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One of the management strategies which guides people and organizations to focus their efforts towards achievement of individual and organizational objectives is goal orientation. While it has been documented by previous researchers that learning goal as well as performance goal orientations are significant in influencing employee behaviour, how the same influence job commitment among university lecturers is still a matter of conjecture. This knowledge would be significant especially in the context of public universities in Kenya where missing lecture sessions are rampant on one hand, while more employers prefer graduates from Technical, Industrial and Vocational Enterprise Training (TIVET) institutions than university graduates, on the other hand. This study explored the influence of goal orientation culture on job commitment among lecturers at the University of Nairobi and South Eastern University. The hypothesis that: Organizational goal orientation culture does not have significant relationship with job commitment among lecturers at the Nairobi University and South Eastern Kenya University was tested. Self-determination theory (SDT) of motivation originated by Ryan and Deci was used to guide the study. Descriptive survey design was used on a target population of 56191 lecturers, Deans and students from which 377 was derived as a sample size via Krejcie and Morgan’s (1970) Table. Closed and open-ended questionnaire was used for data collection, and regressions (at 0.05 level of significance) as well as thematic analyses used respectively to analyse quantitative and qualitative data. Findings revealed that 86.1% of changes in job commitment among the lecturers is attributed to goal-oriented culture (R2 =0.861), with goals related to timelines for examination result submission and number of units taught strictly adhered to. It is concluded that matching of the university and lecturers’ goals related to teaching timelines among others significantly enhance lecturers’

In this study, we examined knowledge and understandingof sport-related injuries among youth athletics (track andfield) athletes and assessed their needs in managing anyhealth problems. Qualitative data were collected via 12focus groups with youth athletes (16–19 years) studying atSwedish sports high schools with an athletics specialism. Allfocus group discussions were audiorecorded and transcribedbefore being analysed using a thematic analysis approach.Four researchers independently reviewed the transcripts,generated codes and developed themes. Three overarchingthemes related to the athletes’ knowledge and understandingof sport-related injury were developed: (1) awareness ofinjuries, (2) perception of injuries, and (3) factors contributingto injuries. The youth athletes were typically uncertain abouthow to acknowledge a sport-related injury. They expressed thatknowledge about injuries was obtained in part by reflecting onthe lived experiences of their peers. It was also demonstratedthat there appears to be a ‘culture of acceptance’ regardinginjury occurrence. In contrast, causes of injuries were viewedas dependent on multiple factors (eg, lack of context-specificknowledge about training practices). Regarding athletes’needs in managing injuries, an additional three themes weredeveloped: (1) creating functioning elite sports environments,(2) application of knowledge and (3) fostering athletes. Anapparent lack of structure and organisation related to theschool environment was identified as an important issueto review to create opportunities for sustainable athleticdevelopment. The study identified areas that can be improvedin Swedish sports high schools with an athletic specialism andcould be applied in other youth sports contexts. The resultsof this study guide school stakeholders, alongside the sportgoverning bodies who have the mandate to influence activitiesin youth sports contexts, whereby special attention should bedirected towards improving the social environmen

Objectives To examine whether universal prevention via a digital health platform can reduce the injury incidence in athletics athletes aged 12-15 years and if club size had an influence on the effect of the intervention. Methods This was a cluster randomised trial where young athletics athletes were randomised through their club following stratification by club size into intervention (11 clubs; 56 athletes) and control (10 clubs; 79 athletes) groups. The primary endpoint was time from baseline to the first self-reported injury. Intervention group parents and coaches were given access to a website with health information adapted to adolescent athletes and were encouraged to log in and explore its content during 16 weeks. The control group continued training as normal. Training exposure and injury data were self-reported by youths/parents every second week, that is, eight times. The primary endpoint data were analysed using the log-rank test. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to analyse the second study aim with intervention status and club size included in the explanatory models. Results The proportion of completed training reports was 85% (n=382) in the intervention group and 86% (n=545) in the control group. The injury incidence was significantly lower (HR=0.62; chi(2)=3.865; p=0.049) in the intervention group. The median time to first injury was 16 weeks in the intervention group and 8 weeks in the control group. An interaction effect between the intervention and stratification factor was observed with a difference in injury risk between athletes in the large clubs in the intervention group versus their peers in the control group (HR 0.491 (95% CI 0.242 to 0.998); p=0.049). Conclusions A protective effect against injury through universal access to health information adapted for adolescent athletes was observed in youth athletics athletes. The efficacy of the intervention was stronger in large clubs., Funding Agencies|Swedish Research Council for Sport Science (CIF); [FO2017-0010]

Objective Although injury burden prompts elite athletics (track and field) athletes to engage in injury management, little is known about their health literacy. We investigated musculoskeletal (MS) health literacy in world-leading athletics athletes and associations with prechampionship injury acknowledgement by reduction of training load in different socioeconomic environments. Methods Adult and youth athletics athletes (n=1785) Methods Adult and youth athletics athletes (n=1785) preparing for World Championships were invited to complete the Literacy in Musculoskeletal Problems instrument and report acknowledgement of injury by reduction in training load during prechampionship tapering. Their socioeconomic standing was estimated through the Human Development Index of their home country. Demographic differences were examined using X-2 tests and determinants of injury acknowledgement assessed using logistic regression. Results Complete data were obtained from 780 athletes (43.7%) with 26% demonstrating sufficient MS health literacy, higher in adult (41%) than youth (13%) athletes (p<0.001). Adult athletes at the uppermost socioeconomic level showed higher MS health literacy than athletes at lower socioeconomic levels (p<0.001). At the uppermost socioeconomic level, adult athletes with sufficient MS health literacy had increased likelihood of acknowledging an injury by reduction in training load compared with peers demonstrating insufficient MS health literacy (OR=2.45; 95% CI 1.33-4.53). Athletes at middle socioeconomic levels with sufficient MS health literacy had decreased likelihood for acknowledging an injury during tapering (OR=0.29; 95% CI 0.11-0.78). Conclusions The prevalence of sufficient MS health literacy in world-leading athletics athletes is low. Associations between MS health literacy and injury acknowledgement in these athletes vary with the resourcefulness of the socioeconomic environment, implying that health literacy and resources for

Values fostered by various organizations often have the potential to ignite various positive employee outcomes. Whereas previous scholars have documented those values such as corporate social responsibility (CSR), welfare programs, and teamwork are significant in influencing employee behaviour. However, how these values have influenced job commitment among university lecturers has not been highlighted. This is critical especially in universities like Nairobi and South Eastern which have experienced abnormally high turnover, absenteeism, and strike events of lecturer in the last five years. This study investigated the influence of organizational values on job commitment among lecturers at the University of Nairobi and South Eastern University. Specific objectives were to explore the influence of CSR on job commitment, analyse the influence of welfare programs on job commitment, and to determine the influence of teamwork on job commitment. The Theory of Equity by Adams was used to guide the study. Descriptive survey design was used on a target population of 56191 lecturers, deans and students from which 377 was derived as a sample size via Krejcie and Morgan’s (1970) Table. Closed and open-ended questionnaire was used for data collection. Findings revealed that organizational values investigated contributes 63.4% variation in job commitment among lecturers in the University of Nairobi and South Eastern Kenya University (R2 =0.634). CSR (B=.473), welfare programs (B=0.488), and teamwork (B=0.484) are significant predictors (p=0.000) of job satisfaction among the lecturers. It is concluded that equitable provision of these values can lead to a significant improvement in lecturers’ job commitment.

Den praktiska ämnesdidaktik som projektet fokuserat på var en virtuell praktik, en lärarledd simuleringsundervisning med fem virtuella elever. Träningen på att undervisa de virtuella eleverna följdes av återkoppling som gavs av en ämnesdidaktiker i historia och en i samhällskunskap. Den virtuella praktiken bakades in som ett obligatoriskt moment i två campusförlagda kurser för blivande ämneslärare, i historia respektive samhällskunskap., Pedagogiskt utvecklingsprojekt för e-lärande 2020

In recent decades, pre-corona, we have seen unprecedented progress towards achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) concerning access to water, sanitation, education, and poverty reduction and increased life expectancy. However, human rights are not a similar success story. During the pandemic we have experienced in many countries police brutality and violation of rights. Post-corona education therefore has an essential role in promoting human rights, gender equality and democracy and thus supporting, strengthening and rebuilding quality education for all. Research has shown that effective education programmes can reduce misinformation, increase knowledge, strengthen positive values and attitudes, increase skills to make informed decisions and act upon them, and improve perceptions of social norms (UNESCO, 2009).

The coronavirus pandemic affected the whole world in 2020, with high pressure on the health sector, many deaths, reduced business activity, rising unemployment rates, travel restrictions and social distancing. These developments have had severe consequences for all areas of every society around the globe. This also includes education. In many countries, primary and secondary pupils and university students alike were sent home as schools and universities closed abruptly as part of efforts to control the spread of the virus. As teaching moved online, learners and teachers were unprepared for the new situation, which posed a unique set of challenges. In this context, trainee teachers at a Swedish university were encouraged to support online teaching at schools in Japan, India and Kenya. The purpose of the digital internship was threefold: to continue the trainees’ teaching placements in the absence of opportunities for in-class teaching; to provide an opportunity for trainee teachers to develop their own competence in online teaching; and to assist the foreign schools in the challenging task of delivering online classes. This article aims to investigate the challenges faced by pupils in Japanese, Indian and Kenyan schools and by 27 Swedish trainee teachers during this project. Data collection consisted of interviews, an online questionnaire, lesson observations, assessment forms, and reports given by trainees. The main challenges identified through our findings included internet access in host countries, the use of a teacher-centred approach to learning, and difficulty for trainees to relate to the pupils’ life conditions. However, we conclude that the trainee teachers increased their global awareness through a climate-friendly alternative to the traditional teaching placement abroad.

Background Athletes competing in athletics (track and field) at international level may be participating with underlying undiagnosed life-threatening cardiovascular conditions. Our objective was to analyse variations in pre-participation cardiac evaluation prevalence among athletes participating in two International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Athletics Championships, with regard to the human developmental level and global region of their home countries, as well as athletes’ age category, gender, event group and medical insurance type. Design Cross-sectional web-based survey.MethodsA total of 1785 athletes competing in the IAAF World Under 18 Championships Nairobi 2017 and World Championships London 2017 were invited to complete a pre-participation health questionnaire investigating the experience of a pre-participation cardiac examination. Results A total of 704 (39%) of the athletes participated. Among these, 59% (60% of women; 58% of men) reported that they had been provided at least one type of pre-participation cardiac evaluation. Athletes from very high income countries, Europe and Asia, showed a higher prevalence of at least one pre-participation cardiac evaluation. Conclusions The prevalence of pre-participation cardiac evaluation in low to middle income countries, and the African continent in particular, needs urgent attention. Furthermore, increases in evaluation prevalence should be accompanied by the development of cost-effective methods that can be adopted in all global regions.

Background: Long-distance runners’ understandings of overuse injuries are not well known which decreases the possibilities for prevention. The common sense model (CSM) outlines that runners’ perceptions of a health problem can be described using the categories identity, consequence, timeline, personal control, and cause. The aim of this study was to use the CSM to investigate perceptions of overuse injury among long-distance runners with different exercise loads. Methods: The study used a cross-sectional design. An adapted version of the illness perception questionnaire revised (IPQ-R) derived from the CSM was used to investigate Swedish ultramarathon and marathon runners’ perceptions of overuse injuries. Cluster analysis was employed for categorizing runners into high and low exercise load categories. A Principal Component Analysis was thereafter used to group variables describing injury causes. Multiple logistic regression methods were finally applied using high exercise load as endpoint variable and CSM items representing perceptions of injury identity, consequence, timeline, personal control, and causes as explanatory variables. Results: Complete data sets were collected from 165/443 (37.2%) runners. The symptoms most commonly associated with overuse injury were pain (80.1% of the runners), stiff muscles (54.1%), and stiff joints (42.0%). Overuse injury was perceived to be characterized by the possibility of personal control (stated by 78.7% of the runners), treatability (70.4%), and that the injury context was comprehensible (69.3%). The main injury causes highlighted were runner biomechanics (stated by 78.3%), the runner’s personality (72.4%), and running surface biomechanics (70.0%). Among men, a belief in that personality contributes to overuse injury increased the likelihood of belonging to the high exercise load category [Odds ratio (OR) 2.10 (95% Confidence interval (95% CI) 1.38–3.19); P = 0.001], while beliefs in that running biomechanics [OR, Funding agencies: Swedish Centre for Sports Research (CIF) [P2018-0194]

Background: International middle- and long-distance running competitions attract millions of spectators in association with city races, world championships, and Olympic Games. It is therefore a major concern that ill health and pain, as a result of sports overuse, lead to numerous hours of lost training and decreased performance in competitive runners. Despite its potential for sustenance of performance, approval of mHealth self-report monitoring (mHSM) in this group of athletes has not been investigated. Objective: The objective of our study was to explore individual and situational factors associated with the acceptance of long-term mHSM in competitive runners. Methods: The study used qualitative research methods with the Technology Acceptance Model as the theoretical foundation. The study population included 20 middle- and long-distance runners competing at national and international levels. Two mHSM apps asking for health and training data from track and marathon runners were created on a platform for web survey development (Briteback AB). Data collection for the technology acceptance analysis was performed via personal interviews before and after a 6-week monitoring period. Preuse interviews investigated experience and knowledge of mHealth monitoring and thoughts on benefits and possible side effects. The postuse interviews addressed usability and usefulness, attitudes toward nonfunctional issues, and intentions to adhere to long-term monitoring. In addition, the runners trustworthiness when providing mHSM data was discussed. The interview data were investigated using a deductive thematic analysis. Results: The mHSM apps were considered technically easy to use. Although the runners read the instructions and entered data effortlessly, some still perceived mHSM as problematic. Concerns were raised about the selection of items for monitoring (eg, recording training load as running distance or time) and about interpretation of concepts (eg, whether subjective well

This paper analyzes how a group of Kenyan elite runners used smartphones in their daily activities for one year. This study used a participatory action research approach to explore 30 young Kenyan runners’ appropriation and day-to-day use of smartphones. The runners lived in two different low-income areas in Nairobi and were not accustomed to smartphones. The research focused on how the participants utilized the smartphone, its applications, and the Web to improve their learning, training, living conditions, and social interactions. To investigate the participants’ progress, every smartphone was tracked and its usage was analyzed according to Koole’s (2009) FRAME model. Findings highlighted that new activities arose through frequent usage of the Web and smartphone applications. 180,000 different visits to websites were made and the most popular usage was searching with Google and Yahoo, entertainment, social media, news, and sports related websites. In total, 346,832 applications were used and the phone, launcher and contacts were the primary applications. However, the findings showed a significant use of communication, camera, native applications and applications for running. A concluding remark is that the smartphone acted as a powerful tool for real-life improvement such as improved learning, current events awareness and social interactions for poor people in a developing country., The previous status on this article was Manuscript.DOI does not work: 10.5171/2016.469363

In Kenya, mobile technology is widely used, with more and more people gaining access to the Internet. Mobile technology has the potential to support learning and improve lives, particular those of impoverished people. In this study, 30 Kenyan runners from poor backgrounds and with limited formal education participated. They were provided with a basic smartphone and Internet data bundles for one year so that they could participate in m-learning. The participatory action research approach was used. Sources of data included interviews, observations, fieldnotes, web inquiries, and mobile log files. A sociocultural perspective was used to analyze how the participants learned informally using the smartphones. Findings indicate that the Kenyan runners’ rapid appropriation and mastery of the smartphones was based on their curiosity and interest in sports. The runners’ skills and knowledge increased over time, showing how digital resources improved their training, increased their social interactions, developed entrepreneurial skills, created awareness in and with the rest of society, and improved participation in m-learning. Sociocultural analysis showed that feedback from peers and the tool itself were both significant for learning. The participants themselves influenced the research process. From their interest emerged an online course (MOOC) about human rights. Key challenges in the process were power consumption, lack of electricity, and the availability and cost of Internet access. A lack of critical attitude about content on the Internet was also discernible. The main findings highlight how mobile technology can not only improve daily lives, but also develop new ways for people to participate in mlearning., I Kenya är användningen av mobilteknologi och Internet utbredd och ökar stadigt. Mobilteknik visar sig ha potential att öka medborgares intressen för lärande och kunskap, och därigenom förbättra livssituationen särskilt för fattiga människor. Den här studien syftade till att med deltagande aktionsforskning analysera hur sådana processer går till. I studien deltog 30 kenyanska löpare från fattiga förhållanden och med begränsad formell utbildning. Deltagarna utrustades med en enkel smartphone med fri surf under ett år och följdes med intervjuer, observationer, webbenkäter och mobilspårning. Deras lärandeprocesser analyserades ur ett sociokulturellt perspektiv om hur teknik tillägnas – approrieras – och används i vardagliga praktiker och utvecklar lärande. Resultaten visade att de kenyanska löparna snabbt approprierade telefonerna och fann utifrån nyfikenhet och intresset för idrott olika sätt att använda dem. Kunskaper och färdigheter utvecklades över tid och de digitala resurserna förbättrade löparnas träning, ökade sociala interaktioner, utvecklade entreprenöriella färdigheter och nya synsätt på sina möjligheter i världen. Den sociokulturella analysen visade även att feedback från andra deltagare och/eller av tekniken i sig hade betydelse för lärandet. Forskningsprocessen påverkades av deltagarna och utifrån deras intresse skapades en on-line kurs (MOOC) om Mänskliga rättigheter. Problem i studien var telefonens energiförbrukning, brist på elektricitet, tillgång till och kostnad för Internet samt deltagarnas kritiska förhållningssätt till Internet. Det övergripande resultatet är att mobilteknologi kan förbättra livsvillkor och skapa nya vägar till lärande.

This paper argues for new ways for Kenyan elite runners to use smartphones. The study focused on everyday use in social and professional practices to understand the interaction between smartphones, learning, and running. Thus, it was a specific example of how mobile technology can become integrated in existing practices, develop them, and become absorbed in daily routines. Thirty elite runners between the ages of 19 and 34 were provided with a simple smartphone in an intervention study that used a participatory action research approach (PAR) for a period of one and half years. The analysis was based on multiple sources of data and the Silverstone et al. (1992) Domestication of Technology Framework. The Kenyan runners in this study had limited educational background and low incomes, but smartphones with internet connectivity became a powerful catalyst for change. This project showed a distinct example of mRunning; considering the runners’ intensive use of the smartphones and their applications for running. The smartphones had an impact on their professions as runners and acted in a practice-building capacity. The runners were armed with better information about their own training, training programs, rehab information, health, race calendars, race venues, courses profiles, etc. Therefore, most of the runners in the study performed better in competitions. Smartphones were a substantial resource that made a significant impact on the Kenyan runners’ daily practice and became an important and supportive tool for the runner to get out of poverty., On the day of the defence day the status of this article was Manuscript.

The research goal of this project was to explore the use and effects of non-formal education and incentives in the context of a developing country. The practical aim of this project was to create, implement, and evaluate a platform about human rights that was available to any Kenyan for free in order to increase knowledge and engagement. Therefore, a non-formal massive open online course (MOOC) about human rights was designed and launched. The course was free and open to anyone in Kenya and offered both a digital badge and certificate from Stockholm University in Sweden upon completion. The course was called Haki Zangu (Kiswahili for “My Rights”), and it explored how using incentives such as a digital badge and certificate of completion affected learning outcomes. This course offered ubiquitous access based on principles of responsive web design and used audio recordings of the entire course content. The course is perpetual and still on-going, but after six months there were 160 participants who had enrolled, and ten participants had completed the course and received certificates and digital badges. The participants showed extensive enthusiasm and engagement for human rights issues, and they expressed desires to learn more and further spread knowledge about human rights. The current findings suggest that the availability of digital badges and certificates increased interest for participation and positively affected learning outcomes. Moreover, the use of a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) format with incentives proved successful, combined with the contextualization and accessibility of the course content. Furthermore, the technical platform proved adequate for disseminating education for free in a developing country, and allowed for unencumbered access regardless of device. Lastly, a key challenge for future non-formal learning efforts in developing countries is the cost of Internet access.