Research Articles

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Analysis of economic factors responsible for school dropout in rural universal secondary schools of Western Uganda
(American Journal of Sciences and Engineering Research, 2022-02-14) Bukirwa, Joyce Rebecca; Badru, Musisi
This paper seeks to analyze the economic factors that are responsible for school drop out of Universal Secondary Schools in Uganda. The research was carried out from twenty five USE schools in Western Uganda. The schools were chosen because they are government aided (carrying out Universal Secondary Education program. All these schools are day schools, normally such schools where children of the poverty stricken peasants go to because of the inability to meet the high costs of boarding schools. Therefore, they portrayed a fair picture on the research problem. The study was guided by the following objectives; to find out whether parents do provide their children with scholastic materials like books, pens; to establish whether most students have lunch at school in USE schools; to find out whether charging fees influences students drop out in USE schools in Western Uganda and to find out whether students drop out of school because of child labor. A descriptive cross sectional survey research design was adopted with both qualitative and quantitative approaches. Both qualitative and quantitative approaches were used to collect, present and interpret data as a way of enhancing the quality of the findings of the study. Conclusions and recommendations are highlighted.
Application of developmental supervision model in secondary schools in greater Arua, Uganda
(International Journal of Education and Social Science Research, 2023-07-18) Omara, Polycarp; Naluwemba, Frances; Ssetumba, John Bosco
The quality of any education system largely depends on the level of teacher competence and teacher competence enhancement depends on the support systems provided by the school-based supervisors. However, literature show that not all teachers especially in developing countries like Uganda demonstrate high level of competence. The study was conducted to examine the application of the different dimensions of developmental supervision in secondary schools in Arua, Uganda. The study employed a concurrent mixed method design. Simple random and purposive sampling techniques were employed. Data were collected from 270 teachers using self-administered questionnaires while 20 head teachers and 20 directors of studies participated in semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis techniques were used to analyse qualitative data while descriptive statistics were used to analyse quantitative data. The findings revealed that school-based supervisors employed directive supervision, collaborative and non-directive supervision. However, directive supervision was commonly applied compared to collaborative and non-directive supervision. Head teachers preferred directive supervision to be applied to all categories of teachers. On the other hand, teachers preferred directive supervision to be applied to novice teachers while collaborative and non-directive supervision to be applied to experienced teachers. Binary logistic regression model revealed that there was no significant difference in application of supervisory approaches according to participants demographics. The study recommends training of school-based supervisors, harmonisation of policy on supervision and encourage head teachers to delegate supervisory roles to senior teachers and John Bosco Ssetumba
Assessment of landslide susceptibility and settlement exposure via geospatial techniques in Bulambuli distrcit, Eastern Uganda
(Environmental Research Institute, 2025-10-15) Mulabbi, Andrew; Esagu, John Calvin; Gertrude, Akello; Turyahabwe, Remigio
Landslide susceptibility is a significant concern in Elgon County, Uganda, particularly during the rainy season. This vulnerability is attributable to several factors, including steep slopes, fertile soils, and dense settlements on volcanic ridges. Landslide susceptibility maps are important in mitigating the risk particularly at the local level. The objectives of this study were 1) to model landslide susceptibility via an interpretable machine-learning model, 2) to identify the most influential factors for landslide susceptibility in the study area, and 3) to assess the exposure of settlements to landslide risk. This study employed the XGBoost model trained on nine conditioning factors via GIS data. Exposure analysis was performed through the zonal statistics and spatial overlay of the landslide susceptibility map with the settlement footprint data and classified into four risk exposure classes. The results show that the XGBoost model attained an AUC of 95.2%, indicating its precision. The results further revealed that approximately 50% of the slopes are susceptible to landslides and that 76% of the settlements in the study area are highly exposed to landslide risk. Bulugunya, Sisiyi, Lusha, and Buginyanya subcounties located on the middle slopes are the most susceptible areas in Elgon County and have relatively high settlement exposure because of the overlap of dense settlements with unstable terrain. The SHAP analysis identified slope, elevation, and the NDVI as the key influencing factors of susceptibility. This study highlights the importance of conducting detailed, local-scale landslide susceptibility and risk exposure mapping as necessary for risk and vulnerability assessment. The generation of such maps has the potential to inform land-use planning and risk-reduction strategies, thus offering significant advantages over regional models. Furthermore, by interpreting the XGBoost model, this study provides valuable insights into the decision-making processes of machine learning models, promoting their practical application in designing appropriate disaster mitigation plans.
Automatic landslide mapping with interpretable attention-based convolutional neural networks using remote sensing data
(Association of Geoinformatics Technology, 2025-08-02) Mulabbi, Andrew; Danoedoro, Projo; Samodra, Guruh
Landslide mapping plays a vital role in disaster management by providing essential information that can help decision making on mitigation and early warning strategies. However, existing automated methods often lack interpretability and miss crucial details, which limit their practical utility. This study addresses these limitations by introducing a novel Spatial Attention U-Net that leverages human visual attention to improve landslide detection and interpretability. Our proposed method integrates spatial attention modules throughout the U-Net's encoder and decoder paths, enabling the model to focus on critical image features for landslide identification. The model is trained and evaluated using a combination of high-resolution Pleiades RGB imagery, Brightness Index, and slope data. The model’s performance was evaluated using the F-1 score, precision, recall, and intersection over Union (IoU). The findings demonstrate that the Spatial Attention U-Net outperforms baseline models (U-Net, Squeeze-and-Excitation U-Net, and Channel-wise Attention), achieving F-1 scores of 73% and 79% on the testing and benchmark datasets, respectively. When applied to the inference/hold-out area, all the attention-based models outperformed the standard U-net, missing only three landslide events compared to five missed by the baseline model. Furthermore, the saliency maps reveal that the models focus on diverse regions of saliency, including edges, textures, tone, and brightness. The spatial attention U-net primarily highlights landslide edges (terrain discontinuities), while the baseline models use a mix of edges, texture, tone, and brightness. The results also indicate that dual-path attention does not lead to significant improvement in model accuracy. This approach offers a powerful tool for rapid and automated landslide mapping, indicating areas of saliency that can aid data annotation process by paying more attention to landslide object boundaries. The model interpretability further facilitates the creation of landslide inventories, especially in regions with limited ground truth data.
Covid-19 induced psycho-social challenges: implication for Christian families in Uganda
(Scientific Research Publishing, 2025-01-08) Bukirwa, Joyce Rebecca
The experiences of Covid-19 are varied in different individuals. It is noted that some families nursed people with Covid-19, others lost family members during the pandemic while others only witnessed these from a distance either on radios, television sets or social media. Regardless of the circumstances, individuals reported experiencing pain, fear, and hopelessness during the pandemic. This study sought to explore the Covid-19 induced psycho-social challenges faced by different people from Christian families. A case study was carried out in six families where adults and children were interviewed for personal experiences. The findings revealed that all people whether female adults, male adults, priests and children expressed great fear and anxiety. Therefore, a mitigation strategy was put in place by the researcher to support the survivors in getting onto their feet again and also to avoid prolonged grief disorders amongst the bereaved families.
Descriptive pause in Moses Isegawa’s abyssinian chronicles and snakepit
(American Research Journal of Humanities & Social Science (ARJHSS), 2024-05) Balituumye, Michael
In the study of narrative duration as theorized by Genette (1980), descriptive pause is one of the four major canonical movement, the others being the scene, summary and ellipsis. During a descriptive pause, the story is suspended while the narrative continues, and Genette notes that it is traditionally deployed to stall action as the story is suspended while the narrative to proceed, and to provide extra narrative information. My contention in this paper is that, pause, like other aspects of narrative temporality, is under studied within the larger corpus of Ugandan novel; secondly, that Isegawa deploys pause for more than its traditional function of description. Therefore, adopting an intrpretivist paradigm, this paper analyses descriptive pause in Moses Isegawa’s Abyssinian Chronicles and Snakepit. This paper embraces a qualitative research approach; specifically, a descriptive case study design was adopted. Data was collected through documentary analysis and close reading; the paper is anchored on the Genettian discoursal perspective of narrative theory.
Determinants of fruit tree adoption as a climate change adaptation strategy amongst smallholder farmers in Lake Kyoga Basin: A Case study of Budaka District, Eastern Uganda
(Wiley, 2025-07-10) Wambede, Nabalegwa M.; Kiconco, Milliam; Ewongu, Denis; Mulabbi, Andrew; Tweheyo, Robert; Mukisa, Geoffrey
This study investigated the socioeconomic determinants of fruit tree adoption amongst smallholder farmers in Budaka District, Eastern Uganda. Specific objectives included describing the characteristics of fruit tree gardens, mapping their spatial distribution, and analysing socioeconomic factors influencing adoption. This study is one of the first empirical studies in agroforestry to relate socioeconomic factors in Eastern Uganda to the spatial distribution of fruit trees. The study employed a combined approach incorporating GIS-based spatial mapping and socioeconomic analysis. A cross-sectional design was employed, with data collected from 276 randomly selected farmers, key informants, and focus groups. GIS was used to visualise the spatial patterns and descriptive statistics, and chi-square tests were applied to identify differences between adopters and nonadopters. Results indicated that fruit farming is predominantly undertaken by males aged 40 and above. Fruit tree distribution is concentrated in the north and northwest, grown on small holdings averaging 0.5 acres with 10–40 trees. Chi-square tests confirmed significant differences in age, labour type, farm size, and income between adopters and nonadopters, whilst there were no significant differences in gender, family size, and access to credit. Policy interventions should expand youth- and gender-inclusive extension services that support climate resilience and sustainable fruit tree farming, and address land tenure limitations to increase adoption.
Developing online educational resources for online learning: student teachers’ experiences at Muni University, Uganda
(National Council for Higher Education, 2023-12-14) Edabu, Paul; Isingoma, Bigabwa James
Teacher training pedagogy in the 21st century has drastically changed across the world with a focus on producing a teacher with adequate skills and knowledge in developing and using online educational resources for effective learning. This exploratory qualitative study aimed to explore the Bachelor of Science with Education student teachers ’ experiences in developing multimedia educational resources for online learning. The study specifically assessed student teachers ’ opinion of their experiences in using online educational resources and their challenges in developing online educational resources. Interviews were used to elicit insights from participants to achieve both objectives. Nine participants were purposively selected from the subjects of specialisation being undertaken. The findings of the study revealed student-teachers’ enthusiasm, commitment, creativity and innovativeness in connection with developing online educational resources. The major challenges were the limited skills among student teachers in creating animated videos and assessment of online learning activities. The study recommends that institutions of higher learning should establish a harmonised and comprehensive competence framework and provide adequate time for skilling student teachers in developing online educational resources in order to produce a holistic 21st century teacher.
Do poverty traps exist in Uganda? Household level evidence from panel data
(University of Dar es Salaam, 2025-06-28) Aliga, Alex; Oryema, John Bosco; Kavuma, susan
This study aimed at providing new evidence on the existence of poverty trap among Uganda’s households using Uganda National Panel data. Evidence of the existence of a poverty trap is fundamental in guiding the development of sound policies and interventions targeted to assist in pulling households out of poverty trap. Analysis was based on two sets of panel data comprising 8,122 households from 3 waves (2009/2010-2011/2012) and 12,199 households from 4 waves (2013/2014-2019/2020). Using the PCA constructed asset index approach based on a parametric regression model, we show that a poverty trap exists. This is revealed by the negative quartic polynomial coefficients of the asset index and asset values (-0.004** & -0.010***) respectively. Bivariate level results confirm that 18% (1,314,000) of Uganda’s households are trapped in poverty. A comprehensive, well-structured, targeted asset accumulation and poverty trap reduction interventions including cash transfers, should be implemented by the government for poverty-trapped households.
Effective assessment of generic skills in Uganda's secondary schools
(East African Journal of Arts and Social Sciences, 2025-02-20) Bukirwa, Joyce Rebecca
The curriculum for each level of education in Uganda is clear and sequenced to cater for the learners' needs that embrace it. However, many products of this curriculum fall short of the labour market expectations because school leavers lack the competencies compatible with the 21st century. A multitude of educationists in Uganda have emphasized the need to develop 21st-century skills as the main focus of the education system. Indeed, the National Curriculum Development Center has integrated these skills into the lower secondary education curriculum and has particularly referred to them as generic skills. This study aimed at the effective assessment of generic skills in Uganda’s secondary schools. The objectives of the study included; highlighting the key generic skills needed in Uganda’s schools as emphasized in the lower secondary education curriculum; suggesting effective ways of assessing generic skills and identifying the challenges of assessing generic skills. Narrative literature review method was adopted and content analysis of peer-reviewed articles was used. In content analysis, themes in tandem with the objectives were used to present data, making it possible to interpret the results as the researcher reflected on the informants’ statements on the subject. The study revealed that the lower secondary education curriculum provides the learners with generic skills that include critical thinking and problem-solving; creativity and Innovation; communication, Cooperation and self-directed learning; and Numeracy and ICT. These skills are embedded in the subject syllabuses and teachers are expected to assess them using the learning outcomes. Formative assessment and summative assessment are carried out by individual teachers and UNEB respectively. Challenges exist in assessing a large number of learners by individual subject teachers and yet some teachers lack the competencies to be assessed. Most teachers and parents prefer the traditional methods of assessment. The study concluded and stressed the urgent need for a paradigm shift from current assessment strategies to those techniques that promote the assessment of generic skills specifically. The study recommended teachers become mentors to support the development of these skills in the learners; introduce peer mentors from among senior students; and conduct peer assessment and self-assessment in addition to teacher assessment.
Factors affecting adoption of climate change adaptation strategies by small holder farmers in mountain and lowland agro-ecological zones of Eastern Uganda
(Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta, 2022-12-05) Turyahabwe, Remigio; Turybanawe, Gumisiriza; Asaba, Joyfred; Mulabbi, Andrew; Geofrey, Geoffrey
Several challenges confront farmers in tropical rural areas, but climate change can only be overcome by adopting climate change resilience strategies. This study assessed the factors affecting the adoption of strat-egies to enhance climate change resilience in the Muyembe sub-county, Bulambuli district, Uganda. We used questionnaires, interviews, focused group discussions, and field observations to collect the required data, which was analysed using basic descriptive statistics and a logistic regression model. The results indi-cate that the dominant climate change resilience strategies adopted in the study were soil/water conservation (65%), drought-resistant crop varieties (59.4%), and irrigation (55.6). In addition, the logistic regression indicated that gender and family size were the most important factors influencing the adoption of climate change resilience strategies with coefficients -0.86 and P<0.05, and0.18 and P<0.05, respectively. On the other hand, financial constraints and adulteration of farm inputs were the dominant barriers to adoption most farmers with 93.4% and 74%, respectively. We concluded that many farmers remain locked in indigenous practices that have made them vulnerable to climate change effects characterized by low yields, crop failure, low incomes, poverty, and food insecurity. We recommended that government should support the adaptation strategies to climate change by the smallholder farmers technically by providing both ground and surface water irrigation facilities and financially by providing agricultural loans as well as focusing on promoting awareness and advancing education on climate change to farmers through knowledge and skill sharing plat-forms such as training, conferences, and seminars.
Factors affecting the adoption of soil and water conservation practices by small-holder farmers in Muyembe Sub-County, Eastern Uganda
(University of Ghana, 2022-03-14) Turyahabwe, Remigio; Wambede, Nabalegwa Muhamud; Asaba, Joyfred; Mulabbi, Andrew; Turyabanawe, Loy Gumisiriza
Farmers in tropical rural areas are confronted with several challenges but outstanding among these challenges is soil degradation arising from soil erosion. This study involved identifying the dominant soil and water conservation practices and assessing the factors affecting their adoption in the Muyembe sub-county, Eastern Uganda. A total of 500 respondents were used to obtain primary data. As the study adopted a crosssectional design, we used questionnaires, interviews, focus group discussions and field observations to collect the required data. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the non-parametric (Chi-square) test. The results indicated that the dominant soil and water conservation practices adopted in the study area were, contour cropping (77%), mixed cropping (59% and crop rotation (51%). The remaining five practices had less than a 50% adoption rate. The chi-square test revealed that the age and gender of the farmers had a significant association with the levels of the adoption of soil and water conservation practices among farmers at P<0.001. We concluded that the adoption of soil and water conservation practices was low, which left the majority of farmers vulnerable to soil erosion effects such as low yields and crop failure. We recommend that stakeholders who work on soil and water conservation programs use model farmers in the area to educate and demonstrate the importance of soil and water conservation practices to other farmers.
Flood inundation and damage assessment of the degraded Semliki River plains using SAR data, Google Earth Engine, and GIS techniques.
(Universitas Brawijaya, 2025-06-21) Mulabbi, Andrew; Esagu, John Calvin; Gertrude, Akello; Remigio, Turyahabwe
The Semliki River valley in Ntoroko district has experienced devastating annual floods since 2019. Recurrent floods in Ntoroko District have displaced thousands and devastated pasturelands, disrupting livelihoods. Therefore, rapid assessment of flooded areas is crucial for developing effective mitigation strategies, disaster preparedness plans, and proactive policies to enhance resilience and mitigate the impact of future flood events. This study introduced a combined approach using Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery and a digital elevation model (DEM) to map flood extent, depth, and building exposure in the Semliki Valley. Using Sentinel-1 SAR images taken both before and during the flood, combined with the ALOS PALSAR DEM, inundated areas and flood depths were determined, based on thresholding the SAR backscatter of the VH polarisation images. The flood extent maps were generated using Google Earth Engine and GIS techniques to create depth maps by subtracting the surface elevation from the height/surface of the flood waters. Building exposure and impact analysis for two flood events was ascertained through spatial join and overlay. The results showed that the 2023 flood event inundated approximately 1,968 hectares, including 1,553 hectares of pastureland and 74 buildings, while the 2024 event covered 1,139 hectares, equally inundating 1,050 hectares of pastureland and 54 buildings. Further analysis revealed that despite the smaller extent, the 2024 flood event caused a severe impact on the buildings compared to the 2023 flood disaster.
Head teachers’ participative leadership style and teachers’ job satisfaction in public primary schools in Baringo Sub-County, Kenya
(European Journal of Education Studies, 2023) Kosgei, Alice C.; Edabu, Paul
This study investigated the effects of head teachers’ participative leadership style on teachers’ job satisfaction in public primary schools in Baringo Sub-county, Kenya. To this far, lots of research conducted in this area have not been exhausted on the participative leadership style, rather most of the studies have focused on leadership in general. The study employed a descriptive cross-sectional survey design, in which both quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection and analysis were applied. The study respondents included 1250 teachers randomly selected from 127 public primary schools, 127 head teachers, and 127 School chairpersons (B.O.M representative) in Baringo Sub-county, Kenya. An interview schedule was used to analyse qualitative data using thematic analysis. The study used Pearson’s correlational analysis and established that there was a positive relationship between participative leadership style and teachers’ job satisfaction. Regression analysis established that job establishment and position had a control effect on job satisfaction. The study concluded that top positions in schools enjoyed more benefits in their positions and there is a need to streamline leadership aspects in most primary schools. The positive influence contributes to teachers’ job satisfaction in public primary schools in Baringo Sub-county, Kenya. This shows that Public Primary Schools in Baringo Sub-county, Kenya should consider applying head teachers’ participative leadership style in school. The study recommends that the head teacher needs to play the role of a coach and mentor at the same time to his/her subordinate.
How do the poor cope with health shocks? Experiences from a cross-sectional study in Uganda
(Australasian Medical Journal, 2023) Aliga, Alex; Matovu, Fred; Wasswa, Francis
This study sought to identify determinants in choosing from different coping strategies in cases of illness, injury and death shocks and how these strategies vary across socioeconomic groups in Uganda. Data from a cross sectional survey covering a total of 1496 households collected by researchers from Makerere University in 2012 was used. Four coping strategies, besides social and non-social protection strategies were explored. Descriptive statistics and multinomial logistic regression techniques were used in the analysis of health shocks and determinants of choices of coping strategies. Marginal effects were computed for the multinomial regression coefficients. Illness (83.9 per cent) was the most common health shock reported followed by death of a household member (25.8 per cent) and injury (15.8 per cent). Borrowing and external assistance were the most commonly used strategies to cope with illness shocks and reliance on own savings or assets was minimally used. Non-social protection initiatives2 were used most to respond to illness shocks compared to formal social protection initiatives3. Regression results shows that the poorest households were 0.28 times more likely to seek external assistance to deal with shocks than the wealthier households. This suggests lack of capacity to cope and dependence on unreliable strategies exacerbate impoverishment. Governments needs to promote comprehensive coping strategies such as universal health insurance, targeted social protection initiatives and develop inclusive and innovative poverty reduction strategies that enhance the capability of households to cope with effects of health shocks.
Influence of control systems on internal efficiency in public secondary schools in Nakuru County, Kenya
(East African Journal of Education Studies, 2023-10-09) Korir, Eliud K.; Edabu, Paul; Mungai, Peter C.
Even though every public secondary school in Nakuru County, Kenya, has adopted strategic plans, internal inefficiencies in the form of poor academic performance and a low student transition rate exist. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the influence of control systems on internal efficiency in public secondary schools in Nakuru County, Kenya. This research study was guided by the 7-S model developed by McKinsey, the 10-step model developed by Bryson, and the system theory developed by Von Bertanlanffy. This study employed a mixed approach and concurrent triangulation design. The study sought responses from a target population of 311 public secondary school teachers in Nakuru County, 311 principals and 11 sub-county education officials. Using stratified random sampling a total of 240 teachers, principals, and sub-county education officers were included in the sample. The study utilised questionnaires, document analysis, and interview schedules. Pearson’s Correlation Coefficient was 0.76, indicating reliability. Data was analysed descriptively using SPSS (version 23). The study also employed inferential statistics, such as regression analysis and Pearson correlations. Results are presented using bar graphs, pie charts, and frequency distribution tables. The control system positively impacted the schools’ internal efficiency despite the fact that most of the public secondary schools in Nakuru County had subpar supervision. According to the findings of this research, the Ministry of Education should conduct more frequent checks on implementing the control strategy to improve the organisation’s overall efficiency.
Influence of school information flow strategy on internal efficiency in public secondary school in Nakuru County, Kenya
(African Journal of Education, Science and Technology, 2023-04) Eliud, Korir K.; Edabu, Paul; Mungai, Peter C.
The objective of this study was to examine the influence of information flow on internal efficiency in public secondary schools in Nakuru county. The study was guided by System theory by Von Bertanlanffy. Mixed methodology and concurrent triangulation design were used in this study. The target population of the study was 311 public secondary school teachers (3168), principals (311) and sub-county education officers (11) in Nakuru County. The sample frame included teachers (205), principals (30), and sub-county education officers (5), thus respondents were 240. The study applied stratified random sampling to sample sub-counties, schools, teachers, head teachers and sub-county education officers. Questionnaires were used to gather quantitative facts from staff, whereas interview schedule was used to gather qualitative data from principals and sub-county education officers and finally document analysis was employed to collect quantitative data. The reliability was determined by calculating Pearson's Correlation Coefficient, which yielded a satisfactory correlation coefficient of 0.76. Data was analyzed descriptively and inferentially using SPSS (version 23). From the findings, channel of communication commonly used in public secondary schools in Nakuru County has not yet improved both strategic plan implementation and internal efficiency, even though there was positive relationship between information flow and internal efficiency. For school improvement on the internal efficiencies in terms of academic performance and graduation rate, this study recommends that the Information flow in the process of implementing strategic plan in order to improve school internal efficiency need to be open (top-down, down-up and horizontal information flow) to allow input of various skills form all stakeholder so that everyone own the strategic plan and implement it fully.
Influence of students leaders’ selection criteria on management of student discipline in public secondary schools in Tigania West Sub-County, Kenya
(East African Journal of Education Studies, 2023-06-19) Itamunya, John Mburung’a; Edabu, Paul
The success of the teaching-learning process in school is dependent upon the quality of students’ discipline. However, indiscipline among students is on the rise in public secondary schools. The issue of student strikes, fear of examinations, leading to cheating and the burning of school property has become one of the serious problems being faced by the country’s school principals. In light of this, the study sought to investigate selection criteria for the management of student discipline in public secondary schools in Tigania West Sub-County, Kenya. The study is based on Douglas Murray McGregor’s Theory X and Theory Y. The research employed a descriptive survey study. The population of the study consisted of 10 principals, 44 teachers and 80 student leaders to a total of 134 respondents, stratified random sampling was used to categorise schools into four: mixed day schools, boarding boys, boarding girls, and mixed boarding schools. Then 30% of principals were selected, while other categories were 10% each. The main research instrument was a questionnaire. The researcher piloted the questionnaires in one public secondary school, and the test-retest technique was used to assess the reliability of the research instrument. Quantitative data collected was analysed with the aid of the statistical package for social sciences version 21 to get the percentages and generate tables, charts, and figures for interpretation. The study established that the selection is mainly based on the academic performance and discipline of the individual, and this allows the selection of disciplined individuals with academic merit and good personality as leaders. The study concluded that the selection of student leaders by involving both teachers and students could enhance the ability of student leaders to promote student discipline. The study recommends that the selection of student leaders should involve both teachers and students in a democratic manner to avoid any disruption of academic work due to students feeling short-changed.
Integrating interpretable artificial neural networks, geomorphic plausibility and transfer learning for landslide susceptibility mapping: a case study of Pacitan, East Java
(Springer Nature, 2025-10-27) Mulabbi, Andrew; Danoedoro, Projo; Samodra, Guruh
Landslides are recurring natural hazards that continue to cause widespread damage to agricultural fields, vital infrastructures, and human lives globally. The impact is more severe in data-scarce regions where insufficient landslide inventory data limit accurate and timely landslide susceptibility assessment. This study integrates artificial neural networks, transfer learning, interpretable machine learning, and geomorphic plausibility to address the challenge of accurate landslide susceptibility mapping in data-scarce regions. Using the Pacitan regency as a case study, we assessed landslide susceptibility via artificial neural networks and transfer learning models. A neural network was first trained from a source area with a large dataset and then transferred through fine-tuning to another area with limited inventory data for mapping landslide susceptibility. A baseline model trained only on the limited target area data achieved an AUC test score of 0.83, the source-trained model had 0.88, while the transfer learning-based model achieved an AUC score of 0.97, confirming the improved performance and strong potential for transferability. Model interpretation using SHAP values, permutation importance, interaction strength, and partial dependence plots revealed slope, elevation, aspect, and distance to the stream as the most influential, while curvature and terrain indices were less impactful directly but contributed through interactions with other features. A qualitative assessment of geomorphic plausibility showed that the susceptibility patterns generally matched the behaviour of the terrain. Zones of high susceptibility were concentrated in the mid-slopes and at concave-convex transitions. Low susceptibility is observed in the steep rocky slope (> 40 °). These findings highlight the potential of interpretable machine learning, transfer learning, and geomorphic plausibility to produce physically meaningful susceptibility maps. This approach may be applied globally to produce rapid, interpretable, and generalisable landslide susceptibility maps in data-constrained regions, thereby contributing to more effective disaster mitigation and spatial planning.
Learning at home during COVID-19 pandemic in Abim District, Uganda: learners’ perspectives
(Journal of Education and Social Sciences, 2020-10) Omara, Polycarp
The purpose of the study was to explore learners’ perspectives on the extent to which they were supported during COVID-19. The study also examined the challenges learners faced while learning at home during COVID-19 pandemic in Abim district, Uganda. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used. Data were collected from learners at primary and secondary levels. Participants were sampled randomly from the five parishes in the sub-county of Morulem, Abim district. Out of the total population of learners in Abim district, 375 learners were sampled to participate in the study. Questionnaires and focused group discussion guides were used to collect data. Research ethics were observed through seeking access to the field and seeking participants’ consent. In addition, confidentiality and anonymity were also key ethical considerations. Quantitative data were analysed systematically. Data analysis was done using SPSS involving descriptive and frequency counts presented using tables, graphs and pie charts. Qualitative data were analysed using thematic content analysis. Data revealed that learners faced a challenge of poverty which resulted to malnutrition, lack of access to media such as radios, television and newspapers. This was coupled with lack of power and internet connectivity. Learners also faced a challenge of lack of study routine and too much domestic chores; lack of role models and guidance from their illiterate parents. As way forward, it is proposed in this study that government should provide adequate self-study materials and learners should be supported to access media such as radios, TVs and newspapers. Parents should be encouraged to provide adequate scholastic materials; give learners ample time for studies and parents should support learners through guidance and counselling. Finally, this study recommends that with the demands COVID-19 has exerted on education, nations worldwide should revise their policies on teacher preparation and development, curricular, parental involvement, funding and infrastructural development.

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