https://hdl.handle.net/13049/8 2026-04-11T14:57:15Z https://hdl.handle.net/13049/810 Measuring the Immeasurable: Designing and Validating Assessments of Spiritual Intelligence as a Core Component of SEL in Faith-Based School Contexts in Ghana and Botswana. Ntumi, Simon; Bulala, Tapela; Yeboah, Abraham; Agbovor, Divine In an era where holistic education is gaining prominence, spiritual intelligence is emerging as a critical yet under-assessed component of students' personal and social development. This study aimed to develop and validate the Spiritual Intelligence Assessment Tool (SIAT) for cross-cultural application in faith-based educational settings across Ghana and Botswana. Grounded in four theoretical dimensions, spiritual awareness, compassion, ethical decision making, and purpose and meaning, the instrument underwent rigorous psychometric evaluation. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) revealed a clear four-factor structure explaining 75.8% of the cumulative variance, with eigenvalues ranging from 1.75 to 4.21. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) demonstrated excellent model fit (χ²/df = 1.91, CFI = 0.957, TLI = 0.942, RMSEA = 0.043), supporting the factorial validity of SIAT. Internal consistency was high across subscales (Cronbach's α = 0.81–0.87), with composite reliability (CR = 0.83–0.89) and average variance extracted (AVE = 0.53–0.61) indicating strong convergent validity. Discriminant validity was established, as AVE values exceeded maximum shared variance (MSV) for all factors. Measurement invariance testing confirmed configural and metric invariance across Ghana and Botswana, indicating a stable factor structure and equivalent factor loadings across contexts. While scalar and strict invariance showed marginal declines in model fit (ΔCFI = −0.016 and −0.011 respectively), partial support suggests cautious interpretation of latent mean differences. Descriptive statistics revealed higher spiritual intelligence scores among students in Botswana (M = 78.2, SD = 9.4) compared to Ghana (M = 75.3, SD = 10.1), with females consistently outperforming males. ANOVA results indicated significant differences by country (p = 0.031), educational level (p = 0.006), and religious affiliation (p = 0.022), with effect sizes ranging from small to moderate. Overall, the SIAT demonstrated robust psychometric properties and cultural relevance, making it a valid tool for assessing spiritual intelligence among students in sub-Saharan African faith-based educational settings. It is recommended that educational policymakers and school leaders in faith-based institutions should consider incorporating spiritual intelligence into their curricula and student development programs. 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/13049/808 Academic integrity under scrutiny: a cross-country investigation into examination malpractice and plagiaristic behavior among pre-tertiary students in Ghana and Botswana. Ntumi, Simon; Bulala, Tapela Academic integrity has emerged as a critical concern within global education systems, particularly with the rise of digital technologies that provide students with unprecedented access to information, facilitating academic misconduct. While many Western educational contexts emphasize individual responsibility for academic honesty, educational systems in Sub-Saharan Africa, such as Ghana and Botswana, face unique challenges shaped by cultural values, resource constraints, and institutional practices. This comparative study explored the perspectives and behaviors of pre-tertiary students in Ghana and Botswana regarding academic dishonesty, including cheating and plagiarism, within the context of their respective educational environments. A descriptive-correlational survey design was employed, with data collected from 600 pre-tertiary students (300 from each country) through a structured questionnaire. The study investigated the relationship between pre-tertiary students’ self-reported engagement in academic dishonesty, their awareness of academic integrity policies, and the level of teacher supervision during assessments. Findings suggest that while both countries exhibit concerns related to academic dishonesty, cultural and institutional factors significantly influence pre-tertiary students’ perceptions and behaviors. This study highlights the need for contextually tailored academic integrity frameworks in Sub-Saharan Africa, which consider both the socio-cultural values and institutional capacities of countries like Ghana and Botswana. It also emphasized the importance of raising awareness about academic integrity policies and improving teacher supervision to foster a culture of honesty and fairness in assessments. The study recommended stronger enforcement of integrity policies, increased supervision during assessments, and embedding ethics education in curricula to foster a culture of academic honesty. The article is published under Gold Open Access. 2026-01-26T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/13049/807 Competitiveness of the South African citrus fruit industry in the global market and its macroeconomic determinants. Seleka, Tebogo Bruce; Obi, Ajuruchukwu; Motsatsi, Johane Moilwa Purpose – To assess South Africa’s (SA’s) citrus export competitiveness in the global market and identify its macroeconomic drivers. Design/methodology/approach – The Normalized Revealed Comparative Advantage (NRCA) index is employed to measure export competitiveness. An ARDL-EC model is then estimated to identify the macroeconomic determinants of SA’s citrus export competitiveness. Findings – SA’s citrus export competitiveness declined before the mid-1990s and rose thereafter. On balance, the country improved from the fourth to the second most competitive citrus exporter. A long-run relationship was established between the NRCA scores and the real exchange rate and real GDP per capita growth rate. The export price exerted a positive short-run influence on citrus export competitiveness. The rise in SA’s citrus export competitiveness since the mid-1990s was mainly driven by the rising citrus export price and real exchange rate depreciation. Research limitations/implications – Future research could explore the determinants of SA’s export competitiveness using panel gravity models of bilateral trade flows to isolate the impact of macroeconomic variables and trade restricting/enhancing policies of importing countries. Originality/value – The article employs the NRCA index, which can measure comparative advantage across space and over time. It is the first to econometrically estimate the macroeconomic determinants of citrus export competitiveness in SA. Application of the ARDL-EC framework yields both short- and long-run effects of macroeconomic variables on export competitiveness. 2026-01-20T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/13049/806 Sources of declining beef export competitiveness under preferential trade arrangements: the case of Botswana. Seleka, Tebogo B. Despite preferential trade in its export markets, Botswana has experienced declining beef export competitiveness (BEC) since the mid-1970s. We applied an Autoregressive Distributed Lag model to data for 1962–2023 to identify the determinants of BEC, using the Normalized Revealed Comparative Advantage index as a measure of BEC. Results reveal that the decline in BEC was primarily caused by declining cattle population and increasing per capita income in Botswana. A long run relationship was established between BEC and beef export price and cattle population, with elasticities of 0.75 and 0.11, respectively. An inverse relationship was established between BEC and GDP growth rate, with a cumulative short run elasticity of approximately −0.05. Therefore, GDP growth has led to increased domestic demand capacity, further reducing beef exports and BEC. Drought shocks increased BEC by 23.4%, suggesting increased cattle supply to manage the risk of stock loss during drought, which expands exports and BEC. FMD outbreak reduced BEC by 30.3%, while removal of the live cattle export ban reduced BEC by 67.3%. A gradual decline in BEC, at 1.1% per year, due to unidentified factors, was also established. Public policy in Botswana must focus on promoting supply-side livestock productivity enhancing measures to increase BEC. 2026-01-12T00:00:00Z