Thesis & Dissertations - ތީސީސް އަދި ޑެޒަޓޭޝަން
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Item The development and evaluation of a computer-assisted instructional strategy designed to change student misconceptions about chemical equilibrium(Department of Science Education, Edith Cowan University, 1990-12-14) Hameed, Hassan; ޙަސަން ޙަމީދުThe main aims of this thesis are twofold. First, to identify and describe misconceptions about chemical equilibrium held by Year-12 chemistry students in the Maldives. Second, to investigate the effects of using a computer-assisted instructional strategy in changing those misconceptions. A misconception identification test and an interview schedule developed by Garnett & Hackling ( 1984) were used to diagnose student misconceptions about chemical equilibrium. The remediation aspect of the study used a computer-assisted instruction (CAI) package. The package was designed in accordance with a model of conceptual change proposed by Posner, Strike, Hewson & Gertzog ( 1982) . The CAI package consists of eleven modules. The conceptual change strategies, as implemented in the package, mainly used simulations to create cognitive conflict to assist accommodation. The results of the study indicate that misconceptions about chemical equilibrium are common among Year 12 chemistry students in the Maldives. In addition, these misconceptions were found to be similar to those reported by Hackling and Garnett (1985) which identified misconceptions among Western Australian students. Results also indicate that the remediation aspect of the study, which used the CAI package, produced significant and lasting conceptual changes in students holding the misconceptions.Item Effectiveness of solid waste management in the Maldives : a case study from Ukhulas(Villa College, 2016-01-01) Shadiya, Fathimath; ޝާދިޔާ, ފާތިމަތުWaste management in preindustrial times was simple because most of the waste compromised of organic materials which decompose naturally. However with the introduction of non- biodegradable synthetic materials such as plastic, waste treatment and waste disposal have become a pressing concern in the Maldives due to limited financial and human resources available in the country. This research tries to identify factors that can influence the long term sustainability of Community Based Solid Waste Management Systems from social, economic and environmental perspectives, and to suggest recommendations for areas that need further improvement and development in the system. A quantitative approach was used as the research methodology. The survey questionnaire was a close ended questionnaire. Data were collected by conducting social survey and secondary data sources. Data analysis for the social survey was carried out using SPSS. Analysis of results showed Ukulhas waste management Centre utilizes 79.2% of organic waste brought to the waste management Centre to make compost. Spearman’s rank order showed there was no association between respondent’s satisfaction level and their willingness to pay for waste collection service. Kruskal Wallis test showed there was a significance difference in satisfaction level towards waste management system across different age groups, and Chi-Square test showed there was no association between respondent’s attitude towards plastic and their willingness to use recyclable shopping bags. The findings were analyzed using DPSIR framework.Item An empirical analysis on international tourist flow and hotel room prices: the case of Maldives(National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies, 2017-09-01) Zuhuree, Ibrahim; އިބްރާހިމް ޒުހުރީSince the 1950s, international tourism has played a major role in economic development in the developing world in general and small island developing states (SIDS) in particular. The Maldives, for example, has transformed itself from sleepy fishing villages into a luxury destination for rich tourists and has achieved the status of upper-middle-income country. This study extends the scope of empirical analysis of international tourism considerably by covering not only the demand side (e.g. tourist income) but also the supply side factors (e.g. security and environmental amenities). First, using panel data, the study examines the relationship between supply-side factors and tourist inflow from cross-country perspective as well as for the single country case of the Maldives. A major finding is that international tourist inflow is not very sensitive to price compared with tourist income and security issues. Second, primary data from a survey of guesthouses in the Maldives is used to examine the extent of congestion, the relationship between service quality and prices and the problem of free-riding on others’ efforts to preserve the natural environment. Its findings, especially the ones about the externality problems and the impact of security on tourist arrivals, are interesting and offer some policy implications.Item Instructional leadership practices of selected principals in Maldives: a case study(Asia e University, 2016-10-01) Ahmed, Abdulla Rasheed; އަބުދުﷲ ރަޝީދު އަޙުމަދުInstructional leadership has taken central place as a successful model to beމpractised by principals in leading schools. There was no research yet to explore the extent to which school principals in Maldives are adopting this model. Hence this research attempts to investigate the instructional leadership practices of selected principals in Maldives. Due to the exploratory requirement of the research, a qualitative methodology was employed using a multi-case study where data was collected through an in-depth semi-structured individual interviews utilising purposeful sampling method. Triangulation was adopted through multiple data sources such as observations, and written documents in order to support and enrich the findings. Participants of this study included three principals, three supervisors and three teachers from three selected schools. The study used a revised instructional leadership behaviour model of Hallinger and Murphy (1990) to analyze the data using within and across cases thematic approach. The findings of this study revealed that principals practiced the six dimensions of the instructional leadership behaviors and patterns as highlighted in the conceptual framework. However, from the across analysis case study, the study revealed that a) although all schools have mission and vision to provide proper direction but they are not clear whether to promote learning or to prepare for examination and b) community is not involved in designing vision and mission c) there was also confusion in the role of principals as an instructional or administrative leadership, d) no professional standards formulated for instructional leaders, e) a policy is needed for effective integration of ICT in teaching and learning, f) important behaviours of principals as instructional leaders include interaction with students and direct involvement in instruction and evaluation and g) provide holistic education for overall development and also an effective learning environment, As for barriers to be instructional leaders, the study showed lack of professional development, policies from Ministry of Education and high expectations from public. This study concluded that the revised model may be used as a guide to promote the instructional leadership behaviors and patterns among the principals in the Maldives. The revised model is considered as the contribution of this study.Item Coral reef management in the Maldives, with special reference to reef monitoring: The use of line transect method for monitoring coral reefs in the Maldives.(Centre for Tropical Coastal Management Studies, Department of Marine Sciences and Coastal Management, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, 1993-09-01) Naseer, Abdulla; އަބުދުﷲ ނަސީރުThis study attempts to ascertain aspects of coral reef management in the Maldives, with emphasis laid on reef monitoring. The patterns of exploitation of reefs are described. Threats to reefs, both man-made and natural, are reviewed. The major human impacts on reefs in the Maldives appear to be coral mining, dredging and reclamation, tourist related activities and pollution. Acanthaster plancii predation is a significant threat to coral reefs in some atolls of Maldives. Aspects of coral reef monitoring are reviewed with emphasis on monitoring objectives, design and operation of monitoring programmes, and methods employed in reef monitoring. Transect methods, quadrat methods, photographic methods and visual surveys are reviewed. A monitoring programme developed at the Marine Research Section of the Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture, in Maldives is described. Data collected under this programme were analysed in chapter 4. This is a long-term monitoring scheme being developed to detect anthropogenic impacts on coral reefs. The problems and short comings of the data as well as their usefulness is discussed. It was concluded that the data collected under the monitoring programme can be put to management use only with further studies and refinements to the sampling procedures.Item The integrated growth response of coral reefs to environmental forcing: morphometric analysis of coral reefs of the Maldives.(Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, 2003-07-01) Naseer, AbdullaCoral reefs are bioherms whose structure comprises a dynamic mixture of geologically inherited and environmentally forced morphologies. The major debate of coral reef history is over the relative importance of antecedent, erosional and recent, constructional processes in controlling the pattern and pace of reef growth. Landscape scale studies of reef morphology enable us to distinguish between these two morphological lineages on modern reefs. This thesis quantifies empirical relationships among spatial patterns of coral reef growth, geomorphology and environmental forcing in the archetypal atoll nation of the Maldives. The main hypothesis is that asymmetric ocean wave forcing interacts with antecedent reef platform structure to produce characteristic growth configurations and predictable reef morphologies during the Holocene (at least). The hypothesis is tested by regressing a set of reef growth morphometrics derived for every single coral reef larger than 1 ha on impinging wave energy for the entire archipelago (n = 2041). The methods involved the classification of eight Landsat-7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) satellite images covering all reefs of the Maldives, and the calculation of morphometric indices using a geographical information system (GIS). The spatial pattern of coral reef growth, as defined by the distributions of distinct reef geomorphologies, was quantified by multiple morphometrics of well-defined geomorphic zones: reef slope, reef crest, coral rubble, sand flats, reef lagoons and reef islands. These features were delineated with an overall accuracy of 81%. The total area all coral reef and lagoon habitats that comprise Maldives is 21,372.72 km2 . A total of 2,041 ±10 distinct coral reef structures larger than 0.01 km2 occupy a vertically-projected surface area of 4,493.85 km2 . Smaller areas of coral reef substratum cover another 19.3 km2 , bringing the total area of coral reef to 4,513.14 ±135.40 km2 . Islands occupy only 5.1% of the total reef area. Spatial gradients in environmental forcing (i.e., southern ocean swell and monsoon wind-wave fields) were characterized and quantified along the same dimensions as the reef geomorphology, and statistically related to the reef morphometrics. Nonparametric Multidimensional Scaling (MDS) and Analysis of Similarities (ANOSIM) procedures identified statistically significant differences among groups of reefs located on atoll rims that were exposed to nine differing hydrodynamic regimes. The widths of rim reef slopes, crests and flats widths were significantly related with incident wave power (r2 > 0.07, p<0.01, n=488), with the largest reef growth zones facing the major monsoon wind direction, and the smallest facing the relatively calm Maldives Inner Sea. The hydrodynamic openness of the 16 complex atolls of the Maldives was quantified by a rim aperture index (range from 0.03 to 0.35). The total area of various reef growth forms in atoll lagoons (i.e., patch reefs, knolls and faros) was significantly positively related with the aperture index (r2 > 0.62, p < 0.001, n=16). The extensive, detailed and accurate data provided by this study for the first time on the exact numbers, sizes, shapes and areas of reef features of the entire Maldivian archipelago demonstrates the value of synoptic technologies to seascape ecology, supports the hypothesis that the spatial patterns of coral reef growth predominantly reflect recent hydrodynamic forcing, and provides a sound basis for predictive modelling and management decision support in a developing nation of 300,000 people living on coral reefs and confronted with rising sea level.Item Policy processes in the evolution of education in the Maldives : 1900–2015(Faculty of Education, Maldives National University, 2017-06-15) Ali, Aishath; ޢާއިޝަތު ޢަލީThe aim of this study was to analyse key education policy reforms in the Maldives over the period 1900–2015, using an extended ‘policy trajectory’ framework to examine three policy contexts: policy influences, policy text production and policy practices/effects. For ease of analysis, the study period of 115 years was divided into five eras each named after a significant policy actor. A hybrid theoretical framework comprising critical theory and poststructuralism was used in this study to enable a comprehensive approach to policy analysis spanning global (macro) to local (micro) levels. These theoretical lenses underpin the concept of a ‘policy trajectory’ which forms the structural framework for the thesis, guiding research questions and presentation of findings. While policy ‘influences’, ‘texts’ and ‘practices’ are considered separately, their interconnected nature is also acknowledged. The study sought to answer four research questions. The first three research questions were framed around these three contexts. For the purpose of this study, the ‘global’ level included influences from particular international sources, the ‘national’ level encompassed the Maldivian government, and the ‘local’ level mainly comprised individual powerful policy actors. Through the fourth research question this study also sought to reveal the implications of the findings for the development of education policies in the Maldives for the future, especially with accelerating globalisation. Data collection involved a combination of document analysis and semistructured interviews. Almost all available policy documents of the study period were perused and 35 key policy actors were interviewed. Of the five eras into which the 115-year study period was divided, there were no living persons from Era 1 (1900–1934). Thus, only documents were used as data sources for this era. For the remaining four eras, both interviews and documents were used as data sources. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 35 participants between May 2014 and December 2016. Purposive and snowball sampling were used to determine participants who included past and present government policy elite members, institutional leaders, school administrators and teachers. The findings revealed several key themes in relation to the three contexts of the policy trajectory spanning 115 years of Maldivian education history. The dominant themes arising from the context of influences included international policy borrowing, global education trends, catering for national development needs, equity and access, resource shortages, relevance of education to the Maldives and available employment, and the role of particular powerful individual policy actors. The less prominent themes relating to influences were cultural considerations, impact on behaviour and learning and impact on schools and teachers. Quality concerns had both influenced the development of some education policies and raised them. The policy text production was characterised by the major themes: catering for national development needs, the role of particular powerful individual policy actors, equity and access, resource shortages, relevance of education to the Maldives and available employment, cultural considerations and governance. The themes relating to policy practices/effects over the study period were equity and access, catering for the national development needs, quality, resource shortages, governance, power concentration, and finally relevance of education to the Maldives and available employment. Based on these findings sixteen theoretical propositions were synthesised from the study of the evolution of education policy processes in the Maldives over five eras from 1900 to 2015. Several implications of the findings for the development of education policies in the Maldives were deduced from the study. The first of these implications deals with social efficiency, democratic equality, educational access, quality and resources. Other implications pertain to the need to contextualize overseas policies as well as improving regulatory mechanisms for quality and assessment. In addition, it was recommended that the Maldives revitalize both the technical and vocational education and training systems and higher education by prioritizing quality and labour market relevance of programmes. The thesis concludes by outlining a number of implications for future research and also providing an update on recent education policy developments in the Maldives between the conclusion of data collection in 2016 and thesis submission in mid2017.Item Relationship between obesity and type of occupation among the civilservants of Male’ Maldives(Faculty of Health Sciences, 2016-11-13) Hamzath, MohamedBackground: According to WHO, more than 1 in 3 adults globally were overweight and more than 1 in 10 were obese in 2014. Obesity and overweight are risk factors for cardiovascular diseases among many other diseases. Obesity and overweight has been noted as two of the most prevalent risk factors for NCDs in the Maldives. It has been established that sedentary lifestyles affects weight and waist circumference of people. Hence, the purpose of this study was to find the relationship between obesity and type of occupation among civil servants of Male’ Maldives. Method: This was a descriptive cross sectional study among two hundred and seventeen administrative officers, one hundred and one teachers and fifty one nurses from the civil servants of Male’. The dietary and physically active habitat at work and home were measured with the help of a self-administered questionnaire. Obesity (based on body mass index) and fat deposits (based on waist circumference (WC)) were defined using WHO criteria. Result: The results show that there was no significant relationship between obesity and occupations and neither with most of the explanatory variables selected for this study. Only 9 participants have more than 80 cm of waist circumference. And 5 participants have more than 30 units of BMI among the 92 participants. This study however, highlighted risk factors such as high carb diet, smoking, disease conditions and lack of exercise that could lead to obesity among civil servants and a slightly significant association between obesity and physical activity. Implications: Due to the small sample size, this study could not identify a relationship between the type of occupation and obesity. But notable number of participants had a waist circumference between 76-80cm, hence it is recommended to raise awareness especially for people working in deskbound jobs. Findings from this study points to the importance of designing work environments to avoid physical inactivity. High risk working populations and larger samples covering more categories of civil service employment beyond the civil service needs to be targeted in further studies. Future research needs to target.Item Knowledge and attitude toward hepatitis B infection among the students in faculty of education Male’ Maldives(Maldives National University, 2015-05-18) Hassan, FathaathA cross- sectional descriptive study was conducted to study about the knowledge and attitude towards hepatitis B infection amongst the students in the Maldives. A total of 120 students were randomly and systemically selected in the faculty of education age 20-39 years in Male’ City and interviewed by anonymous self-administered questionnaire during March to May 2015. An information letter was provided with the questionnaire and also written consent was taken from the students who have participated in the survey. Statistical descriptive analysis was used to find the knowledge and attitude among the students in faculty of education aged 20-39 years in Maldives. The result shows that majority of the students (73%) have heard about hepatitis B infection. Most of the students (28%) had heard about the disease from internet. Furthermore, majority of the students have knowledge about disease transmission, 55% of the students gave correct answered that disease can be transmitted by having personal contact. The study also show that majority of the students have less knowledge about the complication of the disease. Moreover, the study shows that students have positive attitude toward hepatitis b disease prevention. The results indicate that there is a gap in knowledge among the students about the disease transmission and complication also the prevention. To conclude health education and health promotion should be provided to the students to improve their knowledge about the disease and build their confidence to test and receive vaccination against hepatitis b infection.Item Prevalence and risk factors of hypertension and type 2 diabetes among adults of Baa.Kamadhoo.(Faculty of Health Sciences, 2016-11-01) Shereen, AminathThis is a cross sectional descriptive study, to identify the prevalence and risk factors of Hypertension and Type 2 Diabetes among adults in Baa.Kamadhoo. A structured interviewer administered questionnaire was used to identify the prevalence and risk factors of Hypertension and Type 2 Diabetes among adults in Baa.Kamadhoo. The sample size of this study was 125 samples. For data analysis Microsoft excel and SPSS were used. Descriptive statistics, frequency and percentage, cross tabulation and Chi-square were used in analysis. All the participants in this study are aged 18 years and above. Most of the participants are aged between 18 to 34 years and most of the participants are working in tourism industry. The Chi-square test revealed that there is a significant association between Hypertension and age (p-value=0.001) and also a significant association was seen between Type 2 DM and age (p-value=0.02). Furthermore, this study has identified a significant association between HTN and exercise (p-value=0.04). The results of this study will be valuable for Kamadhoo Health Centre, Baa.Kamadhoo Council Idhaaraa and Baa Atoll Hospital to prevent the community of Baa.Kamadhoo from risk of Hypertension and Type 2 Diabetes.