Journal of Educational Foundations

Utilization of ICTs in students' assessment: a field report of competencies of university lecturers in Benue State, Nigeria

2022-12-23T06:47:00+00:00

The use of ICTs in constructing, administering assessment tasks and supporting students to learn and teachers to teach at different levels of education is becoming more and more popular. Digital devices help to break the distance/space barriers and delays that are common with the traditional assessment of students in providing feedback and grades to students. The purpose of the present study was to find out university lecturers' competencies in utilizing ICTs for students' assessment in Benue State, Nigeria. The study adopted descriptive survey design to investigate competencies of University lecturers in the utilization of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) for students' assessment in Benue State, Nigeria. The population was 1542 university lecturers in Benue State composed of 1115 males and 427 females from Benue State University Makurdi, University of Mkar and University of Agriculture, Makurdi. A total of 308 lecturers were selected using simple random sampling technique. Of this number, 223 were males and 85 were females. The instrument used in data collection was Lecturers' ICT Competency in Students' Assessment Questionnaire (LICTCSAQ), which was developed by the researchers. The questionnaire was validated by two experts in the Department of Computer Science and one specialist in Computer Science Education from Benue State University, Makurdi. The reliability coefficient of the instrument was established using Cronbach alpha and it yielded an index of 0.91. The questionnaire copies were administered by six lecturers (research assistants) in the three universities in Benue State. The data collected were analyzed using means and standard deviation for answering the two research questions. To aid interpretation, any item with a mean score within the range 0-1.49 represented Not Competent (NC), 1.50-2.49 was for Partially Competent (PC), 2.50-3.49 was for Highly Competent (HC) 3.50 and above was regarded as Very Highly Competent (VHC). The hypothesis was tested using t-test at 0.05 level of significance. Findings were that lecturers demonstrated low competency in the utilization of ICTs for students' assessment. Also, no significant difference between male and female lecturers' level of competency in utilizing ICT facilities for students' assessment was observed. It was recommended that training should be organized for lecturers to enhance their competency in utilizing ICTs for assessment of students in the universities.

Influence of livestock activities on school attendance and academic achievement of the boy-child in Ghana

2022-12-23T07:06:48+00:00

The livestock sector is one of the fastest-growing segments of the agricultural economy and contributes significantly to rural livelihoods which have led to the engagement of its activities by the boy-child. The study was carried out to assess the influence of child labour in livestock on the education of the boy-child in Sagnarigu Municipal. Cross-sectional descriptive survey design was used. Out of 350 households visited, 90 boys (male children) were involved in livestock activities and available for the interview. Questionnaire and interview guide were the main data collection instruments. Descriptive analysis and Chi-Square test at 0.05 probability level in SPSS software was used for data analysis. The findings showed that the boy-child was engaged in livestock activities which were mostly carried out at morning hours (60.0%) before attending school. Engagement in livestock activities had no influence on school attendance and academic achievement as reported by the boy-child and their parents. Although, the boys denied being affected in school attendance and academic achievement due to their involvement in livestock activities, their responses at which the majority (75.6%) stated that they will perform better academically without working in the livestock sector indicated otherwise. It can thus be concluded that, in the short-term the effects of livestock on the boy's education may not be much felt, but in the long run it could cause some impediment to their academic progress if solutions are not implemented on time. It is therefore recommended that, education of both parents and children on dangers of involvement in livestock activities, particularly, herding activities should be carried out.

Girl-child education and poverty reduction in Jos North Local Government Area, Plateau State

2022-12-23T07:11:56+00:00

This study investigated the impact of girl-child education on poverty reduction in Jos North Local Government Area in Plateau State. The problem of the study was to ascertain the role played by girl-child education in poverty reduction, the challenges militating against girlchild education and how the standard of girl-child education can be improved in Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State. The descriptive survey research design was used in this study. The sample for this study consisted of 150 respondents drawn through the simple random sampling technique from a population of 15011 female students in senior secondary schools in Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State. A questionnaire tagged, “Girl-Child Education and Poverty Reduction Questionnaire (GEPRQ)” was used as instrument for used for data collection. Three research questions were formulated for the study. The content and construct validity of the GEPRQ were ascertained through expert judgment while the reliability was computed using Cronbach Alpha and reliability coefficient of 0.83. The research questions formulated in the study were analysed using mean scores and standard deviation. The findings of the study revealed that girl-child education can be a vital agent of poverty reduction among the people of Jos North LGA through raising the standard of women literacy, making them independent, creating employment opportunities for them and promoting economic and social development and making girl-child literate, empowered, an income earner and useful in the society. Based on the findings of the study, it was recommended among others that parents should be enlightened of the benet and importance of educating their female children in Nigeria especially in northern Nigeria. This is based on the findings in this research that some parents do not send their female children to school. Also, education should be made free of charge at all levels in Nigeria.

Management of secondary education in Nasarawa State: problems and prospect

2022-12-23T07:16:03+00:00

The Nigerian educational system have battled with several obstacles in the past and continues to contend with the inability to enforce and actualize the realization and stability of a credible educational planning. To position and move the local, state and community forward; government, educational institutions, administrations, students, parents and other stakeholders in education at all tiers of government have roles to play. More so, government needs to allocate more funds to educational sector, recruit qualified teachers, improve teachers welfare, train and retrain teachers, and school managers so as to cope with new challenges, provide adequate infrastructural facilities in states secondary schools, curb corruption, as well as examination misconducts. This paper highlights problems and prospects of secondary education in Nigeria, management of education in Nasarawa State, problem of secondary education in Nasarawa State, prospects of secondary education in Nasarawa State among others. Irrespective of the complex increase of enrollment in schools, educational management must be improved and tailored towards the benefits of schools and society.

Implementation of science education programme for sustainable development in Ebonyi State: a prognostic analysis.

2022-12-23T07:21:26+00:00

This paper assessed the degree of implementation of science education programme for sustainable development particularly in Ebonyi State, Nigeria. Four research questions guided the study. The study adopted programme evaluation design. The population of the study comprised of all the one thousand and eighty (1080) Science teachers from Abakaliki Education Zone of Ebonyi State and out of which one hundred and eight research subjects were selected as sample through proportionate random sampling technique. The instruments that were used for the data collection were checklist and observation schedule drawn from secondary schools science curriculum. The instruments used for were subjected to validation which was validated by experts from different science areas. The instrument were subjected to test of internal consistency using Kendel-W of Concordance for Checklist and Cronbach alpha for Observational Schedule. The reliability indices for Kendel W Concordance yielded 0.77 0.72 and 0.83 respectively and this was specifically for research question 1-3 and the reliability index for the Observational schedule using Cronbach alpha yielded an alpha index of 0.68. Research questions were answered using frequency and percentages. The study established among other things that; biology, chemistry and physics teachers used at secondary for the teaching of science subjects are not adequate with the specification of biology, chemistry and physics core curriculum to effectively teach the subjects. The study also shows that some of the science instructional materials, some teaching facilities such as classrooms and boards are not adequate with the specification of the facilities in the core curriculum. The study therefore recommended inter alia; that government should fund science programme adequately, since science is the key to development, government and school authorities should endeavour to provide adequate instructional material resources for the teaching and learning of sciences, workshops and seminars/conferences should be organized periodically by government for serving biology, chemistry and physics teachers.

Funding options as panacea for challenges faced in public universities

2022-12-23T07:29:20+00:00

Most of the challenges facing Nigerian universities are traceable to inadequate funding. The sector often blames the government for inadequate funding of public universities while the government complains of scarce resources. The incessant closure of public universities as a result of unresolved issues between labour/student unions and management, as well as the government is usually as a result of funding such as unpaid outstanding allowances and dilapidated facilities among others. This paper explored some options to funding university education in Nigeria such as Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), TETFund, donor agencies, contributions from users of education and government improvement in budgetary allocation as the university challenges are becoming more eminent as identified. Some of the challenges include inadequate financing, deteriorated infrastructure, brain-drain and university autonomy. The paper recommended that government should allocate more funds to the public universities so that they can be more effective, universities should establish and equip a unit in their institutions solely for the purpose of generating funds internally. Various stakeholders should also be encouraged to give more financial support to university education. The emoluments of public university staff should be reviewed upward to prevent brain drain. An enabling teaching-learning environment is to be assured and the autonomy to public universities would help reduce the extent of political interference in the affairs of these institutions.

Effects of Penn Resiliency Programme on sexual activities of junior secondary school students in Jema'a Local Government Area of Kaduna State, Nigeria

2022-12-23T07:54:21+00:00

This study examined the effects of Penn Resiliency Programme (PRP) on sexual activities of junior secondary school students in Jema'a Local Government Area of Kaduna State, Nigeria. Three research questions were raised and three hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. A true experimental, pre-test-post-test design was used. A sample of 40 JSS3 students selected using a multistage sampling from the 67 students screened, was randomly assigned to the experimental and control groups. The validity and reliability of the instruments were ascertained. Cronbach's alpha coefficients of the Students Sexual Activities Scale and Resilience Scale for Early Adolescents were 0.77 and 0.90 respectively. The research questions were answered using means, standard deviation and simple percentages while the hypotheses were tested using t-test statistic. The PRP intervention was administered to the experimental group while the control group were given Botvin Life Skills Training. Findings of the study revealed that the PRP reduced students' sexual activities and improved on their resilience. The study recommended that all students in secondary schools of Kaduna State be trained on the PRP, this is because the programme had high effects on students' sexual activities.

The perception of stakeholders on parent-teacher participation in the development of public secondary schools in Nassarawa State

2022-12-23T08:01:14+00:00

The study examined the stakeholders' perception on the participation of PTA in the management of public secondary schools in Nassarawa State. The objective of the study was to determine the contributions of PTA in the development of secondary schools in Nassarawa state. The target population of the study was 2267 participants consisting of principals, teachers, PTA officials and staff from the Ministry of Education in Nassarawa state. The sample size of the study was 322 participants. Questionnaire titled “Stakeholders Perception on the Participation of PTA in the Management of Public Secondary Schools Questionnaire” was used for data collection. Data collected was analyzed using frequency counts, percentages and mean. One of the findings from the study indicated that PTA participates in the provision of funds for the development of secondary schools in Nassarawa State and it was recommended among others that school administrators should continue to engage PTA to provide more financial assistance by funding critical school projects for effective teaching and learning to thrive.

Community participation in the provision and maintenance of educational facilities in secondary schools in Malumfashi Education Zone Katsina State

2022-12-23T08:04:54+00:00

The paper examined the community participation in the provision and maintenance of facilities in senior secondary schools of malumfashi education zone, the paper highlighted the participation of the community in the provision of school facilities, maintenance of school facilities, relationship between community and school as well as the system theory of the work. The paper also recommended that there should be a regular inspection on school facilities and adequate finance should be provided to purchase necessary tools required for effective execution of the maintenance of school facilities.

Counselling techniques for reducing sexual immorality among University of Jos Students

2022-12-23T08:09:10+00:00

This study examines counselling techniques for reducing sexual immorality among University of Jos students. Descriptive survey research design was used for this study. The population consisted all students of Faculty of Education, University of Jos. Sample size was 400 respondents who were randomly selected for the study. The study was guided by four research questions. A structured questionnaire designed by the researchers on students' sexual immorality was used. The instrument was subjected to face validation by two experts from Research, Measurement and Evaluation, and Guidance and Counselling units in the Department of Educational Foundations of University of Jos. Cronbach Alpha reliability coefficient of the instrument gave an index of 0.68. The questionnaire was distributed to the respondents, filled and collected immediately. The data were statistically analysed using mean and standard deviation. The findings revealed that counselling techniques of reinforcement, punishment, modeling, systematic desensitization, cognitive restructuring, assertion training, social-skills training, self-management programmes multimodal therapy techniques when used properly, will help in the reduction of sexual immorality among university students. It was recommended that counselling centres of universities should be well-equipped to enhance better service delivery.

Administrative strategies for prevention of tort of malicious prosecution, nuisance, deceit and vicarious liability in unity schools in Kebbi State: implications for school administrators

2022-12-23T08:18:27+00:00

This study investigated the extent of application of administrative strategies for prevention of tort of malicious prosecution, nuisance, deceit and vicarious liability in Unity Schools in Kebbi State. Lack of clear cut strategies for prevention of acts of torts can affect the sustenance of a conducive learning environment. This study sort to fill the gap arising from scarcity of studies addressing the variables under investigation specifically in the case of Kebbi State. A descriptive survey design was used for the study. Out of the total population of 2,313 participants, a sample size of 330 respondents comprising of 30 school administrators, 60 teachers, 60 supporting staff and 180 students were selected using purposive, stratified and simple random sampling techniques. A self-designed, structured questionnaire titled: “Administrative Strategies for Prevention of Tort Questionnaire” (ASPTQ) was used to collect data. The 26-item instrument with four sections was based on a five-point scale to measure extent of performance was used. The mean of 3 points and above was used as cut-off for satisfactory performance while below 3 points was unsatisfactory. The instrument was expert validated and pilot tested. A reliability index of 0.79 was obtained using test re-test method and Pearson Product Moment Correlation Co-efficient at 0.05 alpha level. The data collected was analyzed using simple frequencies, percentages and grand mean. The study found that administrative strategies were not satisfactorily applied for prevention of tort of malicious prosecution, nuisance and deceit in unity Schools in Kebbi State. It was therefore recommended that schools should develop specific rules against tort of malicious prosecution. Staff should be accountable for tort of nuisance they caused as well as to be held responsible for their deceitful words and actions, among others.

Administrative strategies for prevention of tort of trespass, negligence and defamation in unity schools in Kebbi State: implications for school administrators

2022-12-23T08:25:36+00:00

This study assessed the extent of application of administrative strategies for prevention of tort of trespass, negligence and defamation in unity schools in Kebbi State. The study adopted a descriptive survey design. Using all the existing three school. Out of the total population of 2,313 participants, a sample size of 330 respondents was purposefully determined. This comprised of 30 school managers, 60 teachers, 60 nonteaching staff, and 180 students selected through deliberate, stratified, systematic and simple random sampling techniques. A researcher designed, structured and expert validated instrument titled: “Administrative Strategies for Prevention of Torts Questionnaire” (ASPTQ) was pilot tested using test re-test method. A reliability index of 0.79 was obtained using Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient at 0.05 level of significance. A five-point scale was used to measure extent of performance. Trained research assistants were used to facilitate data collection. Simple frequencies, percentages and mean scores were used to analyze the data. It was found that while unity schools in Kebbi State did not perform satisfactorily in prevention of tort of trespass to person, yet they applied measures to satisfactorily prevent tort of trespass to school land, negligence and defamation. It was therefore recommended that the schools should develop strict rules against tort of assault and battery, and that staff found guilty of trespass to person should be sanctioned, while serious cases of tort should be referred to the courts for prosecution. Schools should be more vigilant in preventing cases of tort of negligence and defamation at all times.

Investigating patterns of Rasch item estimates in examinations of educational statistics courses in University Of Cape Coast, Ghana: a gradient assumption examined

2022-12-23T08:30:23+00:00

From a theoretical lens, Rasch modeling has long been an approach for educational measurement. Nonetheless, it appears that the Rasch model has not been fully exploited within the Ghanaian Context. This paper investigates patterns of Rasch item estimates in examinations of educational statistics courses at the University of Cape Coast, Ghana. The population for the study was all levels, 100, 200, and 800 students who offer statistics courses. Purposive sampling was used to select 150 students (offering educational statistics courses that are; EPS 211, EPS 121, EPS 851, and EPS 856). The instrument for the data collection was the examination results in these four courses in educational statistics. The data were analyzed using item difficulty and ability parameter logits of the Winsteps Rasch Measurement Model computer program. The study used the ex-post facto design. The findings of the study showed that item difficulty parameters were appropriate but were not arranged hierarchically from the least difficult to the most difficult item and students' ability parameters were appropriately estimated by the examination items. It was recommended among others that, for valid and reliable items with appropriate item difficulty parameters and person ability parameters that measure the intended unidimensional construct educational statistics lecturers should consider using the Rasch Model in developing their examination items.

Challenges of educational policy implementation in Nigeria: the implication for national development

2022-12-23T08:39:45+00:00

The implementation of educational policy in Nigeria has been disrupted and challenged by certain anomaly that deprived achievement of educational set goals. This paper examined the challenges of the implementation of educational policy, and implications to national development. The paper positioned that some of the challenges are; inadequate funding, political influence, weak leadership, corruption, inadequate resources, poor condition of service among others. The study viewed higher education as being unique to national development with numerous challenges and its graduates cannot compete favourably in the world due to haphazard achievement of set goals. Brain drain is seen to be a challenge that has compounded shortages of lecturers in higher education; and poor condition of service aggravated incessant strike actions resulting to unstable calendar. Quality education cannot be achieved under such situations. Therefore, the paper noted the implications to national development as; poverty, low standard of living, increase social menace, unemployment et cetera. Suggestions were made to include; government should ensure that; adequate fund is provided for the implementation of educational policies, ensure appropriate auditing to minimize fund embezzlement and facilitate accountability and transparency, provide infrastructural facilities and other human and material resources; school administrators should improve on funding options to raise funds that could supplement the scarce resources available among others.

Functional basic education for promoting security in Nigeria: challenges and ways forward

2022-12-23T08:42:51+00:00

This paper focuses on functional basic education for promoting security in Nigeria. It highlights some concepts and discusses identified problems in formulating and implementing basic education policy in Nigeria, exposing gaps. The paper reminisced on the education content and environment in Nigeria's early years. It further identified low-quality basic education, low budgetary allocation, the language of instruction and out-of-school children caused by poverty, religion and cultural beliefs as major issues against functional basic education for promoting security in Nigeria. As a way forward, this paper recommended, among others, that the government should sustain Better Education Service Delivery for All, operate Homegrown School Feeding and Health Programme, tackle corruption, make the curriculum innovative and engaging, and that leaders should act with complete honesty. The paper concluded with the need for a Positive Mental Attitude (PMA) and the cultivation of the "Five Minds for the Future" to make basic education functional for promoting security in Nigeria.