Suchergebnisse

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations were adopted in September 2015 as a follow-up to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which had ended with very little success in Nigeria. Though the 17 ambitious goals of the SDGs are expected to be achieved in 2030, evidence shows that Nigeria did not only carry the goals of MDGs into the SDGs era but also began the implementation of the SDGs late, after the first Voluntary National Review (VNR) in 2017. This study reviewed Nigeria's progress towards sustainable development with consideration to the international treaty signed by UN member countries for achieving the SDGs in 2030. A descriptive historical research design was adopted for the study, while data were gathered from the official websites of government and inter-governmental organizations and national newspapers that were purposively selected and compared to ensure data quality. Two research questions were answered in a content review analysis. Findings revealed that Nigeria has a structure in place across levels of government to ensure the smooth implementation of the SDGs; compared to the SDGs baseline report of 2016, and the SDGs index rankings from 2019 to 2022, Nigeria's progress towards achieving the SDGs in 2030 has been slow and poor; and that corruption among public officials, poor budgetary allocations to health and education, rising poverty and youth unemployment rates, and weak development policies and programs, are the major challenges affecting the progress of SDGs implementation in Nigeria. The study recommended the urgent need to review and strengthen government institutions and policies, introduce stringent laws against corruption, establish mechanisms for public transparency and accountability in governance, and promote reward good behaviours in public offices.

This article presents the findings from a recent study funded by the Nuffield Foundation, which aimed to provide insights into the experiences of young people and teachers in secondary schools across Scotland under the Curriculum for Excellence (CfE). Our research has uncovered a decrease in the number of National Qualifications entries in S4 under CfE, a phenomenon commonly referred to in Scotland as 'curriculum narrowing.' Furthermore, we have identified evidence of social stratification in overall and subject entry patterns in S4, with students from disadvantaged areas experiencing a more significant decline in entries and being limited to a narrower range of subjects. Additionally, our study has revealed signs of curriculum fragmentation during the Broad General Education phase (years S1–S3). The findings from our study also suggest that the curriculum decisions made in schools are primarily driven by the demand for better attainment data, particularly in National Qualifications during the Senior Phase (school years S4–S6), with less emphasis on what it means for an individual to become an educated person in a modern and complex society. Based on our findings, we have concluded that curriculum fragmentation and narrowing under CfE have a detrimental impact on the progression and attainment of young people. Schools that offer a broader curriculum in S4 demonstrate higher enrolment rates for Higher qualifications in S5 and Advanced Higher qualifications in S6. In contrast, schools that offer a narrower curriculum in S4, particularly those in deprived areas, are more likely to experience delays in higher-level qualification entry. A broader curriculum in S4 has been associated with improved performance in National 5 qualifications, higher scores in international tests such as PISA English and Maths, and higher scores on OECD measures of global competences. On the other hand, a narrower curriculum is correlated with less favourable outcomes after leaving school, especially in terms of Higher Education enrolment.

AbstractThis article explores the synergies between relationship‐based practice and contextual safeguarding when working with young people experiencing extra‐familial risk and harm (EFRH). The article draws on data from interviews, observations, policy reviews and case files from two sites in England who are testing contextual safeguarding approaches to EFRH, including a children and families social work department and a voluntary and community sector organisation. The findings evidence how relationship‐based practice in contextual safeguarding facilitates practitioners' understanding of places and their peers. The discussion draws on the theory of social defences to evidence that despite willingness and commitment to relationship‐based practice, without systemic and cultural organisational support to respond to EFRH, efforts to do so may undermine and cause harm to practitioners engaging in this work.

This research accesses the suitability of using processed flours from fermented and unfermented yellow-fleshed sweet-potato as alternative flour based on their physiochemical and microbiological properties. Raw yellow sweet potato tubers were obtained from a local Nigerian market and processed into fermented and unfermented sweet potato flours. Their microbiological and physiochemical (proximate and functional) properties were analyzed using standard methods. The microbiological results identified six bacterial genera; (Bacillus, Klebsiella, Micrococcus, Staphylococcus, Lactococcus, and Enterobacter) and five fungal genera (Aspergillus, Penicillium, Mucor, Candida, and Saccharomyces). Bacillus and Aspergillus spp. were the most dominant bacterial and fungal genera respectively. The physiochemical result reveals that fermenting sweet potato flour resulted in improved protein, moisture content, and water and oil adsorption capacities compared to the unfermented flour. The pH also decreased from 8.8 to 5.0 after 72 h of fermentation. Most of the microorganisms isolated are associated with plants, water, environment, and fermentation, they are generally recognized as safe (GRAS) organisms and their potentials can be further exploited in the food industry. These findings highlights the potentials of incorporating fermentation techniques in enhancing the nutritional and techno-functional attributes of sweet potato flour as a healthy alternative gluten-free flour-based staple diet.

As people live longer, there is an increasing possibility of couples becoming separated because one partner moves into a care home. Our qualitative mixed-method pilot study in an English town involved eight married couples aged over 65 years to explore experiences and practices of couplehood in these circumstances. This article focuses on the most striking emergent element of expressed couplehood in these now challenged long-term relationships: commitment. Drawing on in-depth (biographical) individual and joint interviews, observations and emotion maps, this article explores how separation affected the couples' current sense and enactment of commitment to the relationship. Commitment in the partnership is now often one-sided. How committed the community-living partner feels – and its enactment – is heavily shaped by the shared history of happy and unhappy periods in the relationships, current contextual constraints, and family and institutional support.

One of the important features of structural nativization of L2 varieties of English is how their grammar converges with and/or diverges from their parent variety, usually, British English. Building on Isingoma (2016, 2021a), this study is set out to augment discourse on verb complementational profile in Ugandan English, focusing on ditransitive constructions. Using naturalistic data from semi-structured interviews involving 50 participants from L1 Lugbarati (a Central Sudanic language) speakers of English, the study shows that the Prepositional Phrase Construction (PPC) involving goal verbs is preferred over the Double Object Construction (DOC) configuration. Moreover, our data did not have a single incidence of benefactive DOCs. Substrate influence from Lugbarati, among others, appears to be a contributing factor, given that DOCs are rare in this language, as they are constrained by the semantic criterion of 'prior possession' of the theme/patient by the recipient/beneficiary referent. The findings thus show that Isingoma's (2016) monolithic generalizations about this phenomenon are debatable, as he indicates that the DOC is overwhelmingly acceptable with goal verbs in Ugandan English and that the particularities observed in ditransitive constructions in the variety are influenced by Bantu languages (where the DOC is the norm). Likewise, the assertion that Ugandans ubiquitously use the non-canonical PPC configuration for benefactive verbs (Isingoma, 2016) does not hold for L1 Lugbarati speakers of English, as the configuration was manifestly sporadic in our data, as opposed to the canonical PPC. The current study thus underscores the fact that there is substantial interspeaker variability in Ugandan English along ethnolinguistic lines (cf. Isingoma & Meierkord, 2022).

AbstractExisting studies have explored the territorialisation of the Rassemblement National (RN) in terms of its regional variation in patterns of support and mobilisation strategies. The extent of regional variation in its local government strategies, however, has been neglected. In this article, we make this enquiry through comparison of two municipalities run by the RN between 2014 and 2020. While similar in local demand and central party supply, the municipalities differ in their socio-economic context and political history. We ask if the party has responded to these contrasting contexts with different strategies of governing. We conduct a qualitative analysis of the policies introduced in both towns and draw on semi-structured interviews with government and opposition actors. In addition, we conduct a quantitative text analysis of their policy agendas, using a dictionary-based analysis to measure the extent of populist radical right ideology in each case. Our findings show that, as well as some limited regional variation in the prominence of their core ideological themes, there is a common emphasis from both on a governing style characterised by 'pragmatism'. We argue that the prioritisation of the national party aim of mainstreaming can be a force for the nationalisation of local governing strategies from populist radical right parties, as shown here in the case of the RN.

PurposeSchizophrenia, a chronic mental disorder, poses enormous threat to the individual, family and society. The advent of deinstitutionalization of the mentally ill transferred the burden of care to families especially close relatives. Few studies have described the families' subjective views in this context. Hence, this study aimed to explore impacts of caregiving and coping strategies for family caregivers of patients with schizophrenia in Enugu, South East Nigeria.Design/methodology/approachA descriptive qualitative design was employed, and 14 family caregivers of individuals with schizophrenia attending federal neuropsychiatric hospital Enugu were purposively selected. A semi-structured interview guide was used to generate information, and the transcribed data were content analyzed using a thematic approach.FindingsThree major themes and 16 subthemes were derived to reflect the perceived impact of caregiving and coping strategies of family caregivers, which include burden of care (physical-self neglect, ill health, sleep deprivation; psychological-gross irritability, ruminations; social-stigmatization, social restrictions, diminished connections, reduced productivity); positive aspects (heightened understanding; empathetic attitude, strengthened ties) and adaptive resources (acceptance, optimism, social support, spiritual devotion).Originality/valueFamily caregivers of individuals with schizophrenia experience bio-psychosocial burden as a result of caregiving. Coping with challenges of caregiving can prevent distress and burnout. Hence, there is need for mental health professionals to recognize caregivers as person in need of emotional and practical support and care for the mentally ill in the context of a family-centered approach.

Abstract
There is an absence of evidence supporting the use of 'out-of-area placements' to address risks adolescents face beyond the home. Approximately one in ten adolescents in England and Wales are 'relocated' from their hometowns by children's social care teams due to these risks. Initial findings from the Independent Review of Children's Social Care in England situate these relocations as a 'failure' to safeguard teenagers. Using participatory approaches to research design and data collection, this article asks what do we learn about the impact of relocations when we ask about safety? Activity-based, qualitative interviews were conducted with young people (n = 5), parents (n = 3) and professionals (n = 15) based in England and Scotland between 2020 and 2021, asking what worked and what didn't when a relocation was chosen, and what was the perceived impact on safety. Interview data were thematically analysed in collaboration with young people and a Research Advisory Group of professionals, all with expertise in the area. Data indicated a tension between what professionals, and then parents and young people, thought was significant when planning relocations and an ambivalence about the impact of relocations. Considerations for safety planning are suggested to support young people's holistic safety needs.

In the second Nagorno-Karabakh war in 2020, Azer­baijan achieved a decisive victory over Armenia. Quite sur­prisingly, Israel was a key player in this conflict, providing Azerbaijan with exten­sive support in the form of technology and arms. This support is part of a bigger research puzzle: How can Israel's involve­ment in this conflict be explained? This report offers an explanation by showing how both geo­political factors and identity struggle are inter­twined. Using the lens of critical geo­political analysis, the report argues that not only realist factors, but also social con­structions of security as well as natio­nal and cul­tural iden­tity play into Israel's inte­rest in the region.

The study was conducted to determine the extent to which radio political campaign messages influence voters' behaviour during elections. The study also examined the influence of other political campaign techniques used by political parties to influence voters' decisions in their favour. The study determined whether frequent exposure to both pro and against candidates' radio political campaign messages influenced voters' decisions on election day and also investigated the extent of the influence of opinion leaders among voters during elections.The study examined the descriptive survey; the sample population was 400 respondents who were residents in a random sampling technique in Lagos. The instrument used for the data analysis was frequency count and simple percentage. Findings from the study show that radio in Nigeria helps in political participation by motivating citizens to vote and be present for manifesto reading, unbiased in their choice of candidates, etc. It encourages people to attend rallies and be informed about the decision-making process, which is very important in the electoral process.In summary, this study sheds light on the impact of radio political campaign messages and other campaign techniques on voters' behaviour during elections. It underscores the importance of radio in promoting political participation, unbiased decision-making, and informed choices among voters. However, caution should be exercised to avoid negative influences such as sentimentalism, ethnic bias, and religious bigotry, which can undermine the integrity of the electoral process and harm society.