Socio-Cultural Factors Influencing Language Use and Identity Construction Among Women in Kitui West Constituency, Kenya (Published)

This research seeks to examine and describe the complex interaction between language and identity in the lives of the women of Kitui West Constituency, Kitui County, Kenya. Grounded in ethnography, this study explores the cultural and social factors that inform language variations and identity construction in diverse women’s collectives. The targeted institutions include church-related organizations, SACCOs, and informal community-based organizations. The combined focus on qualitative and quantitative methodology: in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, and sociolinguistic questionnaires fills a gap in knowledge pertaining to language and identity in multilingual African settings and provides impetus for reflections on language policy as well as women’s rights and emancipation reveal the gendered interdependence between the patterns of language choice and societal factors such as education, religion, urbanization, and economic activity. The analysis of the data provided shows that women in Kitui West have diverse linguistic resources that they negotiate every day while juggling between cultural and socially imposed roles and rights. Consequently, it fills a gap in knowledge pertaining to language and identity in multilingual African settings and provides impetus for reflections on language policy as well as women’s rights and emancipation.

Keywords: Gender, Multilingualism, Sociolinguistics, identity construction

Social Demographic Factors Associated with Drug Abuse Among Undergraduates in Ekiti State (Published)

This study examined social demographic factors associated with drug abuse among undergraduates in Ekiti State. Specifically, the study examined the level of knowledge on drug abuse expressed by university undergraduate students; level of drug abuse among university undergraduate students; and common drugs known as expressed by university undergraduate students. The research design adopted for this study was a descriptive survey. The population of this study consisted of all the students of Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, while the sample was 200 undergraduate students drawn from seven faculties. The respondents were randomly selected from seven faculties. A self-designed constructed questionnaire tagged “Drug Abuse Questionnaire (DAQ)” was used to collect relevant data for the study. The instrument consisted of five sections namely: Sections A, B, C, D, and E. The validity methods used were face and content validity. The items in the Questionnaire were presented to experts in the fields of Tests and Measurement, Social Studies Education and Guidance & Counselling. The reliability of the instrument was estimated through test re-test method. A co-efficient value of 0.88 was obtained which was considered statistically high to make the instrument reliable. The data collected from the questionnaire were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings of the study revealed that majority of the respondents have a high knowledge of drug abuse while only few engage in drug abuse. In addition, peer influence was related to drug abuse among undergraduates but family structure was not related to drug abuse. It was further revealed that male students have higher prevalence of drug abuse than female students despite having similar knowledge of drug abuse. It was recommended among others that discipline should be put in-place by university management to curb drug abuse among undergraduates.

Keywords: Drug Abuse, Family Structure, Gender, Peer Influence, Undergraduates

Female Identity Reconstruction in Saudi Arabia (Published)

Saudi Arabia is experiencing an era of unprecedented socio-cultural reforms, one of which is the empowerment of women. The Saudi Vision 2030 aim to provide equal opportunity to both genders has necessitated intervention to reformulate the social identity of women, which has long been thought to be subject to the socio-religious domination of men. The descriptive discursive approach of this paper aims to briefly highlight attempts upheld by the Saudi Arabian government to combat the inferior social image of women, and the steps advocated to reconstruct it. Analysis of real-life data has revealed that officials have used the media and the education system to advance their ideology among the wider population.

 

Keywords: Gender, Identity, Men, Women, education media

Influence of Teachers’ Gender and Age on the Integration of Computer Assisted Instruction in Teaching and Learning of Social Studies among Basic Schools in Tamale Metropolis (Published)

This study was conducted in Tamale Metropolis to explore the influence of teachers’ variables (gender and age) on the level of integration of Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI) in the teaching and learning of Social Studies. Three research questions and two hypothesis were formulated to guide the study. Quantitative research design was employed for the study. Data for the research was collected from 20 Junior High Schools randomly sampled from Tamale Metropolis using Krejcie & Morgan table for sample size determination. Data was collected by means of structured questionnaires administered to 60 Social Studies teachers from the 20 sampled schools. The questionnaire was designed with a 5-point Likert scale using closed ended questions. The questionnaire was pre-tested in a pilot study to guarantee its reliability using Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient formula. It yielded an alpha of .78 which was good and was applied for the study. Data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Frequencies were used to analyze data on teachers’ perceptions on the integration of CAI, extent of integration and challenges encountered. Chi-square was used to test the hypothesis to determine whether there is a significant difference between male and female teachers and young and old teachers’ implementation of CAI in teaching and learning of Social Studies. The findings discovered most teachers have positive attitude towards the integration of CAI in teaching and learning of Social Studies. Some of the teachers also incorporate CAI into their Social Studies instructions. However, the Social Studies teachers encounter a number of challenges such as limited number of computers, lack of time, lack of technical support, lack of internet among others. It was also discovered that more male teachers use video and radio in their instructions than their females’ counterparts. Old teachers also integrate video and radio in their lessons than the younger ones. However, generally, there was no significant difference between old and young teachers’ application of CAI in Social Studies teaching and learning. Based on the findings, it has been recommended that there should be periodic training of teachers on how to incorporate CAI in their lessons, reform of teacher training curriculum to allow technology integration, and supplying of laptops to teachers and students to enable them effectively incorporate CAI in their lessons to improve students learning outcomes. Government of Ghana in partnership with private sector and NGOs should design and implement intervention to eliminate all barriers to integration of CAI in all schools.

Keywords: Computer Assisted Instruction, Computer Based Learning, Constructivist, Digital Literacy, Gender, Pedagogy, Policy, Social Studies, Teacher Professional Development, and Hypothesis.

Multiple Roles And Burden of Working Mother in Informal Sector (Case Study: Mother as a Seller the Area of North Sumatera University (Usu), Indonesia (Published)

This research is based on gender issues that are increasingly widespread in so many aspects that it has implications for behavior change in women. One that looks striking is the removal of the limits of space for women who are no longer just taking care of the house and can be free to work outside the home. This condition has an impact on increasing the work force of women in the formal and non formal sectors. But in this study will focus on the informal sector in order to examine the double roles and the double burden of working mother accurately. When compared to working mothers in the formal sector who have better salaries and education then they can pay for Home Assistant services to lighten their dual roles and burdens at home. While mothers working in the non-formal sector with lower salaries and education should feel their own dual roles and burdens. Researchers interested with the phenomenon of working mothers in the University of North Sumatra as a street vendor (PKL) which often involved clashing with officials from Satpol PP and the Department of Transportation. Although there are often clashes caused by the curbing by the related parties, the street vendors keep selling by risking their own security and wares. Not infrequently the mothers of street vendors get unfavorable treatment and have to lose money because of confiscated merchandise. But this does not change the decision of the mothers of street vendors to keep working in the sector. The main factor is the limited skills and also the limitations of the economy. This research uses qualitative approach and descriptive method by conducting interview and direct observation to informant.

Keywords: Descriptive, Double Burden, Double Role, Gender, qualitative

Revolutionizing the Body: Eros and Demos in Post-Arab Spring Women Writings (Published)

The successful political revolutionary transformations fulfilled by the Arab Spring of 2010-11, acted as a catalyst for synchronous cultural, social and sexual changes. The ‘double revolution’ heralded the emergence of the new woman, transitioning from the docile and conservative, into a concupiscent hermaphroditic rebel, who dares to demand her sexual rights and freedom, challenge the existing norms and disclose her sexual trauma, pleasures, and desires. The body is ‘revolutionized’ and instrumentalized to resist marginalization and to propound bodily and sexual rights. There is an attempt to establish a relation between the historical events and their literary portrayal. The gender perspective of the Arab Spring is analyzed through examples of Arab women artists, whose works in literature, graffiti, blogs or social media, reflect the changes in the ‘Spring’ woman’s character, thought, and conceptualization of sex. Their opus epitomizes the new feminine subjectivities created through the intersection of gender, class, and nation.

Keywords: Arab Spring, Body, Freedom, Gender, Revolutions, Rights, Women, sex

Home as a Battlefield: Power and Gender in Harold Pinter’s the Collection, the Lover and Old Times (Published)

Harold Pinter has been hailed as a dramatist among the half-dozen best dramatists, able to use his considerable wit in unusual, resonant and riveting ways. The central theme of his work is one of the dominant themes of twentieth-century art: the struggle for meaning in a fragmented world. His characters are uncertain of whom or what they understand, in whom or what they believe, and who or what they are. Pinter’s characters operate by a stark ‘territorial imperative,’ a primal drive for possession. In his plays, the struggle for power is an atavistic one between male and female. Hence sexuality as a means of power and control is our priority in discussing a select set of Pinter’s playscripts. We here examine the element of sexuality in these chosen texts analysing the relationship between male and female characters, as they snipe and sling potshots across the most intimate of all battlefields: our home and castle. The texts are studied individually, in sequence, in an attempt to lay bare the technique and leverage of sexual negotiations in Pinter’s work.

Keywords: Gender, Harold Pinter, Power, Relationships, Sexuality

GENDER AND CREATIVITY: THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF NIGERIAN FEMALE WRITERS (Published)

Argument on the eroding creative prowess among Nigerian writers of the contemporary period has been rift in recent writing of Charles Nnolim. The basic tenet of his argument is that the “fleshly school” of writers focuses on women, wine, club and fun and therefore “lacks fiery, vituperative and caustic commitment of the older generation”. The ideological trust of this research opposes this view. Available evidences in the last two decades reveal that literary creativity has received a boast in the hands of Nigerian female writers whose thematic pre-occupation centered on gender theories and gender-related issues. Nigerian writers like Zulu Sofola, Tess Onwueme, Irene Salami-Agunloye, Tracie Chima Uto-Ezeajugh, Julie Okoh, Chimamanda Adichie , to mention but a few have established themselves as creative genius, winning National and International Awards. Presently, gender equality has assumed a central stage in the world political and literary scene, it is therefore unfair to regard such huge creative output as “trivialities” simply because they address issues that affect mostly women. This paper seeks to evaluate the contributions of these women to the growth of world literature in general and Nigerian creative writings in particular and concludes that the corpus of works by most of these writers is great works of arts in all ramifications.

Keywords: Creativity, Female, Gender, Nigerian, Writers

GENDER, AGE DIFFERENTIALS: IMPLICATIONS IN PREMARITAL SEX AMONG ADOLESCENTS AND YOUNG ADULTS (Published)

This paper examined how gender and age differences influence the premarital sexual behaviour of young people (Adolescents and young Adults). A sample of 100 students, (50 males and 50 females) between the ages of 18-35 years was randomly drawn from the undergraduate student populations and a 28-question standerdised questionnaire to assess some aspects of their sexual behaviour was administered. Statistical analyses of data involved one-way Anova and Descriptive statistics which indicated that there were no differences gender-wise F(1,98)=0.36,P>0.05, age-wise F(1,98)=0.461, P>0.05 and religion-wise F(2/96)=1.8, P>0.05 in premarital sex, in terms of indulgence, susceptibility to experiment and frequency of indulgence. There is need for more detailed research with emphasis on such potential influences like marital status, ethnicity and social status of respondent(s) on premarital sex

Keywords: Adolescents, Age, Gender, Premarital, Sexual Behaviour, Young Adults