This thesis consists of three papers on child labour and schooling in Ghana. The first paper examines the correlates of child labour and schooling, as well as the trade-off between work and schooling of children aged 5-17 years with the 2013 Ghana Living Standard Survey data. A bivariate probit model is used since the decisions to participate in schooling and in the labour market are interdependent. The results show that there is a gender gap both in child work and schooling. In particular, boys are less likely to work (and more likely to be enrolled in schools) relative to girls. Whereas parent education, household wealth and income of the family are negatively correlated with child work, these factors influence schooling positively. In addition, parents‟ employment status, ownership of livestock, distance to school, child wage and schooling expenditure increase the probability of child labour and reduce the likelihood of school enrolment. In terms of the relationship between child labour and schooling, the results show that an additional hour of child labour is associated with 0.15 hour (9 minutes) reduction in daily hours of school attendance; and the effect is bigger for girls relative to boys. Also, one more hour of child labour is associated with an increase in the probability of a child falling behind in grade progression by 1.4 percentage points. The second paper estimates the impact of Ghana’s Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) cash transfer programme on schooling outcomes (enrolment, attendance hours, repetition and test scores) and child labour in farming and non-farm enterprises. Using longitudinal data, the paper employs three different quasi-experimental methods (propensity score matching, difference-in-difference, and difference-in-difference combined with matching). Overall, the results show that the LEAP programme had no effect on school enrolment and test scores, but it increased the weekly hours of class attendance by 5.2 hours and reduced repetition rate by 11 percentage points for children in households that benefited from the programme. In addition, there was heterogeneity in these impacts, with boys benefiting more relative to girls. In terms of child labour, the results show that the programme had no effect on the extensive margin of child labour in farming and non-farm enterprises. However, the LEAP programme reduced the intensity of farm work done by children by as much as 2.6 hours per day. The largest impact of the programme, in terms of iii reduction in the intensity of child labour in farming, occurred in female-headed and extremely poor households. The last paper investigates the impact of mothers‟ autonomy or bargaining power in the household on their children’s schooling and child labour in Ghana. The paper uses a noneconomic measure of women’[s autonomy, which is an index constructed from five questions on power relations between men and women. The paper employs both an Ordinary Least Square (OLS) and an Instrumental Variable (IV) approach. Overall, the results suggest that ignoring the endogeneity of mothers‟ autonomy underestimates its true impact on schooling and child labour. They also show that an increase in mothers‟ autonomy increases school enrolment and hours of class attendance, with girls benefiting more than boys. The paper finds a negative relationship between mothers‟ autonomy and both the extensive and intensive margin of child labour. In addition, it demonstrates that improvement in women’s autonomy has bigger impacts on rural children’s welfare relative to urban children.

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Education in fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Masters in Education in the Department of Curriculum and Instructional Studies at the University of Zululand, 2018 / This study aimed at determining the role that Life Orientation teachers (LO) play in preparing Further Education and Training (FET) phase learners for Post schooling education (PSE) in Bhekuzulu circuit, Zululand District. The objectives of the study were to (a) establish the role that LO teachers play in preparing FET phase learners for post schooling education in Bhekuzulu circuit, (b) find out whether there are support programmes available to enable LO teachers support their learners for their post schooling education, (c) establish the type of challenges that LO teachers face which hinder them from supporting and preparing FET learners for post schooling education. A mixed-methods research approach was used in a case study constituted of 70 participants. To this end, the questionnaire and focus group interviews (FGIs) were used to collect data. A qualitative thematic content analysis was used to analyse data, by grouping similar themes. Furthermore, a quantitative data analysis was used to quantify the phenomenon by analysing patterns and trends of the respondents. The findings reveal that teachers do support FET learners in preparation for PSE with the little skills and knowledge they possess. However, the major challenge that prevailed in this study is that LO teachers are not trained to provide CG; most of these teachers do not have specialisation in teaching LO and/or CG. Other challenges that prevailed were the insufficient time allocated to teach LO, lack of CG resources, negative attitudes towards LO as subjects by teachers as well as school management teams. Moreover, the study found a lack of CG programmes in schools and poor implementation of these programmes, poor subjects groupings offered in schools, poor learners’ efficacy in career choices and lack of community support. The study recommends that the Provincial Department of Basic Education should train all LO teachers using accredited service providers to enable teachers to provide CG to learners in a meaningful way. Secondly, more time should be allocated to LO especially in the teaching of careers and career choices. Lastly, schools should be provided with common basic CG programmes to be implemented by all schools and be monitored intensively by the CG officials. / National Research Foundation Of South Africa (Grant Number:CP160513164973 and 105246)

Magister Commercii - MCom / Past historical events are crucial for understanding economies and answering imperative questions such as why economic inequalities persist, why certain countries experience economic growth or lag behind, and how societies and institutions shape economic performance. Past events such as colonialism, where colonial powers rooted themselves in the African continent for the aim of economic dominance, are said to have left lasting effects, especially with regards to the development outcomes within the colonised country.

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Analyzing data from the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002), this study compares the conformity of student gender roles attending single-sex and co-educational schools and examines the relationship between gender role conformity and bullying victimization in each educational context. This study is the first to investigate bullying in single sex schools and to use a large scale national dataset to examine student gender role conformity in schooling. Analyses of the base year 10th grade cohort of ELS:2002 reveal that both single sex and coeducational schooling are distinct contexts for student gender roles. Female students in both single sex and coeducational schools were significantly more likely to have higher average gender role conformity than male students in both single sex and coeducational schools. Gender role conforming students were significantly less likely to be bullied than gender role nonconforming students, even when controlling for whether the school is single sex or coeducational. Results also indicate that schools have dominant gender role norms, as students who differ from the average gender role conformity in their school are significantly more likely to experience bullying. Variation from a school-based gender role norm leads to a greater experience of bullying for students, and it is gender nonconforming students that are most likely to experience this increased likelihood of bullying. Despite the fact that female single sex schools are the most gender role conforming educational contexts among all four investigated in this study, gender role nonconforming girls who attend them are significantly less likely to experience bullying. Addressing the conflation of sex and gender underlying the sex-based educational policy of single sex schooling, this study argues that single sex public educational policy can be more carefully crafted with an attention to its theoretical underpinnings by taking into account the dynamics of students' gender roles. Implications for educational policy are discussed with particular emphasis on policy decisions at the district and state levels in addition to federal level policies, laws, and mandates such as Title IX and No Child Left Behind. / Urban Education

Pocahontas High School, the smallest of four Tazewell County high schools, is presently located in the historic town of Pocahontas, Virginia. From the school's establishment in 1908 until 1955, the high school was located at the top of Water Street within the town limits. In 1955, students were moved to a new building at its present site just inside the town's corporate limits. The school today serves the communities of Abbs Valley, Boissevain, and the Town of Pocahontas, Virginia. This study included an examination of the role of the school in the mining community, and the relationship between the coal company and the school. Thus, the researcher reviewed literature-surrounding life in mining industrial towns to determine whether Pocahontas conformed to the conventional interpretations of such mining-industrial communities. The researcher also considered the life of the school and community following the cessation of mining operations in Pocahontas. An examination of the reasons for the school having remained open despite declining enrollment and the importance of the school to its communities was examined through the eyes of local community leaders, residents, and graduates of Pocahontas High School. This study employed conventional historical research methods in order to document the history of Pocahontas High School. The data collected from documents and interviews were handled qualitatively, with some data appearing in the form of numbers and graphs. Data gathered for this study were derived from both primary and secondary sources. This study used written, pictorial, and oral sources. Oral materials included oral history interviews with local historians, public officials and individuals involved with Pocahontas High School during the period of study. Triangulation verification techniques were used to accurately describe the impact of coal mining and the closing of the mine on the development, growth, and decline of the school and community. / Ed. D.

The purpose of this study was to determine how current admission policies and practices at four-year public institutions of higher education in Virginia are implemented to evaluate home school applicants. University administrators, admission officials, and other interested individuals may gain insight into (a) admission policy implementation and informal practices, (b) anticipated policy revisions or new policy developments, (c) evaluative criteria currently being utilized to evaluate applicants, and (d) current home school application and enrollment trends. An interview protocol was developed and used to conduct interviews with the chief admission officer, or designee, at each of the 15 public institutions. Admission policies, admission requirements and guidelines, undergraduate catalogs, view books, and web sites were examined. Each institution's data were analyzed independently. The major findings revealed that 14 of the 15 public institutions had received home school applications, 13 of the 14 have made offers of admission to home school applicants; however, very few institutions had traced applicant enrollment. Only one institution had a written policy that had been approved through the institution's governance structure. One institution had a verbal agreement and a statement in the undergraduate catalog related to home school applicant's requirements. Three institutions reported recent and on-going discussion and research related to policy development and the evaluation of home school applicants. Five institutions indicated that policy development might be considered should home school applications continue to increase. / Ph. D.