The present paper describes the research of the students’ online learning readiness in a rural university in Bolivia. In particular, it examines through a quantitative research the influences of some variables on the students’ attitudes toward online learning. These variables were established based on theoretical fundaments and selected and confirmed through a qualitative research based in semi-structured interviews with lecturers and directors of the university’s rural centers. This study also provides a way to predict the membership of a student in two groups: “Those who would participate in an online course” and “those who would not participate in an online course” depending on the influencing variables (technology access, technology skills, self-directed learning and online interaction). This analysis also reveals the most important factors to be considered by the university before introducing online courses. The results have shown that the perceived Internet access strongly affected the participation or the lack of participation of students in an online course. Moreover, the student’s attitude toward online learning is influenced mainly by the perception of the quality of his Internet access, by the perception about his capability to interact online (with other students, lecturers and content) and by the individual’s perception about his own computer skills. This study also provides a simple model to analyze the students’ online learning readiness based on their self-assessment.

Orientador: Rodolfo Hoffmann / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Economia / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-06T20:21:10Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Ney_MarlonGomes_D.pdf: 506999 bytes, checksum: a2c76e2415e980602be6c0d8e9b0cf3b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006 / Resumo: O trabalho analisa a influência das atividades não-agrícolas na desigualdade de renda rural, observando dois indícios: sua participação no rendimento total dos domicílios em diferentes estratos de renda delimitados por percentis e a decomposição do índice de Gini. Outro objetivo é estimar os efeitos dos fatores determinantes da renda rural, particularmente do capital humano e do capital físico. Além de equações de rendimentos ajustadas para o setor primário, analisamos regressões de renda para a população ocupada na indústria e nos serviços. Os resultados obtidos revelam não só que as atividades nãoagrícolas contribuem para o aumento das disparidades de renda rural, como também que, embora o capital fisico seja o principal determinante da concentração da renda agrícola, é a educação o fator que explica a maior parcela da desigualdade de rendimentos no meio rural. Se por um lado a educação se destaca como principal fator determinante do rendimento do trabalho, por outro também foi observada uma forte relação no sentido inverso, com o rendimento detenninando a educação. Ao mesmo tempo em que a população rural adulta relativamente rica detém o controle de grande quantidade de meios de produção, como a propriedade da terra, e quase exclusivamente os níveis elevados de escolaridade, o acesso aos níveis mais altos de ensino também é praticamente restrito aos seus filhos / Abstract: This study analyses the ifluence of rural non-farm activities on rural income distribuition, observing two evidences: the participation of the sector on household earnings over different income strata delimited by percentiles and the decomposition of Gini coefficients. Another objective is to estimate the effects of rural income determinants, in particular of human capital and physical capital. Besides earnings equation estimated for persons occupied in agriculture, we also analyze earnings regressions for people who work in industry and service sectors. The results show that non-farm activities contribute to increase rural income inequalities and that schooling is the most important determinant of eamings distribuition. If on one hand education has enormous effect on rural income, on the other hand we also observed a strong relationship in the opposite direction, ITom income to education. In the same time that the relatively rich adult population has a very big proportion of the land and has almost exclusively the highest levels of schooling, the access to the highest levels of education is mostly reached only by their children / Doutorado / Desenvolvimento Economico, Espaço e Meio Ambiente / Doutor em Desenvolvimento Economico

The purpose of this research is to examine how rural areas in developing countries can strategically transit towards sustainable electricity generation and how this transition can help promote strategic progress towards sustainable rural communities. Luangwa district in Zambia is studied as a special case but an approach that is generic for rural areas in developing countries is strived for. Based on a literature review of existing and potentially sustainable technologies for electricity generation, other case studies, and a survey of local conditions, this study proposes Small Scale Hydro and Solar as appropriate for Luangwa district. A strategic implementation plan is suggested. Some barriers to the transition and possible ways of overcoming them are pointed out, e.g., through technical and public policy measures. Potential economic, socio-political and environmental benefits of this transition are highlighted. The study concludes that with a well structured vision of a sustainable rural electrification, it is possible to strategically implement existing technologies based on renewable energy sources. However, the type of technologies that are suitable for different areas will differ considerably due to different local conditions, such as geography and climate.

The object of this study was to find out what pattern juvenile delinquency follows in small towns and rural areas.

Bakgrund: Enligt Tanzanias regering är ett av de första stegen för att uppnå målet om hälsa till alla, att tillse åtkomsten av tillräckligt med sjukvårdspersonal, med resurser nog att genomföra arbete av kvalité. För tillfället är dessa mål inte uppfyllda, och situationen är värre på landsbygden. På grund av bristen på professionell sjukvårdspersonal, speciellt i geografiskt avlägsna områden i Tanzania, måste sjuksköterskor ibland arbeta över sin utbildningsnivå. Syfte: Syftet var att utforska omvårdnadspersonals erfarenheter av att arbeta på landsbygden i Tanzania. Metod: En kvalitativ intervjustudie, baserad på sex semistrukturerade intervjuer med omvårdnadspersonal som arbetar på landsbygden. Textmaterialet analyserades genom en tematisk innehållsanalys. Resultat: Fem kategorier uppkom: Arbetssituationen, visar att omvårdnadspersonalen klarar att erbjuda all service genom att arbeta över sin utbildningsnivå. Tillgång till resurser, påvisar brist på personal, faciliteter, utrustning och medicin. Personalens mentalitet, visar att omvårdnadspersonalen var glad trots att de gav upp sitt privatliv för att jobba där. Landsbygdspopulation, beskrivs med att de besitter mindre kunskap om hälsa. Boendesituation, påvisar att omvårdnadspersonalen efterfrågade en plats nära arbetet att bo på. Konklusion: Omvårdnadspersonalen var nöjd med deras arbete på landsbygden i Tanzania, trots att de mötte svårigheter. De kunde ge all service på grund av att de kunde utföra varandras sysslor och arbetade då över sin4utbildningsnivå. Det kan argumenteras för att detta arbetssätt inte svarar för en säker och evidensbaserad sjukvård. / Background: According to the government in Tanzania, one of the first steps to achieve the goal of health is to ensure access to health care workers with enough resources and capacity to deliver quality care. Today these goals are not reached, and the situation is worse in rural areas. Due to the lack of professional health care workers in Tanzania, especially in geographic remote areas, nursing staff have to perform beyond their formal education level. Aim: The aim was to explore nursing staff’s experience regarding working in rural Tanzania. Method: A qualitative interview study design was used, based on eight semi-structured interviews with nursing staff working in rural areas in Tanzania. The data were analyzed by using thematic content analysis. Result: Five categories emerged: Working situation, which demonstrates how nursing staff manage to provide all the services through working beyond their education level. Access to resources, which indicates lack of staff, facilities, equipment and medicine. Staff mentality, which demonstrates that the nursing staff were happy, although giving up their personal life to work there. Rural population, which was described as a population with less knowledge about health. Living conditions, which showed that all nursing staff requested a place to stay close to the dispensary. Conclusion: The nursing staff was satisfied with their work in rural Tanzania, yet they faced difficulties. They could still provide all services, mainly by handling different tasks and by working over their formal level. It is arguable that this is not corresponding to a safe and evidence based healthcare.

In recent years ‘mobility management’—a means of promoting modal shift and alternatives to the journey—has gained importance in continental Europe. Especially in metropolitan areas this approach is seen as a way of improving the effectiveness of traffic system management measures. This paper outlines some key options and constraints of transferring mobility management to rural regions, drawing on evidence gathered from a research and demonstration project currently underway in rural regions of North Rhine-Westphalia. Basic conditions for implementing mobility management in rural regions as well as preliminary findings are presented.

In depth studies of the vegetation of large parts of southern Africa, including detailed maps and descriptions of vegetation units are mainly limited to small areas. Meanwhile, various agricultural practises have led to destruction or deterioration of the quality of natural grassland ecosystems. The agricultural sector in developed and rapidly developing areas of southern Africa is confronted with problems like veld deterioration and the loss of natural areas that effectively contribute to the depopulation of rural areas. The necessity to identify, classify and describe the vegetation types and communities within the Grassland Biome was stressed by Mentis and Huntley (1982). The aim of the Grassland Biome Project is to integrate knowledge. comprehension and expertise, which will enable scientists to forecast the results of the available options of grassland management programmes. The phytosociological classification of northwestern KwaZulu-Natal forms part of this project. Known previous vegetation studies of this area were conducted on a large scale and a considerable time ago, which underlines the necessity for a more comprehensive and phytosociologically refined investigation of this area. The study area lies in the northern part of KwaZulu-Natal and comprises the Drakensberg mountains and slopes in the west and undulating plains and bushveld valleys in the east and south. Relevés were compiled in 526 stratified random sample plots over an area of 9300 km2, comprising the northwestern part of KwaZulu-Natal. The vegetation was classified by means of TWINSP AN and Braun-Blanquet procedures. A phytosociological investigation of this vegetation revealed great variation in floristic composition. Further refinement of the data disclosed five major vegetation types containing nine plant communities. The topography and geology of the study area contributes greatly to the diversity of the vegetation, but poor agricultural practises have caused deterioration of the vegetation. / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 1998. / Plant Science / unrestricted

Thesis (MTech (Information Technology))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2019 / The challenges faced by members of underserved communities in South Africa have frequently been reported in literature. To ameliorate these challenges, different interventions have been introduced both locally and internationally to improve the wellbeing of the members of these communities. One such intervention is the introduction of information and communication technology ICT as a means to close the digital divide and meeting the socio-economic needs of the community. Youth living in these communities are expected to derive more benefit from ICT interventions as they have been reported to be more technology savvy and dependent on technology than the older adults are. However, the failures of ICT interventions deployed by donors have also been reported in literature. Authors have identified several reasons for the failure of ICT interventions, but a lack of consultation with the beneficiaries of this type of intervention is common to many findings. The exclusion of the youth as major beneficiaries of ICT interventions causes a lack of alignment between the interventions deployed for their use and the actual wellbeing needs of the youth in underserved communities. The failure of ICT interventions increases the digital divide and frustrates the good intentions of local and national government as well as international donors to improve the wellbeing of the youth in underserved communities. By using the concept of wellbeing, the study aimed to explore how youth wellbeing indicators can be used to facilitate effective ICT interventions for youth empowerment and development in underserved communities in South Africa. Furthermore, the study aimed todesign an ICT-based artefact to prioritise youth wellbeing indicators in underserved communities in South Africa. The study was implemented through a qualitative research method using a service design strategy that allowed for a participatory research approach and co-design instrument for data collection from the youth living in Grabouw anunderserved community in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. Data was collected from 40 youth aged between 15 and 30 at two workshops. Content analysis technique was used to analyse data. Findings from the research show that given the opportunity, the youth are able to determine their social-economic needs. A comprehensive set of wellbeing indicators was developed. Thirteen wellbeing indicators symbolising the issues in the community were prioritised, which are:unemployment, self-image, reaching full potential, family support,access to water, sanitation and electricity,meaning and purpose of life,being healthy,religious practice,educational level,future expectations,freedom of expression,skills to get a job, and access to skills and training. Overall, nine categories of wellbeing indicators were identified; of these, seven are similar to theGlobal Youth Wellbeing Index(GYWI) categories. Three new categories – aspiration, social support, and infrastructure and services – were realised. The three factors are an indication that the Grabouw youth may have special needs different from the global perspective as specified by the GYWI categories. Moreover, the priorities of the wellbeing indicators when compared to the GYWI rating for South Africa differ significantly, which may indicate that the needs of the youth living in underserved communities may vary largelyfrom other youth in the country. Furthermore, an artefact that can be used to prioritise wellbeing indicators was designed. It is important for stakeholders of ICT interventions to embrace participation of the beneficiaries as a means of aligning interventions to their needs. These stakeholders need to seek ways of developing artefacts that address the needs, not limited to health, so that the youth can take advantage of technology to improve their wellbeing on a continuous basis.

MPM / Oliver Tambo Institute for Governance and Policy Studies

Die Studie analysiert das Wanderungs- und Umzugsverhalten in den sächsischen Gemeinden Mügeln, Stolpen, Oederan und Kirchberg. Die Anzahl der An-, Ab- und Ummeldungen in den Jahren 1999 bis 2008 wurden nach Alter, Geschlecht, Herkunfts- und Zielregion ausgewertet. Dabei wurde zwischen Kernstädten und dörflichen Ortsteilen unterschieden. Die Untersuchungsergebnisse richten sich insbesondere an die Landes- und Kommunalpolitik, an Planer und Akteure der regionalen Entwicklung. Sie sollen helfen Pläne und Handlungskonzepte für ländliche Städte und Dörfer im demografischen Wandel angemessen zu gestalten.