scholarly journals Software Piracy in Nigeria

Author(s):  
Andembubtob David Roland ◽  
Apuru Jonathan Iliya ◽  
Ezra Siyani Dogo

The enormity of software piracy varies in different countries and Nigeria is not an exception. Software piracy occurs in diverse forms such as soft lifting, hard disk loading, counterfeiting and unauthorized renting. Many reasons are behind software piracy. Software piracy has many negative economic consequences: Competition distorted by pirated software at the expense of local industries, loss of tax revenue and jobs because of the lack of a legitimate market, increase in cost recovery which, overall, affects social well-being of the citizenry. Findings have revealed that Nigeria has the highest case of software piracy, intellectual property theft and other sharp practices in the IT industry in Africa. Hence, this work investigates software piracy in Nigeria; revealing the concepts, causes, effects; and proffered solutions. We adopted the descriptive survey design. The research instrument used was online questionnaire with a sample size of 3270 people drawn from a population of respondents from the six (6) Geopolitical Zones of Nigeria. The results show that software piracy has statistically significant effect on the economy of Nigeria and that high standard of living is the biggest cause of software piracy in Nigeria.

Author(s):  
James E. Snow ◽  
Matthew J. Leach ◽  
Bevin A. Clare

AbstractBackgroundEvidence-based practice (EBP) has been the focus of increasing attention in the teaching and delivery of both complementary and conventional healthcare. Western herbal medicine (WHM) is a system of complementary healthcare rooted in tradition. How WHM practitioners perceive, are prepared for, and use EBP, has to date been largely ignored. We therefore examined the use, opinion, skills, and training in EBP, and barriers and facilitators of EBP uptake, among herbal practitioners in the United States (US).MethodsThe study utilized a cross-sectional, descriptive survey design. A sample of US clinical herbalists was invited to complete a validated online questionnaire, the Evidence-Based practice Attitude and utilization SurvEy (EBASE).ResultsSeventy-four US herbal practitioners completed the survey (response rate=35 %). Participants demonstrated a generally positive attitude toward EBP (median attitude subscore 31 [possible range=8–40]), a moderate to high level of self-assessed skill in EBP (median skill subscore 46 [13–65]) and a moderate level of EBP uptake (median use subscore 12 [0–24]). Apart from a lack of clinical evidence in herbal medicine, there were few perceived barriers to EBP uptake among herbal practitioners. Access to the Internet, online databases and full-text journal articles were considered most useful in facilitating the uptake of EBP in WHM practice.ConclusionsRespondents’ attitudes, skill level, and uptake of EBP were generally consistent with other complementary and alternative medicine providers. Educational initiatives, including those focused on the appraisal and application of evidence, may help to optimize the use of EBP among WHM practitioners.


2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 01-07
Author(s):  
Alfred Eboh

Background: The hawking of wares by children has been a serious issue confronting the Nigerian society. Children hawk in some of the most horrible conditions conceivable, where they face a serious risk of injury, chronic illness, kidnapping, rape or death. Objective: The focus of this study was to assess the perceived effects of street hawking on the well-being of children in Anyigba, Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State. Methods: The population of this study consists of parents of the street hawkers in Anyigba while cross-sectional survey design was used through the purposive sampling technique to choose the sample size of one hundred and sixty-two (162) respondents. The validated structured questionnaire and In-Depth Interviews (IDIs) served as the instruments for the data collection respectively. The hypotheses were tested using Chi-Square at a predetermined 0.05 level of significance. The quantitative data were analysed with the aid of the SPSS (version 20). Results: The results indicated among others that street hawking had significant social implications and physical consequences on children's moral behaviour as well as health status in the study area. Conclusion: The study, therefore, concluded that the government of Kogi State should carry out an enlightenment campaign through the media and religious institutions on the negative consequences of street hawking are recommended as panacea. Also, the child right act instrument and its implementation should be strengthened in order to curb street hawking in the study area.


Author(s):  
Ben Y. F. Fong ◽  
Martin C. S. Wong ◽  
Vincent T. S. Law ◽  
Man Fung Lo ◽  
Tommy K. C. Ng ◽  
...  

In Hong Kong, social distancing has been adopted in order to minimise the spread of COVID-19. This study aims to examine the changes in physical health, mental health, and social well-being experienced by local residents who were homebound during the pandemic. An online questionnaire in both Chinese and English versions was completed by 590 eligible participants from 24 April to 13 May 2020. The questionnaire found that individuals aged 18 to 25 years spent more time resting and relaxing but experienced more physical strain. Working status was associated with social contact, with participants working full-time jobs scoring higher in “maintaining social communication via electronic means” and “avoiding social activities outside the home”. Additionally, approximately one third of the participants (29.7%) had moderate to severe depression, and participants aged 18 to 25 were found to have higher scores in PHQ-9. Changes in physical health and social contact were significantly associated with developing depressive symptoms. From the results, it is clear that the COVID-19 pandemic has the potential to exert a negative impact on the mental health status of individuals.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 4850
Author(s):  
Emanuela Mari ◽  
Giulia Lausi ◽  
Angelo Fraschetti ◽  
Alessandra Pizzo ◽  
Michela Baldi ◽  
...  

Background: As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, since March 2020, the Italian population was forced into lockdown to prevent the spread of the virus. The restrictive measures imposed forced many organizations and workers to work through online platforms and no longer in-person. Smart working, enjoyed by some workers for its flexibility, affected several professional categories. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether there are differences in the psychological variables related to four groups of professional categories (practitioners, managers, executive employees, teachers), particularly the teachers group. Methods: A total sample of 628 individuals was recruited through a random probability sample across Italy. Due to the lockdown, an online questionnaire was developed; several validated scales were chosen, and some ad hoc constructed items related to the smart working experience were included. Results: The results showed statistically significant differences between the four groups of examined smart workers. Conclusions: All workers have had to readjust to this new way of working, but our results show that teachers were the most affected, both in the perception of their psychological well-being and in the management of the smart working mode.


Author(s):  
Samat Kazbekovich Imanbaev

This article examines the pension policy, which is usually attributed to the direction of the state’s social policy. Designed to improve the well-being of the population and ensure a high standard and quality of life. The state pension policy is the basic and one of the most important state guarantees for the stable development of society, since it directly affects the interests of the able-bodied and disabled population. The results of an online survey revealed that the most important condition for creating an effective system of social support for pensioners in the current reality is the improvement of pension policy, as well as the system of social services, the development of new social technologies to provide assistance to the population, in particular the elderly, and the formation of a network of specialized institutions. social services to the population, an increase in the volume and expansion of the list of social services provided by them.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 242-264
Author(s):  
Ernest Nyamekye ◽  
Daniel Baffour-Koduah ◽  
Esther Asare

Since the advent of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), teaching and learning have somewhat taken a paradigm shift. It is, thus, imperative for teachers in all disciplines to appreciate the essence of integrating ICTs in teaching and learning. In this regard, this study sought to explore Basic School Ghanaian Language teachers’ perceptions of ICT integration in Ghanaian language teaching. The study employed a descriptive survey design. Stratified random sampling was used to obtain data from 205 teachers in the Bono, Bono East and Ahafo region of Ghana. Analysis of data collected through a self-developed questionnaire reveals that Ghanaian language teachers exhibit a positive perception of ICT integration in education. However, in practice, they tend to integrate ICT in their instruction on occasional basis. Also, it was revealed that a lack of financial support for ICT resources and lack of in-service training on ICT use were factors that militated against ICT integration in Ghanaian language teaching. Finally, the study revealed a statistically significant difference between degree holders and diploma holders’ perception of ICT integration in teaching and learning Ghanaian language.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leticia Bosu

This study seeks to look at the relationships among teachers’ academic qualification, availability of quality resources and the performance of students in Mathematics, English and Integrated science of Basic Schools at Kwahu-East in the Eastern Region of Ghana. The authors used a descriptive survey design which adopted the questionnaire, interview and observation in the collection of data. The authors used stratified random sampling in selecting 180 teachers whereas purposive sampling was used in selecting 27 headteachers and District Education Officers which used the Pearson correlation in the analysis. The study revealed that a teacher’s academic qualification obtained through education had no significant relationship with student’s academic performance in the respective subjects being measured by this study. The authors recommend that the Government of Ghana concentrate on providing continuing professional development (CPD) programmes that concentrate on practical situations in the schools and channel more resources to schools.


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 8
Author(s):  
Gemachu Oli ◽  
Teklu Tafase Olkaba

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the practices and challenges of continuous assessment in colleges of teachers’ education in western Oromia region. For this study, the researchers selected three colleges of teachers education purposely based on the job experience. The researchers selected Nekemte, Dembi Dollo and Shambo colleges teachers education from well, medium, lower experienced respectively. A descriptive survey design involving both qualitative and quantitative approaches was employed. 134 student-teachers and 178 college teachers were selected and participated in the study. The quantitative data was collected through a questionnaire and observation checklist and analyzed using frequency and percentage, whereas, the qualitative data interview and document analysis were analyzed using the narrative form and interpretative way. The finding of the study revealed that the extent of practicing continuous assessment in class is low. The study also showed that teachers have positive perceptions toward continuous assessment and they accepted continuous assessment as important to improve the achievement of learners. The finding disclosed that large class size, shortage of time, teachers workload, the low interest of students, large instructional content, and lack of commitment among teachers as the major factors hindering the practice of continuous assessment in colleges of teachers education. The researchers recommend that educational authorities and stockholders should make effort to students per class to manageable numbers, College administrators should allow teachers to cover the minimum workload than overloading above the standard set for the college of teachers education.


Author(s):  
Lolade Funmi Osinulu

The study examined awareness and use of electronic Information Resources (EIR) among students in College of Health Sciences, Sagamu, Nigeria. The objectives were to establish types of resources available, determine level of awareness, extent of the use of e-resources and problems faced. Descriptive survey design with real-time observation method was used to collect data using a structured questionnaire. The population comprised 2000 students in the College while purposive sampling technique was used to select a sample of 200 registered library users for the 2019/2020 academic session. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. The findings revealed that majority of the students were not aware of available EIR. It also revealed low frequent usage. The finding indicated that few respondents used EIR for academic purposes. However, inadequate computers, irregular power supply and slow internet speed were identified as major constraints using EIR. Upgrade of infrastructure, adoption of appropriate social media tools to promote awareness and collaborative effort by librarians and faculty members to train students the use of specialized databases were recommended. Keywords:  Electronic information resources, awareness, use, Undergraduates, students, health sciences


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ben Adzrolo ◽  
Kenneth Asamoah-Gyimah ◽  
Andrews Cobbinah ◽  
Ruth Annan-Brew

<p>This paper investigated the causes and possible strategies to minimize examination malpractices in Senior High Schools (SHSs) in Ghana. A descriptive survey design with a quantitative approach was used for the study. Proportional stratified and simple random sampling techniques were used to select a sample of 335 respondents which comprised 302 students and 33 teachers. Frequencies, percentages, means and standard deviations were used to analyse the data gathered. The findings revealed that the leading cause of examination malpractices was ‘insufficient students’ preparation for WASSCE and Public education on effects of examination malpractices has also emerged as the number one strategy to minimize the menace. It was concluded that in schools where a conducive environment and teaching/ learning materials are not provided for effective academic work, performance falls below what is expected, to achieve academic success, students and teachers engage in examination malpractices to raise the academic image of the school. It was recommended that school authorities provide a conducive teaching and learning environment to ensure effective academic work in schools to minimize the menace.</p><p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0896/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>


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