Sandwich Programme Enrolment: Policy and Management Implications for Ghanaian Higher Education (Published)
The current study used survey approach to examine sandwich masters students views on factors influencing their decision to enrol in educational administration and management programme at a teacher university in Ghana. Randomisation technique was used in selecting 131 samples from 161second-year session students of the programme with 51% males and 49% female participants with urban students dominating the samples in the study. Questionnaires and open-ended items were used to solicit students’ views that allowed for the use of inferential and interpretivists’ data analysis techniques. Hence, applying logistic and multiple regressions as well as frequency counts, two hypotheses were tested and the results showed that student’ perceptions of their own circumstances and institutional constraints explained 19.4% of variance in decisions to engage with their current programme of study. Also, institutional (GES) factors showed statistical significant difference between male and female students with the odd ratio of 1.12 higher for males than females. Consequently, the study concludes that students’ decisions to study on the educational administration and management programme were significantly related to their employers’ policy and the admission constraints such as faculty attitudes and teaching and living resources. Implications for managerial policy review were discussed in the paper.
Keywords: Educational Policy, Gender, higher education management
GENDER INFLUENCES IN WORK LIFE BALANCE: FINDINGS FROM NIGERIA (Published)
The relationship between gender and work-life balance has been examined frequently with conflicting results. Some studies indicate that women have greater work-life balance than men whereas others report the opposite but most report no significant differences between them. This study examines gender disparities in work-life balance using eight variables of work-life balance namely breaks from work, compressed working hours, self-roastering , tele-working, child care, flexi-time, paid leave and job-sharing. Data was collected from three hundred (300) respondents randomly selected among workers in the insurance industry. The study found eight independent variables significantly and positively correlated with work- life balance for both men and women. Both genders indicated they had work life imbalance but there were gender differences in the use of work-balance options. The study recommends a modification in the work-life balance discussion with men converting their personalities of family-direction to additional time spent with the family and organization management desisting from viewing such choices as incompatible with men’s achievement on the job. Work-life balance options should not be uniform but must be personalized. There must be improved gender friendly work-life balance options. Work life balance practices need to be advanced to facilitate workers balancing their lives and to ensure a congenial work place for them.
Keywords: Balance, Gender, Influences, Work- Life