Nexus International University NIU Journals
Not a member yet
2050 research outputs found
Sort by
Cognitive Load and Test-Taking Skills as Correlates of Academic Performance in Mathematics of Joint Universities Preliminary Examinations Board Science Students, University of Benin
Get PDFThis study was conducted to determine whether cognitive load and test-taking skills are correlates of academic performance in mathematics of Joint Universities Preliminary Examinations Board (JUPEB) Science students, University of Benin, Benin City. The study was hinged on Cognitive Load Theory (CLT) and Cognitive Social Learning Theory (CSLT). CLT was developed by Sweller (1988) while CSLT was developed by Bandura (1977, 1986). To guide this study, three research questions were raised which were also hypothesized and tested at 0.05 significant level. Survey design with correlational approach was adopted for the study. The population of the study consists of 82 JUPEB science students. The sample of the study was also 82 students as the population was small. Data was collected using an adapted instrument which was modified and titled “JUPEB Students’ Cognitive Load and Test-taking Skills Questionnaire (JSCLTSQ)”. The instrument was content-validated. Three experts from the Department of Educational Evaluation and Counselling Psychology made some corrections and suggestions which were incorporated into the final copy and thereafter certified valid for use for the study. The instrument was trial-tested on 20 students and the reliability was determined using the Cronbach Alpha statistics which yielded coefficients of 0.85 and 0.81 for the two subscales respectively. The three (3) hypotheses were tested using the Pearson Product Moment Correction Coefficient statistics. The findings revealed that cognitive load has a low inverse relationship with academic performance in mathematics while test-taking skills has a positive relationship with academic performance in mathematics. Cognitive load and test-taking skills are jointly correlated with academic performance in mathematics. Based on the findings, some recommendations were made. One of such recommendations is that tutors of JUPEB University of Benin need constant attendance in seminars and workshops funded by the government and the school management on various cognitive load issues and effective test-taking strategies.
Keywords: Cognitive load, Test Taking Skills, Academic Performanc
Effect of Staff Motivation on Job Performance: A Study of Igbinedion University Teaching Hospital, Okada, Edo State, Nigeria
Get PDFThis study assesses the effect of staff motivation on job performance at Igbinedion University Teaching Hospital (IUTH) in Okada. with a focus on the healthcare sector, this research investigates the extent to which various motivational factors influence the job performance of employees within the hospital setting. The quantitative survey approach was employed to gather comprehensive insights into the subject matter. quantitative data was collected through a semi-structured questionnaires distributed to hospital staff, including doctors, nurses, administrative personnel, and support staff. The study also utilized the primary and secondary sources of data. the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS 23.0) programme was used to analyze the quantitative data. the results of the study were presented through a descriptive analysis using frequencies counts and percentages. The findings of this study established that established that employees are very satisfied with the opportunities that their job provided for creativity and problem solving. the result also established that the overall job performance of employees over a period of a year has either been good or outstanding. the study also established that established that employees are either satisfied or very satisfied with the additional responsibilities assigned through job enlargement to them. it was also deduced from the result that job enlargement has improved employees job satisfaction in the study area. the study found that employees of Igbinedion University Teaching Hospital, Okada are either dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with your current level of pay and this has much effect on employees’ job performance. The study concludes that there is an intricate relationship between staff motivation and job performance within the context of Igbinedion University teaching hospital (IUTH) in Okada. to this end, the study therefore recommends that there should be a transparent channel for addressing staff concerns, grievances, and feedback. encourage open dialogue between management and employees to identify and address any issues or challenges affecting motivation and job performance promptly.
Keywords: Absenteeism, Job Enrichment, Management, Motivation, Moonlighting
The Impact of Organisational Stress on The Motivation of The Nigerian Police Personnel
Get PDFThe police force in Nigeria is hindered by the long-standing issue of low motivation caused by insufficient pay, poor working conditions, lack of training and equipment, and high occupational risks. This has led to a demotivated and disengaged police force, resulting in poor performance and cases of violence and corruption. This study investigated the impact of operational and organizational stress on the intrinsic and extrinsic motivation of Nigerian police personnel. The study adopted the ex–post facto design. The participants in the study consisted of officers of 405 personnel of the Nigeria Police, with a mean age of 41.3 years (SD = 6.9), comprising 307 males and 89 females. Three instruments were used to measure operational stress, organizational police stress, and work motivation. These include the Operational Police Stress Questionnaire (PSQ-OP), Organisational Police Stress Questionnaire (PSQ-ORG), and the Work Preference Scale (WPS). The Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) was used as the statistical analysis tool in the study. Results revealed a significant effect of organizational stress on intrinsic motivation [F (1, 401) = 8.582, p = .004]. Organizational stress did not significantly affect extrinsic motivation [F (1, 401) = 1.377, p = .214]. The study concluded that organizational stress has a significant impact on intrinsic motivation. The study recommends designing targeted interventions to reduce workplace stress and improve extrinsic motivation.
Keywords: Organizational Stress, Motivation, Personnel, Nigerian Polic
Perceived Effects of Early Marriage on Academic Achievement among Girls in Oyo State
Get PDFThe research looked at how early marriage affect girls-child academic progress in Oyo State. The study design approach used was a descriptive survey. To direct the investigation, two research hypotheses were developed. Using simple random sample procedures, 200 teachers were chosen from each of the Akinyele and Oyo East Local Governments in Oyo State to participate. The responder was asked to complete a self-designed questionnaire titled "Perceived Implication of Early Marriage on Girl-Child Academic Achievement," using a 4-point Likert scale. Cronbach's test result was 0.76. The t-test statistical method data was examined. The first hypothesis findings indicated that male and female teachers' perceptions of girl-child marriage courses are not significantly different from one another, and the second hypothesis results, based on the experiences of the teachers, indicated that there is no significantly different effect of girl-child marriage on students' academic achievement. Based on these it was recommended that, the public and other governmental organizations should raise awareness of the elements that have been shown to encourage girl-child early marriage and the impact this has on academic attainment. Administrators in the government and the society at large should support the needs of girl children and keep them safe from abuse in order to guarantee that their rights are upheld. There must to be established guidelines and norms to discourage individuals from forcing young girls into marriage. The government should make every effort to ameliorate the existing economic climate, since doing so would end the poverty that drove many young girls into marriage at a young age.
Keywords: Academic Achievement, Girl-Child, Early Marriage, Perceptio
Awareness and Utilization of Big Data Management System by Lecturers in Universities: A Survey of Universities in Nigeria
Get PDFThe research investigated awareness and utilization of big data management systems by lecturers in universities: a survey of universities in Nigeria. Lecturers at four (5) public universities in Nigeria namely: University of Port Harcourt, Imo State University, University of Benin, Benin City, Kogi State University and University of Lagos made up the population. The information was gathered via an online questionnaire that was distributed to respondents. Out of the 162 online responses, only 148 were valid and used for the analysis. Frequency, simple percentages and Mean scores were used to analyze the data. Results of the analysis show that lecturers are not aware of big data management tools and they do not know how to use big data management system tools. The increase in the number of data and the wide spread of technology were the two factors that contributed to the adoption of big data management systems. The study suggested, among other things, that information technology leaders of universities ideally demonstrate the importance and use of Big Data management system in their information technology strategic plans in order to address the need for big data management skills among lecturers in universities in Nigeria.
Keywords: Big Data, Big Data Management System, University Lecturers, Information and Communication Technology Skill
Cynicism: The Migrants’ Narratives and Contemporary Nigerian Novelists
Get PDFThis paper examines the pervasive theme of cynicism in the narratives of Nigerian migrants as represented in contemporary Nigerian novels. Through an analysis of works by writers such as Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Sefi Atta, Chika Unigwe and Helon Habila, the study identifies cynicism as a recurring lens used to portray the migrant experience. These authors often present migration as a fruitless endeavour, marked by disillusionment, failure and despair. Cynicism manifests in their depiction of migrants’ struggle with unemployment, alienation, identity loss and fractured relationships. The narratives suggest that migrants face challenges both in their home countries and in the Diaspora, ultimately reinforcing a sense of futility. Using psychoanalytic theory, the paper argues that this cynicism reflects the authors’ own frustrations and ambivalence about their diasporic experiences, which they project onto their characters. Furthermore, the study critiques the reductive representation of migrants as perpetual failures, questioning why contemporary Nigerian novelists neglect success stories of the diaspora. The paper calls for a broader critique of this narrative approach to understand its implication and explore alternative representations of the migrant experience.
Keywords: Cynicism, Diaspora, Contemporary, Migrants, Nigeria
Personal Pronouns in O̩gba and English Languages
Get PDFThis paper contrasted the personal pronouns in O̩gba and English languages with the aim of identifying the areas of similarities and differences between the personal pronouns in both languages. It adopted the Contrastive Analysis Theory (CA). The study employed the descriptive survey design. The data were gathered through the use of the unstructured elicitation oral interview method and the intuitive knowledge of the researchers as L1 and L2 speakers of O̩gba and English respectively. The methods of data analysis employed were the descriptive technique of morpheme-to-morpheme glossing and the contrastive method of data analysis. The study found out that whereas there are only seven personal pronouns in O̩gba, there are twelve personal pronouns in the English language. It was observed that with the exception of the 2nd person pronouns in the English language, all the personal pronouns in both languages mark number distinction. It was also affirmed that unlike the 2nd person pronouns in O̩gba, 2nd person pronoun in English does not mark number and case in the language. This study noticed that whereas the 3rd person pronouns mark gender distinction in English, they do not mark gender distinction in O̩gba. It is noticed that unlike in O̩gba, it is only the singular form of neuter gender of the 3rd personal pronouns that occurs in SPEC CI in cleft-construction in the English. This study recommends that English language teachers within O̩gba speech communities should focus on the gender and case distinctions when teaching personal pronouns in the English language.
Keywords: Elicitation, Employ, Cleft-Construction, Morpheme, Intuitive, Contrastive, Dat
French for Professionals: Translation and Interpretation as Panacea
Get PDFOver the years, efforts have been made by the Nigerian governments to train professional translators and interpreters in the country; yet studies continue to point out deficiencies in the translations of words from English language to French language among the trained professionals. In this wise, this study, therefore, appraises the effectiveness of the French curriculum of the Nigerian French language Village and Ekiti State University (EKSU) from the students’ points of view. This is to determine the correlation between students’ linguistic needs and what they are being offered. Three research questions guided the study. Descriptive research design was adopted for the study. Through a simple random sampling technique, 50 postgraduates were selected from the examined schools respectively. A self-structured questionnaire entitled: Efficiency of French Curriculum for University Students’ Questionnaire (EFCUSQ) and ten unedited manuscripts translated by ten postgraduate students were used for the study. Among other findings, the study revealed that students have positive attitudes towards the French translation curriculum, but lack the key words that best suits each word. Similarly, the study indicated that students have limited cultural knowledge of the French language, due to many domains being introduced and taught in the curriculum, which are not useful to their professions. Thus, the study recommends that a Need Assessment (NA) should be conducted at the beginning of each session to know the linguistic needs of each student.
Keywords: FSP, Professionals, Translators, Interpreters, Needs Analysis, Nigeri
Portrayal of Destiny in Contemporary African Drama: Otun’s The Gods are Still not to Blame and Emoruwa’s Rebirth in Perspective
Get PDFThis paper “Portrayal of Destiny in Contemporary African Drama: Otun’s The Gods are Still not to Blame and Emoruwa’s Rebirth in Perspective” critically examines the concept of destiny through the lenses of tradition (Greek and Yoruba) and religion (Traditional religion, Islam and Christianity) to study the theme of destiny. The work traces how different dramatists have been able to examine this concept and how it applies to human society. Several scholarly materials are utilized in conducting this study aside from the primary texts predominantly used. Using the aforementioned as the bedrock for the research, some answers are sought to this question by engaging several sources of human endeavours. The work looks at the existence and expression of destiny in human lives through a metaphysical perspective and seeks to unravel the authenticity of the claim that the supernatural controls the lives and other things pertaining to the earthly existence of mortals. It studies the consequences of a ‘choiced-destiny’ versus ‘forced-destiny’. This work, therefore, seeks to make scholarly input on literary works such as adaptations, religious and cultural debates on the influence of supernatural forces on human existence, and the failure/success regarding the quest to overturn negative trails of destiny. In addition, it provides a useful contribution to how different worldview unites and differs in the human search to unravel 'truth'.
Keywords: Destiny, adaptation, rebirth, Yoruba culture
Thanking Expressions in Spoken Nigerian English: A Conversational Analysis
Get PDFThis paper investigates Conversational Routines of Thanking in Spoken Nigerian English. Everyday utterances are made through the use of language whether spoken or written. Thanking is prevalent basically in conversations. The selected speech acts for this study is thanking. Subjects for this study were drawn from three federal Universities from the South-South Region in Nigeria. They included: University of Uyo, University of Calabar and University of Port Harcourt. Data for this study were collected from three different speech interactions, namely: face-to-face conversations (FTFC), telephone conversations (TC) and vote of thanks (VOT). Data were collected through the use of a mini-tape recorder. Here, a Corpus of conversations were selected using purposive sampling method and surreptitiously collected from strategic points. This enabled the researcher to collect the Corpus in its original form. They were collected at different points where the students meet: lecture halls, hostels, canteens, relaxation centres among others. The framework for the analysis of this study is provided by the Speech Act theory. Frequency of the distribution between the male and female subjects, were calculated using the mean statistical method. This study found out that beyond the main functions of thanking, it also performs an array of other functions. Data have also revealed that the multilingual situation in Nigeria has affected the choices of language use, resulting in features such as code-mixing, slangs, Nigerian English-based pidgin, among others. This study has specifically shown that apart from classifying thanking as expressive speech act, it can further be classified as declarative, commissive and requestive speech acts. Therefore, this study concludes that with regard to thanking, the co-existence of English with other indigenous languages have given rise to linguistic patterns and forms, identifying Nigerian English as a distinct variety of the world Englishes.
Keywords: Conversational routines, Thanking, Spoken Nigerian English, Nigerian Identity, Speech Acts