Questioning the pace and pathway of e-government development in Africa: A case study of South Africa's Cape Gateway project

The paper examines e-government development in Africa. This study is based on the Cape Gateway project in South Africa, a leading e-government initiative on the continent. We observe that African countries have jumped on the e-government band wagon by looking mostly at the benefits without a clear risk assessment. We argue that African countries should question the pace and pathway for their e-government programs. We caution that e-government models from developed countries do not necessarily work in Africa. E-government programs in Africa should be balanced with the provision of basic needs and infrastructure. We conclude that e-government in South Africa should adopt multi-cultural approaches, and must be underpinned by national development priorities. We recommend that the Cape Gateway must address the socio-economic context and needs of the country. The pace and pathway of its e-government must depend on the availability of both financial and human resources and also user satisfaction.     

Excluding archival silences: Oral history and historical absence

Despite our society's increasing reliance on electronic documentation, to-date archives remain, largely, material repositories of cultural memory. It is an accepted historical problematic, however, that culture is often resistant to material preservation. There exists an undeniable and profound tension between scholarly efforts to reconstruct history and interpret cultural traditions and the fragmentary, and often limited, material record. That is to say, scholarship is shaped by a sinuous negotiation around the historical silences that encompass all of material culture. Historical silences, however, can at times be marginalized (or at best excluded) by a sensitive configuration of material evidence with oral history.Excluding Archival Silences: Oral History and Historical Absence uses a historically and geographically specific example of oral history to engage in a more generalist discussion of how oral reflection, especially when shaped by material evidences, can be an especially effective tool for preserving the dynamics of culture that often remain undocumented.     

The secrets of failing better: Accessible publishing at SAGE. A case study

Key points

• Accessibility is often misunderstood as a concept that is niche or of secondary importance.
• Reframing accessibility as improving the overall user experience instantly changes the perspective; accessibility becomes a critical requirement worthy of investment and resources.
• The single most prevalent complaint amongst librarians is the time it takes to get hold of accessible content.
• An accessibility roadmap provides structure and transparency for digital accessibility projects within the organization.
• Publishers' non‐compliance with accessibility standards will increase their risk of sales declines and legal complications over time.
• The SAGE A.C.C.E.S.S.I.B.L.E mnemonic offers suggestions on how to devise a successful accessible publishing programme.

     

Can we further improve tablet-based drawing to enhance learning? An empirical test of two types of support

Instructional Science - Digital drawing can foster learning, but only if the drawing is of sufficient quality. Hence, the focus of the present study was to investigate whether and how two types of...     

Predictors and outcomes of low-income fathers’ reading with their toddlers

Most studies of parent–child bookreading have focused on mothers reading to their children. Though the role of fathers in children's lives is widely emphasized, we know almost nothing about father–child bookreading, particularly among low-income families. The present study was designed to examine how often low-income fathers report reading to their children and what the predictors and effects of paternal bookreading are. The fathers in this study were participants in the national evaluation of Early Head Start (EHS) and were recruited via mothers enrolled in the EHS study. Participating fathers were interviewed at home and their children's cognitive and language development were assessed using standardized measures from ages 2 to 5. Results demonstrated a wide variety in frequency of bookreading among fathers. Fathers were more likely to read to their children frequently if they spoke English at home, if they had a high school education, and if their children had better language skills. Fathers’ bookreading predicted children's cognitive outcome. Paternal bookreading did predict children's language outcomes but only for children whose fathers had at least a high school education.     

Circle house residential treatment program

In summary, the Circle House Residential Treatment Program for abusive families did meet its goals of protection of the child without separation from the family. The program was also effective in making and executing permanent plans for children in a relatively short period of time, but at huge financial cost.Residential care tor abusive families may be feasible if planned for 12–18 families at a time, thus utilizing staff fully. Also, in the Circle House program the single-parent families were clearly able to utilize the program to deal with their child-care techniques. Because the program was primarily geared to improving child-rearing patterns, some fathers in two-parent families, who viewed themselves as only occasional disciplinarians, never really participated in the program. Some were successful in learning new techniques, others were not.Residential care may also be more feasible if utilized as a diagnostic and prognostic facility with enhanced opportunity for long-term relationships to be formed, rather than as a primarily treatment facility, with the expectation of improvement and “cure.” Treatment of abusive families then becomes long-term supportive care no matter how intense the initial intervention. Even with the multitude of services of Circle House at the beginning phase of diagnosis and treatment of a family, this does not reduce or remove the need for ongoing long-term services. The true results of present intervention will be measured in future generations.     

BUILDING THE INFRASTRUCTURE FOR EDUCATIONAL CHANGE

Strengthening educational programs requires a coordinated set of supporting activities. This article describes the infrastructure of the Educational Centre for Aging and Health of McMaster University (ECAH). This center seeks through professional education to enhance the quality of life and self‐determination of older persons, by increasing the number of skilled health professionals to care for aging individuals and by developing educational models concerning aging and health. We describe the clinical settings, technical and developmental support, and a system of data collection that provides feedback about health needs and the establishment of educational priorities. This center is attempting to meet the challenge of changing community needs for education for aging and health. Because of ECAH, aging and health has become more salient within this university. This article illustrates an infrastructure that other institutions can adapt to their own purposes in order to enhance gerontology and health education.     

Cognitive load in algebra: element interactivity in solving equations

Central to equation solving is the maintenance of equivalence on both sides of the equation. However, when the process involves an interaction of multiple elements, solving an equation can impose a high cognitive load. The balance method requires operations on both sides of the equation, whereas the inverse method involves operations on one side only. In an experiment, middle school students (N?=?71) were randomly assigned to the balance and inverse methods to complete a pre-test, an acquisition phase and a post-test. Pre-test and post-test comparisons found that the inverse group outperformed the balance group for those equations that involved high element interactivity. Instructional efficiency measures further confirmed that the balance method imposed higher cognitive load. The inverse method was capable of reducing cognitive load due to the interacting elements.