Public Polytechnics Research Articles

Forensic Anonymous Communication and Fraud Detection in Public Polytechnics in Oyo State, Nigeria

This study explored the impact of forensic anonymous communication on fraud detection in public polytechnics in Oyo state, Nigeria. Data was gathered from both primary and secondary sources using a well-structured closed ended questionnaire. The study employed survey research design. The population of the study comprised 50 staff of the bursary unit of each of the four (4) public polytechnics in Oyo state, Nigeria to make up the total of 200 participants. Findings from the simple percentage analysis revealed that anonymous communications are suitable forensic investigation techniques because they are efficient and transparent; and facts and figures can be gotten within a reasonable period. The study then concluded that Anonymous Communication with the combination of two or more techniques, should be used by forensic accountants, forensic legal practitioners, and all other similar parties so as to have flexibility to test different methods in the practice of forensic accounting and fraud investigation. Therefore, the study recommended that the use of anonymous communication methods should be encouraged as well as extensive awareness should be put in place for the use by the public as well as quick responses to queries should be encouraged; government should demonstrate more interest in forensic accounting for monitoring and pursuing suspected perpetrators in fraud cases which is critical in higher institutions, particularly among bursary staff and management; that forensic accounting techniques should be deployed to help prevent and reduce fraudulent activity.

Web Technology Skills Acquisition by Computer Science Students at Polytechnics In Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

The main aim of this study was to determine the level of web technology skills acquired by computer science students in polytechnics in Akwa Ibom State-Nigeria. The study adopted a descriptive survey research method. Two research questions were raised and two research hypotheses were formulated and tested at a 0.05 significant level. Six polytechnics are made up of two public and four private polytechnics. The sample sizes consist of 343 Computer Science Students for public and private polytechnics 157 and 186 respondents’ respectively. Based on the data analyzed, the finding revealed the result of mean and standard deviation on the level of acquisition of content design skills by public and private polytechnic computer science students. However, the extent of acquisition in public Polytechnics shows six very high levels (HL) and six high levels (HL) respectively, while the results for private Polytechnics show six high levels (HL) and six low levels (LL). This implies that public Polytechnic is doing better than private Polytechnics in the acquisition of content design skills in Akwa Ibom State. It was also revealed that the result of mean and standard deviation on the level of acquisition of graphic animation skills by public and private polytechnic computer science students. However, the extent of acquisition in public Polytechnics shows one very high level (VHL) and seven high level (HL) respectively, while the results for private Polytechnics show three high-level t (HL) and five low level (LL).

Media Resources' Utilisation and Productivity of Lecturers’ in Public Polytechnics, South-west, Nigeria

The study was carried out with a view to investigating the influence of the utilisation of media resources on the productivity of public polytechnic lecturers in South-west, Nigeria. Descriptive survey research design was adopted while close-ended questionnaire was used for data collection. A total of 735 copies of questionnaire were administered to the lecturers, while 711 (96.7%) were returned and considered appropriate for data analysis. The data collected was analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Findings from the study revealed availability of media resources to the lecturers and that printed and non-print resources topped the list of resources available to the respondents. Also, the study established regular use of media resources by the lecturers. They made use of media resources on regular basis and majorly for the purposes of preparing lecture notes, research and publications, obtaining general knowledge, paper presentation and proposals. High level of productivity, likewise positive significant relationship between media resource utilisation and job productivity of the respondents were established. The study recommended that modern and relevant media resources be provided for the lecturers to improve academic productivity, and that the lecturers should put in more efforts in attending and participating in seminars, workshops and conferences by presenting more papers and writing more journal articles to enhance productivity level.

Information Management Practices and Job Performance of Secretaries in Public Polytechnics in South-west, Nigeria

Information explosion has become the order of the day in every organization. With the emergence of ever dynamic technologies, secretaries are expected to upgrade their skills of information management practices to enrich their performance. This necessitates enquiry into influence of information management practices on job performance of secretaries in public polytechnics in South-west, Nigeria. The descriptive research design was adopted in the study and the population comprised 648 secretaries from both federal and state polytechnics in six states of South-west, Nigeria. The sample size was 242 which was determined using the Krejcie and Morgan sample size determination table. A stratified proportionate sampling technique was used to determine the number of questionnaires that was given in each of the institutions. Results showed that the level of information management practices of secretaries under examination is moderate with a mean of 3.32. There was a significant influence of information management practices on job performance of secretaries in public polytechnics in South-west Nigeria (Adj.R2 = 0.328, F(5.212)=22.191,p< 0.05). The study concluded that information management practices have significant influence on job performance of secretaries in public polytechnics in South-west Nigeria. It was therefore, recommended that management of polytechnics in South-west Nigeria should provide training sessions for secretaries to enhance their information management skills. Workshops should be mounted on the use of software tools, managing emails, and organizing digital files efficiently among others.

Stress Management and Job Performance of Secretaries in Public Polytechnics, South-west, Nigeria

Secretaries encounter job stress on daily basis due to the multitasking nature of their work and this goes a long way to determine their level of job performance. However, appropriate strategies are required to manage this job stress to prevent low performance. This study investigated stress management and job performance of secretaries in public polytechnics in Southwest, Nigeria. The population comprised all the 648 secretaries in both federal and state polytechnics in the six states of South-west, Nigeria. A sample size of 242 was selected by using Krejcie and Morgan (1970) sample size determination A likert type structured questionnaire was used to collect data. Descriptive statistics of frequency counts and simple percentages were used to analyze data. Inferential statistics of simple linear regression was used to test the hypothesis. Result showed that the level of stress management among secretaries was moderately high (mean = 2.761). There was significant influence of stress management on job performance of secretaries (Adj. R2 = 0.154, F(3.214)= 14.124 , p= 0.000). It was recommended that management of public polytechnics in South-west should provide stress awareness training to secretaries to help them recognize the signs of stress and learn coping strategies. This can include workshops on time management, resilience, and mindfulness. Keywords: Stress Management, Job Performance, Secretaries Journal Reference Format: Erwat, E.A. & Adeyeye, M.O. (2023): Stress Management and Job Performance of Secretaries in Public Polytechnics, South-west, Nigeria. Humanities, Management, Arts, Education & the Social Sciences Journal. Vol. 12. No. 1, Pp 17-28 www.isteams.net/humanitiesjournal. dx.doi.org/10.22624/AIMS/HUMANITIES/V12N4P2.

Performance and Efficiency Analysis of Public Polytechnic Institutions in the Academic Year of Transition to Technical Universities in Ghana

Performance and Efficiency Analysis of Public Polytechnic Institutions in the Academic Year of Transition to Technical Universities in Ghana

Issues in use of web-based information resources by public polytechnic students in southwestern Nigeria

Many Nigerian polytechnic libraries seem not subscribe to or renew their subscriptions to Web-based Information Resources (WBIR) databases despite its increasing popularity in the academic world. Hence, the study was aimed to look into recurring issues in the use of WBIR by public polytechnic students in Southwestern Nigeria. Six public polytechnics out of the 16 offering Higher National Diploma (HND) programmemes were selected by stratified random sampling to reflect federal and stage polytechnics. Proportionate to size sampling technique was used to select 1,463 HND students. The instruments used were WBIR use for Academic Tasks (α=0.98), and Challenges of WBIR Use (α=0.84) scales. Data were analysed using proportionate and descriptive statistics. Majority of the respondents 709(51.1%) listed Google as the major search engine used. Others indicated a combination of Google and other search engines like Google, and Bing (71 or 5.1%), Chrome, Google, and Operamini (71 or 5.1%). Wikipedia (136 or 9.8%), and Myschool.com 55 (4.0%)are commondatabase/website used by the students.Challenges to WBIR use include high cost of accessibility (α=2.73) and download delay (α=2.64).Public polytechnic students in Southwestern Nigeria used web-based information resources, especially obtainable through Google search engine and Wikipedia.Information literacy programs at polytechnic libraries should not be taken lightly.

Emotional Intelligence and Administrative Effectiveness of Heads of Academic Departments in Public Polytechnics in South West Nigeria

The study examined the emotional intelligence and administrative effectiveness of HODs in public Polytechnics in South West, Nigeria. Three hypotheses were formulated and tested at .05 confidence level. A descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The population comprised all the 394 HODs in all the 18 public owned Polytechnics in South West Nigeria. The sample size comprised 197 HODs selected from 11 public Polytechnics using stratified and non-proportionate sampling techniques. Self-designed 25 items validated and reliable instrument, r = .89 titled “Emotional Intelligence and Administrative Effectiveness Questionnaire” (EIAEQ) was used for data collection. Data analysis was done using multiple Regression Analysis and Analysis of Variance. The result showed that emotional intelligence indicators jointly predicted HODs administrative effectiveness in the following descending order: self-awareness, social-awareness, relationship awareness, and self- management significantly predicted HODs administrative effectiveness and that there was no statistically significant sex difference on emotional intelligence of HODs in polytechnics in South West, Nigeria. The result further showed that gender was not statistically significant on administrative effectiveness as male HODs did not differ significantly from their female counterparts on administrative effectiveness. It was recommended inter alia that the appointment of HODs should be democratized to enable members of the department to have opportunity of assessing the emotional intelligence level of the aspiring HODs.

Effect of Multimedia Instruction (MI) on Students’ Performance in Data Structures and Algorithms in Public Polytechnics in Nasarawa State

The study investigated the effect of multimedia instruction on students’ academic performance in Data Structures and Algorithms (DSA) in two public Polytechnics in Nasarawa State. The population of the study comprised one hundred and twenty (120) National Diploma one (NDI) students of Computer Science from Nasarawa State Polytechnic, Lafia (now Isa Mustapha Agwai I Polytechnic, Lafia) and Federal Polytechnic, Nasarawa. The study adopted a quasi-experimental research approach using the non-randomized control group pretest-posttest design. Intact classes were maintained and an experiment of two equivalent groups was designed—one was the experimental group while the other was the control group. The group was determined using a simple random sampling technique. Sixty eight (68) students in Nasarawa State Polytechnic, Lafia constituted the experimental group while fifty two (52) students in Federal Polytechnic Nasarawa constituted the control group. The experimental group was exposed to multimedia instruction (MI) on DSA while the control group was exposed to conventional instruction. The instrument for data collection was a DSA performance test titled ‘Data Structure PerfTest (DPT)’. The DPT contained 20 objective items from the topics treated. The reliability of the instrument was determined using the test-retest approach and a correlation coefficient of .87 was attained. Inferential statistics such as t-test was used to test the null hypothesis at 0.05 alpha level of significance. Data analysis was done using the statistical package for social science (SPSS). The finding showed that the treatment group (MI) performed significantly better than its counterpart in the control group which was exposed to conventional instruction. The study recommended expansive use of multimedia instruction in teaching and learning of Data Structures and Algorithms in tertiary institutions.

Scholars’ domain of information space

The article addresses scholars’ information behaviour and how they use technology to acquire information in three areas of their work: teaching, research, and administrative responsibilities. Research in information behaviour highlights fundamental problems concerning information availability, recognisability, and context (Jones et al., 2017). On the other hand, it can respond to information diffusion by demonstrating the perspective of information transmission and sharing (Vilar, 2014). Because context is so important, it is likely that scholars in different fields of science will have distinct informational habits when it comes to finding knowledge (Canary, McPhee, 2011; Yu & Zhou, 2015.). An assumption in the model of information space (I-Space) is that dissemination of information is weaker as the targeted audience is broader (Boisot, 1995).The aim of our study was to find which communication channels academics utilize to find and share knowledge. Are they those targeting a broader audience, i.e. formal-explicit communication, or those targeting a narrower one, i.e. informal-tacit communication? Our questionnaire, which included 125 academics from Croatian public polytechnics, aimed to find how respondents received knowledge in the three primary areas of work through various communication methods. Nine possible statements were presented for each domain and scored on a seven-point Likert scale. The domains included personal level, informal and formal groups, and public modalities for disseminating information, such as the Internet and institutional intranets, social networks, and cloud technologies. With Cronbach’s alpha coefficient value we can confirm that the set of statements in questions has sufficient internal consistency and is reliable for further processing. Considering a large number of channels for each area of activity, a reduction was made through Principal Component Analysis (PCA), with the aim of determining new factors to find the latent component in various communication channels and to discover which type of communication is most represented in each domain and with a distinction between science field.We discovered that academics typically locate material for teaching purposes in a narrower scope and in a more direct form inside communication channels, whereas information for research purposes is obtained in a broader scope and in a more explicit form. Although explicit in nature, information collection and dissemination through administrative operations takes place within a smaller scope in either formal or informal methods (Goes, 2015). Our factor analysis shows a distinction between social and technical domains of science in terms of how scholars collect material for administrative task.This work is part of a larger study aimed at determining the mechanisms of information diffusion within an academic institution utilizing information space model.

Sustainable Development in Higher Engineering Education: A Comparative Study between Private and Public Polytechnics

In Bangladesh, a four-year diploma program is the highest level of technical education provided by private and public polytechnic institutions. Using representative primary data of 1372 sample sizes from Dhaka University of Engineering & Technology, Gazipur, we examined whether students graduating from private polytechnics perform worse in higher engineering education than their public school counterparts. We mainly employed a multivariate regression model and found that students from private polytechnics receive lower grades by 0.120 cumulative grade points average (CGPA) despite similar socioeconomic, academic, and demographic backgrounds. These estimated effects imply that private polytechnics fail to significantly affect sustainable engineering education. These findings suggest that policy makers increase the number of teachers and laboratory facilities for sustainable engineering education.

More students and more diverse: new trends in international mobility to Portugal

Growing numbers of students from non-Portuguese speaking countries, designated as ‘non-Lusophone students’, signal the diversification of the international student population in Portugal. Until recently, international students came almost exclusively from other Portuguese-speaking countries. Employing social network analysis, the paper analyses the enrolment patterns of non-Lusophone students in Portuguese higher education – by institution type, qualification and discipline – to understand what aspects in particular attract these students. Findings indicate that public universities are mostly attractive for their doctoral degrees, in various disciplines, with students coming from very diverse regions. Public polytechnics enrol few non-Lusophone students, continuing to rely on the traditional Portuguese-speaking public. Private institutions attract Western and Southern European students, to integrated masters in Health programmes. Implications for institutions in other semi-peripheral countries intending to diversify their international students are highlighted: the identification of their strengths, at discipline or degree level, and the target-publics likely to find their programmes appealing.

Impact of Stress Management on Employee Productivity in Polytechnics in Delta State, Nigeria

The study investigated the impact of stress management on employee productivity in Polytechnics in Delta State. The study adopted the descriptive survey research design and the four owned public polytechnics were used in the study. The population of the study was 8,365 which comprised academic and non-academic staff. The sample size comprised 381 respondents which was determined using Taro Yamane's sample size determination. The instrument used in the collection of data was the questionnaire and data were analysed using frequency counts, simple percentage, mean and Pearson product moment correlation. Findings showed that the main causes of stress among employees in Polytechnics in Delta State were long work hour, increased work load/long working hours, inability to meet deadline, non-conducive working environment. The major stress management adopted by employees was flexible work time, going on vacation/sabbatical leave, breaking challenging pieces of work into smaller sets of task, seeking more information in order to clarify ambiguous role expectations. Stress management had significant positive relationship with employee productivity (r = 0.264**; p<0.05). It was recommended that employees should be given leave as and when due and those teaching staff who are entitled to sabbatical should be given as this could serve as a way of managing stress in order to avoid physical and psychological strain that could emanate from stress.

Communication and Managerial Competencies Needed for Successful Entrepreneurship by Female Polytechnic Students as Perceived by Stakeholders in South Western Nigeria

The study investigated communication and managerial competencies needed for successful entrepreneurship as perceived by stakeholders in south western Nigeria. The researchers employed mixed method design involving the use of qualitative technique within a dominant quantitative design. Two research questions and two hypotheses guided the study. The population consisted of registered female entrepreneurs, female Office Technology and Management students and lecturers in public polytechnics in southwestern Nigeria. The instrument for quantitative data collection was a questionnaire while a semi structured interview was used to collect qualitative information for the study. The instrument was administered with the assistance of six research assistants. Quantitative data was analyzed with percentage, mean rating, standard deviation, ANOVA and t-test while the qualitative data was analyzed with content analysis. The result of the study showed that there are gender sensitive communication competencies and gender specific managerial competencies which female polytechnic undergraduates must master if they are to prosper in the patriarchal business environment of southwestern Nigeria. Based on these findings, the study recommended the incorporation of gender specific items in the entrepreneurship curricula of polytechnic female students.

Impact of Work Environment on Employee Productivity in Polytechnics in Edo State

The study examined the impact of work environment on employee productivity in Polytechnics in Edo State. Descriptive survey research design was adopted in the study and the two owned public polytechnics were used in the study. Academic and non-academic staff were the study population. Random sampling procedure was employed in selecting the sample of the study, with a sample size of 204. Questionnaire was the instrument used in the collection of data and data were analysed using simple percentage, correlation and regression. Results revealed that Findings showed that the level of employee productivity was moderate 2.9). The nature of work environment of employees in polytechnics in Edo State was moderately conducive 2.6). There was a significant positive relationship between work environment and employee productivity (r = 0.417**;p <0.05). it was also found work environment significantly influenced employee productivity (t(200) = 0.518, R = 0.299 p< 0.05). employers of labour should provide an enabling environment that is void of noise, well-equipped office, mutual cooperation between the employees and the employers as well as other coworkers as this could enhnace the level of their productivity. Keywords: Work environment, Employee productivity, Polytechnics, Edo State DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/14-8-06 Publication date: April 30 th 2022

COVID-19’s Implications for Accounting Courses’ Competence Development: The Case of Portugal

Over the past few decades, higher education in accounting has been criticized for its focus on developing technical competences at the expense of general competences. The objective of this study is to analyze the general competences developed by the final-year students of accounting courses at Portuguese public polytechnics and to compare them with the most evident ones identified through a literature review for the current accounting profession. The study adopts a quantitative approach, carried out through a survey of 137 final-year students in the 2019/2020 academic year and using the techniques of descriptive and multivariate statistics. Among the main results, it was found that the ability to use information and communication technologies and lifelong learning were the most developed general competences. The results obtained allow us to conclude that the new practices developed through distance learning facilitated the development of technological competences, producing new reflections for improving the training of accountants.

The Influence of Educational Mobile Apps Use on Teaching Effectiveness of Lecturers in Public Polytechnics in Ekiti and Ondo states, Nigeria

The quality of teaching being imparted to students is supposed to be of high quality and effective in this information superhighway age. Teaching effectiveness typified with teaching methodologies, classroom management, assessment procedures and content knowledge is of great unease to any tertiary education institution since it furthers the productivity of the institution. In tertiary institutions, like public polytechnics in Ekiti and Ondo states, teaching effectiveness seems to be of poor quality because of students’ low capacity to analytically think, poor lecturers proficiency. Educational mobile apps use can further the teaching effectiveness in any institution of higher learning. Therefore, this study investigated the influence of educational mobile apps use on teaching effectiveness of lecturers in public polytechnics in Ekiti and Ondo States, Nigeria. The study used survey research design. The population of the study consisted of 116 lecturers and 1,978 students in the three public polytechnics in Ekiti and Ondo states. The lecturers were all enumerated to participate, while Taro Yamane was used to select 333 students’ participants and multistage sampling was used to select the participants from the various faculties, departments and levels. A self-structured validated, and reliable questionnaire was used to gather data. The data collected were analyzed with the use of descriptive statistics, and linear regression. Findings showed that the most used educational mobile apps was Google Apps for education (GAFE) with a mean score of (x̅=1.64).The result also indicated that there was a weak positive but not significant influence of educational mobile apps use on the teaching effectiveness in public polytechnics in Ekiti and Ondo State, (β=0.027, t = 0.270, p-value>0.05). The study concluded that educational mobile apps use contributes to teaching effectiveness of lecturers in public polytechnics in Ekiti and Ondo states, Nigeria. It was therefore recommended that the government of Nigeria, through the ministry in charge of education, and National Board for Technical Examinations (NBTE) should carry out continuous awareness program and training for lecturers in public polytechnics on the use of educational mobile apps.

How Higher Education Institutions Are Driving to Digital Transformation: A Case Study

In recent years, the rapid development of technological innovation has transformed the business world. Digital transformation improves the economic positioning of companies, contributing to society and the environment, but beyond technological evolution, it also brings social and cultural changes. With the new trends, companies saw the need to train people with digital skills and higher education institutions (HEIs) were forced to change their teaching methods to keep up with the new demands of the labour market. In this context, it is intended to identify the influence that HEIs play in the digital development of regions, in this case, the influence of Public Polytechnic Institutes of Porto in the development of the Metropolitan Area of Porto. The methodology adopted to answer the objectives of this study and research questions formulated, was an exploratory study, using semi-structured interviews and questionnaires. The results obtained allowed us to verify the positive influence of HEIs in the digital development of the Metropolitan Area of Porto. As well as identify the motivations that lead companies to participate in digital transformation initiatives, identify the skills needed to meet the demands of the labour market and identify the efforts made by HEIs to keep up with the digital evolution of society.

Awarding PhD Powers to Polytechnics: An Academic Trap?

The aim of this article is to understand whether the conditions in Portuguese public polytechnics (PPPs) when studying for a PhD are similar to those in Portuguese public universities (PPUs). Three pillars were analyzed (research, academic staff degree, and precarious rate of academic staff), and to this end, we conducted independent sample t-tests and designed a correlation matrix to shed light on the relationship between the percentage of precarious academic staff and the short-run variables in the environment of PPPs. The main findings reveal differences between PPUs and PPPs, indicating that policymakers failed to ensure that PPPs are competitive vis-a-vis PPUs in this area. Decree-Law No. 65/2018 granting PPPs the right to award doctoral degrees gives rise to a number of risks: a loss of focus in PPPs, the disappearance of the most used system in higher education (binary or dual system), and the absence of higher institutions in Portugal that provide practical training. If this is the path chosen by policymakers and the nature of course programs in PPPs and PPUs are becoming more similar, we strongly recommend that similar conditions should prevail in the two subsystems; this entails greater investment in PPPs and even the possibility of awarding PhD professional degrees in close connection with firms and corporations.

Teaching and Research Quality in Nigerian Public Polytechnics: Evidence from North-Eastern Nigeria

Teaching and Research Quality in Nigerian Public Polytechnics: Evidence from North-Eastern Nigeria