Strategies for Effective Use of TVET Advocacy in Promoting Gender Equity of Students in TVET Institutions in Uganda: Multiple Informants Perceptions

Abstract

This study explored strategies for effective use of TVET advocacy in the promotion of gender equity of TVET students in the Central Region, Uganda. Thus, a convergentparallel mixed methods research design, with a survey strategy was adopted, to achieve the objectives. Two theories including the feminist socialization theory and subject-task value theories guided the conceptualization of this study. The study targeted 5,791 students, 240 instructors, 60 institutional leaders, 42 district leaders, 4 Ministry of Education and Ministry of Gender Labour and Social Development officials, and 21 civil society organisation gender advocates. Purposive sampling was used to select 9 institutional leaders, 3 district leaders, and 2 ministry officials while convenience sampling was used to select 5 gender advocates. Likewise, stratified random sampling was used to select 185 students and 56 instructors. Therefore, a sample size of 260 informants was used. Questionnaires, interview guides, and observation checklists were used to collect the desired data. The quantitative data was cleaned, coded, and entered into Statistical Package for Social Sciences software version 21 for analysis. Frequencies, percentages, means, standard deviations, and bar graphs were used to present the analysed data. Qualitative data was analysed using the thematic method and presented using verbatim and indirect reporting. The findings revealed a lowstatus quo for TVET, moderate use of different TVET advocacy strategies, and affirmed that effective use of TVET advocacy enhanced gender equity of students in Uganda. The study recommended that TVET institutions effectively implement different advocacy strategies, the Uganda government to employ experts for TVET advocacy and increase the budget for supporting the implementation of different advocacy strategies.