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This research project examined the potential role of agricultural experiences as a vehicle for meeting the diverse learning needs of rural primary students in developing countries. Volume 1 of the project report represents a literature review that investigated a "new role" for agriculture as a key element for developing rural students' basic skills of literacy and numeracy. Volume 2, the second phase of the project, involved case studies of four developing countries in which...

Reviews the literature on second language medium of instruction and educational achievement in Kenya using classroom data from English, Kiswahili, and mother tongue mathematics lessons and from lessons where code switching occurred. Argues that regardless of the instructional medium, a transmissional model of teaching and learning predominates. Discusses the importance of teacher education programs based on the realities of the local situation. (33 references) (Author/CK)

A study explored how reading literacy is related to academic achievement among 14-year-old students in Kenya. The International Evaluation and Educational Assessment Association (IEA) Reading Literacy Test was used for measuring reading literacy, and the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) was used for measuring academic achievement. It was hypothesized that there are degrees of variation in correlation between reading literacy and each subject area a student opts for at KCPE. It...

Interactive radio instruction has gained attention as a low-cost means of improving the academic achievement of primary school students. The Radio Mathematics Project in Nicaragua and subsequent programs developed by the Learning Technologies for Basic Education (LearnTech) Project illustrate the evolution such programs have undergone as technology and society have changed. The term "interactivity," was used to characterize the simulated conversation of radio broadcasts in which students...

Interactive radio is a technique to promote active listening to educational radio programs targeted at students and teachers in Third World countries. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has supported interactive radio in Africa, Asia, and Latin American to provide supplementary training to students with poorly prepared teachers. An example was a language arts program in Kenya, where evaluators concluded that radio students were consistent in their statistically significant...

A research project in the Ivory Coast, Kenya, and Tanzania evaluated the cost effectiveness of management training seminars for women entrepreneurs in the informal sector. Women, a large and growing part of entrepreneurs, had less access to needed resources, skills, and information than men. Reasons for failure to study the cost effectiveness and efficiency of development assistance included lack of clear concepts, methodologies, and standards. Grassroots management training seminars were...

The geo-demographic, economic, and infrastructural makeup of 12 African countries (Botswana. Gambia, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe) were compared to determine the potential benefits to them of a Commonwealth of Learning (COL) distance education initiative. Data were collected on six criteria regarding suitability for such initiatives: developmental need, geographic and demographic features, government priorities,...

The case studies described in this book provide examples of initiatives illustrating the role of adult education in development and its contribution to the process of change in developing countries. The book is organized in five sections. Case studies in Part 1, "Health Education," illustrate the links between primary health care and adult education: use of traditional knowledge to develop confidence and initiate change (Peru); training without written texts (Nicaragua); working through...

Since 1987, many activities have been undertaken by the African Association for Literacy and Adult Education (AALAE). Perhaps the most important program activity has been the building of institutional capacities in the adult education movement. Important elements are organizational development, networking and solidarity, management development training, and small grants. Networks have been instituted to help members develop and implement programs. Under the Catalytic Initiatives Program,...

Scouting is an expanding worldwide youth movement, with more than 16 million members in 169 countries and territories. Its goal is to contribute to the physical, intellectual, social, and spiritual development of young people. Since participation in development is one of the cornerstones of their program, scouts cannot ignore the challenge that literacy represents for them. Properly trained and organized, scouts can undertake literacy and reading promotion programs, and they can help create...

A series of two 2-week workshops was conducted in East Africa in 1987 by the German Foundation for International Development to assist educators in the development of instructional materials for distance and adult education. These workshops were designed to: (1) bring together writers of distance education materials to share their experiences and learn together; (2) build a core of experienced distance education materials designers and writers who would disseminate their skills throughout...

Compares African children's stories with Kenyan primary school literature with regard to structure, use of characterization, forms of dramatization, and social contexts of storytelling. Argues that school texts, published mostly by multinational firms, have been adapted to only surface characteristics of African cultures. Proposes that features of oral tradition be incorporated into language-arts materials for cultural maintenance purposes. (KS)

The extent to which the educational system reaches women in Kenya will in some measure dictate the pace of national development. Data indicate that significant progress was made in the area of education for Kenyan women during the 1975-1984 decade. This was particularly so at the primary school level where near-parity was achieved in the enrollments between boys and girls, and, to a lesser extent, in the adult literacy role for women. There are, however, regional disparities and significant...

Many countries have recently launched massive programs to promote nation-wide adult literacy, but while these efforts have been commendable, it has been observed that neo-literates who acquire literacy through such programs have great difficulty in retaining it; hence an urgent need to develop suitable programs of post-literacy and continuing education has been felt. In 1980, Unesco's Institute for Education initiated a major research project designed to respond to this need. The research...

This study attempted to identify specific social environmental factors of the home that are related to science achievement at the primary school level and to determine the extent of the relationships between achievement in science and the factors identified. A sample of 200 subjects were given three instruments in a group setting, a mental ability test, an achievement test, and a student questionnaire. Findings indicate that: (1) boys achieved better in science than girls and that younger...

At the end of the seventh grade, students in Kenya are required to take the Certificate of Primary Education Examination (CPE), which is used as a selection instrument to determine whether students will be allowed to continue an academic course of education at the secondary school level. While the full range of subjects in the primary school curriculum includes 15 subjects, only 5 of these are covered in the CPE. The examination covers achievement in English and mathematics, and includes a...

Research on the role of educational radio in the classroom sponsored by the Agency for International Development over a ten-year period in Nicaragua, Kenya, and the Dominican Republic is reviewed. An introductory section outlines the reasons for using radio for instructional purposes: (1) it is widespread and democratic; (2) serious radio use is still a novelty in most classrooms; (3) it can entertain and teach simultaneously; (4) it can establish a uniform standard of excellence; (5) it can...

This study sought to evaluate the mathematics curriculum of the Halane Teacher Training Institute in Somalia with a view toward: (1) determining its weaknesses and recommending measures for improvement; (2) examining its relevance to the present needs of the Somali society; (3) determining the suitability of instructional materials and other support resources; and (4) investigating the present organization of teaching practice and the time allocated to it. Thirteen of 15 mathematics teachers...

This four-part volume examines trends, problems, and issues related to school science equipment. Part 1 focuses on laboratory work and practical activities in science and technology education, considering equipment and curriculum development, equipment development related to curricula in Brazil, uses of local resources for practical work, elementary technology materials for science curricula, project work and the needs of a technology laboratory, and the development and utilization of...

The aim of this study was to investigate the implementation of modern mathematics in the primary schools of Somalia. In particular, three concerns were addressed: (1) teachers' confidence and ability in teaching mathematics; (2) students' interest in mathematics; and (3) students' examination performance in mathematics. Subjects were 30 teachers and 150 pupils in Primary One (age 8) in four schools in Mogadishu and Afgoye. Observations, teachers' notes, interviews, questionnaires (for...