of children were the predictors of second and third birth intervals; and media exposure and child death experience of women were predictors of fourth birth interval.ConclusionThe study indicated that median age at first marriage was the lowest though the successive birth intervals were longer. The survival analysis identified women's education, occupation, child death and ideal number of children affected the timing of age at first marriage and duration of birth intervals. Hence, encouraging women for higher education and giving opportunity to women in employments may contribute for delaying age at first marriage and increasing the duration of birth intervals which in turn slowing down the fertility of women