Women's Performance in Distance Education in the Ethiopian Management Development Project
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Date
2000-05
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to find f)U~ the. major. ..v..a. riables that affect the academic performance of ~
women distant students in the distance training program of the Ethiopian Management Development
Project, with specific reference to the study centers in Regions 4 & 14. To this end, three data
collection methods and instruments (documentary analysis, questionnaire and interview) were
employed. Furthermore, sixty four women and sixty four men ~istant students of the certi~cate-Ievel
training program, their tutors (twelve in number) and the coordinators of the three target study
centers were used as subjects of the study. Percentages, chi-square, weighted mean, t-test, multiple
regression analysis and one-way ANOVA were employed to analyze the data.
Findings made clear that in both regions the sampled women distant students perform significantly
lower than their men counterparts on their Tutor-Marked Assignments. Whereas the post secondary
education level of Region 4 women distant students (which is largely below a diploma leVel) found to
have significant impact on their performance ill the T utor- Marked Assignments, that of Region 14
women distant students (which is mostly a diploma level) failed to have significant impact upon their
performance in the Tutor Marked Assignments. Besides, lack of adequate English language
proficiency was found to be the most common variable among women distant students of both
regions that appear to affect their performance. The sampled women distant students' lack of
willingness to initiate calls to tutors is still found to be a common barrier that could affect their
performance in their distance training.
On the other hand, the tutors' apparent lack of awareness in gender-sensitive tutorial practice & the
process of women's desired way of learning (interpersonal exploration) appear to have limited their
role in facilitating the learning of their women distant students. Moreover, the greater family
responsibilities of most women distant students (involvement in household chores and child care)
seem to have hindered their academic performance more seriously than their men counterparts. In
connection with this, most women distant students were found to be engaged in various social
commitments (more than their male counterparts) which appears to have been another impediment
to their academic performance in their distance training.
Finally, the following recommendations were forwarded to improve the performance of women distant
students in the distance training: conducting a preliminary needs assessment as to the educational
background, needs and problems of the target women distant students prior to offering distance
training; changing the medium of instruction of the training from English to the reg ional languages
(i.e. Amharic & Oromifa); introducing special student support initiatives for women distant students
(i.e. increasing tutorial hours; preparatory weekend) that counteract their various gender-related
barriers to their distance training; introducing a tutor-recruitment system that encourage more
qualified female tutors; arranging workshops, seminars etc. for the tutors on gender-sensitive
teaching-learning process and women's desired way of learning.
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Keywords
Women's Performance in Distance Education