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This paper reports a study of pollution in the coastal waters of Jijel, Algeria, using algae Ulva lactuca and Corallina officinalis as bioindicators. Samples of seawater and algae were collected at four different stations from the coast of Jijel, during the period of April–June 2014. The heavy metal content (Pb and Zn) was determined in seawater and in the algae tissue by the technique of atomic absorption spectrophotometry. In seawater, the contents of heavy metals vary from 0.017 to 0.03...

Introduction: The aim of the study was to determine whether final year medical students in medical schools of south-east Nigeria were satisfied with rural community posting.Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study design was used. All final year medical students in the six medical schools in south-east Nigeria who had completed their rural community posting and were willing to participate were included in the study. The students were interviewed using a pretested, self-administered...

Birth registration and obtaining physical birth certificates impose major challenges in developing countries, with impact on child and community health, education, planning, and all levels of development. However despite initiatives, universal registration is elusive, leading to calls for new approaches to understanding the decisions of parents. In this paper, we report results of a survey of students in grades six to eight (age ~12-16) in an under-registered area of Kenya regarding their...

Women and African Americans-groups targeted by negative stereotypes about their intellectual abilities-may be underrepresented in careers that prize brilliance and genius. A recent nationwide survey of academics provided initial support for this possibility. Fields whose practitioners believed that natural talent is crucial for success had fewer female and African American PhDs. The present study seeks to replicate this initial finding with a different, and arguably more naturalistic,...

This article sets out to determine the association between the reasons why university students in Tanzania select their fields of study and intention to join their respective professions upon completion of their studies.A mixed methods research approach was adopted to study a random sample of 1043 undergraduate students (Male=61%, Female=39%) drawn from four universities.The study found that determinants of career choice and intentions differed significantly with fields of study.Students'...

Empirical evidence from developed countries suggests that students' commitment to school is fundamental to their academic success. However, in developing countries, validated measures of student commitment to school do not exist. The current study helps fill this research gap by examining the validity and reliability of a commitment-to-school scale (CSS) adapted for the Ghanaian context. With a sample of 6,252 middle school–age students, the study employs exploratory and confirmatory factor...

Various studies have been conducted on the use of social media but there is a gap in the literature with regard to social media use in South Africa as well as the difference in social media usage between Generation Y and older students. Thus the main purpose of this article is to determine how open distance learning (ODL) students use social media and if age makes a difference in social media usage. An online self-administered questionnaire was sent to a sample of first year ODL students via...

Ghana is currently experiencing electricity supply crisis that is believed to have some impact on the mental wellbeing of the population, especially among university students that have become increasingly dependent on uninterrupted electricity supply to fully function academically. There is no known study that explores the link between infrequent electricity supply and generalized anxiety disorders in sub-Saharan Africa. This study aimed to explore that link and determine the proportion of...

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of head teacher‟s transformational leadership style on teachers‟ job commitment in public primary schools in Matinyani Sub County, Kenya. Four objectives guided the study. The objectives sought to establish the influence of inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, individualized consideration and idealized influence on teachers‟ job commitment in public primary schools in Matinyani Sub County, Kenya. The study was carried out...

Objectives: To investigate the clinical manifestations and factors associated with mortality in patients with extrapulmonary tuberculosis (EPTB) at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital Chest Clinic in Accra, Ghana.Design: We conducted a retrospective chart review of patients treated for EPTB at the Chest Clinic between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2011.Patients with a new diagnosis of EPTB without concomitant pulmonary disease, aged 18 years or older, and who were treated at the Chest Clinic...

The decision to undertake this research was a pragmatic response to the debates which followed the introduction of a new secondary system in Ghana and Nigeria and it is intended to investigate the reform during its life cycle in Ghana between 1974 and 1987 and in Nigeria between 1982 and 1985 to see how much foundation there was for the doubts being expressed. The reform was designed as a complex package offering an integrated approach to change educational values, orientation and learning...

The Church in urban Africa is seeing an increase in marriages and homes experiencing disruption due to divorce. In a bid to forward discussion on marriage issues, the church has developed material on premarital education. However, much of this material has been adapted from the West. The contribution of an African system to education remains largely unexplored. The purpose of this study is to explore the Kipsigis community’s marriage preparation customs with a view to recommend ways they...

This paper reports the results of a study that investigated South African tertiary education students’ adoption patterns of tablet PCs as an e-learning medium. Utilizing structural equation modelling techniques, the study tested the hypothesized effects of perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness, two constituent variables of the technology acceptance model (TAM), to predict the adoption of tablet PCs among college students. Self-completion questionnaires were used to collect data from...

Interventions in primary schools that increase sun-protective behaviours and decrease ultraviolet radiation exposure, sunburn incidence and skin cancer risk can be effective. SunSmart School Accreditation Programmes (SSAP) are recommended. Prior to SSAP implementation in South Africa, we explored the feasibility of obtaining national baseline information and investigated possible associations between strategies regarding sun protection in schools and students’ responses to a questionnaire....