Women Farmers’ Agricultural Information Need and Search Behaviour in North Central Nigeria

Women farmers play immeasurable role in Nigerian food production, although motivation for participating in agriculture is first to contribute to household food security and income. To sustain this productivity, it is necessary to understand their information need and searching behavior as this will help close the resource access gap between male and female farmers.The study adopted survey research design. As at the time of this study, the study’s population comprised 2678 women farmers drawn from the two states.  The multistage sampling technique was used to select 800 farm women that participated in the study. Data was collected using a questionnaire tagged “Agricultural Information Need and Sourcing Questionnaire(AINSQ)”. The study had 86% response rate. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, with the aid of SPSS version 17.Findings reveal that farm women farm implements (x=2.57), improved seeds (x=2.43) closely followed by land management (x=2.38). Further, they had greater access to extension agents( x=4.90), family members (x=3.60), radio (x=3.60) and other farmers (x=3.38). Conclusively, farm women expressed relatively high need for information on farm management and income generation rather than the crop-biased information. Therefore, information bothering on income generation should be included in extension service provision. Similarly, information providers need to consider using ICT. Keywords: Information needs, Information source, Farm women, Agricultural informatio

Agricultural Information Use as Determinant of Farm Income of Women in Benue State, Nigeria

Agricultural information when provided and utilized improves practices, farm income, living conditions and agricultural development. In spite of the current agricultural extension services, income level of farm women is commonly described as low. This study adopted survey design, using multistage sampling technique and questionnaire to gather information from 500 women in Benue state. The study found out that agricultural extension agent, farmers’ union, and Agricultural Institutions, government projects, mobile phones and other farmers were major information sources consulted. On the overall, rural women’s use of agricultural information was slightly above average with information on market location and farm implements mostly used. Further, majority of rural women made considerably low farm income. Use of agricultural information had effect on rural women’s farm income. The study recommends provision of more productivity related information and need for Nigerian rural development strategies to reflect creation of enabling environment for farm income generation among women. Keywords: Rural women, Agricultural Research Information utilization, Farm income, Benue state, Information

Workplace Democracy Practices and Librarians’ Commitment in Universities in Southwest Nigeria

The effort of committed personnel is needed for the workplace to function optimally and to achieve the goals of the organization. This study examined the influence of workplace democracy practices on librarians’ commitment in universities in Southwest, Nigeria. A survey research design was adopted for the study. The population consisted of 477 librarians in Southwest, Nigeria. Proportionate stratified sampling technique was used to select 217 librarians who served as respondents in the study. A researcher’s developed instrument was used for data collection and collected data were subjected to analysis using descriptive and inferential statistics. Findings revealed that the extent of workplace democracy practices in university libraries in southwest Nigeria was to a high extent in terms of functionalism, constitutionalism and liberalism. The study also showed that workplace democracy has a significant influence on librarians\u27 commitment in universities in southwest, Nigeria (R2= 0.514, β= 0.717, t = 14.494, p\u3c0.05). The model shows that workplace democracy could explain 51.4% variation (R2= 0.514) in librarians\u27 commitment in universities in southwest, Nigeria. The study concluded that workplace democracy practice is a significant predictor of librarians’ commitment in universities in Southwest, Nigeria. Therefore, university and library management should make sure that workplace democracy is regularly practised among librarians to effectively create room for broader participation in all the activities of the organization

Awareness and use of massive open online courses among academic librarians in Ogun state, Nigeria

The dynamism of the current digital era requires academic librarians to be lifelong learners who can take advantage of available opportunities to improve their professional competence continuously. Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are online learning platforms that provide training to learners at little or no costs. While it is documented that a lot of Africans participate in MOOCs, it is not certain whether academic librarians in Nigeria are aware of and take full advantage of MOOCs. The study surveyed awareness and use of MOOCs among academic librarians in Nigeria. A questionnaire was used for data collection. This was administered to 83 librarians from five randomly selected university libraries in Ogun state, Nigeria. Data were subjected to descriptive analysis. The findings revealed that more than half (61.4%) of the respondents were aware of MOOCs whereas, only (42.9%) enrolled for MOOCs. MIT Open Courseware (40%) was the most popular MOOC website among the librarians. Many (53.3%) of those that enrolled expressed inactive participation. Lack of time (50%) was a major barrier to MOOC participation among librarians. The paper recommended that university as well as library management need to formulate strategies and programs that will promote active participation in MOOC among librarians.Keywords: MOOCs, Academic Librarian, Awareness, Us

Knowledge Sharing Imperatives on STEM Career Path Intentions among Secondary School Students in Northern-Central Nigeria

The study investigates knowledge sharing as a predictor of STEM career path choice intentions among secondary school girls in North-Central Nigeria. The study adopted survey research design. The population comprised 5,433 junior secondary school girls from Federal Government Colleges in the geo-political zone. Multi-stage sampling technique was used to select 361 girls for the study. Instrument for data collection was a validated questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and binary logistics regression. Findings showed that Knowledge sharing predicted girls STEM career path choice intentions (Cox and Snell R2 = 0.025; Nagelkerke R2 = 0.047, p < 0.05). The study concludes that secondary school students at the junior level have high intentions to choose STEM career path and that the varied indicators of knowledge sharing predicted STEM career path choice intentions of junior secondary school girls in North-Central Nigeria. It was recommended that secondary school authorities should give incentives and or introduce programmes that will motivate and sustain the students’ STEM career intentions such as prizes, awards and recognitions among others for practical projects, quizzes and STEM career debates. Additionally, they should create knowledge sharing opportunities such as playing learning games, group discussions and science clubs for the girls among others. Keywords:  Knowledge sharing, STEM, career path, Secondary schools, Career choice intention