Repositioning General Studies for National Development: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Undergraduate Education in Nigeria, A Study of Custech, Osara and Comparative Insights from Selected Universities (Published)
This study investigated the repositioning of General Studies (GST) for national development through a multidisciplinary approach to undergraduate education in Nigeria, using Confluence University of Science and Technology (CUSTECH), Osara, and comparative insights from University of Ilorin, Benue State University and Bingham University. The study was motivated by growing concerns regarding the ability of existing GST programmes to adequately equip students with the competencies required for effective participation in contemporary society and for national development. Specifically, the study examined the structure, content, and delivery of GST programmes, students and lecturers perceptions of the relevance and effectiveness of GST in promoting national development and graduate preparedness, identified challenges affecting programme implementation, evaluated the extent to which existing GST courses promote civic, ethical, entrepreneurial, and digital competencies and proposed a multidisciplinary framework for repositioning GST in Nigerian universities. The study adopted a mixed-methods research design involving quantitative, qualitative, and documentary approaches. Data were collected through questionnaires administered to 400 undergraduate students drawn from CUSTECH, Osara, University of Ilorin, Benue State University, and Bingham University. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with GST directors, lecturers, and academic administrators, while documentary analysis of university handbooks and publicly available course outlines provided comparative curricular insights. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics, while qualitative data were analysed thematically. Findings revealed that General Studies remains highly relevant to undergraduate education, particularly in promoting civic consciousness, critical thinking, communication skills, problem-solving abilities, and national integration. However, challenges such as overcrowded classrooms, excessive theoretical orientation, insufficient integration of digital literacy among others were identified. The study further revealed disparities in curriculum content and multidisciplinary orientation across institutions. Consequently, a multidisciplinary framework integrating entrepreneurship, digital literacy, leadership education, experiential learning, and community engagement was proposed. The study concludes that repositioning GST through a multidisciplinary and learner-centred approach is essential for strengthening undergraduate education and enhancing sustainable national development in Nigeria.
Keywords: National Development, Nigeria, general studies, multidisciplinary approach, undergraduate education
Technological Education and Productivity for National Development: National and Regional Failures (Published)
This empirical paper examined technological education and productivity for national development: national and regional failures. Its purpose was to examine and analyze those variables and offer suggestions for an improvement of the situation. Seven research questions were posed to provide a focus for arguments in this paper. There was a review of literature based on those research questions. It was found that technological education had fared well in policies and curriculum designs not in technological productivity; Dales Cone of Experience, Lancaster-Bell Monitorial teaching method and KISTEC Model were identified as better methods for teaching technological education; productivity continued to be primary agricultural produce and not technological goods with the country remaining underdeveloped; Nigeria failed by not providing an enabling technological environment generally and the South East in particular by taking advantage of technological breakthroughs by the ex-Biafrans. The South East geopolitical zone has failed by its apathy towards developing its natural endowment (technology). The paper concluded that there was need for not only vertical and horizontal collaborative research in technological education and innovations but also the production of technological goods. Several recommendations were made one of which was that there should be an establishment of a National Agency for Technological Inventions and Production (NATIP) that should coordinate technological inventions and their production for national development.
Keywords: National Development, Productivity, national and regional failures, technological education
Assessing Free Education of Public Secondary Schools for Sustainable National Development in Nigeria (Published)
Education is inevitable tool for sustainable development and economic development is the desire of all nations of the world but how to attain a sustainable development remains a challenge to many nations. This paper examined free education and its adaption for sustainable national development in Nigeria. Education is a social service, which is meant to eradicate illiteracy, ensures comfortable living of the citizens as well as the development of the country, it should be provided free for all. In the course of this paper, information and data were gathered from literature and forty two (42) principals spread across forty two secondary schools in the four (4) Local Government Area of Umuahia Education Zone to describe the Concept and support of the arguments raised. The data for the study were collected using an instrument titled “Assessing Free Education for Sustainable Development Questionnaire (AFESDQ). The instrument was validated by three (3) research experts and reliability established using Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient with reliability 0.83. Data obtained were analyzed using mean for the research questions while hypothesis formulated was tested at 0.5 level of significance. The relationship between free education and sustainable development were established, the extent of enhancement and factors that facilitate free education were also examined with suggestions including among others, the need to ensure equity and egalitarianism, combat the looming poverty, low manpower/ literacy level and provision of scholarships, bursaries to students and adequate funding from government.
Keywords: Free Education, National Development, Nigeria, Public Secondary Schools
Quality Control in Early Childhood Education (Published)
The growing demand and practice of early childhood education (ECE) within the Nigerian educational system have recourse for quality control and standardisation. This position has become necessary because of the proliferation of operators with the economic opportunity intentions. It is therefore a proposition that quality control in early childhood education should be ascertained in Nigeria within the policy framework. The prevailing situation of early childhood education in Nigeria and the prospects inherent for national development should be repositioned using strategic options that would ensure quality control. A mix strategy from the inputs of government, ECE operators, parents and critical stakeholders can be adopted to ascertain quality control in early childhood education.
Keywords: Early Childhood Education, National Development, Policy Framework, Quality control, Strategic Options
Taking Proactive National Development In Its Strides: A Speculative Peep At Emerging Trends In Science And Technology Education As A Sure Panacea (Published)
This paper seek to make a brief account on the nature of Basic Science and Technology, it equally has interest in a systematic exposition of selected issues in integration in order to shed light into dangerous and treacherous concepts and solicit support for the reasons not beyond “a productive and reliable science and technology for national development”.
Keywords: Education, Emerging Trends, National Development, Science, Technology
TEACHERS’ MOTIVATIONAL SKILLS AS A STRATEGY FOR ENHANCING EFFECTIVENESS IN METHODS OF TEACHING SOCIAL STUDIES EDUCATION TOWARDS NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA (Published)
Within the background of most graduates of Social Studies Education not being entrepreneurial enough to contribute to national development after school, The research on Teachers’ Motivational Skills In Social Studies Education And Comprehensive Education Towards National Development in Nigeria aimed at determining if motivational skills of the teacher important for a comprehensive learning of Social Studies Education is a factor for comprehensive education towards the development of our nation. The ex-post facto research design was adopted for the study. A null hypothesis was formulated to guide the study. The data for the work were collected with the help of a PTMSIC questionnaire as the working instrument. The stratified random sampling technique and the simple random sampling technique were adopted for the choice of samples from the population which was made up of Social Studies Education Students from Akwa Ibom State. The face and content validity were established and the alpha Cronbach coefficient was used to establish the reliability of the instrument. The collected data were coded and analysed using the one way analysis of variance (ANOVA). The hypothesis was calculated at F-value of 31.89 and was significant at 0.05 levels with a critical value of 3.00. The Fishers’LSD Multiple Comparison Analysis was used to determine the group means that brought the significance. All showed that students with moderate and high level perception of teachers’ motivational skills experienced more competence in Social Studies Education towards national development than students with low level perception. Based on the above result conclusions were drawn and some recommendations made
Keywords: National Development, Social Studies, Teachers’ Motivation