PREDICTING THE ADOPTION OF E-LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM: A CASE OF SELECTED PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES IN NIGERIA

Despite the availability of studies on e-learning management system (eLMS) using information system models, its theoretical foundations have not yet captured social constructs that are peculiar to developing countries including Nigeria. This study was undertaken with the aim of investigating factors that could influence eLMS adoption in higher education. Drawing upon the Social Learning Theory (SLT), Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), and two other variables which are Technology Culturation and Power (electricity), an empirical based model was developed to identify predictors of eLMS. The study used Smart Partial LeastSquare-Structured Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to examine the pattern of inter-correlation among the SLT and UTAUT constructs. The survey method of research was used by administering questionnaires to undergraduate students of 3 selected private universities in Ogun state, Nigeria with a sample size of 472. The results show that Attitude, Social Influence and Technology Culturation are strong determining factors of intention to adopt eLMS, while Performance Expectancy and Power do not significantly influence the Behavioural Intention to adopt eLMS. More so, Performance Expectancy and Behavioural Intention have positive influence on student grades. The results of this study will provide theoretical information on the intention to adopt eLMS and should be of interest to both researchers and education administrators in terms of planning and decision making

Psychosocial Health of Adolescent living in Urban Slum Nigeria

The paper examines association of neighborhood characteristics with psychosocial statues of adolescent living in urban slums. Data for the study were obtained from a cross sectional survey among adolescent age 15-19, living in urban slums in Lagos State. Adopted a measuring scale for adverse environment and psychosocial attributes, data were analyzed using univariate and binary logistic regression analysis. Results revealed that neighborhood characteristics were associated with low self-academic performance rating. Both parental process and neighborhood factors such social disorganization was able to predict psychosocial wellbeing such subjective academic performance rating. The findings revealed among others that adverse neighborhood characteristics in urban slum were associated with unhealthy subjective wellbeing which reflects wide personal and social contexts and have implications for public health and social wellbeing. This paper calls for programmes that are tailor to addressing rapidly developing slum settlements in low income area, to secure the future generation

Rural Women's Empowerment through Education in Southern Nigeria: Implications for Global Food Security

Women empowerment has become a topical issue across the world. However, the trend is often skewed against rural women. Yet, rural women, who are predominantly farmers, bear several burdens both within the fam il y and in the society as a whole. Pat1icularly, as it has become generally accepted that the task of attaining food secUJity rests on the shoulders of rural women. llowever, rural women fa1111ers don 't often have to the agricultural productive input such as land, technologies and credit facilities, they require for the ir farming activities. In addition, they don't have the libet1y to participate in leadership roles and decision making. Social norms bar them from these pri vileges. Data for this paper was obtained from an empirical s tudy conducted in Edo State, Southern Nigeria. A total number of 457 women were involved in the quantitative study. Findings show that only 0.2% has attended any farmers' education program. This paper combines both empirical data and existing g lobal literature to affirm rural women as fam1 managers and argues that since their e fficiency dete1111ines g lobal food security, then the need to educate them cannot be overemphasized. The paper concludes that women should be empowered through fanners' education to be more efficient in their occupation. This action is vital for them to be able to contribute more to global food security

A CHRONOLOGICAL OVERVIEW OF WOMEN EMPOWERMENT INITIATIVES IN NIGERIA

Literature is replete with studies on women empowerment in different parts of the world. However, little is often mentioned about the history of women empowerment struggles Nigeria. This paper sets out to fill that gap by providing a precise literature review on the history of women empowerment initiatives from the global platform to the African context, specifically Nigeria. The lingering debates on how to appropriately measure empowerment are discussed. In addition, the views of some scholars such as Mary Wollstonecraft, John S. Mill, and Boserup are mentioned. Furthermore, the action-oriented contributions of many African women including Adelaide Casely-Hayford, Funmilayo Ransome-kuti, Margaret Ekpo, and Ruth Kharma are highlighted. The implication of empowerment initiatives is focused on women farmers. In conclusion, the paper upholds that women empowerment struggles have recorded great success across many contexts in the world, including Nigeria, although much remains to be done

PREDICTING THE ADOPTION OF E-LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM: A CASE OF SELECTED PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES IN NIGERIA

Despite the availability of studies on e-learning management system (eLMS) using information system models, its theoretical foundations have not yet captured social constructs that are peculiar to developing countries including Nigeria. This study was undertaken with the aim of investigating factors that could influence eLMS adoption in higher education. Drawing upon the Social Learning Theory (SLT), Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), and two other variables which are Technology Culturation and Power (electricity), an empirical based model was developed to identify predictors of eLMS. The study used Smart Partial LeastSquare-Structured Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to examine the pattern of inter-correlation among the SLT and UTAUT constructs. The survey method of research was used by administering questionnaires to undergraduate students of 3 selected private universities in Ogun state, Nigeria with a sample size of 472. The results show that Attitude, Social Influence and Technology Culturation are strong determining factors of intention to adopt eLMS, while Performance Expectancy and Power do not significantly influence the Behavioural Intention to adopt eLMS. More so, Performance Expectancy and Behavioural Intention have positive influence on student grades. The results of this study will provide theoretical information on the intention to adopt eLMS and should be of interest to both researchers and education administrators in terms of planning and decision making

EXTENDING THE UNIFIED THEORY OF ACCEPTANCE AND USE OF TECHNOLOGY (UTAUT) MODEL: THE ROLE OF TECHNOLOGY CULTURATION

The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model has been widely used in explaining and assessing technology adoption in diverse contexts. However, it does not have Technology Culturation as one of the constructs. This variable constitutes a prevailing challenge in the developing world that could affect the adoption of technology in higher institutions of learning. The concept of Technology Culturation which is a critical factor for the adoption of e-learning tools and facilities in higher institutions of learning will be analytically examined in this study. The concept of Technology Culturation says that individuals who had prior exposure to relative technologies like cable satellites, television, video games, etc. are already tuned in their minds or acculturated to the use of technology; this concept assumes that this can affect an individual’s acceptance of other ICTs or other advanced technologies subsequently. This paper would therefore attempt to explore the extension of UTAUT by integrating Technology Culturation construct into the model that can be used in explaining or/and assessing the adoption of e-learning tools in higher institutions of learning in Nigeria. To this end, secondary sources of data such as Text Books, Journals, Magazines and the Internet will be used for this study. The conceptual framework should be of interest to both researchers and education administrators/stakeholders in developing nations in terms of planning and policy making

Degree of Esan Women’s Involvement in Farm Labour: Implication for Food Security

Drive towards women empowerment is gaining momentum in recent years. Despite the obvious success recorded among women generally, the case of rural women farmers in particular remains controversial. Some studies have reported increase in women’s access to agricultural productive resources such as land, farm technologies and credit facilities. But the extent to which women continue to engage in farm labour remains scarcely studied. Understanding the current degree to which women engage in farm labour is important for the future of women empowerment and food security. This study was conducted among Esan rural women farmers in Edo State, Nigeria. The sample size consisted of 457 women and the survey questionnaire was used to elicit responses from them on their level of involvement in farm labour. Also, the qualitative method of data collection involving focus group discussion was adopted. Data analysis involved the use of descriptive statistics. Result showed that women engage in every facet of food production from the point of land preparation to distribution, although at different degrees. The paper recommends among others, that women empowerment efforts should be intensified among rural women farmers to enable them contribute maximally to food security

An audit of surgical site infection following open prostatectomy in a Nigerian Teaching Hospital

Background: Surgical site infections (SSI) are a potential cause of morbidity and increased cost of care after operations such as open prostatectomy.Objective: To audit the occurrence of SSI after open prostatectomy at the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex (OAUTHC), Ile-Ife, NigeriaMethods: A review of all patients who underwent open prostatectomy over a ten-year period (July 2005 to June 2015). Data analysis was done using the statistical package for social sciences version 21. Association between variables was determined using Chi-square or Fisher’s exact test as appropriate. A p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results: A total of 247 open prostatectomy surgeries were reviewed, with the patients’ ages ranging from 43 – 91 years and a mean age of 67.0 ± 8.8 years. Elective procedures were 98.8% while the remaining 1.2% were emergency cases. There were 24 (9.8%) surgical site infections. The duration of admission of the patients with SSI ranged from 6 – 15 days with a mean of 9.5 ± 3.2 days, as against 4 – 9 days (mean of 5.0 ± 2.1days) for those without SSI. All the patients with SSI were successfully managed with no resultant mortality. Risk factors identified for SSI were emergency surgery (p=0.001), obesity (p<0.0001), diabetesmellitus (p=0.008), smoking (p<0.0001), pre-operative catheterization (p<0.0001), excessive haemorrhage (p<0.0001) and post-operative suprapubic bladder drainage (p<0.0001).Conclusion: SSI is a recognized complication of open prostatectomy. Identified risk factors for its occurrence from this audit are emergency operation, obesity, diabetes mellitus, smoking, pre-operative catheterization, excessive haemorrhage and post-operativesuprapubic bladder drainage. Age, approach to prostatectomy (retropubic vs transvesical), incision type (lower midline vs pfannenstiel), level of the surgeon, catheter type and modality of irrigation were however not significant risk factors for post-prostatectomy SSI in this study.Keywords: Surgical site infection, risk factors, open prostatectomy