Patronage of Online Bookstores by Postgraduate Students at Nigerian Universities

Mousaion ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Samson Akande ◽  
Adeyinka Tella ◽  
Stephen Osahon Uwaifo

The preference for online bookstores is increasing among students; however, research that focuses on online bookstores has not been given attention in the Nigerian university context. This study examined, through empirical analysis, the patronage of online bookstores by postgraduate students at Nigerian universities. A survey design was adopted using a questionnaire to collect data from 969 postgraduate students selected from twelve universities from the South-west and South-south regions. Six research questions were developed. The findings reveal that Amazon is the online bookstore most often patronised by Nigerian postgraduate students. The books ordered most often are textbooks, fiction, and reference books. The factors driving patronage of online bookstores are convenience, the wide range of products available, the opportunity to purchase anytime and anywhere, the ability to save time, and cost advantages. Culture and censorship do not have an impact on the patronage of online bookstores. Overall, postgraduate students are satisfied with their experience of online bookstores, although the challenges include internet connectivity, long waiting times for delivery of ordered books, inadequate information and communication technology (ICT) skills, limited access to computers with internet access, loss of ordered books during transit, and the risks inherent in paying for books ordered online. Since only one bookstore in this study, Ikasuwa, is based in Nigeria, it is recommended that Nigerian bookstores and booksellers consider creating online platforms to reach out to customers.

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (25) ◽  
pp. 150
Author(s):  
Naumi Chepkemoi ◽  
David Wanyonyi

The main aim of this study was to investigate the use of ICT in teaching Kiswahili plays in secondary schools as a way of cultivating interest and positive attitude towards drama at an early age. The objectives of the study were: To ascertain whether teachers of Kiswahili play have ICT skills for teaching Kiswahili plays and to examine attitude of teachers of Kiswahili towards integration of ICT in teaching Kiswahili plays The study used social learning theory by Bandura and the functionalism theory by John Dewey. The study employed a descriptive survey design to answer the research questions. Stratified sampling was used to categorize schools in to boys, girls, mixed schools, day and boarding schools. Simple random sampling was applied to select 275 students from a total of 918 students. The study used focus group discussion, questionnaires for teachers and students to collect data and interviews to provide further information on the teacher’s attitude on the use of ICT in teaching Kiswahili play and observation. The study showed limited use of ICT in teaching and learning of Kiswahili play and it adds up into the pool of existing knowledge and is beneficial to teachers since it gives suggestion on the best combination to motivate and arouse interest of teaching and also to the teacher training institutions in preparing teachers to adequately use ICT in instruction in classroom level and also to the curriculum developers.


Author(s):  
K. R. E. Okoye ◽  
S. M. Nkanu

Unemployment has been an issue yet unresolved in the minds of every citizen. However, the hope is that the Nigerian government should resolve it, but this plight still looms and stirs on the face of all. This however is the plight in sight and therefore this study investigated employers’ identification of skills needed by technical and vocational education (TVE) graduates for industrial work effectiveness. The study determined (a) Information Communication Technology (ICT) skills needed by TVE graduates as identified by employers with 0-10 years of work experience, (b) Problem-Solving skills needed by TVE graduates as identified by employers with 0-10 years of work experience, (c) Technical Skills needed by TVE graduates as identified by employers with 0-10 years of work experience. Three research questions and three null hypotheses guided the study. The study adopted the descriptive survey design, with a population of 260 managers. Data collected were analyzed using arithmetic mean and standard deviation for research questions and z-test to test the hypothesis. The study revealed that, problem solving skills, technical skills and information and communication technology (ICT) skills are highly needed by TVE graduates for improved industrial work effectiveness. Findings of the study revealed that in terms of information and communication technology skills and problem solving skills, there was no significant difference in the mean ratings of employers. The study also revealed that employers of 0-10years of operation differed significantly in their mean ratings on technical skills needed by TVE graduates for industrial work effectiveness. Based on the findings, the researchers recommends that every effort should be made to ensure that machinery to enhance the acquisition of employability skills by TVE scholars be put in place during their days in school. There should be re-training scheme arranged by Nigerian government for TVE graduates after school.


Author(s):  
Nwosu, Patience Okwudiri ◽  

The advancement in technology and its dynamic influence on work processes puts high demand on ICT skills, thereby necessitating the need of students undertaking training in their respective fields of specializations to be more versatile in current labour market needs so as to be qualified to work in the ICT inclined labour market. The study examined Information and Communication technology skill acquisition and graduates’ employability in Cross River State, Nigeria. Two research questions guided the study. Survey research design was adopted. The population of the study comprised of all the 475 lecturers in the Faculty of Education, University of Calabar. The simple random sampling technique was used to sample 47% resulting to 223 respondents. The instrument for data collection was a modified four point likert scale titled; information and communication technology skill acquisition and graduates employability questionnaire (ICTSAGEQ). The reliability estimate obtained using Cronbach alpha reliability was 0.85. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics of mean and standard deviation to answer research questions. Findings revealed that information and communication technology skill acquisition has significant influence on graduates’ employability. The study further found that the challenges of ICT skills acquisition bothers around inadequate funding, inadequacy of ICT compliant manpower, poor power supply, lack of infrastructure among others. The study therefore concluded that ICT skill acquisition significantly influence graduates’ employability in Cross River State, to this end, it was recommended that Students should be encouraged and sponsored to acquire relevant ICT skills before graduation to enable them fit into the modern world of work or possibly set up their personal ICT services for self –reliance and creating jobs for others thereby reducing unemployment and by extension youth restiveness.


2019 ◽  
pp. 210-217
Author(s):  
Nnamani A.P. ◽  
Ukoha E.O. ◽  
Nwachukwu V.N.

The study examined the availability and utilization of ICT Resources for teaching English Language in secondary schools located in Nsukka urban of Enugu state, Nigeria. Two research questions and one hypothesis guided the study. The design of the study was descriptive survey design. Purposive sampling technique was used to select 9 teachers out 29 English teachers from the 9 public secondary schools in Nsukka urban. One English teacher each from the nine schools making it a total number of 9 teachers were used for the study. Checklist and questionnaires were used to collect data. These instruments were validated by three experts from university of Nigeria Nsukka. Percentages, mean and standard deviation and t-test were used to analyse the data collected. The findings of the study revealed that only 3 ICT resources were available for teaching English language in secondary schools. The study also revealed that the very few that were available were grossly underutilized. This implied that the teaching of English which is known for its capacity to douse linguistic tension in our multilingual Nigeria is not effectively and efficiently taught and learnt. Recommendations made include that government should make available ICT resources for the purposes of teaching English in secondary schools in Nsukka urban and that teachers should be exposed on how to use the ICT resources.


Author(s):  
Amos Ochayi Onojah ◽  
Adenike Aderogba Onojah ◽  
Nwadubike Nweke-Richards

Most students could be adopting the mobile technologies available but may not be for learning purposes. This study investigated the postgraduate students’ application of mobile technologies for learning and examined the differences in the application of mobile technologies by postgraduate students based on their area of specialization. The study was a quantitative research design. The population comprised all postgraduates’ students in Nigeria out of which 750 of them were purposively sampled across eleven universities based on accessibility. The data for the study was gathered using a Researchers-developed questionnaire. Statistical form of Mean was used to answer the research questions while Kruskal Wallis H-Test was used to test the hypothesis. A coefficient reliability of 0.87 was obtained on the instrument. The finding among others were that, postgraduate students in the information and communication specialization apply mobile technologies for their learning and research more than other postgraduate students’ counterparts; and there was significant difference among postgraduate student’ utilization of mobile technologies for learning and research purposes based on specialization. The study concluded that, the thoughtful utilization of mobile technologies by postgraduates could be of enormous benefit towards their learning within and outside the classroom settings and also facilitate their research knowledge, training and skills. It was however recommended among others that most of the course lectures by postgraduate students as well as their research should be embedded in mobile technologies.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 206
Author(s):  
Basil C.E Oguguo ◽  
Agnes O. Okeke ◽  
Priscilla O. Dave-Ugwu ◽  
Christopher A. Ocheni ◽  
Clifford O. Ugorji ◽  
...  

This study examined the information and communication technology (ICT) skills relevant for effective learning possessed by undergraduate students. The study made use of descriptive survey research design. The study participants were 320 undergraduate students of university of Nigeria. The instrument used for data collection was “Relevant ICT Skills for Effective Learning among Undergraduate Students Questionnaire” (RISELUSQ). The reliability of the instrument was determined using Cronbach-Alpha method and a reliability coefficient of 0.84 was obtained. Four research questions and two hypotheses guided the study. The data collected were subjected to analysis, the mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions while the hypotheses were tested using t-test and ANOVA at 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that undergraduate students possessed the relevant ICT skills that will enhance their learning and that the ICT skills of the male students were not different from that of the female. The findings also showed that the ICT skills of undergraduate students differ based on their educational level, particularly, between the 100 level and 500 levels. Equally, the finding reveals that the students face some ICT challenges like non-functional/limited projectors in classrooms, limited e-learning facilities among others. Based on the findings, it was recommended that students be encouraged to continue to improve on their ICT skills as it will enable them strive well academically and that school authorities should ensure adequate and proper infrastructures/ICT facilities be put in place within the university environment.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 3524
Author(s):  
Melor Md Yunus ◽  
Wee Shin Ang ◽  
Harwati Hashim

Online learning has become essential in education as the spread of coronavirus 19 (COVID-19) pandemic has brought significant changes to the field. However, education should remain welcoming and supportive to all the learners as it is important to keep the students’ behavioural intention in any form of learning environment. Thus, this study is significant as online learning is leading the trend of education now. Past studies revealed that the factors of performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, and facilitating conditions under the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) model affect learners’ behavioural intention to use online learning. This study intended to identify the most significant factors that influence TESL postgraduate students’ behavioural intention towards the use of online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. It also examined the relationship amongst the four factors and postgraduate students’ behavioural intention to use online learning. The participants consisted of 169 postgraduate students at a public university in Malaysia. To achieve the aim, the study utilized a survey design using a questionnaire. The results from regression analysis revealed that all of the factors have positive effects on postgraduate students’ behavioural intention to use online learning. Meanwhile, performance expectancy has the greatest influence on postgraduate students’ behavioural intention. Hence, this study concludes that the practicality and the usefulness of online learning should be highlighted by the authorities.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 7790
Author(s):  
Albert Kampermann ◽  
Raymond Opdenakker ◽  
Beatrice Van der Heijden ◽  
Joost Bücker

With the rapid global spread and application of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), the question is whether every culture makes similar use of the ideology that often underlies its creators’ design. ICT applications are designed with underlying beliefs or principles about e.g., work, communication, and individuality. These beliefs or principles are invisible and hidden in software and, as such, in many instances not recognized by users in other cultures. These hidden principles might even frustrate the understanding, use, knowledge-sharing, and e-collaboration between people from different cultures. In this article, we aim to explore, from a historical point of view, the early years of adaptation of ICT in developing countries, and we will highlight the importance of the use of intercultural (ICT-)skills to learn to recognize cultural differences from a relationship-based definition in technology-mediated collaboration. A semi-systematic or narrative review approach is used that is particularly suitable for topics that have been conceptualized differently. Our review firstly summarizes and categorizes the cultural factors impacting the adaptation and diffusion of ICT, especially in developing countries, and investigates which factors could hinder and/or facilitate the collaboration with other countries. Secondly, the findings of a thorough comparison between different intercultural competencies’ frameworks indicate that intercultural competencies show a combination of motivation, knowledge (-management), and skills, which are key competencies in the light of successful technology-mediated collaboration.


Kybernetes ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (7) ◽  
pp. 1463-1477
Author(s):  
Olga Marino ◽  
Jaime Andres Gutierrez ◽  
Sandra Aguirre

Purpose This paper aims to propose and evaluate a pedagogically sound and innovative strategy to teach a higher education course that prepares future professionals to intelligently use information and communication technologies (ICTs) in their personal and professional lives. Design/methodology/approach The conceptual framework used for the design of the course was the socio-constructivism and activity theories. The implementation of the course was evaluated using the intrinsic case study methodology by including several instruments. Findings The pedagogical strategy proposed proved to be sound, as the evaluation showed that students were able to describe, use and propose innovative uses of a wide range of cutting-edge technologies in their both everyday lives and professional settings; they also had the skills to analyse the opportunities and challenges that these presented. Moreover, students liked this innovative way of learning and ended with a positive attitude towards ICT. Originality/value Although several courses prepare students to be digital citizens or use ICT to enhance the teaching-learning process, millennials are ill prepared to use cutting-edge technologies in an innovative, responsible and critical way in their future professions. The course that was designed is original in that it goes beyond preparing digital citizens to prepare professionals in any domain to use ICT in an informed and responsible way. Moreover, it is a documented, successful example of an undergraduate universal course in a highly important current society dimension. The authors believe that its pedagogical proposal could be transferred to courses dealing with other global issues such as the environment, economy and peace.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joffrey L. Leevy ◽  
John Hancock ◽  
Richard Zuech ◽  
Taghi M. Khoshgoftaar

AbstractMachine learning algorithms efficiently trained on intrusion detection datasets can detect network traffic capable of jeopardizing an information system. In this study, we use the CSE-CIC-IDS2018 dataset to investigate ensemble feature selection on the performance of seven classifiers. CSE-CIC-IDS2018 is big data (about 16,000,000 instances), publicly available, modern, and covers a wide range of realistic attack types. Our contribution is centered around answers to three research questions. The first question is, “Does feature selection impact performance of classifiers in terms of Area Under the Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve (AUC) and F1-score?” The second question is, “Does including the Destination_Port categorical feature significantly impact performance of LightGBM and Catboost in terms of AUC and F1-score?” The third question is, “Does the choice of classifier: Decision Tree (DT), Random Forest (RF), Naive Bayes (NB), Logistic Regression (LR), Catboost, LightGBM, or XGBoost, significantly impact performance in terms of AUC and F1-score?” These research questions are all answered in the affirmative and provide valuable, practical information for the development of an efficient intrusion detection model. To the best of our knowledge, we are the first to use an ensemble feature selection technique with the CSE-CIC-IDS2018 dataset.


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