Browsing by Author "Dawit Mekonnen (PhD)"

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    Correlates of Marital Satisfaction among Mickyliland Condominium Residents: Religiosity, Conflict Resolution Styles, and Love Expression in Focus
    (Addis Ababa University, 2024-06) Jemila Goshu; Dawit Mekonnen (PhD)
    This study investigates the relationship between religiosity, conflict resolution styles, love expression, and marital satisfaction among Mickyliland condominium residents using a cross sectional descriptive design. The data is collected from 339 samples of whom 33% was male and 67% female with 38.77 mean age and 12.91 mean duration of marriage. The findings reveal that 83.3 % of respondents feel moderate level of marital satisfaction with mean value 52.06. A significant positive relationship exists between religiosity and marital satisfaction. Positive problem-solving conflict resolution style shows a significant moderate positive relationship with marital satisfaction, while conflict engagement, self-protection, and acceptance styles exhibit a significant negative relationship. 14.6% of the variance in marital satisfaction can be explained by religiosity, conflict resolution styles and demographic variables while positive problem solving, being female and having a diploma were the only statistically significant predictors. Love expression through verbal communication, practical activities, gift-giving, and accommodating spouse preferences significantly contributes to marital satisfaction. Overall, the study underscores the importance of positive problem-solving and love expression in enhancing marital satisfaction beyond the influence of religiosity and demographic factors. Key words: Marital Satisfaction, Religiosity, Conflict Resolution Styles, Love Expression
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    Digital Altruism and Social Intelligence Relationship among youth: Case of Addis Ababa University
    (Addis Ababa University, 2025-06) Betelhem Tesfaye; Dawit Mekonnen (PhD)
    This study investigates the relationship between digital altruism and components of social intelligence that are social skills, social awareness, and social information processing among undergraduate students at Addis Ababa University. Grounded in the growing intersection between prosocial behaviour and digital interaction, the study utilized a quantitative approach, collecting data from 115 undergraduate social work students through structured questionnaires. Descriptive statistics used to analyse demographic variables, while Pearson correlation and multiple linear regression were employed to examine the analytical power of each component of social intelligence on digital altruism. The findings reveal that social skills and social awareness are significant positive predictors of digital altruism, supporting the first two hypotheses. However, social information processing did not show statistically significant relationship with digital altruism, suggesting its influence may be mediated by other psychological or contextual variables. The study also found that most participants were between in their 20 - 22 years old, female students are more likely than male students to engage in digital altruism, and students in later years of university exhibit higher levels of digital altruism than those in earlier years. Platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube primarily for entertainment and educational purposes use. These results contribute to the understanding of how different aspects of social intelligence shape prosocial behaviours in digital contexts. It highlights the importance of nurturing social emotional competencies in youth as a way of promoting ethical and empathetic digital engagement. The study concludes with recommendations for educators, policymakers, and digital platform developers to integrate social intelligence training into university curricula and digital literacy programs
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    Knowledge and Intention to Report Child Sexual Abuse among Harawacha Primary School Teachers at Melka Bello Woreda, Oromia
    (Addis Ababa University, 2024-06) Yebichaye Yeshitila; Dawit Mekonnen (PhD)
    Studies have identified various interpersonal and social factors affecting suspected child sexual abuse. However, attitudes to reporting, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control as influencing teachers' intention to report child sexual abuse are still scarce, showing knowledge gaps concerning teachers' role in disclosing child sexual abuse cases. Particularly, despite many child sexual abuse cases, no study yet attempted to examine child sexual abuse cases in eastern Harerghe including Harawach town. This study employs quantitative research methods to collect and examine attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavior control as teachers' intention to report child sexual abuse. Survey participants were selected using stratified random sampling techniques (N=181). The research utilized a questionnaire as a data collection instrument. Correlational and hierarchical regression analysis approaches were employed to analyze data. Findings indicated that all teachers' attitudes to reporting, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control were positively and significantly associated with teachers' intention to report child sexual abuse. The Findings from hierarchical regression analysis showed that subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, and the number of children significantly predicted teachers' intention to report child sexual abuse. The study concludes that enhancing perceived behavioral control and creating facilitating norms can improve teachers' intention to report CSA. This study has an important contribution to various stakeholders working on child rights protection by providing insight for developing prevention and early intervention strategies for the victims of CSA. This study also contributes to the child protection literature and theory of planned behavior. Keywords: Child sexual abuse, Reporting intention, Educator awareness, Subjective norm, Perceived behavior, Attitude
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    Promoting Students’ Awareness for Better Images of the Future: Examination of the Space Accorded in Secondary School Curriculum in Ethiopia
    (Addis Ababa University, 2024-06) Zerihun Takele; Dawit Mekonnen (PhD)
    Images of the future have a strong influence on the behaviors and decision-making of individuals and groups and are a basis for their actions in the present. However, there is limited empirical research that shows how young students imagine the future and how school curricula help students construct future images in the Ethiopian context. This study examined secondary school students’ future-orientation and future images in relation to personal, national, and global issues. The study also examined the extent school textbooks contribute to shaping students' images of the future. The study was conducted in five secondary schools in Oromia, Ethiopia. The study employed a mixed research method. Data were collected from 443 secondary school (grades 11 and 12) students through questionnaires and content analysis of textbooks. The quantitative data were analyzed using percentages, means, t-tests, and ANOVAs. The qualitative data were analyzed using word narration supported by pictures and figures extracted from the textbooks. The findings of the study show that students’ future orientations were not well developed. The students had more optimistic future expectations for their own future lives, whereas they had pessimistic images regarding national (Ethiopia) and global issues and problems. This shows that students’ spatial awareness is not sufficiently developed to understand the interrelatedness and interdependence of national and global problems with their own current and future personal lives. Furthermore, the findings suggest that students’ personal optimistic future expectations decreased at the critical adolescence age. In addition, the study found that the images of a good (desirable) and a bad (undesirable) person/citizen represented in the textbooks placed more emphasis on promoting students’ images of the interdependent self (social self) awareness than of the independent self (autonomous self). The study also revealed that there is some incongruence between images of Ethiopia presented in the textbooks and images of Ethiopia held by the students. The textbooks mainly narrated Ethiopia as a country that turned from a dark past, present utopia changes to a bright future, whereas most of the students had a pessimistic orientation towards the future of Ethiopia. The study indicates that images of Africa represented in the textbooks could have the potential to cultivate pessimistic dystopian images, disempowerment, and afropessimistic attitudes among students. In relation to global issues and problems, the textbooks represented mainly techno-utopian images of the world. The textbooks have limitations in showing students the negative consequences of technological progress on human health, environmental degradation, and global warming. The study also indicated that textbooks’ learning activities have the potential to serve to deepen images of interdependent self (social self) awareness rather than independent self-consciousness that have the potential to produce conformist individuals who are simply socialized to the existing status quo rather than create critical thinkers and future change agents. Based on the findings, it is recommended that the textbooks should be improved based on the principles of futureoriented education in order to promote students’ desirable images of the future, and empower and prepare them as future change agents to build a better future. Keywords: Images of the future; Future orientation; Afropessimism; Techno-utopian; Dystopian; Utopia; Personal issues; National issues; Global issues
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    Teacher Education Pedagogy: The conceptions and Practices of Teacher Educators in the Southern Regions of Ethiopia
    (Addis Ababa University, 2024) Abayneh Ergogo; Dawit Mekonnen (PhD)
    In order to establish a standard for successful pedagogy in teacher education, this study explores the relationship between teacher educators' conceptions of pedagogy and their likely practices. The study investigates the rationale for the pedagogical practices of the teacher-educators, with a particular emphasis on Copenhagen's classification of realistic pedagogical conceptions as application of theory and realistic as well as the practice as constructionist and transmission approaches. Constructionist and realistic approaches promote active practice and reflection, whereas the application of theory and transmission approaches focus on pedagogues that concentrate on imparting mere theoretical knowledge through transmission, expecting student teachers to apply it during their teaching. The study employed a convergent, parallel mixed-methods design and a pragmatic paradigm. The study employed questionnaires to collect data from 243 teacher educators. Moreover, 5 teacher educators and 13 student teachers were interviewed, and 6 classroom observations were carried out on 4 teacher educators.The quantitative data was analyzed using percentages, Wilcox on signed rank, and Spear man's rho correlation tests, while the qualitative data was analyzed using thematic and narrative analysis approaches.The findings indicated that teacher educators in the southern regions use a transmission or content-oriented approach in their pedagogy as a result of their application of theory conceptions to their pedagogy. It was also discovered that contextual factors had a major impact on the teacher educators' pedagogy. Based on these, teacher educators should have the conception of realistic approaches to deliver inspiring pedagogy, which is characterized by continually evolving, reflexive, and experiential teaching, as part of adequate professional competence and value. It is also critical to design professional development activities that assist teacher educators in reevaluating their perspectives and methods of teaching on learning to teach. Furthermore, policy directives that attempt to alter teaching conceptions and practices should take individual and institutional levels of teacher preparation into account.
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    The Relevance of Early Childhood Care and Education Curriculum and its Practice in Selected Regional States of Ethiopia
    (Addis Ababa University, 2024-04) Walelign Admasu; Dawit Mekonnen (PhD)
    The purpose of this study was to investigate the relevance of ECCE curriculum and its practice in Ethiopia focusing on three regions (Addiss Ababa, Hawassa and Debrebirhan). The study attempted to air out the incorporation of guiding principles and basic elements in the ECCE curriculum, the suitability of preschool learning environment for the practice, the correspondence of teacher education curriculum to ECCE curriculum, the appropriateness preschool teachers’ practice for children andother factors affecting the practice. To attain the main objective of the study, the mixed approach of descriptive survey and explanatory sequential designs were used. Data were gathered from 362 preschool teachers and 221 graduating class preschool teacher-trainees, fifteen sample preschool classes, and documents. Questionnaires, checklists for document analysis and observation, interview and discussion were the instruments used for data collection. The collected data were analyzed using various statistics like frequency, percentage, average, and χ2 test. The ECCE syllabus communicates the philosophical, psychological and sociological bases for ECCE curriculum but not at explicit and required level.The historical base and technological changes were not totally communicated in the syllabus. The syllabus was also indicated the objectives, thematic areas, four developmental directions, teaching methods, assessment approaches, and resources for teaching the themes for preschoolers.But,the emotional, moral and spiritual aspects of development, the ethics and values of the society were not indicated in the syllabus. The instructional methods in the syllabus were far from appropriateness for preschoolers and insufficient to use them for the teachers. The assessment means did not consider the different learning styles of children. tests were used frequently as assessing means intead of taking notes and observing children in action.Thus, the curriculum, instructional strategies, assessment means, and resources in the syllabus seemed to be found in need of amendment. The learning environment in the sample preschools of Ethiopia did not seem conducive to the proper implementation of the ECCE curriculum. Insufficient spaces for indoor activities, absence of learning centers and unfit types of equipment for children were common phenomena in many sample preschools. Teaching and play materials as posted pictures in many preschools were at sub-standard level and did not attractattention of children.The outdoor environments for children did not seem conducive for different physical and motor activities. Thus, the learning environment (in-door and out-door) has limitations for facilitating chidren learning and development. The Teacher Education Program (TEP) courses do not create balance among the three knowledge areas (content, pedagogical, and child development and learning). The child development and learning knowledge area is represented only by two out of fourty-two courses so that it is highly marginalized. The subject-related pedagogical knowledge area did not involve courses that acquaint trainees with specific teaching methods for natural and social sciences as well as ethics and aesthetic/art subjects. The courses for general teaching /active learning methods have been totally forgotten. Action research courses were with limited contribution for practice. The contribution of TEP in acquainting trainees with the contents of the ECCE curriculum was not favored at the required high level. The correspondence of TEP curriculum to the ECCE syllabus is found either at a low or medium level. So, the relevance of TEP courses for implementing the ECCE curriculum has limitations. So, the training has limited benefit. The preschool-teachers were not properly practicing the five key functions though they rated their accomplishment positively. The methods used by teachers in teaching the three age levels children were similar so that they did not seem appropriate for all children. Similarly, the assessments employed were unfit for preschoolers. So, the preschool curriculum practice was inappropriate for children of the three age levels. The conditions like support from others, provision of services, nature of the program, and resources were facilitating the ECCE curriculum practices at medium level. But, the funding mechanisms, pushing down the curriculum, group size and adult-child ratio, space for program and the provision of health services were hindering ECCE curriculum practice. The development process of curriculum materials; the nature of objectives and contents, and administration were also creating challenges in practicing ECCE curriculm. Working on the contents of the material, the classroom conditions, teacher education program, and in the creation of know-how, attitude, and sense of responsibility on concerned bodies were considered as means of alleviating the problems. Thus, the ECE and teacher education program curriculua are in need of revision. Following developmentally appropriate practice in coaching children seems vital. The factors affecting preschool education practice need to get attention from concerned bodies. The teacher practice and learning for preschool education needs further studies for the future betterment of the program.
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    The Role of Psychosocial Support in the Recovery Journey of Gender Based Violence Survivors Sheltered in Association for Women Sanctuary and Development in Addis Ababa
    (Addis Ababa University, 2024-11) Samra Alemayehu; Dawit Mekonnen (PhD)
    Gender-based violence (GBV) remains a critical issue affecting women globally, with survivors often requiring significant support systems for recovery. This thesis investigates the role of psychosocial support services in the recovery process of women survivors of GBV sheltered in the AWSAD (Association for Women Sanctuary and Development) Safe House in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It seeks to understand how psychosocial support helps survivors recover from trauma and enhance their wellbeing using phenomenological design. The data was collected from 26 participants who were females who had experienced GBV, using semi-structured interviews with 14 female survivors at the AWSAD Safe House and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with 12 participants. Thematic analysis was used to study the effectiveness of psychosocial support to promote recovery, the findings reveal psychosocial support services provided by AWSAD play a significant role in helping survivors rebuild their self-esteem, cope with trauma, rebuild confidence, and alleviate loneliness. The survivors stated emotional stability, a sense of power, resilience, hope, and overall mental health. However, barriers such as societal stigma, fear, not being believed and limited access to long-term support still affect the full recovery process. Overall, the study highlights the importance of psychosocial support services for GBV survivors to heal, rebuild their lives, and promote emotional resilience. Key words: Gender-Based Violence, Psychosocial Support, Survivors Recovery, Empowerment