Evaluating An Online Learning Programme from Students Perspectives

Today, we are in an information age and the goal of education is to help teachers incorporate technology into the education curriculum This study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of students’ participation in a blended first-class online programme for 40 practicing teachers and administrators in one of the colleges of the University of London with respect to sex, age and occupation. The study employed the use of a questionnaire, which was divided into four parts viz: Learning environment, Personal factors, Pedagogical strategies and Learning process. The major findings of the study showed that sex and age are the major variables that contribute to successful online learning, while participants’ occupations seem not to have any effect. Furthermore, online learning contributes more to the acquisition of the following skills with respect to age and sex: browsing and searching skills, information gathering skills, and library references searching skills. Online learning programs, however, do not generally contribute to arousing students’ interest. The implications of the findings were further discussed

Teachers And Students Perceptions Of Students Problem-Solving Difficulties In Physics: Implications For Remediation

In recent times, science education researchers have identified a lot of instruments for evaluating conceptual understanding as well as students’ attitudes and beliefs about physics; unfortunately however, there are no broad based evaluation instruments in the field of problem-solving in physics. This missing tool is an indication of the complexity of the field. However, one obvious way by means of which we can evaluate students’ problem-solving skills is to find out how teachers and students perceive problem-solving difficulties in physics. Using a population of 210 Senior Secondary School (SSS) physics students and their teachers, this study investigated aspects of students’ problem-solving difficulties in physics and possible remedies. The result of the analysis show that lack of students understanding of the problem and their poor mathematical skills constitute the major obstacles in the circle of difficulties that students experience in solving physics problems. Furthermore, the study identified two major remedies that could possibly assist students in solving physics problems: 1) the provision of enough home assignments and 2) the employment of qualified physics teachers. The results are further discussed in terms of their implications for effective learning of physics

Nigeria’s pastoralists face a triple burden of disease outbreaks, conflict and climate change

Pastoralists in the Sahel are adapting to the impacts of growing insecurity and climate change through extended periods of migration. Ayodele Majekodunmi argues, however, that increased pastoral mobility also leads to greater risks of zoonotic disease spillovers. Climate change, conflict and disease present a triple burden in Nigeria, requiring an equally sophisticated policy response

Defining Science From Multicultural And Universal Perspectives: A Review Of Research And Its Implications For Science Education In Africa

The current move toward "science for all" in all parts of the globe necessitates that consideration be given to how pupils move between their everyday life and the world of school science, how pupils deal with cognitive conflicts between those two worlds, and what this means for effective teaching of science. In recent times, multiculturalism’s proper place in science education has been the subject of considerable controversy in science education literature. The key issue has been whether a multicultural approach to science education is compatible with a universalistic conception of science. The purpose of this paper is to examine the scope of multicultural education and to review the definition of science put forward from multicultural perspectives in contrast to a universalistic perspective on science; i.e. the standard account and the various propositions put forward for both universal and indigenous science. The paper then offers suggestions as to the implications for teaching science in the African context by encouraging science teachers to incorporate examples of African science into their lessons and also teach children to have equal respect for the accomplishments of all cultures, such that they realize that science is a part of every culture worldwide

An Investigation Into Nigerian Teachers Knowledge Of Primary Science Curriculum Content And Involvement In Practical Activities: Implications For The UBE Scheme

The study was designed to find out the extent of Nigerian teachers’ knowledge of primary science curriculum content and their involvement in the participation of their pupils in science activities. Furthermore, the study sought to find out teachers ranking of primary science objectives. The subjects were 60 primary school teachers randomly selected from both urban and rural primary schools in Lagos State. A questionnaire constructed by the researcher, whose coefficient of internal validity was 0.85, was used for data collection. The findings of the study show that a significant proportion of primary school teachers experience difficulty in teaching many of the topics of the primary science curriculum. Further findings of the study were discussed with regards to qualification, Sex and experiences of teachers. The implications of these findings for the Nigeria Universal Basic Education (UBE) scheme were also highlighted

New Directions In The Nigerian Educational System

In recent times, the Nigerian educational system has witnessed some drastic reforms. This paper highlights some of the major reforms that have taken place especially in response to a number of international human rights instruments that provide for education as a fundamental human right to all. The paper further discusses some of the challenges facing education in Nigeria and which is making it difficult for good quality education that is all empowering and capable of bringing about sustainable development to be achieved. Finally, it offered some suggestions on how to overcome these challenges

The Anthropometric Status of Farming households in Kogi State, Nigeria

A country needs a well nourished population of children for a productive future. Malnutrition is by far the biggest contributor to child morbidity and mortality; therefore, combating malnutrition in our communities should be an issue to policy makers. With the use of anthropometric indices derived from survey data collected from 150 randomly selected children from 150 farming households in Kabba Bunu Local Government Area of Kogi State, this study assessed malnutrition of children in the Central part of Nigeria. Logit model was used to examine the relationship between some anthropometric indices and the general characteristics of the household and the children. A structured questionnaire was used to collect information from the sampled households. The result showed that about one-quarter of the children are underweight while a very insignificant number of the sampled children were wasted. The probit result showed that daily calorie intake and access to safe water had significant effect on underweight of children in the study area. Daily calorie intake per child was also significant on stunting and wasting. Over 66% of the farming households had access to well water and only 21% had access to bore-hole. Majority of the children could be said to be more susceptible to water borne diseases. Provision of better domestic water source, mass food production strategies can be policy options for a virile labour force in the study area.Health Economics and Policy,

An Investigation into Some Factors Influencing the Intention to Use Internet Banking among Undergraduates in Nigeria.

The advent of globalization has brought innovation to business and development to the world in general. This development is also pronounced in the banking sector where internet facilities are used to bring about better banking services thereby leading to the achievement of the one of the cardinal goals of the Millennium Development Goals. This study investigated some factors that can influence the intention to use internet banking among undergraduates in a private university in Oyo, Oyo State, Nigeria. The subjects were made up of students from a private university drawn from three faculties. The study employed survey research with questionnaire used as data collection instrument. Three hundred and fifty-seven subjects cutting across different departments in the university. Five hypotheses were tested using multiple regression, correlation analysis and t-test. The study revealed that the six factors (triability, capability, compatibility, perceived risk, perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness) used in this study had positive significant relationship with the intention to use internet banking. These factors also influenced the intention to use internet banking. Based on the findings of this study, it was recommended among others that banks in Nigeria should take into consideration technological development of the country when introducing innovative services. The banks should also consider the level of education before the introduction of world class technology. Keywords: Perceived usefulness, perceived risk, triability, capability, intention to us

DANCE, PHYSICAL FITNESS AND NATION BULDING: WHAT RELATIONSHIP?

This position paper examines the relevance of dance and dance aerobics to attainment of physical fitness and nation building. Literature reviewed indicated that dance as a subset of physical activity is correlated with improvement of both health and performance-related physical fitness. From the Physical and Health Education standpoint, the use of aerobic dance as a preventive and therapeutic intervention in many health, psychological, and social issues was confirmed. It concluded that dance develops physical fitness which in turn builds a socially, psychologically, physically and economically healthy nation.  Article visualizations

Influence of Employees’ Attitudinal Variables on Organizational Citizenship Behaviour and Organisational Commitment

This study investigates the influence of employees’ attitudinal variables (perceived organisational justice, organisational support, organisational attachment, and mental strain) on organizational citizenship behaviour and organisational commitment among employees in Nigerian private university. Ex-post facto research design was adopted. Non-proportional stratified and simple random sample techniques were used to select six hundred participants from different departments of Babcock University, Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State, Nigeria. Six self-report questionnaires were used to generate data. Two hypotheses were raised and answered using multiple regression (stepwise) and T-test statistics. Findings revealed among other, that the four predictor variables (perceived organisational justice, organisational support, organisational attachment, and mental strain) combined and individually predicted the criterion variables (organisational citizenship behaviour and organisational commitment). Based on the findings, the paper recommended among others, that employers’ of labour should pay great attention to factors that have significant effect on employees’ commitment; in this case, organisational commitment and organisational citizenship behaviour. Keywords: perceived organisational justice, organisational support, organisational attachment, mental strain, organisational commitment, organisational citizenship behaviou