Society & Sustainability

Significance of Social Capital as a Resource for Women's Empowerment

Jannatul Ferdous Ety — 2024-11-16

Social capital has been recognized as a route through which empowerment may ensue in a developing nation like Bangladesh. This research investigated the relationship between social capital formation and women's empowerment in Bangladesh. A narrative review was performed to derive conclusions from secondary data for this qualitative study, employing a descriptive research design. Two themes emerged from the findings: the role of social capital in capacity building and the significance of network building as a means of establishing social capital. Firstly, women's participation in social networks increases their likelihood of making strategic decisions regarding themselves and the community. Secondly, women's engagement in self-help projects and credit groups, which are based on women groups, helped them to build their capability in those sectors along with the rise in education and entrepreneurship. However, challenges coming from deeply rooted traditions, conservative religious practices, and family and social values contradict the benefits of social capital women may derive from them. Thus, social capital must be considered for the policies concerning future community development and women's empowerment. This study also provides guidelines for further study with broader scope and systematic studies in the future.

Female Learners’ Language Anxiety in English Language Classroom at Tertiary Level in Bangladesh

Farzana Yesmen Chowdhury — 2024-05-30

Since the mid-20^th century, anxiety has been identified as one of the debilitating factors for the success of second language acquisition (SLA) when researchers focus on the role of affective filters, namely motivation and personality factors, in enhancing learners’ cognitive capacities. This study focuses on the speech anxiety of female students in English language classrooms at the tertiary level in Bangladesh. This qualitative research used semi-structured interview techniques to investigate the individual perception of second language learners towards their speaking skills performance in the classroom or social settings. The sample size was 20 female respondents selected from two private universities in Bangladesh through purposive sampling. In order to investigate the learners' anxiety and the related factors behind anxiety systematically, an interview profile has been made where 20 sub-questions are framed under the associated themes of research questions. The findings of this research show not only their views on learners' anxiety but also a wide range of sociocultural and pedagogical factors that demotivate them from speaking in English in the broader social context. It further focuses on the role of the education system of Bangladesh in facilitating the teaching and learning of English speaking at the tertiary level properly. Finally, this study provides insight into the field of SLA showing some pathways to mitigate the speech anxiety of female learners at tertiary levels.

Cross Border Security Challenges for Bangladesh

Taha Husain — 2024-05-30

This study aims to explore the challenges of cross-border security in Bangladesh. Employing a qualitative methodology, the study gathers insights from diverse stakeholders, including security forces, analysts, human rights activists, NGO workers, and journalists. Based on thematic analysis, the findings revealed a significant disconnect between the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and local communities, exacerbated by bureaucratic challenges and poor coordination among governmental bodies. The vulnerability of hilly border regions to illicit activities, such as insurgency and smuggling, is heightened by inadequate placement and density of Border Outposts (BOPs). Historical and cultural ties influence border dynamics, complicating security efforts. The BGB faces infrastructure and resource challenges, further hampering effective border management. Extreme poverty and lack of education in border communities drive individuals towards smuggling and make them susceptible to human trafficking. Cross-border criminal activities, including drug and arms trafficking, pose significant threats. Additionally, the influx of Rohingya refugees has led to the control of refugee camps by armed groups, creating further security concerns. This research's originality lies in its thematic analysis application to systematically explore and address the multifaceted cross-border security challenges in Bangladesh.

The Implications of Farm Production and Farmers' Characteristics on Poverty Reduction in Benue Division, Cameroon

Sonkey Louis Ntu — 2024-10-15

The main objective of this study was to determine the effect of farm production and Farmers' Characteristics on Poverty Reduction in the Benue division in the Northern region of Cameroon. Data were collected from 399 respondents using a self-administered questionnaire through a stratified sampling technique of 12 sub-divisions in the Benue division. We adopted a survey research design. To estimate our results, we used Multiple correspondent analysis (MCA) and the OLS technique. The results reveal that there is a positive relationship between farm production and poverty reduction in Benue state. An increase in farm production will lead to a 2.19% reduction in farmers' poverty in Benue and this result is significant at a 5% level of significance. Similarly, the farmer's characteristics reveal that gender, farmers' experience, and educational level also significantly affect poverty reduction. In this light, there is a need for the government to train and deploy more extension workers in the various sub-divisions and communities in Benue division, to increase farmers' access to these services. This can be done by imparting specific skills to produce dominant food crops and livestock in the Benue division through workshops and seminars.