BUSE Institutional Repository

This repository serves as a digital archive for preserving and providing access to the scholalry and creative works produced by the BUSE community. It includes:

Journal articles, conference papers and other publications by the BUSE faculty, researchers and students
Theses and Dissertations completed by BUSE graduate students

The repository aims to showcase the intellectual output of BUSE, increase the visibility and impact of our community's scholarship and preserve these works for long term access and use.To contribute your work or learn more, please contact the repository team using of the following contact details:

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Now showing 1 - 5 of 9

Recent Submissions

Access status: Open Access ,
The Impact of culture on consumer decision-making for smallholder farmers in Murewa district in Zimbabwe
(Academic Journals, 2022) Nyamukapa, Isheanesu; Kurebwa, Jeffrey
The focus of this study was to understand the impact of culture on consumer decision-making for smallholder farmers in the Murewa district in Zimbabwe. The study relied on a mixed methodology while data were collected using a survey and key informant interviews. This study found that the culture of smallholder farmers has a predictive impact on their consumer decision-making styles. In addition, culture was revealed to be a source of power to cultural gatekeepers who can influence consumer decisions within the smallholder farming community. The study's findings were that smallholder farmers in the Murewa district use four main consumer decision-making styles. These are brand-conscious, novelty-fashion-conscious, recreational-hedonistic, and habitual-brand loyal. The study concluded that the culture of smallholder farmers has a predictive impact on their consumer decision-making styles. These are brand-conscious, novelty-fashion-conscious, recreational-hedonistic, and habitual-brand loyal. The study concluded that the culture of smallholder farmers has a predictive impact on their consumer decision-making styles. In addition, culture was revealed to be a source of power to cultural gatekeepers who can influence consumer decisions within the smallholder farming community. The study recommends that community cultural gatekeepers be used to strengthen consumer education among smallholder farmers to eliminate misinformation by manufacturers
Access status: Open Access ,
Spatial heterogeneity association of HIV incidence with socio-economic factors in Zimbabwe
(2021-07-31) Mavhura, Emmanuel; Chimbari, Moses; Manyangadze, Tawanda
This study examined the spatial heterogeneity association of HIV incidence and socio-economic factors including poverty severity index, permanently employed females and males, unemployed females, percentage of poor households i.e., poverty prevalence, night lights index, literacy rate, household food security, and Gini index at district level in Zimbabwe. A mix of spatial analysis methods including Poisson model based on original log likelihood ratios (LLR), global Moran’s I, local indicator of spatial association - LISA were employed to determine the HIV hotspots. Geographically Weighted Poisson Regression (GWPR) and semi-parametric GWPR (s-GWPR) were used to determine the spatial association between HIV incidence and socio-economic factors. HIV incidence (number of cases per 1000) ranged from 0.6 (Buhera district) to 13.30 (Mangwe district). Spatial clustering of HIV incidence was observed (Global Moran’s I = - 0.150; Z score 3.038; p-value 0.002). Significant clusters of HIV were observed at district level. HIV incidence and its association with socioeconomic factors varied across the districts except percentage of females unemployed. Intervention programmes to reduce HIV incidence should address the identified socio-economic factors at district level.
Access status: Open Access ,
Misconceptions and resulting errors displayed by in service teachers in the learning of linear independence
(Modestum, 2022-08) Mutambara, Lillias Hamufari Natsai; Bansilal, Sarah
The aim of this paper is to identify errors and misconceptions that student demonstrated when learning linear independence and linear dependence concepts. A case study is presented involving 73 in-service mathematics teachers at a university in Zimbabwe who were studying for a Bachelor of Science Education Honors Degree in mathematics. Data was generated from a content analysis of the written responses of the participants to two items from a structured activity sheet. Follow up interviews with five participants were used to gain a better understanding of their misconceptions. The study found that the participants had different kinds of misconceptions leading to errors which could be described as procedural, conceptual, and foundational respectively and the distribution of the errors differed across the two problems. For question 1 which was set within the vector space M2×2, students found it harder to move past the first few two steps of formulating the general vector equation and doing scalar multiplication; those who passed those two steps were mostly able to get to a correct solution. For question 2 which was set within ℝ3 most students went past the first two steps formulating the general vector equation and converting that to an augmented matrix but then made many foundational errors, most of which were related to misinterpretations of the solutions to the system of equations
Access status: Open Access ,
An analysis of errors and misconceptions in the study of quadratic equations
(EJMSE, 2020-12) Tendere, Jane; Mutambara, Lillias Hamufari Natsai
This study attempts to investigate the errors and misconception that form three students reveal using symbolic equation and word-problem representations. The participants were thirty form three students, from a high school in Zimbabwe. Three mathematics teachers from the same school also took part. Data was collected from the students through a questionnaire, a test, follow up interviews and semi-structured interviews. Semi structured interviews were also conducted with the three mathematics teachers. In data analysis, the students’ written responses and data from questionnaire were qualitatively analysed to determine the nature of the students’ errors when solving quadratic equations. The results revealed that the students had difficulties in solving symbolic quadratic equations by the factorisation method as well as the use of the quadratic formula such that many misconceptions were exposed. The following types of errors were revealed: conceptual, procedural and technical. It was found out that it is an advantage for teachers to teach students with the knowledge of these errors in an effort to eliminate them.
Access status: Open Access ,
Exploring Zimbabwean A-Level mathematics learners’ understanding of the determinant concept
(EJMSE, 2021-11) Chagwiza, Conilius; Mutambara, Lillias Hamufari Natsai; Sunzuma, Gladys
Learners bring prior knowledge to their learning environments. This prior knowledge is said to have an effect on how they encode and later retrieve new information learned. This research aimed at exploring ‘A’ level mathematics learners’ understanding of the determinant concept of 3×3 matrices. A problem-solving approach was used to determine learners' conceptions and errors made in calculating the determinant. To identify the conceptions; a paper and pencil test, learner interviews, and learner questionnaires were used. Ten learners participated in the research and purposive sampling was used to select learners who are doing the syllabus 6042/2 Zimbabwe School Examination Council (ZIMSEC). Data was analyzed qualitatively through an analysis of each learners' problem-solving performance where common themes were identified amongst the learners’ work. Results from the themes showed that Advanced level learners faced some challenges in calculating the determinant of 3×3 matrices. Learners were having challenges with the place signs used in 3×3 matrices, especially when using the method of cofactors. The findings reveal that learners had low levels of engagement with the concepts and the abstract nature of the concepts was the major source of these challenges. The study recommends that; teachers should engage learners for lifelong learning and apply some mathematical definitions in real-world problems. Teachers should address the issues raised in this research during the teaching and learning process. In addition, teachers should engage learners more through seminars where learners get to mingle with others from other schools.