Education In Rural Communities Research Articles

Study of some physicochemical and bacteriological characteristics of drinking water in three selected rural communities in Wamba, Nasarawa State, Nigeria.

Access to safe drinking water remains a challenge in rural Nigeria. This study was carried out to determine physicochemical and bacteriological characteristics of drinking water in three rural communities in Wamba, Nasarawa State. A cross-sectional survey was conducted, 5 water samples were in respective cases collected from stream, well and borehole sources. Standard techniques were used for physicochemical analysis. Total viable counts, Total Staphylococcal counts, Total coliforms & Feacal coliforms in the samples were obtained using pour plate method, growth on Mannitol salt agar, growth on MacConkey agar and Eosin Methylene Blue agar respectively. Stream Water had higher values for physicochemical parameters. Stream water exhibited the highest bacterial counts, followed by well and borehole water. The Bacteria isolated were Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas spp, Klebsiella spp, Proteus spp and Salmonella spp. The acid lability attributes of the isolates were determined using Nutrient Agar buffered with (4-(2- Hydroxyethyl)-1- piperazineethanesulfonic acid) and Lipase activity was assessed using Trypticase soy agar supplemented with 1% Tween 80. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS-PC statistical package, with a p-value of < 0.05 it was considered statistically significant. These findings indicate contamination of drinking water sources, posing health risk to consumers and it shows the need for water treatment, monitoring & public health education in rural communities.

Abstract P402: The Impact of Preeclampsia Education in Rural Communities

Preeclampsia (PE) and other hypertensive disorders of pregnancy are the leading cause of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. There are 4,000 PE cases/year in IA. Rural counties are at a significantly higher risk of pregnancy-related mortality. A lack of PE education regarding signs and symptoms may contribute to this risk. PE complications and mortality may be preventable with early implementation of patient education on preeclampsia during pregnancy. Our objective was to determine if implementing a magnet as an intervention increases patients' knowledge of the signs and symptoms of PE. A magnet that includes common signs and symptoms of PE was designed to serve as an educational visual aid for patients. Pregnant patients ≥18 years old from two hospitals in Northwest IA were recruited. A pre-survey was given at a prenatal appointment prior to receiving the magnet. The post-magnet survey was administered during admission for delivery. The control group did not receive the magnet. Pre- and post-surveys asked about preeclampsia and current understanding, if they received a magnet, if it was referenced, number of healthcare visits, questions during visits about PE, and if they were diagnosed with PE. Between 8/23-5/24, 62 pre- and 83 post-magnet surveys were collected. Statistical analyses were performed using a 95% confidence interval with p<0.05 considered significant. Ages ranged from 18-42 years old, with majority Caucasian patients (69% in pre-survey and 58% in post-survey). Levels of highest education obtained ranged from 4 th grade to doctoral degree, with the majority completing high school as the highest level of education (29%).The magnet group rated their level of understanding of PE as good to excellent which was higher than both pre-intervention and control groups. Both control and magnet groups identified more symptoms and complications of PE on the post-survey compared to the pre-survey. Both control and magnet groups were noted to have increased discussions about preeclampsia with their physician. Lastly, both groups had increased knowledge on what to do if they developed symptoms on the post-survey compared to pre-survey responses. Of the magnet group, 71% thought receiving a magnet was helpful to increase awareness of PE. Implementation of a magnet increased patient literacy regarding the signs, symptoms, and complications of PE, discussions with physicians, and knowledge of what to do if patients develop symptoms of PE.

AI Based Multilingual Chatbot: Advancing Higher Education in Rural Communities

The project "AI Based Multilingual Chatbot: Advancing Higher Education in Rural Communities" addresses the pressing need for educational support in rural areas. With advancements in AI and natural language processing (NLP), chatbots have emerged as promising tools to bridge educational gaps. However, existing solutions often lack multilingual support and fail to cater to the unique needs of rural communities. This project aims to develop a multilingual chatbot tailored specifically for rural contexts, enabling access to educational resources and support in local languages. By leveraging AI and NLP technologies, the chatbot will provide personalized assistance to rural students, empowering them to pursue higher education aspirations. Through this project, we aim to address the challenges faced by rural communities in accessing quality education and contribute to their educational advancement. The methodology of the project involves leveraging machine learning algorithms and natural language processing techniques to develop the chatbot. Objectives include designing a user-friendly interface, implementing multilingual support, and ensuring robust data storage and retrieval. Design and experimental tools such as Python, Flask, NLTK, and scikit-learn will be utilized. Key specifications include handling diverse user queries, ensuring data security, and optimizing response generation algorithms. The sequence involves initial data gathering, followed by algorithm development, system testing, and iterative refinement based on user feedback. The key findings of the project showcase significant improvements in user interaction and system performance. Experimental data demonstrates high accuracy in query processing and response generation. The developed chatbot exhibits a working efficiency of over 90%, as indicated by user satisfaction surveys and performance metrics. These outcomes validate the effectiveness of the implemented methodologies and design choices. Key Words: User Experience, Product Recommendation, Neural Network (CNN’s)

Right To Intercultural Education in Rural Communities

Right To Intercultural Education in Rural Communities

Policy, access, and resource factors as correlates of functionality of secondary education in rural communities

Policy, access, and resource factors as correlates of functionality of secondary education in rural communities

Assessment of Funding Approach to Adult Learning and Education in Rural Communities

The challenges of Nigeria as a nation require holistic approach and appropriate education to tackle for socio-economic development and peaceful co-existence of Nigerians. Adult learning and education (ALE) being a discipline with huge potentials for adults, is capable of tackling the problems. However, it needed to be scaled up through new initiatives and approaches. This study therefore, assessed the funding approach to ALE programmes in Ekiti State, Nigeria; with a view to understand how ALE programmes have been funded and implemented in Nigeria in recent times. Review of concepts and terms were carried out. Qualitative research method was used to obtain data. It was discovered that Ekiti state Government adopted specific need and service-oriented approach to funding and implementation of adult learning and education programmes in the State. The approach yielded positive results with 67 adult literacy centres established and 5,029 adult learners enrolled between 2019 and 2022. A total of 45 individuals and 12 faith based organisations sponsored ALE programmes. It is therefore recommended that government at all levels should adopt need and service-oriented approach to funding and implementation of ALE programmes with a view to make ALE relevant in providing solution to the Nigeria’s socio-economic, political, environmental and security challenges.

Child Rights Acts and Girl Child Education in Rural Communities in Oshimili South Local Government Area, Delta State-Nigeria 

Child Rights Acts and Girl Child Education in Rural Communities in Oshimili South Local Government Area, Delta State-Nigeria 

Evaluation of Pre-service Teachers’ Digital Competence in Limpopo Province, South Africa

Digital technology can potentially improve the quality of education in rural communities by creating conducive conditions for collaboration among learners, providing interactive learning tools and offering opportunities for personalised learning experiences. The pre-service teachers are a critical human resource in improving the quality of education. Therefore, this study investigated the perceptions of pre-service teachers’ technical, pedagogical, attitudinal and ethical digital competence and their readiness to use digital technologies to enhance their teaching practices in Limpopo Province in South Africa. The theoretical framework that guided the study was the Pedagogical, Ethical, Attitudinal and Technical model (PEAT). This descriptive study used a quantitative approach by employing a cross-sectional survey design. A conveniently selected sample of 123 pre-service teachers participated in the study. The research instrument used to collect data was a Questionnaire of Pre-service Teachers’ Digital Competence. The quantitative data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics. The study's findings were that preservice teachers had positive attitudes towards digital technologies, perceived themselves as having high technical digital competence and perceived ICT use in school as contributing positively to learning. They had lower perceptions regarding their competences in using specific digital technologies in teaching and their knowledge of ethical issues. They had the lowest perceptions in the university's role in preparing them for integrating digital technologies into teaching. These findings underscore the necessity of teacher educators to explore new strategies to enhance student teachers' digital competences.

Rural Community Education Promotes the Integration of the Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Industries: Value Analysis and Path Exploration

Rural Community Education Promotes the Integration of the Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Industries: Value Analysis and Path Exploration

Factors Hampering the Realization of Equity and Quality Education in Zimbabwe’s Rural Schools: Experiences of Chipinge Central Circuit, Manicaland

Globally, many countries are grappling with educational inequities. Despite the Government of Zimbabwe’s pursuit of universal education since 1980, inequities and poor quality education challenges persist unabated in rural schools. The continuing challenges prompted this study to investigate the factors hampering the realization of equity and quality education in rural communities. The article provides a case-specific account anchored on the lived experiences of rural teachers and school heads in Chipinge central circuit. Drawing on key informant interviews coupled with documentary review, the article revealed a multiplicity of factors, namely, funding, family and community support barriers, child labour and dropouts, child hunger and distance challenges, shortage of teaching resources, shortage of teachers, inadequate physical structures, electricity, among others, that undermine the realization of equity and quality education in rural schools. The article recommends improved government funding and support, digital skills capacity development for rural school teachers and retention strategies for rural teachers. Through such capacity-building interventions, rural schools will have the needed infrastructure, modern technologies and adequately qualified teachers to provide quality education to rural learners.

Resources mobilisation challenges in rural schools of South Africa: What can we learn?

Government efforts to provide equal and quality education in rural schools has yielded minimal change in South Africa since the dawn of democracy in 1994.Growing inequalities and recent economic constraints exacerbated by the COVID 19 pandemic have further exposed and deepened resource scarcity among rural communities and schools. The South African Schools Act (1996) is clear that, through school stakeholders such as School Governing Bodies (SGB’s), schools are required to supplement resources provided by the State. However, there is a paucity of research that explores resource mobilisation challenges experienced by school stakeholders in rural schools of South Africa. The article is based on a qualitative research study, supported by the Asset-based theory and Resource mobilisation theory. To collect data, we used participatory approaches such as the Free Attitude Interviews (FAI) and SWOT analysis. Four main findings emerged from the data, which were used to make recommendations to address and improve the quality of education in rural communities.

Enhancing Political Awareness and Participation in Rural Communities: A Case Study of KKN Program in Asilulu, Indonesia


 
 
 
 
 
 This research investigates the effectiveness of the Real Work Lecture (KKN) program in increasing political awareness and participation among rural communities in Asilulu, Indonesia. The study aims to address the lack of political education and the prevalence of electoral fraud and voter apathy in the region. Through a community-based approach, the KKN program implemented various methods such as counseling, training, socialization, and group assistance. The study utilized qualitative data collected from government officials and community members, indicating a positive response and high active participation. The results highlight the success of the program in promoting a positive political narrative and combating practices such as money politics and abstention. The implications of this study contribute to the development of effective strategies for political education and encourage greater citizen engagement in political processes.
 Highlight:
 
 Community empowerment through Real Work Lecture (KKN) program
 Importance of political education in rural communities
 Promoting positive political narratives through socialization
 
 Keyword:
 Real Work Lecture, Community Empowerment, Political Education, Socialization, Active Citizen Engagement
 
 
 
 
 

Enhancing Political Awareness and Participation in Rural Communities: A Case Study of KKN Program in Asilulu, Indonesia


 
 
 
 
 
 This research investigates the effectiveness of the Real Work Lecture (KKN) program in increasing political awareness and participation among rural communities in Asilulu, Indonesia. The study aims to address the lack of political education and the prevalence of electoral fraud and voter apathy in the region. Through a community-based approach, the KKN program implemented various methods such as counseling, training, socialization, and group assistance. The study utilized qualitative data collected from government officials and community members, indicating a positive response and high active participation. The results highlight the success of the program in promoting a positive political narrative and combating practices such as money politics and abstention. The implications of this study contribute to the development of effective strategies for political education and encourage greater citizen engagement in political processes.
 Highlight:
 
 Community empowerment through Real Work Lecture (KKN) program
 Importance of political education in rural communities
 Promoting positive political narratives through socialization
 
 Keyword:
 Real Work Lecture, Community Empowerment, Political Education, Socialization, Active Citizen Engagement
 
 
 
 
 

Resource inequality and quality of secondary education: a study of uneven policy in rural schools of southwestern Nigeria

Recent Studies have investigated the influence of the resource factor on the quality of secondary education (QSE) in Nigeria. However, the research on the resource factor as a predictor of quality of secondary education in rural communities of Southwestern Nigeria remains scanty. This study, therefore, investigated the contributions of the resource factor (RF: Resource Adequacy-RA and Resource Utilization-RU) to QSE in rural communities of Southwestern Nigeria (RCSN). The study was located within a pragmatic paradigm that incorporated the convergent parallel design in the collection, analysis and interpretation of the qualitative and quantitative data. The multi-level mixed methods sampling technique was adopted in selecting 467 secondary school graduates, while total enumeration technique was adopted in selecting 134 teachers. Six participants for the Key Informant Interviews comprised three principals and three senior officials from the Teaching Service Commission and Ministry of Education from three selected states in southwestern Nigeria. Two research questions were raised, and one hypothesis was formulated for the study. Two research instruments, namely, the Secondary School Graduate Aptitude Test (SSGAT) and Resource Factor Teachers’ Questionnaire (RFTQ), with reliability coefficients of 0.715 and 0.853, respectively, were used for the study. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Pearson Product Moment Correlation, while qualitative data were analyzed with content analysis. The resource factor with resource adequacy (x=2.50) and resource utilization (x=2.77) influenced QSE. The resource factor (r=0.75) had a negative significant relationship with QSE. The study affirmed that addressing resource inequality in rural communities is urgently required to stem the ebbing tide of quality secondary education in Nigeria.

'The word that comes to mind is polymath': medical students' perceptions of rural postgraduate careers.

Medical education is essential in strengthening the rural medical workforce globally. Immersive medical education in rural communities guided by good role models and rural-specific curricula promotes rural recruitment of recent graduates. While curricula can be rurally oriented, the mechanism of action is unclear. Comparing different programmes, this study examined medical students' perceptions of rural and remote practice and how these perceptions influence students' intentions to practice rurally. The University of St Andrews has two medical programmes: BSc Medicine and graduate-entry MBChB (ScotGEM). Commissioned to address Scotland's rural generalist crisis, ScotGEM employs high quality role modelling, alongside 40-week immersive rural longitudinal integrated clerkships. This cross-sectional study utilised semi-structured interviews with 10 St Andrews students enrolled in undergraduate or graduate-entry medical programmes. We deductively applied Feldman and Ng's 'Careers: Embeddedness, Mobility, and Success' theoretical framework to examine rural medicine perceptions in medical students exposed to different programmes. Structural themes included geographically isolated physicians and patients. Organisational themes included limited staff support in rural practices and perceived inequitable resource allocation between rural and urban communities. Occupational themes included the recognition of rural clinical generalists. Personal themes included the perception of tight-knit rural communities. Medical students' experiences (educational, personal, or working) most profoundly shaped their perceptions. Medical students' perceptions align with professionals' reasons for career embeddedness. Perceptions unique to rurally interested medical students included isolation, the need for rural clinical generalists, uncertainty in rural medicine, and tight-knit rural communities. Educational experience mechanisms, including exposure to telemedicine, GP role-modelling, methods on overcoming uncertainty, and codesigned medical education programmes, explain perceptions.

Rural medical education as a solution to rural physician shortages: an exploration of the motivations and engagement of rural physician-educators in Prince Edward Island, Canada.

Medical education is increasingly taking place in rural areas as this is known to help physician recruitment to rural areas. A medical school is planned for Prince Edward Island (PEI) that would use community-based learning as a core principle, yet little is known about the specific factors that influence our rural physicians' participation and engagement in medical education. Our objective is to describe these factors. Using mixed-methods, we conducted a survey of all physician-teachers on PEI and conducted semi-structured interviews with self-selected survey respondents. We gathered quantitative and qualitative data, and conducted an analysis of themes. The study is ongoing and will be completed before March 2022. Early survey results suggest that faculty teach because they enjoy it, and due to a sense of \"paying it forward\" and \"duty\". They face major workload challenges but are very interested in improving their teaching skills. They see themselves as clinician-teachers but not as scholars. Locating medical education in rural communities is known to alleviate physician shortages in those areas. Our early findings suggest novel factors such as identity, and traditional factors such as workload and resources, influence teaching engagement for rural physicians. Our findings also suggest that rural physicians' interest in improving their teaching is not being met by current methods. Our research contributes to the study of factors influencing rural physicians' motivation and engagement in teaching. Further research is required to understand how these findings compare with urban settings, and the implications of these differences for supporting rural medical education.

Editorial: School Communities and Partnerships

In this issue of the Australian and International Journal of Rural Education, our authors explore the impact of partnerships on education in rural communities. Schools are expected to prepare students for an unknown and uncertain future. Partnerships between schools and industry, higher education providers and the wider community can achieve greater outcomes for students than schools working in isolation.

Opioid Use Disorder Community Education Events: Rural Public Health Implications.

The opioid overdose epidemic continues to disproportionately impact underserved rural areas throughout the nation, with many of these rural areas experiencing greater opioid-related mortality rates than their urban counterparts. With limited treatment infrastructure and resources, two rural communities in Southeast Utah utilized community-based participatory research collaboration principles to develop, implement, and evaluate a series of evidence-based community opioid education events. This practical and quantitative study surveying 123 participants describes the collaborative efforts of two rural communities in addressing the devastating impacts of the opioid overdose epidemic and reflects on the success of the events via descriptive analysis of summary data. These events increased participants' reported perceptions of and knowledge in four main education areas: stigma reduction, prevention and treatment awareness, naloxone education and use, and resource location awareness. Post-event surveys further supported these results, revealing improved learning in each of these four areas, indicating increased knowledge toward opioid use disorder treatments and stigma reduction. In addition, participants identified key takeaways such as local resource awareness and dismantling stigma as effective strategies to reduce the negative effects of the opioid overdose epidemic. This model for rural community education supports previous research and serves as an effective strategy of public health practice to address the opioid overdose epidemic on a local level.

Family Management Perspective Islamic Education (A Case Study in Southeast Sulawesi and Yogyakarta)

This study aimed to determine the family management perspective of Islamic education in rural communities in Yogyakarta and Southeast Sulawesi. The data was collected by observation, in-depth interviews, and documentation. The results show that family management means a family arrangement in preparing various resources for family needs. The farming community in Atula Village, Southeast Sulawesi defined Islamic education as follows; first , it is something that is important and must be done, to gain knowledge, provision for later life, to add insight, future, experience, find work, become smart, then put it into practice, so parents prepare finances for their children. Second , the Islamic education that is carried out by the children of the farming community in the Atula village is Madrasah and Islamic boarding school, generating and exploring the potential for the progress of the nation and generations through Islam. As for Banjaroya Village, Yogyakarta, the majority of parents' occupations are farmers, the meaning of Islamic education for them is; first in general (mostly parents), do not have a clear plan about the education of their children. Second , children and parents are less interested in schooling their children in Madrasas or Islamic boarding schools. The community also viewed religious education is seen as less "cool" in the eyes and less promising according to the parents.

Access to Early Care and Education in Rural Communities: Implications for Children's School Readiness.

This study links county-level early care and education (ECE) program, economic, and demographic data to child-level data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Cohort of 2010-2011 to examine geographic variation in ECE program participation and provision. We find that public ECE programs, particularly Head Start, occupy a larger role in nonmetropolitan communities than in metropolitan areas. By contrast, children in rural counties are less likely to attend private center-based ECE, and nonprofit childcare program expenditures in rural areas lag. We also find rural-metropolitan differences in school readiness diminish when geographic characteristics are controlled. Results suggest that county-level context and state-level policy features shape children's early experiences, and that public ECE investments are key in narrowing disparities in ECE attendance and in children's outcomes.