Evaluation

An Evaluation of the Writing Tasks within “English for Me” Omani Textbook: A Book Review (Published)

Acknowledging the crucial role that writing tasks play in developing curriculum and fostering language skills, this study sets out to evaluate an English skills book utilized in the public schools of the Sultanate of Oman, particularly targeting eighth-grade students. The study used an in-depth analysis of the writing exercises within the book, employing eight evaluation criteria derived from existing literature. The primary discovery from this research is the book’s adept incorporation of impactful writing exercises, employing modals, genre and process approaches. Nevertheless, the findings suggest certain limitations of the book, such as its failure to integrate writing activities with other skills like speaking, listening, and reading, its neglect of the specific types and themes of writing questions in exams, and its minimal emphasis on the appropriate level of formality in the activities.

Keywords: Evaluation, Textbook, writing tasks

A Study of the Applicability and Purpose of Students Evaluation of Lecturers in Colleges of Education in Nigeria (Published)

The National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) which is the supervisory agency for Colleges of Education in Nigeria in its current Minimum Standards provided an instrument for the evaluation of lecturers by students. This study raised five research questions and hypotheses to address some aspects of the applicability of the NCCE Instrument for Students Evaluation of Lecturers (ISEL). A mixed method approach was used and the sample comprised of 260 students and 48 lecturers from Colleges of Education in Nigeria. The instruments used were ISEL, Students Evaluation of Lecturers in Colleges of Education Questionnaire (SELCEQ) and pre evaluation briefing on ISEL (PREBISEL). Descriptive statistics, T test, χ² and one way ANCOVA were used to answer research questions and test hypotheses. Findings revealed that students and lecturers agreed that students can objectively evaluate their course lecturers and such evaluation will be useful. It was also established that lecturers whose students score higher marks in their courses receive higher students’ evaluation rating than lecturers whose students score lower marks. Pre evaluation briefing had no significant effect on students’ evaluation of their lecturers. It is recommended that Colleges should put ISEL to full use, and the NCCE should monitor its implementation and emphasize it in accreditation processes. The process of administration and reporting of ISEL should be developed and standardized with consideration for a mixed method approach.

Keywords: Evaluation, briefing., high achievement courses, low achievement courses, pre-evaluation

Evaluation of EFL Students’ Reading Proficiency in the College of Technological Studies in Kuwait (Published)

The research is an evaluation of the English language program implemented in the College of Technological Studies (CTS) in Kuwait. It tried to measure the improvement of the students’ reading proficiency upon completing the mandatory EFL courses (Eng. 101 and ESP course 170) which are mandatory courses offered by the program to all students joining the college. The research instrument consisted of three reading passages which move from the easier to the more difficult. A sample of 155 students (72 males and 83 females) was randomly chosen from the population of all the students in the CTS who successfully completed the two mandatory English courses offered by the English program.  Participants were required to read the passages and answer the questions on each passage.   Results showed that the participants’ performance in all three passages was far below expectation as the number of participants who gave correct answers in all three passages is below fifty percent.  These results suggest that the English program implemented in the CTS does not equip the students with the required reading skills that enable them to read and comprehend the simplest reading passages. With these results, the paper recommends that the English program needs to be subjected to rigorous evaluation in order to pinpoint the weaknesses.This evaluation should reconsider the curriculum implemented and the teaching methods used in teaching the reading skills. 

Keywords: EFL, Evaluation, college of technological studies

Evaluating Guidance and Counselling Utilisation among Secondary School Teachers: Rejoinders from Selected Nigerian Schools (Published)

This research contended that Guidance and Counselling transcend provision of helping services for adolescent secondary school students but encompass delivery of such supports to their teachers. It aimed to evaluate whether the latter were utilising the Services, using five research questions. Descriptive survey design was adopted, leading to random sampling of 384 constituents of the target population. A 20 item structured questionnaire (Guidance Utilisation Evaluation Scale for Teachers-GUEST) was developed and administered as research instrument. Responses were projected based on Four Likert Scale type Format, with professionals and pilot tests respectively substantiating instrument’s validity and reliability. Data were analysed using mean scores, ensuing in the  following findings: teachers supposed G and C functions as students’ services and did not utilise them; such functions were not extended to teachers as beneficiaries, but  buddies; teachers merely sought practitioners’ aids for student and school developments; there were dearth of necessary teacher-support resources in school G and C units; absence of sufficient G and C functions consciousness impeded its utilisation among teachers; they were hardly motivated to seek G and C aids from their schools’ practitioners. Ultimately, expansion of the programme’s delineation was proposed for apt erudition of counsellor facilitation and counsellee/client participation.

Keywords: Evaluation, Guidance and Counselling, Secondary School, Teachers, Utilisation., world – Africa - Nigeria

Development and Evaluation of L1 (Mother Tongue) Hausa Based ICT Enhanced Teacher Development (ICTeTD) Mode of Instruction in Physics (Published)

This study was designed to evaluate the effect of L1 Hausa based ICT instructional mode on the cognitive learning outcomes of Senior Secondary Schools Physics Students in Kontagora Municipal area, Niger State. Four (4) research questions and four (4) hypotheses were answered and tested respectively. A quasi-experimental design using Pre-Post Test intervention, was adopted for the study. A sample of participants, in three groups, totaling ninety-eight (98) was purposively selected from Senior Secondary School II Students studying Physics. Classical Physics Achievement Test (CPAT), which was used as the instrument for data collection was validated and its reliability index was 0.71. The data obtained was analysed using comparison of means and Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) at 0.05 level of significance. Results of the study revealed that students who were taught Physics using Hausa and those who were taught Physics in Hausa with the aid of ICTeTD instructional mode achieved significantly better than the students taught using English language as the medium of instruction. The result also revealed that students taught Physics using Hausa with the aid of the web-based package achieved better than those taught using Hausa only, with an effect size of 27.2% by partial eta squared estimates. There was no significant difference in the achievement of students based on gender. Based on the findings of this study it was recommended that ICTeTD instructional mode should be adopted in the teaching of Physics in students’ mother tongues to aid their understanding of Physics concepts.

Keywords: Evaluation, Hausa, Kontagora, Mother tongue, instructional mode, web-based package.

Curriculum Evaluation: A Comparative Study of a 4-Year B.Ed. Regular and a 2-Year Diploma Sandwich Students’ Results in Music, Movement and Drama (Published)

Both the Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) and Diploma students at the University of Education, Winneba, Ghana, use the same content as prescribed in the Academic Bulletin but both are admitted on two different entry requirements with different duration accordingly. Sections of society speculate about varied performances of both categories of students without any empirical evidence. The purpose of the study was to ascertain how well the students have been prepared in terms of content assimilation and their relative performance. Using a purposive sampling technique, both regular and sandwich Music, Movement and Drama Level 200 students of the Department of Early Childhood Education of the University from 2008 to 2012 were selected for the study. Test results of the respondents from 2008 to 2012 which served as the data were analysed, after ethical issues were resolved, using descriptive and inferential statistics. The results showed that both regular and sandwich students performed creditably well within the range of the years under review. It was, however, established that there was a statistically significant difference between the achievement of the B.Ed. regular and Diploma sandwich students from 2008 to 2012 academic years. On the basis of the findings, it was recommended that the mode of delivery of the sandwich programme be reconsidered such that there will be a bridge of the gap between the regular and the sandwich programmes in terms of performance.

Keywords: Bachelor of Education, Curriculum, Drama, Evaluation, Movement, Music, Sandwich, diploma, regular.

The Effect of Surveillance and Evaluation Expectation on the Creativity of Primary School Pupils (Published)

Creativity seems to be one of the determinants of perpetuation of species. Humans need to invent creative ways for dealing with the challenges of surviving in a continuously evolving planet. Creativity also has great implications for a nation’s development. Nurturing and enhancing creativity is a major concern for educators. This study focusses on finding the effect of surveillance and Evaluation, two factors identified as killers of creativity; on the creativity of primary school pupils. Piaget’s theory of creativity and Vygotsky’s theory of creativity were used to explain the possible relationships in the study. The research design is the post-test control group quasi experimental design. Thirty-five children from two intact classes were purposively selected for the study. Four research questions were asked and two hypothesis formulated for the study. Data was collected from creative arts classwork of the pupils and analysed using the Independent population t-test. Results revealed a significant effect of both surveillance and evaluation expectation on the creativity of primary school pupils. Recommendations were made.

Keywords: Creativity, Evaluation, Innovation, Self-reliance, Surveillance

Evaluation of the Impact of Science, Technology and Modernisation in Social Studies Curriculum on University Students (Published)

This study was designed to evaluate the impact of Social Studies course – “Science, Technology and Modernisation”, how it can be best delivered and learnt by university students. The novelty research was devised to ascertain how effective out-of-door activities and classroom interactive teaching and learning will have on students learning performance. The course is meant to develop in learners an attitude of re-examining society from the point of view of developments in science, technology and modernity. Four hundred students were involved in the study. Students were asked to answer pre-instructional, instructional and post instructional course questions. Unstructured interviews were also used for clarification of issues raised by students. The pre-instructional course questions were: (1) what do you know about “Science”, “Technology” and “Modernisation”?; and (2) what are the ideal teaching and learning techniques you will wished to be adopted in the classroom? The instructional course questions were: (1) what are your prospects for the course of study; and (1) what are the challenges you encountered during teaching and learning?. The post instructional course questions were: (1) what are the strengths of the teacher and the learners?; and (2) what  are the achievements from the course of study?. These processes were employed to elicit responses from the students. Interpretative analytical approach was adopted to analyse the data collected. It was concluded that there was a strong consensus among students that the ideal participatory teaching and learning method, techniques and strategies they suggested to be used were later precluded by them. It was also revealed that majority of students were not in tune with the purely interactive and participatory lesson delivery approach. Based on the findings, the study recommended that favourable classroom atmosphere must be created, coupled with enforced cooperative teaching and learning techniques to enhance participation of students. Also, in order to ensure effective retention of concepts taught, students must be exposed to concrete and technological materials to practicalised the teaching of Social Studies. Educational / field trip should be incorporated in the teaching of Social Studies, especially when teaching the concepts “Science and Technology”. This will help students probe into issues concerning science and technology by using their observational, manipulative and investigative skills.

Keywords: Curriculum, Evaluation, Modernisation, Science, Social Studies, Students, Technology, University

Evaluation of Students’ Personnel Services in Colleges of Education in Nigeria (Published)

The purpose of this study was to investigate evaluation of students’ personnel services in colleges of education in Nigeria. The descriptive survey design was adopted; three research questions and two null hypotheses guided the study. The population comprised 6184 and 8,569 staff and students of federal and state colleges of education respectively. A stratified random sampling technique was used to draw a sample of 770 staff and students from federal and state colleges of education in South-East geo-political zone of Nigeria. Evaluation of student personnel services questionnaire (ESPSQ) was used for data collection. Data collected were analyzed using t-test statistics to test the null hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The findings showed that there was low extent of adequacy of student personnel services in both colleges. There was no significant difference on the extent of availability of student personnel services in both colleges of education. Educational implications and conclusion were drawn.

Keywords: Adequacy, Availability, Evaluation, Personnel Service, Quality and Strategies