UFS Publications Platform (Univ. of the Free State)
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University Infrastructure Quality and Students Engagement at a Private University in Uganda
Get PDFThis study assessed the influence of university infrastructure quality on students’ engagement at the western branch of a private University in Bushenyi District, Uganda. Particularly, the study assessed the influence of lecture rooms infrastructure, university-level infrastructure and university utilities. Using the positivist approach, the study was guided by the correlational research design, collecting data using a questionnaire on a sample of 183 students. Descriptive analysis revealed that student engagement was high, lecture rooms’ infrastructure and university utilities were good. However, the students rated university-level infrastructure as fair. Regression analysis showed that lecture rooms’ infrastructure and university utilities were significant positive predictors of students’ engagement. However, university-level infrastructure had a positive but insignificant influence on students’ engagement. Thus, the quality of lecture rooms’ infrastructure is imperative, university utilities are essential and improved university-level infrastructure is a requirement for enhancing students’ engagement. Therefore, it was recommended that universities emphasise providing quality classroom infrastructure, improve university-level infrastructure, and establish quality university utilities
Spatial Variability of Poverty and Primary Health Facilities in Rural Areas of Ayedaade Local Government, Osun State, Nigeria
Get PDFThis paper examined the distribution pattern of health centres to determine the poverty level due to spatial variability of accessibility to health care facilities in rural areas of Ayedaade Local Government, Osun State, Nigeria. Three hundred sixty-eight household heads from 4,539 households in 25 selected villages were sampled based on Slovin’s principle. Buffer and average nearest neighbourhood analyses were performed in ArcGIS 10.4 software to determine the distance covered to the nearest health centre and the spatial location pattern of health centres. $1.90 per day international poverty line, 5 Likert Scale, ANOVA, and correlation were used. The inverse relationship at r = - 0.447 revealed that the more the poverty, the less the poor\u27s capability to cater to their health service. It calls for some forms of intervention by the government to reduce health services cost for rural dwellers. 
The path to decoloniality: A proposal for educational system transformation
Get PDFIt was observed that in all circles of discussion, Africans talk about decolonisation and turning away from systems that favour the West in disfavour of Africans. Thinkers like Molefi K. Asante, Chukwunyere, and others have approached this matter of decolonisation at an angle of Afrocentrism. They intend to present African views from an undiluted African perspective. However, within that struggle, it is quite noticeable that the African basic education system has not done sufficient work to decolonise the presentation of African thoughts. There is a noticeable overrating of foreign languages like English and Afrikaans in terms of subjects or modules taught in South African schools and tertiary institutions. As it is, Sciences national papers are delivered to schools written in two languages, which are not aboriginal in Africa, i.e. English and Afrikaans, regardless of the province where they are delivered to. Within that backdrop, it becomes questionable whether African language practitioners are incapable of producing tools to Africanize the language of learning or the colonial languages refuse to forsake the African educational system. This conceptual study is set forth to explore decoloniality in the education sector and argue for the use of African languages as a mode of instruction in learning and promoting them to be at the same level of honour as those overvalued western languages. In this study, analytic critical theory is used to apply criticality and rationality, which guided the researchers to be more inclined towards reason than emotionality over this dire issue
Trend Analysis in Sugarcane Growth in Mumias Sugar Belt, Western Kenya; for the Period 1985-2015
Get PDFThe study was carried out to examine trends in the output and acreage in the Mumias Sugar belt from the period 1985-2015. We used secondary data collected from Mumais Sugar Company records for the period 1985-2015 for the study. The trend analysis of sugarcane production in the Mumias Sugar Belt is important, where sugarcane is the major cash crop and absorbs a majority of the agrarian population in the region. The study used the expert modeler, an autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA), to predict the output. The forecast period was 2016 through March 2021 and employed two scenarios: I) forecast with +2 harvesting age predictor modification and ii) forecast with +10 hectares predictor modification. The predicted value showed good agreement with the observed values from the series plot, indicating that the model has a good predictive ability. The application of the model revealed that the results in the prediction tables show that, in each of the six forecasted quarters, increasing the harvesting age by two months is expected to generate about 4.52 more tons of yields per hectare than increasing area harvested by 10 hectares that would decrease the yield by 0.01 tons per hectare. The study recommends research and development on sugarcane varieties that mature early, making sugarcane-based Agri- enterprises and sustainable. In addition, Mumias Sugar Company should seek profitable techniques to increase the recovery per cent, and farmers seek good management practices to increase the efficiency of the sugarcane farms in the sugar belt
Assessment of the Oyo State Teaching Service Commission Interactive Learning Platforms during COVID-19 Lockdown in Nigeria
Get PDFThe study assessed the member response rate to the Oyo state teaching service commission (TESCOM) interactive learning platforms during the COVID-19 lockdown in Nigeria. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. The sample comprised 3,388 respondents drawn from five online learning platforms (Arts, science, commercial, general and staffroom). Two instruments, Response Rate Factor Questionnaire-Survey monkey (r = 0.83) and participant online direct recording (? = 0.76), were used to collect data at three different intervals. Frequency counts and analysis of variance were used to analyse the data collected. Those online at the time of data collection were 59 (5.2%) for science, 23 (4.3%) for arts, 24 (6.4%) for commercial, 84 (7.4%) for general study and 96 (48.5%) in the staff room platform. A significant difference in member response rate was observed across the learning platforms [F(4,10) = 4.374; p= 0.027< 0.05]. Bonferroni post hoc analysis shown by mean plot revealed that general studies platform had the highest mean score (M=169.0) in terms of members response online followed by staffroom (M=79.0) and lastly commercial platform (M=32.67). It was deduced from the findings that members across the TESCOM interactive learning platforms do not respond online the same way by participating on the respective interactive platform to which they belong. Therefore, TESCOM should ensure that teachers and students actively engage in online learning platforms for better teaching and learning
Senior high school students’ usage of time and its impact on their academic achievement in Northern Ghana
Get PDFResearch studies have investigated the influence of institutional characteristics on student academic achievement. However, relatively little research focuses on time utilisation and its impact on student academic achievement. The current study investigated students’ utilisation of time in public senior high schools in the Northern Region of Ghana. The study aimed to determine how students utilisation of time on self-study, group study, religious activities, and classroom instructional activities predicted their academic achievements. A total of 500 students sampled from 7 public senior high schools in the Northern Region of Ghana participated in the study. The research design employed was the cross-sectional survey research design. The instrument used to collect the data was a questionnaire. Analysis was done using multiple regression analysis with the aid of the SPSS (Version 16) software. The results suggest that the time students spent attending classes positively and significantly influences their academic achievement. Class attendance, group studies and self-studies times were found to be positively related. The study recommends that students group study and self-study activities should be made compulsory and that adequate time should be allotted within study hours for students to engage in meaningful self-study and group study activities
The Relationship Between Locus of Control, Self-Efficacy, and Entitlement in the United States
Get PDFA small body of prior research that utilises a unidimensional conceptualisation of psychological entitlement suggests that individuals with a more internal locus of control and higher levels of self-efficacy tend to have lower levels of entitlement. However, prior research has not explored how locus of control and self-efficacy interact to predict entitlement using a multidimensional conceptualisation of entitlement. In the current quantitative research study, the researchers sought to explore the interaction between locus of control and general self-efficacy in predicting the multiple dimensions of psychological entitlement. A nationwide sample of 316 adult participants from the United States completed an anonymous survey measuring locus of control, self-efficacy, and entitlement. A hierarchical multiple regression indicated that general self-efficacy and locus of control significantly predict active and revenge entitlement, but there were no significant interactions between the predictor variables. Individuals with higher general self-efficacy demonstrated lower levels of active entitlement and higher levels of revenge entitlement. Individuals with a more external locus of control demonstrated lower levels of both active and revenge entitlement. No significant relationships were found for the traditional maladaptive conceptualisation of entitlement or passive entitlement
Cooperative Society’s Fund Creation and Economic Strength Promotion among Teachers in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria
Get PDFThis paper examines various means of funding cooperative societies owned by teachers to promote members\u27 economic strength. This is a self-financing body with no grant or support from the government or agencies. This paper sought to identify various means used in generating funds by cooperative societies and how this has helped promote members\u27 economic strength. One hundred and forty-five (145) members of eight (8) societies participated in the study. The instruments used in collecting data were; Fund Creation Checklist (FCC) and Members Economic Strength Questionnaire (MESQ). Data were analysed using Descriptive Statistics and Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC). Result revealed an insignificant negative relationship between fund creation and members economic strength promotion with (r= -0.085, > .05). Thus, it shows that it is not certain that the fund generated by the cooperative society solely accounted for the promotion of members’ economic strength. It was concluded that cooperative societies and members should engage in viable businesses that will yield high profits, and proper fund management should be of priority for society and members
Teaching and Learning of Chemistry: The Hybridity of Third Space Approach
Get PDFThis article explored diversity and hybridity in the third space as a teaching resource. Students bring to the classroom or third space their diverse sociocultural issues, knowledge levels of chemistry, and socioeconomic status. Educators also bring to the third space their university knowledge and culture. Hence, a classroom or third space is a hybrid. The intersection of the students’ activity systems and educators’ activity systems created a third space. Activity systems are social practices that include the norms, values, divisions of labour, and community goals. The study intended to explore the negotiations by chemistry educators and first-year students in teaching-learning of acids-bases reactions. It is a topic that most students experience challenges from secondary school to graduate level. Acids-bases are one of the threshold concepts. Qualitative research was employed in the study. Data were collected through classroom observations. A thematic approach was employed to analyse data. Five chemistry educators and their classes were purposely sampled. Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) was employed to unpack group dynamics in a Zambian university. Interactions in the learning spaces generated constraints, tensions, diversity, and affordances for both educators and students. The findings suggest that hybridity may be a resource in teaching acids-bases threshold concepts. Educators should understand students’ knowledge and cultural diversities. Researchers can investigate how students’ different acids-bases knowledge levels can promote success in chemistry
Exploring Undergraduate Research Projects Success Factors in Muni University, Uganda
Get PDFThis paper presents the success factors for undergraduate research projects (URPs) at Muni University. The objectives of the study were to determine the relevant skills required for the success of undergraduate research projects and investigate the roles of students, supervisors and faculty towards the success of URPs. Questionnaires were administered to a population of 70 final-year students. SPSS-v.21 program was used to analyse the data collected. The research instrument was reliable at Chronbach’s alpha 0.9038. Results showed that research, research environment, research management, personal effectiveness, communication, networking and teamwork skills are paramount to the success of URPs. The study found out that the key stakeholders (students, supervisors and faculty) perform their roles throughout the project period. However, there’s a need to have a mechanism for project tracking, filing complaints, and having URPs externally examined among others