An Examination of Parental Involvement in Homework and Implication for Adult Education

Homework, as an instructional adjunct, has been found by educational psychologists to improve primary school pupils study habits, time management, learning responsibility, amongst others. Accordingly, parents are being encouraged to guide their children whenever homework tasks are assigned by class teachers. This study therefore examined the contribution of parents’ profile (demographic variables) to their involvement in children’s homework in Cross River State,(CRS)Nigeria. The study adopted a survey research design. 622 out of 2,898 parents whose children are attending twelve heavily populated primary schools in three of the eighteen Local Government areas in CRS were randomly sampled for investigation. A three part questionnaire, with reliability co-efficient of 0.89, was administered to the subjects, of whom 523 were accessed. The study employed descriptive and the independent t- test analytical statistics. The results showed that parents are not participating actively in helping children with their homework. Only one out of ten possible areas of assistance was consistently mentioned. Also, the study proposition that parental profile does not influence their involvement in homework was not wholly accepted. Four variables (age, education, family size and income) out of ten were significant. Adult education intervention strategies were recommended to change the status quo. Using churches and PTA meetings to create awareness amongst parents is one of the strategies.Key Words: Parents Involvement, Homework, Profile, Adult Educatio

The influence of instructional materials on mathematics achievement of senior secondary students in Akamkpa Local Government Area of Cross River State, Nigeria

Having observed the reckless abandonment of professional codes and ethics of teaching soon after certification, and specifically the subterfuge of the use of instructional materials in lesson delivery, the researchers set out to investigate the state-of-the-art in terms of availability and use of mathematical instructional materials, and the influence of these on students’ achievement in the subject. Three instruments, a 20-item Mathematics Teacher Instructional Materials Availability Questionnaire (TIMAQ), a 20-item Mathematics Teacher Instructional Material Use Questionnaire (TIMUQ) and a 30-item Multiple Choice Achievement Test (MCAT) were developed, validated (test-retest reliability coefficients of 0.87 and 0.97 respectively for TIMAQ and TIMUQ, and KR-20 coefficient of 0.89 with mean 40.8, S.D. 11.33) for MCAT. Two hundred (200) students (20 per school comprising 100 male and 100 female) were selected from the ten public secondary schools in Akamkpa Local Government Area by stratified random technique, and two (2) Mathematics teachers per school for the study. Results of the simple percentage and independent t-test analyses revealed the non-availability and non use of instructional materials in Mathematics instruction, as well as significant achievement differences between materials-available and non-available schools on one hand and achievement of students from material-used and non–used schools on the other. Useful recommendations were therefore made based on these findings.Keywords: mathematics instructional materials, students’ achievement, availability of instructional materials, use of instructional material

Non-pharmacological management of osteoporosis: a consensus of the Belgian Bone Club

This consensus article reviews the various aspects of the non-pharmacological management of osteoporosis, including the effects of nutriments, physical exercise, lifestyle, fall prevention, and hip protectors. Vertebroplasty is also briefly reviewed. Non-pharmacological management of osteoporosis is a broad concept. It must be viewed as an essential part of the prevention of fractures from childhood through adulthood and the old age. The topic also includes surgical procedures for the treatment of peripheral and vertebral fractures and the post-fracture rehabilitation. The present document is the result of a consensus, based on a systematic review and a critical appraisal of the literature. Diets deficient in calcium, proteins or vitamin D impair skeletal integrity. The effect of other nutriments is less clear, although an excessive consumption of sodium, caffeine, or fibres exerts negative effects on calcium balance. The deleterious effects of tobacco, excessive alcohol consumption and a low BMI are well accepted. Physical activity is of primary importance to reach optimal peak bone mass but, if numerous studies have shown the beneficial effects of various types of exercise on bone mass, fracture data as an endpoint are scanty. Fall prevention strategies are especially efficient in the community setting, but less evidence is available about their effectiveness in preventing fall-related injuries and fractures. The efficacy of hip protectors remains controversial. This is also true for vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty. Several randomized controlled studies had reported a short-term advantage of vertebroplasty over medical treatment for pain relief, but these findings have been questioned by recent sham-controlled randomized clinical studies

Test as a stethoscope: The need for adequate training and re-training in educational test and measurement for all teachers

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Gender Differences and Mathematics Achievement of Rural Senior Secondary Students in Cross River State, Nigeria

To contribute to the realization of the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) by the United Nations on the promotion of gender equity, the researchers sought to empirically verify the existence or otherwise of gender inequality in the mathematics achievement of rural male and female students in Cross River State, Nigeria; and whether or not parental socioeconomicstatus and school proprietorship, taken independently, are significant factors in the achievement of the students. By stratified and simple random sampling, 2000 students (50% males, 50% female) were selected and a 30-item four-option multiple choice mathematics achievement test (MAT) was constructed (KR20 of 0.87 and item difficulty, 0.40 < p < 0.82) and administered. The independent t-test revealed significant genderinequalities in the entire sample indicating that the males outperformed their female counterparts. Gender inequalities were also observed among the low socio economic students and within public schools. Educational implications were also highlighted

Associations between muscle strength, spirometric pulmonary function and mobility in healthy older adults

Pathological obstruction in lungs leads to severe decreases in muscle strength and mobility in patients suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The purpose of this study was to investigate the interdependency between muscle strength, spirometric pulmonary functions and mobility outcomes in healthy older men and women, where skeletal muscle and pulmonary function decline without interference of overt disease. A total of 135 69- to 81-year-old participants were recruited into the cross-sectional study, which was performed as a part of European study MyoAge. Full, partial and no mediation models were constructed to assess the interdependency between muscle strength (handgrip strength, knee extension torque, lower extremity muscle power), spirometric pulmonary function (FVC, FEV1 and FEF50) and mobility (6-min walk and Timed Up and Go tests). The models were adjusted for age, sex, total fat mass, body height and site of enrolment. Partial mediation models, indicating both direct and pulmonary function mediated associations between muscle strength and mobility, fitted best to the data. Greater handgrip strength was significantly associated with higher FVC, FEV1 and FEF50 (p < 0.05). Greater muscle power was significantly associated with better performance in mobility tests. Results suggest that decline in mobility with aging may be caused by decreases in both muscle strength and power but also mediated through decreases in spirometric pulmonary function. Future longitudinal studies are warranted to better understand how loss of function and mass of the respiratory muscles will affect pulmonary function among older people and how these changes are linked to mobility decline