Inclusion and Autism in Primary Education - An Exploratory Interventtion of the Preparation of Beginner Teachers in England

This exploratory intervention in the preparation of beginner teachers in England examines the effectiveness of a bespoke, ten-week training intervention that combined theoretical understanding of autism with hands-on practical experience in a special resource provision (SRP) for autism. The action research study also explores the perceptions of autism and attitudes towards autistic pupils of beginner teachers in two mainstream primary schools in England. This study focuses on how beginner teachers might be better equipped for inclusive practice. This research uses semi-structured interviews to collect data and takes an exploratory and inductive approach. The research design employs the social constructivist philosophy pioneered by Vygotsky (1978) and is rooted in collaboration and interaction, where knowledge is constructed between the parties involved. The data is interpreted through the lens of constructivist grounded theory (Charmaz, 2006). The training intervention involves eight beginner teachers, engaged in action research over ten weeks, working collaboratively, in pairs and small groups, during dedicated learning times. A reflection pause after the first five weeks of theory training allows for adjustments based on data collected, followed by a further five weeks of hands-on practical opportunity to work with expert colleagues in an SRP for autism, creating shared knowledge on the inclusion of autistic pupils in mainstream classrooms. The study finds that a variety of factors, misconceptions and training shortfalls influence beginner teachers’ perceptions and attitudes towards autistic pupils. It demonstrates teachers’ low confidence in their ability to include autistic pupils in their mainstream classrooms when they start out in their careers. The study shows that participants in the study valued the dedicated time and space they had during the intervention to collaborate with peers in learning about autism, and they are seen to gain insights about autistic pupils that influence their attitudes, build their confidence and improve their inclusive practice

Cultural transposition and challenges of policy making: a review of select Nigerian television series

Cinematic entertainment, it is safe to say, cannot be wished away. Indeed, as a child of necessity, the film and by extension the Televised Drama-series industry have come a long way. However, African countries like Nigeria today continue to grapple with issues of Genre, Form, Cultural imperialism and so on. This hasconsequently raised questions on issues of policy making and realistic interpretation as expressed by film scholars and critics and as observed through the eyes of the regular viewer. Furthermore, the issues of cinematic language or style, raises another concern as this is capable of engendering different levels of psychological involvement or emotional attachment from the viewing audience. Thus, factors such as the social, political and even religious make up of the intended audience become imperative for the director who must fuse these thematic, artistic and technical aspects in order to truly engage his audience on the discourse of the moment. This research work finds that there appears to be a disconnect on how the average Nigeria Television drama series is packaged and presented from its original thematic content. The question of cultural transposition further emboldens this view as directors seem to infuse certain values as seen through dialogue, dressing, set and so on; and as such distract and in some cases prevent the audience from accessing the real message behindthe story. The researchers employed the qualitative research method which entails the analysis of text, online journals and handbooks for proper and objective content analysis and appreciation. The researchers also analyzed two Nigerian series; that is The Johnsons and Professor Johnbull. The study recommends that discussions in the area of Cultural transposition and policy making especially as it concerns the film medium should be intensified as this would not only encourage a more, Professional approach to Film and Television. Drama industry, but would allow for the enthronement of content above glamour as well as engender more believable and realistic story telling

Promoting peace among Nigerian youths through science education

The study was carried out in Anambra State, of Nigeria to examine promoting peace among Nigerian youths through science education. It was a descriptive survey study. The sample was seven hundred and sixty-five (765) Corps members who graduated in science discipline that were picked by simple random sampling technique. The instrument for data collection was a four-point rating scale questionnaire titled Promotion Peace among Youths (PPAY). The instrument was validated, pilot tested and the reliability coefficient was established using Cronbach-alpha to give a reliability index of 0.72. Two research questions and one hypothesis were raised and answered using mean statistical tool. The result showed that science education can aid in promoting peace among Nigerian youths through skill acquisition, teaching spirit of service and peace, concern for environment and respect for other people’s opinion through appropriate teaching methods. The study also showed that there is a significant difference between the mean ratings of male and female youths on the influence of science education in promoting peace. This is in favour of female youths.Keywords: Peace, youth, science education and societ

Dietary Diversity, Nutritional status and Academic performance of pupils in public primary schools in Port Harcourt Metropolis

Background: Poor nutrition can hinder pupils from achieving good educational performance at school. This study provides information on the dietary diversity and nutritional status of school-age children in Rivers State, and their relationship with academic performance.Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study design was conducted among pupils attending public primary schools, aged 6-11 years. Using a multi-stage sampling technique, data on dietary diversity was collected using a two-day 24-hour dietary recall tool adapted from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) guidelines for measuring household and individual dietary diversity. Nutritional status was assessed using anthropometric measures and educational performance was assessed using the end of term examination results for Mathematics and English language in the selected schools. Statistical analyses were performed at p level of 0.05.Results: The study had a total of 847 public primary school pupils, comprising of 441 (52.1%) males and 406 (47.9%) females The minimum and maximum dietary diversity score (DDS) obtained from the pupils were one and five, respectively with a mean DDS of 3.67 ± 0.71. The frequency of stunting, underweight and overweight among the pupils were 39.4%, 23.0% and 6.0% respectively. Dietary diversity was significantly associated with academic performance (p=0.001), with higher odds of poor academic performance in both English language and Mathematics reported among pupils with low DDS in comparison to those with normal DDS.Conclusion: Dietary diversity for primary school pupils should be promoted to achieve optimal academic performance amidst other benefits. Keywords: Academic performance; Dietary diversity; Nutritional status; Pupil

Ear, nose and throat injuries at Bugando Medical Centre in northwestern Tanzania: a five-year prospective review of 456 cases.

Injuries to the ear, nose and throat (ENT) regions are not uncommon in clinical practice and constitute a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in our setting. There is dearth of literature on this subject in our environment. This study was conducted to describe the causes, injury pattern and outcome of these injuries in our setting and proffer possible preventive measures. This was a descriptive prospective study of patients with ear, nose and throat injuries managed at Bugando Medical Centre between May 2007 and April 2012. Ethical approval to conduct the study was sought from relevant authorities. Statistical data analysis was performed using SPSS computer software version 17.0. A total of 456 patients were studied. The median age of patients at presentation was 18 years (range 1 to 72 years). The male to female ratio was 2:1. The commonest cause of injury was foreign bodies (61.8%) followed by road traffic accidents (22.4%). The ear was the most common body region injured accounting for 59.0% of cases. The majority of patients (324, 71.1%) were treated as an outpatient and only 132(28.9%) patients required admission to the ENT wards after definitive treatment. Foreign body removal and surgical wound debridement were the most common treatment modalities performed in 61.9% and 16.2% of cases respectively. Complication rate was 14.9%. Suppurative otitis media (30.9%) was the commonest complication in the ear while traumatic epistaxis (26.5%) and hoarseness of voice (11.8%) in the aero-digestive tract were commonest in the nose and throat. The overall median length of hospital stay for in-patients was 8 days (range 1 to 22 days). Patients who developed complications and those who had associated injuries stayed longer in the hospital (P < 0.001).Mortality rate related to isolated ENT injuries was 1.3% (6 deaths). The majority of patients (96.9%) were treated successfully and only 3.1% of cases were discharged with permanent disabilities. Injuries to the ENT regions are not uncommon in our environment and foreign bodies constitute a significant cause of injury. Majority of these injuries can be prevented through public enlightenment campaigns

Gender preferred traits on cassava production and processing value chain in Imo State, Nigeria

The study analysed Gender Preferred Traits and its effect on cassava production and processing value chain in Imo State, Nigeria. The study described the socio-economic characteristics of cassava farmers, ascertained the varietal preference of cassava and determined the factors affecting the production, processing and marketing of cassava in the study area. The study also identified gender based constraints on participation in production, processing and marketing of cassava, relative importance of cassava for men and women for food security and income and role men and women play in cassava production and processing activities. Two communities/locations were selected based on the intensity and importance of cassava production to the communities and ease of access. Focus Group discussion was carried out with a total of 27 women and 32 men (59) and 51 individual respondents. Results show that the study area was dominated by farmers whom are married, still strong and agile, educated with long years of farming experience, small household size and farm holdings. Results also show that women dominated in the production of, cassava which ranked the first most important source of income from crops in the two locations. Men and women carry out the same agricultural tasks with the exception of weeding-done exclusively by women and land clearing-done only by men. Seven local varieties were identified, four of which (chigazu, nwageri, nwocha and adanwankwo) were grown in the two locations. Women were clearly more knowledgeable than their male counterparts about cassava varieties. There were no strong or clear gender differences in varietal preferences, with both men and women mentioning both agronomic and cooking qualities. The female farmers harvested, processed, consumed and sold more cassava than their male counterparts. The results therefore call for policies aimed at encouraging younger farmers by granting them more access to land especially the females to enhance the cultivation and adoption of improved varieties. There is also need for increased access to processing facilities, extension contacts, formation of cooperatives and rehabilitation of rural road networks to enhance the adoption of improved cassava varieties.Keywords: Adoption, Production, Processing, Gender Roles and Preferred Trait

Short term results of pterygium surgery with adjunctive amniotic membrane graft

Objective: The objective of this study is to present the 3 months results of pterygium excision with adjunctive amniotic membrane graft.Materials and Methods: In a non‑comparative case series study, the medical records of all patients who had pterygium excision with adjunctive amniotic membrane transplant on bare sclera from December 2009 to August 2010 were reviewed. All the patients were followed up for 3 months. The data collected were sex, age, occupation, type of pterygium (primary or recurrent), extent of pterygium, post‑operative complications and recurrent pterygium growth.Results: Thirty eyes of 30 consecutive patients were operated on. There were 14 males and 16 females (M:F =1:1); age range 25 to 70 years (mean: 48.3 SD + 12.01). Twenty‑six eyes had primary and 4 recurrent pterygia. Stage 3 pterygium accounted for most of the cases (53.3%) followed by stage 2 (36.7%) and stage 4 (10%). Nineteen patients (63.3%) had occupations with considerable exposure to actinic damage. Of these, manual laborers accounted for the highest number contributing 13 (43.3%) out of the 19 cases. Of the 30 patients 2 had a reoccurrence giving a recurrence rate of 6%. One patient developed dellen 1 week post‑operatively with complete resolution following conservative large soft contact lens application.Conclusion: Short term results suggests that adjunctive amniotic membrane transplant with pterygium excision is effective and safe. A larger randomized clinical trial with a longer follow‑up period is however recommended.Key words: Amniotic membrane graft, pterygium, recurrenc

Ownership Structure and Performance of Entrepreneurial Firms in Nigeria

This study was carried out to examine the relationship between the ownership structure and the performance of entrepreneurial firms in Nigeria. In addition, it examined some of the issues in the ownership structure that also affect business performance with a view to proffering appropriate suggestions to entrepreneurial managers.This study adopted the descriptive analytic method of research and relied on both primary and secondary sources of data. The data were collated, analyzed quantitatively and the findings presented in a descriptive manner. Samples for this study were drawn from small and medium scale enterprises within Lagos and Ogun states of Nigeria using the simple random sampling method.The findings confirm that there is a significant relationship between ownership structure and performance of entrepreneurial small and medium sized firms in Nigeria. This study recommends that relevant government agencies should intensify efforts at boosting the knowledge capital capacity of entrepreneurial firms through enlightenment, and to create opportunities for training for entrepreneurial managers. Entrepreneurial managers could also consider mergers or become subsidiaries to larger organizations as an option to ensure survival, good performance, and firm profitability