School Leadership in Pakistan: Exploring the Headteacher’s Role

There is a good deal of consensus in the literature about the key role of leadership – especially that of the headteacher – in facilitating school improvement. Yet much of the research in this area has taken place in Western industrialised countries. This article explores the issue of headship in the context of schools in a specific developing country context, that of Pakistan. Drawing on 2 studies of the experience of headteachers in Karachi, the article identifies and explores the key variables that may contribute to a sense of personal efficacy for these heads, namely the expectations generated by the national or community culture, the powers and accountabilities generated by the school system in which they work, and their own individual personalities and histories.     

Book reviews

This study examines Black student and parental perceptions of exclusionary practices of Black school principals. I ask why students and parents viewed two Black principals as contributing to abusive and exclusionary school environments that marginalized Black students. After a two-year ethnographic study, it was revealed that exclusionary behaviors toward Black students—which was viewed as “abuse” by students and parents—was a reproduction of the district's racism, and thus adds new considerations for discussions around the value of racially-like (i.e., all Black) educators and students. Parents perceived these two Black principals as dealing more harshly and rigidly with the Black students and their families; moreover, analysis of the interview data revealed that the principals rejected the cultural and social capital, and proclivities of Black students, and blamed Black students for their lower achievement and unique behaviors. I draw significant attention to the larger contexts of White supremacy and racism as I examine how Black principals negotiate their own roles, how they understand their own treatment of urban Black students, and how they are (knowing or unknowingly) reproducing oppressive practices of White supremacy on Black students in school.     

Effects of metacognitive instruction on mathematics achievement and attitude towards mathematics of low mathematics achievers

An experiment was conducted to examine the effects of metacognitive instruction on mathematics achievement and attitude towards mathematics of low mathematics achievers at a middle school in the North‐West Province of South Africa. Forty standard (std) 7 pupils were identified whose non‐verbal general ability and previous mathematics achievements were significantly lower than those of other std 7 pupils. These subjects were randomly assigned to an experimental group and a control group. Metacognitive strategies in solving mathematical problems related to four mathematics topics were individually taught to the members of the experimental group, while the pupils in the control group were taught the four mathematics topics through the conventional method of teaching mathematics. The comparisons of pretest and posttest measures of general ability, metacognitive awareness, attitude towards mathematics, and mathematics achievement revealed that the posttest scores of all the four variables for the experimental group were significantly higher than those for the control group.     

The case of EAI in facilitating e-Government services in a Welsh authority

This case focuses on enterprise application integration (EAI) in facilitating integrated electronic Government (e-Government) service delivery in a Welsh local authority. Whilst the development of a heterogeneous information technology (IT) infrastructure in the case organisation caused several integration problems, following a non-EAI approach was regarded as satisfactory by the management. The empirical findings illustrate that although the argument for EAI adoption was initially not seen as cost effective, strategically the decision not to implement EAI caused difficulties in the long term for realising integrated e-Government services.     

The nucleotide sequence of Shigella flexneri 1A: A common Indian isolate

We report complete sequences of 2 genes of S.flexneri 1a an Indian isolate for the first time. Shigella is causative agent of shigellosis or bacillary dysentery. Genomic library was constructed by shotgun approach. Sequencing was carried out using Big Dye terminator chemistry using ABI 3730 48 capillary DNA analyzer. 170 recombinants were subjected to nucleotide sequencing. Sequence data was analyzed, of these 2 clones showed presence of complete genes out of the total clones sequenced. Annotations were done using various bioinformatics tools. Gene Sfo676 on contig SF21B11, 513 bp long codes for a protein 170 aa long with molecular weight of 18836.5 daltons. The protein is 99 % identical to S. flexneri 2a 301 and not with any other strain of Shigella. It has 7 different sites for phosphorylation, myristoylation and glycosylation. Predicted cellular localization is cytoplasmic membrane. SF0368 is another full-length gene SF0368 on contig SF69C1 is a 312 nucleotide long. It is 103 aa long with molecular weight 11394.0 daltons. Protein is 100% identical to S. flexneri 2a 301 and 99% with S. sonnei strain 046. The gene shows difference when compared with S.sonnei in mono and dinucleotide frequency as well as amino acid composition.     

Adenosine deaminase and C-reactive protein in cerebrospinal fluid for differential diagnosis of tubercular meningitis in children

Adenosine deaminase and C-reactive protein in CSF were assessed in 72 cases of Tubercular meningitis, 24 cases of partially treated pyogenic meningitis, 20 cases of Aseptic meningitis and 8 cases of febrile seizures. Mean Adenosine deaminase value was 12.12±3.13 IU/L for Tubercular meningitis group. It was significantly higher (p<0.001) as compared to partially treated pyogenic meningitis (5.39±2.70 IU/L) and aseptic meningitis (1.92±0.56 IU/L) groups. A combination of clinical criteria along with biochemical test of Adenosine deaminase and C-reactive protein in CSF increased the sensitivity of diagnosing Tubercular meningitis and differentiating it from other forms of meningitis at an early stage.     

The Journal of Ayub Medical College: a 10-year bibliometric study

OBJECTIVE: To conduct a bibliometric evaluation of the Journal of Ayub Medical College (JAMC), Abbottabad, Pakistan. Methods: The data of articles, citations and authors of JAMC from 1997 to 2006 were collected and analysed in terms of bibliometric parameters. RESULTS: The number of articles published per year ranges between 27 and 97; most of the articles (47.2%) have 11-20 citations. Three-author contributions ranked the highest (134; 23.43%); the most prolific authors contributed seven articles; 295 (51.57%) of the authors are geographically affiliated to the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), Pakistan; the most popular subject is Internal Medicine; journal self-cited references are 43; 7769 (77.94%) of the citations were from foreign journals; the most productive institution is Ayub Medical College, Abbottabad, Pakistan. CONCLUSION: The number of papers published in JAMC per issue has been increasing over the last 10 years, and the core region is NWFP, Pakistan. Original articles are the main type of papers for this journal. The publication is open for all fields of medical sciences.     

What do prospective students look for in higher degrees by research? A scale development study

ABSTRACT

This empirical investigation was aimed at conceptualizing, developing and validating a scale for the measurement of the quality of higher degrees by research (HDR-QUAL). For that purpose, this study specifically measured perceptions of higher degrees by research (HDR) students about the constituents of HDR quality in Pakistani tertiary education institutions. Following the 7-step process of scale development, three studies were conducted in order to develop an initial pool of scale items, establishing proposed scale validity and reliability, and assessing nomological behavior of the proposed scale. The principal component analysis with Varimax rotation method resulted in a 3-factor solution, subsequently proposing a 15-item scale. The model fit indices of measurement and the higher-order model indicated a satisfactory fit to data. Finally, the resultant three factors, i.e. financial assistance, supervisory expertise, and infrastructural support, converged into a unidimensional HDR-QUAL scale that was found positively associated with student satisfaction, thus, confirming nomological validity as well. Important policy measures and directions for future research are proposed at the end.     

An analysis of the social impact of the stipend program for secondary school girls of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

The present study carries out an impact analysis of a conditional cash transfer (CCT) program for secondary-school girls in seven districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan, including Battagram, Bonair, Hangu, Kohistan, Shangla, Tank, and Upper Dir. In 2012 we collected household-level primary data and used a probit model for quantitative analysis. Further, we conducted various focus group discussions and key informant interviews in the target areas. Results show that the chances of female schooling decrease with a rise in family size. The chances of female education increase by 1.8 and by 3.3 % if household heads and their spouses have one additional year of schooling, respectively. Better educational services and rises in family income increase the chances of female ecucation by 11 and 0.3 %, respectively. Finally, socioeconomic awareness, improved economic conditions, and CCTs increase the chances of female education by 5.2, 4.7, and 0.03 %, respectively. Overall, the stipend program (CCTs) shows a pareto improvement. Our results indicate that 35 % of girls will drop out in the absence of a stipend program. The present study recommends that to increase program effectiveness, local-level monitoring and program evaluation may be improved, delays in stipend payments to female students should be reduced, a grievance redressal mechanism for parents and guardians should be introduced, and clear synergies should be developed with other transfer programs.