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- ItemA comparative assessment of grade one learners’ initial reading achievements between speakers and non-speakers of the language of instruction in multilingual classes vis-à-vis monolingual classes of Lusaka and Katete districts of Zambia.(The University of Zambia, 2022) Mkandawire, Sitwe BensonThis study compared learners’ initial reading achievements in letter knowledge, phonics and decoding skills on their entry and at the end of Grade One in Nyanja language of Lusaka and Katete districts. Speakers and non-speakers of the language of instruction in multilingual classes vis-à-vis monolingual were assessed and their results compared. A pre-test was given on entry into Grade One to determine pupils’ initial understanding of the assessment items and to ascertain the knowledge level at which they were, when starting Grade One. A post-test was administered to determine how many pupils learned reading skills (letter knowledge, phonics and decoding skills) between the pre-test and post-test in Grade One. The study also sought to establish the pedagogical strategies that Grade One teachers were using to help non-speakers of the language of literacy instruction in multilingual classes to learn. The study further looked at the views of teachers about teaching multilingual classes and addressed the phonics instructional approaches for teaching reading in monolingual and multilingual classes. The study was guided by the philosophy of pragmatism ingrained in both positivism and post-positivism paradigms where the mixed-method research approach particularly the Concurrent Embedded Research Design was used. Pre-test and post-tests question papers were the quantitative data collection instruments, while interviews, lesson observation and focus group discussions were qualitative means through which data was collected. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and Stata software were used to analyse quantitative data where both descriptive and inferential statistics were generated. Qualitative data was analysed through data coding and thematic analysis. The population was all Grade One pupils, teachers and schools that offered Grade One classes with traits of either multilingualism and monolingualism in Lusaka and Katete districts of Zambia. Typical case sampling of purposive sampling and simple random sampling were used in this study. The sample size was four hundred and eleven (411) participants comprising three hundred and seventy-five (375) learners and thirty-six (36) in-service teachers sampled from ten (10) schools; five (5) monolingual classes and another five (5) multilingual classes. The study was guided by the theory of binaries, the three-language orientation and the translanguaging theory. Findings on the first research question showed that 16.2% of the learners that were unable to read on entry into Grade One, completed the first grade able to read three-syllable words in Nyanja while 83.8% of learners that were unable to read on entry into Grade One, completed Grade One unable to read three-syllable words in Nyanja. This meant that while there was evidence of learning in Grade One, very few learners (60 learners out of 370) broke through to reading by the end of Grade One. Furthermore, 80.4% of non-speakers of the language of instruction (Nyanja) and 81% of speakers of the language of instruction (Nyanja) in multilingual classes, completed Grade One unable to read three-syllable words. However, 15.3% of non-speakers of the language of instruction started Grade One unable to read but completed this first grade able to read three-syllable words. Similarly, 17.7% of speakers of the language of instruction started the first grade unable to read but completed Grade One able to read three-syllable words. The Mann-Whitney U Test statistics for differences in performance between speakers and non-speakers of the language of instruction showed that there was no significant difference in performance between the two groups of learners. This means that, while speakers of the language of instruction may have had an advantage in learning by following instructions, their overall performance was not statistically significant to those that were not familiar with the language of instruction. This implies that the language of literacy instruction when teaching phonics and decoding skills in schools of Lusaka was not a major factor. Multilingual classes of Lusaka performed (17.1%) slightly better in comparison to monolingual classes of Katete (14.6%) in reading three-syllable words. However, the test statistics showed that there was no significant difference in performance between monolingual and multilingual classes. Findings on research question two about instructional strategies that teachers in multilingual classes were using to help non-speakers of the language of instruction learn included translanguaging, remedial work, use of improvised bilingual materials, use of visual and practical instructional materials, use of guardians and parents, use of peers or fellow learners and teachers in the school as resources for multilingual classes. Findings on research question three showed that multilingual classes were difficult to teach. Some teachers felt that more languages could be used in classes for teaching, learning and assessments, while others believed that assessments of diverse learners can be in one designated official language. Other teachers believed that both Nyanja and English can be used at the same time in classes as main languages. Some teachers believed that multilingual classes should not be overcrowded and that a class teacher needed to create a favourable environment for all languages available in class to thrive. On the fourth research question, the findings of the study revealed that multiple phonics instruction approaches and literacy teaching approaches were observed. These included synthetic phonics, analytic phonics, embedded phonics, multisensory approach, look and say, syllabic method, the New Break Through to Literacy (NBTL) approach and aspects of general mixed instructional methods. The study recommended that the Ministry of Education should allow translanguaging practices during teaching and assessment so that learners can be free to interact with others in class using multiple languages. The Teaching Service Commission of Zambia should be deploying early grade teachers to places where they are familiar with the language of literacy instruction so that they are not burdened by the language. The Ministry of Education should diversify phonics or literacy teaching strategies so that teachers are not just confined to pre-scripted literacy lessons which use synthetic phonics. Teachers in primary schools should make a deliberate effort in understanding what the policy demands and what is involved in each of the big five key competencies.
- ItemThe role of the United church of Zambia in combating early marriage of girls in Isoka district of Zambia.(The University of Zambia, 2023) Chisenga, DouglasEarly marriage is a familiar phenomenon in many countries in Africa. It is a harmful traditional practice, a human rights violation that not only denies young girls a choice of whom to marry but also exposes them to psychological, social, health and economic risks. The purpose of this study was to explore the role of the United Church of Zambia (UCZ) in combating early marriage of girls in Isoka District, Zambia. The study sought to achieve the following objectives: to establish the factors that influence early marriage of girls in Isoka District, to examine initiatives put in place by the UCZ in order to combat early marriage of girls and to analyse combating measures put in place by the Church to combat early marriage. Guided by Pilcher and Imelda’s (2008) radical feminist theory, which regarded patriarchy as the primary cause of women’s oppression, the study adopted a case study research design and was informed by primary data obtained through in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. Snowball and purposeful sampling techniques were used to select participants. Research findings showed that age at first marriage, lack of financial support services and poverty, among others, significantly influenced early marriage of girls in Isoka District. The study concluded that lack of education had negative effects on people’s ability to access and use the information given on the consequences of early marriage. The study further concluded that the UCZ had programmes in which they worked with the boys and girls and the community and reviewed policies that touched on women’s lives. However, the initiation of young girls into puberty stage (chisungu) was indicative enough that the people of Isoka District were still attached to traditional patriarchal beliefs and practices, which compelled them to force their daughters into early marriage. The study recommended that the government should ensure that every district has recreational and skills training centres where young people could be kept busy and avoid early marriage, especially after dropping out of school.
- ItemAn exploration of youth involvement in the metal fabrication informal apprenticeship on Katima Mulilo roadside in Garden compound of Lusaka, Zambia.(The University of Zambia, 2024) Moonga, Anolt Leonard HimweembaThe study explored youth involvement in the Metal Fabrication Informal Apprenticeship (MFIA) on Katima Mulilo roadside in Garden Compound of Lusaka Zambia anchored on the Situated Learning theory (SL) proposed by Wenger and Lave (1991). It was a case study design using qualitative approach. The target population of the study are all out-of-school youths (OSY) and artisans; Graduate Apprentices (GAP)(Journeymen) and Providers/Master trainers/Craftsmen (PMC). The study population of thirty participants comprised ten from each category of Participating out of school youth (POSY), GAP and PMC sampled using purposive, convenient and snowball techniques. Data was collected using semi- structured interviews and a participant observation at the participants’ workplaces. It was analyzed using the Thematic Analysis (TA) framework (Braun and Clarke, 2006). The findings of the study show that the youth apprenticeship on Katima Mulilo roadside of Garden Compound of Lusaka, Zambia is weak attributed to the ineffective methods of information dissemination kinship, individual (personal) inquiry and location employed. Most youth are not awareness of the MFIA on Katima Mulilo roadside in Garden Compound of Lusaka Zambia. The youth have a positive perception of the MFIA due to the value of the MFIA they acquire the metal fabrication skill. The skill enables them to find employment in the informal sector and become entrepreneurs. Not many youths participate in the apprenticeship in metal fabrication riddled with gender disparity favoring males. The youth in Garden Compound of Lusaka Zambia follow the SL theory recommended training process in the MFIA. The youth face numerous work-related challenges as employment supersedes training in the integrated apprenticeship in the MFIA. The findings further reveal the non-use of the education system to disseminate information about the MFIA on Katima Mulilo roadside in Garden Compound of Lusaka, Zambia causing youth not to be aware and participate in the apprenticeship in the MFIA. Other findings reveal that the MFIA on Katima Mulilo roadside in Garden Compound of Lusaka Zambia is a perilous working site without a governance system riddled with multiple challenges. The study concludes that the information dissemination methods in the MFIA are responsible for the non-awareness and participation of youths in the MFIA on Katima Mulilo roadside in Garden Compound of Lusaka Zambia. The study recommends that information about the MFIA on Katima Mulilo roadside in Garden Compound of Lusaka, Zambia should be made available to the youth through the education system and other objective public methods to broaden youth apprenticeship. The MFIA on Katima Mulilo roadside in Garden Compound of Lusaka Zambia needs a governance system to sustain its operations. The significance of the study is the potential of the MFIA to mitigate poverty among the youth in Garden Compound of Lusaka, Zambia and the city of Lusaka in general through skills acquisition. If not redressed, the youth in Garden Compound of Lusaka Zambia will continue living in poverty.
- ItemEffective approaches for improving the uptake of institutional repositories content in the higher education institutions in Zambia.(The University of Zambia, 2024) Muchinga, Matildah MercyHigher Education Institutions (HEIs) are essential for academic research in Zambia. Despite the active research conducted by students and academic staff within these HEIs, the resulting output faces challenges in terms of visibility and uptake. Therefore, this study aimed to identify effective approaches for improving the uptake of IR content in HEIs in Zambia, and the specific objectives were; to determine the uptake of scholarly resource output in IRs, to identify effective techniques for depositing legacy content and to determine techniques that will ensure the effective use of selfarchiving approaches.There are 11 HEIs in Zambia (six public and five private) with functional Institutional Repositories (IRs) that conduct a lot of research; however, a substantial disparity exists between the content in these IRs and academic staff's Google Scholar profiles. Additionally, the annual trend and uptake in the IRs are very low as compared to the publications indexed on Google Scholar profiles of the academic staff of these HEIs. The expectation is that when you deploy the IR, it will result in a gradual increase in uptake because more and more people are going to be using it. The study identified academic staff with Google Scholar profiles from the HEIs, and the Publish or Perish software was employed to extract author publications from these profiles alongside Octoparse in cases where OAI-PMH was not activated. The study further employed a descriptive survey research design to collect and analyse the data for objectives two and three by conducting interviews. The study found a significant disparity between the content available in IRs and on Google Scholar profiles across HEIs, with 90% of available publications on Google Scholar profiles missing on the IRs. The study also revealed that IR uptake rates are generally low, with fluctuating trends over the years. At UNZA, the average IR uptake rate is very low: 11%, ZCAS is 37%, UNILUS is 0.8%, CU is 6%, ICU is 20%, CHAU is 7%, MU is 4%, and LAMU is 28%, respectively. The research revealed that academic staff were not aware of the IRs and their responsibility to submit publications. However, upon becoming aware, they expressed their willingness to submit the missing publications to the librarians through emails, submitting their Google Scholar profile IDs. The findings suggest that providing academic staff members with training and support about the IRs and their benefits, implementing clear IR deposit policies, and automating the deposit process would be effective strategies for ensuring that missing content or publications are uploaded to the IR. The study recommends that IRs should focus on training and supporting academic staff members, implementing clear policies, automating the deposit process, and collaborating with departments and research units to streamline the self-archiving process and improve the uptake of IR content. The research also recommends that HEIs should establish clear guidelines, responsibilities, communication channels, and support mechanisms to foster collaboration, compliance, and contributions from academic staff, departments, librarians, and other stakeholders. The study concludes that by implementing these recommendations, HEIs can improve the uptake of IRs, increase the visibility and uptake of scholarly research output, and enhance the reputation and success of academic work in HEIs.
- ItemPreparation of school administrators and its implications on their administrative performance in selected upgraded secondary schools of Lufwanyama district.(The University of Zambia, 2023) Ngoma, BeatriceThis study analysed the preparation of school administrators and its implications on their administrative performance in selected upgraded schools of Lufwanyama District of the Copperbelt Province. There are indications that a large number of secondary school administrators in Zambia experience numerous managerial challenges (Muzyamba & Changala, 2019). Kabeta (2019:18) established that ‘head teachers in Zambia are appointed based on their seniority in the Ministry and in most cases do not receive relevant training, as a result they lead and manage their schools based on trial and error’. The study was guided by the Critical Educational Administration Theory and the Human Relations Approach. Critical theorists elaborate the values and practices within schools which maintain the ideological perspectives of schools. The study revealed that most of the Headteachers in the newly upgraded schools did not receive the requisite training to enable them carry out their duties. It was seen that lack of head teacher preparation causes all manner of challenges in schools. These challenges include financial, staff personnel, community relations and curriculum challenges. This study has confirmed that the preparation of Headteachers is a vital undertaking that must not be neglected The study revealed that most new head teachers faced challenges in performing all the main tasks of school management. The challenges were related to inadequate management preparation. Majority of new administrators lacked community relations skills so as to efficiently handle parents, school community at large and relevant authorities. In general, new administrators in Lufwanyama District faced challenges in their administrative performance as a result of inadequate preparation To ensure proper preparation of Headteachers, the study recommended among other recommendations, that Headteachers training should be done at three levels namely pre-''service, in- service and on-the-job in such a way that the three modes complement each other. Various universities in Zambia should consider introducing courses at graduate level and undergraduate in School Management and not as electives. In-service training should be made mandatory, regular, and longer in duration.