How do student and classroom characteristics affect attitude toward mathematics? A multivariate multilevel analysis

This study investigated the effects of student and classroom characteristics on math self-confidence, perceived usefulness, and enjoyment of mathematics as multiple outcomes. A sample of 7th-grade students from 78 classes of 49 schools was studied. The data were collected using, among other instruments, an attitude questionnaire. The results of the multivariate multilevel analysis showed that the variance of the 3 indicators was situated mostly at the student level, and that the indicators correlated strongly at the class level. Higher prior mathematics achievement and positive parental beliefs and attitudes were significant predictors of higher scores across the 3 indicators. Each of the baseline indicators was significantly associated with its corresponding final indicator. At the classroom level, classroom assessment was significantly associated with less endorsement of all 3 indicators, higher levels of classroom modeling with greater endorsement of perceived usefulness of mathematics, and classroom questioning with greater enjoyment of mathematics.     

Actor diversity and interactions in the development of banana hybrid varieties in Uganda: implications for technology uptake

Purpose: We examine the nature of networks through which new hybrid banana varieties (HBVs) in Uganda are developed, and how different actors engage in the technology development process.

Design/methodology/approach: We collected the data through 20 key informant interviews and 5 focus group discussions with actors involved in the process. We analysed the data with NVivo and Social Network Analysis software.

Findings: The process of developing HBVs involves many actors with a diversity of roles and interests. The network density was 29.4, implying existence of only 29.4% of the possible direct linkages. Strong ties mainly existed among research-oriented actors, with other actors in the periphery.

Practical implications: The current position of smallholder farmers and other non-research actors inhibits their influence on decisions in the technology development process. We recommend that smallholder farmers should be empowered through better organization so that they can influence the process of developing HBVs. Researchers, supported with appropriate policies, should engage more with actors in the intermediary, enterprise and support service domains for a more vibrant agricultural research system.

Theoretical implications: Application of the systems approach to technology development requires a dynamic process that supports involvement of a diverse range of actors. However, close attention to context is important in dealing with issues of power asymmetries and determining to what extent various actors engage in the process.

Originality/value: This work contributes to literature on systems approaches to agricultural and rural development. The paper demonstrates that actor diversity and interactions are critical in technology development and uptake.     

Actor social networks as knowledge sharing mechanisms in multi-stakeholder processes: a case of coffee innovation platforms of Uganda

Purpose: This study examined knowledge sharing mechanisms in coffee IPs and their effect on actor linkages in four districts of Uganda.

Design/methodology/approach: Thirty one respondents from the public and private sector were interviewed using a qualitative approach. Data were analyzed using the Atlas ti qualitative software version 7.5.18 to generate themes for information sources, types and channels. Social network analysis was used to measure the actor centrality positions and influence in the IP network.

Findings: Results revealed seven main categories of actors in the Coffee IPs who shared information on coffee inputs, agronomic practices, processing and markets through three main channels. Level of cohesion was less than 10% which had negative implications on the knowledge flow, trust and collaboration among the actors. Influential positions were occupied by the processors and farmer leaders in IPs in the southern districts of Luwero and Rakai, while nursery operators were most influential in IPs of the western districts of Ntungamo and Bushenyi. Weak linkages within the social networks indicated that initiatives of the actors were fragmented, as each actor acted as an individual detached from the platform activities limiting inter-actor knowledge sharing.

Practical implications: Innovation intermediaries should focus on integrated systemic and innovative approaches to strengthen actor social linkages for knowledge sharing and better platform performance.

Theoretical implications: Actor positions and relationships in innovation networks are critical tenets for fostering knowledge exchange and performance. In an innovation platform, diverse actors are multiple sources for accessing information within a given social and institutional context.

Originality/value: The study contributes to existing debate and knowledge on institutional change in agricultural innovation systems.     

Facilitating conditions for farmer learning behaviour in the student-to-farmer university outreach

Purpose: This study elucidates on how faculty supervision support to students during farm placements and other facilitating conditions influence farmer learning in the student-centred university outreach.

Methodology/Design/Approach: Cross-sectional data were collected from a sample of 283 farmers who had previously hosted students of Gulu University in the student-to-farmer university outreach. Structural equation modelling was used to analyse how faculty supervision support to students in combination with other facilitating conditions affect the formation of intentions for learning and actual farmer learning behaviour.

Findings: Faculty supervision support in the student-to-farmer outreach was found to significantly influence formation of intentions for learning (β?=?0.380; t?=?5.263; P?β?=?0.182; t?=?2.081; P?Practical implications: Faculty supervision support to students is critical to fostering lasting learning relationships in university outreach. Thus, it needs to be a part of the transformation agenda of the higher education sector for improved community linkages and innovation.

Theoretical implications: Empirical data obtained from the context of student-centred university outreach is used to extend the model of facilitating conditions.

Originality/Value: The study addresses how faculty supervision support together with farmers’ perception of student attitudes and the value of the learning content influence farmers’ learning behaviour during university outreach.     

Benefit Incidence Analysis of Government Spending on Public-Private Partnership Schooling under Universal Secondary Education Policy in Uganda

ABSTRACT

The study establishes whether government spending on private universal secondary education (USE) schools is equitable across quintiles disaggregated by gender and by region in Uganda. The study employs benefit incidence analysis tool on the Uganda National Panel Survey (UNPS 2009/10) data to establish the welfare impact of public subsidy on different households. The results reveal that the richer households benefit more from the subsidy than the poor. Similar patterns are evident across gender and regions. However, the subsidy as a share of total household spending is higher (49%) for poor households than the richer (6%). The contrast in the findings could be because the richer seem to have more school going children and thus spend more on each student. The concentration curves reveal that there are minimal achievements by the state funding to redistribute incomes to the poor.     

Assisting with Information Technology in East Africa

Summary

There are opportunities for Law Librarians, no matter what their position, to assist with the development of information technology in many interesting locations throughout the world. This article describes two such opportunities experienced by the author in East Africa. The article also provides a starting place for those who wish to become involved as well as listing some issues one should take into consideration when considering such an opportunity.     

Social Network Structures among Groundnut Farmers

Abstract

Purpose: Groundnut farmers in East Africa have experienced declines in production despite research and extension efforts to increase productivity. This study examined how social network structures related to acquisition of information about new seed varieties and productivity among groundnut farmers in Uganda and Kenya.

Design/methodology/approach: Data came from face-to-face interviews with a sample of 491 farmers randomly selected from a larger frame purposefully selected to represent farmers who had worked with researchers and farmers who had not, and to represent both male and female farmers. We used social network analysis to visualize and interpret patterns of farmers' networks with regard to information sources, productivity supports and local group affiliations.

Findings: Ugandan farmers primarily used weak ties with researchers and extension agents as sources of information. In contrast, Kenyan farmers used strong ties with close associates. For farmers in both countries weak ties were least associated with productivity. Strong ties, natural factors and farmers' own experience with new varieties were most associated with productivity. The majority of farmers had ties to local groups to strategically pool risks and access available resources.

Practical implications: Visualizing farmers' social networks enables policy-makers and change agents to identify relevant social relationships that could be utilized strategically to increase the capacities of poor farming communities.

Originality/value: The study demonstrates that important differences in social network structures can exist among farmers in similar geographic regions producing similar crops.     

When Farmers Don't Want Ownership: Reflections on Demand-driven Extension in Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to analyze the demand-driven extension approach based on empirical evidence of a case study of the National Agricultural Advisory Service in Uganda. This research found several problems rooted in differences between the assumptions of demand-driven extension and the perspectives of farmers. Many farmers did not place high value on advisory services and were ambivalent towards the programme concepts of farmer ownership and empowerment. Although long-term capacity building was a core part of the programme strategy, farmers were reluctant to invest their time in attending these trainings, whilst political pressure and budgetary constraints made it difficult for programme managers to commit the necessary resources to this activity. The programme adapted to popular and political pressure by putting more emphasis on technological support to farmers. The demand-driven extension model has gained favour amongst donor agencies in their discussions of extension reform. This paper presents evidence and argumentation that suggest demand-driven extension is problematic in rural Uganda and other similar settings. This paper presents original, independent, critical and empirically grounded research in an area that has been dominated in the literature by donor-sponsored work and self-evaluations.