The teaching and learning of word problems in beginning algebra : a Nigerian (Lagos State) study

At both the junior and senior secondary school levels in Nigeria, student performance in mathematics examinations has been poor. Within the context of large classes, with inadequate facilities, and teaching and learning in a second language, algebra and algebra word problems are introduced to students during their first year of junior secondary school. The transition from primary school arithmetic to the use of the algebraic letter is challenging to students and it is important that teachers should know the likely difficulties and misconceptions students may have as they begin algebra (Welder, 2012). In this study, the impact of a teacher professional learning program on teachers’ knowledge, beliefs and practice was examined. The impact on students’ ability to solve word problems in beginning algebra was also investigated. To do this, a multiple case study was designed and data were collected using quantitative and qualitative methods. Thirty teachers of first year junior secondary students completed a questionnaire and this provided general information about the teachers’ beliefs and algebra teaching practice. After this, 12 of the teachers actively participated and collaborated in a professional learning workshop designed as an intervention program. The program focused on enhancing the teachers’ knowledge of student misconceptions about variables, expressions and equations, and language-based teaching strategies. Four teachers and their classes, two each from public and private schools, served as case studies and provided further data about the impact of the intervention program. Before and after the intervention program, lessons were observed, students completed algebra tests and some of them were interviewed using the Newman interview protocol. The data for each case study were analysed and the key findings generated from each of them were used for a cross-case analysis. The study revealed that these Nigerian teachers had mainly traditional beliefs about mathematics teaching and that teacher-talk dominated the classroom practice. Prior to the intervention, the teachers had limited knowledge of students’ algebra misconceptions and the students’ main difficulty was that they did not understand the questions. The professional learning increased the teachers’ knowledge of algebra, their pedagogical content knowledge and their awareness of algebra misconceptions. The teachers used more student-centred and language-based teaching strategies when working on algebra problems. There was a significant improvement in students’ problem-solving success on the post-test because more students were able to understand the word problems and displayed fewer misconceptions. The incidences of ignoring the algebraic letter, believing that the algebraic letters cannot have the same value and confusing product and sum reduced. However, the use of the letter as an object or a label and a belief that the algebraic letter had alphabetical positioning persisted. The study demonstrated the effectiveness of the professional learning model used in this study and it should be considered for more widespread implementation with in-service teachers. There is also an implication for pre-service teacher education. Mathematics education programs should ensure that student teachers are aware of common algebra misconceptions and the language-based strategies needed to support school students’ transition from arithmetic to algebra

Who Is Afraid Of Ẹfúnṣetán Aníwúrà? Performing Power in Yoruba Masculinist Oligarchy

The iconic Yoruba female personage of Ẹfúnṣetán Aníwúrà has, in several studies, been vilified; and at a first glance, it would seem that Akinwunmi Isola’s eponymous protagonist and heroine of that play reinforces the image of a villainous, wicked and self-centred woman. Contextualized within the Yoruba socio-political and economic national narratives of the late18th and early 19th centuries, this image appears both problematic and complexly contradictory. It is therefore useful to appropriately recuperate and verify the status of Ẹfúnṣetán Aníwúrà within the backdrop of Yoruba cultural context. This is illustrated through a feminist re-reading of Ẹfúnṣetán’s actions and character against the grain of the Yoruba masculinist cultural backcloth and the uneven devolution of powers of her time. In this essay, we make the argument that Isola’s heroine astutely resists and rejects the cultural prescriptivism and master narratives of the powerful masculinist oligarchy of that period. We therefore suggest that in spite of Isola’s seeming pejorative representation of Ẹfúnṣetán, the chieftain adumbrates possibilities for more equitable gender relations in her time

Migration and Identities in Chika Unigwe’s Novels

Monumental dispersals caused by the phenomenon of migration greatly affect the identities of people. Much like the process of globalization, migration is highly sexualized and gendered. To this extent, it is necessary to centralize women and their peculiar experiences in migration discourses and theories. Beyond the usual focus on the economics, politics and sociology of migration, which at any rate do not often adequately address gender-specific migratory experiences; this study takes a literary route that considers the fictional representations of migrant women in two of the novels of Chika Unigwe: The Phoenix (2005) and On Black Sisters’ Street (2008). The focus here is to underscore the validity and significance of gender as an imperative analytical premise in contemporary literary debates particularly by African migrants. In demonstrating how the inflections of gender portend different outcomes for men and women, the study significantly uncovers how the woman’s body is simultaneously the site of physical and symbolic migration. The essay traces the movement in transition and the impact of these and new environment on the bodies of female migrants and how the embodied motifs of migration ultimately alter the identities and realities of migrant African women in particular. In all, the essay hopes to expand some of the current theorizations on the new directions in the development of the fictional representations of Nigerian women as well as to contextualize the role of the émigré author in these developments.

Management protocol of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 in Babcock University Teaching Hospital, Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State, Nigeria

Coronavirus infection became a global pandemic in March 2020. The number of hospitalized cases in Nigeria and Ogun State has been on a steady increase with a concomitant rise in Mortality. This necessitates a coordinated and a more systemic approach in the management of this deadly disease. As a result of the potential effects of the disease on the socio-economic development of Ogun State, the state government granted Babcock University Teaching Hospital, Ilishan-Remo the permission to diagnose, admit and manage cases in line with Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC)/World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. This led to the establishment of a molecular laboratory and a COVID-19 task force to oversee the treatment of confirmed cases of COVID-19 disease. This protocol is developed to serve as a template for the diagnosis, admission, treatment of cases of COVID-19 diseases presenting for care in the hospital and to prevent the spread of the disease among healthcare workers within the hospital environment

Readability and test-retest reliability of a psychometric instrument designed to assess HIV/AIDS attitudes, beliefs, behaviours and sources of HIV prevention information of young adults

Objective: This comparative study evaluated the readability and test-retest reliability of a questionnaire designed to assess the attitudes, beliefs behaviours and sources of information about HIV/AIDS among young adults recruited from universities in the United States of America (USA), Turkey and South Africa. Design/Setting: The instrument was administered on two occasions, within a two week interval, to 219 university students in the USA (n = 66), Turkey (n = 53) and South Africa (n = 100). Method: The psychometric instrument developed has five major subscales: demographic, HIV/AIDS attitudes and beliefs, HIV risk sexual behaviour, alcohol and drug use, and HIV sources of information. Results: The instrument’s readability evaluation revealed a Flesch-Kincaid score (literacy difficulty level of the questionnaire) of 8.4, indicating that respondents would need an eighth grade reading level to understand the survey. The overall test-retest reliability coefficients for the items on the demographic subscale were generally high (0.893–0.997). Similarly, high test-retest reliability was obtained for the HIV risk sexual behaviour (0.738–0.996) and the alcohol and drug use (0.562–1.000) subscales. Much lower test-retest reliability was obtained for the HIV/AIDS attitudes and beliefs (0.32–0.80), and sources of information about HIV/AIDS (0.370–0.892) subscales. Conclusion: We found no discernible difference in the reliability data among the respondents from the three countries. The instrument should be of interest to clinicians and researchers investigating the HIV risk behaviours of young adults and older age groups with an eighth grade reading level. The availability of this instrument may enhance HIV population and intervention studies internationally.Web of Scienc

Colours of Blood by Alka Singh

Colours of Blood by Alka Singh, Kolkata: Writers Workshop, 2021, ISBN: 978-81-949985-9-4 (9788194998594), Price: Rs 150, Pages: 52

Official corruption and sharp practices as impediments to transforming smallholders to agribusiness: Lessons from agricultural development interventions in Nigeria

More than ever before, better recognition is now being accorded the contribution of the quality of governance and leadership in appropriating resources and services that engender sustainable development. The level of official corruption tolerated by the government of a nation is a reflection of the above. However, corruption is a subject commonly avoided in social research and agricultural development discuss, despite its subterranean but serious damaging effect on development, if left unchecked. Despite the woeful performance of many African nations on the Corruption Perception Index monitored by Transparency International annually, and frequent reportage of corruption cases in the media, principal stakeholders including the research sector shy away from addressing it as a major impediment to effectiveness of development interventions. This paper juxtaposes socio-cultural perspective of corruption with the modern. It posits that unless rural sociologists and other development experts begin to pursue evidence-based social research that will properly isolate corruption as a menace; possibly worse than the over-researched factors such as poverty, food security and youth unemployment; returns to development efforts will continue to be dismal. This need may not be obvious unless research efforts on nature, magnitude of effect and safety nets are empirically reported. It also highlights recent empirical studies on perceptions on corruption in agriculture sector and need to develop reliable and valid tools to monitor occurrence and consequences with the aim of minimizing the effect of corruption and sharp practices on the effectiveness of agricultural transformation interventions

Level of Utilization of Traditional and Orthodox Medicines by Rural Dwellers in Ile-Ogbo Community of Osun State, Nigeria

This study examined the level of utilization of traditional and orthodox medicine by rural dwellers in Ile-Ogbo community of Osun State. Structured questionnaires and interview schedules were used to collect data from one hundred and forty adult males and females who were randomly selected from the rural house list generated by snowball technique. Key primary data collected include the level of utilization of traditional, the level of utilization of orthodox medicine and the factors influencing the use of medicines. Data were analyzed using Chi-square, PPMC, t-test and regression analysis at p=0.05. Results indicate that 81.5% were between the ages of 20-59 years, 30.7% had no formal education and 41.4% had farming as their main occupation. Majority (82.9%) rated efficacy and safety as the most important factor influencing the use of orthodox medicine and 50.7% had preference for orthodox medicine. Household size (r=0.244) had low inverse but significant correlation with the utilization of orthodox medicine. With traditional medicine, there was a significant relationship (r=0.279) between household size and utilization. There existed a significant difference in the utilization of traditional medicine and orthodox medicine (t=-2.734), with orthodox medicine having higher use. It is paramount therefore for relevant agencies to ensure adequate supply of orthodox medical drugs in the rural health centers in order to meet the health needs of rural dwellers

Challenges of multi-stakeholder partnerships for agricultural support services provision in rice production in Benue State, Nigeria

Recent approaches at enhancing the provision of agricultural support services to rice farmers in Nigeria involve multi-stakeholder partnerships. For effective performance, there is the need for right mix of partners’ interests and resources otherwise conflicts may become inevitable. This study therefore investigated challenges in a multi-stakeholder partnership in rice production in Benue state that may predispose the system to conflicts and make it unsustainable. Using simple random sampling technique, 170 rice farmers were selected from the list of cooperative societies that participated in the scheme. Interview schedule containing respondents’ level of interaction with other stakeholders (17-33), access to agric-support services (8-24) and potential sources of conflicts (mean score) was used to collect data. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and PPMC. The result indicated that 57.1% of the farmers had high level of interaction with stakeholders. Multi-stakeholder partnership was found to have enhanced farmers’ access to improved rice varieties (1.83±0.42), guaranteed market (1.75±0.50) and timely delivery of extension services (1.62±0.63). The farmers ranked distrust as most severe source of conflicts (2.88±0.41). There was a weak negative relationship between farmers’ level of interaction with other stakeholders and sources of conflicts. It is evident that the enhanced delivery of agricultural support services through multi-stakeholder partnership has not been without some hitches. There is therefore need for open communication with effective feedback mechanism to reduce frictions and build trust and transparency among partners

Appraisal of the first phase of the school farm progamme in Oyo State

Youth’s interest in agriculture is crucial to the sustainability of the Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA). The attempt to renew this crucial but dying interest through the School Farm Programme in Oyo state is currently moving towards its second phase. Therefore, an enquiry into the operations of the programme in its first phase becomes imperative for better programme delivery. In-depth Interview (IDI) with key informants was used to elicit information from principals, agricultural science teachers and participating students from three out of the eleven schools that participated in the programme based on enterprise being managed. Data on programme characteristics, achievements of the programme, inhibiting factors and areas of further improvement were collected and analysed qualitatively. Schools benefitting from the programme participated in one of the enterprise (arable, poultry or fishery) promoted under the programme while participating students felt that agriculture was worth being pursued as a future career. Inadequate manpower was a major inhibiting factor in the programme while capacity building of supervising officers and provision of incentives to participating students were advocated for enhanced project delivery. The programme was successful at enhancing the interests of the students in pursuing career in agriculture. The next phase of the project should be supported by a detailed implementation manual while incentives are provided for the implementers for more effective delivery