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Volume 2 Number 6 June 2016

Forsaking the Ark: A Course-Based Inquiry into Making the Transition from Hutterite Life


Authors: Christie Hofer ; Nevada Townie ; Kerry Heaney-Dalton ; Linda Dionne-MacIsaac ; Gerard Bellefeuille
Pages: 124-128
Abstract
This collaborative autoethnographic, course-based study explored the personal stories of three individuals who chose to leave Hutterite communities and their transition experiences as they adjusted to a new life, having forsaken the ark. The purpose of the study was to add to the literature on culturally competent child and youth care practice by sharing insights into the personal challenges experienced when faced with the realities of shifting from one culture to another. Four major themes emerged from the thematic analysis of these stories: (a) don’t rock the boat; feelings of not fitting in, (b) no unicorns on board; seeking the freedom to be me, (c) adrift in no man’s land; severed membership ties, and (d) few tools to build a new boat; lack of skills for the life chosen.

Future Market and Technology Oriented Curriculum Development in Higher Education: Students? View


Authors: Mohammad Abul Kashem
Pages: 117-123
Abstract
The quality of education is often subject to debate in higher education in Bangladesh. One of the major concerns goes with the quality, design and development of curriculum to create the backbone of quality education practice. By encompassing the theories and model across a wide range of curricular issues and the evolutionary thinking, this study strived to cover the tricks perpetuate on the trade of curriculum development. The key purpose of the study was to assess the impact of the factors to ensure effectiveness and efficiency of the curriculum development in selected universities through personal interview from the faculty members and the students. Relevance of the curricula in different aspects likely to specific needs, scope and specialization has been justified. Along with the several factors Creativity & Flexibility, and Opinions of Industry Expert and Practitioners, and Society and Culture have greater influence in the justification of curriculum development in selected universities in particular and all universities in general. The result indicated that the Students’ Needs & Preference in updating curriculum development is comparatively less considerable than Future Market Demand & Technology oriented curriculum development.

The Influence of Socio-Cultural Characteristics on Commercialization of Smallholder Dairy Value Chain Practices in Uasin Gishu County, Kenya


Authors: Moses Ageya Kembe ; Charles Ochola Omondi ; George Godwin Waga
Pages: 106-116
Abstract
Livelihoods of many rural households in developing economies majorly depend on smallholder farming activities. Smallholder dairy farming is the single largest component of agriculture in Kenya. Uasin Gishu County is the leading milk producer in Kenya with subsistence, semi-commercialized and commercialized farmers constituting 70%, 20% and 10% respectively. Smallholder dairy farming in Kenya grows at 4.1% per annum compared to 1.2% for agriculture as a whole. Commercializing smallholder dairy value chain is therefore important in providing pathway out of poverty and for sustainable rural development. Commercialization of smallholder dairy value chain development is variable and is not yet developed enough in the scale of commercialization index to enable producers benefit from increased income to stimulate rural development. This may be because of the influences of Socio-cultural characteristics of the smallholder producers. The objective of this paper is to establish the influence of socio-cultural characteristics on commercialization of smallholder dairy value chain development. Social survey research design was used to obtain both secondary and primary data. A sample size of 384 smallholder dairy producers was studied out of a population of 50,457 respondents. Data analysis procedures used includes: mean, standard deviation, Pearson correlation coefficient, Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient and multiple regressions. The study results show that socio-cultural characteristics of smallholder dairy producers have significant influence on commercialization of smallholder dairy value chain development.