AN ASSESSMENT OF INDEXING AND ABSTRACTING SERVICES IN NUHU BAMALLI POLITECHNIC LIBRARY, ZARIA, NIGERIA

This paper examines the concept of indexing and abstracting, where index is define as systematic arrangement of entries designed to enable users to locate information in a document. While abstract at the other hand is an intellectual summary of an information package. The paper tried to finds out the availability and use of indexes and abstracts in Nuhu Bamalli Polytechnic Library (Annex) Zaria. The paper finds out that most types of indexes and abstracts are available and mostly used by Academic staffs and Students. It concludes that subject and citation indexes, as well as subject abstract were the most highly used by the respondents in the library; this could be due to lack of awareness about the other existing types of indexes and abstracts. However, some recommendations were made which includes; public awareness to the staffs and Students about the other existing types of indexes and abstracts and also more experts should be employed because as at present only one person is in charge of Indexing and Abstracting services.

Analysis of some problems in the management and cost control of public sector construction projects in Nigeria

Development is a difficult, painful and long-term enterprise. Not only because of world wide social and economic changes with extensive debts problems, inflation, recession and slow growth, but it is also a matter of finding the technically and economically optimum solution. Over the long-term, the challenge for developing countries is to use their limited resources more efficiently and more equitably through the management of all investment outlays in both the public and private sector. Construction is a major investment sector in Nigeria, attracting an average of over 60% of all capital investment, with over 70% of that 60% sponsored by the public sector. Construction projects handled by the public sector in developing countries are however fraught with problems, from inception through to completion and beyond. This is well known to members of the public sector agencies. Year after year, in good times and bad, development projects suffer from a host of problems: some of design; others of appraisal; and still others of implementation. Most construction projects are characterised by overruns in cost and time, and are sometimes halted altogether before completion. It is therefore necessary to understand the problems underlying the system being practised, to establish a realistic pattern, and to be able to interpret and correct any abnormalities. A lack of understanding of the constraints leads to unrealistic planning, and to later problems that may become insoluble. This research was therefore aimed at identifying these problems, many of which arise from attempts to implement a technology, in this case management technology, in a country other than the country of its origin. In a comparative study between Nigeria and Scotland a large number of public agencies which sponsor construction projects, and the contracting and consulting organisations that work for these agencies, were surveyed using both face-to-face interviews and the postal questionnaire technique. It was found that the major problems in Nigeria are: bureaucratic obstacles affecting timely payment to contractors; ambiguity in consultant/client contract agreements; lack of sufficient qualified professionals in the agencies; and lack of suitable information on which to base initial estimates. Recommendations for improving practice in Nigeria include: administrative reform of construction agencies to reduce the trammels of bureaucracy; a better system of funding by central Government; establishment of a construction cost information agency; and payment of competitive salaries to public sector professional staff. These changes, taking into account the cultural environment of Nigeria, should enable decisions to be made with greater certainty of outcome by all parties involved

Malaria Disease Distribution in Sudan Using Time Series ARIMA Model

Malaria is widely spread and distributed in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Sudan is a sub-Saharan African country that is highly affected by malaria with 7.5 million cases and 35,000 deaths every year. The auto-regressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model was used to predict the spread of malaria in the Sudan. The ARIMA model used malaria cases from 2006 to 2011 as a training set, and data from 2012 as a testing set, and created the best model fitted to forecast the malaria cases in Sudan for years 2013 and 2014. The ARIMAX model was carried out to examine the relationship between malaria cases and climate factors with diagnostics of previous malaria cases using the least Bayesian Information Criteria (BIC) values. The results indicated that there were four different models, the ARIMA model of the average for the overall states is (1,0,1)(0,1,1)12. The ARIMAX model showed that there is a significant variation between the states in Sudan

An e-readiness assessment tool for local authorities: a pilot application to Iraq

Measuring e-readiness is vital to embrace e-government successfully. Sophistication of available tools and lack of capacity at municipal level makes it important to consider e-readiness assessment tools for municipalities. This study proposes a tool for measuring e-readiness in municipalities and it was conducted in two Iraqi governorates. Data was collected, for this studay, quantitatively and qualitatively relying on questionnaires for public internet users and government employees, and IDIs. Several aspects were investigated and then used in the tool that was designed to qualify for the use of local officials in Iraq as a pilot case for developing countries. Indicators were categorized into three groups, infrastructure, human resources, and government and management. Measuring e-readiness in municipalities is a trade off between simplicity with acceptable level of information and sophistication with accurate information. The proposed tool relies on collecting data easy to find and access to meet the condition of simple and reliable use by officials in local governments. This is expected to help these officials to identify issues to focus in development of community aspects to raise e-readiness and reap the benefits of e-government

The Effect of Grammar Teaching Methods on Students’ Writing Skill

This study investigates the effect of grammar teaching methods on students’ writing skill in secondary level. The study was based on action research, carried out in the academic year 2017 in one of Sudanese secondary schools. The participants were in second year. They studied English for the same number of years (6 years).The study followed two different methods of grammar teaching: 1) grammar in 'context' and 2) in 'isolation' to assess which method is more beneficial for English learners to write grammatical error-free composition. Students were divided into two groups: control and experimental groups.For the purpose of high measurement, participants in the two groups sat for apre English test on writing. The results showed that P-value of T-test (0.567) was greater than significant level (0.05) which means there was no statistical difference between experimental and control groups in the pre-test. Then the experiment was run; teaching the two groups using different methods.The control group was taught grammarin isolation method; where experimental group was taught grammar in context.Instructions lasted for two months and the two groups had the same writing test. The results indicated that P-value of T-test (0.000) was less than significant level (0.05) which means there was statistical difference between experimental and control in post-test. Finding showed that: teaching grammar ‘in context’ helps students to produce better writing than teaching grammar ‘in isolation’

Students’ Attitudes towards Vocabulary Learning and Their Learning Strategies

This study aims at investigating (a) students’ attitudes towards vocabulary learning and (b) vocabulary studying strategies they use. The study was directed to First Year Students who were specialized in English Language(2019-2020), in Nahda College; Sudan. Twenty six male and female students were involved in the study. A questionnaire consisted of vocabulary learning awareness and vocabulary learning strategies (VLS) was distributed to the participants. A modified Likert Scale (agree, neutral, disagree) was used to collect data. The tables containing figures and percentages were utilized to describe results. The results findings are: Students had noticeable attitudes towards vocabulary importance. The learners used all five (VLS) categories; cognitive, determination, memory, metacognitive, and social strategies frequently, but unequally. The most strategy used is the “Cognitive Strategy” and the least one is the “Social Strategy”

Evaluating ELF Students’ Speaking Skill at Tertiary Level

This study was conducted at a Sudanese university in 2021 at the end of the semester to find out the areas caused problems of speech production. The research paper seeks to answer the question: What area/s of speaking is problematic to students? Fortysix undergraduate students in first year, who were majored in the English programme involved in the test. The total population was hundred students. Analytic rubrics were used for collecting data. Tuan (2014, p. 2) states that analytic rubric“… accesses the examinee’s specific strengths and weaknesses and identifies the particular components of speaking discourse that an examinee needs to develop”. Five explicit criteria were used to test participants; i.e.: grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, cohesion and fluency. The test was conducted by two instructors who gave appropriate marks under each of five rubrics (Table 1 below). The test contents comprised some pictures and topics to speak about. Bar charts were utilized to compare and measure marks obtained by students in analytic rubrics, where each rubric was measured individually. The results revealed that students were weak in all five areas (grammar, vocabulary, punctuation, cohesion and fluency).The highest marks were gained in pronunciation, count 25%, while the lowest marks were obtained in vocabulary, 15% from the total mark allocated for this item. The results conveyed that, this group of participants was weak in all aspects that needed for speech production compared with their level (2nd year undergraduates)

Needs analysis and course design for Dacwa students: Teaching Arabic for specific purposes (TASP)

It was found that the field of Teaching Arabic as a Foreign Language (TAFL) is not totally devoid of textbooks and research studies concerning Arabic for Specific Purposes (ASP). However, the greater part of these attempts lack a theoretical framework and, seemingly, guidance. Such attempts therefore fail to achieve their goals; hence, the researcher formed the opinion that a course for Teaching Arabic for Specific Purposes (TASP) needed to be designed. A theoretical framework for needs analysis and course design was required immediately as a first step. As my research focused on Saudi Arabia, the question was: What is the most important field to be taken as a case study? The obvious answer to this was Islamic Studies because students do not primarily come to Saudi to study medicine, or technical subjects: it is a fact that, more than 90% of final level students on TAFL programmes want to improve their Arabic in the field of Islamic Studies and more than 80% of them specifically chose the Islamic mission (dacwa) for their target purpose. It is the aim of this research to introduce the concept of Teaching Arabic for Specific Purposes to the field of Teaching Arabic as a Foreign Language in Saudi Arabia. It is in fact the groundwork to further detailed projects in this context. For this reason, an investigation was conducted in the following areas: Language for Specific Purposes, English for Specific Purposes, Language for Academic Purposes, Needs Analysis, and Course and Syllabus Design in the field of Teaching Languages for Specific Purposes. To bring the concept of Teaching Arabic for Specific Purposes into application, it was essential to study how a course could be developed in the light of the needs of the dacwa students in Saudi Arabia: the researcher undertook to assess and interpret the needs and demands of the students, the subject of dacwa, the teachers of dacwa, the TAFL teachers, the administrative staff in the Faculties of Dacwa and TAFL Institutes in Saudi Arabia. To ensure valid results, different methods were employed, such as: questionnaires, interviews and diagnostic tests. The findings of the needs analysis showed that reading was the most required skill for the students of dacwa and a course was designed to meet that objective

The Impact of Foreign Workers on Society's Islamic Creed

Socialization is one of the most important social processes. It transforms the child from a biological being to a social being. It constitutes the human and social behavior of the individual. It is the first pillar on which the elements of personality are based. Also, it is an important process in teaching what one likes and does not like to do under different circumstances. But, when the process of socialization is in the hands of domestic workers, multiple problems arise as a link to different cultures, religions, values, and principles.This study discusses the reality of foreign workers in general in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and domestic workers in particular as they are being one of the family members; so they have a direct impact on children and their upbringing, then affects the social and creed values. Also, it searches the role of family and state in reducing their importation and avoiding their effects