COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF EMECHETA’S SECONDCLASS CITIZEN AND NWAPA’S EFURU

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ABSTRACT
This study undertakes a comparative analysis of the works of two Nigerian female novelists: Buchi Emecheta and Flora Nwapa, it looks at the contemporary African society which is dominated by men. Little or no recognition is given to women thus they have been oppressed, depressed, subjected and neglected. In this regards African female writers like Buchi Emecheta, Flora Nwapa, Ama Ata Aidoo, Mariama Ba, Zaynab Alkali among others fought on behalf of African women through their works by giving them significant roles which portray women as a virtue and instrument of honour in the Africa society
TABLE OF CONTENT
PAGE
Abstract
CHAPTER ONE/INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
1.2 Statement of the Problem
1.3 Objectives of the Study
1.4 Scope and limitation of the study
1.5 Significance of the Study
1.5Methodology
1.6 .1 Biography of Buchi Emecheta
1.6.2  Biography of Flora Nwapa
CHAPTER TWO:
Introduction
2.1 Literature Review
2.1.1 A critique of Buchi Emecheta
2.1.2 A critique of Flora Nwapa
2.2 Buchi Emecheta and Flora Nwapa as a liberal feminist
CHAPTER THREE:
Analysis of  Emecheta’s Second Class Citizen
CHAPTER FOUR:
Analysis of  Flora Nwapa’s Efuru
CHAPTER FIVE/SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
5.1 Summary
5.2 Conclusion
5.3 Recommendation
Bibliography
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
Emecheta and Nwapa are earliest feminist writers, whose works serve as the starting point for the independence and freedom of African women in general. They wrote novels about the struggles of African women in a contemporary African society and portray the condition of women in the traditional African setting. Their works promote equality for men and women in political, economic, educational, traditional and social spheres. They believe that women are oppressed due to their sex based on the dominant ideology of patriarchy.
Patriarchy literally means rule by men or by paternal right. It is a situation whereby women are ruled or controlled by men, giving power and importance to men.
Were Nigeria and Africa oppressively masculinity? The answer is “yes” Ghana was known to have some matrilineal society such as Akans; but Nigeria’s traditional culture, Muslim as well as non-Muslim had been masculine – based even before the advent of the white man. The source, nature and extent of female subordination and oppression have constituted a vexed problem in African literary debates. Writers such as Ama Ata Aidoo of Ghana and late Flora Nwapa of Nigeria insisted that the image of the helpless, dependent, unproductive African women was once ushered in by European imperialists whose women lived that way. On the other hand, the Nigeria-born, expatriate writer Buchi Emecheta, along with other critics, maintain that African women were traditionally subordinated to sexist cultural mores.
Colonial rule aggravated the situation by introducing a lopsided system in which African men received a well rounded education like their European counterparts before the mid-nineteenth century, African women received only utilitarian, cosmetic skills in domestic science centers the kind of skills that could only prepare them to be useful helpmates of educated, premier nationalists and professionals such as Nnamdi Azikwe Nigeria’s first president, and the late Obafemi Awolowo of the Yoruba tribalist leader.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
A study of some feminist novels in Nigeria has shown that the new feminist novel deviates from the old forms of creating pictures of women that lived private lives. It focuses more on crediting women with more forms of experience than their personal or sexual entanglements. From the development of feminist world-view, women, many of whom are middle-class, work. What feminism has done in the Nigerian novel is to debunk the claim that women are only mere vessels of home keeping and sexual gratification. It explains that like their male counterparts, women work. When they do not work outside their homes, they devise other means of relating to the external world. Such means could be in writing, communication and even in business relationships as the modern world, with its globalization, has generated various means of livelihood and sustenance.
The authors selected for this study show their grasp of the vast differences that really existed between the accepted cultural images of women and what women actually pass through in the modern world. Their abilities to develop their plot on this contradiction really distinguish them as feminist novelists in Nigeria.
1.3 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
This research work will examine the two novels by comparing and differentiating the novels, since the writers share similarities and differences in their texts.
1.4 SCOPE AND LIMITATION OF THE STUDY
The scope of this work is relatively wide. It will be determined by how affective or relevant a portion is to the study. The study will touch the mainline text, i.e. the area in which the topic is concerned.
It would have been worthwhile to use as many texts for this research but it will be limited to Emecheta’s Second Class Citizen and Nwapa’s Efuru.
1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
This work will serve as a body of knowledge to other researchers who may wish to embark on similar topic especially in the area of feminist.
1.6.1 BIOGRAPHY OF BUCHI EMECHETA
Buchi Emecheta was born on August 14, 1944 in Lagos to Igbo parents, Alice Emecheta and Jeremy Nwabudinke. Her father was a railway worker in the 1940’s. due to the gender bias of the time, the young Buchi Emecheta was initially kept at home while her younger brother was sent to school, but after persuading her parents to consider the benefits of her education, she spent her early childhood at an All-Girl’s Missionary School. Her father died when she was nine years old.
A year later, Emecheta received a full scholarship to the Methodist Girl’s School, when she remained until the age of sixteen. She married Sylvester Onwordi, a student to whom she had been engaged since she was eleven years old. Onwordi immediately moved to London to attend University and Emecheta joined him in 1962. She bore him five children in six years, but it was an unhappy and sometimes violent marriage (as chronicled in her autobiographical writings such as Second Class Citizen).
At the age of twenty-two, Emecheta left her husband. While working to support her children alone, she earned a B.sc degree in Sociology in the University of London. From 1965 to 1969, she worked as a library officer for the British Museum in London from 1969 to 1976 she was a youth worker and sociologist for their inner London Education Authority.
She has visited several American Universities including Pennsylvania State University, Rutgers University, university of California and Los angels. She was senior fellow and visiting professor of English in University of Calabar Nigeria.
Her major theme is child slavery, motherhood, female independence and freedom. She is the authorof numerous books including; The Joys of Motherhood, The Bride Price, In the Ditch, Second Class Citizen, Destination Biafra and Head Above Water.
1.6.2 BIOGRAPHY OF FLORA NWAPA (1931-1993)
Flora Nwapa was born in Oguta, Eastern Nigerian, which was then a British colony. Both of her parents, Christopher Ijeoma and Martha Nwapa were teachers. She was educated at the University of Ibadan, receiving her B.A in 1957. Nwapa continued her studies in England, earning in 1958 a degree in Education from the University of Edinburgh.
After returning to Nigeria in 1959, Nwapa worked as an Education officer in Calabar for a short time, and she taught Geography and English at Queen’s School in Enugu. From 1962-1964 she was an Assistant Registrar at the university of Lagos. During the Nigerian Civil war, she left Lagos with her family. Like many members of the Igbo Elite, they were forced to return to the Eastern region after the end of the conflict. She became Nigerian writer, Teacher and Administrator, a fore-runner of a whole generation of African Women Writer.
Flora Nwapa is best known for re-creating Igbo (Ibo) life and traditions from a woman’s view point. With Efuru (1966) Nwapa became Black Africa’s first internationally published female Novelist in the English Language. She has been called the mother of Modern African Literature.
In 1982, the Nigerian Government bestowed on her one of the countries highest honours, the OON (Order of Niger). By her own town, Oguta she was awarded the highest Chieftaincy title, Ogbuefi, which is usually reserved for men of achievement.
As a novelist Nwapa made her debut with Efuru, based on an old folktale of a woman chosen by gods, but challenged the traditional portrayal of women. She died on October 16, 1993 in Enugu, Nigeria. She was married to Gogo Nwakuche an Industrialist. They had three children.
Flora Nwapa is the author of numerous books including Idu, Never Again, Wives at War, One is Enough, This is Lagos and Efuru

The Effects Of PHCN Over Billing On The Technology System In Nigeria

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Abstract
The study is to assess the The Effects Of PHCN Over Billing On The Technology System In Nigeria using  Bauchi metropolis in other to determine the preference of consumer towards the billing methods, to examine the relationship between the prepaid system and consumption behavior of the users and also to assess the impact of the prepaid method on electricity management by consumers.  The data for the study was collected through administration of questionnaire in the study area and interview was also conducted. A total of 166 respondents were selected using a purposive sampling method. Descriptive method was used for the analysis. Federal Polytechnic Bauchi Staff quarters, Federal Low-cost Housing Estate and Dawaki Wards all in Bauchi metropolis were used as the study locations. According to the findings made, Majority of the respondents prefer the pre-paid meter because it gives the exact amount of KWh worth of electricity consumed, while the few that prefers the conventional meter was because the pre-paid is expensive, difficult to get and can lead to increase in payment on the energy consumed. It was also observed that the introduction of prepaid billing system has significantly influenced the way and manner electricity was utilized and managed by consumers. It has reasonably reduced energy wastage by users thereby enhancing efficiency in the utilization of electricity by consumers. Some the recommendations made are; there should be proper sensitization and public enlightenment; this will help to clear doubts and reservations some consumers still have about the new technology. Adequate supply of the prepaid meters should be ensured and let it be easily accessible to consumers. The cost of the meter should be made meaningfully affordably so that all users can adopt it.
 
 
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
 
Background to the Study
Electricity supply and consumption is one of the strong indices used for measuring the standard of living and level of development in a country (Oluyemisi et al, 2013). Kraishnan, (2006) affirms that, as he states that almost all aspects of modern living such as education, healthcare delivery, ICT, industries etc, all depend on electricity for their functioning. He further added that electricity demand has been experiencing growth at a very rapid rate since the early days of power generation in Nigeria, with both population and economic growth; the gap between demand and supply of electricity has been increasing significantly.
Energy efficiency has become one of the drivers of sustainable development world wide (UNDP, 2000). According to Etiosa, (2008) the goals of energy efficiency include reduction in the amount of energy used to produce a service or a unit of economic output and indirectly reduce emissions, helping to minimize the building of new power stations, reducing electricity bills, leaving more energy available to extend to other segments of the population for domestic and other uses. That increases the resilience of the economy and reducing the negative environmental and human health impacts from energy production and use.
Nigeria, with a population of over 160 million people, is endowed with sufficient energy resources to meet its present and future development requirements. Despite its endowment, about 60-70 percent of Nigerians do not have access to electricity, modern energy services and those connected to the national grid experience power outages that last for several hours daily (Oluyemisi et al, 2013). Etiosa, (2008) observed that, the small percentage of Nigerians that have access to public power utility are wasting it without considering the implications. He further added that, rather than giving more attention to the way energy is used, the government has focused almost entirely on power generation and distribution.
Statement of Problem  
Nigeria is experiencing an energy loss of close to 40 percent. The energy wastage is mainly due to the use of inefficient technologies, awful human behavior and poor infrastructural development (Aidan, 2003). As a corrective measure Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) adopted a technological solution to provide new ways of achieving and sustaining energy efficiency through the introduction of prepayment metering, also known as Pay-As-You-Go system. PHCN started with a pilot project in Lagos in 1997 using CONLOG of South Africa in collaboration with ESKOM (Nexant, 2003). Before the introduction of the prepaid meter, there was a conventional method which makes the user to pay after the consumption of electricity. On the strength of the above, the following questions were raised to guide the study;

  1. i) What is the preference of the consumers towards the billing methods?
  2. ii) What is the relationship between the prepaid method and consumption behavior?

iii) What is the impact of the prepaid system on electricity management by the users?
Aims and Objectives of the Study
The aim of the study is to assess the impact of billing methods on electricity consumption and management by users in Bauchi metropolis. Other objectives are:

  1. i) To determine the preference of consumer towards the billing methods.
  2. ii) To examine the relationship between the prepaid system and consumption behavior of the users.

iii) To assess the impact of the prepaid method on electricity management by consumers.

THE APPLICATION OF ELECTRICAL RESISTIVITY METHOD IN FOUNDATION FAILURE INVESTIGATION

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ABSTRACT
An electrical resistivity method was carried out on site proposed for the construction of state secretariat office complex in Makurdi, Benue state, using vertical electrical sounding (VES) with Shlumberger electrode configuration. The soundings, which comprised of fifteen VES was done at three different locations to ascertain the suitability of the subsurface foundation at the site for construction and to determine a suitable depth to which the foundation of the proposed buildings should be dug in order to avoid structural failure. The technique utilized pairs of current and potential electrodes inserted into the ground. By measuring the voltage between the potential electrodes, the apparent resistivity of the subsurface was determined. About 165 resistivity readings was taken to generate a 1-D profile of the subsurface. The result obtained showed that the study area is extensively underlained by shale, which is expansive soil and can cause failure to buildings and roads in the area. The largest spacing between the current electrodes WAS 80meters, thus the maximum depth of investigation is 27meters. To maintain a measurable potential difference, the potential electrode spacing was varied from an initial value of 0.5meters to 2.5meters. Between the surface and the depth investigated, the following formations were delineated: loam, sand, clay, laterite and sandstone. The lateritic layer to a depth of 1.2m-3.0m was found to be suitable for the foundation of the buildings.

POWER SYSTEM RESTORATION USING ARTIFICIAL NEURAL NETWORKS

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CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION

  • BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

In the past several decades, there has been a rapid growth in the power grid all over the world which eventually led to the installation of a huge number of new transmission and distribution lines. Moreover, the introduction of new marketing concepts such as deregulation has increased the need for reliable and uninterrupted supply of electric power to the end users who are very sensitive to power outages .
One of the most important factors that hinder the continuous supply of electricity and power is a fault in the power system [2]. Any abnormal flow of current in a power system’s components can lead to a fault in the power system. These faults cannot be completely avoided since a portion of these faults also occur due to natural reasons which are always beyond the control of mankind. Hence, it is very important to have a well-coordinated protection system that detects any kind of abnormal flow of current in the power system, identifies the type of fault and then accurately locates the position of the fault in the power system. The faults are usually taken care of by devices that detect the occurrence of a fault and eventually isolate the faulted section from the rest of the power system.
Hence some of the important challenges for the incessant supply of power are detection, classification and location of faults [3]. Faults can be of various types namely transient, persistent, symmetric or asymmetric faults and the fault detection process for each of these faults is distinctly unique in the sense, there is no one universal fault location technique for all these kinds of faults.
 
The High Voltage Transmission Lines (that transmit the power generated at the generating plant to the high voltage substations) are more prone to the occurrence of a fault than the local distribution lines (that transmit the power from the substation to the commercial and residential customers) because there is no insulation around the transmission line cables unlike the distribution lines. The reason for the occurrence of a fault on a transmission line can be due to several reasons such as a momentary tree contact, a bird or an animal contact or due to other natural reasons such as thunderstorms or lightning. Most of the research done in the field of protective relaying of power systems concentrates on transmission line fault protection due to the fact that transmission lines are relatively very long and can run through various geographical terrain and hence it can take anything from a few minutes to several hours to physically check the line for faults [4].
 
The automatic location of faults can greatly enhance the systems reliability because the faster we restore power, the more money and valuable time we save. Hence, many utilities are implementing fault locating devices in their power quality monitoring systems that are equipped with Global Information Systems for easy location of these faults. Fault location techniques can be broadly classified into the following categories
[5]:

  • Impedance measurement based methods
  • Travelling-wave phenomenon based methods
  • High-frequency components of currents and voltages generated by faults based methods
  • Intelligence based methods

From quite a few years, intelligent based methods are being used in the process of fault detection and location. Three major artificial intelligence based techniques that have been widely used in the power and automation industry are [6]:

  • Expert System Techniques
  • Artificial Neural Networks
  • Fuzzy Logic Systems

Among these available techniques, Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) has been used extensively in this thesis for fault location on electric power transmission lines. These ANN based methods do not require a knowledge base for the location of faults unlike the other artificial intelligence based methods [7].
 
Therefore the application of artificial neural network to power system restoration is to make sure of a steady supply of electric power and fault diagnosis in power systems because the importance of electricity in our day to day life has reached such a stage that it is very necessary to protect the power system equipment from damage and to ensure maximum continuity of power supply.
 
1.2       STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
 
Power system blackout is a major problem we face in the country. When they occur, the effects on commerce, industry and everyday life of the general population can be quite severe. Since it is a major part of any successful economic system and development at large, it is important to reduce the economic and social cost of any power system blackout.
 
1.3       OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
 
The goal of this thesis is to propose an integrated method to perform each of these tasks using artificial neural networks. A back-propagation based neural network has been used for the purpose of fault detection and another similar one for the purpose of fault classification in transmission lines. To achieve this, we need to design, develop, test and implement a complete strategy for the fault diagnosis in order to restore transmission lines back to service. The first step in the process is fault detection. Once we know that a fault has occurred on the transmission line, the next step is to classify the fault into one of the different categories based on the phases that are faulted. Then, the third step is to pin-point the position of the fault on the transmission line.
 
1.4       SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
 
With respect to the objectives of this thesis, it will benefitthe Power Holding Company of Nigeriainaspect of effective fault location and restoration of power system transmission lines.

THE INFLUENCE OF ELECTRONIC RESOURCES AND STUDENTS LIBRARY USAGE

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ABSTRACT
This research was on ascertaining the influence of electronic resources and students library usage .The research was geared towards determining the extent of which electronic resources and students library is available in university libraries and also the extent at which they are used for service delivery. In conducting this research the survey research method was adopted. Interestingly, out of the two hundred and fifty eight (258) professional librarians in seventeen(17) universities in south-south Nigeria that made up the population for the study, only two hundred and twenty-three (223) professional librarians from eleven (11)university libraries were sampled and used for the research using purposive sampling technique. Questionnaire and the Observation checklist data collection instruments were used to the research. Descriptive statistical method of mean and standard deviation was used to analyze the research questions, while inferential statistical method of z-test was used to analyze the formulated hypothesis. The research instruments were personally administered and retrieved by the researcher. Response rate was high as one hundred and seventy-three (173) data collection tool was returned and found useable. Findings revealed that electronic information resources are available in university libraries. Furthermore, findings showed that these available Electronic Information Resources (EIR) are not adequately applied to the services being rendered by librarians to their patrons. Similarly, the research findings showed that EIR availability and use in university libraries influence library services. Furthermore, it was revealed that male and female (librarians) could use EIR for service delivery in libraries, this is as hypothesis one (1) was accepted because the calculated z. 0.34 was less than (<) z. critical or significant value of .73. In addition, hypothesis two (2) was rejected, meaning that the working experience of a librarian is a determining factor in handling the challenges to EIR availability and use in libraries; this is so as the calculated z. 3.12 is greater than (>) z. critical of .002. The research was able to prove that accuracy in information service delivery, independence of library users and speed in service delivery are perceived benefits of EIR availability and use in libraries. However, the research recommended among others that library management should constantly sensitize institutional heads and management, i.e Vice- chancellors, Deans, Provost, Bursars, Registrars etc on the need for the acquisition of EIR, training and re-training of library staff in line with modern day library activities and functions etc.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Contents Page No
Title Page – – – – – – – – – – i
Approval Page – – – – – – – – – – ii
Certification Page – – – – – – – – iii
Dedication Page – – – – – – – – iv
Acknowledgments Page – – – – – – – – v
Abstract Page – – – – – – – – – vi
Table of Contents – – – – – – – – vii
List of Tables – – – – – – – – – x
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
Background to the Study – – – – – – – – 1
Statement of the Problem – – – – – – – – 9
Purpose of the study – – – – – – – – 10
Research Questions – – – – – – – – 11
Research Hypotheses – – – – – – – – – 11
Significance of the Study – – – – – – – – – 11
Scope of the study – – – – – – – – – 13
CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Conceptual Framework – – – – – – – – 14
– Concept and Development of Electronic Information Resources – – – 15
– Concept of Services Delivery- – – – – – – – 27
– Availability of Electronic Information Resources in Libraries – – – 23
– Use of Electronic Information Resources in Academic Libraries – – – 28
– Impact of Electronic Information Resources on Library Services and Functions- – 34
– Hindrances to Electronic Resource Availability and Use in Libraries – – – 41
– Schematic Diagram showing Relationship between Variables of the study and
Conceptual Framework – – – – – – – – 48
Theoretical Framework of the Study – – – – – – 49
– Ranganathan, R, S Laws of Librarianship – – – – – – 49
– Activity Theory (AT)- – – – – – – – – 52
Review of Related Empirical Literature – – – – – – 54
Summary of Literature Review – – – – – – – – 61
CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHOD – – – – 64
Research Design – – – – – – – – – 64
Area of the Study – – – – – – – – – 65
Population of the study- – – – – – – – – 65
Sample and Sampling Technique – – – – – – – 66
Instruments for Data Collection – – – – – – – 66
Validation of the Instrument – – – – – – – – 68
Reliability of the Instrument – – – – – – – – 68
Method of Data Collection – – – – – – – – 69
Method of Data Analysis – – – – – – – – 69
CHAPTER FOUR: PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS OF DATA – – 70
Descriptive Analysis of Data – – – – – – – 71
Research Question One – – – – – – – – 71
Research Question Two – – – – – – – – – 74
Research Question Three – – – – – – – – 76
Research Question Four – – – – – – – – 78
Research Question Five – – – – – – – – 80
Research Question Six – – – – – – – – 81
Research Question Seven – – – – – – – – 82
Inferential Analysis of Data – – – – – – – – 83
Hypothesis One – – – – – – – – – 83
Hypothesis Two – – – – – – – – – – 84
Hypothesis Three – – – – – – – – – – 84
Summary of Findings – – – – – – – – 85
CHAPTER FIVE: DISCUSSION OF RESULT, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Discussion of Findings – – – – – – – – 86
Implications of Study – – – – – – – – – 101
Recommendations – – – – – – – – – 102
Limitations – – – – – – – – – – 103
Suggestions for Further Research – – – – – – – 1o4
Conclusion – – – – – – – – – – 104
References – – – – – – – – – – 106
Appendices – – – – – – – – – – 119-37

Teachers Personal Characteristics And Students Academic Performance Students In Chemistry

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Teachers Personal Characteristics And Students Academic Performance On Senior Secondary School Students In Chemistry In Odunka Local Government , Cross River State

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Teachers have a direct responsibility to shape a student’s academic performance, and are the most important school based factor in their education (Rockoff, 2004; Rivkin, HanushekKain 2005; Aaronson, Barrow & Sander, 2007). This is why it is important to examine which teacher characteristics may be related to student academic performance.
Considering which teacher characteristics produce the best student academic performance at the Senior Secondary School level can help the school in identifying unique ways to increase student performance with the teacher resources available to them.
Excellence in academic life demands high level of intelligence; but in addition to intelligence, recent studies have indicated that there are other factors that can be useful predictors of academic performance (Busato, Prins, Elshout, &Hamaker, 1999, 2000; Chamorro Premuzic&Furnham, 2003). One of the factors is teachers’ characteristics.
Teachers cannot be undermined in the discussion of knowledge transfer or education in every way. Teachers are very instrumental to the transfer of knowledge. Ali (2009) observes that there is a statistically significant relationship between teachers’ characteristics and student academic performance.
According to Thompson, Greer, & Greer (2005) there are twelve characteristics that are central to what students conceptualize as good teaching which connect to the caring for students, both academically and personally and strengthen recent indicators for academic performance.
These characteristics are: displaying fairness, having a positive outlook being prepared, using a personal touch, respecting students, maintaining high expectations. Possessing a sense of humor, possessing creativity, admitting mistakes, and being forgiving, showing compassion and developing sense of belonging for students.
As humans, we possess an ingrained sense of fair play. We react negatively whenever we are dealt with by someone in a manner that violates what we think constitutes fairness in a situation. Any sign of favoritism, or lack of fairness, can leave scars that last a lifetime.
Borich (2000) suggests that effective teachers are those who use meaningful verbal praise to get and keep students actively participating in the learning process.
Effective teachers are generally positive minded individuals who believe in the success of their students as well as their own ability to help students achieve.
Competence and knowledge of the content area being taught is something that makes a well-prepared teacher more likely to take time during lessons to notice and attend to behavioral matters, effective use of instructional time, student participation and thereby, academic success.
Teachers must show interest in their students, as this promotes bonding. Teachers with a sense of humor make learning fun. If a teacher has a quick wit and the ability to break the ice in difficult situations with the use of humor, students recognize the strength reflected in these teachers, as they provide a wonderful model for how to deal with embarrassing situations effectively.
Students remember unusual things that their teachers did in their teaching. They remember how it related to a subject matter being taught which captivated their interest.
Irvine (2001) suggests that students defined teachers who set limits, provides structure, held high expectations and pushed them to achieve as their favorite teachers. Generally, these behaviors affect student learning. Working to include these traits into everyday teaching routines will ensure that students have a positive school experience as well as a successful one.
Rice (2003) recognized five broad categories of teacher attributes that appear to contribute to teacher quality. They are experience, preparation programs and degrees, type of certification, course work taken in preparation for the profession, and teachers’ own test scores.
Performance as a variable is linked to the teachers’ experience, resulting from the ideas generated in the course of learning, training, acquired classroom management skills/expertise. Teachers’ experience has a significant effect on student performance in the sense that students taught by more experienced teachers achieve at a higher level, because their teachers have mastered the content and gained classroom management skills/expertise to deal with different types of classroom problem (Gibbson, 1997); therefore, academic performance of students in chemistry is dependent on the characteristics that a teacher portray.
According to Mumare& Philip (1981), experience has a significant positive effect on the connection that exist between the quality of a teacher and the academic performance of students in chemistry cannot be over emphasized because they both work hand in glove in showcasing how quality education could be enshrined in an academic process and this could be inferred from the words of Strong (2007); that asserted a positive relationship between teachers’ verbal ability and students’ achievement.
Parents are keen at seeing their children enroll and graduate from prestigious educational institutions as most compete to offer their best educational programs and be at the fore front of academic excellence. People who are directly involved in the students’ academic life are the teachers who provide help to these students.
Classroom teachers are primarily responsible for student academic achievement as a school’s primary focus is on the academic preparation of students.

Statement of the Problem

The issue of declining academic performance of students in chemistry in chemistry  has generated much interest among stakeholders in the educational sector in Nigeria. The quality of education and performance of students depends on the teachers as reflected in the discharge of their duties. Overtime, students’ academic performance in chemistry in both internal and external exams had been used to determine the effectiveness of teachers and teaching. According to Ogunsaju (2004), academic standards have fallen below societal expectations. Considering governments huge investment in public education, its output in terms of quality of students has been observed to be unequal with government expenditure.
Despite the increase in educational attainment by teachers in trying to improve on their qualification and skills/expertise the academic performance of students in chemistry in senior secondary schools has not been encouraging. This is reflected in the falling standard of education in view of the performance of students in examinations like Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE), Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), etc.
There is a persistent decline in the academic performance of SSS students in spite of the huge government budgetary allocation on education. There is a prevalent rise in examination mal-practices, where parents, teachers and even stakeholders in the economy spend heavily on prepared solution and ‘assistance’ from teachers to make their students pass examinations without merit.
This has led to a high degree of failure to breed students that are worth their certificates and is giving the country a serious cause for concern.
Functional educational system most time depends on the adequacy of some indispensable behavioral traits of teachers, such as qualification, experience, and skills/expertise among others hence the need for further investigation.

Objective of the Study

The essence of this study is to investigate Teachers Personal Characteristics And Students Academic Performance On Senior Secondary School Students In Chemistry In Odunka Local Government , Cross River State

.
The specific objectives are:

  • To determine if the qualification of teachers have an effect on the academic performance of students in chemistry.
  • To find out if teaching experience is related to academic performance of students in chemistry.
  • To examine the relationship between teachers classroom effectiveness and students academic performance.
  • To ascertain the influence of teachers skills/expertise on the academic performance of students in chemistry.

Research Questions

  • There is no significant relationship between teachers’ qualifications and students’ academic performance in chemistry.
  • There is no significant difference in the academic performance of students in chemistry taught by teachers with longer years of experience.
  • There is no significant relationship between teachers’ effectiveness and students’ academic performance in chemistry

 
 

  • There is no significant relationship between teachers’ skill/expertise and students’ academic performance in chemistry.

Research Hypotheses

H01:      There is no significant relationship between teachers’ qualification and students’ academic performance in chemistry.
H02:      There is no significant difference in the academic performance of students in chemistry taught by teachers with more years of experience
H03:      There is no significant relationship between teachers’ effectiveness and students’ academic performance in chemistry.
Ho4:      There is no significant relationship between teachers’ skill/expertise and students’ academic performance in chemistry.

Significance of the Study

This study will look intensively on the effect of teachers’ characteristics on academic performance of students in chemistry. It will be beneficial to stakeholders in the educational sector such as teachers, parents, students, school management, and ministries of education, educational researchers, and the society at large.
It will be used as a guide line for schools in recruiting teachers and also help already recruited teachers in improving their teaching methods.
It will be beneficial to curriculum developers in the framing and designing of topics that will correct and improve the performance of senior secondary school students. Educational researchers will see it as an addition to the literature on teachers’ characteristics and academic performance; giving them a concise and significant outlook of the topic.
The recommendations will enhance academic performance.

Scope of the Study

The scope of the study is limited to only teachers’ characteristics as a determinant of student’s academic performance.
The study is carried out in the Cross River metropolis only. The study is also limited to activities of Senior Secondary Schools and not Junior Secondary Schools or Primary Schools.
The study will make use of both primary and secondary data. Questionnaires will be distributed and used to find out the correlation between teachers’ characteristics and academic performance
 

Parental socio-economic status and occupational aspiration among public secondary schools students

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Abstract

 
This research is on the assessment of Parental socio-economic status and occupational aspiration among  public secondary schools students. This study was on some selected secondary schools in Cross River. The study is descriptive in nature and uses Child’s Vocational Awareness Questionnaire (CVAQ) on students for : Occupational aspiration findings. A total number of one hundred (100) students responded to the instrument. Contrary to the research, it was revealed that the development in the educational achievement of the students with a better possibility for better career choice is high and the level of education of the parent could be in form of motivation for child to aspire for better jobs in future. And that majority of the students now -a-days decide on their own career choices.
 

CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION

  • 1 Background to the study

This study examines the Parental socio-economic status and occupational aspiration among  public secondary schools students in Cross River. Several researchers have long recognized that occupational aspiration is influenced by socio-economic status (SES) of secondary school students in particular, the background of their families is especially important. McLaughlin, Hunt, and Montgomery (1976) found that SES affects the occupational and educational aspirations of female high school seniors, a finding in agreement with Empey’s (1956) study on males. Krippner (1963) studied students’ occupational preferences and their parents’ occupational levels using Roe’s (1956) occupational scale and found that the occupations students liked to enter were related to the status of their parents’ occupational level.
 
According to Uche (1994) children from parents with high socio-economic status are likely provided with high quality private education from nursery up to university level. Given this opportunity, it is likely that such children will be less delinquent than their counterpart from lower socio-economic background. However from an empirical study by Coughin and Vuchimah (1996), there is a relationship between family socio-economic status and juvenile delinquency. Female secondary school students tend to act out as a result of low level of support from their mother while boys tend to act out as a result of low level parental mentoring; however the study concludes that family structure is not a predictor of juvenile delinquency, low parental monitoring did seem to predict higher drug use, Dishon and Loeber (1985). In another study on child rearing style and students’
 
dishonest behavior by Ajake and Bisong (2008), child rearing style is a function of family socio-economic status. Significant difference exist between respondents from autocratic child rearing family and those from democratic homes in lying, stealing and truancy, in each case autocratically reared subjects are more vulnerable to delinquency. Again a significant difference exist between subjects reared under democratic child rearing style and their counterpart reared under the laissez-faire rearing style in lying, stealing and truancy. In each case, those who are brought under the laissez-faire families are the more vulnerable.
 
Blau and Duncan (1967) and Duncan and Featherman (1972) showed a strong positive correlation between family SES and an individual’s occupational aspirations and attainment. Sewell, Haller, and Straus’ (1957) survey of secondary school seniors showed a positive relationship between SES and educational and occupational aspirations of young women. Sewell and Shaw (1967), in a later study, concluded that for women, SES has a greater effect than intelligence on selection of attendance to and graduation from college.
 
Okeke(1973) study of illiterate low class families in Nigeria found that their children expressed a desire to engage in better occupations and strive for better education than their parents. The traditional view that factors like age, sex, race, and socio-economic levels determine occupational expectations and attainment should no longer be a stumbling block to counselors. With more attention and support, counselors should be better able to help the low SES to maximize their potentials and capabilities. This does not insinuate an exclusion of the needed help to the high and middle SES.
 
Extrinsic reward was most significant to low SES. Olayinka (1973) also found that children with low SES view education and occupation as a means to
 
better their status and economic conditions, while children with high SES view education and occupation as a means of entering into a profession similar to their parents.
 

     1.2 Theoretical Framework

 
Individual difference exist among people, this has an effect on who the individual are and what they are capable of doing. What an individual does is sometimes at variance with his ability, attitude, capabilities and interest.
 
Socio-economic status (SES) as defined in the Wikipedia (the free encyclopedia) is an economic and sociological combined total measure of a person’s work experience and of an individual’s or family’s economic and social position in relation to others, based on income, education, and occupation. When analyzing a family’s SES, the household income, earners’ education, and
occupation are examined, as well as combined income, versus with an individual, when their own attributes are assessed. Socio-economic status is typically broken into three categories (high SES, middle SES, and low SES) to describe the three areas a family or an individual may fall into. When placing a family or individual into one of these categories, any or all of the three variables (income, education, and occupation) can be assessed.
 
As defined by APA (American Psychological Association) socio-economic status is commonly conceptualized as the social standing or class of an individual or group. It is often measured as a combination of education, income and occupation.
 
 

     1.3 Statement of the Problem

In schools, most of the conservatism found in western education finds it root in most of instructional programmers. Programmes in most schools lack diversification to cater for all career choices of students, most students were left unguided and so are more prone to making unwise choices or no choice at all, until after schooling in most cases, however, students do not make wise choice of subject as a result of lack of sufficient information.
Left unguided, it has been observed that quite a number of students in secondary schools are ill informed of the labour market. They become nervous, worried and anxious. They finish secondary school with the feeling of inadequacy and frustration, they do not have in mind the jobs they want to do, based on this, they lack knowledge that the employers require as entry qualification, and they may not know that, there is a method of application for the job they wish to apply for. This is common because they do not possess the necessary educational and vocational information. Some people like to work in team, others preferred to work alone, vocational guidance must therefore take full account of all these likes and dislikes. Inadequate vocational information in secondary schools in Cross River state, have left students to decide and pursue any course or job they could find whether or not it is in consonance with their interest, aptitude and ability. Some secondary schools in Cross River state find it very difficult to organize or administer guidance and counseling programme for students due to lack of professional counselors. The school management which includes the Principal and the heads of departments are not motivating or educating the students to make use of the career masters where
 
available. Moreover Cross River state government in particular shows little effort towards recognition and establishment of guidance and counseling at professional level. Even in the few schools that possess career masters, their expertise is not fully utilized.
Kithyo and Petrina (2002) argue that boys schools tend to be more equipped and oriented towards science and technology. Boys in mixed schools are also encouraged to enroll and perform well in these subjects. Girls schools do not offer technology subjects such as engineering; instead they offer domestic sciences and secretarial subjects. By the time the students come to choose careers, they have internalized gender norms (Kithyo and Petrina, 2002). Research indicates that children from low-SES households and communities develop academic skills more slowly compared to children from higher SES groups (Morgan, Farkas, Hillemeier, &Maczuga, 2009). The school systems in low-SES communities are often under resourced, negatively affecting student’s academic progress (Aikens &Barbarin, 2008). There also exist the conflicts between the individual free choice of occupation and that of the Nations manpower needed, and there are also conflicts between individual choice, parents wish, and friend’s advice. Nigeria is moving from pre-industrial to an industrial country. Industrialization paved way to technological development which will increase the need for skilled human labour and will require all the power and more skill that can be obtained. Training children through education will make them be aware of these potentialities.
The focus of this study is therefore to make a critical examination of the influence of socio-economic status on career aspirations among secondary school students in schools of Cross River.
 

     1.4 Purpose of the Study

This study aimed at finding out the influence of  Parental socio-economic status and occupational aspiration among  public secondary schools students
The specific purpose are thus:

  1. To find out the factors that influence senior secondary school student’s career
  2. To find out if there is any relationship between parental occupation and their children career aspiration.

     1.5 Research Questions

The major questions this study intends to address are;

  1. What are the factors that influence senior secondary school student’s career aspirations?
  2. What are the career aspirations of students in senior secondary schools in Cross River?
  • Is there any relationship between parental occupation and their children aspiration?

     1.6 Research Hypotheses

Based on the research questions, the following hypothesis will be tested:

  1. There is no significant difference between parental education and career aspirations of students from high and middle socio-economic
  2. There is no significant difference between parental education and career aspirations of students from high and low socio-economic
  • There is no significant difference between the educational and career aspirations of students from middle and low socio-economic status.

 

     1.7 Significance of the Study

This study examines Parental socio-economic status and occupational aspiration among  public secondary schools students. Choosing a career is one of the hardest decisions to make in life. It is believed that the role of socio-economic status on : Occupational aspiration and education is important in the technological societies because the allocation of social position relies heavily on higher education; the better educational background, the higher position to be reached in office. With this condition, the need of higher educational level in Cross River increase rapidly. Therefore, educational and : Occupational aspiration of senior secondary school students is an important phenomenon to be studied. We are going to outline this importance in regard to some related aspect that the study will be effective to.
It is hoped that the findings of this study will help the students in the sense that it can be used to provide information for maintaining student’s motivation in both academic and social integration to support career development during the child’s study. It can also help the student in the process of choosing a career of his choice.
It is hoped that this study will help parents to understand that their children already have in mind their desired career aspiration. What is left for them is to support and guide them financially, and give them motivational support for them to be able to attain their goal.
Society is associated with children vocational aspiration. Reviewing an extensive body of research, Watson and Mc Mahon (2005) concluded that children learn about the vocation by interacting with their social environment. This study might open the mind of the society and make them understand the : Occupational aspiration of their individuals which might trigger the society to support some less fortunate students in their educational development.
 
Schools and teachers sometimes shape perception about vocation. This study might help in letting the school and teacher to be aware of their student’s choice of career and to avoid any form of discouragement, rather the students should be encouraged and supported. This study will also state the importance of guidance and counseling which may persuade schools and teachers to introduce or re- establish their guidance and counseling services.
This study may help educational stakeholders in the process of employment that is their employment would be in form of merit and not randomly so as to maintain further expenses. They would be speared the trouble of training their new staffs.
It is hope that these findings will help the government to understand that students have their aspired careers, this may bring less expense of resources in educational prospects if the student is held within what they want to become in future. It is hoped that the findings can be used to examine the trend of educational : Occupational aspiration of senior secondary students of Cross River.

1.8            Basic Assumption of the Study

The assumption of this study was as follows;
The target respondents were expected to participate in giving the desired information for the study and that they would be truthful, honest and objective to the questionnaires especially after being assured that the information would only be used for academic purpose

     1.9 Scope of the Study

The study anticipates that some students may perceive this research as wanting too much from them. Therefore, the researchers, however, will try to minimize these anticipated limitations through convenient rapport with  respondents and by seeking to make them understand the rationale of study and why they should participate.
The research will be delimited to some local Government in Cross River State. Using five (5) public secondary schools which will constitute both female and  male and co-education in the district, the students and teachers will be recruited as study participants in analyzing significant factors influencing their career aspirations. The students will constitute the study’s primary participants while teachers will supplement findings through guided interviews. On this foundation, the study will focus on the functional relationship between guidance and counseling, family background, and role modeling and career aspirations.

     1.10 Limitations of the study

     There were a lot of constraints that act as a constraint to the study such as time, financial constraints.

     Time: There was insufficient time in the parts of the researcher. The time allocated for this thesis combined with final year exam preparation was insufficient.

     Finance: There was insufficient finance for the researcher to transport to the local government area in other to gather data for the study.

     Despite all the limitations, the researcher was able to manage the situation as it does not in any way affect the authenticity and validity of the results.

     1.11 Operational Definition of Terms

 

  1. SES: Socio Economic Status.

 

  1. Socio-economic Status: is an economic and sociological combined total measure of person’s work experience and of an individual’s or family’s economic and social positionin relation to
  • Career: Is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as a person’s “course or progress through life (or a distinct portion of life)”.
  1. Aspiration: Is a longing for and striving after something higher than oneself or ones current status. Salawu(1993)

Impact Of Teaching Practice On The Productivity Of Quality Teachers In Nigeria

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ABSTRACT
The study sought to find out Impact Of Teaching Practice On The Productivity Of Quality Teachers In Nigeria. The objectives that guided the study were remuneration, school facilities, headteachers levels of training in financial management and class sizes. The target population for the study was the headteachers and teachers in all primary schools in IVO LGA of Ebonyi State. They were all two hundred and seventy one in number. The simple random sampling method was used to pick the teacher and the head teacher population. The sample size for the teachers and head teachers was fifty percent of the population. One hundred and twenty teachers, fifteen headteachers were included in the sample size. The study employed the descriptive survey design. Data was collected by use of questionnaires and interview schedules. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics and thereafter presented by use of statistical means. The results were subjected to statistical tests which entailed chi-square tests and spearman rank correlation order tests. The study found out that the teachers considered their remuneration levels as inadequate and an impediment to their effectiveness in productivity. The teachers equally viewed the school facilities as not upto the standards of ensuring their optimum productivity. The headteachers training in financial management was deemed as very inadequate by the teachers thus a factor which greatly hindered their effectiveness in productivity. The class sizes in the division were considered as large by all the respondents. They argued that the class sizes stretched the teachers’ capacities to the maximum and greatly curtailed them in terms of the capacity to be effective by way of giving individual attention to the pupils. The study thus concluded that teachers’ effectiveness in productivity was impaired and affected by the remuneration levels, the school facilities, the headteachers’ training and the large classes which hindered the capacity of the teachers to be effective in terms of delivering their professional obligations and mandates to the letter. The study recommended that the teachers emoluments and salaries should be reviewed and more innovative approaches geared towards enhancing their effectiveness in productivity should be employed like putting in place performance tokens for high achievers. The study recommended the involvement of private sector participation in facilities upgrade to ensure inadequacies and shortfalls were met. The headteachers should be confirmed to the positions only after undertaking a mandatory training on financial management and get subjected to continuous learning by way of refresher courses. The class sizes should be taken care of by way of the exchequer meeting staffing shortfalls and facilities inadequacies to ensure that the pupils get value from the education systems.
CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION
Background to the study
Teachers as well as schools make a difference is a finding that has received increasing support from educational research over the past decades (Askew, Rhodes, Brown, William & Johnson, 1997). Studies using large databases and multilevel modeling techniques have consistently found that teacher effectiveness influence students’ achievement and is of the main influences on student progress over time (Muijs & Reynolds, 2000).
Principals and teachers’ work performance and effectiveness are determined by effective teaching measured by his students’ academic performance in examinations, punctuality at school and class, giving extra lessons to students and contribution to the progress of the school through participation in co-curricular activities such as sports, students’ discipline and committee assignments as may be given by the principal (Staiger & Rockoff, 2010). Since principals are mainly concerned with achieving results, they want to work with and through teachers who are cooperative, responsible and productive (Moore & Esselman, 1992). However, research shows that there are factors which may affect teachers preventing them from having optimum effectiveness (Coombe, 2002). These include teachers’ behaviours, self efficacy and beliefs, subject knowledge and attitude, working conditions, government policy, socio-political factors, workload, organizational factors and cultural factors.
In America Machin and McNally (2008) noted that teachers are a central actor in the learning process that takes place in schools, and teachers’ productivity and effectiveness can vary depending on the incentives they face. Pay structure is potentially an important incentive-tool in the hands of the education policy maker and merit pay proposals have recently been discussed in several countries and applied in some. Advocates of intensified teacher assessment assert that current practices leave too many incompetent or ineffective teachers in place. But many schools suffer from the opposite problem: high teacher turnover that reduces gains from experience and increases the costs of personnel management. As Machin and McNally (2008) pointed out, about 40 percent of teachers in New York City quit after three years. Teaching is an increasingly demanding job. Yet its average weekly pay has declined in recent years compared with the pay of other college graduates. Sweeping budget cuts have led to layoffs and worsened working conditions. Teachers in some school districts in Texas are now assigned janitorial work.
Teacher ineffectiveness has been closely linked with their attitudes and perceptions about the job. In the United States of America, there have been cases of chronically ineffective teachers owing to self efficacy issues which impaired their confidence levels (Chait, 2010). The chronically ineffective teachers are a challenge to the education sector and the labour laws pose a challenge to their removal from the system as performance based reviews are rare in the lower grades of academic spheres. Teacher compensation has always been aligned and related to effectiveness but the chronic ineffectiveness has always persisted in the affected teachers even after the review of the compensation rates.
Teacher compensation has been confirmed as great motivating factor to the support and reinforcement of attributes geared towards improved teacher performance. Compensation has been identified as the foremost attraction of many teachers to the job (Jerald , 2009). Feelings of affection to the tasks at hand and the realization that compensation matches ones output always motivate teachers to strive and realize the expected performance, creates a sense of diligence and enhances efficiency at work. Situations whereby the teacher feels like they are juggling many balls at the same time in terms of handling many class activities and other responsibilities not in tandem with the compensation levels makes him de-motivated and inefficient at work.
Concerns about educator turnover and attrition are reported widely as a global phenomenon (Gurney, 2007). In Britain, educator attrition is reported as a national crisis. Santiago (2001) reported that the situation has worsened in Sweden, Germany and New Zealand. In the USA, teacher shortages as a result of turnover are widely reported in many states (Markley, 2001). The Canadian Teachers’ Federation (1999) reports on teacher shortages resultant from teacher attrition in Ontario and Australia. The main reason for teacher attrition is the remuneration. Muijs and Reynolds (2000) noted that increased teacher turnover leads to large class sizes thus overburdening of the remaining teachers affecting their productivity.
Statement of the problem
Ineffectiveness among teachers may lead to poor academic performance among learners. Darling-Hammond (2000) noted that teachers’ effectiveness is normally at different levels due to various reasons. Mukumbira’s (2001) survey reveals that in the developing world, teachers’ salaries are generally low and below the poverty datum line or cost of living. Conditions of service are also poor and many schools do not have accommodation, or adequate accommodation for teachers (Mukumbira, 2001). The situation is even worse for unqualified teachers, most of who earn between 40 and 60% of the salary of the lowest paid qualified teacher.
The low salaries and poor conditions of service have contributed to ineffectiveness among teachers and the high level of brain drain. Kamara (2002) explained that such factors are making teachers leave their profession as they seek for greener pastures due to the harsh economic conditions. The teachers who are left are overburdened due to large class sizes especially with Free Primary Education. This affects their effectiveness. In addition, head teachers’ support in terms of availing resources and facilities may affect the way teachers perform. Research consistently shows that teacher effectiveness is a powerful determinant of student achievement gains. It is therefore imperative to carry out a study on the socio-economic factors influencing teachers’ effectiveness in productivity in IVO LGA, Murang’a County.
Purpose of the study
The purpose of this study is to investigate Impact Of Teaching Practice On The Productivity Of Quality Teachers In Nigeria
Objectives of the study
i) To determine how remuneration affects the effectiveness of teachers in primary schools
ii) To establish which school facilities affect the effectiveness of teachers in primary schools
iii) To assess the extent to which the level of training of head teachers in financial management affect effectiveness of teachers in primary schools
iv) To determine how class size affects the effectiveness of teachers in primary schools
Research questions
i) How does remuneration affect the effectiveness of teachers in primary schools?
ii) Which school facilities affect the effectiveness of teachers in primary schools?
iii) To what extent does the level of training of head teachers in financial management affect effectiveness of teachers in primary schools?
iv) How does class size affect the effectiveness of teachers in primary schools?
Significance of the study
The study may add on to the knowledge on the factors influencing teacher effectiveness from the results of the study. As a result, the Ministry of Education.
The head teachers would understand more on where their teachers’ ineffectiveness comes from and this would set the base for what they can do in order to help the teachers and hence improve their effectiveness. Teachers might be reminded of factors which lower their effectiveness and suggest what they wish should be done in order to increase their effectiveness. This may ultimately impact positively on the learner’s performance and raise the academic standards.
The learners might also benefit from the study since teaching would be improved once teachers improve their own effectiveness. Other interested researchers might use this work for further research.
Definition of significant terms
Class size refers to the number of pupils in relation to the number of teachers and the resources available.
Economic conditions: can be considered the economic characteristics that describe the state of an economy.
Effectiveness: teacher performance indicated by students’ performance
Efficiency is the comparison of what teachers actually produce with what they can achieve with the same consumption of resources (money, time and labour)
Productivity: refers to the quality of teachers in being fruitful and giving expected outcome
Salary: amount of money paid to teachers by their employer
Socio-economic factors refer to the societal and monetary issues which may affect the way a teacher delivers when teaching
Teacher shortage: A situation in which teachers needed cannot be obtained in sufficient numbers
Organization of the study
This study is organized in five chapters. The first chapter: introduction covers background to the study, problem statement, objectives, research questions, significance, limitations, delimitations, assumptions and definition of terms. The second chapter reviews the past literature regarding this topic. It is composed of the past literature on factors influencing teacher productivity, theoretical framework, conceptual framework and a summary of the chapter. In the third chapter, the research design to be used is highlighted. It also outlines the target population, sample size and sampling procedure, data collection instruments, validity and reliability, data analysis and research ethics. Chapter four covers data analysis, interpretation and presentation and summary. Chapter five is composed of summary, discussion, conclusion, recommendations and suggestions for further research.

EFFECT OF USE OF JIGSAW STRATEGY ON CHEMISTRY STUDENTS ACHIEVEMENTS IN MOLE CONCEPT

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EFFECT OF USE OF JIGSAW STRATEGY ON CHEMISTRY STUDENTS ACHIEVEMENTS IN MOLE CONCEPT  IN BOKKOS LOCAL GOVERNMENT
ABSTRACT
The main purpose of this study was to investigate the Effect Of  Use Of Jigsaw Strategy On Chemistry Students Achievements In Mole concept  In Bokkos Local Government. Four research questions and six null hypotheses were posed and formulated respectively to guide the study. The hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. This study adopted a quasi-experimental research design, precisely nonequivalent control group design. A total of 156 chemistry students were used as sample for this study. A 30 multiple choice achievement test and mole concept  interest scale were used to collect data for the study. Three experts validated the instrument. The instrument was trial tested and the reliability coefficient of 0.86 and 0.87 were obtained using Kuder-Richardson formula (KR-20) and Cronbach Alpha respectively. The Research questions were analyzed using mean and standard deviation and the null hypotheses were tested using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA).The results of the study revealed among others that Jigsaw instructional strategy improved students’ achievement and interest in mole concept  than lecture method. The implications of the above findings were examined and it was recommended among other things that the chemistry educators, federal and state ministries of education, and secondary school education management board should organize seminars, workshop, conference, and in service training to inform and train teachers on the use of Jigsaw instructional strategy.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
Education is shaped with respect to the demands of the changing world; a knowledgebased economy has shaped educational approaches, pedagogy and curriculum. Individuals and societies are being shaped spontaneously with respect to changing demands. Countries are beginning to start educational reforms to reach or keep pace with increasing knowledge (Tang et al. 2012; Dogan et al. 2015). This could be achieved through education by raising the individuals who have analytical thinking strategies. In this aspect, it is important that the individuals in the society have science literacy, understanding of science and ability of using scientific process. Active learning is one of the methods which can be used to reach the desired goals (Gardner and Belland 2012).
Active learning may trigger the situational interest of students in topics; thus, this may help students to understand conceptual facts (by using deeper processing strategies). Cooperative learning methods are also one of the active learning methods and it is based on simple psychological needs for competence which promotes learning (Rotgans and Schmidt 2011; Uyanik 2016). Active learning is a good way to facilitate learning because it enhances thinking strategies which in fact develops cognitive skills of students (Buckley et al. 2011; Byrd 2012).
However, to improve the students’ thinking strategies, it is also necessary to ask them appropriate questions. This means teachers should also be prepared for unexpected questions and answers from students. Moreover, it is also important to give students hands-on activities or homework since it is an essential tool of visualizing the lecture topics for the students (Shieh et al. 2010). Studies point out that students, when become teachers, tend to teach in the way they learned through their education life.
This means pedagogy or core concepts taught at school about teaching and information is not embraced by the future teachers but instead they tend to act with respect to facts based on their experiences. In that case, it is important to give information to students (future teachers) in a constructivist approach which may help the students to experience meaningful learning, and help their future students to achieve better meaningful learning (Tang et al. 2012).
Jigsaw technique is one of the active learning techniques used for educational purposes. This technique relies on sharing materials, purpose and time between students within a group. By doing this, it is assumed that students will benefit from each other, socialize, gain responsibility and regulate their learning (Doymus 2007; Yoonkyung and Yongseob 2015). Bonestroo and Jong (2012) pointed out that self-learning activities are one of the key factors increasing students’ critical thinking levels. However, it is also important to incorporate proper planning into learning activities since studies also indicated that planning has the biggest effect among the factors affecting students’ achievement. Cetin and Akkus (2016) also implied similar points of view. In their paper, they implemented jigsaw technique in the chemistry laboratory and they argued that if course content is not related with proper assessment then positive learning outcomes would not be achieved. Implementing cooperative learning in the right way not only increases academic success but also have positive effects on long term retention of knowledge (Dat 2016). Warfa (2016) in his paper showed that there is a positive relationship between cooperative learning and chemistry achievement. Similar findings were reached by Joel et al. (2016), pointing out that cooperative learning groups have better academic achievement than traditional groups and these findings are statistically significant. Yoruk (2016) used Jigsaw technique in Chemistry laboratory, and pointed out in his paper that using Jigsaw technique in chemistry laboratory increases students’ awareness towards chemistry, chemistry laboratory, and their surroundings along with increasing positive social skills.
.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
There is consistent poor achievement of students in Chemistry at senior secondary school level. This poor achievement of students in Chemistry is suspected to be related and attributed to constant use of traditional teaching method (talk and chalk method) in teaching and learning Chemistry. Chemistry as a science subject is practically oriented, hence; there is the need to use innovative strategies such as Jigsaw instructional strategy that guarantees students’ active participation in teaching and learning encounter. Previous research reports show that the use of Jigsaw instructional strategy enhances students’ achievement in subjects like Physics, Chemistry, Biology and even Geometric Construction in mathematics. Thus, it is not known if the use of Jigsaw instructional strategy could help students to improve their achievements in mole concept  in Chemistry. This gap is what the present study intends to fill.
It is against this background that the problem of this study put in question form is; would the use of jigsaw instructional strategy enhance students’ achievements and interest in mole concept  than the lecture method ?
1.3 Purpose of the Study
The general purpose of the study is to investigate the Effect Of  Use Of Jigsaw Strategy On Chemistry Students Achievements In Mole concept  .
 
Specifically, the study intends to determine the:

  1. Mean achievement scores of students taught mole concept using Jigsaw instructional strategy and lecture method.
  2. Mean interest scores of students taught mole concept using Jigsaw instructional strategy and lecture method.
  • Mean achievement scores of male and female students in mole concept .
  1. Mean interest scores of male and female students in mole concept .
  2. Interaction effects of teaching method and gender on students’ mean achievements scores in mole concept .
  3. Interaction effects of teaching method and gender on students’ mean interest scores in mole concept .

1.4 Significance of the Study
This study has both theoretical and practical significance. Theoretically, the study is anchored on constructivist theory of learning. Constructivist theory of learning holds the view that students are active in the learning process that presents them the opportunity to think critically, and construct meaning from the learning activities. Jigsaw instructional strategy is an innovative teaching approach that enables students to think critically, work/solve problem in groups, and construct meaning from the learning content delivered in the classroom through group interaction and collaborative work. Thus, the findings of this study will help to support or reject the constructivist theory particularly through determining the effect of Jigsaw instructional strategy on students’ achievement and interest in mole concept .
The findings of the study in practical terms will be significant to the students, Chemistry teachers and curriculum planners. The study will be significant to the students in the sense that it will provide the students with the opportunity to work cooperatively. Through this cooperative work, the lower ability students will learn from the higher ability students. Furthermore, the students through this study will acquire skills that will help them solve mole concept  problems in groups which by implication will enhance their achievements and interest in mole concept . The findings will provide Chemistry teachers with an alternative approach of teaching mole concept  for easier understanding and effective application by students. It will provide insight on how to apply Jigsaw instructional strategy in the teaching of mole concept , thus, serving as energizer for more research work on Jigsaw instructional strategy in teaching other difficult concepts of the Chemistry curriculum. This study will provide useful information for teachers training institutions when publication on the work is made. Also as additional activity oriented teaching approach, institutions can then develop new programmes of instruction based on Jigsaw instructional strategy of teaching. Therefore, such programmes of instruction (instruction based, for instance, on the Jigsaw instructional strategy) can be passed-on to teachers through seminars and workshop who then pass the knowledge to the students.
On the part of the curriculum planners, this study will help them plan programmes that will enable students to develop and strengthen their achievements and interest in mole concept . This can be done by including Jigsaw instructional strategy as part of the teaching strategies for teaching and learning Chemistry in secondary schools.
1.5 Scope of the Study
The study will be limited to senior secondary 2-3 (SS2-3) students in Bokkos Local government , Plateau state. The choice of SS2-3 students is because the students by age can work cooperatively during teaching and learning process. The content scope of this study is on mole concept . The choice of this topic is because the students see it as an abstract and a difficult Chemistry concept.
Research Questions
The study following research questions guided the study.

  • What are the mean achievement scores of students taught mole concept using Jigsaw instructional strategy and those taught with lecture method?
  • What are the mean interest scores of students taught mole concept using Jigsaw instructional strategy and those taught with lecture method?
  • What are the mean achievement scores of male and female students in mole concept ?
  • What are the mean interest scores of male and female students in mole concept ?

 1.6 Hypotheses
The following null hypotheses were formulated to guide and was tested at 0.05 level of significance.
H01:  There is no significant difference in the mean achievement scores of the students taught mole concept using Jigsaw instructional strategy and those taught with lecture method.
H02:  There is no significant difference in the mean interest scores of the students taught mole concept using Jigsaw instructional strategy and those taught with lecture method.
H03:  There is no significant difference in the mean achievement scores of male and female students in mole concept .
H04:  There is no significant difference in the mean interest scores of male and female students in mole concept .
H05:There is no significant interaction effect of method and gender on students’ achievement in mole concept .
H06: There is no significant interaction effect of method and gender on students’ interest in mole concept .

BULLYING BEHAVIOR IN NIGERIAN SCHOOL

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BULLYING BEHAVIOR IN NIGERIAN SCHOOL ( A STUDY OF NAVY SECONDARY SCHOOL OGBOMOSO)
ABSTRACT
This study examined the Bullying Behavior In Nigerian School ( A Study Of Navy Secondary School Ogbomoso). Four research questions and four hypotheses were asked and formulated respectively to serve as a guide in the conduct of the study. The descriptive survey research was used to conduct the study. The population of this study consists of all Nigerian Navy Secondary School (NNSS) Ogbomoso, Oyo state. Two hundred (200) respondents were randomly selected as sample for this study. A structured questionnaire was constructed and administered to the respondents for data collection. The data obtained after the administration of the questionnaire were subsequently analyzed using simple percentages, frequency distribution table; mean and standard deviation was used for analyzing the hypotheses raised. The findings of the study revealed that the students are aware of bullying behaviour in the schools, there are prominent causes of bullying in schools, bullying has effect on students and bullying behaviour is common among students in secondary schools in the study area. Some recommendations were stated as the way forward and they are: The schools and home should work with the counsellor collaboratively to instill good values in their children/students. The counsellor should inform parents to have skills and knowledge in classroom management and control. There should be school-wide education, training and bullying prevention programmes, through behaviour modification theories. The school should provide counselling and support for students at risk of being involved in bullying. Students who bully often need intensive support or intervention, so it is important for schools and social service agencies to work together. The counsellor and teachers must recognize the danger of violent films and discourage their children/students from watching them and use insight training to stop such viewing.
CHAPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the study
The school is an institution established for the formal education of the citizens of any country. Students acquire relevant knowledge, skills, positive behavior, competencies, values and abilities for useful living in the society at school. While at school, students socialize with others as they work in groups for their positive development. Positive development of students morally, socially, intellectually, emotionally and physically cannot take place if they do not see the school environment as friendly, safe and secure.
According toFajoju (2009), only few students or pupils can blend harmoniously with their school mates without experiencing violence in school. World over, bullying of students is becoming more prevalent than ever before. It is also the most common form of aggression and violence in many schools that students engage in (Spiel, Salmivalli& Smith, 2011). Studies in some European countries (Smith, 2011), in South Africa (Malematsa, 2005) and in Kenya (Ndetei, Ongecha, Khasakhala, Syanda, Mutiso, Othieno, Odhiambo&Kokonya, 2007) show that bullying is not only common but also makes schools unsafe as perceived by learners, parents and educationists. Olweus, the pioneering researcher in bullying behaviour defined bullying as a long term exposure of the victim, to physical or verbal attack or social ostracism, intentionally perpetuated by a single or group of students (Olweus, 1993).
Bullying is one form of violence that has been threatening the life of students in school in Nigeria. Keashly and Neuman (2010) defined bullying as harassing, offending, excluding someone or negatively affecting someone’s work tasks. They continued by saying that bullying has occurred repeatedly and regularly and over a period of time. Bullying is characterized by acts of intentional harm, repeated over time, in a relationship where an imbalance of power exists (Pepler and Craig, 2007; Ma Stewin and Mah, 2001).Bullying is not just a child’s play but a terrifying experience faced by many school children every day (Craig, 1998; Beran, 2005; and Thornbery 2010). According to Einarsen, Hoel, Zapf, and Cooper (2003:15), bullying is an escalating process in the course of which the person confronted ends up in an inferior position and becomes the target of systematic negative social acts. Every day thousands of teens wake up afraid to go to school. Bullying is a problem that affects millions of students, and it has everyone worried, not just the kids on its receiving end. Yet because parents, teachers, and other adults don’t always see it, they may not understand how extreme bullying can get. Some bullies attack their targets physically, which can mean anything from shoving or tripping to punching or hitting, or even sexual assault. Others use psychological control or verbal insults to put themselves in charge.
Bullying among students of secondary school occur worldwide, among all problems of secondary school, none is as debilitating as bullying because of its effect on the bully and the victim as well. Bullying is a pattern of behaviour in which one individual is chosen as the target of repeated aggression by one or others; the target person (the victim) generally has less power than those who engage in aggression (bullies) (Baron &Bryne, 2005). Social psychologist in their definitions says that bullying is a psychological violence; a sustain aggression that strips a person of control and dignity (Paszkiewicz, 2010). Bullying is rampant in our secondary school and it has a lot of effects on the students. Is difficult to discover a secondary school today where bullying does not exist.
Generally, bullying occurs when one or more persons repeatedly say or do hurtful things to another who has problems defending him or her. Direct bullying usually involves hitting, kicking or making insults, offensive and sneering comments or threats. Repeatedly teasing someone who clearly shows signs of distress are also recognized as bullying. However, indirect bullying – the experience of being excluded from a group of friends, being spoken ill of and being prevented from making friends – can just be as painful. Crick, Nelson, Morale, Cullerton-Sen. Casas & Hickman (2001) observed that three forms of bullying exist: physical, verbal and relational.
Physical bullying involves behaviours whereby the perpetrator might punch, hit and/ or steal money from the victim. Verbal bullying includes behaviour such as the perpetrator making rude remarks and/ or name calling toward a victim. Relational bullying also known as indirect bullying (Salivalli, Kaukiainen and Lagerspetz, 1998) involves psychological harm and manipulation of social system. This third type involves situations where the perpetrator might spread rumours, backbite and/ or exclude the victim from the peer group. The forms of bullying change with age throughout the lifespan. The most common form of bullying according to Gadin&Hammarrstrom (2005) is verbal harassment – like teasing and name calling. This consistent with the findings of studies conducted on students in Norway (Due et al., 2005) and in England (Due et al., 2009).
Most bullying takes place at the same grade level. However, many times older students bully younger students. Although direct bullying is a greater problem among boys, a good deal of bullying takes place among girls. Bullying between girls, however, involves less physical violence and can be more difficult to discover. Girls tend to use indirect and subtle methods of bullying, such as exclusion from a group of friends, backbiting, and manipulations of friendships (Salivalli, 1998) far more boys than girls bully, and many girls are mostly bullied by boys, but both can be victims of bullying. Asamu (2006) opined that a good deal of bullying is carried out by older students toward younger ones. The older students often exposed the younger and weaker students to the act of bullying. Most bullying occurs on playground or in the classroom but these behaviours also occur in corridors, and in the school hall. Although a substantial portion of students are bullied on the way to and from the school. Bank (2000) observed that some children are at more risk of becoming bullies and victims than others, although this is in no way predetermined. It depends on a combination of individual, family, peer, and school experiences.
Among the characteristics of children at greatest risk of bullying and victimization researchers have identified the following: Olweus (1993) and Pepler and Craig (2000) observed that those who bully tend to be disruptive and impulsive and are generally aggressive towards their peers, teachers, parents, and others. They tend to be assertive and easily provoked, contrary to general belief. According to Olweus (1993) aggressive males who bully are not anxious and insecure under a tough exterior and they do not suffer from poor self-esteem. Typically, males who bully have an aggressive personality combined with physical strength. They have little empathy for their victims and show little or no remorse. Olweus further opined that those who bully may come from families where there is lack of attention and warmth toward the child, poor supervision, and use of physical and verbal aggression. They also had often been bullied themselves by adults and will continue bullying provided there are no consequences, the victim does not complain and the peer group silently colludes.
Generally, students who get bullied can be regarded as being passive or being submissive victims. They are usually quiet, careful, sensitive, and may start crying easily. They are unsure of themselves and have poor self-confidence or negative self-image. These boys in this group do not like to fight, and they are often physically weaker than their classmates, especially the bullies, and they have few or no friends. In Nigeria today, the attitudes of parents, educators and policy makers toward bullying are changing and it is no longer accepted as a part of a normal childhood experiences. Bullying is now considered a marker of serious or violent behaviour and information on how to effectively respond to bullying is not readily available. Of much concern is that thousands of children are afraid of going to school because of teasing and harassments. It is in the light of the above that the researcher has decided to embark upon this study in order to proffer solutions that might be of help to all stakeholders of Education in the country. Therefore, the research seeks to find out, the awareness, causes and prevalence of bullying behaviour among secondary school students in Kosofe Area of Lagos State.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
Bullying is a very serious problem in schools (primary and secondary schools). If not seriously tackled, bullying can lead to absence from school, damage to school property and even death. Some students had been hospitalized as a result of bullying which consequently affected their academic performance. In some cases, the victims of bullying do not report incidences of bullying to their parents, guardians and teachers and end up being emotionally depressed and truants. Students with special needs are worse hit because by their very nature, they are very vulnerable. Several reports on bullying that students loitering during lesson while some play in nearby compounds refusing to go to school because of fear of being bullied. As noted by Aluede (2006) and Fajoju (2009), the use of guns, knives and other dangerous weapons is now more common than ever in Nigerian school system. This causal observation and several reported cases of bullying in schools prompted this investigation with a view to identify the common types of bullying and the causes, factors of bullying and, teachers’ perception about bullying and its impact on academic performance of students and school administrators strategies for managing bullying in school so that the environment couldbecome student friendly for their effective learning. Therefore, this study was designed to explore the awareness, causes and prevalence of bullying behaviour among secondary school students in Kosofe Area of Lagos State. There is the need to be able to identify some bullying traits among schooling adolescents and techniques that could be adopted to curb or substantially reduce bullying among schooling adolescents.
1.3 Purpose of the Study
The main purpose of this study was to examine Bullying Behavior In Nigerian School ( A Study Of Navy Secondary School Ogbomoso). This general aim is expressed in the following specific objectives which are to:
1. Determine the perceptions and awareness bullying behaviour by students in Nigerian Navy secondary schools.
2. Determine the perceived causes of bullying behaviour among secondary school students.
3. Investigate the effects of bullying behaviour among students in secondary schools.
4. Examine the prevalence and extent of bullying behaviour among students in secondary schools.
1.4 Research Questions
The research following questions was answered in this study:
1. What are the perceptions and awareness bullying behaviour of students in secondary schools?
2. What are the perceived causes of bullying behaviour among secondary school students?
3. What are the effects of bullying behaviour among students in secondary schools?
4. What are the prevalence and extent of bullying behaviour among students in secondary schools?
1.5 Research Hypotheses
The following hypotheses were asked and guided this study;
1. The students are not aware of bullying behaviour in the schools.
2. There is no prominent cause of bullying in schools.
3. Bullying has no effect on students.
4. Bullying behaviour is not common among students in secondary schools.
1.6 Significance of the Study
The study has the following potential benefits. In the first place, the study findings would boost teachers’ understanding on the bullying behaviours in schools. Second, the study would provide greater insight to the school administrators, managers and teachers on the factors that contribute to bullying. Thirdly, it would provide the need for school counsellors to identify bullies, prevent victimization and help students to interact in more appropriate way with their schoolmates. Finally, it would help teacher preparation colleges and educational curriculum developers to improve their programmes so that teachers can be more effective in dealing with students’ behaviour.
1.7 Scope of the Study
The Study Covered Bullying Behavior In Nigerian School ( A Study Of Navy Secondary School Ogbomoso. The Scope Of This Study covered the perception and awareness, perceived causes, effects and prevalence and extent of bullying behaviour of students in secondary school.
1.8 Operational Definition of Terms
Relative to this study, definitions to the following terms are provided in order to clarify each in the context of the topic:
Bullying: Bullying is the process of using aggressive behaviour manifested by the use of force or coercion to affect others, particularly when the behaviour is habitual and involves an imbalance of power.
Behaviour: A particular way in which a person behaves in response to a particular situation or stimulus.
Awareness: In this context, is the ability to directly know and perceive, to feel, or to be of events. More broadly, it is the state or quality of being conscious of something.
Cause:A thing that gives rise to an action, phenomenon, or condition.
Prevalence:Is a term which means being widespread and it is distinct from incidence.
Effect:A change which is a result or consequence of an action or other cause.
Victim: Is the person who has been hurt.

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