CORRELATE OF PRINCIPALS’ ETHICAL LEADERSHIP DIMENSIONS AND TEACHERS’ JOB COMMITMENT IN PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN ANAMBRA STATE, NIGERIA

This study determined the correlation between teachers’ perception of principals’ ethical leadership dimensions and their job commitment in state government owned public secondary schools in Anambra State. To this end, the study was guided by 4 research questions. The population consisted of 6,328 teachers in the 257 state government owned public secondary schools in the State. A sample of 672 teachers was drawn using multi-stage sampling procedure. Data were collected using two instruments; Ethical Leadership Scale (ELS) which was adapted from Yilmaz (2006) and Teachers’ Commitment Scale (TCS) adapted from Allen, Meyer and Smith (1993). The instruments were validated by three experts. Internal consistency reliability index of 0.75, 0.68, 0.71 and 0.74 were obtained for the four sections of ELS with an overall reliability index of 0.72 while 0.84 was obtained for TCM using Cronbach’s alpha method. Data analysis was done using Pearson’s correlation analysis for the research questions. P-value was used to determine the significance of the correlation. The findings revealed among others that a substantial positive correlation of 0.69 existed between teachers’ perception of principals’ communicative ethics and their job commitment, a substantial positive correlation of 0.78 existed between teachers’ perception of principals’ climatic ethics and their job commitment, a very high positive correlation of 0.84 existed between teachers’ perception of principals’ ethics in decision making and their job commitment. The study recommended among others that secondary school principals should constantly display ethical behaviours such as being selfless, humble, patient and just in their dealings with teachers in order to stimulate teachers’ sense of belonging to the school.  Article visualizations

BUSINESS INCUBATION ADAPTATION AND SUCCESS FACTORS IN NIGERIAN CONTEXT OF A DEVELOPING COUNTRY: A LITERATURE REVIEW

ABSTRACT Several scholarly works have been conducted in the field of business incubation both in the develope

Front-loaded sputum microscopy in the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis

Objective/background: The objectives of this study are to describe the acid-fast bacilli (AFB) yield of a front-loaded scheme in which an additional on-the-spot specimen (Xspot [Xs]) was collected 1 h after the first spot specimen and to compare the default rate between the front-loaded and standard schemes. The performance of the front-loaded sputum microscopy was also compared with the standard World Health Organization (WHO) method for the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) in Anambra State, Nigeria. Methods: A total of 1487 individuals with presumptive pulmonary TB participated. Participants' age ranged from 15 years and above. Three sputum specimens were submitted as spot–early morning–spot. An additional specimen (Xs) was submitted 1 h after the first spot. The sputum smears were stained using the Ziehl–Neelsen technique. Results: A total of 183 (12.3%) patients were AFB positive. The front-loaded scheme identified 182 (99%) TB patients, whereas the standard scheme identified 183 (100%) TB patients. The difference was not statistically significant (p > .05). The first two specimens of each scheme (S–Xs vs. S–M) identified 176 (96.2%) and 181 (98.9%) of PTB patients, respectively. Neither difference was statistically significant (p > .05). Default during the diagnostic process was 11% in the standard but only 0.7% in the front-load scheme. The difference was significant (p < .05). Conclusion: Front-loaded smear microscopy has similar performance compared with the standard scheme. More presumptive PTB cases defaulted in the standard than in the front-loaded scheme. Front-loaded smear microscopy could therefore be used in the diagnosis in PTB in Anambra State

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SCHOOL ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE AND TEACHERS’ TASK PERFORMANCE IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN ANAMBRA STATE, NIGERIA.

The study investigated the relationship between school organizational culture and teachers’ task performance in public secondary schools in Anambra State. It adopted a correlation survey research design. Three research questions guided the study and one hypothesis was tested. The population for the study is 6,396 teachers in the 261 state government-owned secondary schools in Anambra State. A sample of 1,280 teachers composed using proportionate stratified and simple random sampling techniques was involved in the study. Two researchers developed instruments namely School Organizational Culture Questionnaire (SOCQ) and the Teachers’ Task Performance Questionnaire (TTPQ) used for data collection. The instruments were validated by three experts. The internal consistency method was used to determine the reliability of the instruments and this yielded Cronbach Alpha coefficient values of 0.84 and 0.70 for the two instruments respectively. The researchers with the aid of three research assistants collected data. Out of 1,280 copies of each of the questionnaires administered to the respondents, 1256 copies representing 98% were successfully completed, retrieved, and used for data analysis. The research questions were answered using aggregate scores, while the hypothesis was tested using Pearson Product Moment Correlation at a 0.05 level of significance. The results of the findings include among others that the majority of the teachers in the State perceived their school organizational culture and their task performance as good and that there is a low positive relationship between teachers’ perceived school organizational culture and their task performance. Based on the findings, it was recommended among others that the State School Management Board should organize workshops, seminars, and conferences aimed at exposing teachers to the importance of good organizational culture in schools. This will enable both the principals and teachers to know what is expected of them and how to go about fostering positive types of cultures in their schools. Conclusions were made and implications of the findings were also drawn

Technical Efficiency and Technological Gaps of Rice Production in Anambra State, Nigeria

The traditional approach to modeling productive efficiency assumes that technology is constant across the sample. However, farms in different regions may face different production opportunities, and the technologies they employ may differ due to environmental factors. Therefore, rather than using a traditional stochastic frontier model in such cases, a stochastic meta-frontier (SMF) analysis is recommended to account for environmental factors between regions. It follows that differences in environmental factors between the upland and lowland regions in Anambra State, Nigeria, may result in farmers producing rice under different production and environmental conditions. Using the SMF model, this study, for the first time, determines technical efficiency (TE) and technological gap ratios (TGRs) of rice production from the upland and lowland regions in the Awka North Local Government Area of Anambra State, Nigeria. Our data are from a cross-section sample of randomly selected rice farmers. Results reveal that lowland regional rice producers are on average, significantly more technically efficient (91.7%) than their upland counterparts (84.2%). Additionally, mean TGRs associated with lowland rice farmers are higher (92.1%) than their corresponding upland producers (84.7%). While the upland rice producers are less technically efficient and further away from their full potential, results indicate that both sets of farmers do not use advanced technologies to match the industry&rsquo;s potential. We suggest that agricultural policy should focus on providing regionally specific technologies, such as improved rice varieties that fit the working environment of the lagging area, to help rice farmers improve their resource efficiency and minimize technological gaps

Assessing self-reported disability in a low-literate population with chronic low back pain: cross-cultural adaptation and psychometric testing of Igbo Roland Morris disability questionnaire

<p><b>Purpose:</b> Cross-culturally adapt and validate the Igbo Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire.</p> <p><b>Method:</b> Cross-cultural adaptation, test–retest, and cross-sectional psychometric testing. Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire was forward and back translated by clinical/non-clinical translators. An expert committee appraised the translations. Twelve participants with chronic low back pain pre-tested the measure in a rural Nigerian community. Internal consistency using Cronbach’s alpha; test–retest reliability using intra-class correlation coefficient and Bland–Altman plot; and minimal detectable change were investigated in a convenient sample of 50 people with chronic low back pain in rural and urban Nigeria. Pearson’s correlation analyses using the eleven-point box scale and back performance scale, and exploratory factor analysis were used to examine construct validity in a random sample of 200 adults with chronic low back pain in rural Nigeria. Ceiling and floor effects were investigated in the two samples.</p> <p><b>Results:</b> Modifications gave the option of interviewer-administration and reflected Nigerian social context. The measure had excellent internal consistency (<i>α</i> = 0.91) and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC =0.84), moderately high correlations (<i>r</i> > 0.6) with performance-based disability and pain intensity, and a predominant uni-dimensional structure, with no ceiling or floor effects.</p> <p><b>Conclusions:</b> Igbo Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire is a valid and reliable measure of pain-related disability.Implications for rehabilitation</p><p>Low back pain is the leading cause of years lived with disability worldwide, and is particularly prevalent in rural Nigeria, but there are no self-report measures to assess its impact due to low literacy rates. This study describes the cross-cultural adaptation and validation of a core self-report back pain specific disability measure in a low-literate Nigerian population.</p><p>The Igbo Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire is a reliable and valid measure of self-reported disability in Igbo populations as indicated by excellent internal consistency (<i>α</i> = 0.91) and intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC =0.84), moderately high correlations (<i>r</i> > 0.6) with performance-based disability and pain intensity that supports a pain-related disability construct, a predominant one factor structure with no ceiling or floor effects.</p><p>The measure will be useful for researchers and clinicians examining the factors associated with low back pain disability or the effects of interventions on low back pain disability in this culture. This measure will support global health initiatives concurrently involving people from several cultures or countries, and may inform cross-cultural disability research in other populations.</p><p></p> <p>Low back pain is the leading cause of years lived with disability worldwide, and is particularly prevalent in rural Nigeria, but there are no self-report measures to assess its impact due to low literacy rates. This study describes the cross-cultural adaptation and validation of a core self-report back pain specific disability measure in a low-literate Nigerian population.</p> <p>The Igbo Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire is a reliable and valid measure of self-reported disability in Igbo populations as indicated by excellent internal consistency (<i>α</i> = 0.91) and intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC =0.84), moderately high correlations (<i>r</i> > 0.6) with performance-based disability and pain intensity that supports a pain-related disability construct, a predominant one factor structure with no ceiling or floor effects.</p> <p>The measure will be useful for researchers and clinicians examining the factors associated with low back pain disability or the effects of interventions on low back pain disability in this culture. This measure will support global health initiatives concurrently involving people from several cultures or countries, and may inform cross-cultural disability research in other populations.</p