Leadership Styles of Social Studies Teachers and Academic Achievement of Junior Secondary School Students in Social Studies in Calabar Metropolis, Cross River State Nigeria

This study was carried out to determine leadership styles of Social Studies teachers and academic achievement of junior secondary school students in Social Studies in Calabar Metropolis, Cross River State-Nigeria. Ex-post facto research design was adopted. The simple random sampling technique was used in selecting the six public secondary schools used for the study. A sample of two hundred junior secondary school three students (JSS 3) was drawn from the population and used for the study. Three research questions and hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. Data were collected using two researcher made instruments tagged “Social Studies Teachers Leadership Styles Questionnaire (STLSQ) and Social Studies Achievement Test (SOSAT) The Data Collected was analysed using the Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and the Fisher Least Square Difference (SLD) was used in the multiple comparism. The findings of the study revealed significant differences in the academic achievement of students based on their teachers’ leadership styles. Students taught by teachers with autocratic and laissez-faire leadership styles had a lower LSD value compared to students taught by teachers with democratic leadership styles. Students taught by teachers with democratic styles performed academically higher than those taught by teachers with either autocratic or laissez-faire leadership styles. Based on this, it was recommended amongst other things that Social Studies teachers imbibe more of democratic rather than autocratic or laissez faire leadership styles in their classroom and that educational administrator should organize workshop and seminars for teachers on proper classroom management.

Perception of Undergraduate Students on Availability and Utilization of Interactive White Board on Performance in Biology

The aim of this research is to assess availability and utilization of Interactive White Boards (IWBs) in teaching and learning of Biology among Undergraduate students in Sokoto State. The research is a descriptive survey with a population of 587 and a sample size of 234 100 level students of Science and Vocational Education department who are offering biology courses at Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto. A self-designed questionnaire tagged „Assessment of the use of Interactive White Board in Teaching and Learning Biology‟ (AIWBTLB) and Biology Performance Test (BTP) were used as instruments for data collection. The instruments were validated by experts and exhibited reliability index of 0.87 and 0.77 using Cronbach alpha and split half method respectively. The data generated was statistically analyzed using descriptive statistics and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Findings revealed that the required IWBs for teaching and learning Biology were not available; and the available IWBs were not adequately utilized. Equally important, a positive relationship was found between IWBs utilization and undergraduate students‟ performance in biology. It was however recommended among others that, government; management of universities should as a matter of urgent importance provide adequate IWBs devices for the teaching and learning of Biology in the universities; and to provide modalities in which students are encouraged to make full use of IWBs in the teaching and learning of Biology.

Education and the achievement of national development through girl child empowerment in Nigeria

Education plays a very pertinent role in promoting development, as it is concerned with imparting knowledge, skills, attitudes, belief systems and values. This paper focuses on the utilization of the girl child education as an effective tool to foster national development. It conceptualized education, girl child education, empowerment and National Development. The theory of functionalism was adopted to offer credence to the paper. This paper vividly explicates how various negative attitudes and negligence towards the girl child education in African continent in general and Nigeria to be specific has exacerbated poverty, illiteracy and untold hardship on the citizenry. It further unraveled the strategies for using girl child education as an instrument for national development thereby eradicating poverty in Nigeria. Based on the issues raised in the paper, as education remains a formidable weapon of socio- economic development of any nation, the paper recommends the need for change in the Nigerian policy towards education, especially the girl child education by improving public budget in education, improve education for self-reliance, to enhance educational efficiency by improving on skills learning via entrepreneurship education and building of critical and objective reasoning, and girl child empowerment.

Measures of enhancing food security among households in Edo Central Senatorial District

This paper is aimed at examining the enhancement of food security among households in Edo Central Senatorial District. The study examines the measure used by households in enhancing food security. A descriptive survey design was adopted in this study, using a population of about 664,059 households, with a sample size of 300 households using multi-stage sampling technique. The instrument for data collection was a questionnaire. A mean score of 2.5 was used as the benchmark rating score for decision rule. The t-test for two independent sample means was used to test the hypothesis at 0.05 level of significance. The result showed that poverty, lack of food preservation knowledge, lack of food and nutrition knowledge, low morale towards the practice of agriculture and lack of facilities for food preservation such as refrigerators and deep freezers are the factors responsible for food insecurity amongst households in Edo Central Senatorial District. To reduce food shortage and promote food security, the measures commonly used among households in enhancing their food security in Edo Central Senatorial District include: food preservation and bulk purchasing. The use of these food security measures varies with the size of household. It was recommended that large households should endeavour to practice crop farming and animal rearing such as poultry farming for family subsistence.

Financial resources and junior secondary school students’ academic performance in Cross River State, Nigeria

The study investigated the relationship between financial resources and junior secondary school students’ academic performance in Cross River State, Nigeria. Four null hypotheses were formulated and tested. Ex-post facto design was used for the study. Subjects who participated in the study were 397 students from 277 public junior secondary schools in the study area but data was collected from only 386 representing 97.2 percent. Two instruments titled “Financial Resources Questionnaire (FRQ) and Junior Secondary School Students’ Academic Performance Scale (JSSSAPS)” were used for data collection. Data was analyzed using Population t-test and Multiple Regression analysis. The result indicated that junior secondary school students’ academic performance is significantly high. The result further revealed that financial resources in terms of: investment in school facilities, allocation of financial resources, structure of financial resources and amount of financial resources jointly predicts students’ academic performance. It was concluded that school business just like every other economic unit and business concerns alike, cannot thrive by mere availability of financial resources but by its utilization.

Scaling up self- regulatory ability in childhood education as correlate of creative mindset

The study is on the need to scale up self – regulatory abilities in learners towards more sustainable national development in Nigeria. This study was instigated by the poor nature of children that need to create a background on purposeful activities in the learning environment. Three research questions raised which were translated into correspondent null hypotheses to guide the study. Some related literatures were reviewed accordingly. The study adopted a Survey research design with 218 samples selected through simple random sampling technique from primary school Pupils in Ogoja Education Zone of Cross River State. A four points likert scale questionnaire with eighteen items was adapted and validated and used for data collection. The reliability estimate was established for the instrument using the Cronbach alpha reliability method, the values were between o.76 and 0.81. Pearson product moment correlation method of analysis was employed to analyze the data. All hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. The result of the analysis revealed that all hypotheses were significant. Based on the findings, the researcher concluded that there was a relationship between self-regulatory learning ability and pupils’ creative mindset. The use of SRL strategy by pupils significantly correlates with pupils’ creative mindset. It was recommended among others that schools should organize sensitive educational programmes to develop children’s creative mindset. Parents, teachers and caregivers should encourage the values of managing emotions, behaviour and learning in children. Keywords: Self-regulatory ability, Early childhood education, creative mindset

Test fairness and assessment of differential item functioning of mathematics achievement test for senior secondary students in Cross River state, Nigeria using item response theory

This study used Item Response Theory approach to assess Differential Item Functioning (DIF) and detect item bias in Mathematics Achievement Test (MAT). The MAT was administered to 1,751 SS2 students in public secondary schools in Cross River State. Instrumentation research design was used to develop and validate a 50-item instrument. Data were analysed using the maximum likelihood estimation technique of BILOG-MG V3 software. The result of the study revealed that 6% of the total items exhibited differential item functioning between the male and female students. Based on the analysis, the study observed that there was sex bias on some of the test items in the MAT. DIF analysis attempt at eliminating irrelevant factors and sources of bias from any kind for a test to yield valid results is among the best methods of recent. As such, test developers and policymakers are recommended to take into serious consideration and exercise care in fair test practice by dedicating effort to more unbiased test development and decision making. Examination bodies should adopt the Item Response Theory in educational testing and test developers should therefore be mindful of the test items that can cause bias in response pattern between male and female students or any sub-group of consideration. Keywords: Assessment, Differential Item Functioning, Validity, Reliability, Test Fairness, Item Bias, Item Response Theory.

Environmental factors as correlates of research attitude among post-graduate students in Nigeria: A path model approach

The study investigated the relationship among some environmental factors and research attitude of post-graduate students in Nigeria using a path model approach. The researchers were poised at filling the gap in the type of multivariate statistical tools that have hitherto been used in comparing these variables by authors in the research area. One research question was formulated to guide the study. Survey research design was adopted for the study. The study area, which was south-south Nigeria, is one of the geo-political zones in the country with six federal universities. The population of the study was made up of 1,299 post graduate students of education faculties in the six universities. A sample of 520 students (40% of the population) was selected for the study through stratified random sampling method. The study instrument was a questionnaire titled Environmental and Attitude variables Questionnaire (EAVQ) prepared by the researchers. Result of the study showed that 14 out of 15 pathways in the hypothesized model for the relationship between environmental variables and research attitudewere significant and meaningful, withfive direct and nine indirect pathways. Based on the finding, the study recommends an improvement in those environmental factors to bring about corresponding improvement in research attitude. The study suggests that a study of the relationship between other environmental variables not included in this study on graduate students‟ research attitude in federal universities in south-south Nigeria should be carried out by future researchers. Such research can be extended to cover more geo-political zones in the country.

Entrepreneurial skills and retention ability among students of faculty of education, University of Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria

This study determined the relationship between entrepreneurial skills and retention ability among students of faculty of education, University of Calabar, Cross River States. Correlational survey design was adopted for the study. The population of the study comprised of UTME 2018/2019 academic session 200-400 level students and this was also used as sample. A validated research-made questionnaire with reliability range of 0.81-0.89 was used for data collection. The data collected were analysed using Pearson Product Moment Correlation at 0.05 level of significance. The result of the analysis showed that acquisition of indexing skills and book publishing skills significantly relate with retention ability. It was recommended among others that support grants from school management and government should be granted to graduates with passion and enthusiasm to set-up their own business ventures on indexing and book publishing upon graduation either from their various institutions or after graduation from the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).

Age differentials in calibrated items of WAEC English Language Objective test taken by students in Nigeria

The purpose of this study was to explore the influence of age differentials on item difficulty and discrimination indices of West African School Certificate (WAEC) English Language Objective test for May/June 2014 taken by students in Nigeria. The study area was the southern Education Zone of Cross River State. The design used for the study was ex-post facto, justified by the fact that the variable of the study had occurred before being studied and that no manipulation of subjects of study was involved. The 2014 May/June English objective test items were used as they were. The instrument (made up of all the fifty items of the test) was administered to a sample of 100 students selected through accidental sampling procedure. Results of the study indicate that item response to the test depended, among other things, on the age brackets of the students. The older students seem to respond more correctly to items than their younger counterparts. The study recommends more proactive steps in admission of age compliant candidates for terminal examinations in Secondary Schools.