The extent of building and managing local contents in institutional repositories: a survey of tertiary institution libraries in Nigeria

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the development of institutional repositories (IR) in tertiary institution libraries in Nigeria. Design/methodology/approach The study adopted a survey research method. Online questionnaire and IR site investigation methods were used to collect data from 25 university libraries in Nigeria. Findings The study revealed that only 25 (14.7%) universities out of the 170 universities in Nigeria have successfully developed IRs and registered their presence in OpenDOAR. Other tertiary institutions such as Polytechnics and Colleges of Education investigated in Nigeria are yet to develop IRs. Contents such as theses and dissertations, conference proceedings and journal articles ranked highest being the most popular contents in the various IRs. The results showed that the development of IR saves space in the library, increases readership, increases access to local contents, minimizes damage to the original material, facilitates the dissemination of scholarly research and assists in globalization of Nigerian research findings. The IRs site investigation revealed that only few IRs have clearly defined access policy, content policy, submission policy and digital preservation policy. The study identified challenges such as inadequate facilities, unstable internet connectivity, lack of fund, irregular power supply, challenge of collecting materials for the IR, lack of skilled ICT personnel, copyright issues and absence of IR policies. Practical implications The results from the study will provide important data and insight into the development of institutional repositories in tertiary institution libraries in Nigeria, and generate suggestions for University Librarians, College Librarians, Polytechnic Librarians, tertiary institutions management and policy makers for developing institutional repositories in Nigeria and other developing countries. Originality/value The study investigated IR development in tertiary institutions in Nigeria. The findings will inform other tertiary institutions in developing countries that the development of IR provides an opportunity for the visibility of local contents emanating from institutions and make them see the reason to embrace this laudable development.

Impact of COVID-19 on the Nature of Academic Work in Colleges of Education in Ghana

This study investigated the impact of COVID-19 on the nature of academic work in Colleges of Education in Ghana. The study adopted the descriptive survey design. A sample of 346 students was selected for the study. The participants chosen from the Evangelical Presbyterian College of Education, Peki College of Education and the St. Theresah College of Education in the Volta Region of Ghana through purposive, convenience and snowball sampling procedures. Data were gathered using an online questionnaire. Data were received from 270 students resulting in a 78% return rate. The data were analysed using frequencies and percentages as well as means and standard deviations. The results showed that tutors in Colleges of Education mostly taught during the COVID-19 period by sending audio recordings, texts or slide presentations to students. This was however not done in real time. Also, the tutors gave assignments and quizzes and gave feedback on the performance of the students. Finally, it was found that most students’ services were not provided satisfactorily when school came to an abrupt end because of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Specifically, student counselling services, student affairs services, organisation of tutorials/seminars and practical classes as well as technical support or IT services and supervisions and mentorships were not satisfactorily provided. It was therefore recommended that authorities in Colleges of Education should liaise with officers in charge of specific services like counselling, student affairs and technical or IT support so that they can effectively and satisfactorily assist students even when they are not on campus.

The Effectiveness of Using Picture Word Inductive Model Strategy in Developing EFL Iraqi students’ Vocabulary Retention

<p style="text-align: justify;">Vocabularies represent the basic elements of any language, thus, if there wasn’t sufficient control in using them then the result would be a difficulty in vocabulary retention when needed. The Picture Word Inductive Model Strategy (PWIM) than traditional methods. The current study aims at investigating the effectiveness of using (PWIM) Strategy in developing EFL Iraqi students' vocabulary retention. The study is conducted by using an achievement test to check the study sample. The researcher has selected a sample of (65) students in third stage in English Department in the Colleges of Education at Missan University in the Academic Year (2021-2022). The students are divided into two groups, the first group is the experimental group and the second group is the control group. In order to find out whether there are any statistically significant differences among the two groups’ achievement, the researcher applied the T-test formula for the two samples in an independent way. Based on the outcome of the study, there are statistically remarkable differences appeared in the results from the two groups. Accordingly, the study proves that using (PWIM) can increase the vocabulary retention of the students.</p>

Reliability and Efficiency of Computerized Systems for Admission into Colleges of Education Affiliated with the University of Cape Coast

The automated selection system used by colleges of education affiliated to the University of Cape Coast is a multiuser computerized system which students can access and apply to universities at any place with internet access, and can be admitted, rejected, or included in a waiting list for further assessment. The study sought to investigate the extent to which the computerized selection system at educational colleges affiliated with the Cape Coast University has impacted the efficiency and credibility of the process, by evaluating the step by step stages in admission processes that are handled electronically. The study contribute to literature since there is no studies on the reliability and efficiency of Ghanaian colleges of education affiliated to the universities. The type of research design for the study was descriptive design with a quantitative research method. The total population comprises of all admission officers, quality assurance staff, and Heads of departments at the colleges of education affiliated with the University of Cape Coast. The researchers' sample size for the study was one hundred and ninety-two (192). The questionnaire survey was carried out to collect data for the study. Quantitative analysis was done with the use of Statistical Package for Social Sciences. The results show that electronic sorting and selection of applications is efficient in checking the application forms, testing duplicate files, verifying college requirements, and verifying seat availability. The study revealed that there was a positive and high relationship between the efficiency of electronic sorting and selection of admission applications and the reliability of the computerized system.

The Skill of Making a Decision and its Relationship of Academic Achievement Among Students

This research aims to know the essence of the correlative relationship between decision-making skills and academic achievement among students of computer science departments in the colleges of education in the Baghdad governorate. The size of the research sample of students in the two colleges amounted to (200) male and female students distributed by (104) male and (96) female students. To measure the decision-making skill and academic achievement, the researcher built two tests, the first to measure the decision-making skill, and the second an achievement test in the numerical analysis subject prescribed for second-year students, Department of Computer Science, and the validity and reliability of each test was verified. After collecting and analyzing the data, the researchers concluded that the students of the computer science departments in the colleges of education in the province of Baghdad possessed the decision-making skill compared to the hypothetical average that was compared, while the female students outperformed the male students in the decision-making skill test that was prepared for this research. And their achievement is good compared to the hypothetical average that was compared, while the female students outperformed the male students in the achievement test for the subject of numerical analysis. There is a correlation between the decision-making skill and the academic achievement of the students as a whole. However, there is no correlation between the decision-making skill and the students' academic achievement, while there is an inverse correlation between the decision-making skill and the student's achievement. The research reached several recommendations.

The Effect of the SAMR Model on Acquiring Teaching Skills for Students of Colleges of Education in the Subject of Teaching Applications

This research aims to identify the impact of the model (SAMR) in acquiring teaching skills among students of the colleges of education in the subject of teaching applications. The research sample consisted of (50) students selected from the department of educational and psychological sciences in the College of Education Ibn Rushd For the academic year (2020-2021). This was then divided in a simple random fashion into two groups: the first group (experimental group) included (25) students trained in scientific education lessons according to the teaching program prepared for it while the second group (control group) included (25) students. The researchers conducted the process of balance between the two groups in a number of variables to achieve a goal and choose its hypotheses. After collecting, analysing and processing data statistically using the statistical package (SPSS) and performing t-test on two independent samples and the equation of the ETA box to measure the size of the effect, we obtained the following results: There is no statistically significant difference at the level of significance (0.5) between the average grades of students of the experimental group and the control group in acquiring teaching skills for the experimental group. In light of the findings, the researchers reached several conclusions and presented several recommendations and suggested several future studies.

Effective Use of Remote Learning in Sustaining Teaching and Learning of Fine and Applied Arts in COVID-19 Era in Colleges of Education

The study determined how remote learning we can use effectively in sustaining teaching fine and applied arts in colleges of education in Benue State, Kogi State, and Enugu State, Nigeria. We adopted a cross-sectional survey for the study. We used a sample size of 218 respondents for the study. We used a structured questionnaire for the study. We used frequency percentage and Chi-square analysis. We planned and tested four hypotheses. The finding of the study showed that the ICT devices are not available; respondents do not use the effective technique for teaching fine and applied arts in remote learning. The respondents found out that there are challenges concerning the use of technology in the teaching fine and applied arts, and respondents agree on the solutions in mitigating the adverse effect of COVID-19 lockdown on teaching fine and applied arts. We highlighted the educational implications of the findings and the recommendations. We also made some limitations of the study and suggestions for further studies.

Teacher Trainees Perceptions of Think-Pair-Share Technique in Teaching Classification of Living Organisms in Colleges of Education – Ghana

The purpose of the study was to explore the perceptions of teacher trainees on the use of think-pair-share in teaching and learning of classification of living organisms. The study adopted a quantitative approach. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used to report the results of the study. Frequency counts and percentages were used to report the teacher trainees’ perceptions about the impact of think-pair-share learning technique in the teaching and learning of classification of living organisms. The study was carried out in Enchi College of Education in the Aowin Municipality in the Western North Region of Ghana. Stratified, simple random, and systematic sampling techniques were used to select 80 respondents for the study. This was made up of 30 level 300, 30 level 200, and 20 level 100 students, respectively. The participants were subjected to think-pair-share learning technique of teaching. The instrument used for the data collection was a questionnaire guide. The findings of the study revealed that, think-pair-share learning technique of teaching motivate and engage, provide immediate feedback, develop social and physical skills simultaneously, help students to learn with fun and increase students interest and confidence level. It was therefore recommended that creative approach such as think-pair-share learning technique should be adopted by science tutors in Colleges of Education for effective teaching and learning.

The Use of Explicit Instruction in Writing Amongst Students of Colleges of Education in the Ashanti Region of Ghana

The study sought to examine the use of Explicit Instruction in writing lessons at some selected Colleges of Education in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. The collective case study design informed by constructivist grounded theory data analysis methods was used. Data were collected and analyzed using three instruments namely a semi-structured interview, sample texts on argumentative and expository essays and observations. The study revealed that combining the cognitive strategy of text structure knowledge application with the metacognitive strategy of self-monitoring supports the development of academic writing in students in the Colleges of Education. Also, students make mistakes in their writing and these mistakes include verb errors, article errors and wrong words. It was also revealed that with regards to Explicit Instruction in the classroom, tutors comprehensively used instructions in the language class to enhance students writing skills. This study further showed that tutors have a variety of evidence-based instructional practices that improve many different skills and student’s writing knowledge. The researcher recommended that students in Colleges of Education in Ghana are made to read extensively outside the curriculum to broaden their vocabulary repertoire so that the over-reliance on tutors for corrections can be minimized.

E-Invigilation as a Means of Curbing Examination Malpractice in Colleges of Education in Nigeria

The study examined e-invigilation as a means of curbing examination malpractice in colleges of education in Nigeria. The descriptive research design of a survey type was adopted in the study. The population comprises all students of College of Education, Ikere Ekiti. The sample of 250 students which were randomly selected using simple random sampling technique. A well structured questionnaire was used to collect data and was validated by some experts and reliability of the instrument was tested using the cronbach alpha coefficient and the result was found to have a reliability coefficient of 0.62 which indicated that the instrument was reliable to collect the necessary data for the study. Data collected was analyzed using mean, standard deviation and t-test was used to test the hypothesis formulated at 0.05 level of significant. The study concluded that e-invigilation will reduce examination malpractices and thereby restore the discipline among students in colleges of education since there was no significant difference in the mean responses of students on the impact of e-invigilation based on gender. The study recommended that CCTV should be installed to every lecture theatres where examination are been conducted so as to make e-invigilation effective.