Abebayehu Tekleselassie - Independent Researcher (original) (raw)

Papers by Abebayehu Tekleselassie

Research paper thumbnail of Means testing: The dilemma of targeting subsidies in African higher education

Abstract: Means testing, a form of subsidy targeting, attempts to distribute at least some of the... more Abstract: Means testing, a form of subsidy targeting, attempts to distribute at least some of the higher educational subsidies—such as low or no tuitions fees, grants, or subsidized loans--on the basis of the student’s and/or family’s need, or its estimated ability to pay for some of the underlying costs of higher education. This article explores the major principles, approaches, and challenges as well as some of the controversies surrounding means testing, taking into account the unique context of the African continent. For example, in many African countries incomes are not only low but are also frequently hidden or partly “in kind. ” Assets—whether in the form of homes, farms, livestock, or small businesses--are often both minimal and extremely illiquid. These conditions limit the possible cash contributions toward the higher education and thus call for greater subsidies; but they also make it especially difficult to measure and to verify these entitlements. Therefore, many develo...

Research paper thumbnail of Spinning Plates: How External Influences Affect Rural Principals' Ability to Program for Students

Spinning Plates: How External Influences Affect Rural Principals' Ability to Program for Students

Planning and changing, 2017

Research paper thumbnail of Risk, resilience and protective factors in college enrollment, persistence and degree attainment trajectories of African American youth

Risk, resilience and protective factors in college enrollment, persistence and degree attainment trajectories of African American youth

Research paper thumbnail of A comparison in academic performance between distance and on-campus students in allied healthcare education

A comparison in academic performance between distance and on-campus students in allied healthcare education

The primary purpose of this study was to examine the differences in background characteristics an... more The primary purpose of this study was to examine the differences in background characteristics and academic performance of students in distance learning and on-campus programs in allied healthcare education at one medical university in the Eastern United States. The study depended on data from 252 students, drawn from three disciplines, clinical laboratory science, health information administration, and nuclear medicine. The study employed the chi-square test and t-test for analyzing the data. The study's findings suggested no significant differences in terms of the background characteristics of gender and previous academic performance between distance and on-campus students. However, the two groups of students differed significantly in terms of their age composition such that, as expected, distance learning students comprised the majority of older students (25 years and older) relative to their on campus counterparts. The study further showed that, when assessed in terms of the...

Research paper thumbnail of Linking Research to Clinical Practice: Insights from the Transformational Pathways in an Administrator Preparation Program

Educational Planning, 2017

This study is situated within a larger research initiative in a university-based School of Educat... more This study is situated within a larger research initiative in a university-based School of Education that is continuing accreditation with the Council of Educator Preparation Programs. With a focus on candidates in the educational administrator program, this study examined how key assessments were used in clinical practice to support candidates. This includes the development of research, knowledge, skills, and critical reflection as candidates grow into their roles as visionary leaders who understand the problems of practice influencing student outcomes. The specific research questions that informed the broad study included the following: 1. What design elements of clinical practice allow candidates to understand problems of practice in educational administration through adaptable, contextualized, and authentic strategies? 2. In what ways do these elements and measures align with the taxonomy of best practices, theory, and research in assessing candidates and clinical practice? 3. H...

Research paper thumbnail of Leveraging Women’s Leadership Talent to Promote a Social Justice Agenda in Ethiopian Schools

Teachers College Record: The Voice of Scholarship in Education

Background: Research that identifies and celebrates the positive attributes of women educational ... more Background: Research that identifies and celebrates the positive attributes of women educational leaders advancing a social justice agenda in traditionally male-dominated, Sub-Saharan African (SSA) societies is sparse. Studying female educational leadership in SSA conceptually brings to the fore issues associated with the intersectionality of gender, leadership, pervasive abject poverty, and cultural mores from a critical theory lens that runs counter to the White, western, male conceptions of leadership underlying much of the existing literature in the field. Purpose: With a focus on Ethiopia, we sought to understand the way in which women educational leaders, as traditionally oppressed groups in a patriarchal society, utilize their past marginalization as they advance a social justice agenda to promote educational opportunities for traditionally underserved students, particularly females. Research Design: Using transformative leadership as our theoretical lens and semi-structured ...

Research paper thumbnail of Implementers as Filters of Fit and Quality: Toward Indigenous and Locally Responsive Leadership Preparation Program in Ethiopia

Implementers as Filters of Fit and Quality: Toward Indigenous and Locally Responsive Leadership Preparation Program in Ethiopia

Journal of Research on Leadership Education

This empirical study of Ethiopia school leadership examines the nation’s leadership preparation p... more This empirical study of Ethiopia school leadership examines the nation’s leadership preparation programs through the lens of school leaders and a document analysis of national policies as well as narrated accounts of university preparation programs. To meet the expectations of the Millennium Development Goals of 2000, Ethiopia undertook significant education reforms including decentralizing educational governance while establishing a uniform, national curriculum for education leadership preparation, with content largely borrowed from the West. The findings of our study reveal that Ethiopian school leaders confront challenges specific to East African contexts such as addressing complications of abject poverty and multiple inequities, intense political scrutiny, while satisfying external political demands, and managing school operations with minimal resources. Using an asset-driven lens, we describe strategies and tools utilized by school leaders as they craft creative and indigenous ...

Research paper thumbnail of Understanding School Principal Attrition and Mobility Through Hierarchical Generalized Linear Modeling

Understanding School Principal Attrition and Mobility Through Hierarchical Generalized Linear Modeling

Educational Policy

Despite a growing body of turnover literature, much remains unknown about the factors predicting ... more Despite a growing body of turnover literature, much remains unknown about the factors predicting career transitional behaviors of school principals. To bridge this gap, we examined variations in principal, school, and district characteristics influencing administrator leaver and mover behaviors, using Hierarchical Generalized Linear Modeling. Our findings revealed that class size, support staff, parental involvement, teacher incentives, unionization, and many other district-level policies offset turnover, thereby contributing to retention. Furthermore, predictors of principal mover behavior differed from those of principal leaver behavior, suggesting that different forms of exit paths may need different policy tools to improve retention.

Research paper thumbnail of Planning and Implementing a Mutually Beneficial International University Partnership in Educational Leadership Between U.S. and Middle Eastern Institutions

Planning and Implementing a Mutually Beneficial International University Partnership in Educational Leadership Between U.S. and Middle Eastern Institutions

International Journal of Educational Reform

Responding to the forces of internationalization and globalization, universities are partnering a... more Responding to the forces of internationalization and globalization, universities are partnering across national borders to expand their outreach, increase capacity, expand research possibilities, and for a list of other reasons. This study looks at one international university partnership between an institution in the United States and one in the Middle East. This article examines the impetus for partnership, the steps and decisions of formation, the benefits, and challenges experienced, the lessons learned, as well as the implications and the possible paths forward. This study will provide the conceptualization and practical framework for those interested in forming international partnerships.

Research paper thumbnail of Demystifying Conventional Assumptions: Do African American Parents Anticipate Investing Less toward Their Children’s College Costs than Their White Peers?

Journal of Student Financial Aid, 2010

Research paper thumbnail of Crossing traditional boundaries: How do practitioners and university faculty describe their experience with educational research literature?

Educational Research and Reviews, Sep 1, 2006

For many years, university based educational research has been blamed for being dominated by posi... more For many years, university based educational research has been blamed for being dominated by positivistic research tradition at the near exclusion of field based ethnographic work. Several findings have also portrayed this domination among the major explanations for practitioners' lack of interest in educational research literature. With the recent popularity of qualitative work in the educational research parlance, the question however remains whether a paradigm shift from positivistic research tradition to ethnographic and field based approach brings the interest among practitioners to turn to research literature. On the basis of data from both practitioners and researchers, this study argues that while most ethnographic studies "approximate" the "narrative" experiences of public school teachers much better than quantitative works, the available ethnographic studies either suffer from the same norm that distances the university based positivistic researchers from practitioners or fall in the traps of institutional and organizational factors that have remained so resilient in bridging the gap between the world of research and practice in education.

Research paper thumbnail of Instructional Language Policy in Ethiopia: Motivated by Politics or the Educational Needs of Children?

Planning and Changing, Oct 1, 2006

Following the change of government in 1991, Ethiopia's education system has been undergoing funda... more Following the change of government in 1991, Ethiopia's education system has been undergoing fundamental change. No part of the education system has been left untouched. A centralized administration was replaced by a decentralized one in line with the principle of federalism under which the current government has been organized. The federal Ministry of Education, which was highly centralized in the past, has now been decentralized into many states, district-level bureaus, and departments demarcated on ethnic lines. The decentralization process, in addition to devolving authority, has brought with it various change initiatives, one of which is the change in media of instruction. Until the current government took power, the media of instruction in Ethiopia's formal education system were Amharic (for elementary level) and English (for junior high and above). Whereas the socialist government (1974-91) had encouraged the use of some 15 ethnic languages in non-formal education, the imperial regime (which ruled the country until 1974) preferred to use one official language (Amharic) with the intention of safeguarding national integrity. According to the 1994 census, more than 80 ethnic groups exist in Ethiopia. The new ethnic-based states were demarcated into 14 (at least initially) ethnic-based boundaries that comprise as many as 20 ethnic groups per state. The number of languages used as media of instruction varies from state to state. In the Southern Nation, Nationalities and Peoples Regional State (SNNPRS) alone, for instance, eight local languages of instruction have been in use at the primary level (Cohen, 2000). The authors of this work appreciate the advantages of vernacular education for children but argue that rushing to formulate and to implement the new instructional language policy, without considering such factors as the existing unbalanced level of development among the newly created states and the absence of any meaningful preparation to deliver education in the newly chosen languages, appears to be more of a political gimmick than a sound pedagogical move. The current study intends to explain the formulation, implementation, and outcome of Ethiopia's instructional language policy in light of the PRINCE system of power analysis as adapted by Fowler (2004) along with several literature references pertinent to the issue. After providing a brief background on Ethiopia and its education and language of instruction policies, this article analyzes the formulation and implementation of Ethiopia's present instructional language policy and problems therein.

Research paper thumbnail of A comparison in academic performance between distance and on-campus students in allied healthcare education

A comparison in academic performance between distance and on-campus students in allied healthcare education

Journal of allied health, 2008

The primary purpose of this study was to examine the differences in background characteristics an... more The primary purpose of this study was to examine the differences in background characteristics and academic performance of students in distance learning and on-campus programs in allied healthcare education at one medical university in the Eastern United States. The study depended on data from 252 students, drawn from three disciplines, clinical laboratory science, health information administration, and nuclear medicine. The study employed the chi-square test and t-test for analyzing the data. The study's findings suggested no significant differences in terms of the background characteristics of gender and previous academic performance between distance and on-campus students. However, the two groups of students differed significantly in terms of their age composition such that, as expected, distance learning students comprised the majority of older students (25 years and older) relative to their on campus counterparts. The study further showed that, when assessed in terms of the...

Research paper thumbnail of Means testing: The dilemma of targeting subsidies in African higher education

Abstract: Means testing, a form of subsidy targeting, attempts to distribute at least some of the... more Abstract: Means testing, a form of subsidy targeting, attempts to distribute at least some of the higher educational subsidies—such as low or no tuitions fees, grants, or subsidized loans--on the basis of the student’s and/or family’s need, or its estimated ability to pay for some of the underlying costs of higher education. This article explores the major principles, approaches, and challenges as well as some of the controversies surrounding means testing, taking into account the unique context of the African continent. For example, in many African countries incomes are not only low but are also frequently hidden or partly “in kind. ” Assets—whether in the form of homes, farms, livestock, or small businesses--are often both minimal and extremely illiquid. These conditions limit the possible cash contributions toward the higher education and thus call for greater subsidies; but they also make it especially difficult to measure and to verify these entitlements. Therefore, many develo...

Research paper thumbnail of Spinning Plates: How External Influences Affect Rural Principals' Ability to Program for Students

Spinning Plates: How External Influences Affect Rural Principals' Ability to Program for Students

Planning and changing, 2017

Research paper thumbnail of Risk, resilience and protective factors in college enrollment, persistence and degree attainment trajectories of African American youth

Risk, resilience and protective factors in college enrollment, persistence and degree attainment trajectories of African American youth

Research paper thumbnail of A comparison in academic performance between distance and on-campus students in allied healthcare education

A comparison in academic performance between distance and on-campus students in allied healthcare education

The primary purpose of this study was to examine the differences in background characteristics an... more The primary purpose of this study was to examine the differences in background characteristics and academic performance of students in distance learning and on-campus programs in allied healthcare education at one medical university in the Eastern United States. The study depended on data from 252 students, drawn from three disciplines, clinical laboratory science, health information administration, and nuclear medicine. The study employed the chi-square test and t-test for analyzing the data. The study's findings suggested no significant differences in terms of the background characteristics of gender and previous academic performance between distance and on-campus students. However, the two groups of students differed significantly in terms of their age composition such that, as expected, distance learning students comprised the majority of older students (25 years and older) relative to their on campus counterparts. The study further showed that, when assessed in terms of the...

Research paper thumbnail of Linking Research to Clinical Practice: Insights from the Transformational Pathways in an Administrator Preparation Program

Educational Planning, 2017

This study is situated within a larger research initiative in a university-based School of Educat... more This study is situated within a larger research initiative in a university-based School of Education that is continuing accreditation with the Council of Educator Preparation Programs. With a focus on candidates in the educational administrator program, this study examined how key assessments were used in clinical practice to support candidates. This includes the development of research, knowledge, skills, and critical reflection as candidates grow into their roles as visionary leaders who understand the problems of practice influencing student outcomes. The specific research questions that informed the broad study included the following: 1. What design elements of clinical practice allow candidates to understand problems of practice in educational administration through adaptable, contextualized, and authentic strategies? 2. In what ways do these elements and measures align with the taxonomy of best practices, theory, and research in assessing candidates and clinical practice? 3. H...

Research paper thumbnail of Leveraging Women’s Leadership Talent to Promote a Social Justice Agenda in Ethiopian Schools

Teachers College Record: The Voice of Scholarship in Education

Background: Research that identifies and celebrates the positive attributes of women educational ... more Background: Research that identifies and celebrates the positive attributes of women educational leaders advancing a social justice agenda in traditionally male-dominated, Sub-Saharan African (SSA) societies is sparse. Studying female educational leadership in SSA conceptually brings to the fore issues associated with the intersectionality of gender, leadership, pervasive abject poverty, and cultural mores from a critical theory lens that runs counter to the White, western, male conceptions of leadership underlying much of the existing literature in the field. Purpose: With a focus on Ethiopia, we sought to understand the way in which women educational leaders, as traditionally oppressed groups in a patriarchal society, utilize their past marginalization as they advance a social justice agenda to promote educational opportunities for traditionally underserved students, particularly females. Research Design: Using transformative leadership as our theoretical lens and semi-structured ...

Research paper thumbnail of Implementers as Filters of Fit and Quality: Toward Indigenous and Locally Responsive Leadership Preparation Program in Ethiopia

Implementers as Filters of Fit and Quality: Toward Indigenous and Locally Responsive Leadership Preparation Program in Ethiopia

Journal of Research on Leadership Education

This empirical study of Ethiopia school leadership examines the nation’s leadership preparation p... more This empirical study of Ethiopia school leadership examines the nation’s leadership preparation programs through the lens of school leaders and a document analysis of national policies as well as narrated accounts of university preparation programs. To meet the expectations of the Millennium Development Goals of 2000, Ethiopia undertook significant education reforms including decentralizing educational governance while establishing a uniform, national curriculum for education leadership preparation, with content largely borrowed from the West. The findings of our study reveal that Ethiopian school leaders confront challenges specific to East African contexts such as addressing complications of abject poverty and multiple inequities, intense political scrutiny, while satisfying external political demands, and managing school operations with minimal resources. Using an asset-driven lens, we describe strategies and tools utilized by school leaders as they craft creative and indigenous ...

Research paper thumbnail of Understanding School Principal Attrition and Mobility Through Hierarchical Generalized Linear Modeling

Understanding School Principal Attrition and Mobility Through Hierarchical Generalized Linear Modeling

Educational Policy

Despite a growing body of turnover literature, much remains unknown about the factors predicting ... more Despite a growing body of turnover literature, much remains unknown about the factors predicting career transitional behaviors of school principals. To bridge this gap, we examined variations in principal, school, and district characteristics influencing administrator leaver and mover behaviors, using Hierarchical Generalized Linear Modeling. Our findings revealed that class size, support staff, parental involvement, teacher incentives, unionization, and many other district-level policies offset turnover, thereby contributing to retention. Furthermore, predictors of principal mover behavior differed from those of principal leaver behavior, suggesting that different forms of exit paths may need different policy tools to improve retention.

Research paper thumbnail of Planning and Implementing a Mutually Beneficial International University Partnership in Educational Leadership Between U.S. and Middle Eastern Institutions

Planning and Implementing a Mutually Beneficial International University Partnership in Educational Leadership Between U.S. and Middle Eastern Institutions

International Journal of Educational Reform

Responding to the forces of internationalization and globalization, universities are partnering a... more Responding to the forces of internationalization and globalization, universities are partnering across national borders to expand their outreach, increase capacity, expand research possibilities, and for a list of other reasons. This study looks at one international university partnership between an institution in the United States and one in the Middle East. This article examines the impetus for partnership, the steps and decisions of formation, the benefits, and challenges experienced, the lessons learned, as well as the implications and the possible paths forward. This study will provide the conceptualization and practical framework for those interested in forming international partnerships.

Research paper thumbnail of Demystifying Conventional Assumptions: Do African American Parents Anticipate Investing Less toward Their Children’s College Costs than Their White Peers?

Journal of Student Financial Aid, 2010

Research paper thumbnail of Crossing traditional boundaries: How do practitioners and university faculty describe their experience with educational research literature?

Educational Research and Reviews, Sep 1, 2006

For many years, university based educational research has been blamed for being dominated by posi... more For many years, university based educational research has been blamed for being dominated by positivistic research tradition at the near exclusion of field based ethnographic work. Several findings have also portrayed this domination among the major explanations for practitioners' lack of interest in educational research literature. With the recent popularity of qualitative work in the educational research parlance, the question however remains whether a paradigm shift from positivistic research tradition to ethnographic and field based approach brings the interest among practitioners to turn to research literature. On the basis of data from both practitioners and researchers, this study argues that while most ethnographic studies "approximate" the "narrative" experiences of public school teachers much better than quantitative works, the available ethnographic studies either suffer from the same norm that distances the university based positivistic researchers from practitioners or fall in the traps of institutional and organizational factors that have remained so resilient in bridging the gap between the world of research and practice in education.

Research paper thumbnail of Instructional Language Policy in Ethiopia: Motivated by Politics or the Educational Needs of Children?

Planning and Changing, Oct 1, 2006

Following the change of government in 1991, Ethiopia's education system has been undergoing funda... more Following the change of government in 1991, Ethiopia's education system has been undergoing fundamental change. No part of the education system has been left untouched. A centralized administration was replaced by a decentralized one in line with the principle of federalism under which the current government has been organized. The federal Ministry of Education, which was highly centralized in the past, has now been decentralized into many states, district-level bureaus, and departments demarcated on ethnic lines. The decentralization process, in addition to devolving authority, has brought with it various change initiatives, one of which is the change in media of instruction. Until the current government took power, the media of instruction in Ethiopia's formal education system were Amharic (for elementary level) and English (for junior high and above). Whereas the socialist government (1974-91) had encouraged the use of some 15 ethnic languages in non-formal education, the imperial regime (which ruled the country until 1974) preferred to use one official language (Amharic) with the intention of safeguarding national integrity. According to the 1994 census, more than 80 ethnic groups exist in Ethiopia. The new ethnic-based states were demarcated into 14 (at least initially) ethnic-based boundaries that comprise as many as 20 ethnic groups per state. The number of languages used as media of instruction varies from state to state. In the Southern Nation, Nationalities and Peoples Regional State (SNNPRS) alone, for instance, eight local languages of instruction have been in use at the primary level (Cohen, 2000). The authors of this work appreciate the advantages of vernacular education for children but argue that rushing to formulate and to implement the new instructional language policy, without considering such factors as the existing unbalanced level of development among the newly created states and the absence of any meaningful preparation to deliver education in the newly chosen languages, appears to be more of a political gimmick than a sound pedagogical move. The current study intends to explain the formulation, implementation, and outcome of Ethiopia's instructional language policy in light of the PRINCE system of power analysis as adapted by Fowler (2004) along with several literature references pertinent to the issue. After providing a brief background on Ethiopia and its education and language of instruction policies, this article analyzes the formulation and implementation of Ethiopia's present instructional language policy and problems therein.

Research paper thumbnail of A comparison in academic performance between distance and on-campus students in allied healthcare education

A comparison in academic performance between distance and on-campus students in allied healthcare education

Journal of allied health, 2008

The primary purpose of this study was to examine the differences in background characteristics an... more The primary purpose of this study was to examine the differences in background characteristics and academic performance of students in distance learning and on-campus programs in allied healthcare education at one medical university in the Eastern United States. The study depended on data from 252 students, drawn from three disciplines, clinical laboratory science, health information administration, and nuclear medicine. The study employed the chi-square test and t-test for analyzing the data. The study's findings suggested no significant differences in terms of the background characteristics of gender and previous academic performance between distance and on-campus students. However, the two groups of students differed significantly in terms of their age composition such that, as expected, distance learning students comprised the majority of older students (25 years and older) relative to their on campus counterparts. The study further showed that, when assessed in terms of the...