A Review of the Zambia Teacher Education Reform: Policy Challenges and Influence of Bilateral Agencies

/in /by

Donor agencies have provided aid for the education system in Zambia by introducing innovations that seek to improve the provision of education. However, it has been observed that many innovations are discontinued after donor funding is withdrawn. A case in point is the Zambia Teacher Education Reform Programme (ZATERP) later renamed the Zambia Teacher Education Course (ZATEC). ZATERP/ZATEC were funded by the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) between 1998 -2008.

In 2008 DANIDA withdrew support from ZATEC and the Ministry of Education through its Directorate of Teacher Education and Specialized Services (TESS) could not sustain the programme. The Ministry of Education failed to pay field allowances for students and lecturers including other logistical support for the programme. Consequently, some vital aspects of the programme were changed such as the school-based year which was discontinued. The old structure of teacher education was re-introduced where students were in college for two years and school experience was reduced to a single term.

Application of Intellectual Capital in Improving Employee Performance and Time Management as Intervening Variables

/in /by

The employee performance in the government sector has a significant impact on services to the community. This study aims to analyze how intellectual capital, which includes employee knowledge, skills and relationships, can influence employee performance in the South Sulawesi Provincial Government with time management as an intervening variable. Through qualitative and quantitative methods, this research reveals that intellectual capital has a positive correlation with increasing employee performance. However, optimal application of intellectual capital requires effective time management. The results of the analysis show that time management acts as a mediator in the relationship between intellectual capital and employee performance. In other words, good time management allows intellectual capital to be applied more effectively, thereby improving employee performance. This research offers insight for the South Sulawesi Provincial Government in its efforts to improve employee performance through optimizing intellectual capital and efficient time management.

Exploring the Linguistic Expressions of Anger in Indonesian Proverbs: Uncovering the Underlying Cognitive Metaphorical Mappings

/in /by

This study employs a combination of Cognitive Semantics Analysis (CSA) and Qualitative Methodology (QM) to thoroughly investigate the various expressions of anger depicted in Indonesian proverbs. The approach involves a detailed analysis of these proverbs’ linguistic structures and metaphoric nuances. The study aims to uncover the intricate interplay between cognitive conceptualizations of anger and the socio-cultural context they represent. By scrutinizing a diverse corpus of Indonesian proverbs, this study seeks to provide a comprehensive understanding of anger and its portrayal within Indonesian linguistic and cultural heritage. The findings show that (1) Indonesians use various metaphors to express anger in their proverbs, i.e. natural phenomena, physical sensations, and spatial orientations as the three most common domains used in these metaphors, (2) Indonesian proverbs about anger shed light on their socio-cultural norms of emotional restraint and communal harmony, and (3) cognitive concepts, linguistic expressions, and socio-cultural dynamics interweave to form a comprehensive portrayal of rage in Indonesian context. This study will offer valuable insights into the cognitive and cultural dynamics of anger as illustrated through Indonesian proverbs. To gain a comprehensive understanding of emotional discourse across diverse cultures, it would be beneficial to broaden the scope of study to include a broader range of emotions and linguistic expressions.

The Role of Social Studies in Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in Nigeria: An Overview

/in /by

This paper highlights the transformative role of social studies education in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Nigeria. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a set of 17 global goals adopted in 2015 at the United Nations General Assembly which sets out a framework to achieve the goals in a span of 15 years, by 2030. This paper shows that social studies, as an interdisciplinary discipline, plays a pivotal role in creating awareness and fostering civic engagement among Nigerian citizens to achieve these development goals. Also, this paper explores the crucial role of the social studies curriculum particularly in higher education institutions in advancing the sustainable development goals (SDGs) by fostering a deep understanding of societal challenges and encouraging active engagement in addressing them. This paper underscores the need for integrating principles of sustainable development into the social studies curriculum and provides recommendations for effective implementation strategies.

Effects of Guided Inquiry and Peer Tutoring Teaching Strategies on Achievement of Physics Students’ in Delta State

/in /by

Effects of guided inquiry and peer tutoring teaching strategies on achievement of students’ in physics in Delta State was investigated. Quasi-experimental design, specifically non-equivalent pre-test, posttest, control group design was adopted. A sample size of 289 SS II Physics students, randomly selected from six secondary schools was used. The reliability of the instrument was done using Kuder-Richardson Formula 21 which yielded a coefficient of 0.86. The treatment involved exposing students in experimental groups to Physics concepts with the use of guided inquiry and peer tutoring strategy, and the control group with lecture method. Pretest was administered before the treatment and posttest after the treatment. The scores obtained were analyzed using mean and standard deviation for the research question and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) for testing the hypothesis. It was found in the study that peer tutoring strategy and lecture method have significant effects on students’ achievement in physics than guided inquiry teaching strategy; there was no significant difference in the mean achievement scores of Physics students taught with guided inquiry and lecture method. It was recommended among others that both guided inquiry, peer tutoring strategies and lecture should be adopted by physics teachers during classroom instruction.

Music Feature and Characteristics in Ca Tru Singing

/in /by

Traditional Vietnamese singing is very rich and diverse, in the Red River Delta alone, there are many different genres such as: Cheo, Xam, Quan Ho, Hat Van, Ca Tru… Each of them has its own characteristics of music, singing method, performance form, etc. Ca Tru’s basic feature requires a poetic expressing in a high level and the singing techniques become different compared to other traditional singing forms. The vocal techniques of Ca Tru include vibrating/bouncing, singular sound, accent and rubato… In this article, the author clarifies some specific characteristics in Ca Tru; analyzing the standards and the factors that directly affect the quality of Ca Tru, etc. and find out some solutions to help preserving and popularizing the traditional Ca Tru values and intangible culture of Vietnamese.

Ubuntu Morality as a Basis for the Promotion of Tonga Religious Beliefs in the High God-Leza and the Spirits-Mizimo

/in /by

The paper draws on the University of South Africa (UNISA)’s three-year study entitled ‘Archaeology of Ubuntu’, which was funded by the ‘National Research Foundation’ (NRF) of South Africa. The data utilised in this paper is drawn from oral-historical discussions conducted with purposefully sampled elders from Tonga communities in Zambia’s Southern Province. The data specifically originates from the views of the elders on ‘their understanding of Ubuntu’. Despite the various conceptions of Ubuntu in scholarly circles globally, few scholars have associated Ubuntu to religion despite it being a fundamental aspect of the lives of Africans. Therefore, the main premise of this paper is to link Ubuntu to religion through the concept of morality. This is done through granting special attention to the well-developed moral cults on the ancient belief in the high God-Leza and the Spirits-Mizimo in Tonga communities of Zambia’s Southern Province. The paper specifically engages with the Tonga ancient belief in the high God-Leza and the Spirits-Mizimo and points out how the ‘moral principle’ with its moral demands or dictates leads to the promotion of the Tonga ancient belief in the high God-Leza and the Spirits-Mizimo respectively.

Ubuntu as ‘Public Policy’ among the Tonga of Zambia’s Southern Province

/in /by

The paper draws its data from a three-year study entitled ‘Archaeology of Ubuntu’ funded by the ‘National Research Foundation’ (NRF) of South Africa. The data utilised in this paper is drawn from interview discussions conducted with purposefully sampled elders from Tonga communities in Zambia’s Southern Province. The data specifically originates from the views of the elders on ‘their understanding of Ubuntu’. The main premise of the paper is the notion that Ubuntu is a widely theorised concept (Letseka, 2012; Mets, 2011; Ramos, 2006) with various conceptions of it as a consequence of this status quo in scholarly circles. However, of special interest to this paper among the various conceptions of Ubuntu is Nkondo’s (2007) conception of it as ‘public policy’. As such, the paper shows how this conception of Ubuntu is actualised among the Tonga of Zambia’s Southern Province. The paper realistically describes and portrays the practical implications of such a conception of Ubuntu among the Tonga. The conception of Ubuntu as ‘public policy’ is done in relation to the four main functions of ‘public policy’ in society.

The Effect of High Performance Work System and Organizational Support on Employee Performance and Job Satisfaction as a Mediation Variable

/in /by

Companies are required to increase their assets due to this high competition, one of the biggest assets that affect company performance is the company’s human resource (HR) assets. This study aims to determine the effect of HPWS and organizational support on employee performance which is mediated by job satisfaction. The sample of this research was 200 employees of PDAM Way Rilau, Bandar Lampung City. Data collection through a questionnaire based on purposive sampling technique and processed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with the help of AMOS software. The results of the study show that the high performance work system has a positive and significant effect on the performance of PDAM Way Rilau Bandar Lampung employees, organizational support has a positive and significant effect on employee performance, job satisfaction has an effect on employee performance, job satisfaction mediates the effect of high performance work system on employee performance, job satisfaction mediates the effect of organizational support on employee performance. Organizations must pay more attention to employees, which can be in the form of motivation or awards given to employees, and management can also supervise their employees more in completing their work according to the allotted time.

Purpose: This study aims to determine the effect of HPWS and organizational support on employee performance which is mediated by job satisfaction

Patients and methods: The sample of this research was 200 employees of PDAM Way Rilau, Bandar Lampung City. Data collection through a questionnaire based on purposive sampling technique and processed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with the help of AMOS software.

Results: The results of the study show that the high performance work system has a positive and significant effect on the performance of PDAM Way Rilau Bandar Lampung employees, organizational support has a positive and significant effect on employee performance, job satisfaction has an effect on employee performance, job satisfaction mediates the effect of high performance work system on employee performance, job satisfaction mediates the effect of organizational support on employee performance.

Conclusion: Organizations must pay more attention to employees, which can be in the form of motivation or awards given to employees, and management can also supervise their employees more in completing their work according to the allotted time.

The Use of Islamic Story for EFL Students’ Essay

/in /by

This study explores the use of Islamic stories as a pedagogical tool for enhancing the quality of essays among English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students. The primary objectives of this research are to assess the impact of utilizing Islamic stories techniques on EFL students’ writing skills and to determine if such an approach leads to improve essay composition.

To achieve these objectives, a pre experimental research design was employed. A group of EFL students of the third semester was selected purposively as sample and exposed to Islamic stories intervention grounded in Adab education principles, where pre- and post-intervention writing assessments on opinion essays were given to get data.

The results of this study show that using Islamic stories to integrate Adab education concepts greatly improves EFL students’ abilty to write essays especially in opinion essay that are well-organized and convey complex ideas. The disparity in the pre- and post-test findings serves as evidence for it. Students received 46.4 for content and 40.1 for organization on the pre-test. In the meantime, the students’ post-test results showed improvement; they received a 68 on the content element and a 74 on the organization element.

In conclusion, this research provides insights into the potential use of Islamic stories principles in the context of English as a Foreign Language instruction, specifically in enhancing the teaching of essay writing in terms of opinion essay. These findings have implications for pedagogical practices in writing. Moreover, the findings indicate that implementing this strategy can serve as a beneficial instructional resource for teachers aiming to cultivate enhanced writing abilities.