AN ANALYSIS OF THE NEW 9- YEAR BASIC EDUCATION MATHEMATICS CURRICULUM IN NIGERIA

The intention of this paper is to describe and reflect on the changes in the new 9-year basic education mathematics curriculum in Nigeria. The paper is divided into four major themes: history of curriculum development in mathematics education at the basic education level in Nigeria, the motivations for the revision of the primary and junior secondary education mathematics curricula, the development process of the new 9-year basic education mathematics curriculum, and the distinctions between the old mathematics curricula and the new 9-year basic education mathematics curriculum

Recent Curriculum Reforms in Primary and Secondary Schools in Nigeria in the new Millennium

The world over, education is regarded as an instrument per excellence for effecting social, psychological, economical, political, intellectual, and developmental transformation of a people and curriculum remains the tool for achieving this purpose. This paper therefore started with a brief account of education reform in Nigeria since 1960 and gradually graduated into a detailed account of recent curriculum reforms in pre-tertiary institutions (primary and secondary schools) in Nigeria in the new millennium interspersed with the reasons for the reforms, underlying principles, misconceptions about the reforms and recent review of the nine-year basic education curriculum. The differences between the new curriculum tagged Curriculum 2007 and the old curricula, constraints to the implementation of the new curriculum, and the way forward were extensively discussed. Keywords: Curriculum reforms, Primary and Secondary Schools, New Millennium, Nigeri

Examining Attitude towards Continuous Assessment Practices among Nigerian Preservice STM Teachers

The study investigated the attitudes of 339 preservice Science, Technology and Mathematics (STM) teachers towards continuous assessment practices in Nigeria within the blueprint of a descriptive survey research design in a conventional university. Data were collected using an instrument tagged preservice STM teachers’ attitudes toward CA questionnaire in which respondents were to indicate the extent of their agreement or otherwise, on a modified five–point Likert attitude measuring scale, to a set of 39 statements made on various assessment practices. Results showed that a higher proportion of the preservice STM teachers seemed to display positive attitudes toward most of the continuous assessment practices while their attitudes toward some assessment practices tended to be either negative or neutral. Although gender and age might not be factors in preservice STM teachers’ attitudes toward continuous assessment practices, discipline of study was the only potent predictor of preservice STM teachers’ attitudes towards CA practices. Keywords: Attitude, continuous assessment practices, preservice science, technology, and mathematics teachers, Nigerian

Attitudes toward Computer, Computer Anxiety and Gender as determinants of Pre-service Science, Technology and Mathematics Teachers’ Computer Self-efficacy

The study investigated attitudes towards computer and computer anxiety as determinants of computer self-efficacy among 2100 pre-service science, technology and mathematics (STM) teachers from the University of Lagos of Nigeria using the quantitative research method within the blueprint of the descriptive survey design. Data collected were analysed using the descriptive statistics of percentages, mean, and standard deviation and inferential statistics of independent samples t-test, Pearson product moment correlation coefficient and multiple regression analysis. Finding revealed significant correlations between computer attitudes, computer anxiety and computer self-efficacy. Gender differences in attitude toward computer, computer self-efficacy and computer anxiety among pre-service STM teachers were significant. Affective component, perceived control component, and perceived usefulness component, behavioural intention component, gender, and computer anxiety made statistically significant contributions to the variance in pre-service STM teachers’ computer self-efficacy. The study recommended among others that academic institutions should pay more attention to this computer anxiety and adopt proper ways of reducing the computer anxiety, so that positive e-learning experiences can be created for pre-service STM teachers

An Assessment of Google Classroom Reception and Usage among Pre-service Science, Technology and Mathematics Teachers in South-West Nigeria

Abstract: An Assessment of Google Classroom Reception and Usage among Pre-service Science, Technology and Mathematics Teachers in South-West Nigeria. Objectives: The present study assessed google classroom reception and usage among preservice Science, Technology, and Mathematics (STM) teachers in south-west Nigeria. Methods: The participants were 480 preservice STM teachers purposively selected from four universities in south-west Nigeria within the blueprint of a correlational survey research design. Data analysis was carried out using mean, standard deviation, Pearson product moment correlation coefficient and multiple regression analysis at 5% level of significance. Findings: Results showed that 94.1% of the variance in preservice STM teachers’ actual use of google classroom was accounted for by a combination of attitude towards use, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and behavioural intention to use google classroom. Conclusion: Conclusively, STM teachers’ educator should promote the adoption and utilization of google classroom among the preservice STM teachers to increase their reception of google classroom for instructional purposes. Keywords: reception, google classroom, Technology Acceptance Model, preservice teachers. Abstrak: Asesmen Penerimaan dan Penggunaan Google Classroom di antara Calon Guru Sains, Teknologi, dan Matematika di Nigeria Barat Daya. Tujuan: Penelitian ini menilai penerimaan dan penggunaan kelas google di antara calon guru Sains, Teknologi, dan Matematika (STM) di Nigeria Barat Daya. Metode: Para peserta adalah 480 calon guru STM yang dipilih secara purposive dari empat universitas di Nigeria Barat Daya dalam cetak biru desain penelitian survei korelasional. Analisis data dilakukan dengan menggunakan mean, standar deviasi, koefisien korelasi product moment Pearson dan analisis regresi berganda pada taraf signifikansi 5%. Temuan: Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa 94,1% variansi penggunaan aktual google classroom oleh calon guru STM disebabkan oleh kombinasi attitude towards use, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and behavioural intention untuk menggunakan google classroom. Kesimpulan: Secara konklusif, pendidik guru STM harus mempromosikan adopsi dan pemanfaatan google classroom di antara calon guru STM untuk meningkatkan penerimaan mereka terhadap google classroom untuk tujuan pengajaran. Kata kunci: penerimaan, google classroom, Model Penerimaan Teknologi, calon guru. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.23960/jpp.v12.i2.20223

COVID-19 Pandemic in Nigeria and Attitudes towards Mathematics Homeschooling among Pre-Tertiary Students

The emergence of COVID-19 in Wuhan, the Peoples Republic of China in December 2019 and it spread to Nigeria on February 27, 2020, has made the closure of educational institutions in the country a must and homeschooling inevitable. Aside from social distancing and putting on of the armour of basic health hygiene and using nose masks, COVID-19 pandemic has no curative vaccine to stop its further spread. This study investigated Nigerian pre-tertiary students' attitudes towards mathematics homeschooling during the period of COVID-19 pandemic. Deploying instrumentation survey research design, three research questions were answered and the sample consisted of 342 pre-tertiary students in South-West, Nigeria. Data collected through an internet-based questionnaire created using Google forms and loaded on the WhatsApp social media for the dissemination to the target sample were analysed using frequency, mean, standard deviation, independent samples t-test, and exploratory factor analysis. Results showed that attitudes towards mathematics homeschooling scale was a multi-dimensional construct consisting of four interpretable factor structure of distraction and parent negative attitude, home enjoyment, school enjoyment, and competition and parent positive attitude. Gender was not a factor in the attitudes towards mathematics homeschooling. Besides, pre-tertiary students recorded a high level of attitudes towards mathematics homeschooling during the period of COVID-19 pandemic. In line with these results, it was recommended that researchers and mathematics educators could adopt this assessment tool in exploring the background predictors and educational imports of attitudes towards mathematics homeschooling in mathematics learning milieu during the period of any pandemi

Attitudes towards genetic testing: The role of genetic literacy, motivated cognition, and socio-demographic characteristics

Understanding reasons for why people choose to have or not to have a genetic test is essential given the ever-increasing use of genetic technologies in everyday life. The present study explored the multiple drivers of people’s attitudes towards genetic testing. Using the International Genetic Literacy and Attitudes Survey (iGLAS), we collected data on: (1) willingness to undergo testing; (2) genetic literacy; (3) motivated cognition; and (4) demographic and cultural characteristics. The 37 variables were explored in the largest to-date sample of 4311 participants from diverse demographic and cultural backgrounds. The results showed that 82% of participants were willing to undergo genetic testing for improved treatment; and over 73%—for research. The 35 predictor variables together explained only a small proportion of variance: 7%—in the willingness to test for Treatment; and 6%—for Research. The strongest predictors of willingness to undergo genetic testing were genetic knowledge and deterministic beliefs. Concerns about data misuse and about finding out unwanted health-related information were weakly negatively associated with willingness to undergo genetic testing. We also found some differences in factors linked to attitudes towards genetic testing across the countries included in this study. Our study demonstrates that decision-making regarding genetic testing is influenced by a large number of potentially interacting factors. Further research into these factors may help consumers to make decisions regarding genetic testing that are right for their specific circumstances. Copyright: © 2023 Likhanov et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited

Validation of the Domains of Creativity Scale for Nigerian Preservice Science, Technology, and Mathematics Teachers

Abstract Introduction. Investigation into the factor structure of Domains of Creativity Scale has bee

Examining the Psychometric Properties of the Achievement Goals Questionnaire among Nigerian Preservice Mathematics and Science Teachers

Abstract Introduction. The stability of the achievement goal orientation across different contexts ha