Continued Poor Performance Research Articles

Academic exclusion of Health Sciences students in South African higher education institutions - A rationale for institutional policy and processes

Background. Academic exclusion is practised in many national and international higher education institutions (HEIs), significantly impacting students’ futures. Associated stress and anxiety remain a source of conflict between all role players. Reasons for, and the rationale behind, academic exclusion are complex and multifactorial. Objectives. To investigate and describe contemporary practices and core themes relating to academic exclusion by reviewing the academic policies and procedures in a sample of six South African HEIs within a health professions education context. Methods. A prospective, pragmatic design was followed. This involved simple content analysis of source documents to identify similarities and differences in approach to academic exclusion, including the rationale and potential implications thereof. Results. The rationale for exclusion remains multifactorial. The majority of institutions linked exclusion to continued poor performance and failure to complete qualifications within the maximum time. All institutions allowed for an appeal process; however, this differed significantly between institutions. Conclusion. There is a clear, defendable rationale for the exclusion, and practices that seek to prevent students from continuing should be guided by policies and procedures that are clear and contextually relevant. While the right to appeal exclusion is supported, arbitrary support for such appeals in the absence of merit defeats the aims, objectives and rationale for exclusion.

The study on the role of dedicators on promoting cooperation in public goods game.

In daily life, some people are always seen dedicating available resources to support collective activities. In this paper, we call these people who care group goals more than individual goals dedicators. Inspired by this phenomenon, we studied the role of dedicators on the evolution of cooperation in public goods game (PGG) based on a Chinese Folk Spring Festival Gala. Three types of agents were introduced into our PGG model including cooperators, defectors and dedicators. Dedicators tried to donate when the Gala was short of funds. Cooperators and defectors imitated the strategy of the highest-payoff neighbor based on the rational mechanism. And their imitating probability was modified on account of the emotional mechanism for positive effect of the dedicator’s donating behavior and negative effect of continuous poor performance. Through numerical simulations, we found that the existence of dedicators can indeed promote cooperation in PGG. It should be noted that dedicators’ willingness to donate was more important than their donation quantity in facilitating cooperation. And the stronger the emotional effect intensity of dedicators’ donating behavior was, the better. So, the selfless dedication of participants should be praised to promote cooperation by improving their emotional effect intensity. Last but not least, a reasonable activity budget was needed to sustain the highest level of cooperation.

Assessment of the Triggers of Inefficient Materials Management Practices by Construction SMEs in Nigeria

Inefficient material management throughout the construction projects value chain has resulted to poor performance especially in terms of time, cost, quality, and productivity. Even well-organised large construction organisations still fall prey to this project performance killer; as adequate attention is not given to material management as a necessary key project management function. Thus, this study assessed the factors that trigger inefficient material management practices by construction SMEs in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. The study utilised a quantitative survey method and convenience sampling technique in the distribution of the structured questionnaire used to gather data from project managers, procurement officers and construction professionals working with the construction SMEs. With a 93.33% response rate, the gathered data were analysed using percentage, frequencies and factor analysis with principal component analysis. It was found that the major triggers of inefficient materials management among construction SMEs are; traditional approach and maintenance issues, manufacturer error and poor planning, inventory management issues, poor handling of procurement, materials estimating problems, storage problems and insecurity, and communication issues. It was concluded that the predominance of these triggers in the management of materials among construction SMEs would result in a continued poor performance of construction projects, especially with regards to project time, cost, quality and productivity. The study recommends a move away from the traditional methods of managing materials and the adoption of a technological-based material management system.

Academic Stress and Coping Strategies among Undergraduates in Selected Tertiary Institutions in Adamawa State

The study investigated academic stress and coping strategies among students in selected tertiary institutions in Adamawa State. The study adopted a descriptive survey design. The population consists of selected tertiary institutions in Adamawa State. A sample size of 300 undergraduates was selected through stratified random sampling technique. An instrument titled ‘Academic Stress among Undergraduates Questionnaire’ was used to collect data from the respondents. The face and content validity of the instrument was established by an expert in Counselling Psychology in the Department of Science Education, Adamawa State University, Mubi. The reliability of the instrument was carried out using test-retest reliability method. First test was administered on 30 students, while the second test was administered on the same set of students after two weeks. The reliability coefficient was 0.82. The researcher and two research assistants administered the questionnaires and collected them on the spot. The collected data were analyzed using mean, t-test and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA obtained. Four research questions and two hypotheses were raised to guide the study. The results also revealed that the most common stressors among the students include continuous poor performance, unfair treatment by boyfriends/girlfriends, and uncertainty about getting a job after graduating, competition with fellow students, overcrowded lecture halls, and high expectations from parents, not attending lectures, and conflict with fellow students. It also revealed that the strategies employed by students in coping with stress include being assertive enough to remove certain obstacles blocking their right success. It was recommended that good eating habit should be priority of students in relation to stress management and enough sleep and exercise is an important remedy to stress management.

CONTRIBUTION OF IN-SERVICE TRAINING PROGRAMMES TO TEACHERS' PERFORMANCE IN A PRIVATE SECONDARY SCHOOL IN KYENJOJO DISTRICT, WESTERN UGANDA

Purpose: In-service training programmes in educational planning and administration are indispensable for enhancing teachers’ performance. In Uganda, the schools’ administrators and educational policy makers consider investing in in-service training of teachers. The study was purposed to develop workable recommendations, to address the continued poor performance of students in private secondary schools in Kyenjojo District in Western Uganda. The study was guided by four research objective; to find out the types of in-service training programmes provided at St. Joseph’s Hill Secondary School in Kyenjojo district; to determine the contributions of in-service training programmes to teachers’ performance at St. Joseph’s Hill Secondary School in Kyenjojo District; to gauge on how effective the in-service training programmes are promoting effective supervision of students by teachers at St. Joseph’s Hill Secondary School in Kyenjojo District and to find out how teachers’ service delivery affect students’ performance at St. Joseph’s Hill Secondary school in Kyenjojo District. Expectancy theory guided the study.Methodology: The study employed qualitative research method and it was guided by a case study design. The study employed a non-probability sampling procedure. A total of 8 administrators, 26 teachers, 30 students, 1 District Education Officer and 1 District Inspector of Schools were selected. In data collection, the study used Interview guide and Focused Group Discussions for the selected sample. Face to face Interviews were conducted. The data collected was analyzed qualitatively.Results: The findings revealed that in-service training programmes for teachers exist though not consistent but once or twice in a year. The in-service training programmes have contributed to the improvement of teachers’ welfare in regards to acquisition of skills that helped the teachers in teaching. There are different types of in-service programmes offered to teachers. These programmes have contributed to teachers’ performance in the areas of providing exposure to teachers, lesson planning, handling learners, building relations with learners, marking and setting of exams, improvement in time and classroom management, plus inspiring learners to achieve their academic potential and many others.Recommendations: Based on the research findings, the researcher recommends that in-service training providers and school administration put extra efforts on teachers’ supervision.

Leadership development: A lever for system-wide educational change

The continuous poor performance of South Africa’s learners is detrimental to its developing economy. The need for education change prompted two universities to initiate a system-wide change strategy in a poorly performing school district. The leverage for change was leadership development, involving school principals and district officials. The global impetus for driving leadership development is based on the positive association between high-quality leadership and effective schools. The change strategy was a three year leadership development intervention programme. An evaluative case study was used to investigate the experiences of the participants during the implementation of the programme. Research methods included individual interviews, observation, and a survey by means of a questionnaire. Using systems theory as a theoretical framework, various disconnections were identified in the school district. These disconnections concern the interrelationships between the educational leaders which hinder organisational learning. Changing the culture of the school district through system-wide collaboration could be the key to systemic improvements. Strategies such as collective capacity building, joint problem-solving, networking and system leadership, might provide the essential ‘glue’ for strengthening the interconnections within the school district. Keywords: collective capacity building; district officials; education change; educational leadership; leadership development; principals; school district; system leadership; system-wide change

Leadership Styles of Headteachers and Their Impact on Students’ Academic Performance in Secondary Schools, Nyamaiya Division, Nyamira District, Kenya

The nerve centre of this study was that despite the critical role played by the head teacher in secondary school management, students’ academic performance has persistently been poor. Factors leading to this dismal performance have not been adequately investigated and well understood in Nyamaiya Division hence the need for this study. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the leadership styles of the headteachers and their impact on the students’ academic performance in KCSE secondary schools in Nyamaiya Division, Nyamira District. The study was conducted in six secondary schools within Nyamaiya Division, Nyamira District from population of 15 schools, hence six headteachers, and 72 teachers from population of 180 and 680 students from population of 1700. The interest of the researcher to choose and study these schools is strongly prompted by their continued poor performance in KCSE. Data was collected using the questionnaires and interview schedules. The study used descriptive statistics such as percentages and frequency, which were used concurrently with the Chi-Square test in the analysis. The study intended to come up with policy guidelines that were to help improve the leadership styles of head teachers in Kenya and other developing countries, which require similar policies. The study was further to contribute to the functions of knowledge for the present and future scholars. The major findings show a significant relationship between initiative structures of the head teachers towards improving leadership style which has impact on academic performance, it further shows no significant relationship between consideration behavior of the head teachers regarding day to day issues which has impact on academic performance and finally there was a strong relationship between participatory traits of the head teachers and the management structures of the schools which has impact on the students’ academic performance. Based on these findings, it is recommended that to the school administration to cooperate from parents by holding regular meetings and working out strategic plans, to the ministry to in-service headteachers through workshops and finally to the teacher to be encouraged occasionally to review their own leadership styles and check their impact on students’ academic performance. DOI: 10.5901/jesr.2013.v3n3p157

Characterisation of palatal dysfunction after laryngoplasty

Dorsal displacement of the soft palate (DDSP) in the horse has been previously described as intermittent, typically occurring at fast exercise; or persistent, seen at rest. Dorsal displacement of the soft palate has recently been reported following laryngoplasty (LP) and can be associated with continued poor performance and respiratory noise. The current study aimed to characterise the DDSP diagnosed post LP. Cross-sectional study. Owners/trainers of horses undergoing LP at one institution over 6 years were contacted to determine the horse's progress and willingness for re-examination. The horses were examined at the rest, walk, trot and canter with an overground exercising endoscope. A GPS-equipped watch was carried to obtain maximal exercising speeds. Videos of horses with DDSP were reviewed to determine frequency and duration of DDSP and swallowing events at the various gaits. Exercising endoscopy was performed in 41 of the 89 horses that had undergone LP. Nineteen of the 41 horses were diagnosed with DDSP at exercise, of which 7/41 also had DDSP at rest. No difference was detected in the percentage of total time spent displaced at each gait (P = 0.67), or in the frequency of new DDSP events per minute between each gait (P = 0.10), or in the frequency of swallowing events per minute between each gait (P = 0.52). The majority of horses displaced at various times throughout each gait. Dorsal displacement of the soft palate was most commonly solely induced spontaneously and always corrected with a swallow. The maximum speed achieved was 8.3 m/s. Dorsal displacement of the soft palate was common following LP and it appears to be induced at slower gaits than DDSP that has previously been described. It also occurred at various times throughout each gait and did not always occur persistently at rest. These findings suggest horses undergoing LP may be more prone to DDSP and further investigations into the aetiology of post LP palatal dysfunction are warranted.

The Labor Market Four Years into the Crisis: Assessing Structural Explanations

Four years after the beginning of the Great Recession, the labor market remains historically weak. Many observers have concluded that “structural” impediments to recovery bear some of the blame. The author reviews such structural explanations, but after analyzing U.S. data on unemployment and productivity, he finds there is little evidence supporting these hypotheses. He finds that the bulk of the evidence is more consistent with the hypothesis that continued poor performance is primarily attributable to shortfalls in the aggregate demand for labor.

High-Stakes Testing and the Moral Decisions of Leaders

As a charter school faces continued poor performance and the need to show drastic improvement in its data, school leaders are faced with a moral dilemma. To help the schools testing data, leaders consider being selective with whom they test. They consider whether they can help the short-term outcomes of the school while risking later consequences for the school and its students. This case exposes the dilemma of leaders trying to keep the doors of the school open while being pulled to do the right thing for the students they currently serve.

Reinventing School Finance: Falling Forward

States and school districts are facing unprecedented financial pressure due to the continued poor performance of the United States's economy. Dramatic shortfalls in funding due to reduced tax collections were held off for 2 years thanks to federal stimulus funds, but with these revenues already consumed and little likelihood of more in the near future, school districts are faced with some of the largest funding shortfalls they have ever experienced. This article offers a number of suggestions for ways schools and school districts can reduce spending while maintaining a strong emphasis on improved student performance. These ideas include focusing more resources on core subjects, making trade-offs that include the potential of larger classes in exchange for professional development in the form of instructional coaches, and establishing research-based priorities for the use of existing resources.

Effects of Participatory Learning Technique on Achievement and Attitude of B. Ed. Students in Educational Research Methods

This study investigated the effects of Participatory Learning Technique (PLT) on achievement and attitude of B.Ed. students of the Delta State University, Abraka, Nigeria, in Educational Research Methods. This was necessitated by the investigator's worry over the continued poor performance of these students in this course whom in addition seemed not to be bothered about such gross failures. A sizeable number of them failed to graduate at the stipulated time. Using a Randomized Control Group Pretest-Posttest design and a t-test for independent samples (n = 30), it was found that the PLT group scored significantly higher on both criterion variables. It was concluded that the PLT was effective in not only enhancing learning output of the students but also in developing positive and favourable attitude towards the subject. It was therefore recommended that lecturers in this subject area should as a matter of importance create active participation of students in classroom teaching to maximize outcomes.

An Assessment of Academic Stress among Undergraduate Students: The Case of University of Botswana.

This research finding is based on the responses obtained from the undergraduate students at a higher learning institution (University) in Botswana. This paper investigated the stressors, symptoms and effects that are likely to be experienced by the undergraduate students in higher institutions (Universities). Stressors related to time, academic pressure, and academic environments were explored. A total of 320 students participated in this study. Data was collected through self-administered questionnaires that were randomly distributed to the students during lecture time. Data obtained was analysed using descriptive statistics and Tables. The open ended question was thematically analysed and the result presented in Table 5. It was found out that, academic workload, inadequate resources, low motivation, poor performance in academic, continuous poor performance in academic, overcrowded lecture halls, and uncertainty of getting job after graduating from the university lead to stress among students. It is hoped that, these findings will help the individual students, lecturers, career and counselling centres, and the university administrators to put in place mechanisms that mitigate the effects of stress at the University. In addition, the finding will also spur a scholarly debate on academic stress among students in higher institutions. We therefore suggest that, other researchers should consider using triangulation method. The limitation of our study was the sample size and lack of geographical coverage since our study only concentrated on one university. Therefore, the findings of this study cannot be generalised and as such the researchers suggest replication of this study using larger samples from other parts of the world to validate our findings. Key words: Students, higher institutions, university, stress, stressors.

DIXONS AND LAURA ASHLEY: DIFFERENT ROUTES TO INTERNATIONAL GROWTH

The continued poor performance of many retailers trading internationally suggests that effectively managing international operations continues to be a source of great difficulty. This paper presents short case studies of the ways in which two leading UK retailers – Dixons and Laura Ashley – have, by very different mechanisms, expanded their businesses outside the UK. For both companies, a review of their motivations for and philosophies on trading internationally is followed by some observations on the management of their international operations. Both companies have recently restructured their management in an effort to move away from a “multi‐domestic” management style and towards a more integrated “transitional” approach.

A review of the causes of recent problems in the construction industry of Trinidad and Tobago

The rise in the price of oil in the early 1970s provided Trinidad and Tobago with the wealth to finance a dramatic push for development. Much of the development programme that was launched involved construction work. The industry was soon overwhelmed with work, and for various reasons its performance deteriorated rapidly. In order to try and improve the situation, the government decided to let all of its major projects t o foreign engineering, firms. Although the main intention was to complete important public works as expeditiously as possible, it was also hoped that the local, firms would learn-by-example from having internationally recognized firms working in their midst. The government was to be disappointed on both counts. Whilst some of the reasons for the continued poor performance of the construction industry can be put down to physical circumstances beyond its control, there were, and are, other factors at work which the industry has allowed to develop and handicap itself.