AAU Institutional Repository (AAU-ETD)
Addis Ababa University Institutional repository is an open access repository that collects,preserves, and disseminates scholarly outputs of the university. AAU-ETD archives' collection of master's theses, doctoral dissertations and preprints showcase the wide range of academic research undertaken by AAU students over the course of the University's long history.
How to Submit Your Work
The repository contains scholarly work, both unpublished and published, by current or former AAU faculty, staff, and students, including Works by AAU students as part of their masters, doctoral, or post-doctoral research
- All AAU faculty, staff, and students are invited to submit their work to the repository. Please contact the library at your college.
You may contact digirep@aau.edu.et.with any questions about the repository
Colleges,Institutes in AAU-ETD
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Recent Submissions
Discourses of ‘Development’ in Ethiopian Press
(Addis Ababa University, 2019-04-01) Berhanu Asfaw Weldemikael; Hailom Banteyerga(PhD)
The study aims at analyzing the representation of development discourse in selected Ethiopian press outlets. Using social constructionism and critical discourse analysis as major theoretical guides, the study analyzed five English-medium press outlets and their coverage of development issues during the five years of GTP I (Sept 2010 – Aug 2015). The publications were selected using purposive sampling. It focused on finding out linguistic and discursive differences among state-owned and privately-owned press outlets. 143 articles were selected using Parker’s seven criteria for distinguishing discourses and Shah’s ten criteria of development reporting. The articles were analyzed qualitatively using critical discourse analysis (Fairclough’s three-dimensional model and discourse representation theory; van Djik’s socio-cognitive theory and ideological square were used), systematic functional linguistics (transitivity in particular), appraisal theory,
and representation of social actor’s theory. Social and discursive practices of the press were also analyzed. The representation of development issues in the Ethiopian press has been highly polarized and politicized. Accordingly, two major and opposite ideologies were identified: (1) revolutionary democracy and developmental state; and (2) liberal and/or neo-liberal ideology. The former is addressed as ‘the optimist view’, while the latter is labeled as ‘the doubting view’. The state press, Ethiopian Herald, reported about Ethiopia’s development in line with the revolutionary
democracy and developmental state ideology. In doing so, three basic manifestations of developmental state ideology were emphasized: the government/ruling party took the central position of every development activity; economic growth was reported as a sole manifestation of development, and development activities were mostly evaluated in terms of poverty reduction. Contrary to this, the private press represented Ethiopia’s development in accordance with liberal
ideology. In doing so, the private sector takes the central position in the development narrative,while the government was urged to have zero or minimal involvement in the economy.Development activities were evaluated in terms of social and political variables. Both used different styles of reporting in a way that manifests discursive struggle and meaning contestations. Power abuse and enactments were mainly manifested through source selection, distribution, and
representation of social actors.
Parents’ Attitude Towards Mobile Game Usage, Addiction and Its Impact on the Psychosocial Behavior of Children: The Case of Flipper International School
(Addis Ababa University, 2024-10) Tsion Zeru; Abera Tibebu (PhD)
This descriptive study examined parents' attitudes toward the negative impact of mobile game addiction on the psycho social behavior of children aged 6 to 12 years at Flipper International School. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, the research integrated quantitative data from 164 parents, selected through simple random sampling, with qualitative insights from interviews with 11 parents. The study found that a substantial portion of parents (48.7%) reported their children played mobile games daily or multiple times a day, with 43.3% engaging in sessions lasting more than one hour and thirty minutes. Significant emotional responses were noted, as 55.5% of children became upset when asked to stop playing. Persistent gaming desires were evident, with 82% of children frequently expressing a desire to play, and 57.9% of parents observed behavioral or mood changes post-gaming. High levels of mobile gaming interfered with daily activities for 58.6% of children, and more than 60% of parents reported their children lying about their gaming time. The study‟s findings, including a high mean score for gaming-related thoughts and behaviors, indicated a notable prevalence of mobile game addiction, with no respondents falling into the low addiction category. The results underscored the need for balanced management strategies, emphasizing parental involvement and structured gaming habits to mitigate the potential negative effects of mobile gaming on children's psychosomatic development.
Household Food Security Status and Coping Strategies of Solid Waste Collectors in Nefas Silk Lafto, Woreda 9, Addis Ababa
(Addis Ababa University, 2024-10) Yiragu Betrework; Meskerem Abi (PhD)
The aim of this study was to assess waste collectors food security status and the way of copying during the time of food scarcity in Nefas Silk Lafto Woreda 9, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. 58 Waste Collectors were selected using census sampling techniques, where information is gathered from every member of a defined population. And quantitative data were collecting using a questionnaire survey and analyzed using (SPSS Version 25) the measure of central tendency (mean) and the measure of dispersion (standard deviation) and also used multiple linear regression model. Qualitative data were collected through key informant interview, focus group discussion (FGD) and secondary data sources, and thematic content analysis was applied. The majority of (44.8%) Waste pickers was food insecure, due to insufficient income and lack of strict rules and regulation, as well as lack of social awareness in the subcity, in particular Nefas Silk Lafto Woreda 9. The finding of this study revealed that there are internal and external challenges: The most important challenge is the presence of alcohol and drug use members coworker performance, lack of team coordination, were internal impact .It makes the team unhealthy or less productive, on the other hand lack of working space, lack of safety equipment and institutional factors, social inclusiveness of waste collectors and scarcity of food in the woreda were external impacts. The waste collectors have a challenge of income for their livelihood, lack of Adaptation of capital-intensive, lack of awareness of communities and there is lack of governmental attention to solid waste management and waste collectors. The level of Education of Waste Collectors was low because they were from a street and poor Community. Due to that, they were not effective in the adoption of technologies. Food insecurity of waste collectors, factors related to financial constraints (income), low cost of waste per kilogram, weak enforcement of rules and regulations, socio-economic factors and awareness of the communities that affect them. Based on the finding it was recommended that; the City Cleansing Office (Agency) should provide safety equipment and vehicles, the government should be Increase price of waste per kilogram, the woreda Administration should be Address Addicted Members with Targeted Training, the government should be Support, and empowering small business through legal support is essential.
Keywords: Economic incentives, food security, waste management
The Impact of Parents' Socioeconomic Status, Parents’ Attitude towards education, and Parenting Style on Sixth-Grade Students' Academic Performance in Ministry Exams in Addis Ababa
(Addis Ababa University, 2024-09) Yosef Daniel; Tamirie Andualem (PhD)
The main aim of the study was to examine the influence of parental characteristics, specifically parenting style, parents attitude toward education, and socioeconomic status (SES), on students' academic achievement. The research adopted a quantitative research approach. In this research connivence sampling technique was implemented to identify the 4 schools from which 275 participants were selected from. The stratified sampling technique was used to determine samples from the target population. The validity and reliability of the instruments was ensured through pretesting and triangulations. SPSS v27 was used to analyze data, both descriptive and thematic analysis were used. Pearson's correlation and linear regression techniques were employed to assess the effects of parental characteristics on academic performance. The findings indicate that parenting style (p = 0.00) and parents' attitude towards education (β = 2.57, p = 0.00) significantly impact students' academic performance. Moreover, parental level of education, and income, but not parents' occupation, were also found to significantly affect students' academic performance. Specifically, authoritative parenting approaches, positive attitudes toward learning, higher parental educational attainment, and increased household income positively shape students' educational experiences. These findings suggest that interventions aimed at promoting authoritative parenting practices, fostering positive parental attitudes toward education, and addressing socioeconomic disparities in education could be effective in improving students' academic outcomes. Recommendations include the development and implementation of comprehensive parenting programs and policies that target these key factors.
Keywords: Parenting Style, Attitude towards Education, Parental SES, Addis Ababa.
The Relationship between Educational Service Quality and Student Academic Performance in Ethiopian Public Universities Located in Southern Part of Ethiopia: A Mediating Role of Students’ Satisfaction
(Addis Ababa University, 2024-06) Zelalem Zekarias; Demoze Degefa (PhD)
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between educational service quality and student academic performance via the mediating role of their satisfaction. To that end, a mixed research approach with QUAN+ QUAL model (or convergent parallel design) was implemented. The study total population consisted of all the regular undergraduate graduating class students, university instructors, and university leaders in the ten (10) public universities that found in the Southern part of Ethiopia. The study participants were selected via random and purposive sampling techniques. Questionnaires, Document analysis, Interviews and Focus Group Discussions were the main tools for gathering data. A self-prepared questionnaire, consisting of 116 items was administered to four hundred (400) randomly selected graduating class students. A semi-structured interview was conducted with twenty purposefully selected university instructors and leaders. Focus group discussion was also conducted with nineteen (19) graduating class students who were purposefully selected from each sample university. The quantitative data collected were analyzed using descriptive and advanced inferential statistics. The qualitative data collected were analyzed thematically to compare and/or relate with quantitative findings. The findings of the study revealed that although students‟ overall perception towards the educational service quality was somewhat positive (M=3.15945, SD=1.189395), poor quality of classroom environment, poor feedback on students‟ academic progress, inadequate supply of laboratory equipment and teaching tools and poor internet access in the universities were the most common educational service-related challenges that influence students‟ satisfaction and their academic performance. The findings of the study also uncovered that the lack of suitable buildings and facilities for students with disability, poor delivery of guidance and counseling services, shortage of medicines in the student clinics, unnecessary bureaucracies and difficulties particularly in finance, and skill gap among administrative workers, shortage of experienced human resources were additional challenges that influence students‟ learning. The quantitative findings revealed that there is a statistically positive correlation between overall education service quality and students' satisfaction (r=.844). The findings proved that the facets of education service quality accounted for 83.5 % of the variations in students‟ satisfaction in the universities. The quantitative findings further showed that the education service quality has a statistically indirect effect on students‟ academic performance via the mediating role of students‟ satisfaction (Test statistic = 31.5311573, Std. Error = 0.00122536, p-value = 0). The findings further confirmed that the overall education service quality accounted for 40.4 % of the variations in students‟ academic performance via student satisfaction in the universities. The study concluded that an improvement in educational service quality leads to students‟ satisfaction and that could contribute to boosting their academic performance. Finally, based on these findings and conclusion, it was therefore recommended that the universities should aggressively work to provide quality educational services that highly influence student academic performance to improve their satisfaction and academic performance.
Keywords: Higher Education; Academic Performance; Service Quality; Quality Education; Student Satisfaction; Public Universities