In-depth Interview Schedule Research Articles

Socio-economic Impact of Women Entrepreneurship in Bangladesh

This paper aims at understanding about the socio-economic impact of women entrepreneurship in Bangladesh. Though Bangladeshi women are entering into business sector, they continue to remain vulnerable and marginalized. One of the indications of their marginalization is lack of information and statistics about the situation of women entrepreneurs. This study was therefore carried out focusing on socio-economic impact on entrepreneurship over women lives. For this, exploratory and qualitative research approaches were adopted. All female entrepreneurs of handloom industry in Sylhet City Corporation of Bangladesh were considered as population and data were collected from the purposive sampling method from the population using in-depth interview schedule. Results indicate that their values and reputations have gained betterment along with their business. Nonetheless, these women had to face a number of difficulties while trying to set up their work such as finding a place to open a shop in the market. Market authorities do not believe in women's efficiency, so do the banks. It is difficult for the women entrepreneurs to manage loans from the banks. Most of the respondents had said that they do not face any complications performing their roles as spouse, parents, or homemaker while running the business. Most of the time, their husbands, or other family members encourage them to start and continue a business. After starting the business, most women feel that their status has risen not only within the family but also within the society. Now they enjoy freedom and also contribute economically and to family decision making.

Management of diarrheal diseases among children under five years: a case study of mothers at Kakamega county, Kenya

Background: Despite much effort and successes in the management of diarrhoea, the disease has remained among the top five causes of mortality and morbidity in Kenya, particularly among infants and children below five years. Advent of HIV/AIDS and the harsh economic situation is Kenya has led to increase in diarrhoea diseases. This study was conducted to determine the mother’s knowledge, attitude and practice in the management of diarrheal diseases among children under five years of age.Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted at Lurambi sub-County, Kakamega County. Systematic sampling technique was used to determine the study population. The research instruments were; observational checklists, an in-depth interview schedule, self-administered semi-structured questionnaires and focused group discussions. Quantitative data analysis was conducted using SPSSand involved univariate and bivariate analysis. Qualitative data was analyzed by thematic content analysis.Results: Overall, 88% mothers each with at least one child under five years took part in the study. 84% of the respondents had knowledge of the causes of diarrhoea; however only 31% knew methods of diarrhoea prevention. 41% of the respondents managed diarrhoea cases with non-recommended home remedies such as salt and sugar solutions. The study also established that 37% of the health workers were not trained on diarrhoea management despite them being directly involved in the case management.Conclusions: Overall, the research identified a gap between knowledge and practice. There is need for improving home based case management and implementing a community strategy for diarrhoea management.

Towards Creating Sustainable Ecotourism Interventions: Practical Lessons from Mesomagoro, Ghana

Ecotourism has, over the past three decades, been employed globally as a tool to secure a balance between the need for environmental preservation and the sustenance of the communities which depend directly on it. Consequently, the trend has been to designate natural resources as Protected Areas, limit access to them and regulate their use. While this approach has been successful in protecting the ecological integrity of the said spaces, the same cannot be said for the livelihoods of persons living in such areas. Consequently, the literature is almost unanimous with the verdict that ecotourism has not worked in the African context resulting in deep discontent which tends to be expressed in varying ways among the host communities. However, one notable exception to this trend can be found in Mesomagoro, a small community in Ghana that still views ecotourism relatively positively after 20 years of hosting an intervention. Using the Sustainable Livelihoods Concept and a qualitative approach, this study sought to understand the reasons that could account for ecotourism’s success in Mesomagoro. It employs the Purposive Sampling Technique and uses In-depth Interview Schedules and Focus Group Discussions to elicit the relevant information. It was found that the sustainability of the intervention and the subsequent widely positive views of the community are primarily attributable to the fact that the project was designed to both integrate tourism into the existing livelihoods and skill sets and also to enhance their adaptive capabilities. It is recommended that ecotourism interventions in Africa should be designed to understand the local context and integrate programmes into existing livelihoods and not the other way round.Keywords: Tourism, Development, Livelihoods, Assets, Adaptive Capabilities

Introduction of Licensing Examination for the Registration of Medical and Dental Practitioners: Views of Stakeholders in Present Context of Bangladesh

This cross sectional descriptive study was conducted among the health policy makers, health administrators, doctors including medical teachers, intern doctors, clinically exposed medical students and patients. The study was conducted at government and non government medical colleges of Dhaka and outside Dhaka from 1st July 2014 to 30th June 2015. Total respondents were 372 and information was collected through in-depth interview schedule and self administered semi structured questionnaire. The qualitative information was collected from health policy makers including administrators by in-depth interview which was complimentary to the findings obtained by self administered semi structured questionnaire. Out of 372 respondents 280 (75.3%) and 92 (24.7%) were engaged in government and non- government hospitals/ organizations respectively. Among the respondents 164 (44.1%) agreed and 98 (26.3%) strongly agreed that introduction of licensing examination for the medical and dental practitioners are justified in the present context of Bangladesh. Of the total, 294 (79%) agreed and 40 (10.8%) strongly agreed that licensing examination shall be useful for individual professional development and also agreed that this will help in overall professional development, shall improvement of professional competency and shall enrich doctors with updated professional knowledge. Majority of the respondents (70.6%) mentioned that doctors may not be interested. Of the same respondents 99.1% opined that the registration shall be on the basis of degree or the examination shall only be for person graduated from abroad or foreigner graduates. About 73% respondents were in agreement with 5 years validity period for an examination. Of the total 84.4% respondents agreed that the examination will improvement of standard of medical and dental education offered by all medical and dental colleges of Bangladesh. There are many direct and indirect benefits of introducing licensing examination for the registration of medical and dental graduates/practitioners and there are a few barriers to implement that too.Bangladesh Journal of Medical Education Vol.8(1) 2017: 2-8

Employment, Motherhood and Wellbeing: A Discourse on the Trio within Public Organisations in Southwest Nigeria

African women in public service experience some issues in their bid to juggle between their jobs and parenting; however, not much is available within the literature to explain these dynamics. This study seeks to document this by understanding their experiences, the coping strategies adopted and the implications on the respondents’ wellbeing and that of their children. For quantitative data, a total number of one hundred and sixty questionnaires were purposively administered to mothers with infants working within the selected organizations and complemented with twenty in-depth interview schedules. Findings: a majority (40.0 percent) of the respondents were aged 31-40 years. About 73.0 percent claimed their challenges include how to combine paid employment with motherhood while 26 .9 percent attributed it to finance. Respondents mentioned that their children experience diarrhoea and malaria (22.2 percent), loss of appetite and weakness (23.1 percent) while they are away to work. On the part of the mothers, 62.3 percent claimed that their major challenges are stress and in ability to focus on their work. Respondents further argued that child spacing (7.5 percent) and support from husband (17.5 percent) are part of their coping mechanisms. Working mothers need a more conducive atmosphere for career development and parenting.

The Health Workers Perspectives in the Management of Sickle Cell Disease in an Urban Health Centre in Ile-Ife, Nigeria

Management of sickle cell disease is key to improved quality of life of people living with the disease in Nigeria. This paper examined management strategies utilized by health workers in managing sickle cell patients in Obafemi Awolowo University health centre, in Ile-Ife, Nigeria. The specific objectives were to explore health workers definition of the disease, the observed symptoms by the health workers, drugs and non-drug strategies employed by these health workers in the management of the patients and the adequacy of health facilities for managing sickle cell patients. With structured in-depth interview schedule, fifteen health workers including nurses and doctors were interviewed. It was indicated that unanimously, health workers defined the disease as an inherited blood disorder which is highly symptomatic with a lot pains all over the body especially in joints and chest and that the sufferers are often admitted in the hospital. Also, the health workers use antibiotics, folic acid, analgesics, anti-malaria drugs, intravenous fluids and blood transfusion as drug regimens for managing the sufferers. The non- drug strategies employed by the health workers were counselling, education for self-care and psychotherapy. Furthermore, the health workers indicated that inadequate health facilities hamper their capacity to deliver effective management to people living with the disease. The paper concludes that health workers employ both drug and non-drug management strategies that promise improved quality of life for sickle cell patients in Nigeria but are constrained by inadequate health facilities and consumables.

Understanding the innovativeness of information technology products and service providers in an IT cluster in Nigeria

Every society has social and other systems that encourage and promote, or otherwise, individuals to engage in creative processes and/or support new ideas and experimentation that may result in new products, services or technological processes. This study examined how the most popular innovation variables provide explanation for the capacity of information technology (IT) products and service providers in the Otigba Computer Hardware Cluster in Lagos, Nigeria to devise and harness new strategies of solving IT problems. The study also investigated the respondents’ capacity to acquire, assimilate, transform and use knowledge, and the relationship between these capacities and their innovativeness. Data were collected from 273 respondents with the aid of a questionnaire and an indepth interview schedule. The study confirms the importance of stronger networking for transfer of knowledge by showing that the respondents’ interaction with knowledge sources has strong relationship with their capacity to innovate, acquire, understand and use knowledge. However, innovativeness among the operators in the cluster is not necessarily a function of the traditional innovation variables of absorptive, acquisition, transformation, exploitation and other capacities. The capacity to transform knowledge into applications has a significant effect on the capacity of the operators to introduce new ideas, processes and techniques. Findings from the interviews reveal that the information technology products and service providers are able to devise new ways of solving old and new IT problems, especially as they relate to computer hardware. Research on innovativeness among operators in this cluster must seek explanation from local circumstances in addition to the popular recognised variables

Assessment of food safety practices among cassava processors in selected rural communities of Oyo state, Nigeria

Food safety assessment is an effective means of discovering knowledge and data gaps that limit effective risk analysis and at the same time providing information to develop public policies on food safety management. The study assessed the cassava food safety practices among cassava processors in selected rural communities of Oyo State. Both qualitative and quantitative research designs were used to examine the following parameters: knowledge, attitude, sources of information and constraints to food safety practices. Focus Group Discussion, In-depth Interview, direct observation and interview schedule were the sources of primary data used. Multi-stage sampling technique was used to select one hundred and fifty-four (154) men and women involved in cassava processing from four Local Government Areas where there is concentration of cassava production and processing activities in the state, namely: Saki-West, Saki-East, Atisbo and Afijio. Data were analyzed using percentage, mean, Analysis of Variance and Chi square. The findings revealed that the mean income was N20,695, majority of the processors have low knowledge (71.4%) and unfavourable attitude (51.3%) towards cassava safety practices. Public sanitary officers (𝑥𝑥�= 2.61) and fellow processors (𝑥𝑥�=2.11) were ranked as the most used sources of information about cassava safety practices. Constraints to food safety practices include: processing is time consuming, the cumbersome nature of the safety practices and inadequate access to clean water. Inferential analysis of results shows that income contributed significantly to the cassava food safety practices (p = 0.04) and safety practices do significantly differ among cassava processors across the selected cassava processors (p = 0.10). However, no significant relationship between sex (p = 0.42), age (p = 0.48), marital status (p = 0.67), educational level (p =0.53), processing experience (p = 0.92) and safety practices of the respondents. Training and effective monitoring by relevant stakeholders will further boost processors’ knowledge and attitudinal change towards food safety and ultimately safe food for the consumers.

Exploring the Socio-cultural Context of Dowry Practice in Bangladesh

This paper focuses on socio-cultural context of dowry practice in Sylhet city of Bangladesh. By using qualitative methods twenty one dowry victims were selected purposively from three prominent organizations working with victims of dowry. In-depth interview schedule was used as a tool of data collection. Dowry is one of the most common forms of gender based discrimination in Bangladesh. Every year thousands of women used to face serious social, psychological and physical torture due to dowry related dispute. Even though they become the victim of acid violence; sometime some are killed by their husband and their in-laws. But practice of dowry is not similar in all the region of the country due to social, economic and cultural conditions. People are very likely to see it as a custom rather than an offence. Due to fear of losing social status, ignorance, improper or no idea about legal procedure and conservative social attitude they are less interested in seeking legal steps against their husbands and in-laws. wide range of impact over the society, especially brutal to women. It is something unethical and unsocial that people use as a weapon against other family when they get agreed to be related. It is estimated that one-third of the population live below the poverty line and unable to manage two meals per day. This poverty-ridden portion is almost rootless, live in slums or in the open air, have no strong family bondage or responsibility. Society is still dominated by the male, and women are less empowered to take decision in case of marriage, divorce, property maintain etc. Weakness in marriage registration process, early marriage and polygamy is comparatively easy that is one of the root causes of dowry in Bangladesh. Marriage among Muslim is civil and contractual, whereas it is sacramental and eternal for Hindus. The custom of dowry as prevalent in Bangladesh presents a typical dilemma for the 'universalism and cultural relativism' debate. Dowry is considered to be an ancient practice associated with the institution of marriage in Bangladesh, which in very broad terms involves the giving of gifts from the bride's side to the groom's side at the time of marriage.

Women’s experiences with the use of medical abortion in a legally restricted context: the case of Argentina

This article presents the findings of a qualitative study exploring the experiences of women living in Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area, Argentina, with the use of misoprostol for inducing an abortion. We asked women about the range of decisions they had to make, their emotions, the physical experience, strategies they needed to use, including seeking health care advice and in dealing with a clandestine medical abortion, and their overall evaluation of the experience. An in-depth interview schedule was used. The women had either used misoprostol and sought counselling or care at a public hospital (n=24) or had used misoprostol based on the advice of a local hotline, information from the internet or from other women (n=21). Four stages in the women’s experiences were identified: how the decision to terminate the pregnancy was taken, how the medication was obtained, how the tablets were used, and reflections on the outcome whether or not they sought medical advice. Safety and privacy were key in deciding to use medical abortion. Access to the medication was the main obstacle, requiring a prescription or a friendly drugstore. Correct information about the number of pills to use and dosage intervals was the least easy to obtain and caused concerns. The possibility of choosing a time of privacy and having the company of a close one was highlighted as a unique advantage of medical abortion. Efforts to improve abortion law, policy and service provision in Argentina in order to ensure the best possible conditions for use of medical abortion by women should be redoubled.

Midwives' attitudes towards giving weight-related advice to obese pregnant women

It is estimated that 1 in 5 pregnant women are obese, this poses a significant risk to maternal, fetal and newborn mortality and morbidity and as such, maternal obesity is recognised as a challenge for contemporary and prospective maternity services. As key practitioners in maternity care, midwives are seen as frontline professionals delivering weight-related advice to obese pregnant women. This study aimed to explore midwives' attitudes towards offering obese pregnant women weight-related advice during pregnancy and the puerperium. Nine midwives were interviewed using an in-depth interview schedule. Data were analysed using Colaizzi's (1978) seven-stage thematic approach. Midwives' knowledge of risk associated with maternal obesity was good; advice giving was mainly confined to community practice; the amount and consistency of advice was determined by: women's responses, women's apparent motivation to change and midwives' self-perception as a role model. Four key themes emerged: challenges for practice; perceived proficiency; advice giving skills and midwives' perceived relationship with a woman. Midwives need to address personal issues around body image, as they appear to hinder advice giving, before they can develop effective communication techniques to be able to offer obese pregnant women weight-related advice. The recommendation is to investigate ways in which issues of body image influence midwives ability to offer weight-related advice.

“Guilty with explanation”: rethinking the destiny of landfills in a Millennium City in Ghana

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to interrogate the fate of landfills as waste disposal option in Accra. This becomes imperative since for a long time, efficient disposal of waste remains a neglected issue and potential source environmental hazard. Design/methodology/approach – The study adopted content analysis of literature, in-depth interview schedules with key stakeholders and direct field observations. Findings – Landfills in Accra are in a state of ambivalence due to mismanagement. Improper designing and siting of dumpsites, often in close proximity to water sources and human settlements have created aesthetic and odour nuisances and increase health risks, attracting the wrath, disaffection and distrust of residents. Research limitations/implications – The study provides an insight into broader issues of landfills and demonstrates Accra's vulnerability to health hazard due to improper waste disposal, which becomes apparent with the least downpour and the subsequent flooding which exposes most drains as de facto receptacles for waste. Practical implications – From all indications, Accra appears to be on the brink of a landfill void. Though this issue has been an open secret since 2000, it remains unattended to till date and calls for an immediate, well-planned and concerted attention. Originality/value – This paper adopts qualitative research techniques to delve into a subject matter whose implication has citywide consequences. The method allows for in-depth assessment of the intent and commitment of all key stakeholders, which brings to the fore that landfills will no longer be the cheapest or simplest waste disposal option.

Analysis of Socio-Economic factors that Influence involvement in Resource Based Conflicts in Kenya

To effectively analyze the relationship between socio-economic factors and resource-based conflicts, the two variables were assessed in a number of dimensions. The five dimensions used to assess socio-economic factors include: education, ethnicity, employment status, religion and age. Resource-based conflicts, on the other hand, was assessed by considering two dimensions: involvement in resource-based conflicts and knowledge of the time of the conflicts. The dimensions were used so as to understand the two concepts under the study – socio-economic factors and resource-based conflicts. This study therefore examined the relationship between each of the dimensions of each variable and the dimensions of the other variable. The study used a structured questionnaire, in-depth interview schedule and an observation schedule to collect data. A standardized questionnaire was administered to selected household respondents. The data for the study was analyzed using Chi Square (), Cramer’s V, Phi () and Contingency co-efficient (C) used to determine the relationship between socio-economic factors and involvement in resource-based conflicts and the strength of this relationship at  =0.05 significance level. The study established that socio-economic factors influence the involvement in resource based conflicts.

Perception of HIV/AIDS among the Igbo of Anambra State, Nigeria

Perception is fundamental in the fight against stigmatization of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV). Perception generally influences discriminatory attitudes towards PLHIV which exacerbates their problems and quickens the degeneration of the disease from HIV to AIDS. This study examined the Anambra people's perception and knowledge of HIV/AIDS with the goal of creating knowledge on these issues in order to design effective intervention programmes towards the reduction of social stigmatization associated with the pandemic. The study was carried out in Idemmili North and Oyi local government areas of Anambra State. Qualitative and quantitative methodologies were used to elicit information from respondents who were adult males and females of 18 years and above. The research instruments were questionnaires and in-depth interview schedule. Questionnaires were administered on 1000 respondents while 13 people were interviewed in-depth. Analysis of quantitative data were conducted by using the Statistical package for Social Sciences. Univariate analysis in the form of frequencies were conducted which generated the distribution of respondents across the research variables. Furthermore, multivariate analysis were conducted to test the hypotheses and sought for relationships among variables. The qualitative data were reported in themes based on the research objectives and were analysed jointly with the quantitative data. The findings were that majority of the respondents viewed HIV/AIDS as a disease that afflict immoral people and as a punishment from God. Only a handful of them saw the disease as a disease that could afflict anybody. Also, many of the respondents said that AIDS is real but showed a low level of knowledge. It was further indicated that there were significant relationships between educational level, sex, occupation, income influence perception and peoples' reactions to HIV positive status of a relative while there were no significant relationships between these variables and knowledge of HIV/AIDS. It was concluded that these negative perceptions were as a result of the people's low level of knowledge and cultural belief systems, which see a strange illness as punishment from God for disobedience. Furthermore, the fact that most of the socio-economic characteristics of the respondents had significant relationship with perception and reaction to HIV was an indication that most people in the study area had a uniform perception. It was also an indication that government HIV/AIDS awareness programmes were not effective. It was recommended that strategies for effective HIV educational programme should be sought and carried out in the study area. Effective intervention programme have the power to change behaviours and would likely change the people's negative perception and low level of knowledge of HIV/AIDS, thereby reducing stigmatization of people living with HIV/AIDS.

Preparedness of Teachers to Maintain Discipline in the Absence of Corporal Punishment in Bondo District Kenya

Discipline of students is critical to educators, parents, and the society as a whole. Secondary schools in Kenya have experienced problems of student discipline for along time. In the year 2001 alone, after the government had banned the use of corporal punishment in schools, 253 schools all over the country went on strike. Most people attributed the trend of strikes in schools to the ban on corporal punishment. While the schools all over the country were portraying a trend of violence, those in Bondo district in Nyanza province appeared incredibly calm with only one case of student strike reported in five years. The study set to find out how the teacher managed student discipline in public secondary schools in Bondo district. The study used survey research design and targeted 40 public secondary schools. Stratified and simple random sampling techniques were used to select a sample of 3 boys’ schools, 2 girls’ and 8 mixed secondary schools for study. A total of 13 secondary schools were sampled. Saturated sampling was used to select all the 13 head teachers, 13 deputy head teachers and 13 heads of guidance and counseling. 26 classroom teachers were selected by simple random and convenient sampling technique, while the students were stratified per class and then 780 of them were selected based on simple random sampling from forms 2, 3 and 4 classes. Form 1 class did not participate in the study because they had just reported in school. Questionnaires, in-depth interview schedules and school documents on discipline were used to collect data. The face and contents of the instruments were validated by experts in the department of educational management in Maseno University and tried out in 2 secondary schools twice at intervals of two weeks in order to determine their ability to generate accurate data. Data were mainly analyzed using basic descriptive statistics like frequencies and mean. Some data from interview schedules were organized into themes and reported verbatim as they emerged from the field. DOI: 10.5901/jesr.2013.v3n2p123

The Perceived Discrepancy between the Teaching of Christian Religious Education and Inculcation of Moral Values amongst Secondary Schools Students in Kisumu East District, Kenya.

Previous research and document evidence obtainable in popular media has consistently reported that Kenyan students’ moral standing and general conduct in the wider society does not reflect acquisition and practice of values learnt through the teaching or Christian Religious Education (CRE) at the form four level. This has caused complaints among those stakeholders in education who are concerned that the moral well being of the youth is on a downward trend. This suggests that either the teaching of CRE is defective or the Kenyan education system as a whole does not contain relevant elements that could enable students acquire relevant moral skills. Another possibility could be the existence of a discrepancy between the CRE program objectives and the instructional practices meant to achieve them. From the literature that was reviewed, it was evident that the nature of this discrepancy had not yet been established for effective intervention strategies to be put in place. The purpose of this study was to determine possible reasons for the assumed discrepancy between the stated objectives of teaching CRE in Kenyan secondary schools and current moral standings that does not reflect acquisition of moral skills. Specifically, the study determined whether the methods of instruction employed by the teachers of C.R.E in Kisumu East district secondary schools enabled learners to identify and acquire morals in societal context. Four instruments used in collecting data included: A graphic observation rating scale, a learner’s test, an in-depth interview schedule and documents analysis guides. The study population comprised 3225 students and 48 teachers. Out of the population, 16 teachers and the 343 learners were selected using stratified random sampling technique. The obtained results suggested that teachers rarely used the valuing methods in inculcating moral skills in their students. Another notable finding was that while the CRE syllabus contained relevant elements that could assist students acquire moral skills, it was the implementation of the skills through the teaching methods adopted that was likely responsible for limited valuing skill acquisition. Key words: Objectives, valuing methods and learner identification, acquisition of moral values.

The effect of kin, social network and neighbourhood support on individual well-being

This paper explores the effects of kin, social network and the neighbourhood on an individual's well-being. The material is drawn from a community-based qualitative study that explored the attitudes and experiences of African-Caribbean adolescents and their families in the north of England towards healthy lifestyles. A convenience sample of 10 African-Caribbean households units comprising 24 adolescents (12-18 years of age) and 18 adults (22-60 years of age) participated in the study with interviews conducted in their homes. The paper focuses on the adult participants' perception of the role of social support networks and neighbourhood effects on well-being. An in-depth interview schedule was used to explore participants' perceptions on barriers to health and healthy lifestyles; and factors facilitating and inhibiting good health and healthy lifestyles. Data were subjected to thematic analysis with the aid of a Qualitative Data Analysis software package. Emerging categories were discussed with participants by conducting post interview visits and at community events. Findings indicated that participants believed that being a member of a kin network enhanced one's well-being, with such networks described as capable of providing protective support for one's health and well-being. In addition, they preferred to live in neighbourhoods with a high concentration of people of the same ethnicity, despite the effects of neighbourhood deprivation such as poor housing and lack of services. However, participants believed that ethnic segregation leads to marginalisation and further deprivation. These findings suggest that there is a need to explore further the influence of social networks and neighbourhoods on the full spectrum of an individual's well-being. The study concludes by suggesting that in considering new paradigms for the promotion of well-being, health and social care practitioners need to incorporate ways to promote social support and consider relevant psychosocial and neighbourhood factors in designing models of community well-being.

Incidence, type and intensity of abuse in street children in India

Objective The aims of this cross-sectional survey were to examine the prevalence, type and intensity of abuse in street children in Jaipur city, India. Method Based on purposive random sampling, 200 street children, inclusive of equal number of boys and girls, were selected from the streets of Jaipur city, India, and administered an in-depth interview schedule which included five areas of abuse, namely, “general abuse,” “health abuse,” “verbal abuse,” “physical abuse,” and “psychological abuse.” Data was interpreted using percentages, t-test and correlations. Results Street children reported experiences of abuse in all the five areas under study. Larger numbers of children (61.8%) scored in the “moderate” category of abuse while 36.6% children indicated abuse in “severe” and “very severe” categories on the intensity of abuse. Highest mean scores were obtained on the “verbal” and “psychological” area of abuse. Gender differences were significant in health and overall abuse, indicating boys to be significantly more abused than girls. There were significant positive correlations of abuse with increasing “age” and “income” of street children; and the occurrence of “multi-type” maltreatment and neglect in street children was clearly present. Conclusion Different forms of abuse are prevalent in street children in India. This area of study needs attention both by the researchers and the social workers. Practice implications children who are identified in severe and very severe categories of abuse should be worked with in a follow up study with the help of governmental and nongovernmental agencies working in the field for child welfare.

Equity in the distribution of bursary to secondary school students in Busia district, Kenya

This study sought to find out the opinion of the head teachers on equity of the established criteria in bursary support for the needy. It was done in the District’s 27 secondary schools with the total student enrolment of 5780. All the 190 students (3.3% of the total enrolment) who had received bursaries from 1999 - 2002 in the district were included in the study. Another saturated sample of 27 head teachers was included in the study. Data was collected using questionnaires, in-depth interview schedules and document analysis. The study used Lorenz curves and Gini coefficients to measure equity in bursary distribution. Findings show that bursary allocations in the district were inequitably distributed for all the years studied. It further reveals that the bursary award criteria were largely not effective in identifying and benefiting the most needy students. It recommended that there is need to review the criteria for the selection of the students with financial need. The study further recommends mounting of workshops and seminars for stakeholders to educate those in charge of disbursements on key items within the disbursement process so as to eliminate ambiguities in the criteria. Key words: Access to secondary school education, equity, bursary, Lorenz curve, Gini coefficient.

The Career Woman and Reproductive Health Behaviour in Nigeria. A Case Study of Ile-Ife and Lagos

The maternal mortality rate in Nigeria is still very high and as such has been topical. This problem is partly a result of patriarchy and therefore has been of great interest to many scholars. This study was aimed at creating knowledge on reproductive behaviour of career women and the role of men in such behaviour. The study was carried out in Ile-Ife and Lagos. Quantitative and qualitative methodologies were used. Quantitative method was used to get a larger sample and qualitative was used so as to bring out those things that can not be elicited from the questionnaires. The research instruments were in-depth interview schedule and questionnaires. Purposive sampling technique was used to select 200 respondents. Only 133 respondents completed the questionnaires and 10 respondents were interviewed in-depth. The respondents were selected from 10 different professions-medicine, law, teaching, police, banking, accountancy, nursing, pharmacy and administration. The findings were that professional women got married and had their first babies slightly later than their illiterate sisters, patronize good hospitals for antenatal care and delivery of their babies and use mainly orthodox family planning methods. It was equally found that men play a major role in the reproductive health behaviour of professional women. It was concluded that the knowledge perception and attitudes of men towards the reproductive health of women have a lot of implication for women's health, survival and that of their children. It was therefore recommended that any intervention programme towards change of women's reproductive behaviour should also target men if it is to be successful. Gender & Behaviour Vol.3 2005: 406-422