Relationship between Self-Concept and Attitude towards Solving Algebraic Problems among Secondary Schools Students in Sokoto State, Nigeria (Published)

Developing a positive self-concept is one of the most fundamental goal of success in life. This usually has to begin starting from early childhood to school years. This study therefore, investigated the relationship between self-concept and attitude towards solving algebraic problems among secondary school students in Sokoto state, Nigeria. Three research questions and three hypotheses guided the study. The study employed descriptive survey design. A sample of 377 senior secondary two (SSII) students was drawn from the population through proportionate random sampling technique. Two instruments were used in the study: self-concept scale (SCS) and Attitude towards Solving Algebraic Problem Scale (ASAPS). The instrument was content validated by Subject Matter Experts (SME). The reliability coefficients of SCS and ASPS were 0.77 and 0.79 respectively determined through Cronbach alpha technique for internal consistency. The findings of the study revealed that there was a significant relationship between students’ self-concept and their attitude towards solving algebraic problems. Findings also showed that there was no significant difference in male and female students’ attitude towards solving algebraic problems. It was therefore, suggested among others that teachers should give adequate and sufficient attention to developing positive self-concept in students.

Keywords: Algebra, Problem Solving, Secondary School, Self-Concept, Students

Is There Any Match Between Students’learning Style, Strategies, And Lecturers’ Teaching Techniques ? A Case Study of Benin EFL Students at the University Level (Published)

Educational research has identified a number of factors for some of the differences in how students learn (Reid, 1987). One of these factors, learning styles, is of widespread interest in the education area. In fact, each of us has an individual learning style, which means that we learn and process information in different ways. Also, there has been a prominent shift within the field of  learning strategies, and teaching techniques over the last twenty years. How students process new information and what kinds of strategies they employ to understand, learn or remember the information has been the primary concern of number of researchers. Furthermore, the way courses are delivered by lecturers, the teaching techniques used has a great impact on students’ achievement. The objective of this current study aims at establishing a comparison between two groups of students at  the university level. (A Training College and a Public University) in order to determine their learning preference, strategies, and the teaching techniques that they would best select. The researcher collected data from a sample of approximately  225 students. From the data, there is a significant  difference between the two types of  students  in terms of the appropriate teaching, techniques used by lecturers and their match with students’ learning style and strategies.

Keywords: Learning Style, Strategies., Students, Teaching Techniques

Influence of Demographic Factors on Inter-Parental Conflict in Ruiru Sub-County Kiambu County Kenya (Published)

This paper analyses demographic factors that influence inter-parental conflict in Ruiru Sub-county, Kenya. The demographic factors include parental level of education, parental occupation, and age at marriage.  The paper is drawn from a study that was undertaken in Ruiru Sub-county, Kiambu County in Kenya seeking to examine the effect of inter-parental conflict on academic achievement motivation among form three students. This paper thus makes reference to both the children’s and parents’ perceptions of how these factors influence inter-parental conflict. Guided by Abraham Maslow’s Hierachy of needs theory and Martin Selgman’s Learned Helplessness Theory, the study adopts a mixed method research design targeting form three students in the 31 public and private secondary schools in Ruiru Sub-county and their parents. A total of 281 randomly sampled students and 10 participated in the study through a Children Perception of Inter-parental Conflict Questionnaire (CPIC) and Focus Group Discussion Protocol for the selected parents. Data analysis was done both descriptively and using inferential statistics. These demographics factors were found to influence inter-parental conflict at different levels and therefore a recommendation was made that parents make effort to manage and resolve conflict before it escalates into hostilities and violence.

Keywords: Academic, County, Demographic Factors, Inter-Parental Conflict, Parents, Students

Mathematics Teachers’ Leadership Styles and Learning Motivation among Secondary School Students in Cross River State, Nigeria (Published)

The study investigated Mathematics teachers’ leadership styles and learning motivation as perceived by secondary school students in Calabar Education Zone of Cross River State. The study utilized descriptive research design. Three research questions were asked to guide the study. Sample size was five hundred and ninety nine (599) SSII students randomly selected  from 49 public secondary schools through stratified random sampling technique. Mathematics Teachers’ Leadership Styles and Learning Motivation Questionnaires (MTLSMQ) with reliability coefficient of 0.74 were used to gather data for the study. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple regression statistical technique. Result showed that there is significant positive relationship between teachers’ leadership styles and students learning motivation. Based on the findings, ,it was recommended among others that training programme on leadership and general attitude to work should be organized for mathematics teachers in particular and teachers in general. This will help them to realize that they are leaders in the classroom.

Keywords: Cross River, Leadership Style, Learning, Motivation, Students, Teacher

Modern School Management and Its Impact on the Academic Achievement of the Students of the Basic Stage in Jordanian Public Schools (Published)

The study aimed to identify the modern school administration and its impact on the academic achievement of the students of the basic stage in the Jordanian government schools. To achieve the objectives of the study, the researcher followed the analytical descriptive approach in terms of applying the study tool and data collection and analysis. Directorate of Education Jerash, While the sample of the study consisted of (20) students from Jerash Elementary School for Boys. The study found that there is a statistically significant effect of the modern school administration on the academic achievement of the students of the basic stage in Jordanian public schools. Modern administration in the various directorates of education affiliated to the Jordanian Ministry of Education.

Keywords: Academic Achievement, Basic Stage, Modern School Management, Students, public schools

Assessment of Guidance Services in Senior High Schools in Upper Denkyira East Municipality (Published)

The purpose of the study was to assess guidance services rendered in the Senior High Schools(SHS) in the Upper Denkyira East Municipality. To accomplish this, descriptive survey research design procedure with a quantitative approach was adopted. The study employed a multistage sampling procedure where sample size of 474 respondents were used. There were 133 staff (teachers, counsellors and headmasters) and 341 SHS students. Questionnaires were used to obtain data from the respondents. The quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics (frequencies and percentages, means and standard deviations) and inferential statistics (independent t-test and MANOVA). The study revealed that generally both students and staff have positive views about the nature of guidance services provided in Senior High Schools within Upper Denkyira East Municipality. Again, it was confirmed that most staff and students agreed that guidance resources and materials are unavailable or inadequate in the schools for effective implementation of guidance services. The findings prove that there was statistically significant difference between the staff and students in their perception towards the nature of guidance services provided. It was therefore recommended that the Ghana Education Service implement fully its policy of assigning guidance and counselling coordinators to each Senior High Schools to allow for constant and fulltime access of the students to guidance and counselling.

Keywords: Counselling, Guidance Services, Senior High Schools, Students

Correlation between Instructional Leadership and Students’ Academic Achievement in Public Secondary Schools in Baringo County, Kenya (Published)

The significance of instructional leadership as it relates to students academic performance has assumed greater importance in education today as stakeholders demand for greater accountability. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between instructional leadership and student achievement, considering the dismal academic performances of students in public secondary schools in Baringo County. The study adopted the cross sectional survey   research design. The target population of the study was 1070 secondary school teachers from 122 public secondary schools. A sample size of 291 teachers was selected using stratified and simple random sampling techniques. Data was collected by use of questionnaire and Document analysis. Frequencies and percentages were used to summarize and describe data whereas the Spearman correlation analysis was used to establish relationship of the variables in the study.    

Keywords: : Academic Performance, Instructional Leadership, Secondary Schools, Students, Teachers

Influence of School Location on Students Attitude towards Mathematics and Basic Science (Published)

The study investigated “influence of school location on student’s attitude towards mathematics and basic science”. It adopted survey design. One research question and one hypothesis was formulated and tested at 0.05 level of significance. One hundred and sixty six (166) students formed the sample of this study, two (2) validated and reliable instruments namely Mathematics and Basic Science Achievement Test (MBSAT) and Students Location Test (SLT) were used to collect data for this study. Analysis of the data results showed that; there was no significant difference in the mean performance scores between urban and rural school students with positive attitude towards mathematics and basic science using the independent t-test analysis. Based on these findings, some suggestions and recommendations were made on the need for students to develop positive attitude towards the study of mathematics and basic science despites a student location. This is because attitude is a good predictor of academic performance particularly in mathematics and basic science.

Keywords: Basic Science, MBSAT, Mathematics, School Location, Students, attitude

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

Correlates of Dyscalculia and Learning Outcome in Mathematics among SSII Students in Obudu, Cross River State-Nigeria (Published)

Dyscalculia brings about different types of learning disorder which affects individuals (students) at various levels of learning. It enables the students, educators and guidance to determine inabilities, phobia, anxiety and develop compensatory mechanism for under developed areas. This paper deals with correlates of dyscalculia and learning outcome in Mathematics among SSII students in Obudu, C.R.S- Nigeria. Types of dyscalculia like; sequential, verbal, practognostic and operational dyscalculia are discussed. Tips on how to reduce dyscalculia are listed in the work. The survey research design was adopted for the study. A sample of 200 students was randomly drawn for the study. Data generated were subjected to statistical analysis using Pearson product moment correlation analysis at 0.05 level of significant. Results obtained show among others that dyscalculia significantly correlates with students learning in mathematics. Based on this it was recommended among others that students should engage in practice, extra-time, graphicalized their work and evaluate their work.

Keywords: Dyscalculia, Education, Learning, Mathematics, Nigeria, Students