African Studies Commons^™

Neoliberalism And University Education In Sub-Saharan Africa, James R. Ochwa-Echel

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

This article reviews the history of university development in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and discusses the impact of neoliberal policies. This will be followed by an examination of the problems facing universities in the region. The following questions will be explored: (a) Are the existing universities in SSA serving the development needs of the region? (b) Are these universities up to the task of moving SSA out of the predicaments it faces such as famine, HIV/AIDS, poverty, diseases, debt, and human rights abuses? Finally, the article argues that for universities to play a role in the development of the region, a …

Neoliberalism And University Education In Sub-Saharan Africa, James Ochwa-Echel

Faculty Research and Creative Activity

This article reviews the history of university development in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and discusses the impact of neoliberal policies. This will be followed by an examination of the problems facing universities in the region. The following questions will be explored: (a) Are the existing universities in SSA serving the development needs of the region? (b) Are these universities up to the task of moving SSA out of the predicaments it faces such as famine, HIV/AIDS, poverty, diseases, debt, and human rights abuses? Finally, the article argues that for universities to play a role in the development of the region, a …

Disrupting Discourses Of Failure: Counter Narratives Of Black Male Students And Academic Success, Brandi N. Williams

Pan African Studies - Theses

In the twenty-first century, African-American males continue to be significantly "left behind" academically in comparison with other ethnicities and even compared to their female counterparts. Nonetheless, there appears to be one school that has been situated to have the "antidote" for this gap. This working case study draws on an interview methodology to investigate the programming experiences of alumni, former faculty, current faculty, and administration from a predominantly all-Black male school with a reported 100 percent graduation rate that is situated in the nation's third largest school district. Through a critical race theoretical lens, the interviews present narratives that counter …

Ua35/4 2012-2013 Annual Report, Wku International Programs

WKU Administration Documents

2012-2013 report of WKU International Programs & Study Abroad & Global Learning.

Particularizing Universal Education In Postcolonial Sierra Leone, Grace Pai

Publications and Research

This paper presents a vertical case study of the history of universalizing education in postcolonial Sierra Leone from the early 1950s to 1990 to highlight how there has never been a universal conception of universal education. In order to unite a nation behind a universal ideal of schooling, education needed to be adapted to different subpopulations, as the Bunumbu Project did for rural Sierra Leoneans in the 1970s to 1980s. While the idea of “localizing” education was sound, early program success was undermined by a lack of clarity behind terms like “rural” or “community.” This was exacerbated by a change …

The Influence Of University Personnel Upon Students' Spirituality At Selected Adventist Universities In West Africa, Isaiah Ola Abolarin

Dissertations

Problem and Purpose. The Seventh-day Adventist Church has a deep concern for youth and young adults' spirituality. Hence the church established institutions of higher learning with the aim of restoring in youth and young adults the image of God in which they were created. There are programs and activities in these institutions to accomplish the aim, but there is still concern among church leaders and parents that young people will abandon their faith and exit the church. This study explored the influence of interactions between students and university personnel in selected Adventist universities in West Africa that, apart from programs …

Sexism, Sexual Violence, Sexuality, And The Schooling Of Girls In Africa: A Case Study From Lusaka Province, Zambia, Cynthia Grant Bowman, Elizabeth Brundige

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

While the education of girls is central to development in Africa, persisting obstacles have prevented the full implementation of this goal. African countries have made significant progress in expanding girls' participation in schooling, yet many girls remain unable to access and benefit from a quality education on an equal basis with boys. This study, involving interviews of 105 schoolgirls in and around Lusaka, Zambia in May 2012, describes and discusses the following obstacles: (1) discriminatory treatment that reflects the persistence of sexist ideas about the position and capabilities of girls; (2) sexual abuse of schoolgirls, including constant harassment by boy …

Do Culturally Engaging Reading Materials Matter? An Analysis Of Rural Libraries In Burkina Faso, Erica Ernst

Master's Theses

Academics have noted the lack of culturally relevant reading materials in African libraries. Book collections are primarily composed of donated materials from western countries intended for a western, rather than African audience. This research project aimed to gain insight onto children’s reading preferences in the rural Burkina Faso and to learn about the popularity of local photo books that were added in 2009. Quantitative methods examined library book checkout records in three categories of African, French, and local photo books. Additionally the library subscription records were used in order to gain information about the children including age, gender, and ethnicity. …

The Impact Of Water On Girls' Formal Education: A Study Of Kenyan Secondary Schools, Jennifer Emick

Master's Theses

This study applies a human rights lens to view how the lack of access to potable water in Kenya’s rural areas impacts girls’ education. This research is intended to serve as a baseline for iteration and expansion, with the long-term goal of developing a greater understanding of the ways in which water development projects and the smarter provision of basic resources can be used as strategies for achieving gender equality in both education and civic participation.

Education Reform In Rwanda: Impacts Of Genocide And Reconstruction On School Systems, Jay Mathisen

Doctor of Education (EdD)

This study is an historical dissertation on the topic of education reform in the East African nation of Rwanda. Determining the impact of the Rwandan genocide of 1994 on three reform initiatives that followed is the central aim of the study. The framework of the study is assembled as a three-­‐part timeline upon which three initiatives of education reform are overlaid for analysis, 1) student-­‐centered instruction, 2) language and 3) enrollment developments. Focusing on those three initiatives in the context of a timeline that details each in the decades prior to the genocide, and in the years that followed it, …

Becoming "Black" In America: Exploring Racial Identity Development Of African Immigrants, Godfried Agyeman Asante

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This qualitative study critically examined how African immigrants experience racialization and the process of developing Black racial consciousness. Focus group interviews were conducted to sample the collective racial experience among African immigrants. Thematic analysis was used as the basic methodology for analyzing the data. It was discovered that the participants "become African" and also "become Black" during the process of racial identification. "Becoming African" and "Becoming Black" constituted two sets of processes that simultaneously shaped the identity of African immigrants as they assimilated into the United States. From the study it became evident that there was tension between ethnic identification …

Female Genital Mutilation: Policies To Encourage Abandonment, Melissa Arneson

Political Science Theses and Capstones

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) also known as Female Genital Cutting (FGC) captured my interest the first time I heard about the practice. I assumed, wrongly, that it was only practiced in remote areas of Africa where educational opportunities were few and outside influences were nil. After researching the topic it is clear that is not the case. FGM is practiced in many countries in Africa, the Middle East, and around the world. It is a barbaric practice that has no religious significance and is incredibly harmful to women and their health, both mentally and physically. I focused my research on …

Exploring The Gender Gap In Computer Science Education In Uganda, James R. Ochwa-Echel

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

The purpose of this study is two-fold: to investigate the nature of the gender gap in computer science education in Uganda and to understand the factors that influence gender differences in computer science education in Uganda. The findings of the study indicate that there is a gender gap in computer science education. The reasons for the gap were revealed in the interviews, surveys and focus group discussions. The study concluded that several policy measures need to be taken to address the gender gap in computer science education in Uganda.

Exploring The Gender Gap In Computer Science Education In Uganda, James Ochwa-Echel

Faculty Research and Creative Activity

The purpose of this study is two-fold: to investigate the nature of the gender gap in computer science education in Uganda and to understand the factors that influence gender differences in computer science education in Uganda. The findings of the study indicate that there is a gender gap in computer science education. The reasons for the gap were revealed in the interviews, surveys and focus group discussions. The study concluded that several policy measures need to be taken to address the gender gap in computer science education in Uganda.

Stakeholders' Roles In Prioritizing Technical And Vocational Education And Training In Postconflict Liberia, Edward S. Forh

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Postconflict governments and counterparts have collaborated to provide skills training to communities as a critical postconflict development strategy. In these undertakings, the role of community members remains largely undefined. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive case study was to understand the perceptions held by rural community members regarding the role they played in influencing government's policy priority for technical and vocational education and training (TVET) as a local human development strategy in postconflict Liberia. The conceptual framework was based on human capital theory and concepts of motivation and achievement. Fourteen participants were purposefully selected for the study. Data were collected …

History Education And Identity Formation: A Case Study Of Uganda, Takako Mino

CMC Senior Theses

History education builds the foundation of a common past necessary for the formation of group identity. Evaluating History curricula is important because group identity guides people’s political behavior. This Uganda case study demonstrates how different actors have manipulated History education in order to enhance the saliency of ethnic, national, and regional identities. The expansion of nationalized education and the teaching of Ugandan, East African, and African history have contributed to fostering the rise of national consciousness in Uganda. Greater awareness of national identity has promoted national integration while marginalizing non-school educated people.

Technology Capacity Development Through Oss Implementation: The Case Of Public Higher Education Institutions In Ethiopia, Nigussie Tadesse Mengesha

The African Journal of Information Systems

The Open Source Software (OSS) literature gives little attention to the study and practice of domain specific end-user OSS implementation in general and in the public sector of developing countries (DCs) in particular. This paper, however, investigates the trajectories of two OSS-based information systems (IS) implementation projects in a developing country (DC) context with the aim to uncover the practice-based learning and resource sharing evident among locally situated and globally dispersed developers and users. The result of the interpretative case study research shows that the OSS philosophy and practice of software development, implementation and ownership, facilitates for the emergence of …

Improving Higher Education In Africa: Lessons From Universities In Ethiopia And Egypt, Frank H. Witt

Distinguished Lectures on Africa

Flyer for public lecture includes biographical information about the speaker.

Hands-On Or On-Hands: An Approach To Fine Arts Learning In The Senegalese Context, Souleye Diallo Ma, Academic Director

Fostering Multicultural Competence and Global Justice: an SIT Symposium

Everything in Arts is communal and participatory as the stage in the African context is different. There is always an exchange between performers and the audience. Our students during their hands-on workshop on Batik, Visual arts and music and dance share those wonderful moment s with their families the community of artists working with them. As stated by one British artist John Ruskin “Fine Art is that in which the hand, the head and the heart of man goes together”. Most of our students during these workshops find Fine arts as integrating and a liberating tool to culture learning. During …

The Perceived Impacts Of The 14-Year (1989-2003) Civil War On Higher Education In Liberia: An Analysis Of The Case For The University Of Liberia And Cuttington University, Manjerngie Cecelia Ndebe

Dissertations

Civil wars affect the social systems of a nation, including higher education. The purpose of this study was to do an in-depth concurrent mixed method analysis of the perceived impacts of the 14-year (1989–2003) civil war on higher education institutions in Liberia during the civil war years and from the end of the civil war in 2003 to the point of data collection in 2007. The literature is replete with expert opinions on the impacts of the Liberian civil war, but only limited evidence for quantitative and qualitative studies on war impacts in general exists.

No study on the context …

Early Childhood Care And Education For All In 2015: Is This A Mirage In Nigeria?, Esther A. Oduolowu

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

This paper examines the possibility of the provision of Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) for all children from birth to age five in Nigeria by 2015. In the paper are the history of preschool education in Nigeria) situation of ECCE worldwide in the 1980s) and the, global trends in basic education in the 1990s. The paper also examines the limitations of the attempt and offers probable solutions.

Basic Education And Education For All In Nigeria: The Role Of Multinational Corporations, Mary Plangnan Haggai

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

In spite of the concerted efforts made by the Nigerian government at funding the Universal Basic Education (UBE) in the country, 11 million children of school age are still out of school. To augment the funding, the paper proposes the involvement of multinational corporations. Participation in UBE is seen as a tangible Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) project that will have direct impact on the host communities in such a way that will eliminate the hostilities of the host communities towards multinational corporations.

Academic Leadership Experiences Of Foreign-Born African Immigrants In American Institutions Of Higher Education, Taiwo A. Ande

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose ofthis study was to explore the academic leadership experiences of foreign-born African immigrants who occupied mid- to senior-level positions of leadership in American colleges and universities. The study explored the cha1lenges and opportunities foreign-born African immigrants faced as they aspired and moved through various leadership positions in United States (U.S.) institutions of higher education. Detailed interviews were conducted with six foreign-born African academic leaders who currently or previously occupied academic leadership positions in the United States. Participants were from Ghana, Nigeria, and Kenya, and they occupied academic positions of directors, departmental chair, and associate provost. Seven themes emerged …

Science Education Policy For Emergency, Conflict, And Post-Conflict: An Analysis Of Trends And Implications For The Science Education Program In Uganda, Betty Pacutho Udongo

Dissertations

This study analyzes the impact of armed conflicts on the development of education policy and particularly science education program in Uganda. Since independence from the British colonial rule, Uganda has experienced a series of armed conflicts, with the most devastating being the 21 years of conflict in Northern Uganda.

The research study was guided by the following questions: (1) What is the level of government funding towards improving science education program in Uganda? (2) Have recent initiatives, such as free Primary and Secondary education, compulsory science, and 75% sponsorship for science-based courses, had a measurable impact on the proportion of …

The Global Text Project, Richard T. Watson, Donald J. Mccubbrey

The African Journal of Information Systems

The Global Text Project is intended to create global free textbooks for students in the developing countries. We argue that two key technological and social developments offer an opportunity to create a new model for textbook publishing. First, the Internet is a low cost channel for distributing information products in digital form. Second, global digital communities have created the platform for collaborative creation of content. Through this model a free and open content library will be developed for students covering all major subjects for an undergraduate education. This project is a contributory measure to the global efforts to address the …

An Assessment Of Local People’S Opinions Of Community Conservation Initiatives In Relation To Livelihood Strategies In Kenya, Jill Mechtenberg

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Abstract This paper analyzed the changing livelihood strategies in Kenya, and their cultural impacts via a literature review. I then combined this understanding with the data I collected while in Kenya to examine the opinions local people have of community conservation initiatives, based on their changing livelihood strategies. I expected to find that the following factors would have an affect on the opinions local community members have of community conservation initiatives: livelihood strategy, gender, ethnicity, whether or not they believe the distribution of benefits coming from wildlife conservation is equitable, what issues they would like to see improved within community …

Initiating A New Information Systems Course: A Case Study In Educational Innovation, Michael Eccles, June Pym, Kevin Johnston

The African Journal of Information Systems

If South Africa is to transform its educational landscape, access to higher education is crucial. However, if equity of access is not coupled with equity of success, participation, and relevance, access can become problematic.

The Information Systems Department at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, has been concerned for a number of years about both the relevance and coherence of its first year Information Systems course. In 2007, the Department re-conceptualized this course. This case study looks at the background to the problems and motivation for the change and the proposed changes and course redesign, as well as the …

An African Phd Program In Information Systems: The Case Of Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia, Solomon Negash, Richard T. Watson, Detmar W. Straub

The African Journal of Information Systems

This case study is about the first Information Systems PhD program in Ethiopia and the region, a collaborative effort of thirteen universities around the globe. Fifteen faculty members traveled to Ethiopia to launch the program for classes, which will start in 2009. This paper depicts the program design and program development and an outline of the overall program. The authors share their personal experience in the development of this unique IS PhD program.

From Dover To Knysna: Educational Drama Transcends Cultural Boundaries, Anna Visciano

Inquiry Journal 2008

No abstract provided.

The Role Of Private Sector In The Provision Of Primary Education In Ghana, Sulemana Bangna Abdul-Karim

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.