Teachers Social Feedback on Test Performance of Primary School Pupils

This study investigated the effect of teachers’ social feedback on test performance of pupils. The study adopted the between-subject experimental design. Social feedback perception scale (SFPS) was designed and employed to measure the effect of teacher’s social feedback on the participants. Participants age ranges between 7 and 10 years (average age = 8.17 years). There were eight male and ten female pupils randomly selected from a private primary school in Ota, Ogun State. The odd-even number separation method was employed to place the participants into either the experimental or control groups. Two hypotheses were formulated for the study. The study found a significant effect of teachers social feedback on students’ perception (U = 33.500, N1 = 9, N2 = 9, p< 0.05, one-tailed) and a significant difference in perception of teachers social feedback among pupils based on gender (U = 27.571, N1 = 8, N2 = 10, p< 0.05, one-tailed). Both hypotheses were accepted. Consequent upon these findings, teachers are encouraged to use social feedback as it has a positive effect on pupil’s test performanc

Attribution Patterns, Attitude and Knowledge of HIV/AIDS on Sexual Behavioural Change Among Students of Covenant University, Ota, Nigeria

Sexual behavioural change is central to HIV/AIDS control programme. This study was carried out among students (n = 603; average age = 18.9) of Covenant University, Nigeria. The study was designed to examine the impact of attribution patterns, attitude and knowledge of HIV/AIDS on sexual behavioural change. Three hypotheses were raised. Regression analysis, analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Pearson’s r were used to analyze the data. The results show that attribution patterns and attitude towards HIV did not influence sexual behavioural change. In effect, knowledge of HIV was the best predictor of sexual behavioural change of respondents. The study also revealed that there was a significant effect of gender on sexual behavioural change of respondents while there was no significant effect of age. Another result shows that there was a strong correlation between perceived benefits and all the other variables. Fourteen percent (14%) of the respondents are sexually active, 520 or 86% indicated they are not sexually active. Eighty-nine percent (89%) of the respondents do not know of anyone who is HIV positive or died from AIDS while 11% knows someone who is HIV positive or had died from AIDS related complications. This study shows that young people using the perceived benefits variable in the Health Belief Model (HBM) coupled with adequate knowledge of HIV knowledge have the power and ability to change their risky sexual behaviour. Key words: Attribution patterns, Attitude, Knowledge, HIV/AIDS, Students, Young people, Perceived benefits and Sexual behavioural change

Exploring Existentialist Democracy as Alternative Ethics for Human Sustainable Development in Africa

The challenge of reconciling private and public interests is a major concern for scholars, formulators and managers of development policies and implementations. This challenge has attracted a great deal of attention in classical philosophical and political discourses. Marxism presented the development of class-consciousness in terms of the relationship between the individual and his or her group. Classical liberalism represented the growing intellectual and political forces against all social and political systems that impeded the release of energies and passions of the individuals. However, this paper observes that these classical theories may be inadequate in their analyses and prescriptions as guides for the understanding of group-individual relationship. Therefore, the paper proposes existentialist democracy as an alternative theory leading to a new paradigm for development in Africa

PSYCHO-CULTURAL VARIABLES PREDICTING ATTITUDE OF STUDENTS’ TOWARDS HIV COUNSELLING AND TESTING IN SELECTED TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS IN LAGOS STATE, NIGERIA.

The aim of the present study was to assess attitude of young people (n=287, mean=20.5 years) towards testing for HIV/AIDS. The participants completed a standard socio-demographic questionnaire, indicating sexual behaviour, cultural beliefs and practices, attitude to HCT, and knowledge of HIV/AIDS. Descriptive and inferential statistics at 0.05 alpha level were used to analyze the data. The study indicates that most participants have poor knowledge of HCT centres in their communities, but had a fairly high knowledge level of HIV. The findings of this study include that there is a significant difference in the disposition to HCT between respondents who have experienced sexual intercourse and those who have not (t = 3.866, df = 285: p0.05). The present study challenged the adequacy of reproductive health knowledge available to Nigerian students and based on the findings in this study, it was recommended that young people should be sufficiently enlightened and counselled on the imperative of HIV counselling and testing

Use of Concrete Detachable Learning Tools in Testing Children’s Animal Discriminatory Ability

This study examined the effect of concrete detachable learning tools on young children’s discriminatory ability. The study adopted pre-test, post-test experimental design. Data were obtained from twenty-two (22) pupils, with age range between 2 and 4 years (average age = 2.95 years). There were ten male and twelve female pupils randomly selected from a private primary school in Ota, Ogun State. Two hypotheses were formulated for the study. The study found no significant difference in the performance of males and females who were taught using the concrete learning tools (= 0.516, df = 9, p> .05) but a significant difference between the post-test performance of those who were taught discrimination using the concrete detachable learning tools and those using the visual tool (t = 13.771, df = 10, p = .000). This study shows that concrete detachable learning tools are suitable for early childhood education considering its positive effect on memor

Psycho-Cultural Variables Predicting Attitude of Students’ towards HIV Counselling and Testing in Selected Tertiary Institutions in Lagos State, Nigeria.

The aim of the present study was to assess attitude of young people (n=287, mean=20.5 years) towards testing for HIV/AIDS. The participants completed a standard socio-demographic questionnaire, indicating sexual behaviour, cultural beliefs and practices, attitude to HCT, and knowledge of HIV/AIDS. Descriptive and inferential statistics at 0.05 alpha level were used to analyze the data. The study indicates that most participants have poor knowledge of HCT centres in their communities, but had a fairly high knowledge level of HIV. The findings of this study include that there is a significant difference in the disposition to HCT between respondents who have experienced sexual intercourse and those who have not (t = 3.866, df = 285: p<0.05) and between male and female respondents (t = 4.775, df = 285; p< 0.05). The study also shows that knowledge of HIV/AIDS was the strongest predictor of attitude of young people towards HCT ( = 0.547; t = 3.458 p<0.05), closely followed by cultural practices ( = 0.324; t = 2.740 p<0.05) while sexual behaviour was not a strong predictor ( = 0.041; t = 0.543 p>0.05). The present study challenged the adequacy of reproductive health knowledge available to Nigerian students and based on the findings in this study, it was recommended that young people should be sufficiently enlightened and counselled on the imperative of HIV counselling and testing. Keywords: HIV counselling and testing (HCT), young people, attitude, knowledge of HIV/AID

Proximate Determinants of Women's Use of Birth Control Methods in Ota,Ogun State

Fertility regulation and pregnancy prevention are among the major health challenges of the 21st century in sub-Saharan Africa, especially in Nigeria. Contraception has been identified as an effective means of combating the problem of unwanted pregnancy and unsafe abortion and it is equally an effective means of family planning and fertility control and therefore very important in promoting maternal and child health. Women between ages 18 and 47 (n=143, mean=30.4 years) were sampled. A survey research questionnaire made up of four trajectories and consisting of sixteen (16) items was used in this study. The study made use of frequency counts, percentage, t-test analysis and regression analysis. The SPSS software was used to analyze the data. Results indicate a good knowledge of types of contraception with more than a third (83%) aware of condom as a contraceptive method. However, very few women were aware of modern contraceptive methods such as implants (9%) and spermicides (5%). The study indicates that knowledge of contraception (β = 2.244; t = 2.356; p < .05), employment status (β = 1.955; t = 2.257;p < .05) and age (β = 1.530; t = 2.203; p < .05) were good predictors of women’s contraceptive use. There was also a significant difference in women’s use of contraceptives based on contraceptive selfefficacy (t = 3.387, p < .05). Based on these findings, the study shows the need for strong advocacy,enlightenment and community mobilization for improved awareness and use of contraceptives in fertility control and preventing unwanted pregnancie

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IN A SEMI-URBAN NEIGHBOURHOOD

There are no published studies on impact of neighbourhood on domestic violence in Sango-Ota. This is the first study to examine formal and informal control method and the influence of family structure and socio-economic status on the occurrence of domestic violence in Sango-Ota. A closed-ended questionnaire with two open –ended questions was administered to married couples and other consenting adults at three selected neighbourhoods in Sango-Ota. A research question and one hypothesis were tested. The study tried to find out whether formal and informal control methods are effective. The research hypothesis states that there is a significant combined contribution of socio-economic conditions, family structure and years of marriage to incidences/occurrences of domestic violence in Sango-Ota. Of the 84 participants that reported cases of domestic violence, about two-thirds (61%) reported to their family members while 17 (21%) reported to close family friends. Only 4 (5%) participants had the courage to report to the law enforcement agency, in this case, the police. Risk factors identified to precipitate domestic violence are years of marriage (β= -.205; t = -2.792; p< 0.05) and the prevailing socio-economic status of the family (β= .437; t = 6.052; p< .0005). The findings show a low level reportage of cases of domestic violence. Higher socioeconomic status was found to be protective against domestic violence. Our findings also highlight the potential role of broader contextual or community-level interventions in reducing domestic violence in settings such as Sango-Ota which is a semi-urban area. We found evidence that improvements in the socioeconomic status of the participants will lead to significant reductions in the incidence of domestic violence. Keywords: Domestic Violence, Sango-Ota, Neighbourhood, Socioeconomic status, Polic

Knowledge, Attitude and Barriers towards Children Immunization among Women in Selected Rural Primary Health Centres

This study explored the knowledge, attitude and barriers to children immunization among women in four selected Rural Primary Health Centres. Immunization coverage rates in Nigeria have remained very poor especially in rural communities despite a plethora of programs and strategies. A survey research questionnaire made up of three trajectories (Attitude, knowledge and barriers to childhood immunization) was used in this study (n= 79, mean= 33 +/-6.9years). This study made use of descriptive and inferential statistic. The SPSS software was used to analyze the data. The study indicates that about 80% of the respondents are aware that immunization services are available at primary healthcare centres, but less than half are aware that immunization against polio is meant for children who are 5 years and below. For barriers, about 53% reported they have no confidence in the quality and safety of vaccines being used while 62% reported that health workers are not sufficiently trained. For attitude, most agreed that immunization make children grow healthy (66%). In this study, knowledge of immunization was a better predictor of barriers to immunization (β = 0.633; t = 2.108; p < 0.05). Mothers could be motivated to have their children immunized by doubling efforts at enlightening them and by reiterating the benefits of child immunization to pregnant women during ante-natal clinics. Good healthcare facilities and improve personnel services will encourage more uptakes of immunization services

Strength Characteristics of Concrete Beams Reinforced with Steel Bars of Equivalent Area but Different Diameters

Contractors occasionally substitute reinforcement bars during construction works, perhaps as a result of unavailability of the design-specified bars. As a result, this study have explored the basis, extent and the conditions for the mutual substitution of reinforcing bar groups of equivalent area but different bar diameters in reinforced concrete beams. A total of (20) concrete beams including the control beams were cast. These comprise (2) each of 100 mm×100 mm×500 mm and 150 mm×150 mm×750 mm beams as plain concrete (control beams) and (2) each of 100 mm×100 mm×500 mm and 150 mm×150 mm×750 mm beams were reinforced in turn with 20 mm, 16 mm, 12 mm and 10 mm bar diameters. The beams were subjected to centre-point loading using bending testing machine, in accordance with BS 1881-118 and with the load and compressive strain recorded to the point of failure. The results of the test beams showed that the greatest difference in the area of reinforcement between beams reinforced with 9Y12 bars (bar area = 1020 mm2) and 3Y20 bars (bar area = 943 mm2) is 7.5%. The results also showed that given the same area of steel in a cross section, the section with the greater number of bars has higher bending strength. It was also deduced that an increase in the area of reinforcement would cause a disproportionate increase in the strength of the beam