Written Exam Cheating and Prevention and Detection Strategies: The Case Of DMU

The study aimed at investigating exam cheating focusing on prevalence, methods and reasons for written exam cheating and prevention and detection strategies. To that end, quantitative (on the prevalence, factors and methods of exam cheating) and qualitative (the possible prevention and detection strategies) data were collected adopting a mixed methods sequential explanatory design.  A total of 320 students (60% males, 40% females) responded to the questionnaire while 14 students participated in FGDs. The registrar director was also interviewed. Results indicated that more than 53.75%, of students admitted to cheating in exams. Results also indicated that as student achievement increases from the lower category to the medium, incidences of cheating increases but decreases in the higher achievement category. The three most frequent cheating methods used by students were copying from another student by looking at his/her test paper, using electronic devices like phones as cheat aid and passing notes on which answers to questions are written. The least frequently used cheating methods are distracting invigilators to help others cheat, writing notes on body parts and writing notes on desks. Time pressure to prepare for an exam, hard courses, students own laziness, hard exams and poor invigilators vigilance are reported as the most compelling factors forcing students cheat during written exams. On the other end, cheating to cope with stress of studying, cheating because everybody does it and because of lack of study skills are reported as weak predictors.To prevent exam cheating, an integrated and continuous effort involving cheating prevention (before the exam), cheating detection (during the exam) and cheating data retention-archiving (after the exam) should be instigated by the university. Archiving exam cheating data would help in taking measures and preventing it in the first place. These would create an atmosphere where success by cheating is unlikely and futile. Keywords: Exam cheating , exam cheating methods, exam cheating prevention& detection strategies DOI: 10.7176/JEP/10-7-07 Publication date:March 31st 201

Civic Virtues and Civic Skills in Literary Texts: Content Analysis on Prevalence and Use, Grades Five to Eight Amharic and English Language Textbooks in Focus

Albeit the debates on the usefulness of literary texts, discussions on specific purposes of integrating literary texts in language teaching materials is rare. This study, in a moment the world is witnessing serious deterioration of solidarity and respect for human diversity, attempts to discern how literary texts with civic virtues and skills [in grades five to eight English for Ethiopia and Amharic textbooks] have been presented from the 1970s to date. This purely qualitative content analysis study intends to demonstrate how civic virtues and civic skills are infused in language teaching literary texts. Using content analysis design, the frequency of literary texts is identified, the nature of tasks driven from literary texts is explored and the apparent changes across editions are discriminated. Careful content analysis of the literary texts and activities from it has been made to determine the civic virtues and skills. A total of sixty three short stories, two riddles, fifteen fables and eight poems were found in thirteen different editions of the English language textbooks. Meanwhile the Amharic textbooks contain a total of twenty five poems, twenty two stories and two theatres and riddles. The findings reveal inconsistencies in the infusion of civic virtues and civic skills in literary texts of different editions. Some recent books explicitly state certain virtues and morals of stories requiring tasks and themes from literary texts while others leave it implicitly. Civility represents civic virtues that is not infused in any of the literary texts. Texts that instill patriotic feelings are common in textbooks used before 1991 while those used afterwards are significantly dire. DOI: 10.7176/JLLL/69-02 Publication date:June 30th 202

Teacher Power in EFL Classroom: Associations with Classroom Interaction

Instructional communication is a field that studies behaviors that facilitate leaning in classroom communication. One among these behaviors is teacher power which refers to the transactional process where in teachers are granted different power bases. This study tried to investigate teacher power bases in terms of classroom interaction by involving a writing skills teacher and his 30 students in a first year writing classroom. The students responded to a questionnaire and the lessons were audio recorded and transcribed. Binary logistic regression was computed to see how the teacher power bases relate with classroom interaction permissibility while qualitative data is transcribed and thematically analyzed. The results indicated that the teachers’ major power originates from legitimate and expert power bases as well as reward sources and this is negatively associated with classroom interaction. Therefore, it is suggested that the teacher bases his lessons on alternative power sources that can permit students interactions.  Keywords: teacher power, teacher power bases/ sources, classroom interaction& classroom interaction patterns DOI: 10.7176/JLLL/59-02 Publication date: August 31st 201

Grammar Teaching Beliefs and Practices: The Case of a Communicative English Skills Teacher in DMU

The study intends to explore how the tensions, debates and beliefs about grammar teaching are adjudicated by a communicative English skills teacher to inform his practices. To that end, the researcher investigated an EFL teacher’s beliefs and classroom practices’ on the teaching of grammar in DMU. The data gathering instruments used were observation and semi structured interview meant to assess the way grammar is taught and uncover the underlying beliefs towards the teaching of grammar. The teacher is assumes contextualizing grammar items and using situations is a good thing in learning grammar while he also believes explicit grammar instruction might be appropriate only in lower grades. Regarding elements /dimensions of grammar to be taught and techniques and activities to be used the teacher believes that he has to dwell on the harmonized materials surfacing lack of awareness about the semantic, syntactic and pragmatic trinities. In the actual classroom, the teacher hardly created a context where their communicative needs necessitated the grammar structures. The teacher adopted PPP and situations and contexts were not created.  The presentation stage took much time and effort followed by the practice, but no time for production resulting in absence of integration of skills. The teacher emphasized the structural aspect of grammar items more and syntactic and pragmatic aspects less going The discrepancies between the beliefs and practices are significant though not enormous. Though the teacher believes in creating context for grammar teaching the observations didn’t prove this. The essence of and principles of PPP is of little importance these days as proved in research. Moreover, the emphasis on form and use can’t guarantee an effective grammar lesson. Based on these findings the researcher recommends further investigation of the issue encompassing students’ views and larger samples. DOI: 10.7176/JLLL/59-01 Publication date: August 31st 2019

Using Teacher Study Groups to Enhance Teaching Effectiveness of English Language Teachers in East Gojjam Zone

Teachers’ professional development is the core of educational improvement. The study investigated the role of participation in a Teacher Study Group in enhancing English language teachers teaching effectiveness by engaging them in a teacher study group and thereby designing teacher study group procedures that can enhance teaching effectiveness of teachers in the schools. Focus group discussion, document analysis and classroom observation were used as methods of data gathering. The teachers were engaged in a regularly customized TSG activities on the basis of Tripod 7Cs to investigate what they improve on their teaching effectiveness. A thematic crossover analysis is used to present the data.As learned from this case study, it is evident that the teacher’s collegiality and open mindedness to involve in a dialogic TSG has improved. Moreover, as reflected by the teachers, their teaching effectiveness (as self-admitted and measured by Tripod 7Cs) has improved due to participation in TSG. This justifies the worth of a statement nearly a century ago that ‘…there is no workable alternative to working together, respectful of differences and eager to keep the conversation going.” John Dewey, 1938). However, further studies should confirm the viability of TSG discussion focusing on verifying the statistical significance and dimensions of teaching effectiveness TSG brings before it is considered as an alternative CPD modality. Keywords: TSG, Teaching Effectiveness, 7Cs DOI: 10.7176/JEP/10-7-02 Publication date:March 31st 201

Rate of Beta-Lactam Resistance and Epidemiological Features of S. Aureus-Associated Bovine Mastitis in Cross-Bred Ethiopian Cows: Systematic Review

Melkie Dagnaw,1 Marshet Bazezew,2 Bemrew Mengistu,3 Birhan Anagaw,4 Atsede Solomon Mebratu5 1Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia; 2Department of Epidemiology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia; 3Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia; 4Department of Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia; 5Department of Pharmacy, College of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of Gondar, Gondar, EthiopiaCorrespondence: Melkie Dagnaw, College of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia, P.O.box 196, Tel +251904573289, Email [email protected]: Dairy cows get mastitis from a common infection called Staphylococcus aureus. Because of its broad distribution across diverse populations and capacity to acquire antibiotic resistance, this particular bacterial strain presents a serious threat to public health. The main goals of this study were to determine the beta-lactam resistance profile of S. aureus in Ethiopian dairy cows and to offer thorough epidemiological data.Methods: We employed manual searches, Web of Science, PubMed Central, and Google Scholar HINARI for electronic bibliographic data.Results: Twenty-six epidemiological studies were included in this systematic review. Of these studies, 12 articles in Oromia, 4 articles in Addis Ababa, 4 articles in Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People’s (SNNPRS), 3 articles in Tigray, and 3 articles in Amhara region. The average prevalence S. aureus were 34.3% in Oromia, 40.2% in Amhara, 39.5 in AA, 40% in Tigray and 21% in SNNPRS. The antimicrobial resistance rate of S. aureus, specifically in relation to beta-lactam drugs, exhibited an average estimation. Notably, penicillin resistance reached a rate of 75%, while amoxicillin resistance stood at 67%. Furthermore, it was determined that, when treating S. aureus, the resistance rates to ampicillin and cephalosporin were 50% and 57%, respectively.Conclusion: The results of this analysis have demonstrated a considerable rise in S. aureus prevalence and beta-lactam resistance within the Ethiopian geographic environment. This emphasizes the critical need for alternate therapeutic approaches and preventative measures in order to successfully lessen the disease’s extensive spread and detrimental effects across the nation.Keywords: antimicrobial resistance, beta-lactam, bovine mastitis, S. aureus, systematic review, veterinary epidemiolog

Utilization of information and communication technology (ICT) among undergraduate health science students: a cross-sectional study

Background: We already know that incorporating information and Communication technology (ICT) into every aspect of human activity result in significant change and makes tasks easier to complete. It can help in areas of healthcare systems and medical education. Therefore, this study aimed to assess utilization ICT and its associated factors among Arba Minch University College Medicine and Health Science students. Methods: A cross sectional study design was conducted in June through August 2021 among under graduate students in college of medicine and health science at Arba Minch University, Ethiopia. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect information on the students’ socio-demographic factors as well as the utilization ICT. The data entry form was prepared with Epi-data 3.1 versions software and STATA version 14 software was used to analyze the data. Results: A total of 355 participants enrolled in the study, with a response rate of 98.34%. The percentage of students who used ICT was 55.77% [95% CI, 0.50, 0.60]. Regarding of field of study, health informatics students (84%) used the most ICT, while midwifery students (52%) used the least. Urban resident [AOR = 1.85, 95% CI = 1.08, 3.16], ICT knowledge [AOR = 3.8, 95% CI = 2.25, 6.40], having formal training of ICT [AOR = 1.9, 95% CI = 1.06,3.48], having IT in current course study [AOR = 2.2, 95% CI = 1.23, 3.84], and had good IT skill [AOR = 2.4, 95% CI = 1.34, 4.23] revealed a significant and positive correlation with the use of ICT. Conclusion: In the current study previous residence, ICT knowledge, having formal training, having IT in current courses, and IT skill were significantly associated with student ICT utilization. Therefore, the university should continue to invest in professional development in order to improve teaching and student performance, as well as provide the college with student-centered ICT computer labs to encourage students to use technology

Adolescent transport and unintentional injuries: a systematic analysis using the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Background Globally, transport and unintentional injuries persist as leading preventable causes of mortality and morbidity for adolescents. We sought to report comprehensive trends in injury-related mortality and morbidity for adolescents aged 10-24 years during the past three decades. Methods Using the Global Burden of Disease, Injuries, and Risk Factors 2019 Study, we analysed mortality and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) attributed to transport and unintentional injuries for adolescents in 204 countries. Burden is reported in absolute numbers and age-standardised rates per 100 000 population by sex, age group (10-14, 15-19, and 20-24 years), and sociodemographic index (SDI) with 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs). We report percentage changes in deaths and DALYs between 1990 and 2019. Findings In 2019, 369 061 deaths (of which 214337 [58%] were transport related) and 31.1 million DALYs (of which 16.2 million [52%] were transport related) among adolescents aged 10-24 years were caused by transport and unintentional injuries combined. If compared with other causes, transport and unintentional injuries combined accounted for 25% of deaths and 14% of DALYs in 2019, and showed little improvement from 1990 when such injuries accounted for 26% of adolescent deaths and 17% of adolescent DALYs. Throughout adolescence, transport and unintentional injury fatality rates increased by age group. The unintentional injury burden was higher among males than females for all injury types, except for injuries related to fire, heat, and hot substances, or to adverse effects of medical treatment. From 1990 to 2019, global mortality rates declined by 34.4% (from 17.5 to 11.5 per 100 000) for transport injuries, and by 47.7% (from 15.9 to 8.3 per 100000) for unintentional injuries. However, in low-SDI nations the absolute number of deaths increased (by 80.5% to 42 774 for transport injuries and by 39.4% to 31 961 for unintentional injuries). In the high-SDI quintile in 2010-19, the rate per 100 000 of transport injury DALYs was reduced by 16.7%, from 838 in 2010 to 699 in 2019. This was a substantially slower pace of reduction compared with the 48.5% reduction between 1990 and 2010, from 1626 per 100 000 in 1990 to 838 per 100 000 in 2010. Between 2010 and 2019, the rate of unintentional injury DALYs per 100 000 also remained largely unchanged in high-SDI countries (555 in 2010 vs 554 in 2019; 0.2% reduction). The number and rate of adolescent deaths and DALYs owing to environmental heat and cold exposure increased for the high-SDI quintile during 2010-19. Interpretation As other causes of mortality are addressed, inadequate progress in reducing transport and unintentional injury mortality as a proportion of adolescent deaths becomes apparent. The relative shift in the burden of injury from high-SDI countries to low and low-middle-SDI countries necessitates focused action, including global donor, government, and industry investment in injury prevention. The persisting burden of DALYs related to transport and unintentional injuries indicates a need to prioritise innovative measures for the primary prevention of adolescent injury