Journal of Social, Humanity, and Education

Causality between foreign aid and life expectancy in Zimbabwe

Talent Kondo — 2025-05-20

Purpose: To investigate the causal relationship between foreign aid and life expectancy in Zimbabwe.

Research methodology: This study employed a Granger causality test to analyze the causal relationship between foreign aid and life expectancy for the period–1980-2019.

Results: This study revealed that there is no causal relationship between foreign aid and life expectancy in Zimbabwe.

Conclusions: This study focuses on the causal relationship between foreign aid and life expectancy in Zimbabwe. This finding reveals that aid does not improve life expectancy. Policies for Zimbabwe should not focus much on improving life expectancy by relying mostly on foreign aid, but through domestic financing.

Limitations: The study's limitations include potential factors that may not have been included, which could impact the relationship between aid and life expectancy. These results are specific to Zimbabwe and may not be generalizable to other countries.

Contribution: This study offers valuable insights to the government and other stakeholders in formulating evidence-based policies aimed at optimizing the utilization of foreign aid. Specifically, these findings can inform the design of targeted health policies with the potential to positively influence life expectancy outcomes in Zimbabwe.

Novelty: While previous research has often focused on broad economic indicators, this study uniquely emphasizes health outcomes, specifically life expectancy, as a key measure of development. This study highlights the critical issues of aid mismanagement and corruption, advocating for greater transparency and accountability in the usage of foreign aid.

Development and validation of Science Instructional Materials (SIMs) for the least learned competencies

Rakma Macalikod — 2025-05-20

Purpose: This study focused on developing and evaluating Science Instructional Materials (SIMs) to address the least-learned competencies among Grade 8 students, providing structured resources for learners struggling with key scientific concepts.

Research methodology: A research and development approach was employed, identifying the least learned competencies through summative assessments. The SIMs were designed based on these competencies and evaluated by science teachers, master teachers, and Learning Resource Management and Development System (LRMDS) members. The evaluation criteria included content quality, format, presentation, organization, and accuracy, with statistical analysis to examine differences in ratings.

Results: The SIMs received high ratings across all evaluation categories, with no significant differences in the assessments from science teachers, Master Teachers, and LRMDS members, indicating broad acceptance and reliability.

Conclusions: The findings showed that SIMs were highly rated, aligning well with instructional standards and classroom needs. While there were significant differences in ratings among evaluator groups, the overall acceptability was high, suggesting that the SIMs effectively addressed learning challenges, particularly in physics. Their structure, clarity, and adherence to curriculum standards were affirmed. Further validation is required in diverse educational contexts.

Limitations: This study was limited to a single public secondary school, which may affect the generalizability of the findings. Additional validation in various educational settings is needed.

Contribution: This study provides an evidence-based approach for developing instructional materials in science education, focusing on addressing learning gaps and supporting competency development.

Novelty: This study introduces SIMs specifically designed to enhance competencies identified as least learned, validated through expert evaluation aligned with curriculum standards.

Movie and music preferences influencing students’ cultural knowledge in the Yorùbá society

Ifeoluwa Theophilus Akinsola — 2025-05-28

Purpose: This study examined how Yorùbá and Non-Yorùbá movie and music preferences correlated with secondary students’ knowledge of Yorùbá cultural concepts in Ibadan, a metropolitan Yoruba society.

Research methodology: The study adopted a correlational survey research design. Randomly selected 350 SS II students in Ibadan filled the Students’ Questionnaire on Movie Preferences (r=.93); Students’ Questionnaire on Music Preferences (r=.91); and Yorùbá Cultural Concepts Knowledge Test (r=.81) self-designed for data collection. Data were analyzed using Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation and Multiple Regression Analysis at p<0.05.

Results: Findings revealed that knowledge of Yorùbá cultural concepts had a positive correlation with students’ preferences for Yorùbá movie (r = .575; p<.05) and music (r = .564; p<.05) but a negative correlation with students’ preferences for non-Yorùbá movie (r = -.551; p<.05) and music (r = -.485; p<.05). The composite contribution of the independent variables was significant (F _{(4, 345)}= 56.201, p<.05). Preference for Yorùbá music (?= .227) had the highest relative contribution.

Conclusions: Preferences for Yorùbá movie and music are important in improving students’ knowledge of Yorùbá cultural concepts.

Limitations: The study was limited to Yoruba and non-Yoruba movies and music, and Yoruba indigenes taking Yoruba as a subject in secondary schools in Ibadan, Nigeria. Future studies should focus on other media products and their influence on cultural knowledge in other Nigerian societies.

Contribution: This study established that indigenous music can increase students’ cultural knowledge. This has practical implications for the use of music in indigenous languages and cultural teaching in secondary schools. Therefore, Secondary school students should be encouraged to regularly listen to traditional Yorùbá music and watch Yorùbá movies on all available media, while teachers also utilize them in teaching.

Transfer of learning Selwasa Language in informal education in Marantutul Village, Tanimbar Islands Regency

Dian Wahyu P Soemarsono — 2025-06-02

Purpose: This study examines strategies for transferring the Selwasa language through informal education in Marantutul Village.

Research methodology: Data were obtained via interviews and observations, using descriptive qualitative analysis.

Results: Selwasa is transmitted informally by parents and the community through everyday communication. Strategies include direct pronunciation, vocabulary instruction, reading, and sentence building. Children are encouraged to note new words and express themselves creatively through poetry, short stories, and group discussions. Two main strategies are identified: direct strategies (e.g., memory-based learning, daily language use) and indirect strategies (e.g., traditional games, storytelling, creative writing, discussions).

Conclusions: The preservation of Selwasa in Marantutul Village relies on informal educational practices involving both direct and indirect strategies. These include vocabulary teaching, use in conversations, and participation in cultural activities. Such efforts not only pass on the language but also build emotional connections, helping reframe Selwasa as part of daily life rather than solely ritual use. This study offers insight into grassroots language revitalization in a multilingual context.

Limitations: The study is limited to Marantutul Village, where Selwasa use is declining due to a shift toward Ambonese Malay and a weakening sense of linguistic identity.

Contribution: The research documents community-based efforts to preserve and revitalize Selwasa through informal means.

Novelty: While once limited to rituals, Selwasa is now taught as a living language for daily use among younger generations.

On the verge of nuclear war: Global security challenges and dynamics in maintaining world peace

Alradix Djansena — 2025-06-11

Purpose: This research aims to identify the most effective strategies for maintaining world peace in the midst of these threats. The research methodology employs a hybrid approach, utilizing both the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and surveys.

Research methodology: The survey involved 60 respondents from academia, policymakers, and the public to understand their perceptions of nuclear threats and mitigation strategies. This study is based on the theory of international system stability, which emphasizes the importance of multilateral cooperation and arms control.

Results: The findings indicate that the most effective strategy is international diplomacy, with alliance strengthening and defense modernization following closely. We identify geopolitical threats, particularly unilateral actions, as major risk factors and emphasize that controlling the spread of nuclear technology is more significant than disarmament. These findings emphasize the need for a multidimensional approach based on diplomacy, technology control, and multilateral cooperation to create sustainable world peace.

Conclusions: International diplomacy is the most effective strategy to maintain world peace amid nuclear threats, supported by nuclear technology control and strategic alliances through a multidimensional, cooperative approach.

Limitations: The study's findings are limited by a small, region-specific sample and potential subjectivity in the AHP and survey methods.

Contribution: This study provides a strategic basis for global security policy in the face of increasingly complex nuclear challenges.

Implications of Indonesia's joining the BRICS on national defense and security strategy

Edy Triharyono — 2025-06-17

Purpose: This study analyzes the strategic implications of Indonesia’s membership in BRICS on national defense and security, focusing on its potential to strengthen military cooperation, diversify defense procurement, and enhance geopolitical positioning while navigating complex global alignments.

Research methodology: This study employs a qualitative method using a literature review and secondary data analysis. These sources include policy documents from the Indonesian government, international reports, and academic publications related to BRICS, defense diplomacy, and global security dynamics. Descriptive and comparative analysis techniques were used to explore the strategic implications and potential shifts in Indonesia's foreign policy.

Results: The study finds that BRICS membership offers Indonesia enhanced access to alternative funding via the New Development Bank, broader defense cooperation, and opportunities to modernize military capabilities through technology transfer. It also provides a platform for more assertive defense diplomacy. However, risks include potential diplomatic friction with Western allies, internal power asymmetries within BRICS countries, and challenges to Indonesia’s non-aligned foreign policy stance.

Conclusions: Indonesia’s BRICS membership can bolster national defense and strategic autonomy if managed with diplomatic prudence. A balanced foreign policy is essential to leverage the advantages of BRICS while preserving partnerships with Western powers and ASEAN allies. Investment in cybersecurity, military modernization, and defense diplomacy is crucial for long-term stability.

Limitations: This study relies solely on secondary data, limiting insights into internal policy dynamics and practical implementation.

Contribution: It offers a strategic perspective on Indonesia’s BRICS engagement and its implications for defense diplomacy and national security.

The urgency of recovering state financial losses based on Law Number 31 of 1999 amendments to Law Number 20 of 2001 concerning the eradication of corruption crimes in Indonesia

Pauzi Muhammad — 2025-06-26

Purpose: This study aims to analyze the urgency of recovering state financial losses caused by corruption, as regulated in the relevant anti-corruption laws, and to explore the potential for incorporating restorative justice into the Indonesian anti-corruption legal framework.

Research methodology: The study employs a normative legal research method, using statutory and case approaches. It analyzes relevant laws, judicial decisions, and international conventions such as UNCAC, to evaluate mechanisms for recovering state losses and propose policy improvements..

Results: The study finds that the return of state financial losses does not eliminate criminal liability for corruption offenders under Indonesian law. However, such restitution may serve as a mitigating factor in sentencing. It also identifies weaknesses in the civil recovery process and emphasizes the inefficiency of current mechanisms. The research supports the inclusion of restorative justice to enhance efficiency and effectiveness in asset recovery.

Conclusions: The existing legal framework prioritizes retributive justice, which often delays the recovery of losses. A paradigm shift toward restorative justice, especially in corporate corruption cases, can support state financial recovery without necessarily eliminating criminal sanctions.

Limitations: This study focuses solely on corruption cases involving state financial losses and does not fully address systemic reform needs. The civil law procedures discussed remain constrained by conventional legal frameworks.

Contribution: This research contributes to legal scholarship by proposing a reformulation of corruption law enforcement through restorative justice principles. It informs policy makers and legal practitioners on the potential integration of non-punitive measures in corruption cases and supports the development of a comprehensive legal system for recovering state assets in line with international norms.