Journal of Science and Sustainable Development

A Critical Discourse Analysis of Hachalu Hunsessa’s Lyrics: Applied Linguistic Perspectives

Samuel Leykun — 2023-04-10

Individualized Educational Therapy for Child with Dyslexia at Tsehay Chora Primary School, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Mengistu Debele Gerbi — 2023-04-10

Dyslexia is one of the most common manifestations of specific learning disorders. Early diagnosis, appropriate educational therapy, and support can mitigate dyslexia before it advances to severe level. The maxim “catch the child before he/she fails” is an inspiring and sensible axiology. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of individualized educational therapy for students with dyslexia. Wakuma (pseudonym) was identified as a student with dyslexia based on diagnostic baseline assessment tests. A-B single-subject experimental research design with repeated measures and visual inspection techniques were used to investigate effectiveness of individualized educational therapy for student with dyslexia. Three different alphabet tests were used to collect data. Educational therapy package that has four individualized educational therapies and positive reinforcement was manipulated through alphabet song, alphabet naming, matching alphabet, and wooden letters arranging game. Diagnostic baseline assessments result showed that Wakuma’s level of alphabet recognition was 39.6%. Mean stable alphabet recognition of pretest was 10.3. Post-therapy results showed that the change in level between pretest and post-test was 14.2 and the immediacy of educational therapy effect was 15.3. Literacy scores at post-test were significantly higher than pre-test scores. The study has implication that intervention through individualized educational therapy was effective in bringing change in alphabets recognition of student with dyslexia.

Antibiofilm Activity of Green Synthesized Silver Nanoparticles

Seun Owolabi Adebajo — 2023-04-10

Numerous diseases that affect both humans and animals are due to the growth of biofilms on a variety of inanimate surfaces. This study investigated bacterial biofilms in water and poultry drinkers and their control using silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). Water and swabs of poultry drinkers were collected from five poultry houses. Isolation and characterization of bacterial isolates were carried out using standard microbiological techniques and identified bacterial isolates were screened for biofilm potential using Congo Red Agar method (CRA) and tube method (TM). Antibiotic susceptibility of the isolates was carried out using the agar well diffusion method. Fungal isolate was used to synthesize AgNPs and the synthesized AgNPs was confirmed through visual, UV-Vis and FT-IR analysis. Fifty-nine bacterial isolates were identified and the predominant bacterial isolates were: Staphylococcus spp and Citrobacter spp. CRA revealed that fifteen isolates (25.4%) were biofilm formers while TM showed only 9 isolates (15.3 %) to be strong biofilm formers. All the biofilm formers were multi drug resistant isolates except Proteus vulgaris and high resistance was observed in gentamycin. The synthesized AgNPs was brown in colour, UV-Vis spectra was observed at 410nm and FT-IR revealed the presence of functional groups that are responsible for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles. AgNPs inhibited the growth of the biofilm formers with highest and lowest inhibition zone of 2.6 cm to 0.4 cm by Proteus vulgaris and Enterobacter aerogene. AgNPs are thus a crucial bio resource due to their capacity to suppress the establishment of bacterial biofilms.

Soil Fertility Evaluation and Mapping in Sdeyni Watershed, Habru District, Northeastern Ethiopia

Worku Teshome — 2023-04-10

Soil nutrient mining, poor use of external inputs, soil erosion, are the major soil constraints affecting sustainable crop production in Ethiopia. In the study area, the soils were not characterized to provide location specific information for crop producers. Thus, this study was initiated with the objective of evaluation and mapping of soil fertility in Sdeyni Watershed. Cultivated lands in the watershed were selected and divided into eight land units (LUs). Three replicated composite soil samples were collected from the depths of 0-20 cm from each land unit comprising a total of 24 composite soil samples. Data analysis was done following one way ANOVA using R software, and mapping was performed using GIS software. The result showed that most soil properties were significantly different in the land units. Clay texture, slightly acidic soils (6.02-6.74), medium organic matter (OM) content (2.96-4.59%), low to medium total nitrogen (0.10-0.24%), medium to high available phosphorus (6.40-12.44 mg kg-1), and medium to high cation exchange capacity (11.90-27.00 cmol (+) kg-1), and moderate to high percent base saturation (41.40- 67.23%) were the observed soil fertility parameters. Soil fertility management through addition of organic and inorganic fertilizer sources should get immediate attention to maintain optimum crop production sustainably.

The Relationship between Students’ Attitude towards Learning English, their Age and their English Proficiency: The Case of First Year Undergraduate Students of Ambo University

Belachew Beyene Segni — 2023-04-10

This study examined the relationship between first year undergraduate students’ attitude towards English language learning, their age and their English language proficiency. It employed descriptive research design and guided by two specific objectives. First, it investigated the relationship between students’ attitude towards English and their English language proficiency. Second, it assessed the relationship between students' age and their English proficiency. To do so, a questionnaire of attitude and test of proficiency were used to collect pertinent data. First, the test of proficiency was administered to a randomly selected 172 first year students. Next, the participants completed a questionnaire of attitude towards learning English. The data collected were analyzed by using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The Spearman Rank-Order Correlation was run to determine the relationship between students' attitudes towards English language learning and their English proficiency. The findings disclosed that there was a low positive correlation (r= 0.097), and no significant relationship between students' attitudes towards English language learning and their English language proficiency (p= 0.206>0.05). On the other hand, Pearson Correlation Coefficient was used to determine how age correlate with language proficiency. To this end, it was found that there is a positive correlation between age and English language proficiency (r= 0.05) although there was no significant relationship between the two variables (p=0.514>0.05). Since learners’ language proficiency can be influenced by the belief they hold about the language, English experts and instructors should devise a strategy of shaping learners’ beliefs about the role of a language. Similarly, they should consider students’ ages while planning lessons, delivering and evaluating their progress.

Factors Affecting the Choice of Rural Households’ Livelihood Diversification: The Case of Sayo District, Kelem Wollega Zone, Oromia National Regional State, Ethiopia

Adamu Chibsa — 2023-04-10

The carrying capacity of agriculture to attain livelihood security is extremely declining from time to time. Diversifying livelihood strategies in the current time of rural households to sustain and secure their livelihoods as well as to supplement their agriculture have become a common phenomenon in the study area. Hence the study is to analyze factors affecting the choice of rural households’ livelihood diversification in the district. The data were obtained from 202 sample household heads that were selected proportionally from three kebeles. The study used descriptive statistics and an econometrics model. Accordingly Multinomial logit model was employed in analyzing the factors affecting the choice of rural household’s livelihood diversification strategies. The result indicates that among 16 hypothesized explanatory variables, 11 variables were found to affect the choice of rural household’s livelihood diversification strategies. Accordingly, sex of household head, land holding size, input utilization and participation in social activity have positive and significantly effect on the rural household’s livelihood diversification. Furthermore, family size, frequency of contact with agricultural extension agent, remittance received and agro ecology location have negative and significant effect on the rural household’s livelihood diversification. However, livestock holding, irrigation facility and access to credit have positive effect across on the rural household’s livelihood diversification. Therefore, the results of this study suggest that development interventions, policies makers and supportive services should be designed and strengthened to promote livelihood activities in addition to agriculture through awareness creation to improve the overall wellbeing of the rural societies in improving livestock holding, irrigation utilization and credit facilitation.

Ecological Impacts of Imperialism in Kimani’s Dance of the Jakaranda: A Critical Analysis

Rabbirra Dhaba — 2023-04-10

The study examined the ecological impacts of colonization in Peter Kimani's Dance of the Jakaranda. The scope of the study included the analysis of colonial strategies used by British colonizers in East Africa, the plunder of resources, and the resulting environmental consequences as depicted in the novel. Textual analysis was employed as a method of study. The novel was selected using a purposive sampling method for its strong environmental and ecological concerns. The data were collected through close reading of the novel. Excerpts were gathered and categorized according to postcolonial thematic categories with direct connections to the environment and ecology, and the analysis was conducted using tenets of ecological imperialism. The result of the analysis shows that the novel depicts colonial plunder of resources as an archetypal issue, illustrating that the colonizers’ subjugation of the indigenous peoples of East Africa was exclusively to satisfy materialistic desires. The plunder involves both human and nonhuman entities. This is followed by the catastrophic environmental repercussions of colonial rulers' violent colonial strategies, or ecological imperialism, which include the use of disease, deforestation, conservation, and ecological degradation caused by military aggression and fire. The text depicts a complete environmental transformation as a result of the sequential exertion of colonial instruments, colonial exploitation, and resource transfer. Colonialism causes the nation's birth in East Africa, evolves into neocolonialism eventually, and continues to impact this new nation and its ecosystem, either directly or indirectly.

Effectiveness of Fructón Fertilizer on Growth, Yield, and Quality of Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) at West Shewa, Ethiopia

Makonnen Tolasa Gonfa — 2023-04-10

This study aims to investigate the impact of using a combination of Fructón, a bio-stimulant fertilizer, with inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers on tomato crop performance. The experiment was conducted from October 2019 to March 2020 under irrigation in the field at two locations in the west Shewa zone: Toke Kutaye and Ilu Gelan districts. There were four treatments in the study: organic Fructón, inorganic nitrogen, and phosphorus fertilizers; a combination of Fructón and nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers; and control plots that received no fertilization. Each treatment was replicated three times in a randomized, complete block design. Results revealed that integrated application of organic Fructón (50 g L^-1ha^-1) with inorganic nitrogen (80 kg N ha^-1) and P (90 kg P₂O₅ha^-1) fertilizers significantly improved the growth, yield, and quality of tomato fruits. The combination treatment resulted in the highest plant height, number of primary and secondary branches, number of fruits per plant, marketability, and total yield at both Toke-Kutaye and Ilu-Gelan locations. Conversely, the untreated plot exhibits the lowest results. Additionally, supplemental application of organic Fructón with conventional nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers enhanced the total soluble solids, pH, and titratable acidity of the tomatoes. These findings suggest the combination of organic fructón with inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers holds promise for improving tomato growth and yield performances