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Vascular plant diversity and carbon stocks of selected sacred groves in Southwestern, Nigeria
Full text linkSacred groves are hotspot areas for tree species diversity and rare woody plants. Tree species composition have not been evaluated for its contribution to carbon in sacred groves. This study was designed to investigate influence of stand structure on variation of biomass and soil carbon stocks in the selected sacred sites in Southwestern, Nigeria. Ten (0.09ha) plots were randomly demarcated in each sacred grove. Tree ≥5cm Diameter-at-Breast Height (DBH) were identified and species diversity indices (Shannon-Weinner, H´; Simpson, 1-D) were computed. Total height (TH) and DBH were measured for volume and carbon estimation. Soil samples were collected with cores at three depths in each plot. Core samples were oven-dried at 105°C and 100g of soil was separated into >2.0, 2.0-1.0, 1.0-0.5, 0.5-0.05 and <0.05mm aggregates and carbon proportion determined. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and ANOVA. A total of 28 tree species representing 18 families, 23 tree species representing 14 families, 8 tree species representing 6 families and 16 tree species representing 12 families were identified in Ori-Oke, Bilikisu-Sugbo, Olumo rock and Osun-Osogbo groves, respectively. The H´ ranged from 2.61 (Ori-Oke) to 1.67 (Olumo-rock), while 1-D ranged from 0.94 (Bilikisu) to 0.74 (Olumo-rock). Biomass carbon ranged from 24240.00 (Bilikisu-Sugbo) to 7998.36 kg/ha (Ori-Oke). Carbon content increased with decrease in aggregate size in soil depths of Ori-Oke and Bilikisu-Sugbo while decreased with decrease in Olumo-Rock and Osun-Osogbo Groves. Bilikisu-Sugbo obtained the highest tree species diversity and carbon storage. Therefore, Bilikisu-Sugbo should be considered for plant diversity and carbon storage conservation schemes
Inclusive education for adolescents with special needs: promoting equity and access to health services
Full text linkPostmodernism Epistemology and Nigeria’s Educational System
Full text linkPostmodernism in the educational System is to provide an enabling environment where learners will be able to unfold their freedom. It is charged with considerable level of liberalism which makes it a suitable and fertile soil far critical thinking, pluralism, democracy and creativity in education. Educational dream of the contemporary world emphasises broad-based curriculum which allows various ways of apprehending reality. The impression given by some sections of Nigeria’s National Policy on education is that Nigeria’s philosophy of education is progressive in character. However, a keen observation revealed that the National Policy on Education evidently contains some elements of essentialism. The study concludes that the role of educational philosophy is not only to connect the socio-political ideology of any given society with aims and objectives of such a society, but to constantly ensure that such a philosophy must readily reflects the reality of ever changing nature of every human society. The study recommended that the National Policy on Education be revised in the light of postmodernism as a philosophy of education, since it possesses a considerable strength to accommodate higher degree of liberal and progressive education
A QUALITATIVE EXPLORATION OF THE KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDES, AND PRACTICES OF EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION IN NIGERIA
Full text linkThe study used a qualitative design to explore the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of early childhood education (ECE), held by educators and parents in the city of Ibadan, Nigeria. The study proceeds upon the understanding that early childhood education provides the ground for the progressive lifelong development of a child. It discusses how the different stakeholders perceive, value, and put to practice ECE. The study is anchored to Bronfenbrenner’s (1979) Ecological Systems Theory. Through in-depth interviews of ten (10) educators, and parents, this study identified more nuanced understandings of the extent of awareness on child development theories, qualification depth, and socio-cultural beliefs influencing ECE delivery and participation. Findings show clear differences in understanding and application of ECE principles: on the part of the educators, there is some theoretical knowledge but little adaptation in the classroom, while on the part of the parents, ECE is perceived much as custodial care and not viewed as essentially developmental. Attitudes toward ECE were constructed primarily by socioeconomic realities, educational backgrounds, and exposure to information regarding child development. Practices consisted of a cocktail of traditional methods as well as irregular ones, which were associated with issues of poor training, infrastructure limitations and perceptions from society about early childhood learning. Such results were also substantiated from literature, borrowed from sub-Saharan Africa and Nigeria that shed light on systemic underinvestment, poor teacher preparation, and misconceptions by parents regarding early learning. The study ends by recommending better professional training for educators, mass parental sensitisation, and stronger policy support for ECE implementation. Limitations cover the geographical area the study focused on and the reliance on self-reported data. Future research is recommended to include determining the dynamics of ECE across the regions of the diverse nation of Nigeria, as well as incorporating the voice of the children in future inquiries. This study foregrounds the voices of educators and parents in order to provide context-specific evidence for policy and practice toward improvement in early childhood education in Nigeria. Keywords: Attitude, Early childhood education, Educators, Knowledge, Parents, Practices
Assessing the Effects of Fuel Subsidy Removal on Students' Academic Achievement
Full text linkThe paper assessed the effects of fuel subsidy removal on students' academic achievement at university of Ibadan. The descriptive survey research design was adopted with sample consisted of 150 undergraduate students from three faculties of Arts, Education and the Social Sciences (50 from each faculty). The quaestionnaire entitled “Effects of Fuel Subsidy on Students’ Academic Achievement at University of Ibadan Inventory (EFSSAAI)” was the major instrument used for data gathering. Data collected was analyse through descriptive statistics of frequency counts and percentages as well as multiple regression. The paper found that subsidy removal effect (effects (class attendance, course materials and stress level) significantly influence students' academic achivement (F (3,146) = 33.983; R = .641, R2 = .411, Adjusted R2 = .399, p< 0.05), explaining 41.1% of the variance. In light of these result, government and university management should expand financial aid programmes and provide information about scholarship opportunities to support students financially as well as collaborate with local businesses to create part-time job opportunities on or near the campus, enabling students to earn income to cover their living and educational expense
The Reader’s journey: navigating national development through the lens of literacy
Full text linkThere are some 13 countries in the world where the adult literacy rate is 100%. In Africa, the three leading countries in terms of the adult literacy rates are Seychelles (95.9%), Equatorial Guinea (95.3%) and South Africa (95%), respectively. On the other hand, Nigeria is ranked 36th out of the 54 countries of Africa with a low adult literacy rate of 62%, comprising 71.3% for Male and 52.7% for Female in 2018. Moreover, about 18.3 million children in Nigeria are out of school, with 10.2 million of primary school age and another 8.1 million of junior secondary school age. This number represents one in every five of the world's out-of-school children, making the country home to the largest number of out-of-school children globally. The literacy index in Nigeria is poor in spite of the fact that the National Policy on Education (2013) clearly stipulates that Basic Education, the education given to children aged 0 to 15 years, shall be compulsory, tuition-free, universal and qualitative. The low literacy rate in Nigeria has adversely affected the Gross Domestic Product per capita and the Human Development Index. By prioritizing literacy, which can be acquired through formal education, informal education and self-directed learning, including personal reading and exploration, and addressing the challenges that limit access to education, the full potential of individuals can be unlocked, and thereby promote sustainable development and growth. The ways University Libraries can promote Information Seeking Behaviour are outlined in this paper
Leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) for Stress management in peak athletic performance: an integrative review
Full text linkAthletes often experience stressors that can impede their performance and well-being. Lack of coping resource or poorly regulated stress can undermine physical output, decision making and well-being. Effective stress management is crucial for achieving peak performance. This paper synthesize evidence on stress management strategies in sports psychology as well as AI powered stress management strategies using an integrative approach. The findings are presented narratively and organised into emerging themes. These strategies are categorized into cognitive-behavioural strategies, mindfulness-based strategies, relaxation strategies, biofeedback and technology-based and social support, and team-based strategies. AI powered stress management strategies were classified in the study as; AI powered wearable monitoring, virtual therapy and chatbot counseling, predictive analytics for stress forecasting, AI guided biofeedback training, AI enhanced injury and recovery support, AI supported cognitive behavior training, and integration of AI with human support systems. The following benefits are derived from the integration of AI in stress management for athletes; Improved performance, enhanced well-being, continuous and objective stress monitoring, all round support for athletes, Injury prevention, early detection and intervention, personalized training and recovery, confidentiality and stigma reduction. Advances in AI for stress management should focus on refining AI-powered injury prevention models, improving biometric sensing capabilities, advancing edge AI for realtime data processing, and integrating wearables sweat analysis to provide feedback, among others. This paper recommends that multimodal, specific interventions should be integrated into regular athletic training, warm-up and recovery process of athletes in order to attain peak performance and enhance overall well-being. Also that a hybrid approach adopted by sport psychologist integrating AI to support stress management among athletes will lead to a faster and positive outcome in stress management
Integration of artificial intelligence in industrial education: a review of current trends and future directions
Full text linkDigital revolution and the resultant emergence of Industry 4.0 has driven the incorporation of Artificial intelligence (AI) in Industrial education to enhance skills development in the industry. However, there is a lack of adequate empirical evidence on the integration of Artificial intelligence in industrial education. To fill this gap, this study reviewed previous studies on the adoption of AI in Industrial education and examined the frequency of occurrence of variables obtained in the studies reviewed. Relevant literature was screened and reviewed to find empirical evidence to support findings. A systematic review of 14 studies provided insights into the current applications, benefit and challenges of AI integration in industrial education. The study found that the most cited applications of AI is Adaptive and personalized learning systems, which customise workers/learners’ information based on their interaction with learning content. Other applications are augmented simulators for real-time feedback, virtual mentors, and intelligent tutoring systems which replicate real-life interaction with professionals among others. Majority of the studies found increased engagement and improved learning outcomes and skills development as benefit of AI integration in Industrial education. Other benefits are promotion of early identification of learning challenges and timely intervention and feedback, improvement in administrative efficiency and support, personalisation of learning. Notable challenges were skills and capacity gaps, lack of infrastructure and AI resources, curriculum issues and difficulty in integrating AI into current curriculum, ethical and privacy concerns among others. Based on the findings of the study, it was recommended that the skill gap should be filled with training in AI applications and use, investment in AI infrastructural development should be explored, industry collaboration and partnership in the area of needs should be considered, AI marketing and literacy should be adopted in industries, all AI intervention should be a continuing and lifelong process to ensure sustainability
What drives youths to vote?: an analysis of politico-behavioural constructs in Southwestern Nigeria
Full text linkPurpose: This study aims at investigating how partisan alignment, geopolitical affiliation, issue-based orientation, monetary inducement, and behavioural persuasion influence voting behaviour among Nigerian youth aged 18–35 in a transitional democracy context. Methodology/approach: A descriptive survey design of correlational type was adopted, using a validated structured questionnaire (six sections; reliability range r = 0.85–0.91). A stratified sample of 1,500 registered youth voters was drawn across Ondo, Oyo, and Osun States. Data were analysed with SPSS version 25 using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression at a 0.05 significance level. Results/findings: Positive significant relationships were found with partisan alignment (r = .206), geopolitical affiliation (r = .253), and behavioural persuasion (r = –.128). The composite model was significant (Adj. R² = .110). Only partisan alignment (β = .187), geopolitical affiliation (β = .256), and behavioural persuasion (β = –.081) were significant predictors. Conclusion: Youth voting behaviour in Southwestern Nigeria is shaped predominantly by partisan alignment, geopolitical affiliation, and behavioural persuasion, with issue-based orientation and monetary inducement showing no significant direct effect. These findings highlight the enduring influence of identity and persuasion in transitional democracies, despite growing discourse on issue-based politics. Limitations: The study was limited to Southwestern Nigeria and relied solely on quantitative self-reported data. Contribution: Findings are useful for political science, youth studies, electoral education, and governance policy, offering insights for strategies to enhance democratic participation and electoral integrity in transitional democracies
