Relevance of Entrepreneurial Studies as Perceived by Vocational Education Undergraduate Students in Nigeria (Published)
This study investigated the perception of undergraduate vocational education students on the relevancy of entrepreneurial Studies in Ekiti state. In order to elicit information required for this study, three research questions were developed and answered while two null hypotheses were formulated and tested at 0.05 level of significance. A 17 item structured questionnaire titled vocational education students’ entrepreneurial studies perception (VESESP) was developed for data collection. Survey research design was adopted for the study. The sample for the study was 84 respondents made up of 97 male and 49 female vocational educational students in the two institutions running vocational education programs in Ekiti state. Face and content validity were carried out on the structured questionnaire by two experts in vocational and technical and education. The Cronbach alpha method was used to compute the reliability of the questionnaire to obtain a co-efficient of 0.79. Mean and standard deviation were used to analyse the research questions while t-test statistics and ANOVA were used to test the hypothesis. Based on the data collected and analysed, it was discovered that majority of respondent view entrepreneurship education as desirable and that entrepreneurship education prepares students very well for future entrepreneurial careers, there were also no significant differences among students running various degree programmes among other findings. However, it was also observed that there are various challenges facing entrepreneurship education as perceived by the students, this includes; students not having the opportunity to interact with high level entrepreneurs, inability of students to be able to prepare business plan after attending entrepreneurship education classes among others. Recommendations were thereafter made on ways to improve on entrepreneurship education courses in order to achieve the desired objectives of making vocational and technical education graduates to be job creator rather than job seekers.
Keywords: Entrepreneurship education, Perception, Undergraduate Students, Vocational education
An Assessment of Basic School Teachers’ Perception of the Impact of Motivation on Their Productivity in Ghana (Published)
This study aimed at examining basic school teachers’ perception of the impact of motivation on JHS teacher productivity in the Asante Akim South district of Ghana. The descriptive survey design was used in conducting the study and the population was all the JHS teachers in the district with a sample size of 217, made up of 179 males and 38 females. A questionnaire with a reliability coefficient of 0.74 was used for data collection. Key findings indicated that majority (97.2%) of teachers admitted that government’s study leave with pay policy was necessary for teacher productivity, eighty five percent (85%) of teachers were of the opinion that promotion was a necessary condition for teacher productivity, and there was a strong positive correlation between teachers’ salaries and teacher productivity. It was recommended that the quota system introduced into the study leave with pay policy should be removed to enable many teachers benefit from the facility. The district best teacher award scheme should cover at least 50% of teachers in the district, and promotion in the Ghana Education Service (GES) should be based on hard work rather than long service and further education.
Keywords: Basic School, Motivation, Perception, Productivity, Teachers
Teachers’ Perception on the Challenges of 9-Year Basic Education Curriculum Implementation in Edo State. (Published)
This study is carried out to find out the challenges faced in the implementation of the revised 9-year BEC in Edo state. The population for the study comprises all the school teachers from Lower, Middle and Upper Basic teachers in Edo State, Nigeria. A total population of two thousand eight hundred and eighty-four (2884) was focused for the study in Akoko Edo Local Government area. The sample of this study was six hundred (600) respondents selected across the state from public Lower, Middle and Upper Basic schools. Purposive sampling technique was used to group the state in terms of Senatorial District in the state.Random sampling techniques was used to select two (2) Local Government each from each senatorial district. Proportional sampling techniques was used to select five (5) schools in each Local Government making thirty schools (30). Strategfied sampling technique was used to select twenty (20) respondents from each schools selected in all the Local Government respectively. A total number of 600 respondents was selected from the 30 schools in the six (6) Local Government for the study. The research hypothesis there is no significance difference on the perceived challenges by teachers’ on the implementation of the revised 9-year BEC on the basis of year of experience was accepted and adequate recommendations were made.
Keywords: 9-year BEC, Challenges, Implementation, Perception, Teachers
PERCEPTION AND AWARENESS OF HIV/AIDS AMONG WOMEN FARMERS IN EBONYI STATE NIGERIA: NEED FOR COUNSELLING AND VOLUNTARY TESTING (Published)
Perception and level of awareness of HIV/AIDs among women farmers in Ebonyi State, Nigeria was studied. The study employed purposive and multi-stage random sampling techniques in the selection of 120 rural women farmers. Primary data were collected using a well-structured questionnaire and interview schedule. These were analyzed with descriptive and inferential statistics. The result of data analysis showed that majority 38.33 percent of the women farmers fall within age bracket of 26-35 years; their farming experience ranged 5-10 years with 36.67 percent; while their farm size ranged between 1.1-1.5 hectares. Majority 60.82 percent of the women were married and completed primary education with 38.33 percent. Majority 41.67 percent of the farmers live with between 4-6 persons in their household and earned between N80, 000-N100, 000 per annum. About 66.66 percent of the women belonged to 3-4 social organizations. Major sources of information on HIV/AIDs prevention to the rural women were: Ebonyi State Ministry of Health (2.90), religious institutions (3.12), social organizations (2.84), radio (3.67) and Ebonyi State Action Committee on Aids (EBOSACA) (3.66) among others Further analysis indicates that majority 100 percent of the respondents’ perceived that an HIV victim can live long on a special type of drug and hygienic condition (100 percent), HIV/AIDs is a viral disease (91.67 percent) while 85 percent perceived that HIV/AIDs exist and has no cure. All the women in the study area had knowledge of measures of HIV prevention such as total abstinence from sex, having one sex partner and screening of blood before transfusion. Majority 81.67 and 76.67 percent of the respondents were willing to be tested and would recommend it to their friends and family members. It was concluded that though the general level of awareness about HIV/AIDs was high, the perceptions of the respondents were faulty in some cases because of some misconception about causes and therapy to the disease. Necessary recommendations such as intensified awareness creation by the NGOs and concerned agencies, provision of infrastructures as well as education of farmers were made among others.
Keywords: Ebonyi State, HIV/AIDS, Nigeria, Perception, Voluntary Counseling and Testing, Women Farmers, awareness
SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS’ PERCEPTION ON SOME DETERMINANTS OF STUDENTS’ PERFORMANCE IN SOCIAL STUDIES (Published)
The focus of this study was on secondary school teachers’ perception on some determinants of students’performance in Social studies. Three research questions and two null hypotheses were formulated by the researchers that guided the study. The design of this study was descriptive survey research design aimed at eliciting information from the respondents on factors that determine students performance in secondary schools and the population of the study comprised 115 secondary school teachers teach Social studies in Abakaliki education zone. The instrument used for data collection was questionnaire and data were analzed using mean and standard deviation for all reseach questions and t-test statistical tool was used for testing the null hypotheses. The findings of the study revealed that government related factors, teachers’ related factors and students’ factors are some determinants of students’ performance in Social studies. The researchers reommended based on the findings that only competent and qualified Social studies teachers should be employ to teach the subject in secondary schools
Keywords: Perception, Secondary School Teachers’, Social Studies, Students performance
EFFECTS OF EDUCATIONAL SUPERVISION ON PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: PERCEPTION OF PUBLIC BASIC SCHOOL TEACHERS AT WINNEBA, GHANA (Published)
Educational supervision is very vital in the professional development of teachers. The study therefore aims at investigating the perception of public basic school teachers at Winneba, Ghana, on educational supervision in relation to their professional development. In all, 106 teachers of the public basic schools in Winneba who had spent at least a year at their respective schools were randomly selected and used for the study. The questionnaire was used to collect the data. One key finding from the study is that generally, majority of the teachers perceived educational supervision as having a positive impact on their professional development in terms of developing experience; curriculum, teaching methods and materials; classroom management; characteristics of pupils; and assessment. They also perceive educational supervision as helping to identify the needs of teachers and accordingly, plans professional development activities. Another finding is that educational supervisors highlight the strengths of teachers’ performance and encourage them to reflect on their challenges through which solutions are found to overcome them. More so, there is no significant difference in the views of male and female teachers of public basic schools at Winneba, in terms of developing their experiences, classroom management, characteristics of the pupils they teach, and assessment techniques. However, there is a significant difference in their responses in terms of curriculum, teaching methods and materials. The study, therefore, recommends that frequent and effective professional development activities should be organized by educational supervisors to enable teachers identify and develop their strengths, and address their weaknesses. Also, educational supervisors should not be interested in finding faults of teachers but more importantly, dialogue with teachers to identify their strengths and weaknesses in order to improve on their professional knowledge, skills and experiences.
Keywords: Perception, Professional Development, Teachers, basic schools, educational supervision, public