APPLICATION OF OUTCOME BASED CURRICULUM DESIGN STRATEGY AS AN EFFECTIVE MECHANISM FOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS

Purpose: Outcome based curriculum one of the fastest implementing curriculum approach in the field of curriculum development process all over the world today. The purpose of this study is to examine the factors affect the intention to use SOLO taxonomy in the development of outcome based curriculum model in the secondary level school education. Method: This study applied SOLO Taxonomy model and input-process-outcome model to develop the conceptual framework for the study. Data is collected through questionnaires filled Accounting teachers in secondary schools, Accounting lecturers, academic staff of Ministry of Education and senior lecturers worked in curriculum development workshops in National Institute in Education (NIE) in Sri Lanka. Findings: It is found that there is a positive, strong and significant relationship between curriculum development inputs and outcome based curriculum development decision making process. Furthermore, there is a moderating effect of age, teaching experience and experience in curriculum development process on the relationship between curriculum development inputs and outcome based curriculum development decision making process. Value: The study addresses the need for curriculum decision making process. The study contributes to the curriculum policy making process. Findings of the study provide necessary guidance for curriculum policy makers and the policy makers in the general education field. Moreover, findings of this study contribute to the area of curriculum development that was beneficial to arrive at the proper decision making in constructing our own curriculum. Finally, the guidelines of this study will fulfill the requirement of the secondary school curriculum development program.  Article visualizations

TEACHERS PERCEPTIONS OF CLASSROOM PRACTICES BASED ON SOLO TAXONOMY IN SECONDARY SCHOOL SYSTEM

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore the conceptual awareness of accounting teachers in their teaching learning process based on SOLO Taxonomy curriculum approach in secondary level schools. Further, the study explored the relationship between the curriculum development inputs and the SOLO based curriculum development process. The curriculum development inputs are teacher effectiveness, school community, school environment and technology availability. Method: Data was collected through questionnaires survey administration of accounting teachers in secondary level school in Sri Lanka. The respondent was selected on the basis of their subject and their experience. The data obtained from the teachers was input into the program Statistical Package for Social Sciences software package. Multiple Regression Analysis was applied to examine the relationship between Dependent variable and Independent variable to interpret the among curriculum development inputs and SOLO based curriculum development process. On the other hand, the study was analyzed moderating effect of individual factors between the relationship curriculum development inputs and SOLO based curriculum development process. Findings: The result indicates that the teacher’s attitudes and availability of SOLO based curriculum materials will exert the most influence upon the teaching leaning process in the secondary level schools. The results further incited that the moderating effect of age, teaching experience and experience in curriculum development process to the relationship between curriculum development inputs to the SOLO based curriculum development process. According to the analysis the gender does not moderate the relationship curriculum development inputs and the SOLO based curriculum development process. Value: The study will be applicable for curriculum development process to accounting curriculum and improve the performance of student competency level not only students who learnt accountancy but also throughout all other students in secondary level schools. The study assists curriculum policy makers in the field of curriculum development process in general education system to understand the issues related to outcome based curriculum development process in current era. Hence, findings of this study could be used to guide them in enhancing curriculum reforms and implementing new curriculum approach to enhance and overcome the current issues. The findings of this study will inform curriculum policy makers and educationists who wish to apply new curriculum approach on how they can develop SOLO based curriculum for the current education system. Thus, the findings of this study contribute to the area of curriculum development that was beneficial to arrive at the proper decision making in constructing our own curriculum. The guidelines of this study will fulfill the requirement of the secondary school curriculum development program.  Article visualizations

CURRICULUM POLICY MAKERS PERCEPTIONS OF CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT PROCESS BASED ON SOLO TAXONOMY IN SECONDARY LEVEL SCHOOLS IN SRI LANKA

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore the conceptual awareness of curriculum policy makers on curriculum development process based on SOLO Taxonomy curriculum approach in secondary level schools. Further, the study explored the relationship between the curriculum development inputs and the SOLO based curriculum development process. The curriculum development inputs are teacher effectiveness, school community, school environment and technology availability. Method: Data was collected through questionnaires survey administration of curriculum developers in relation to the curriculum of secondary level schools in Sri Lanka. The respondents were selected on the basis of their subject which they are involving and their experience. The obtained data was analysed through SPSS software package. Regression Analysis was applied to examine the relationship between Dependent variable and Independent variable to interpret the among curriculum development inputs and SOLO based curriculum development process. On the other hand, the study was analyzed moderating effect of individual factors between the relationship curriculum development inputs and SOLO based curriculum development process. Findings: The results indicate that the curriculum policy makers attitudes and availability of SOLO based curriculum materials will exert the most influence upon the teaching leaning process in the secondary level schools. The results further incited that the moderating effect of level of education to the relationship between curriculum development inputs to the SOLO based curriculum development process. According to the analysis the job category does not moderate the relationship between curriculum development inputs and the SOLO based curriculum development process. Value: The study will be applicable for curriculum development process to accounting subject and improve the performance of student competency level not only students who are learning accountancy but also all other students in secondary level schools. The study assists curriculum policy makers in the field of curriculum development process in general education system to understand the issues related to outcome based curriculum development process in current era. Hence, findings of this study could be used to guide them in enhancing curriculum reforms and implementing new curriculum approach to enhance and overcome the current issues. The findings of this study will inform curriculum policy makers and educationists who wish to apply new curriculum approach on how they can develop SOLO based curriculum for the current education system. Thus, the findings of this study contribute to the area of curriculum development that was beneficial to arrive at the proper decision making in constructing our own curriculum. The guidelines of this study will fulfill the requirement of the secondary school curriculum development program

The Role of Climate Variability in the Spread of Malaria in Bangladeshi Highlands

Malaria is a major public health problem in Bangladesh, frequently occurring as epidemics since the 1990s. Many factors affect increases in malaria cases, including changes in land use, drug resistance, malaria control programs, socioeconomic issues, and climatic factors. No study has examined the relationship between malaria epidemics and climatic factors in Bangladesh. Here, we investigate the relationship between climatic parameters [rainfall, temperature, humidity, sea surface temperature (SST), El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI)], and malaria cases over the last 20 years in the malaria endemic district of Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT)

The dominant Anopheles vectors of human malaria in the Asia-Pacific region: occurrence data, distribution maps and bionomic précis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The final article in a series of three publications examining the global distribution of 41 dominant vector species (DVS) of malaria is presented here. The first publication examined the DVS from the Americas, with the second covering those species present in Africa, Europe and the Middle East. Here we discuss the 19 DVS of the Asian-Pacific region. This region experiences a high diversity of vector species, many occurring sympatrically, which, combined with the occurrence of a high number of species complexes and suspected species complexes, and behavioural plasticity of many of these major vectors, adds a level of entomological complexity not comparable elsewhere globally. To try and untangle the intricacy of the vectors of this region and to increase the effectiveness of vector control interventions, an understanding of the contemporary distribution of each species, combined with a synthesis of the current knowledge of their behaviour and ecology is needed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Expert opinion (EO) range maps, created with the most up-to-date expert knowledge of each DVS distribution, were combined with a contemporary database of occurrence data and a suite of open access, environmental and climatic variables. Using the Boosted Regression Tree (BRT) modelling method, distribution maps of each DVS were produced. The occurrence data were abstracted from the formal, published literature, plus other relevant sources, resulting in the collation of DVS occurrence at 10116 locations across 31 countries, of which 8853 were successfully geo-referenced and 7430 were resolved to spatial areas that could be included in the BRT model. A detailed summary of the information on the bionomics of each species and species complex is also presented.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This article concludes a project aimed to establish the contemporary global distribution of the DVS of malaria. The three articles produced are intended as a detailed reference for scientists continuing research into the aspects of taxonomy, biology and ecology relevant to species-specific vector control. This research is particularly relevant to help unravel the complicated taxonomic status, ecology and epidemiology of the vectors of the Asia-Pacific region. All the occurrence data, predictive maps and EO-shape files generated during the production of these publications will be made available in the public domain. We hope that this will encourage data sharing to improve future iterations of the distribution maps.</p

Association between recent internal travel and malaria in Ugandan highland and highland fringe areas.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between travel (recency of travel, transmission intensity at destination compared to origin and duration of travel) and confirmed malaria in Uganda. METHODS: Health facility-based case-control study in highland (~2200 m), and highland fringe (~1500 m) areas with adjustment for other covariates. RESULTS: In the highland site, patients who had travelled to areas of higher transmission intensity than their home (origin) areas recently were nearly seven times more likely to have confirmed malaria than those who had not (OR 6.9; P = 0.01, 95% CI: 1.4-33.1). In the highland fringe site, there was also a statistically significant association between travel and malaria (OR 2.1; P = 0.04, 95% CI: 1.1-3.9). CONCLUSIONS: For highland areas, or areas of low malaria transmission, health authorities need to consider internal migrants when designing malaria control programs. Control interventions should include information campaigns reminding residents in these areas of the risk of malaria infection through travel and to provide additional mosquito nets for migrants to use during travel. Health authorities may wish to improve diagnosis in health facilities in highland areas by adding travel history to malaria case definitions. Where routine monitoring data are used to evaluate the impact of interventions on the malaria burden in highland areas, health authorities and donors need ensure that only cases from the local area and not 'imported cases' are counted