Nigerian Primary School Teachers Research Articles

Impact of occupational health coaching on irrational career beliefs and workplace deviant behaviors among school employees: Implications for Educational administrative policy.

Workplace-disruptive behavior is an important public and organizational health issue that calls for public discourse. The high rates in Nigeria and its associated career illogical assumptions among teachers brought about this study to investigate the impact of rational emotive occupational health coaching (REOHC) on irrational career beliefs and workplace deviant behaviors in a sample of Nigerian primary school teachers. A sample of 128 primary school teachers in Nigeria was recruited as participants. They were assigned to REOHC and control groups. Work deviance behavior scale and teacher irrational belief scale were used to assess the participants at 3 points. A pretest-post-test and follow-up design was used in this study. The findings indicated that the REOHC program significantly reduced work-deviant behaviors and irrational career beliefs among primary school teachers. The outcome also demonstrates the connection between groups and gender. This study concluded that primary school teachers' work-related deviant behaviors and illogical beliefs were reduced as a result of the REOHC treatment. Therefore, occupational therapists should help teachers with deviant behaviors and irrational beliefs to change using rational emotive behavioral techniques.

Rational emotive intervention for work-family conflict and female primary school teachers' well-being.

Globally, work and family conflict has been investigated by many researchers. Yet there is an increased prevalence of work-family conflict and its influence on the well-being of the female teaching population, especially Nigerian primary school teachers. This incidence has kept a good proportion of schoolteachers vulnerable to health problems as well as affected their wellbeing. This study evaluates the effect of rational emotive behaviour therapy on improving the well-being of female teachers with irrational behaviours arising from the work-family conflict. This is a randomized study. A total of 69 female primary school teachers in Enugu state Nigeria who met the criteria for inclusion were used as the study participants. Three self-report measures (Work-Family Conflict questionnaire, Multidimensional Health States Scale-Short Form, and Teacher Irrational Belief Scale) were used to collect data. Repeated measures with analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to determine the effects of the intervention. The findings of the study revealed that REBT had a significant effect on the well-being scores of Nigerian female primary school teachers with work-family conflict when compared to their counterparts in the no-intervention group at Time 2. In addition, the effect of REBT on improving well-being in female teachers with work-family conflict was significantly maintained at the follow-up measurements (Time 3). In conclusion, it is suggested that REBT is an effective intervention for moderating the effect of work-family conflict on the well-being of career female teachers. As such, cognitive behavioural therapists can further examine the effectiveness of REBT using other constructs and cultures.

Psychological distress, burnout, and coping strategies among Nigerian primary school teachers: a school-based cross-sectional study

BackgroundThe teaching profession is highly stressed job. A high level of stress is associated with poor health outcomes, such as burnout and psychological distress. Therefore, teachers’ use of coping styles becomes imperative. However, relatively little is known about primary school teachers’ psychological distress, burnout, coping strategies, and associated factors in Nigeria. The study investigated psychological distress, burnout, coping strategies among primary schools, and associated factors in Nigeria.MethodsA total of 264 teachers aged 20–59 years participated in the study between May 2019 to October 2019. Questionnaires on psychological distress, burnout, coping strategies, and demographic profile form were used for data collection. Factors associated with psychological distress, burnout, and coping strategies were identified using t-test, univariate ANOVA, Pearson’s correlation, Chi-square test, and hierarchical linear regression analysis.ResultsOf 264 participants enrolled for the study, 253 responded, giving a response rate of 95.8%. The prevalence of psychological distress and burnout was 69.9% (176/253) and 36.0% (91/253), respectively. Sex (β = 0.158), a high level of emotional exhaustion (β = 0.193) and reduced personal accomplishment (β = 0.358), adoption of problem-focused strategies (β = 0.904), and dysfunctional strategies (β = 0.340) were positively associated with psychological distress. Age (β = − 0.338), academic qualification (β = − 0.210), and income level (β = − 0.146) were inversely associated with psychological distress, which together explained 51.5% of the total variance. Psychological distress (β = 0.275 vs. β = 0.404) was significantly associated with emotional exhaustion (EE) and reduced personal accomplishment (PA) and explained 11.4 and 24.2% of the variance in EE and reduced PA, respectively.ConclusionsThe high prevalence of psychological distress and burnout among teachers should receive urgent attention. Teachers’ training curricula should include developing interpersonal skills, stress management abilities, and resilience to equip them for the job. Also, teacher training curricula should integrate mental health promotion interventions.

Characterizing female breadwinners among Nigerian primary school teachers

ABSTRACT This study explored the characteristics and prevalence of female breadwinning among primary school teachers. A cross-sectional survey design was used to obtain data from 2428 out of 22,666 female primary school teachers in Enugu State, Nigeria. A questionnaire previously used in Nigeria to study female breadwinners was adapted and used for data collection. The female breadwinning measure aspect of the questionnaire had Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.927. Data were input into IBM-SPSS version 23 and analyzed using descriptive statistics and Chi-square test of relationships. Significant relationships were established at p values ≤ 0.05. The study revealed 73.6% prevalence of female breadwinning out of which 37.1% were co-breadwinners, 36.5% were primary/sole breadwinners. Female breadwinners among primary school teachers were characterized by older age, being a single mother, higher educational qualification, and salary, teaching in urban public schools, larger family size as well as having dependent children, elderly and chronically ill persons. Policy implications and research directions were discussed.

Single Parenting and Emotional Development of Primary School Students as Viewed by Nigerian Primary School Teachers

This research investigated the influence of single parenting on emotional development of primary school students as viewed by Nigerian primary school teachers. A descriptive survey designed was adopted to draw 200 primary school teachers. One research question was raised and three null hypotheses were respectively postulated to guide the research at 0.05 level of significance. In addition, data analysis was done using t-test and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). Furthermore, the findings revealed that low self-esteem was the most influencing emotional development of primary school students in Ilorin metropolis. The findings also revealed that there was no significant difference in the influence of single parenting on the emotional development of primary school students in terms of gender and qualification. It is recommended that teachers of students from single parents should be more sensitive to their emotional needs and always be ready to assist them. Moreover, counsellors should collaborate with teachers and parents to minimize the negative influence of single parenting. Teachers are suggested to be more sensitive and willing to assist students whenever they have problems at home. Single parents are suggested to provide more quality time with their children to avoid them performing negative behaviors. Parents are suggested to maintain stable home by living together to enhance their children emotional development.

Single Parenting and Emotional Development of Primary School Students as Viewed by Nigerian Primary School Teachers

This research investigated the influence of single parenting on emotional development of primary school students as viewed by Nigerian primary school teachers. A descriptive survey designed was adopted to draw 200 primary school teachers. One research question was raised and three null hypotheses were respectively postulated to guide the research at 0.05 level of significance. In addition, data analysis was done using t-test and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). Furthermore, the findings revealed that low self-esteem was the most influencing emotional development of primary school students in Ilorin metropolis. The findings also revealed that there was no significant difference in the influence of single parenting on the emotional development of primary school students in terms of gender and qualification. It is recommended that teachers of students from single parents should be more sensitive to their emotional needs and always be ready to assist them. Moreover, counsellors should collaborate with teachers and parents to minimize the negative influence of single parenting. Teachers are suggested to be more sensitive and willing to assist students whenever they have problems at home. Single parents are suggested to provide more quality time with their children to avoid them performing negative behaviors. Parents are suggested to maintain stable home by living together to enhance their children emotional development.

The management of Nigerian primary school teachers

The effective management of teachers is an important contributor to the successful delivery of primary education. This paper reports on a qualitative research project conducted in Nigeria’s Kaduna and Katsina States. Four aspects of teacher management were studied: recruitment and deployment; pay and remuneration; training and support; and aspirations and expectations. Analysis of the data highlights the need for greater transparency in all aspects of teacher management and the paper concludes with a suggested framework for enhancing the management of primary school teachers that is specific to Nigeria but relevant to other countries in the Global South.

Theoretical Knowledge of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation among Some Nigerian Primary and Secondary School Teachers

Theoretical Knowledge of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation among Some Nigerian Primary and Secondary School Teachers

Perception of gingival bleeding and oral health practices in dental anxious and nonanxious Nigerian teachers

Introduction: The objective of this study was to examine the perception of gingival bleeding and oral health practices in dental anxious and nonanxious Nigerian primary school teachers. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional was conducted among public primary school teachers in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria. Self-administered questionnaire which elicited information on demography, dental anxiety, gingival bleeding, teeth cleaning, and dental attendance was the data collection tool. Dental anxiety was assessed using Modified Dental Anxiety Scale and participants with scores ≥19 and <19 were considered as dental anxious and nonanxious, respectively. Results: A total of 151 teachers participated in the study giving 83.9% retrieval rate. Of the 151 teachers studied, 29 of them reported dental anxiety giving 19.2% prevalence. Dental anxious participants erroneously considered gingival bleeding during teeth cleaning as the manifestation of dental caries and gingival recession more than the nonanxious participants. Dental anxious participants reported lower gingival bleeding preventive measures awareness and took more actions other than visiting the dentist for gingival bleeding than the nonanxious participants. Dental anxious participants reported more daily teeth cleaning for reasonable duration using a combination of chewing stick, toothbrush, and toothpaste than the nonanxious participants. Dental anxious participants reported more irregular dental attendance and fair/poor gingival health status than nonanxious participants. Conclusion: Data from this study revealed that dental anxious participants generally had better oral self-care practices, poorer gingival health, more irregular dental attendance, lower gingival bleeding preventive measures awareness, more erroneous belief, and took more improper steps for gingival bleeding management than the nonanxious participants. Clinical Relevance to Interdisciplinary Dentistry Dentists and periodontologists must take into consideration the effect of dental anxiety on oral self-care, dental attendance practices, and periodontal health to ensure holistic dental healthcare awareness, utilization, and delivery.

Periodontal Disease Awareness and Knowledge among Nigerian Primary School Teachers.

Background:Teacher-led oral health education is equally effective in improving the oral health knowledge and oral hygiene status of adolescents as dentist-led and peer-led strategies.Aim:The aim was to determine periodontal disease awareness and knowledge among Nigerian primary school teachers.Subjects and Methods:This cross-sectional study was conducted among primary school teachers in Edo State, Nigeria. A self-administered questionnaire which elicited information on demography, awareness of the periodontal disease and source of information, knowledge of etiology, and symptoms of the periodontal disease, was the data collection tool.. The test of association was done using either Chi-square or Fisher's exact statistics. P value was set at 0.05 for significance level.Results:Out of 180 teachers recruited from seven public primary schools in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria, 151 of them fully participated by filling the study questionnaires giving a 83.9% (151/180) response rate. The majority 74.2% (112/151) of the participants reported having heard of the periodontal disease and the leading source of information was television. A total of 29.8% (45/151) of participants considered periodontal disease as the main cause of tooth loss among adult Nigerian. Only 12.6% (19/151) of the participants knew dental plaque as soft debris on teeth and 29.1% (44/151) attested that plaque can cause periodontal disease. The majority of the participants were not aware of age 81.5% (123/151) and gender 96.7% (146/151) predisposition to periodontal disease. The perceived manifestations of the periodontal disease reported by were mainly gum bleeding 35.1% (53/151) and swollen gum 20.5% (31/151). A total of 70.2% (106/151) of the participants considered periodontal disease as a preventable disease and about half 49.0% (74/151) of the participants considered daily mouth cleaning as the best preventive method. The majority 95.4% (144/151) of the participants expressed interest in learning about the periodontal disease and the most preferred methods were workshops and lectures.Conclusion:A significant proportion of the participants heard about periodontal disease from nondental clinic sources. There existed a poor awareness of etiology, age and gender predispositions, manifestation, complications, and the preventable nature of periodontal disease among the participants. However, the majority of them indicated interest in learning about periodontal disease which should be utilized in optimizing their knowledge.

Preventing HIV/AIDS through education: the role of primary and secondary school teachers in Nigeria

Objective: This study was aimed at assessing the knowledge, opinion and practices of Nigerian primary and secondary school teachers on HIV/AIDS education.Method: A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data on demography, knowledge of HIV transmission and prevention, training on HIV transmission and prevention and teaching of students on HIV/AIDS. A composite scale for HIV knowledge was defined by pooling all scored knowledge variables based on 25 questions. Knowledge was adjudged good if 20 – 25 questions were answered correctly; fair if 13 – 19 questions were correct and poor if less than 13 were correct.Result: Using the composite scale for knowledge, less than half (48.9%) had good knowledge, 41.5% had fair knowledge while 9.6% had poor knowledge of HIV transmission and prevention. Primary school teachers were less knowledgeable than their secondary school counterparts (p = 0.000). Only 46.3% (n = 125) of the teachers reported educating their students about HIV/AIDS. Most teachers blamed the non inclusion of HIV in the school curriculum for not teaching students about HIV while others (38%) claimed the children were too young to be educated on HIV/AIDS.Conclusion: Teachers can make a major contribution in preventing HIV transmission in Nigeria. About 90% of them had good to fair knowledge but misconceptions were noted. There is a great need for proper training of teachers to correct misconceptions so that they can impart correct knowledge to the students. Lack of inclusion of HIV/AIDS education in the curriculum calls for a serious policy change.&#x0D;

Voice disorders in Nigerian primary school teachers.

The prolonged use or abuse of voice may lead to vocal fatigue and vocal fold tissue damage. School teachers routinely use their voices intensively at work and are therefore at a higher risk of dysphonia. To determine the prevalence of voice disorders among primary school teachers in Lagos, Nigeria, and to explore associated risk factors. Teaching and non-teaching staff from 19 public and private primary schools completed a self-administered questionnaire to obtain information on personal lifestyles, work experience and environment, and voice disorder symptoms. Dysphonia was defined as the presence of at least one of the following: hoarseness, repetitive throat clearing, tired voice or straining to speak. A total of 341 teaching and 155 non-teaching staff participated. The prevalence of dysphonia in teachers was 42% compared with 18% in non-teaching staff. A significantly higher proportion of the teachers reported that voice symptoms had affected their ability to communicate effectively. School type (public/private) did not predict the presence of dysphonia. Statistically significant associations were found for regular caffeinated drink intake (odds ratio [OR] = 3.07; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.51-6.62), frequent upper respiratory tract infection (OR = 3.60; 95% CI: 1.39-9.33) and raised voice while teaching (OR = 10.1; 95% CI: 5.07-20.2). Nigerian primary school teachers were at risk for dysphonia. Important environment and personal factors were upper respiratory infection, the need to frequently raise the voice when teaching and regular intake of caffeinated drinks. Dysphonia was not associated with age or years of teaching.

An assessment of the reading motivation skills of Nigerian primary school teachers: Implications for language and science education

Recent studies and frequent news reports have expressed concerns about African children’s decreasing reading habits and dwindling achievement in language and primary science examinations. African children are not reading because they have reading difficulties or because they have no interest in books. This article focuses on the elementary schooling years, when the ability to read and comprehend and the love of reading are developed, using Nigeria as a case study. The article begins with a review of the literature on reading that underscores the importance of nurturing and supporting good reading habits amongst African children. Following a cursory exposition of the categories of schools in Nigeria and the place of reading and science in the National Policy on Education, the remainder of the article presents the findings of a study conducted to assess the reading motivation skills of primary school teachers and illustrates pedagogical ways of developing good reading habits amongst African children. Implications for language and science education are discussed.

1384 – Attitude of nigerian primary school teachers to children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Introduction Teachers are potential partners in the referral and management of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) especially in resource constrained settings. However, their ability to play this role is a function of their knowledge of ADHD and their attitude towards children with the disorder. There is paucity of information on the attitude of Nigerian school teachers towards children with ADHD. Objective/aim This study assessed the attitude of a sample of primary school teachers in Lagos, Nigeria towards children with ADHD. Method Primary school teachers (n = 144) recruited from four mainstream schools in Lagos State were presented with vignettes describing school children with ADHD. Thereafter, they completed questionnaires which elicited their knowledge of ADHD and attitudes towards children with the disorder. Results The responses of the participants indicated a high level of misperception about ADHD and negative attitudes towards children with the disorder. Only 9.0% and 16.7% of the respondents agreed that ADHD could be successfully managed with medications and psychological interventions respectively. One out of four (25.7%) teachers affirmed that they would avoid relating with a child with ADHD, while 35.4% would be unwilling to accept a student with ADHD in their class. Conclusion There is a high level of misperception about ADHD among Primary school teachers in Nigeria. This highlights the need for educational Interventions targeted towards improving the knowledge of teachers about ADHD. Furthermore, mental health literacy could be incorporated into the curriculum of institutions training primary school teachers.

Improving communicative competence with ‘clickers’: acceptance/attitudes among Nigerian primary school teachers

This study examined the predictive power of teachers’ perceived usefulness (PU), perceived ease of use (PEU), behavioural intention (BI) to use personal response system (PRS) and computer experience (CE) on teachers’ acceptance and attitude towards using PRS in improving communicative competence in the classroom where English is taught as a second language (ESL). Seventeen teachers constituted the sample for the study. A self-report questionnaire and a semi-structured interview guide were used for data collection. Results indicated that teachers were generally positively disposed to integrating PRS in ESL classroom. Moreover, teachers’ disposition was not significantly dictated by gender. Except for CE, constructs like PU, PEU and BI showed significant positive correlation with attitude to PRS. The results of regression analysis indicated that the set of variables combined to predict teachers’ acceptance and attitude towards using PRS. Relatively, PU was the potent predictor of the dependent variable.

Misconceptions about oral health among a group of Nigerian primary school teachers

Objective: To identify the various misconceptions that still exist among teachers about oral health practices and their incorrect ideas about dental conditions.&#x0D; Method: The study was a descriptive cross-sectional study carried out between May and September 2008 among 640 primary school teachers in Oredo Local Government area of Benin City, Nigeria. Data collection was by the use of self –administered questionnaire.&#x0D; Result: More than a third of the respondents (39.6%) felt that tooth decay is caused by worms, 0.3% felt it is caused by black magic. While 11.9% felt gingival bleeding is caused by worms. Tooth loss was considered a natural process by 43% of the respondents and 53.1% did not feel it is possible to keep all the teeth in the dentition for life. In addition, 23.2% did not consider tooth loss a serious health problem. Traditional medicine was used for toothache and gingival bleeding in 5.0% and 2.6% of cases respectively, while 6.5% reported self medication. Improvement of oral hygiene by toothbrushing was considered ineffective in the prevention of gum disease by 15.3% of the respondents.&#x0D; Conclusion: This survey revealed that a few misconceptions still exist among teachers about what constitutes appropriate oral health practices and correct knowledge of oral diseases and remedies. These misconceptions should be corrected to prevent the teachers form impacting incorrect knowledge on the children they teach. In service training of the teachers in the area of oral health is therefore recommended.

Misconceptions about oral health among a group of Nigerian primary school teachers

Objective: To identify the various misconceptions that still exist among teachers about oral health practices and their incorrect ideas about dental conditions. Method: The study was a descriptive cross-sectional study carried out between May and September 2008 among 640 primary school teachers in Oredo Local Government area of Benin City, Nigeria. Data collection was by the use of self –administered questionnaire. Result: More than a third of the respondents (39.6%) felt that tooth decay is caused by worms, 0.3% felt it is caused by black magic. While 11.9% felt gingival bleeding is caused by worms. Tooth loss was considered a natural process by 43% of the respondents and 53.1% did not feel it is possible to keep all the teeth in the dentition for life. In addition, 23.2% did not consider tooth loss a serious health problem. Traditional medicine was used for toothache and gingival bleeding in 5.0% and 2.6% of cases respectively, while 6.5% reported self medication. Improvement of oral hygiene by toothbrushing was considered ineffective in the prevention of gum disease by 15.3% of the respondents. Conclusion: This survey revealed that a few misconceptions still exist among teachers about what constitutes appropriate oral health practices and correct knowledge of oral diseases and remedies. These misconceptions should be corrected to prevent the teachers form impacting incorrect knowledge on the children they teach. In service training of the teachers in the area of oral health is therefore recommended. Keywords: Oral health, misconception, teachers Nig Dent J Vol 20 No. 1 Jan - June 2012

Oral health knowledge, attitude and practices among Nigerian primary school teachers

A multi-disciplinary approach is needed for effective dental education of children. Teachers can be used as oral health educators but only if they have a good knowledge, attitude and practice of oral health. This study's main objective was to compare the oral health knowledge, attitude and practices of public and private primary school teachers and to determine the proportion of teachers presently involved with oral health education of school children. The study was carried out on 320 private and 320 public school teachers in Benin-City, Nigeria, using self-administered questionnaire. The result revealed that the teachers involved in this study generally had positive attitude to oral health. Many of the two groups of primary school teachers had poor oral health practices. Only 42.4% of the respondents have ever been to the dentist for routine dental checkup or treatment. About 87.6% of teachers still use potentially traumatic materials for interdental cleaning and 60% of teachers consume regularly various forms of refined sugar. Over 90% of the two groups of teachers are presently involved in teaching their pupils basic oral health education although they have a poor knowledge of the aetiology of the two most common oral diseases. The teachers' major source of oral health information is the dentist. Similar pattern of incomplete oral health knowledge, inappropriate oral practices but positive oral health attitude was observed among the two groups of the studied teachers. This observation suggests that the primary school teachers can serve as oral health educators after organized training to heighten their oral health knowledge and perfect their oral practices.

Active Learning Techniques (ALT) in a Mathematics Workshop; Nigerian Primary School Teachers’ Assessment

Active Learning Techniques (ALT) in a Mathematics Workshop; Nigerian Primary School Teachers’ Assessment

Three Nigerian Primary School Teachers: Classroom Days

Three Nigerian primary school teachers were interviewed, then observed, all day, for 10 consecutive days of teaching. The purpose of this study was to use classroom observations and interview methodology to construct a snapshot of a few days in the life of three Nigerian primary school teachers. The snapshot outlined the primary school classroom experience and examined the teachers' perceptions of teaching and learning by using three focus questions: “What is learning?,” “What is the teacher's role in learning?,” and “What is the student's role in learning?” Finally, the study considered classroom observations to determine the congruence between the teachers' expressed perspectives and the observed teaching. The teachers varied widely in their views of learning and of student and teacher roles in learning. Instruction of two of the teachers was congruent with their personal view of learning, while the third showed congruence only when teaching one subject area. These teachers expressed concern over the lack of classroom materials and the impact of inflation on the students' ability to attend school and on the teachers' morale. Observational data indicated that the teachers planned an organized school day that addressed components of the required curriculum. Lecture-based teaching was evident in these classrooms, but there was divergence in the amount and type of other forms of instruction used, such as group work. The study suggests that diversity can be expected among classrooms and teachers in northern Nigeria, with no one model fitting all.