Correlates of School Library Development in Calabar, Nigeria: Implications for Counselling

The study investigated the correlates of school library development in Calabar, Nigeria.  Two hypotheses guided the study.  A thirty item structured questionnaire was developed and validated by experts in Measurement and Evaluation.  This was administered to a total of four hundred and fifty respondents comprising of principals, vice-principals and library staff of the secondary schools in the study area.  Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient was used for data analysis.  The findings revealed that there is a significant relationship between the negative attitude of principals of secondary schools and the school library development.  A significant relationship also existed between funding and school library development in Calabar.  Based on this it was recommended that government should set a compulsory benchmark for every secondary school in the state as a condition towards having a functional, current, well stocked library.  Philanthropic organizations and private investors in the state should be made to promote the development of school library service by presenting books as donations to schools. Keywords: Library Development, Counselling, Principal attitude

Students’ Perception of Causes and Effects of Examination Malpractice in the Nigerian Educational System: The Way Forward for Quality Education

AbstractIn an attempt to study the perception of university students on the causes and effects of examination malpractices in Nigerian Educational System, two research questions were raised and analysed for possible answers using a survey research design method. Four hundred university students were randomly selected from the research area. A questionnaire consisting of twenty-five (25) items was constructed, and duly validated by the researchers for the study. The results obtained from the study indicated that a test-retest reliability index ranging from 0.77 to 0.85 were feasible. It was also indicative that societal preference for paper qualification, lack of positive self concept, lack of effective study skills, inadequate preparation andlaziness are some of the causes of examination malpractice among university students. The identified effects included discouragement of candidates from studying hard, denial of admission to deserving students, underachievement in labour market and overall reduction in quality of education. Based on this, it was concluded that personal and societal factors could cause examination malpractice and the society is likely to suffer from low productivity because of this malaise, examination malpractice

Cumulative Rehearsal and Auditory Verbal Memory of Persons with Down Syndrome

One of the characteristics of persons with Down syndrome is poor memory, especially the Auditory-Verbal Memory (AVM). Lack of verbal memory among persons with Down syndrome is one major factor that inhibits learning. This is why the effort towards enhancing AVM of persons with Down syndrome is evolving. This study, therefore, investigated the efficacy of cumulative rehearsal on auditory verbal memory of persons with Down syndrome with speech production and gender as moderator variables. A 2 x 2 x 2 factorial matrix of pretest-posttest control group experimental design was used in the study. A sample of thirty participants was drawn from a population of 44 persons with Down syndrome and randomly assigned to control and experimental groups in two special schools; National Orthopaedic Special School, Igbobi, and Modupe Cole Memorial Childcare and Treatment Home/School, Akoka. Data was collected using a validated self-developed instrument, Auditory Verbal Memory Assessment Scale (AVMAS) (r-0.86). Two hypotheses were tested using ANCOVA. Findings from the study revealed that: cumulative rehearsal therapy significantly impacted the auditory-verbal memory of persons with Down syndrome, with significant improvement observed. There was no significant interaction effect of speech level and gender with the therapy. It was thus concluded that cumulative rehearsal therapy is effective in enhancing auditory-verbal memory and so recommended for the improvement of AVM of persons with Down syndrome

Effect of Oral Placement and Expressive Therapies on Speech Intelligibility of Adolescents with Articulation Disorder

Intelligible speech is vital to every adolescent's life, but this skill can be confounded with the presence of articulation disorder. Meanwhile, studies have been conducted using different therapies to improve speech intelligibility. This study investigated the effect of oral placement and expressive therapies on speech intelligibility among adolescents with articulation disorders. The study adopted a pretest-posttest, control group, quasi-experimental research design with a 3x2x2 factorial matrix. Three special centers were randomly selected, and purposive sampling was used in selecting 60 adolescents having articulation disorders comprising 34 males and 26 females. These adolescents were randomly assigned to Experimental Group 1 (n= 22), Experimental Group 2 (n= 21), and Control (n= 17). Speech Intelligibility Assessment Scale (r=0.92) was the instrument used for the study. Participants in the experimental groups were exposed to the oral placement and expressive therapeutic treatments, while those in the control groups were sensitized to a placebo. Three hypotheses were tested at a 0.05 level of significance, while data were analyzed using Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA), mean scores, and Bonferroni Post Hoc Test. Findings revealed that there was a significant main effect of treatments F(2,56) = 112.52; p <0.05 (oral placement therapy, expressive therapy, and control group with placebo), and also a significant interaction effect of treatments, gender, and age F(2, 47) = 7.37; p <0.05 on speech intelligibility of adolescents with articulation disorders despite the presence of placebo. Oral placement and expressive therapies were effective in managing the speech intelligibility of adolescents with articulation disorders. Therefore, speech therapists should adopt these therapeutic interventions in rehabilitating adolescents with articulation disorders