Poverty and students achievement Research Proposal

Poverty and students achievement - Research Proposal Example Problem to be investigated A. Purpose of the study (including assumptions) The purpose for this study is to study the poverty achievement gap, which affects children from poor backgrounds. Through a variety of researches that have been conducted in this area, it has been established that children who are brought up in poverty are likely to perform poorer in their academic work than their peers from privileged households. Besides, this study will investigate different strategies and policies that can be implemented to alleviate this problem. B. Justification of the study The educational achievement by students is highly dependent on the state’s and districts’ educational policies as well as the available resources, which facilitate classroom instructions, among many other tasks (Shields, 1991). The educational stakeholders should support the efforts for offering essential facilities and assistance in order to ensure that all students, including those from poor family bac kgrounds, achieve their educational goals. Allington (1991) maintains that federal, state, and district policies ought to be cautiously premeditated with the purpose of outlining the effectiveness and ineffectiveness of a variety of policies in finishing the poverty achievement gap. C. Research question, hypotheses, and propositions Research questions 1. ... 2. If proper mechanisms are put up and all the education stakeholders come on board, the impact of poverty on education can be addressed, to a great extent. 3. There are exists alternative strategies and opportunities for alleviating the damaging impacts of poverty on education. D. Definition of terms Poverty – this is the lack of adequate financial resources to cater for basic needs and services such as education, food, water, shelter, and lighting among other amenities. Education – this is numeracy, literacy, and basic understanding of science and an individual’s environment as attained in pre primary, primary, secondary and tertiary levels of learning. Impacts – this is the consequences of a particular state of affairs and in this case poverty. E. Brief overview of study Poverty has varying impacts on various sectors of development, one such sector is the educating sector. Relative or absolute poverty leads to low enrollment, low retention, high dropout and illiteracy rates since the poor cannot afford the high costs associated with education. Stakeholders in this sector are partly to blame because of inaccessibility, poor quality and high costs associated with education at all levels. A successful education program must be accessible, affordable and of standard quality to all citizens especially the poor. This study will investigate the manner in which this societal problem can be resolved. II. Background and review of related literature A: Theoretical framework The link between poverty and education can be explained through Developmental Systems Theories (DST) (Bronfenbrenner, 1994). These theories are associated with ecological theory and expounds on the linkages between different levels ranging from

Comparing Ethiopia to Other Countries Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Comparing Ethiopia to Other Countries - Essay Example â€Å"According to the neo classical growth theory, output growth results from one or more of three factors: increases in labor quantity and quality, increases in capital, and improvements in technology† (Todaro & Smith, 2003 p 164). Thus, the concept of neoclassical growth theory states that growth of an economy stops when the technological change ends. A technological change leads to an increase in saving and investment and there by increases the real GDP per capita. In the context of Ethiopia the theory of neoclassical growth theory has relevance in the respect of underdevelopment. The lack technology has pulled back Ethiopian economy from attaining development. In other words technological backwardness has contributed to the lesser growth of Ethiopia. This is clear from the GDP ratios of the country. Ethiopia’s GDP remained at â€Å"$1000 in 2010† (Human Development Report 2009: M Economy and Inequality, 2009). The Human Development Index indicates that the H DI of Ethiopia were just 0.328 in 2010. In HDI ranking Ethiopia had171st rank† (Human Development Report 2009: M Economy and Inequality, 2009). ... This will increase income, savings and investments, which, in turn, can lead to economic development. â€Å"The role of Lewis theory in Ethiopia is also showing a negative trend. The relevance of the theory in a country is highlighted when there occur a shift in the employment rate from agriculture to industry sector. The data regarding the employment in agriculture and industry of Ethiopia shows that the role of the Lewis theory in the development of a country is more relevant. The employment rate of Ethiopia in the agriculture sector during 2009 was 85% while that of industry was just 5%† (Intelligence Throughout History: Birth of Overhead Reconnaissance, 1861). The Big Push Theory: The Big Push Theory by Paul N. Rosenstein Rodan calls for a big investment from the government’s side, for attaining economic growth in an underdeveloped country. â€Å"The Big Push is a model of how the presence of market failures can lead to a need for a concerted economy wide and proba bly public policy- led effort to get the long process of economic development underway, or to accelerate it† (Todaro & Smith, 2003 p 162). A big investment by the government encourages more growth in that sector, which ultimately leads to the development of that particular sector and, therefore, attracts more investment by individuals and firms. The relevance of big push theory in Ethiopia is seen from the aid given by the government and the UN in various situations including the natural calamities. This big push has helped the Ethiopian economy in improving their HDI rank during past years. Market friendly approach: Market friendly approach was first put forward by World Bank, which gave a much