Volume 7 · Issue 1 — 2019

This study investigates the factors influencing career choices of secondary school students inIlorin metropolis. It also examined the influence of gender, class level, religion and father’seducational status on the respondents’ expression. It employed a descriptive survey method.A total of 200 secondary school students in Ilorin metropolis were selected through simplerandom sampling technique. The participants responded to a researcher-designedquestionnaire entitled ‘Factors Influencing Career Choice Questionnaire” (FICCQ). The validityof the instrument was done by a team of 5 experts from the Department of CounsellorEducation, University of Ilorin. The reliability of the instrument was established using test retest reliability method which yielded a correlation coefficient of 0.61. The data collectedwere analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. For the demographic data,percentage was employed while t-test statistical tool was employed to test the four hypothesesat 5% level of significance. Results showed that the factors influencing career choice ofsecondary school students in Ilorin metropolis are ease of access to job opportunity (X=3.50),job remuneration (X=3.48), career guidance from school counsellor (X=3.45), societalvalues on jobs (X=3.44) family line of work (X=3.25), their performance in school subjects(X=3.20) and intellectual capability that they possess (X=2.50) among other factors.Similarly, there was significant difference in the factors influencing career choice of secondary school students in Ilorin metropolis based on gender (p=0.01), class level(p=0.02), religion(p=0.00), and father’s educational status (p=0.01). It was thus recommended that studentsshould liaise with school counsellors to fully explore the factors influencing their careerchoices. Counsellors should ensure that students are given orientation as they move from oneclass to another. This is to ensure that all students, irrespective of gender and religion areabreast of the factors influencing career choice.

This study investigated the effect of study skills counselling on self-efficacy and academicachievement of some selected public secondary school students in Ibadan-North. The pretestposttest, control group experimental design was used. Multistage, stratified simple randomsampling technique was used to select 150 participants from two public senior secondaryschools among other public secondary schools within Ibadan North Local Government Area ofOyo state. Seventy five (75) Participants were assigned to a treatment group of study skillcounselling (SSC) and likewise seventy five (75) in the control group. Participants in theexperimental group were exposed to eight weeks of study skill counselling, while the controlgroup received non therapeutic attention. Three instruments titled Study Habit Inventory(SHI) (á=0.83). Self-Efficacy Scale (á=0.82). Academic Achievement Test on EnglishLanguage (AATEL) consisting 50 multiple choice questions extracted from senior secondaryschool certificate past questions with(á=0.79) were used. Two hypotheses were tested at0.05 level of significance. Data were analysed using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA).Treatment had a main significant effect (F1, 147 = 2.355, p < 0.05, ç2 = 0.016) on improvingacademic achievement of senior secondary students exposed to SSC. There was also significantmain effect of treatment (F1, 147 = 6.802, p < 0.05, ç2 = 0.044) in enhancing self-efficacy ofthe students in the experimental group over the control group. The findings show that StudySkills Counselling (SSC) strategy significantly affects students’ academic performance. Also,school psychologists training in human learning and memory assessment of individualdifferences should greatly facilitate their work in improving students study skills in the followingareas: assessment based consultation, students’ academic behaviour management, planimplementation, examination anxiety reduction strategies counselling and the provision of in-service training for teachers and parents. Study skill counselling therefore should beincluded in curriculum planning across all educational levels so that study skills counsellingand training are implemented as an academic programme for improvement on learnersstudy habits for excellent academic performance.

In order to avoid creation of anxiety that causes loss of concentration, fear, distortion and poorlearning attitude from the students, teachers need to use commensurable punishment thatcan bring about a desirable behaviour as well as the reward that will encourage students toacquire skills and knowledge for their own development, not for mere marks. Thus, this studyaimed at examining the influence of reward and punishment on academic performance ofHistory students in Senior Secondary School in Ilorin metropolis of Kwara State. Simplerandom sampling technique was adopted to select 27 History teachers and 90 Historystudents from the nine (9) selected Senior Secondary Schools in Ilorin metropolis as a samplefor this study. The instrument administered to collect data and information are questionnaireand profoma, using Pearson product moment correlation statistics at 0.05 level of significanceto test the three hypotheses generated in the study. The findings revealed that there was asignificant relationship between teachers’ frequent use of reward, punishment and academicperformance of History students’ in Ilorin metropolis. Based on the findings, it is recommendedthat teachers should cultivate the habit of using reinforcement techniques that would encouragelearners to put in extra efforts toward learning. Also, they need to understand that punishingstudents cannot determine an excellent academic performance. Therefore, there is need for theteachers to minimize the use of punishment so that students can perform better in schools.

Influence of gender factors on workers’ attitude towards training programme shows trainingas an instrument that brings about change for everyone in employment including women inorder to bring about positive attitude in organizations. However, there exists inequalities oftraining opportunities by gender in Nigeria. This is not because government deliberately putup any policy to deny women access to training but for the existence of some prejudice arisingfrom socio-cultural set-up which put the women at a disadvantaged position in our organizationshere in Nigeria. Descriptive research design was adopted for the study. The study targetpopulation consists of employees in three (3) selected organizations with a total populationfor the study which is estimated at 6,800. However, a five percent (5%) of the total populationof each Organization were chosen as sample elements for the study which indicates that 325respondents were used. The data was collected through a questionnaire titled “influence ofgender factors on workers’ attitude towards training programmes in selected organizations inIbadan, Oyo state, Nigeria”. Simple random sampling technique was to select 325 respondentsused for the study. The data was collected through a questionnaire and analysis was doneusing Pearson r correlation to test 4 hypotheses at 5% level of significance. (r=.432, p<.05).The study established that there was significant relationship between gender factors andworkers’ attitude (r= 943, p<.05). The study also revealed that there was a significantrelationship between workers’ attitude and Age of last child (r=.751, p<.05). We also havesign relationship between Workers attitude and marital status (r=.762, p<.05). There isalso no significant influence between workers’ religious affiliation and workers attitude(r=.312, p<.05). There is no significant relationship observed between training on workers’Educational attainment and workers attitude (r=.148, p<.05). The implication of the above is to work towards avoiding the erroneous beliefs that women donot like to be involved or attend training programmes. Instead, government and people inplaces of authority in organizations should put necessary machinery in motion to makewomen get more involved, interested and attracted to training programmes in order to deriveincreased and maximum productivity from women through continuous training to achieveOrganizational goals and national development. 

This paper identifies Industrial Training as a Transformational Programme for BusinessEducators in Nigeria. It looked at different definitions of Business Education, who a businesseducator is, the objectives of Business Education as well as its importance to the nation. Italso identifies what Students Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) is and theobjectives, which is meant for students to match their theoretical school knowledge with thepractical aspect of their training in Industry. Also, the issues and challenges faced by thestudents and industry were discussed. Hence, in order to effectively achieve the goals andobjectives of the Scheme (SIWES), it was recommended among others that orientationprogrammes should be conducted for students before embarking on Industrial Training exerciseso as to understand the objectives of SIWES and on the part of the Industry, the employershould be sensitized on the need to expose the trainees to such areas of training that wouldpositively contribute to their level of acquisition of Business Education skills. 

The determined relationships of age and gender with English Language teachers’ dispositionto the use of computers in western Nigeria. A total of 240 teachers was sampled throughstratified random sampling for the survey design of the ex-post facto type. A twenty-four-itemself-constructed questionnaire titled Language Teachers’ Computer Attitudes Questionnaire(LTCAQ) was used for data collection. Copies of the instrument that yielded 92.4 Cronbachalpha were administered to the teachers. Only 217 of the 240 copies were returned and thedata obtained were subjected to frequency counts, percentages and chi-square statisticaltools to answer one research question and test two null hypotheses. The findings showed thatthe teachers generally had positive disposition to computers, gender had significant relationshipwith the teachers’ disposition to computers while age did not. It was concluded that withmore advocacy, the teachers can be helped to translate their positive disposition to extensiveactual use of the facility. It was then recommended that government should help teachers toeasily acquire computers. English Language teacher education programmes should adequatelyprepare pre-service teachers for effective and efficient deployment of computers for languageteaching. 

This paper explicates the importance and the pivotal roles of the law library in the promotionof national development. It also brings to the fore the need to regard law libraries as crucialinstitutions to the development of the nation. In addition, it remedies the lack of attentionreceived by law libraries in developing countries generally and advocates their strengtheningto perform the roles they are created for. National development is the dream of any developingcountry; these countries therefore strive to attain it by employing various means. However, inspite of the efforts made, national development still seems to be unattainable by many ofthem. This paper introduces the law library as an institution to be studied as it functions toultimately promote national development. The paper discusses the concept, overview andtypes of law libraries. The roles of the law library to national development are explored.Conclusion and recommendations are made, bringing attention and focus to giving priority toproper equipping and maintaining of law libraries. 

Education is the most excellent heritage a nation could give to its youth. The school environment,which includes the classroom, school location, school facility, school climate and technology,etc, is a variable that affects teaching and learning. The researchers sought to determine theschool environment as correlates of effective teaching and learning in selected public primaryschools in Oyo metropolis. A descriptive research method was adopted with a questionnairethat was validated by an expert who adjudged it suitable for the study. Questionnaire wasused to elicit response from 20 public primary schools with 200 respondents sampled for thestudy in Oyo Metropolis while chi-square method was used to analyse the research hypotheses.The findings of the studies show that a well conducive school environment for students/pupilswould enhance effective teaching and learning process and also richly endowed with educationalfacilities. It was recommended that schools should put in place adequate facilities, resourcesand programmes that will guarantee physical and mental health, social well-being and thesafety and security of the school community which will promote the learning outcomes of thechild. 

Examination in broad perspective is an instrument for test, assessment, evaluation andaccreditation. It is also used for the purpose of selection, placement, certification andpromotion. Unfortunately, examination malpractices tend to relegate certificates issued atdifferent levels of education. It becomes a societal problem as it is now being largelyperpetrated across all levels of education. Moral laxity, laziness on the part of the students,inadequate teachers, teaching and learning facilities, among others, are the causes ofexamination malpractices. Forms of Examination Malpractices and other related offencesare the two main forms of examination malpractices. The effects of examination malpracticesare that it makes parents spend unnecessary by looking for ‘orijo’ from teachers or workers inthe establishment; or pay for someone else to sit instead of their wards. It is noted thatstakeholders including parents, teachers, examination board officials, students andgovernments are to curb the examination malpractices. Among other recommendations, itwas suggested that all schools should teach good moral principles and all stakeholders shouldbe discouraged from cheating.