Search

AbstractThe main purpose of this study was to explore the social and cultural challenges and coping strategies of women experiencing infertility in Bichena Town, Ethiopia. This study followed a qualitative research approach and a descriptive phenomenological design. This study applied a purposive sampling technique and selected 30 samples. Through in-depth interviews, focus group discussions and key informant interviews were used. Thematic analysis was employed for data analysis. The findings revealed that women experiencing infertility were challenged by social challenges; the major social components were isolation, stigma, family and social pressure, marital instability, and low social status. Women experiencing infertility were also challenged by cultural factors. Missing cultural rituals, trouble in asking newborn mothers, not considering full women or motherhood, and missing the value of children were the major cultural challenges of women experiencing infertility. Women experiencing infertility also used a variety of coping strategies, such as religious, traditional, medical, and informal fosterage. The study concluded that women experiencing infertility in the study area were challenged by social and cultural factors that made their lives bitter and used different coping strategies to manage their ongoing problems. This study has theoretical implications for current literature knowledge and practical implications.

Campus climate, student engagement, and academic achievement are three critical issues in higher education institutions. In this study, perceived campus climate measured the experience of students on a campus; engagement measured the degree of students’ academic and extra-curricular involvement, while academic achievement was usually measured by the cumulative grade point average. Addressing this issue requires rethinking the current practices and improving them. Therefore, the study’s general objective was to investigate the mediating role of students’ engagement on the relationship between perceived campus climate and academic achievement by taking the Study-Demand-Resources (SD-R) model as a theoretical framework. Both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to validate both perceived campus climate and students’ engagement scales. The study participants were 412 regular undergraduate students of Bahir Dar, Debre Markos, and Injibara Universities, Ethiopia. These students were selected using a simple random sampling and an independent chance of being selected for each student. A cross-sectional research design was employed. Consequently, the study discovered that the mean scores of students’ perceived campus climate and engagement ranged from moderate to high. The correlation output informed that perceived campus climate, student engagement, and academic achievement are positively and significantly correlated. The path analysis using Lisrel 8.7 indicated that student engagement played a mediating effect on the association between perceived campus climate and academic achievement. The study revealed that perceived campus climate and student engagement were noteworthy factors related to academic achievement. Finally, researchers offer theoretical and practical implications and recommendations in line with our study findings.

Abstract Background The issues of religious practice, healthy lifestyle behavior and academic achievement are global agendas. Most previous research has focused on either one or two of the variables, not three of them (e.g. just the relationship between religious practice and healthy lifestyle behavior). And addressing these three issues, by and large, demands a systemic approach to re-thinking the current level and improving it. Objective To examine the causal relationship between religious practice, healthy lifestyle behavior, and academic achievement in the case of Debre Markos University (DMU) and Injibara University (IU), Ethiopia. Methods Four hundred forty students are participated voluntarily using random sampling techniques. To attain this objective, a cross-sectional research method design was used. Results The mean scores of students’ healthy lifestyle behavior is more than average in all aspects. MANOVA results revealed that batch, ethnicity (region), and the university did not display a statistically significant difference among the composite (or combined) scores of both students’ healthy lifestyles and religious practice. However, religious affiliation and gender religious practice and have an effect on religious practice and healthy lifestyle behavior respectively. The correlation output informs that religious practice and healthy lifestyle behavior are positively and significantly correlated with each other. Religious practice also significantly predicted students’ healthy lifestyle behavior. Despite this, the academic achievement of students didn’t have any relationship with their religious practice and healthy lifestyle behavior. Conclusion University students’ healthy lifestyle behavior doesn’t play an intervening variable in the effect of religious practice on academic achievement. Possible practical implications and recommendations have been forwarded.

Participation of the Parent-Teacher-Student Association (PTSA) at school has been shown to be critical to students' academic success. Nonetheless, Ethiopia has a dearth of empirical research in this regard. Therefore, using the study-demand resource model as a theoretical foundation, the current study attempts to investigate the relationship between PTSA involvement in school, learning engagement, and academic achievement. A correlational research design was used to achieve this goal. The participants of the study were students in primary schools in Gidan district, Ethiopia. Totally, 182 sampled students were included using simple random sampling method as study participants. The findings of the research showed the level of PTSA involvement in school was low, while students' level of engagement and academic achievement were at the medium level. There was a statistically significant correlation between academic achievement, students' learning engagement, and PTSA involvement in school. Lastly, this study demonstrated that learning engagement acted as a mediator in the association between academic achievement and PTSA involvement in schools. It was suggested that in order to support the children's educational achievement, creating and implementing parents' programs that allow for more parental participation in school events encourage students to get involved in extra-curricular pursuits, which result in enhancing of their academic achievement and ensuring SDG-4 (quality education).

Although building social capital improves student learning and the effectiveness of schools in educating students, it still needs to be explored in the area of primary schools. Thus, this case study was undertaken to explore the practices of primary school principals to develop students' social capital by taking social capital theory as a theoretical lens. Five school principals were selected purposefully from primary schools in Ethiopia. Thematic analysis was used to narrate data gathered through semi-structured interviews. Five focus group discussions were held with teachers and students separately. Findings revealed that the principal formed various social groups, facilitated family and community engagement, created a caring school culture, worked with parent-student-teacher associations and other social networks, and created common school goals for developing the social capital of students. Lack of interest and commitment from parents, lack of willingness and trust from teachers, and giving poor value for information were challenges constraining principals from developing the social capital of students in primary schools. In a nutshell, this study is important because it provides educators, administrators, the Ministry of Education, and other pertinent school stakeholders with more knowledge and information on methods for helping students build their social capital. This also makes the principals transform their leadership behavior to be more ethical, focused, caring, democratic, and pedagogical in leading teaching and learning and enhances their ability to exercise empowering, effective social behaviors towards their students in their daily practices.

In the post-1991 period, the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front clearly endorsed the separation of state and religion. More importantly, the government is obliged to deliver equal protection for the peaceful worshiping and well-being of religious institutions. However, there is little or no protection given to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and Christians, specifically in the post 2018 political transition. Therefore, this study examines the most devastating and selective murdering and slaughtering of Orthodox Christians and the demolition of the church a few months after a new governmental transition took place in April 2018. To do so, this paper applied the theory of “religious victimization” to analyze the interplay between the so-called political reform and religious practice since 2018. In this respect, a qualitative research approach with a case research design was used: ten in-depth interviews, three focus group discussions, field observations, and secondary sources analysis. According to the findings, thematic analysis was applied by arranging items in the team based on their similarities. The results of the study also revealed that there were mass killings and demolition of orthodox Christian properties in the Ethio-Somalia, Oromia, and Sidama regions of Ethiopia. Vandalism was supposed to be systematic and well-planned. In this study, the researchers strongly recommend that the government identify intervention strategies to stop the atrocities of Ethiopian Christians.

Enhancing the link between schools and the community is essential since the quality of a school's interaction with the surrounding community has a significant impact on its success or failure. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine how school-community communication and personal characteristics predict community involvement in curriculum implementation in the Mektewa District, Ethiopia. A convergent parallel mixed research design with a total of 207 respondents was used. Overall, the status of school-community communication and the involvement of the community in curriculum implementation were low. The regression depicted that the education level of respondents and school-community communication were important predictors of community involvement in curriculum implementation. However, gender had no significant effect. The low involvement of the community in the implementation of curriculum was due to a lack of training, a lack of awareness, and so forth. This work makes a substantial contribution to the theory and literature on community involvement in curriculum implementation and practically crucial for school administrators to ensure high-quality education for all (SDG 4).

AbstractThese days, academic development is a crucial tool used to build new competencies that result in boosting employee performance. Thus, the research examines the association between staff development and employee performance as mediated by job satisfaction in Dembecha and Machikel districts, in Ethiopia. The researchers used a correlational research design by collecting data from 351 teachers with questionnaires and interviews. Initially, the validity and reliability of scales were checked. As findings, teachers had a high level of staff development, satisfaction, and performance. Moreover, there were no statistically significant differences in teachers’ job satisfaction and performance regarding gender, education level, and length of service. There was a positive relationship between staff development, teacher job satisfaction, and performance. Furthermore, job satisfaction partially mediates the relationship between academic development and employee job performance. This study empirically highlighted that to make teachers professionally satisfied and highly performed, various methods of staff development activities should be considered, and the state government should give appropriate inducements to gain new skills that will improve their competencies. This paper also contributes to the theory and literature on teachers’ development, job satisfaction, and performance by adding knowledge in the context of Ethiopian situation. This is anticipated to inspire further researchers.

AbstractDecentralization is a means of enhancing the access, efficiency, effectiveness, and quality of educational services. However, no study has been carried about in the study area. Thus, the main purpose of this study is to assess the adequacy of capacity building and stakeholder involvement in decentralized education management in secondary schools in Enebsie Sarmider district, Ethiopia. With a parallel convergent mixed research design, data were collected through questionnaires, interviews, and document reviews from 187 multilevel participants. The study showed that the capacity of buildings in schools to implement and manage decentralization education is low. Stakeholders’ involvements in various management functions were moderate. Stakeholders’ involvement in organizing activities, such as Kebele (village), Education and Training Bureau and Parent-Teacher-Student-Association members, were rated low. This revealed that stakeholders did not fully carry out their functions and responsibilities given by rules. The most challenging factors affecting decentralized educational management are related to the availability of resources, decision-making process, budget for education, and skilled human resources. Based on the findings, this study has several practical implications for many stakeholders of education, such as the Ministry of Education and school administrators, to understand the adequacy, of organization capacity, and stakeholders’ involvement and associated challenges in decentralizing education. Particularly, the researchers recommend the right people in the right place, a proper budget for education, and facilitating the local decision-making process to diminish the challenges of decentralized educational management. This study has also theoretical implications to the literature about decentralization of education in the Ethiopia context.

Professional development for teachers propels schools to excellence and contributes to school growth. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the role of teachers' personal characteristics, perception towards Continuous Professional Development (CPD) and support of school leaders in the implementation of teachers' CPD at Finote Selam town secondary school in Ethiopia. To accomplish this, Ecological Theory served as a theoretical lens, and a convergent parallel mixed design was used. A questionnaire was used to collect data from 304 teachers selected using a comprehensive sampling strategy, as well as 11 interviewers. As findings, teachers' implementation of CPD has no correlation with age, length of service, and perception of teachers towards CPD. However, there is a significant, strong, and positive relationship between teachers' implementation of CPD and school leaders' contribution to CPD. The support of school leaders explains 39.6 % of the total variance of teachers' CPD implementation. Finally, lack of good school culture among use in professional development activities, lack of commitment, lack of funding, and lack of common understanding related to CPD were the most prominent challenges affecting teachers' implementation of CPD. The findings provide theoretical implications to the literature and practical implication to educational institution leaders by identifying the main challenges of teachers in the implementation of CPD.

This research was aimed at examining the influence of teachers' psychological empowerment on their commitment to the school in the case of private schools in Antalya province, Turkey. Data were collected twice, first 297 teachers for scale development; second, we collected data from separate 297 teachers for the main analysis. A correlational type of research design was utilized. As a result, teachers were psychologically empowered and strongly committed to school at a high level. Teachers have statistically no or very weak differences regarding their education level, gender, and length of service in their perception of both psychological empowerment and organizational commitment. Moreover, psychological empowerment and teachers' organizational commitment were significantly correlated. Finally, it was seen that the influence dimension was an important predictor of organizational commitment. Attitude, length of service, and age had no significant effect. Therefore it is recommended that principals should actively build the social, intellectual, and professional capital of teachers, which results in teachers themselves being empowered psychologically and finally committed to the school.