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Open Access
Article
Publication date: 30 April 2024

Josephine Ssirimuzaawo, Miph Musoke and Pio Frank Kiyingi

This paper on the prevalence of attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) in schools holds immense significance due to its unique contribution to the existing body of…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper on the prevalence of attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) in schools holds immense significance due to its unique contribution to the existing body of knowledge. This study stands out as one of the few conducted in Uganda and the entire African continent. The purpose of this study is to establish the prevalence of ADHD symptoms in government primary schools in Wakiso District, Uganda. And also inform educational policies and interventions tailored to address the needs of children with ADHD in Uganda and globally.

Design/methodology/approach

The research paradigm adopted was pragmatism, an explanatory sequential mixed methods approach was used, with a quantitative sample of 1,067 participants (learners), 64 teachers who underwent a series of training to equip them with the necessary knowledge about ADHD filled questionnaires for the 1,067 learners, four teachers selected in each school, one teacher per class and a qualitative sample of 32 teachers and one key informant from 16 primary schools. Random and purposive sampling was used. The strengths and weaknesses of ADHD symptoms and normal behavior scale questionnaire was used for quantitative data collection, while qualitative data was gathered through interviews, observations and focus group discussion.

Findings

The results revealed an overall prevalence of ADHD symptoms of 11.60%, with inattention symptoms being more dominant than hyperactive/impulsivity symptoms (8.82%). There was no significant difference in prevalence between boys and girls, with primary one pupils having the highest prevalence of symptoms and primary four pupils having the lowest. Pupils aged 10–13 may be less susceptible to ADHD symptoms. The most prevalent symptoms were linked to interrupting or intruding behavior, failure to give attention to detail and inability to play quietly. Qualitative data from the key informant’s observations and teacher focus groups supported these findings.

Research limitations/implications

Limited geographic scope: The study was conducted in only one district, Wakiso, in Uganda. However, this district is very densely populated with people from different cultural and economic background, making it representative of the entire country Uganda. While the response rates for both the quantitative and qualitative components were relatively high (95% and 84%, respectively), there is a possibility that those who chose to participate may have different experiences. But the response rate provided sufficient data for analysis according to the researcher.

Practical implications

The researcher recommends that further research is needed in other districts; also, there is a need to develop early intervention strategies for teachers and parents with ADHD children. More research is needed to better understand the primary causes and risk factors associated with ADHD in primary school children.

Originality/value

This study stands out as one of the few conducted in Uganda and the entire African continent on ADHD. By addressing this research gap, the paper adds valuable insights to the field of ADHD research, shedding light on the prevalence of ADHD symptoms, which can be used to investigate the impact of ADHD on academic performance within the Ugandan education system further. The findings of this study have the potential to inform educational policies and interventions tailored to address the needs of children with ADHD in Africa and beyond.

Details

Quality Education for All, vol. 1 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2976-9310

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 28 February 2024

Victoria Pennington, Emily Howell, Rebecca Kaminski, Nicole Ferguson-Sams, Mihaela Gazioglu, Kavita Mittapalli, Amlan Banerjee and Mikel Cole

Computer-assisted language learning (CALL) can create participatory cultures by removing barriers to access materials, encouraging student modes of expression, differentiating…

Abstract

Purpose

Computer-assisted language learning (CALL) can create participatory cultures by removing barriers to access materials, encouraging student modes of expression, differentiating student interactions through digital environments and increasing learner autonomy. Participatory cultures require competencies or new media literacy (NML) skills to be successful in a digital world. However, professional development (PD) often lacks training on CALL and its implementation to develop such skills. The purpose of this study is to describe teachers use of digital tools for multilingual learners through a relevant theoretical perspective.

Design/methodology/approach

This design-based research study examines 30 in-service teachers in South Carolina, a destination state for Latinx immigrants, focusing data over three semesters of PD: interviews and instructional logs. The researchers address the question: How are teachers using digital tools to advance NML for multilingual learners (MLs)?

Findings

The authors analyzed current elementary teachers’ use of digital tools for language learning and NML purposes. Three themes are discussed: NMLs and digital literacy boundaries, digital tools for MLs and literacy teaching for MLs and NML skills.

Originality/value

Teacher PD often needs more specificity regarding the intersection of MLs and digital literacy. The authors contribute to the literature on needed elementary teaching practices for MLs, the integration of NML and how these practices may be addressed through PD.

Details

Journal for Multicultural Education, vol. 18 no. 1/2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2053-535X

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 2 January 2024

Michelle Hudson, Heather Leary, Max Longhurst, Joshua Stowers, Tracy Poulsen, Clara Smith and Rebecca L. Sansom

The authors are developing a model for rural science teacher professional development, building teacher expertise and collaboration and creating high-quality science lessons…

Abstract

Purpose

The authors are developing a model for rural science teacher professional development, building teacher expertise and collaboration and creating high-quality science lessons: technology-mediated lesson study (TMLS).

Design/methodology/approach

TMLS provided the means for geographically distributed teachers to collaborate, develop, implement and improve lessons. TMLS uses technology to capture lesson implementation and collaborate on lesson iterations.

Findings

This paper describes the seven steps of the TMLS process with examples, showing how teachers develop their content and pedagogical knowledge while building relationships.

Originality/value

The TMLS approach provides an innovative option for teachers to collaborate across distances and form strong, lasting relationships with others.

Details

International Journal for Lesson & Learning Studies, vol. 13 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2046-8253

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 25 January 2024

Yan Chen, Kendall Hartley, P.G. Schrader and Chenghui Zhang

The purpose of this study is to examine relevant demographic and socio-economic factors as they relate to progress towards intercultural communicative competence (ICC) and…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine relevant demographic and socio-economic factors as they relate to progress towards intercultural communicative competence (ICC) and intercultural sensitivity for ethnic-minority Latinx middle school English learners (ELs) using a mobile-assisted funds-of-knowledge-featured writing practice.

Design/methodology/approach

Through the theoretical lens of funds of knowledge, this three-year study implemented a survey-based quasi-experimental design centered on the Latinx ELs’ ICC development with the implementation of an intercultural sensitivity questionnaire (Chen and Starosta, 2000). The authors first investigated the relationship between ELs’ intercultural sensitivity and associated demographic and socio-economic factors. The authors then examined the changes of ELs’ intercultural sensitivity. Over ten weeks, the intervention group completed five funds-of-knowledge-featured narrative essays using pen and paper and mobile-based writing tools alternatively.

Findings

Findings indicated that ELs’ intercultural sensitivity increased as they advanced to a higher-level grade from sixth to eighth. The embedded mobile-assisted funds-of-knowledge writing practice as intervention promoted ELs’ intercultural sensitivity in interaction engagement, respect of cultural differences, interaction enjoyment and interaction attentiveness. Among the variables, interaction enjoyment was portrayed the most. ELs who reported not speaking English at home were statistically significant in this experiment.

Originality/value

This study acknowledges the robust and variance of funds of knowledge as a niche to address the interculturality and hybridity of ELs’ cultural practices accumulated through Latinx ELs’ family socialization and social development using mobile-assisted writing practice. This study could provide implications for optimizing inclusive experience to promote computer-assisted language learning in a contemporary, postcolonial global world.

Details

Journal for Multicultural Education, vol. 18 no. 1/2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2053-535X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 6 February 2024

Amin Davoodi

This study aims to investigate the integration of heritage language and culture in technology-enhanced bilingual education and examine the dominance of the English language and…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the integration of heritage language and culture in technology-enhanced bilingual education and examine the dominance of the English language and culture in computer-assisted language learning settings.

Design/methodology/approach

This research used a narrative inquiry methodology. The data came from semi-structured interviews with 25 bilingual teachers in the Kurdistan region of Iraq and Texas.

Findings

The study found a significant bias in the use of technology toward the target language, often at the expense of heritage language and culture. The curricula analyzed were predominantly focused on superficial cultural elements of the target language, leading to a neglect of deeper cultural engagement.

Originality/value

This research highlights the phenomenon of cultural cringe within bilingual education and the skewed use of technology toward the target language.

Article
Publication date: 19 May 2023

Rima Charbaji El-Kassem

This study aims to examine the relationship between TQM practices and teachers' job satisfaction in Qatar, visualizing this relationship through a path causal model.

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to examine the relationship between TQM practices and teachers' job satisfaction in Qatar, visualizing this relationship through a path causal model.

Design/methodology/approach

A cross-sectional survey from different schools in Qatar was conducted, using a questionnaire administered to 359 teachers. Factor analysis was used to establish the construct validity of the questionnaire, using two statistical tests: Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) measure of sampling adequacy, and Bartlett's test of sphericity.

Findings

The TQM practices measured were information, professional development, teachers' involvement in decision-making, teamwork and salary. Regression analyses showed that only four of the five constructs were significant in predicting teachers' job satisfaction. The path causal model's results revealed that each explanatory variable's direct effect was strengthened via the effect of the other independent variables.

Practical implications

Teachers who are highly satisfied with their jobs are willing to give their best. This study proposes a conceptual causal model for TQM adoption in the Qatar educational system. The proposed causal model will help policymakers and decision-makers in Qatari schools to draw strategies based on the antecedents and consequences of teachers' involvement in decision-making.

Originality/value

Empirically, this article has employed the concepts of TQM and job satisfaction to construct a causal model, demonstrating the effect of TQM practices on teachers' job satisfaction in schools in Qatar, thus bridging the gap between the two fields. To the best of the researcher's knowledge, no prior studies have examined this relationship within Qatari schools.

Details

The TQM Journal, vol. 36 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1754-2731

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 19 May 2022

Christopher Amoah and Jeanne Smith

This study aims to examine the challenges for green retrofitting implementation in existing residential buildings to lower the running cost and achieve a better energy-efficient…

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Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to examine the challenges for green retrofitting implementation in existing residential buildings to lower the running cost and achieve a better energy-efficient system.

Design/methodology/approach

This study adopted a qualitative approach by interviewing conveniently selected 16 construction professionals, made up of architects, quantity surveyors and engineers. Data received were analysed using the content analysis method.

Findings

The findings revealed that the main barriers to incorporating green retrofitting in the existing residential buildings as the nature of the existing structures, limited knowledge, not being a priority and high costs involved in the process. Moreover, other factors influencing property developers’ decision to apply energy-efficient principles in a residential home include cost (initial capital and maintenance), level of knowledge, nature of the climate in the area, local legislation, more independence and increasing the property’s market value and environmental aspect.

Research limitations/implications

This study is limited to South Africa; thus, the literature available was limited.

Practical implications

People’s perceptions, either wrong or correct, affect their ability to make an informed decision to adopt green retrofitting principles, thereby denying them the opportunity to reap the associated benefits. Therefore, there is an urgent need for the construction industry stakeholders and government to increase educational opportunities for property owners on the importance of green retrofitting.

Originality/value

This study provides the occupants with the possible barriers and problem areas with implementing these principles. They will thus make an informed decision when implementing sustainable design methods.

Details

Journal of Facilities Management , vol. 22 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1472-5967

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 28 February 2023

Mário Franco and Carlos Mineiro

This study focuses on the reasons leading health organisations to adopt a cooperation strategy and the benefits they can draw from that inter-organisational relation.

Abstract

Purpose

This study focuses on the reasons leading health organisations to adopt a cooperation strategy and the benefits they can draw from that inter-organisational relation.

Design/methodology/approach

To this end, a mixed research approach – qualitative and quantitative – was adopted, taking a real case between a Health Centre Group in inland Portugal (ACeS-CB) and the Faculty of Health Sciences at a university situated in the same region (FCS-UBI). To gather information, a questionnaire survey was directed to medical students in this faculty, together with semi-structured interviews with those in charge of both types of organisation in the inter-organisational cooperation studied here.

Findings

After content analysis of the interviews and descriptive analysis of the questionnaires, it was concluded that this cooperation is based on a relation of a formal nature, as each organisation is independent from the other, as are their administrative and management organs. The benefits obtained from this cooperative relation regard mainly the share of human resources, particularly elements of the clinical staff in ACeS-CB who have taken on teaching duties at FCS-UBI.

Practical implications

Articulation of theoretical training with clinical practice and the exchange of knowledge were other benefits identified. The study also reveals that students perceive this inter-organisational cooperation as satisfactory, corresponding to what was defined by those in charge of the institutions as its main objectives.

Originality/value

This study focuses on the reasons leading health organisations to adopt a strategy of cooperation with other organisations in the same sector and the benefits they can obtain from that relation. It represents a tool to support managers in health organisations and other stakeholders in an inter-organisational cooperation relation, in planning strategies and understanding the impact of this type of cooperation.

Details

Kybernetes, vol. 53 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0368-492X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 29 February 2024

Karri Holley and Joretta Joseph

The purpose of this paper is to understand US federal government policy during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic and the connections to graduate education. Using the…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to understand US federal government policy during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic and the connections to graduate education. Using the multiple streams framework, the paper outlines these actions through various streams (problems, policy and political) and perspectives (defining problems, articulating options and mobilizing responses).

Design/methodology/approach

The primary sources of data collected for this study were US federal government policies from March 2020 through May 2021. Policies were examined through introduction, implementation and alteration (when possible) within the specific time period of the study. The policies outlined in this paper were connected to the US Department of Education, and to a lesser extent, the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation and other federal agencies. Data analysis was a two-fold process. First, the individual policy was considered as a single case and second, a cross-case comparison occurred across the multiple cases.

Findings

Analysing the study’s data in the problem stream provides a strong indicator of how the pandemic was perceived as a challenge for US graduate education. The pandemic served as a focusing event and illuminated the connections of graduate education to key institutional functions, including research and teaching. Broadly, US federal policy actions in this area focused on giving institutions resources and flexibility to support graduate students and allow them to continue their academic work while also seeding funding and incentives to continue the movement of knowledge, activities and people in the research pipeline. Actions in the policy stream aligned with the decentralized nature of the US higher education system and allowed for choice by academic institutions within the parameters of options.

Originality/value

This paper extends extant literature related to policy-making and graduate education to consider policy-making during a time of crisis. The paper offers methodological and conceptual ideas for consideration in future research.

Details

Studies in Graduate and Postdoctoral Education, vol. 15 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2398-4686

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 December 2023

Chintha Suranjalee Rupasinghe and Shreenika De Silva Weliange

Climate change is the biggest global health threat of the 21st century. Its impacts scatter through every stratum of society placing the marginalized clusters at the highest…

Abstract

Purpose

Climate change is the biggest global health threat of the 21st century. Its impacts scatter through every stratum of society placing the marginalized clusters at the highest vulnerability and calling for action at all levels. Adaptation enhances resilience, whereas mitigation minimizes the anthropogenic forces of climate change; these are crucial initiatives for climate-resilient sustainable development. The aim of this study was to determine the knowledge and attitudes on climate change adaptation and mitigation at individual level and assess related factors.

Design/methodology/approach

A descriptive study is done to assess the knowledge and attitudes of school teachers in three educational zones of the Kalutara district using random cluster sampling. A self-administered questionnaire including 25 equally weighted questions to assess knowledge and 10 statements to assess attitudes was used.

Findings

The response rate was 98.8% [n = 618] and 23% of the study population had poor knowledge of climate change adaptation and mitigation at the individual level. Favorable attitudes were observed among more than 65% of participants for all the statements on climate change adaptation and mitigation. Average family income, working duration, involvement in school environmental societies and highest education qualification showed a significant positive association, whereas age and current grade had a significant negative association with good knowledge. The level of knowledge had no significant variation among male and female teachers.

Originality/value

Overall knowledge was poor among more than 20% of the teachers highlighting the need for school and community-based awareness programs to be implemented to address the issue.

Details

International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment, vol. 15 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1759-5908

Keywords

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