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Fostering Responsible Citizenship through Effective Preparation for Harmonious Family Relationships
(Africa International University, 2018-12-31) Reverend Steve Oladunni Ogo-Olorun Ayorinde
Responsible citizenship is necessary for the development of any society and it can be learned
in our homes wherever there are harmonious family relationships. This is based on the
premise that the family is the first contact point of any citizen of a nation. Living
harmoniously is possible only if the couple who serves as the foundation of the family can
handle conflict responsibly. Conflict can be a catalyst for positive change if properly
handled. Responsible citizenship requires that citizens know how to handle conflicts which is
a direct function of having the right understanding of conflicts; such an understanding can
start from the home. This underscores the need for couples themselves to know how to handle
conflict before they can help their children. This study embarked on an exploration of the
effectiveness of preparation of intending couples for conflict transformation in marriage with
a view to understanding the present premarital counseling strategies and possible
improvements. This is a descriptive research that used one hundred and twenty (120) selfadministered
questionnaires and in-depth interviews of twenty persons. The respondents, all
of whose marriages were conducted in Baptist churches located in Port Harcourt, Nigeria,
have been married for at least five years and twenty-five years respectively. From the field
survey, four major themes were identified; namely, the strategies of premarital counseling,
major socio-cultural mindsets that promote conflicts, the role of pastors in handling conflict,
and how the Baptist church can help in conflict transformation in marriage. Key findings
include major kinds of premarital counseling, the most effective way of preparing people for
marriage, the attitude of most intending couples, a comprehensive counseling approach to
assist pastors, and negative socio-cultural mindsets that must change. The recommendations
include the need for marital mentorship, making one-on-one counseling more appealing to
couples through the use of technology.
Impact of Technology on Youths
(Africa International University, 2018-12-31) Sijuade Toyin Adeniyi
The English language plays a key role in Nigeria. It is a major means by which knowledge is
impacted. As a result of the advancement in technology, the language has gained more
recognition and has improved communication worldwide. However, many users especially the
youths have abused the use of social networking. In the past, the poor performance of students
in written English was attributed to inadequate motivation, teaching and learning environment,
and lack of facilities. Today, other factors have emerged as a result of technological
advancement and the internet. The spelling system of English is a major problem for the second
language user community. New forms of written expressions among youths now compound this.
The question is: what are the effects of social media on students’ writing? The question was
answered through a comparative review of the written text in social media and academic
settings. Samples of Nigerian youths' written texts were collected via social media platforms, in
addition to paragraph essays from various students in selected schools in Lagos. Findings
indicate that youths use new forms of expressions in their social communication, which may not
be understood by the older generation. Youths also do not abide by the grammatical rules in
both formal and informal writings as reflected in their writings. Therefore, it is recommended
that formal and non-formal writings should be taught comparatively in the classrooms to
increase awareness of the new forms of expressions that infiltrate academic writings. Also, for a
good quality of education to be promoted in Nigeria, teachers should discourage these new
forms of technological expression among youths.
The Kikuyu Conceptualization of Adoption
(Africa International University, 2018-12-31) Abigael Wangari Mbua
The process of Bible translation entails interpretation of concepts in the original text. Such interpretation calls upon translators/exegetes not to just reconstruct and analyze the conceptualization evoked by a biblical concept with regard to the conceptual universe of the author and his original recipients but also to analyze the conceptualization evoked with regard to the speakers of a receptor language. The underlying idea is to aid the translator/exegete, in a complementary way, to gain an understanding of the meaning of the original text. The aim of this approach to the translation task is to come up with a translation that is clear to the speakers of a receptor language. This paper concentrates on the concept of ‘adoption’ represented by the Greek term, huiothesia in Gal. 4:5; Rom. 8:15, 23; 9:4; and Eph. 1:5 Which is variously rendered in the English translation versions. Focusing on Kikuyu as a receptor language, the concept of adoption is represented by gũciarwo na mbũri ‘to be procreated by means of (slaughtering) a goat’ the Kikuyu label for adoption. The evoked conceptualization is analyzed using a Cognitive Grammar approach. Cognitive Grammar enables first the semantic characterization of the expression gũciarwo na mbũri and its components as grammatical constructions, second the analysis of the conventional conceptual content evoked by gũciarwo na mbũri and its components in the conceptual universe of the Kikuyu speakers. The evoked conceptual content is incorporated in the emergence of the meaning of the expression.
Ambient Air Quality and the Incidence of Selected Diseases
(Africa International University, 2018-12-31) K. O. Laro and U. A. Raheem
The quality of air is determined by the extent of atmospheric pollution. The USEPA identifies six criteria pollutants namely particulate matter (PM), ground level ozone, carbon monoxide, sulphur oxides, nitrogen oxides and lead exposure as toxic and injurious to human health. Thus, there is a need to examine ambient air quality and incidence of selected diseases in Lagos, Nigeria. The data for the study include a five-year sampling on criteria pollutants and data on selected airborne diseases that were collected for the same period of time. Data analysis adopted the use of multiple regression for examining the relationship between ambient criteria pollutants and the occurrence of diseases. GIS procedure was also employed to produce a map showing the spatial pattern of criteria pollutants. The findings reveal an R2 of 19.8, 13.9, 8.9, 8.4 and 16.8 percent respectively for asthma, bronchitis, heart failure, lung cancer and tuberculosis. The results show a low level of association and this was attributed to other causal factors responsible for the occurrence of the selected diseases. However, this study provides evidence of an association between outdoor air pollution and increased risk from these diseases. Therefore, the study recommends that governments, and other stakeholders in health sectors should harmonize efforts, resources and ideas towards effective planning, monitoring, policy implementation and provision of facilities that could control and ameliorate the presence of pollutants to which urban residents are exposed thereby reducing the health effects from such exposures.
Perceptions of Childlessness in Women among the Kipsigis Community in Fort-Ternan Region, Kericho County
(Africa International University, 2018-12-31) Catherine C. Kitur
In the recent past, an increasing number of couples dealing with childlessness have been willing to discuss their predicament. This is observed among the Kipsigis in Fort-Ternan, Kericho County. It is worrying to note an identifiable number of couples suffering from childlessness. Thus, there is a need to understand why childbearing is important in the Kipsigis community and its implications for churches. The study sought to answer the research question: How does Kipsigis society perceive childlessness? A qualitative study using an open-ended interview and focus group discussion are employed in gathering information for this study. Heibert’s critical contextualization theory is adopted in scrutinizing the Kipsigis perceptions. The narratives’ analysis revealed five influencing factors: social, cultural, family, religious and economic factors as significant influencers of the Kipsigis perceptions. The results suggested that child-bearing is a celebrated and respected act in human life and thus children are perceived as an inevitable part of life. Child-bearing is a social and religious duty which is central to marriage. There was, however, a repeated emphasis by the informants on the role of women in marriage. Childbearing is believed to be a woman’s primary role; thus childless women are expelled from their matrimonial home for failing to contribute to the family. It is recommended for the Kipsigis Christians to understand the implications of childlessness in the Bible and to acknowledge an alternative view in light of God’s perspective and mission in the world and to offer biblical and cultural guidance for the Kipsigis churches and the Kipsigis society.