National Teachers Institute Research Articles

Integrating Digital Skills Competencies into Professional Diploma in Education Curriculum in Vocational and Technical Education in North-East Nigeria

The main aim of the study was to integrate digital skills competencies into Professional Diploma in Education curriculum in Vocational and Technical Education in North-East Nigeria. The study was guided by three research questions and three hypotheses. The study adopted a survey research design was carried out in northeast Nigeria. The population of the study was 1485 comprising 993 Vocational and Technical Education lecturers from 9 Colleges of Education (COEs) where PDE are undertaken in the northeast, 210 ICT experts from the 9 COEs, and 182 Education Supervisors from the Ministry of Education in the six States of the Northeast. The study adopted Simple random sampling and a sample size of 317 respondents was determined using Krejcie and Morgan (1970) sample size table. A structured questionnaire was utilized to gather data for the study. The questionnaire was validated by three experts and a reliability index of 0.86 was obtained using Cronbach Alpha after a trial test. The data for the study was analyzed using mean and standard deviation to answer the research questions while ANOVA was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 l3v3l of significance. The study revealed that 26 digital skills competences, 26 general performance objective as well as 26 specific objectives each grouped into 8 clusters were found relevant for inclusion into the vocational and technical Professional Diploma in Education (PDE) curriculum in northeast, Nigeria. It was recommended that The National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), and the National Teachers Institute (NTI) should adopt the identified digital competencies into the PDE curriculum of the Vocational and Technical Education curriculum; and the NCCE and NTI should update the curriculum guidelines and standards to explicitly include digital skills competencies as essential components of the PDE curriculum in vocational and technical education.

Some Selected Secondary School Students Perception of the Quality of PGDE Teachers Trained by National Teachers Institute

This study samples the Perception of Secondary School Students on the quality of PGDE Teachers produced through National Teachers Institute (NTI) of Nigeria program. The study was guided by four hypothesis and three research questions. Stratified random sampling technique was adopted in selecting a sample of 100 Secondary School Students from National Mathematical Centre International Model Science Academy and Government Secondary School Hajj camp. Questionaire containing sixteen items was used to elicit information. The data collected was analysed. The findings were PGDE Teachers produced through NTI program are competent in the general studies aspect of education, competent in their area of specialisation and in the professional aspect of teacher education. Some gray areas were identified in the general studies aspect of education and recommendations were made on how to improve NTI program generally.

Assessment of Mentoring/Experiential Learning Instructional Delivery Enhancement Strategies for Teaching Entrepreneurship Education in Business Education Programme in Tertiary Institutions in Bayelsa State

The research examined methods for enhancing the delivery of instruction in entrepreneurship education in the Business Education curriculum at tertiary institutions in Bayelsa State, Nigeria, by means of mentorship and experiential learning. The study investigated two hypotheses at the 0.05 level of significance and addressed two research questions using a descriptive survey research design. The population was made up of 89 lecturers in business education from Isaac Jasper Boro College of Education in Sagbama Bayelsa, Niger Delta University Wilberforce Island Bayelsa, and Federal University Otuoke, Bayelsa. All 89 academics were included as responders due to the manageable population size, hence removing the necessity of sampling. Utilizing a 5-point rating scale from Very High Extent (VHE) to Very Low Extent (VLE), with corresponding values of 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1, a structured, closed-ended questionnaire consisting of 26 items was utilized to gather data. Three experts validated the instrument, and the Chrobach Alpha reliability technique was used to certify its reliability. The device's reliability coefficient was found to be 0.783. Through in-person encounters with the respondents, data was collected, and all 89 questionnaires were totally completed, yielding a 100% return rate. The study issues were addressed through the use of mean and standard deviation in the data analysis, and the hypotheses were tested using t-test statistics. With a 5-point rating scale, mean values above 3.00 designated as "high extent" and those below 3.00 as "low extent," a cut-off point value of 3.00 was employed to interpret the results for the research topics. With regard to hypotheses, where the t-calculated (t-cal) value was less than the t-table (t-tab) value of 1.96 at a 0.05 level of significance and 87 degrees of freedom, the null hypothesis of no significant difference was considered. On the other hand, when the t-calculated (t-cal) value was greater than the t-table (t-tab) value of 1.96 at a 0.05 level of significance and 87 degrees of freedom, the null hypothesis was rejected. The results of the study lead to the conclusion that strategies for enhancing the delivery of experiential learning and mentoring interactions are useful for teaching entrepreneurship education in tertiary institutions' business education programs. The National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC), the National Teachers Institute (NTI), and the National University Commission (NUC) are among the organizations that are encouraged to become more involved in education reform and development. They should also be encouraged to support modern, student-centered instructional strategies in the implementation of entrepreneurship education curriculum in business education programs at the nation's postsecondary institutions.

The 2009 Educational Reforms in Nigeria: An Evaluation of the Policy on Access and Gender Parity

In spite of the pivotal role of education to the advancement of mankind, the opportunities for enrolment in tertiary education in Nigeria were grossly inadequate for the needs of the country. Access to higher education, gender parity and the lack of capacity of the system to absorb the numbers of candidates seeking admission to higher educational institutions among others, continue to pose serious problems to the attainments of education sector goals in the country. This paper is aimed at evaluating the 2009 educational reforms benchmarks towards the development of tertiary institutions in Nigeria. The paper relied on secondary source of data. Official publication of Federal Ministry of Education, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) country reports, Roadmap for Education (2009) and JAMB Annual Reports/publications were used for descriptive and analytical purposes. The paper established that for the period under review 2011-2016, the 20% annual increase in admission benchmark though reasonably achieved with 62% positive variance, the gap between those admitted and candidates left out continue to grow, thus out of the 7.5 million candidates that applied for placements into Nigerian tertiary institutions, only about 1.7 million candidates were admitted (21.9%) leaving out 78% or 5.9 million from opportunities for tertiary education and the reform benchmark on gender equity (55%/45% male-female) was yet to be achieved. The paper recommends for the expansion of the activities of National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Open and Distance Learning (ODL) and National Teachers’ Institute (NTI) with improved facilities, advancement of Technical and Vocational Education (TVE) programmes, and increase of carrying capacity of tertiary institutions without compromising standards. Also that female admission ratio into tertiary institutions should be improved with continuous gender focused education programmes. Keywords: Education, Access to education, Gender parity, Quality education DOI: 10.7176/PPAR/10-11-02 Publication date: November 30 th 2020

Psychosocial and Economic Variables as Correlates of Adults’ Participation into Sandwich Educational Programs in Osun State, Nigeria

The paper examined psychosocial and economic variables as correlates of adult learners’ participation in sandwich educational programs in Osun State, Nigeria. In light of this, three research objectives and questions were formulated while two research hypotheses were enumerated. The descriptive research design was adopted and a simple percentage, as well as independent t-test, was used for data analysis. One-hundred and eight (108) participants were selected from both degree and postgraduate segments of the National Teachers Institute (NTI) programs situated in Ikire of Irewole Local Government Area of Osun State with the aid of stratified random sampling technique. The research instrument tagged Psychosocial and Economic Variables Questionnaire (PEVQ) was employed to elicit prominent information from the participants. The findings revealed that psychological, societal and economic variables contributed to adult learners’ decision-making process not only to participate into sandwich educational programs but also to persist in the programs till the completion stage. And that there is no significant difference in the extent to which psychological and economic variables influence adult learners to participate in sandwich educational programs on the basis of their gender traits. On the societal variables, it showed that there is a significant difference in the role societal variables played on the basis of gender. Besides, it indicated that there is no significant different in the extent to which psychological, societal and economic variables influence adult participation into educational programs on the basis of employment status. Recommendations including the application of the participatory approach, employment of andragogy principles and provision of financial aid for participants of sandwich educational programs among others were suggested.

Relationship between Self-Efficacy Belief and Academic Achievement of Distance Learners in National Teachers Institute (NTI) Adamawa State, Nigeria

This study assessed relationship between self-efficacy and academic achievement of National Teachers Institute (NTI) Nigeria Certificate in Education distance learners in Adamawa State, Nigeria. The study tested one hypothesis: There is no significant relationship between self efficacy belief and academic achievement of learners. All NCE learners of Adamawa State NTI distance learning centres for 2011/2012 academic session with a total of seven hundred and sixty eight (768) students were used as the population while 636 distance learners who returned their questionnaire formed the sample for the study. Two types of instruments were used for data collection in this study. They were the Learners Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (LSQ) and Achievement Data Format (ACDF). The ACDF contains Grade Points of each candidate for the end of semester examinations. Pearson Product Moment Correlation was used for testing the hypothesis. The study revealed that there was no significant relationship between learners’ selfefficacy and academic achievement.

Teachers’ Perception on Laws and Education in Nigeria

This study sought to find out the perception of teachers on the applicability of the federal laws on education. 1,480 teachers were randomly selected from 3 geo-political zones in Nigeria. A 20 item questionnaire titled “Applicability of Federal Laws in Nigeria” (AFLEN) was designed by the researcher. This instrument was validated by experts in law as well as Test and Evaluation. The instrument was further subjected to a test of reliability using the test-retest method and the data were analysed using the Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient. The questionnaire were administered by the researcher as well as 158 research assistants. They were collected on the spot. The data collected were analysed using simple descriptive statistics. The findings of the study include federal laws are made concerning education but not properly implemented by the various agencies as perceived by teachers. Laws on Examination malpractice, National Teachers Institute, Teachers Registration, free and compulsory education are not properly handled as expected by teachers. Recommendations were therefore made to ensure effectiveness and efficiency of the federal laws on education.

The Effect of Number Right and Corrected Scoring Methods on Multiple Choice Agricultural Science Test Scores

The study investigated the effect of number right and corrected scoring of multiple choice Agricultural Science test scores in order to find out more favourable methods of scoring Agricultural Science test. The study also investigated the interaction effect of two methods of scoring in schools, location, sex and types of school in multiple choice of Agricultural Science test. The research design used in this study was survey type and one short quasi experimental design. The samples for the study consisted of 600 students selected by stratified random sampling techniques in south- western Nigeria. Two hypotheses were generated and tested at 0.05 level of significance using correlation analysis one- way ANOVA and 2 - way ANOVA. The result of the analysis showed that, there was no significant relationship between the performance of the students whose scripts were marked with number right scoring method and those marked with corrected scoring method in multiple choice Agricultural Science test. The result also showed that, there was no interaction effect on the two scoring methods and in the type of schools, but there are significant difference in location of multiple choice Agricultural Science test. On the basis of these findings, number right scoring method should be introduced instead of corrected scoring method to the teachers in the classroom as a method of scoring multiple choice agricultural science. The number right scoring method is recommended in the ministry of Education, in Examination Division and to Junior Secondary Schools for scoring (JSS) three (3) examinations, also in Tertiary Institutions and Examination bodies such as National Teachers Institute (NTI), Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), National Examinations Council (NECO), and West Africa Examination Council (WAEC) should continue using number right scoring method.

NOTE FOR EDITOR: The Development Of Distance Education In Nigeria: Challenges And Prospects

Distance Education as an alternative to the traditional face-to-face education has been seen as the teaching-learning process in which students are separated from the teachers by a physical distance, which is often bridged by modern communication. It comprises all patterns of student-centered learning process in which the teacher has limited role. In Nigeria, Africa, the introduction of this form of learning programme, is relatively new and therefore pose some challenges to all stakeholders in the education industry. In trying to meet up with the enormous demands for formal education, Nigerian government established some institutions for distance learning. These included the National Teachers Institute (NTI), the National Open University (NOUN) among others. This paper therefore, examined the historical development of this programme and particularly in Nigeria, the theories and philosophies of distance education, the challenges and prospects of the programme in the country.

An Assessment of the Computer Literacy Level of Open and Distance Learning Students in Lagos State, Nigeria.

Nigeria has embraced the Open and Distance Learning (ODL) mode of education in order to make education affordable and to reach the teaming population of qualified citizens yearning to have quality education but are left out of it. Most universities in the country run the single mode conventional system of education; some run the dual mode while two institutions run the single mode distance education. The groundswell of interest is how computers can best be used to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the ODL system of education in the country. This led to the assessment of the computer literacy level of the distance learning students who are the beneficiaries of the ODL system in Lagos state. A sample of 858 ODL students from University of Lagos, National Teachers Institute (NTI) and National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) were used for the study. A self- developed questionnaire, made up of 15 items was administered to the respondents. The data collected were used to answer four research questions and test one hypothesis. It was found that 54.20% are computer literate; there exists gender differences in the computer literacy with 23.78% female and 30.42% male. There are also age differences. Some of the problems include lack of access to computers, inadequate electricity supply, slow broadband and high cost of internet access. The research hypothesis that there is no significant difference between the observed and the expected computer literacy level of the ODL students in Lagos state was rejected. Based on the results some conclusions and recommendations were made.

Attitudes and Perceptions of Students to Open and Distance Learning in Nigeria

In the West African Region of Africa, the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) is the first full fledged university that operates in an exclusively open and distance learning (ODL) mode of education. NOUN focuses mainly on open and distance teaching and learning system, and delivers its courses materials via print in conjunction with information and communication technology (ICT), when applicable. This 'single mode' of open education is different from the integration of distance learning system into the face- to- face teaching and learning system, which is more typical of conventional Universities in Nigeria and other parts of the world. Thus, NOUN reflects a novel development in the provision of higher education in Nigeria. This study assesses the attitudes and perceptions of distance teaching and learning by students enrolled in the NOUN and of the National Teachers' Institute (NTI) compared to their experiences at conventional universities. One hundred and twenty (n = 120) randomly selected NOUN and NTI students of NOUN were the subjects of the study. The Students' Attitude and Perception Rating of Open and Distance Learning Institutions Inventory (SAPRODLII), developed by the researchers, was administered to the subjects to measure their attitudes and experiences. Results of the study showed that students generally have a positive perception and attitude towards ODL, compared to traditional forms of higher education.

Media in Distance Learning: The Nigerian National Teachers Institute Distance Education Programme.

This study investigated the use of media by distance learners enrolled in the NTI distance education programme. Two hundred and fifty five distance learners drawn from Oyo State, Nigeria, completed a questionnaire to determine the use of media, and factors militating against their effective use by distance learners. Research data were analyzed using percentages. The findings indicated that face-to-face contact and print related media were the major media used for learning. The findings also indicated that lack of fund, ICT facilities, electricity, among others; militate against the use of technology media. Recommendations were made for the provision of basic infrastructures to facilitate the integration of technology in distance education, in Nigeria.