Education systems are currently undergoing transformational changes throughout the world and one of these changes is a shift from a philosophy of positivist paradigm to constructivist paradigm of teaching. Accordingly, constructivists claim children actively construct their knowledge rather than absorb information spoken to them by teachers. Therefore, the constructivist teaching of Geography places emphasis on the fact that learners should think more, understand and responsible for their own learning. This study thus focused on the practice of constructivist methods in the teaching of Geography at preparatory secondary schools of Ethiopia. Geography is colourful and an outdoor oriented subject in which learners could get good opportunities to construct their knowledge through various in-and-out of school activities. Thus, constructivist methods are useful for Geography learners to develop their intellectual capacity for life-long learning and for generic skills such as critical thinking, information processing, problem solving, decision-making, etc. Therefore, the main purpose of this study was to investigate the merits and reasons for teacher dominance in the pedagogy of Geography and to suggest learner-centered teaching strategies in the context of constructivist principles on learners’ learning activities to liberate them from passive learning pedagogy. The study was confined to six Higher Education Preparatory Secondary Schools out of 20 preparatory schools of the South Wollo Administrative Zone of Amhara state of Ethiopia. It employed mixed-method approaches (qual-quant) and descriptive survey design. The target population for this study was 1053 Social Science learners and 12 Geography departmental heads and teachers. Among 1053 learners 199 learners were sampled through random sampling technique. But all Geography teachers and departmental heads were taken as the main participants through purposive sampling techniques. Semi-structured interviews, observation, documents and questionnaire were the main data collection instruments for the study. Data that were collected through interviews, observation and open-ended questionnaire were analysed inductively using narrations and descriptions through words, phrases and statements, whereas the data collected from documents were organised in the form of tables and analysed via percentage and mean. However, data that were collected through close-ended questionnaires were edited, coded, classified, tabulated and organised in the form of tables havebeen analysed through frequency, percentage and mean via SPSS software. Based on the analysed data, findings were depicted. The findings of the study revealed that Geography is a unique discipline and its syllabus was prepared in line with the country’s education policy which encourages constructivist approaches of teaching. However, majority of teachers frequently practice traditional teaching methods. Moreover, the study also identified that lack of teachers’ professional training about the practice of a variety of learner-centered methods and continuous assessment techniques, lack of experience about learner-centered teaching methods both on the part of teachers and learners, low interest and commitment on the part of teachers, teachers’ failure to utilise teaching materials, placing of less competent learners in the Social Science stream, learners’ low interest to learn and incapability to learn through learner-centered methods, learners’ low engagement in the teaching activities, learners’ disturbance, shortage of time, absence of plasma TV transmission and shortage of resources such as school facilities, instructional media, reference books, Geography room, department room, pedagogical center, lounge and scarcity of budget were considerable hindrances on the implementation of Geography syllabus through the constructivist approaches of teaching methods. Based on the findings of the study, recommendations were made to the concerned bodies to alleviate the hindrances and to encourage the practice of constructivist teaching methods and making the learners free from teachers’ dependency. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / D. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)

The main research question was What are the relationships between parenting style, self-regulated learning (SRL) and the academic achievement of selected (upper) primary school students in Ethiopia? The following specific research questions were formulated: • What are the views of the students on the parenting styles, and on parental acceptance and control, the cognitive strategies they use, and their self-regulated learning? • What is the relationship between parenting style and SRL? • What is the relationship between parenting style and academic achievement? • What is the relationship between SRL and academic achievement? • Does SRL moderate the relationship between parenting style and academic achievement? In this study a correlational design was used, but it was also exploratory and descriptive. Data were collected by means of a self-report questionnaire, while the academic achievements of the students were derived from official records. The questionnaire was completed by 477 randomly selected students from two classes in each of five schools in Hawasa, Ethiopia. The analysis of the data was done by means of descriptive, correlation, and ANOVA tests. The major findings included the following: Most of the children experienced acceptance by their parents, in particular from their female parents/guardians. The best levels of acceptance were, for example, “When I get a poor grade at school, my parents encourage me to try harder”, or “I can count on my parents to help me if I have some kind of a problem”, and “My parents keep pushing me to do my best in whatever I do”. However, it was found that the parents seldom spent time merely talking to their children. The female parents/guardians seemed to control their children more than the male parents/guardians, and were more involved with their children. The children, though, also believed that their parents/guardians did not really know how they spent their leisure time. More often the children perceived their parents as being neglectful. Regarding their cognitive strategies, the students particularly made use of memorization. The cognitive strategies of the children whose parents were authoritative were significantly better than those of the other children. When a student’s self-regulation increased, his/her cognitive strategies also increased, and when the cognitive strategies improved, so did the average achievement. The parents’ parenting styles were also significantly related to their children’s achievement, and were moderated by cognitive strategies as co-variants. / Psychology of Education / D. Ed. (Psychology of Education)

Education systems are currently undergoing transformational changes throughout the world and one of these changes is a shift from a philosophy of positivist paradigm to constructivist paradigm of teaching. Accordingly, constructivists claim children actively construct their knowledge rather than absorb information spoken to them by teachers. Therefore, the constructivist teaching of Geography places emphasis on the fact that learners should think more, understand and responsible for their own learning. This study thus focused on the practice of constructivist methods in the teaching of Geography at preparatory secondary schools of Ethiopia. Geography is colourful and an outdoor oriented subject in which learners could get good opportunities to construct their knowledge through various in-and-out of school activities. Thus, constructivist methods are useful for Geography learners to develop their intellectual capacity for life-long learning and for generic skills such as critical thinking, information processing, problem solving, decision-making, etc. Therefore, the main purpose of this study was to investigate the merits and reasons for teacher dominance in the pedagogy of Geography and to suggest learner-centered teaching strategies in the context of constructivist principles on learners’ learning activities to liberate them from passive learning pedagogy. The study was confined to six Higher Education Preparatory Secondary Schools out of 20 preparatory schools of the South Wollo Administrative Zone of Amhara state of Ethiopia. It employed mixed-method approaches (qual-quant) and descriptive survey design. The target population for this study was 1053 Social Science learners and 12 Geography departmental heads and teachers. Among 1053 learners 199 learners were sampled through random sampling technique. But all Geography teachers and departmental heads were taken as the main participants through purposive sampling techniques. Semi-structured interviews, observation, documents and questionnaire were the main data collection instruments for the study. Data that were collected through interviews, observation and open-ended questionnaire were analysed inductively using narrations and descriptions through words, phrases and statements, whereas the data collected from documents were organised in the form of tables and analysed via percentage and mean. However, data that were collected through close-ended questionnaires were edited, coded, classified, tabulated and organised in the form of tables havebeen analysed through frequency, percentage and mean via SPSS software. Based on the analysed data, findings were depicted. The findings of the study revealed that Geography is a unique discipline and its syllabus was prepared in line with the country’s education policy which encourages constructivist approaches of teaching. However, majority of teachers frequently practice traditional teaching methods. Moreover, the study also identified that lack of teachers’ professional training about the practice of a variety of learner-centered methods and continuous assessment techniques, lack of experience about learner-centered teaching methods both on the part of teachers and learners, low interest and commitment on the part of teachers, teachers’ failure to utilise teaching materials, placing of less competent learners in the Social Science stream, learners’ low interest to learn and incapability to learn through learner-centered methods, learners’ low engagement in the teaching activities, learners’ disturbance, shortage of time, absence of plasma TV transmission and shortage of resources such as school facilities, instructional media, reference books, Geography room, department room, pedagogical center, lounge and scarcity of budget were considerable hindrances on the implementation of Geography syllabus through the constructivist approaches of teaching methods. Based on the findings of the study, recommendations were made to the concerned bodies to alleviate the hindrances and to encourage the practice of constructivist teaching methods and making the learners free from teachers’ dependency. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / D. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)

The aim of this research was to examine determinants of service learning in Ethiopian Universities with a view to suggesting remedial solutions. Qualitative case study was employed to understand management of service learning in the purposively selected three case Universities. Data were collected from interns, mentors, department heads, Academic Vice Presidents, service learning office heads and agency supervisors through semi-structured interviews. Besides, focus group discussion with interns and document review were conducted. Collected data were analysed through narration. Service learning is used for pedagogical necessities, personal and civic development, career development and social responsibility in the Ethiopian Universities. However, its application is challenged by several factors. Product curricular model, low time ration for community service, limited teachers' involvement and discipline-based curriculum framework were identified as major hindrances to service learning implementation. As a result, most students and teachers were not committed to service learning. For instance, in government Universities, service learning offices were not well-organised. Partnership agreements were either weak or not in place, as a result, the majority of interns were placed based on their preferences. Resistance not to host was also found to be a common factor. An interesting finding of this study is that privileging interns for self-identification of hosting organisations resulted in dispersed and individualised placement that caused interns to develop feeling of strangeness and insecurity. Moreover, this placement hindered collaborative learning with their peers. Assessment error, absence of service learning programme evaluation and shortage of budget were common problems. Hence, the following suggestions along with a proposed strategy are recommended. Considering these challenges, the following recommendations are made. Service learning should be applied in a wider scale from junior through senior courses in the Universities. The curriculum should be designed to include extensive context-based and interdisciplinary-learning approaches. Government Universities should strengthen service learning offices. Placement of interns should mainly be based on partnership agreement. Time ration for community services and research functions should be increased to at least 50%. And lastly, Universities should closely support agency supervisors and arrange evaluation forums and celebrity events. / Educational Management and Leadership / D. Ed. (Education Management)

The main research question was What are the relationships between parenting style, self-regulated learning (SRL) and the academic achievement of selected (upper) primary school students in Ethiopia? The following specific research questions were formulated: • What are the views of the students on the parenting styles, and on parental acceptance and control, the cognitive strategies they use, and their self-regulated learning? • What is the relationship between parenting style and SRL? • What is the relationship between parenting style and academic achievement? • What is the relationship between SRL and academic achievement? • Does SRL moderate the relationship between parenting style and academic achievement? In this study a correlational design was used, but it was also exploratory and descriptive. Data were collected by means of a self-report questionnaire, while the academic achievements of the students were derived from official records. The questionnaire was completed by 477 randomly selected students from two classes in each of five schools in Hawasa, Ethiopia. The analysis of the data was done by means of descriptive, correlation, and ANOVA tests. The major findings included the following: Most of the children experienced acceptance by their parents, in particular from their female parents/guardians. The best levels of acceptance were, for example, “When I get a poor grade at school, my parents encourage me to try harder”, or “I can count on my parents to help me if I have some kind of a problem”, and “My parents keep pushing me to do my best in whatever I do”. However, it was found that the parents seldom spent time merely talking to their children. The female parents/guardians seemed to control their children more than the male parents/guardians, and were more involved with their children. The children, though, also believed that their parents/guardians did not really know how they spent their leisure time. More often the children perceived their parents as being neglectful. Regarding their cognitive strategies, the students particularly made use of memorization. The cognitive strategies of the children whose parents were authoritative were significantly better than those of the other children. When a student’s self-regulation increased, his/her cognitive strategies also increased, and when the cognitive strategies improved, so did the average achievement. The parents’ parenting styles were also significantly related to their children’s achievement, and were moderated by cognitive strategies as co-variants. / Psychology of Education / D. Ed. (Psychology of Education)

The government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia proclaimed a new curriculum for reconstructing the education system. The programme aimed at changing the predominantly-used teacher-centred instructional strategies to student-centred, active learning methods. This motivated the main research question of this study namely What are Ethiopian students’ learning styles and attitudes towards active learning approaches? The specific research questions that were investigated were: • What are the learning styles of students in Grade 10 public and private schools and at second year university level, and do these students prefer certain learning styles? • What are the attitudes of students at Grade 10 public and private schools, and at second year university level in respect of active learning approaches? • Do significant relationships exist between the students’ learning styles and their attitudes towards active learning as regards the four dimensions of the Index of Learning Styles (ILS), namely active-reflective, sensing-intuitive, visual-reflective and sequential-global? • Are there significant differences in the students’ learning styles and their attitudes towards active learning in respect of gender, different education levels and types of schools? In order to answer these questions, the study made use of an exploratory, descriptive design. By means of questionnaires data were collected from a purposefully and a conveniently selected sample of 920 students from Grade 10 government and private schools and second year university students in Hawassa, Ethiopia. The sample comprised of 506 males and 414 females, 400 students from Government schools and 249 from private schools, and 271 from the university. The data were analysed by means of descriptive statistics (means and correlations) and inferential statistics (analysis of variance). The results indicated that the majority of the students’ learning styles were balanced between the two dimensions of the ILS scales. As secondary preference, they tended towards moderate categories, and a small section of the students preferred the strong categories of the scales. Secondly, the study determined that the sampled students in general, demonstrated a positive attitude towards active learning. Thirdly, by means of the study a significant relationship was ascertained between the students’ attitudes towards active learning and the active-reflective dimension of the ILS. Fourthly, significant differences were indicated in the students’ learning styles and attitudes towards active learning in respect of their gender, their education level and the types of schools. / Psychology of Education / D. Ed. (Psychology of Education)

In this study the status of the active learning methods of teaching employed in Teachers‟ Training Colleges in Ethiopia was examined from the perspective of the trainee-teachers and their lecturers. Factors relating to active learning were discussed within the framework of the social-cognitive constructivists‟ theory, as learning (knowledge construction) requires the direct involvement of an individual, as well as interaction with the social environment. Three main groups of learning theories were investigated, namely the behavioural, the cognitive and the constructivist theories. The behavioural theories emphasise the transmission of information from the teacher to the learner, whereas the cognitive and constructivist theories emphasise the learners‟ construction of knowledge from their own experiences and their interaction with one another. The methods and strategies for teaching Geography in Ethiopian Teachers‟ Training Colleges were also discussed. The empirical research investigated the perceptions of trainee-teacher and lecturers regarding active learning methods at their respective colleges, the current teaching-learning methods and strategies that the trainee-teachers employ, how they experience the current teaching methods and approaches and other related matters, such as class size and facilities, the integration of assessment with active learning, the teachers‟ attitudes towards active learning, whether or not the lecturers receive short-and long-term training on active learning, the support obtained from the managing body, and whether or not any guidelines existed. Interviews were conducted as embedded research that was intended to supplement the quantitative findings. The results of the empirical investigation indicated a lack of systematic and appropriately organised active learning at college level. Some of the barriers that profoundly hindered the use of active learning pedagogies are the lecturers‟ tendency to maintain the traditional (lecture) method of teaching, insufficient pre-service and in-service training, the large class sizes, the lack of administrative support, the scarcity of resources/facilities, the lack of integration between assessment and active learning, and finally, the absence of guidelines. Pertinent information was extracted from the relevant literature and the empirical study to develop a model to address the problem of active learning in Teachers‟ Training Colleges. Thus, a Model of Active Learning, which is relevant to the teaching of the learning of Geography at College level in the Ethiopian context, was developed. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / D. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)

In this study the status of the active learning methods of teaching employed in Teachers‟ Training Colleges in Ethiopia was examined from the perspective of the trainee-teachers and their lecturers. Factors relating to active learning were discussed within the framework of the social-cognitive constructivists‟ theory, as learning (knowledge construction) requires the direct involvement of an individual, as well as interaction with the social environment. Three main groups of learning theories were investigated, namely the behavioural, the cognitive and the constructivist theories. The behavioural theories emphasise the transmission of information from the teacher to the learner, whereas the cognitive and constructivist theories emphasise the learners‟ construction of knowledge from their own experiences and their interaction with one another. The methods and strategies for teaching Geography in Ethiopian Teachers‟ Training Colleges were also discussed. The empirical research investigated the perceptions of trainee-teacher and lecturers regarding active learning methods at their respective colleges, the current teaching-learning methods and strategies that the trainee-teachers employ, how they experience the current teaching methods and approaches and other related matters, such as class size and facilities, the integration of assessment with active learning, the teachers‟ attitudes towards active learning, whether or not the lecturers receive short-and long-term training on active learning, the support obtained from the managing body, and whether or not any guidelines existed. Interviews were conducted as embedded research that was intended to supplement the quantitative findings. The results of the empirical investigation indicated a lack of systematic and appropriately organised active learning at college level. Some of the barriers that profoundly hindered the use of active learning pedagogies are the lecturers‟ tendency to maintain the traditional (lecture) method of teaching, insufficient pre-service and in-service training, the large class sizes, the lack of administrative support, the scarcity of resources/facilities, the lack of integration between assessment and active learning, and finally, the absence of guidelines. Pertinent information was extracted from the relevant literature and the empirical study to develop a model to address the problem of active learning in Teachers‟ Training Colleges. Thus, a Model of Active Learning, which is relevant to the teaching of the learning of Geography at College level in the Ethiopian context, was developed. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / D. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)

Initiated by the lack of research in the area and curiosity of the researcher about practices, this study was intended to investigate the practices of prison education in selected prisons of ANRS, Ethiopia. The study was guided by constructivist paradigm. It also followed qualitative approach and employed constructivist grounded theory as a strategy. The study involved 30 participants selected through purposive sampling techniques from two prison institutions. Data were mainly collected through one-to-one interview. Focus group discussion and observation were also used to triangulate data obtained through one-to-one interview. Based on the nature of the strategy employed, constant comparative data analysis was followed to analyse data. In relation to international trends in providing correctional education in terms of objectives, curricular directions, activities and delivery mechanisms, the findings from the literature review showed that the objectives range from enabling inmates read and write to providing them the chance for lifelong learning. Inmates are also provided with various contents based on their needs which are geared towards their overall development. While learning, inmates engage in different activities which mean that the methods of teaching used during teaching learning are active. The study also revealed that prison education evolved in Ethiopia, with the issuance of criminal law. While the objectives of the provision of prison education in Ethiopia were found to be personal and social development, and avoiding boredom on the part of inmates, the programmes and contents provided were not diversified enough to accommodate the needs of all inmates. In addition, it was learnt that inmates have not been actively involved in the teaching learning as the teaching methods mostly used were teacher-centred. The findings also showed that facilitators and administrators came to work in the correctional institutions intentionally and got benefits out of working in the institutions as opposed to teachers who joined unintentionally and were frustrated working there. Various challenges affecting the provision of education in prisons were also identified. The finding generally showed that education provision in the sample correctional institutions was of low relevance and quality compared to what international literatures show. / Educational Studies / D. Ed. (Comparative Education)

The government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia proclaimed a new curriculum for reconstructing the education system. The programme aimed at changing the predominantly-used teacher-centred instructional strategies to student-centred, active learning methods. This motivated the main research question of this study namely What are Ethiopian students’ learning styles and attitudes towards active learning approaches? The specific research questions that were investigated were: • What are the learning styles of students in Grade 10 public and private schools and at second year university level, and do these students prefer certain learning styles? • What are the attitudes of students at Grade 10 public and private schools, and at second year university level in respect of active learning approaches? • Do significant relationships exist between the students’ learning styles and their attitudes towards active learning as regards the four dimensions of the Index of Learning Styles (ILS), namely active-reflective, sensing-intuitive, visual-reflective and sequential-global? • Are there significant differences in the students’ learning styles and their attitudes towards active learning in respect of gender, different education levels and types of schools? In order to answer these questions, the study made use of an exploratory, descriptive design. By means of questionnaires data were collected from a purposefully and a conveniently selected sample of 920 students from Grade 10 government and private schools and second year university students in Hawassa, Ethiopia. The sample comprised of 506 males and 414 females, 400 students from Government schools and 249 from private schools, and 271 from the university. The data were analysed by means of descriptive statistics (means and correlations) and inferential statistics (analysis of variance). The results indicated that the majority of the students’ learning styles were balanced between the two dimensions of the ILS scales. As secondary preference, they tended towards moderate categories, and a small section of the students preferred the strong categories of the scales. Secondly, the study determined that the sampled students in general, demonstrated a positive attitude towards active learning. Thirdly, by means of the study a significant relationship was ascertained between the students’ attitudes towards active learning and the active-reflective dimension of the ILS. Fourthly, significant differences were indicated in the students’ learning styles and attitudes towards active learning in respect of their gender, their education level and the types of schools. / Psychology of Education / D. Ed. (Psychology of Education)