UCU Digital Institutional Repository(UCUDIR)
Welcome to the Uganda Christian University Digital Institutional Repositoy (UCUDIR). This is the University's official Institutional Repository. It aims to collect, preserve and showcase the intellectual output of staff and students of UCU. This growing collection of research includes peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, working papers, theses, and more.
- The Repository ingests documents, audio, video, datasets and their corresponding Dublin Core metadata
- The aim is to open up this content to local and global audiences, with have optimized well for Google Scholar so your items here shows up on Google Scholar searches
- we also issue permanent urls and trustworthy identifiers, including optional integrations with handle.net and DataCite DOI
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Communities in UCUDIR
Select a community to browse its collections.
- Items in this community present a concise summary of information that can help readers understand, and likely make decisions about, government policies.
- This is a collection of Masters and Doctoral theses and dissertations submitted in electronic format to the Uganda Christian University.
Recent Submissions
Assessing Barriers and Facilitators for Contraceptive Utilisation Among Adolescent Girls and Young Women Aged (15-24 Years) in Kiyindi Town Council, Buikwe District
(Uganda Christian University, 2026-01-28) Alex K. Bahima
Introduction: The study focused on establishing Barriers and Facilitators for Contraceptive Utilization among Adolescent Girls and Young Women Aged (15-24 Years) in Kiyindi Town Council, Buikwe District. Specifically, to understand AGYW perceptions of family planning access and utilization, explore barriers for family planning use among adolescent girls and young women and to understand facilitators for family planning use among adolescent girls and young women. Methods: The study adopted a narrative research design while applying qualitative methodologies. The study interviewed 40 adolescent girls and young women and 10 Key Informants as the sample size that were selected using purposive, snow ball and convenience sampling. Data was collected using interview Method and focus group discussion. The researcher used NVivo software and thematic analysis where the interview responses were transcribed, sorted, classified into themes and categories in order to answer the pertinent research questions. Results/Findings: The study found out that AGYW perception and attitude towards contraception is generally good. Some AGYW use herbs, while others take pills, and others use monthly injectable contraceptives (Depo-Provera). Another section of AGYW use implants while a cross-section of other AGYW use condoms majorly provided by their male counterparts. This implies that at least the majority AGYW have access to their preferred contraceptive methods and the ability to determine if, when and how often to reproduce. However, the study also found out that culture influences the usage of family planning because large families are still valued, and the use of contraception is viewed as contrary to these norms. Economic factors also influence the use of family planning and worse still, AGYW from especially lower-income families face barriers to accessing family planning services due to costs such as transport and cost of the method itself. The study also revealed that facilitators for contraceptive uptake in Kiyindi Town council among AGYW include individual factors like knowledge and perceived benefits, interpersonal factors such as partner/peer approval, and health system factors like accessibility and provider attitudes.
Conclusion: Individual, interpersonal, community, and health systems factors all play a significant role in shaping contraceptive use. Understanding barriers and facilitators to contraceptive use among AGYW aged 15-24 is crucial for improving their reproductive health outcomes in Kiyindi Town council.
Key words: Family planning, Adolescent girls and young women, access and Utilization.
Effect of Coaching on Knowledge and Practice among Nurses in the use of Ventilator Care Bundle in the Prevention of Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia in the Critical Care Units of the Uganda Heart Institute a Specialized Hospital in Kampala
(Uganda Christian University, 2026-02-09) Oketayot Anna Noland
Introduction: Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is one of the most commonly encountered hospital-acquired infections in the intensive care units worldwide. In Uganda, VAP is one of three infections that account for all nosocomial infections. The ventilator care bundle (VCB) is widely proposed and implemented in most hospitals, especially in developed countries, as an effective preventive measure against VAP. However, lack of knowledge and practice by nurses has hampered the implementation of the VCB guidelines for VAP prevention in Uganda, despite its availability in the ICUs. Studies elsewhere suggest that clinical coaching improves clinical knowledge, practices and decisions of nurses. There are no previous studies in Uganda that have investigated this linkage. Understanding this association can improve the delivery of positive patient care and outcomes.
Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effect of coaching on clinical knowledge and practice among nurses on the use of ventilator care bundle in the prevention of ventilator-associated pneumonia in CCUs of the Uganda Heart Institute, a specialized hospital in Kampala.
Methods: The study utilized the quantitative one-group, pre-test and post-test quasi-experimental design. Data were gathered using structured survey questionnaires from 36 nurses working in the critical care units of the Uganda Heart Institute. The survey participants were selected using the Krejcie and Morgan (1970) formula for determining sample size. Data were entered and prepared for analysis in IBM SPSSv25.
Results: Of the 36 nursing participants, 69% were female and 31% were male. The paired t-test showed that there was a statistically significant difference between knowledge of nurses before coaching (m = 16.1, sd = 3.2) and knowledge of nurses after coaching (m = 30.2, sd = 2.5), p < .001. The Wilcoxon signed ranks test indicated that there was a statistically significant difference between practice of nurses before coaching (m = 3.62, sd = .29) and practice of nurses after coaching (m = 4.14, sd = .23), p < .001. The change in the nurses’ mean knowledge levels was greater than the change in the practice levels.
Conclusion: Coaching was a useful intervention for improving the knowledge and practice levels of nurses in using VCB to prevent VAP.
Recommendations: CCUs in Uganda should conduct regular coaching or related education initiatives for nurses in order to maintain an optimum standard of knowledge and practices of using VCB to prevent VAP.
Exploring Student Teachers’ Perspectives of School Administrators Support During School Practice in Uganda
(East African Nature & Science Organization, 2024) Annet Musiimenta; Wilson Eduan; Mary Ocheng Kagoire
This study investigates the collaborative potential between universities and schools in enhancing teacher training, focusing specifically on student teachers’
perceptions of support from school managers during school practice (SP). The purpose of this research was to assess how various forms of support from school
managers impact student teachers’ experiences and perceptions during practical training. Utilizing a qualitative case study design, the research involved a sample of 24 student teachers in the third and final year of study. Data collection tools included semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions, which
provided in-depth insights into the participants’ experiences. Thematic analysis of the data revealed that student teachers perceived significant support from
school managers in areas such as induction processes, equitable load distribution, managerial guidance, professional development opportunities, and
motivational practices. However, a notable concern emerged regarding the negative perceptions arising from the absence of practicing teachers during SP.
The findings suggest that while overall support from school managers was viewed positively, there are areas for improvement. The study recommends that
universities should actively strengthen collaboration with placement schools by establishing formal partnerships, thereby enhancing the support system for
student teachers during school practice experiences.
Headteachers' Transformational Leadership and Its Influence on Academic Performance: A Case of Public Secondary Schools in Uganda
(East African Nature & Science Organization, 2024) David Sengendo; Wilson Eduan
Leadership style is an important aspect of students' academic performance in schools. Transformational leadership style is associated with students' academic
achievement in Uganda's public secondary schools. The aim of this paper was to examine the influence of transformational leadership attributes on academic
performance in public secondary schools in Uganda. Specifically, the study investigated the influence of transformational leadership attributes on academic
performance at UCE and UACE in public secondary schools. The research was underpinned by the transformational leadership theory pioneered by James
McGregor Burns and supported by Bass. The study was anchored on the positivism philosophy and guided by a correlation survey design with a
quantitative research method. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to select 163 public secondary schools from a total sample of 253 public secondary
schools, registered with the Ministry of Education and Sports in Uganda's central region. Primary data was collected using structured questionnaires. Data was
analysed through descriptive and inferential statistics. Hypothesis testing was done at 5% significance level using the multiple linear regression model. The
study established that transformational leadership is a significant predictor of academic performance both at Uganda Certificate Education (Ordinary level)
and Uganda Advanced Certificate Education (Advanced level) through idealised influence, intellectual stimulation, individualised consideration, and the control
variables. The study concludes that transformational leadership has a significant influence on academic performance. The study recommends that policymakers
and strategists in Uganda's Education Ministry should closely monitor the school's alignment with the transformational leadership practices of head
teachers for sustainable academic performance in public secondary schools.
Planning for the Accelerated Education Programme for Refugee Learners In Uganda: Stakeholders Experiences
(East African Nature & Science Organization, 2024) Grace Kiiria; Wilson Eduan; Stella Eduan
This study focused on Accelerated Education Programme (AEP) to develop planning and coordination models tailored to this kind of programme. The
specific objective of the study was: To explore stakeholder’s experiences in planning for AEP to enhance transition of refugee learners to secondary
education. The study sought to explore how stakeholders experience planning and how planning influences transition of refugees learners to secondary education based on grounded theory design. Data collection was done through in-depth interviews and constant comparison analysis were done. The findings indicate that planning for AEPs was based on the four major aspects: planning for programme support, the beneficiaries, stakeholder engagement and harmonizing the curriculum. However, there is a gap in how planning is done which negatively influences transition of AEP learners to secondary education. The above factors need to be taken into consideration right from the initial stages of the programme. A Community-Focused Planning Model was developed from the study- a model which upholds the significance of community focused planning with emphasis on taking into consideration the socio-ecological environment/community in which the child lives while planning for AEP. The study therefore contributes to improved planning of AEPs while taking into consideration the needs of refugee learners, the environment in which they live and collaboratively engaging communities in the design of AEP. Thus, leading to improved learning outcomes and transition of refugee children to secondary education.