Thesis & Dissertations(Doctoral & Master)

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Browsing Thesis & Dissertations(Doctoral & Master) by Issue Date

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    Social media and health behaviour in Sub Saharan Africa
    (Makerere University Business School, 2017-04) Kituyi, Geoffrey Mayoka
    Social media has become an influential tool in causing Health Behavioral change globally and more especially in the Sub-Saharan Africa region. This study sought to analyze and model the Health Behavioral changes that were being presented through the use of social media using social cognitive and learning theories. A quantitative research approach encompassing descriptive statistics, inferential statistics and Structural Equation Modeling techniques was applied. A survey research design was implemented using questionnaires. Data were analyzed and presented using quantitative methods. Purposive sampling was used to select three countries from the Sub-Sahara Africa region – including Uganda in East Africa, Cameroon in Central Africa and Nigeria in West Africa. Simple random sampling technique was used to select 150 survey respondents from each of these three countries. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, factor analysis, correlation and Multiple Hierarchical Regressions, and Structural Equation Modeling techniques. Findings indicated that Cognitive Factors significantly influenced Health Behaviors as well as Self-Regulation; Self-Regulation had a significant positive relationship with Health Behavior as well as External Locus of Control; External Locus of Control had a positive significant relationship with Health Behavior; Outcome Expectations positively influenced External Locus of Control; Age Sensitivity negatively influenced Health Behavior; Age Sensitivity positively moderates the relationship between Cognitive Factors and Self-Regulation; Self-Regulation has a partial mediation effect on the relationship between Cognitive Factors and Health Behavior; Self- Regulation and External Locus of Control had a partial mediation effect in the relationship between Cognitive Factors and Health Behavior; Self-Regulation has a partial mediation effect in the relationship between Age Sensitivity and Health Behavior; External Locus of Control has a partial mediation effect in the relationship between Self-Regulation and Health Behavior. Generally, the current study provides empirical evidence in examining the cognitive and social learning theories on Health Behavioral change. The three theories were triangulated and tested to see how bet they explained the learning of new Health Behaviors by social media users in Sub- Saharan Africa. This was probably the first study that investigated social media and Health Behavioral change in the region. As had been indicated in chapter one, most studies on e-health concentrated mainly technology transfer, adoption and sustainability. Little or nothing had been done on investigating the Health Behavioral implications caused by adoption and usage of technology especially social media. Specifically, this study makes a contribution to the body of knowledge on social media and Health Behavior by proposing a model for social media and Health Behavior. The proposed model was tested on empirical data and found to adequately explain how and why individuals learned new Health Behaviors via social media. Since Outcome Expectations were found to positively affect External Locus of Control of social media users, it is important for social media platforms to be designed in such a way that they will make its users better and more acceptable people in society. The also recommends online community education, sensitization and policing programs to help educate the careless learners on the dangers of learning bad Health Behaviors. Further, parents, teachers, and elders in the community should take keen interest in monitoring the activities of their young one online. In addition, Social media users should be taught on the benefits of using social media for positive health gain. It is also important to improve on the knowledge and beliefs of social media users to ensuring that social media users learn how to regulate themselves while using online platforms. In terms of policy, parliaments of affected countries should enact laws that force social media developers to use local content. Using local content will ensure that only appropriate information is consumed by citizens via social media.
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    Theorising ICT Education and ICT Policy in Green ICT
    (The UICT University, 2017-04) Samali, V. Mlay
    The study presents a comprehensive model that combines the investigative power of belief action outcome model and accountability theory and also integrates ICT education and ICT policy to examine factors influencing the Green IT Practice. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of ICT education and ICT policies on Green ICT practice in Uganda. Adapting the Belief Action Outcome model, the study looked at the effect of societal structure and organisational structure on beliefs about the environment. These effects were moderated by Accountability theory constructs namely; identifiability, expectation of evaluation and awareness of monitoring. The study adopted a post-positivist paradigm with a quantitative analytical survey research methodology. Using a deductive approach, questionnaires were used as the data collection tool. A cross-sectional study was conducted out and 384 respondents were selected using two stage cluster sampling. A response rate of 94% was achieved. Correlation and regression analysis, Medgraphs and Modgraphs were carried out. A Structural equation modeling was also estimated to test for mediation and moderation of the study variables. It was found that societal structure, ICT education and organisational structure have a positive effect on beliefs about the environment. Societal structure, ICT education, ICT policy and organisational structure have a positive effect on Green ICT practice; Beliefs about the environment positively mediate the relationship between societal structure, ICT education, organisational structure and Green ICT practice. However, ICT policy was found to have a negative effect on beliefs about the environment. Expectation of evaluation was found to have a positive effect on Green ICT practice, while identifiability and awareness of monitoring didn’t have a significant effect on Green ICT practice. conserve and manage the environment. It also recommends an increase in societal/community Green ICT initiatives since they have the greatest effect on Green ICT and consequently the environment.
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    A model for usability of E-agriculture by farmers in Uganda
    (The UICT University, 2017-07) Kyeyune, Robert
    The study examines the levels of farmers' expectancy, intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation and instrumentality, context of use, and usability measures in using e-agriculture. This study used a quantitative data collection and analysis techniques. The population comprised of farmers and agricultural extension workers. The study adopted a multistage sampling approach. In the first stage, Uganda was divided into four regions including Northern Region, Eastern Region, Western Region and Central region. In the second stage, simple random sampling was used to sample farmers. A total of 125 farmers were selected from each region of the country to participate in the survey. Survey data was collected using self-administered questionnaires and an online questionnaire was also used to target farmers from remote locations. Descriptive statistics such as frequencies, percentages and means were used to analyse background information about the respondents. Correlation and regression analysis methods were then used to analyse the relationships between study variables and also to test the predicting power of the independent, moderating and mediating variables on the dependent variable. Structural Equation Modelling was used to conduct confirmatory analyses on the variable relationships and develop the model for e-agriculture usage in Uganda. Key findings revealed that that there was a positive significant relationship between Expectancy and Instrumentality (Beta=.519, P<0.001); there was a positive significant relationship between Expectancy and e-agriculture usability in Uganda (Beta=.196, P<0.001); there was a positive significant relationship between Instrumentality and Intrinsic Motivation of farmers in Uganda (Beta=.304, P<0.001); there was a positive significant relationship between Intrinsic Motivation and e-agriculture usability in Uganda (Beta=.505, P<0.001); there was a positive significant relationship between Context of Use and Intrinsic Motivation of farmers in Uganda (Beta=.245, P<0.001); there is a positive significant relationship between Efficiency and Intrinsic Motivation of farmers in Uganda (Beta=.396, P<0.001); Context of Use inversely moderates the relationship between Expectancy and Instrumentality; Instrumentality partially mediates the relationship between Context of Use and Intrinsic Motivation; Instrumentality & Intrinsic Motivation partially mediates the relationship between Expectancy and E-Agriculture Usability. The study proposes a model for e-agriculture usability indicating that for improved usability of e- agriculture platforms in Uganda, there is need to increase Expectancy, Instrumentality, Intrinsic Motivation, Context of Use, Efficiency, and Expectancy since all these variables were found to have a positive effect on their dependent variables in the final model explaining usability of e- agriculture by Ugandan farmers. It is recommended that stakeholders implementing e-agriculture usability should try to enhance the expectancy and Instrumentality of farmers as well as intrinsic motivation. This will encourage farmers use the technology in anticipation of better returns. In addition, there is need to address of user characteristics, technological issues, organizational environment, social environment and economic environment pertinent for the technology to be accepted. There is need for system developers to address issues of efficiency since it was found to tremendously influence usability of e-agriculture. They need to ensure that e-agriculture platforms accomplish tasks in the shortest time possible, while at the same time helping farmers to save costs. Government policy geared towards promoting usability of e-agriculture platforms should take into consideration intrinsic motivational factors that were found to enhance usability other than extrinsic motivational factors.