Social Networking Sites Usage and Students' Attitudes Towards Social Behaviors and Academic Adjustment in Northern Nigerian Universities

The present study examines the extent to which social networking sites (SNSs) usage, students’ social behaviors (SSB) and students’ academic adjustment (SAA) among university students in Northern Nigeria. It investigated relationship among the SNS usage SSB, and SAA. The variance in the extent of SNSs usage in relation to gender, age, faculty, ethnicity, socioeconomic background and religion was also investigated. The moderating effect of attitude towards SNS usage was examined. Four hundred participants were sampled and they completed the questionnaires. In addition, 24 volunteered participants from six universities were interviewed at six level focus groups on the constructs related to SNSs usage SSB and SAA. This study employed a mixed-method model as interviews and questionnaires were employed. The data were qualitatively and quantitatively collected, sorted, analyzed and reported separately at significantly equal weight. The thematic qualitative analyses and the quantitative descriptive results suggested that the extent of SNSs usage, the SSB and SAA is high among the university students in northern Nigeria. One way analysis of variance (ANOVA) also revealed that there were no significant differences in the extent of SNSs usage in terms of age, faculty, socio economic background and the level of study. However, significant differences exist among ethnicity and religion. The independent sample t-tests revealed no gender differences in the extent of SNSs usage. Similarly the present findings show significantly positive inter-relationships among the SNSs usage, SSB and SAA. The findings also found attitude to be a strong predictor and moderator of the relationship between the SNSs and both the students’ social behaviors and students’ academic adjustment

Social Media and Social Capital: The Role of National Open University of Nigeria

Within the last half decade Social Networking Sites (SNSs) like Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, Twitter, Second Life, NigeriaDotCom, and host of others are widely used among students nowadays. Social Capital (SC) reflects those intangible resources embedded within interpersonal relationships or social institutions. In a mixed method approach, this study investigated and reported on the SNSs usage and its relevance on social capital as well as the role plays by the National Open University Nigerian (NOUN) system in catalyzing the latter. The qualitative and quantitative method employed interviews and questionnaires on 50 and 300 subjects respectively. The subjects from Open University centres in the Nigeria’s six (6) geo-political zones were selected. This is by snowball for the focus group interview and purposive randomization for the questionnaire. The results indicated the extent of SNS usage and its influence on social capital among the students of the Open University Education System in Nigeria. It also reported of significant influence of the Open University System on the use of Social Networking Sites among the NOUN students which as well leads to social capital. Key words: Social Capital, Social Networking Sites, Qualitative, Nigeria, NOU

The Effect of Learning by the Generative Teaching Strategy on Academic Achievement and Retention of Chemical Concepts in Chemistry for Tenth Grade Students in Busira Directorate of Education Schools

The study aimed to investigate the effect of learning by the strategy of generative teaching on academic achievement and retention of chemical concepts in chemistry for tenth grade students in Busira directorate of education schools.  The study sample consisted of (62) students distributed in an experimental group (30) students who studied through the generative teaching method and the control one (32) students who studied through the traditional method. The study used the quasi-experimental approach .A guide for the student and teacher to use the generative teaching strategy and an achievement test in the unit consisting of (20) items were prepared The study reached the following results: There were statistically significant differences among the arithmetic means in the post-measurement of achievement in chemistry in favor of the experimental group, and the effect size was (68%), and the results showed that there were statistically significant differences among The arithmetic means of the scores of the two groups on the retention test in favor of the experimental group, and the effect size was (70%). In light of the study results, it was suggested to use the generative teaching strategy in chemistry. Keywords: Generative Teaching, Achievement, Retention of Concepts, Chemistry. DOI: 10.7176/JEP/12-31-01 Publication date: November 30th 202

Replacement Teacher Job Portal Southern Aghwar Directorate Ministry of Education Jordan

A web-based online job application becomes the most useful tool to access the information about the applicant, and applicant information is accessible at the press of a button immediately. Graduates need to work hard to get job that may require cost and time, using Internet technology significantly will reduces the cost and time of transferring information over distance. The purpose of this study was to develop a job portal for South Aghwar Directorate in order to replace the old system, which give job seeker a flexible way to access jobs and give them the capability to register, search, and receive information and Enable them to obtain vacancy as a replacement teacher via online services. Replacement Teacher Job Portal system comprises of a database that is built using MySQL database application software, Apache server as the web server and JSP as its application server. The methodology used is General Methodology using the Unified Modeling Language-UA Approach

Leveraging Nigerian Education System: The Comparative Advantage

It is well noted that past and present Nigerian governments tried several times to fulfill the education objectives of the primary education in the country. In the Economic cum political issues, Nigeria plays vital role in the in sub Saharan African. The issue at stake raised is, does Nigeria's primary education system meets the needs of the country? Nigerian education policy stress many issues which are yet to manifest viably in the system. The problems are: What exactly made the system derailed off the line of success. What are those things get missing with the primary education in Nigeria? This conceptual paper remains exploratory as it explores the persisting and pressing problems and thereby proffers some viable solutions to leverage the Nigeria education system. This is in consideration of Malaysia’s education system bearing that Malaysia and Nigeria has common ground as they shared similar primary education system with their grand colonial mother Britain. Keywords: Education Problems, Nigeria, Malaysia, Primary Education,

Aesthetics of Space Organization: Lessons from Traditional European Cities

For centuries the aesthetic significance of space organization has been one of the significant subjects of study for most artists, architects, urban designers and philosophers. Cities which experience diverse stages of growth transmit dissimilar aesthetic values due to their locations, culture, history and background. This research will try to take out the aesthetic values of the traditional European cities through the literature on aesthetic of the urban design. Accordingly, this study reflects the term urban aesthetics in spatial organization. It tries to answer the question of how space organization can lead to the aesthetic understanding of a place. The methodology for this study developed based on grounded theory study and qualitative assessments of European cities through the literature review. Overall, the study assessed integration, visual connectivity, vitality, spatial quality, as the main factors in shaping the aesthetic quality of the urban environment in European traditional cities. At the end, it proposed the findings to apply in contemporary urban designing

Local Media in Global Conflict: Southeast Asian Newspapers and the Politics of Peace in Israel/Palestine

It is often assumed that local media are a potential deescalating tool in global conflict. This study examines how four leading newspapers in Southeast Asia (Star of Malaysia, Philstar of the Philippines, Jakarta Post of Indonesia, and The Nation of Thailand) reported the Israeli-Palestinian conflict during the year after the 2009 Gaza War. A census of 536 reports was coded for tones (to detect alignment), frames (to detect characterization of the conflict), and sources (to examine correlation with coverage tones). The results show fragmented alignment of the newspapers with Palestine and Israel. Conflict frames on offensives, fighting, threats, military strategies, demonization, death, and destruction were most prevalent. Coverage tones were significantly correlated with sources, suggesting that the potential of local media to serve as deescalating tools in global conflicts is subject to the varying political contexts in which they operate in relation to specific conflicts

Identity in Changing Context: Factors of losing Identity in new developed part of the city of Famagusta, North Cyprus

Historical cities due to its magnificent building in its context have a tremendous influence on the formation of city identity, which is created through the interaction of natural, social and built elements. Unfortunately, modernization after the industrial revolution couldn’t adapt itself to the vernacular area, owing to the fact that cities began to lose their identity and sense of belonging to the environment. The new technology of construction lets the cities to expand itself outside, but in this transformation, some factors which have an influence on the identity of the city have been forgotten. In this research, it is aimed to analysis Physical and social factors which are causing the loss of identity in the city of Famagusta (Gazimagusa). Both qualitative and qualitative methods have been used in this research and the adopted techniques are personal observation, sketches, and comparing new development part of the city with the traditional part. The research will try to answer the question of why urban sprawl could not maintain the identity of the city of Gazimagusa?. This research revealed that Globalization by neglecting historical housing principles is the main factor which threatening the identity of the city

Psychometric Testing of the Arabic version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (A-PSQI) among Coronary Artery Disease Patients in Jordan

The purpose of this study was to test the Arabic version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) among cardiac patients in Jordan. The data was collected from 130 Arabic cardiac patients during their routine visit to the cardiology clinic using the Arabic versions of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, the Insomnia Severity Index and the Medical Outcome Study Short Form 36. The mean Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index score was 9.14 (SD = 2.34). Internal consistency reliability was 0.74. The correlations between the global Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index score and the components ranged from .25 to .49. Also, PSQI showed a moderate correlation with the Insomnia Severity Index scores (r= .36, p <.001), and a small negative correlation with Medical Outcome Study Short Form 36 pain subscale (r= -.19, p= .032).  Psychometric estimates show that the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index is reliable and valid for measuring sleep disturbances among Arabic clinical population. Keywords: Reliability, validity, cardiac, slee