Correlates of Depression Among Final Year Students in Rivers State University, Port Harcourt, Nigeria (Published)
The present study focused on correlates of depression among final year students Rivers State University, Port Harcourt. Rivers State, Nigeria. The researchers adopted that correlational research design in the study. This was because they wanted to investigate the relationship between lack of finance, poor academic performance as well as poor social support and depression among final year students in the Rivers State University. The population of the study comprised of all final-year undergraduate students during the 2023/2024 academic session. The sample size used for this study was 200 students from the faculty of Education. The sampling technique used was the multi-stage sampling technique. Two questionnaires were developed by the researcher and were tagged “Correlates of Depression Questionnaire” (CDQ) and “Depression Scale” (DS). Validation of the instrument was carried out by two experts in the field of Measurement and Evaluation. The reliability of the instruments were ascertained using Cronbach Alpha method. With reliability indices of 0.67 and 0.76 respectively for CDS and DS respectively. Simple regression was used to analyse the data. Result of the study showed that lack of finance (p=0.009<0.05) as well as social support (p=0.002<0.05) all has significant relationship with depression among final year students in Rivers State University. On the contrary, academic performance, (p=0.719>0.05) had no significant relationship with depression among final year students in Rivers State University. Based on these findings, it was recommended among others that government should subsidize education to enable some student especially final year to cope in school. Again, more scholarship and students grant should be provided to help students pass through school with ease.
Keywords: : Academic Performance, Depression, Finance, Social Support
Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and the Post Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (PUTME) As Predictors of Undergraduate Students’ Final Grades (Published)
This study set out to investigate UTME and PUTME Examinations as predictors of undergraduate students’ final grades. The research design is the ex-post-facto. The population of this study comprises of 100 and 200level undergraduate students in four different departments. The sample for the analysis is 436 students. Data were collected from the official students’ records at the Management Information System (M.I.S) Unit of the University of Benin. The data collected were analyzed using Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient (r) and linear regression. The findings of the study revealed that JAMB/UTME, PUTME scores do not significantly predict undergraduate final grades in Nigeria University and both JAMB/UTME and PUME scores combined do not significantly predict undergraduate final grades in Nigeria University. The need for stakeholders in education to examine the relevance of the JAMB/UTME and PUTME examinations in the selection of students into the tertiary institution which has led to multiplicity of examination and other attendant problems for the students, parents and even the institutions; and the need for every tertiary institution to be allowed to conduct their screening examination and not a stooge of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board were recommended.
Keywords: : Academic Performance, Examination, Predictive, validity