Browsing by Author "Alemu Disassa"

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    A Discourse Analysis of Jaarsummaa, a Traditional Method of Dispute Resolution by Community Elders: Arsi Oromo in Focus
    (Addis Ababa University, 2013-06) Alemu Disassa ; Baye Yimam
    A Discourse Analysis of Jaarsummaaa, a Traditional Method of Dispute Resolution by Community Elders: Arsi Oromo in Focus Alemu Disassa Mulleta Addis Ababa University, 2013 This dissertation reports the result of a critical analysis of the discourse jaarsummaa among Arsi Oromo of Ethiopia. Although it has been used for centuries as a major resource in resolving conflicts among Oromo people, little attempt has been made to uncover the interactional features of jaarsummaa. Previous studies were mainly descriptive and outcome oriented. They did not address the issue of social power relationship in jaarsummaa discourse. Hence, this study adopts a discourse analytic approach to explicate the complexities and subtleties involved jaarsummaa discourse focusing on its genre structure, persuasive discourse strategies of the elders, social/gender power relationship, and major approaches of mediation employed by the elders. To this end, twelve actual jaarsummaa sessions were audio-recorded from three districts of West Arsi Zone, and data on the broader socio-cultural background of jaarsummaa were collected through observation, field notes, and interviews. A socio-cultural approach to discourse analysis has been utilized to analyze both textual and contextual aspects of jaarsummaa. The analyses reveals that jaarsummaa among Arsi Oromo has a rather stable macrostructures with distinct communication patterns and purposes. It has four major phases and several moves and steps, the sequential occurrence of which is regulated by uumee/seera ambaa ‘traditional norms and laws’ of the society. The analyses also indicates that the elders use a number of persuasive discourse strategies that help them make emotional appeal to disputants’ through positive presentation of self and the jaarsummaa program. To legitimize their persuasion, the elders often appeal to societal norms, religious discourse, and the government discourse. Iv The findings also show that husbands have absolute power over their wives and such male power dominance has been legitimized and sustain by the mainstream discourses of the target society. Further, it was found out that the elders seem to have total power over disputants. In addition to their rhetorical power, the elders employ their moral power, social power, informational power, and positional power given to them by courts. In spousal dispute mediations, the elders aggressively persuaded the wives to accept the final decisions by using various discourse strategies such as naturalizing the conflict and the subsequent reconciliation of the couples, ignoring and mitigating major concerns of the wives, and making promises to stop the husbands from further abuses. Other economic and socio-cultural factors also coerced the wives to accept the decision. The analysis also shows that the elders start with problem solving approach and move on to therapeutic approach of mediation. Based on the above findings, recommendations such as having female mediators as representatives, educating and economically empowering women, giving awareness raising trainings for the elders on issues of gender rights and equalities, have been suggested as part of an attempt to refine the jaarsummaa practice. Finally, replication of same studies with large corpus, analysis of discourse of Gadaa court, comparative studies of court referred and normally held jaarsummaa cases and cases from urban and rural areas were suggested as potential focuses of further research in the area.
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    An Investigation of the Nature of Trainers' Feedback Provision During Practicum IV with Reference to English Language Trainers at Jimma Teachers College
    (Addis Ababa University, 2007-08) Alemu Disassa ; Hailom Banteyerga
    This study investigated the nature of trainers' feedback provision during Practicum IV at Jimma Teachers College. More specifically, the study explored ways of tminers' feedback. provision, the common type of feedback, the main focuses of the traillers' feedback, tile adequacy of the trainers' feedback and the extent to which the trainers' feedback provision practice is in consonance with the objectives of current teacher education program as stated in TESO national guideline. For the study, eight English Language trainers/ tutors, sixllj student teachers who were assigned to teach English Language during Practicum IV and the practicum office coordinator were included as sources of data. Twenllj four feedback sessions that the eight trainer/ tutors offered after their first round observation of their trainees' classroom were transcribed and analyzed. For the analysis, outstanding behavioral ca tegories were identified by using the thematic analysis of the trainers' feedback transcripts. These are encouragement, appreciation, criticism, directing, general comment, request for seifreflection and rhetorical questions. The feedback transcripts were analyzed by using utterances as a unit of analysis. The utterances under each categonj were counted and put in percentage for the analysis. The focuses of each categon} of feedback were also identified and analyzed. For further consolidation, interviews were held with six tu tors, seventeen student teachers and the practicum officer. The observation of twenll} four. ,. student teachers' classes was also made and the observations checklists of the college used by the trainers during supervision were checked. Besides, fifty four student teachers . answered the questionnaire used. The data collected was analyzed and discussed both qualitatively and quantitatively. The result of the study reveals that the trainers' feedback was predominantly directive or prescriptive Iljpe. The trainers usually criticized, directed and gave judgl'nents on the student teachers' classroom practice. They rarely allowed the student teachers for selfappraisal. TIre trainers gave the post observation feedback usually both orally and in written form . But most of them observed their student teachers only once and did not seem to give adequate feedback. The result also shows that most of the student teachers who were assigned to teach English Language have poor command of the language and inadequate skills of English Lmzguage Teaching metllOdologJ} and classroom management. In general, the practice of feedback provision by the target trainer/tutors doesn 't seem to be in consonance with objectives of the current teacher education program in our countnj as stated in TESO national guidelines. The recol1l J'nendatiol1s made based on the above findings includes, among others, giving training for tile tutors' on how to conduct supervision and feedback provision, revising the existing curriculUlJ'/ . ,Jar English Language teachers training, introducing the practice of peer supervision and giving incentives for the tutors during pmcticwn.