Educational Leadership and Management

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Browsing Educational Leadership and Management by Author "Abebaw Yirga (Prof.)"

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    Gender and Disability Diversity Management in Ethiopian Public Higher Education Institutions: Perceptions, Practices and Challenges
    (Addis Ababa University, 2024-06) Easaw Alemayehu; Abebaw Yirga (Prof.)
    This doctoral dissertation aimed to critically examine and provide insight into the perception, practices, and challenges of gender and disability diversity management in Ethiopian public HEIs. Convergent parallel mixed research (QUAN + QUAL) design that, philosophically, followed to the pragmatic research paradigm was used. Information on survey questionnaire responses came from (n=395) undergraduate regular students and (n=247) regular students with disability totally (n=642) who were randomly chosen from among the five public Ethiopian HEIs. Qualitative empirical data gained from n=37 (22 male and 15 female) interview respondents, document analysis and observation. Two types of survey questionnaires with 57 items for Gender Diversity Management (GDM) and 51 items for Disability Diversity Management (DDM) were prepared in accordance with Hurtado’s et al., (2012), Diversified Learning Environment (DLE) model. Descriptive statistics (percentage, frequency, mean, standard deviation) and inferential statistics (Independent samples t-test, Pearson's correlation, & Multiple linear correlation) were used. SPSS version 25 was used to analyze the data. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to gather participants' lived experiences, and document analysis was also performed. It has been found that the overall perception of respondents’ regarding GDM & DDM at Ethiopian public HEIs was positive (M=3.34 for GDM, M=3.4 for DDM). On the one hand, the respondents' perceptions of the use of curricular activities in relation to GDM & DDM were low, with a mean score of 2.96 for GDM and 2.8 for DDM. This suggests that respondents perceive the current curriculum in Ethiopian public HEIs to be lacking in content and approaches that adequately address issues of both gender and disability diversity. On the other hand, based on the qualitative data and the grand mean of 3.58 (for both GDM & DDM), the study found that respondents generally had positive perceptions towards the use of extracurricular activities aimed at promoting gender & disability diversity at Ethiopian public HEIs. However, respondents noted lower participation levels for female students and SWDs compared to their male and non-disabled peers. Besides, although policies for managing the diversity of gender have somehow existed, disability diversity-related policies, legislations and guidelines are not effectively communicated and practiced (M=2.44). Physical and attitudinal barriers had a strong negative impact on GDM & DDM. Not putting much emphasis on GDM & DDM is also one of the challenges at the selected five Ethiopian public HEIs. The commitment of Ethiopian public HEIs' senior leaders to students' GDM & DDM & is positive (M=3.43, and M=3.58), however, their efforts in creating a campus environment that truly welcomes and embraces gender and disability diversity were limited (M=2.86 for GDM & M=2.67 for DDM). Additionally, the institutions did not adequately handle matters related to gender and disability diversity in a fitting manner (M=2.56 for GDM & M=2.65 for DDM). The results also showed that students were not as such satisfied with the GDM & DDM of Ethiopian public HEIs. The findings further revealed that there is a weak and positive relationship between perceptions of GDM & DDM-related coursework and perceptions of extracurricular activities. There was no significant difference (p=0.738) in perceptions of GDM between male and female respondents because p > 0.05. This suggests that both genders had similar views on GDM. However, there was significant perception difference (p=0.022, p <0.05) in DDM between male and female respondents, implying that their perspectives diverged when it came to DDM. There was a strong positive relationship (r= 0.613 for GDM, r = 0.698, for DDM) between policy practices and the commitment of senior leaders with a p value of 0. 000, <0.01, which is statistically significant, highlighting the importance of creating inclusive policies and practices to foster diversity and commitment within HEIs. As a result, the researcher identified some key policy & practice implications that would help Ethiopia's public HEIs manage gender and disability diversity effectively: Create a clear vision for GDM and DDM, design & institutionalize more GDM & DDM related curricular & extracurricular activities, plan and implement successful GDM and DDM strategies, review policy directives & initiatives. Key Words: Disability, Diversity Management, Gender, Higher Education Institutions