Public Universities In Nigeria Research Articles

Effect of smartphone addiction on mental health and sleep quality among undergraduate pharmacy students in a Nigerian public university

Purpose The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between smartphone addiction, mental health and sleep quality among undergraduate pharmacy students in a Nigerian public university. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional study was conducted among undergraduate pharmacy students in a Nigerian university. Data was collected using self-administered questionnaires, including Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short version, Patient Health Questionnaire, Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. The data obtained were analyzed using descriptive statistics, the chi-square test and the Pearson correlation. Probability values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Findings A total of 410 undergraduate pharmacy students participated in the study, giving a response rate of 95.57%. The prevalence of smartphone addiction, depression and anxiety symptoms were 40.24%, 28.30% and 23.66%, respectively. Most students had poor sleep quality (96.10%). The prevalence of smartphone addiction had a moderate positive correlation with the severity of depression (r = 0.363, p < 0.01) and anxiety (r = 0.261, p < 0.01) symptoms. Nevertheless, smartphone addiction showed no connection with sleep quality (r = 0.022, p = 0.663). Research limitations/implications The study was conducted in a single public university in Nigeria, hence this might limit its generalizability. The provision of mental health support within universities could help address the high prevalence of smartphone addiction, mental health issues and poor sleep quality. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this was the first study to examine smartphone addiction among pharmacy students in a resource-limited setting with multicultural and multiethnic groups.

Assessment of Intervention Programmes and Technological Innovations for Library Growth in Public Universities in Nigeria

Assessment of Intervention Programmes and Technological Innovations for Library Growth in Public Universities in Nigeria

Assessing the Influence of Cost on the Implementation of Tetfund Projects in Selected Public Universities in Nigeria

The Academic Staff Union of University (ASUU) strike in Nigeria has highlighted the need for improved funding options for public institutions, particularly in the education sector. A study on TETFUND projects in the Southeast found that project success and cost performance are crucial for building projects. The study used a census technique, questionnaires, and content validity to confirm the instrument's inclusivity and relevance to strategic leadership and project management sustainability. The study reveals that the cost of every project is important, regardless of funding, and that cost availability has hindered any TETfund project at State universities in South-East, Nigeria.The majority of respondents strongly agreed that cost determines whether a TETfund project is completed with or without a supervisor, and that cost gives contractors more chance of income during the TETfund project period. Furthermore, the cost of the project motivates workers to complete it within an appropriate period. The analysis shows that TETfund cost has a positive effect on the completion rate of projects across State Universities in SouthEast, Nigeria, with an average mean value of 3.65>3.00. The test of hypotheses showed that TETfund cost has no significant positive effect on the completion rate of projects across State Universities in South-East, Nigeria. The results showed that the model in this table has a statistically significant positive effect, and the alternate conclusion is accepted, as TETfund cost had a significant positive effect on the completion rate of the project across State Universities.

Examining the Relationship between Substance Use and Test Anxiety among Students in a Public University in Nigeria

Examining the Relationship between Substance Use and Test Anxiety among Students in a Public University in Nigeria

A Quasi Experiment on the Effectiveness of Social Media Literacy Skills Training for Combating Fake News Proliferation

This study experimented the effect of social media literacy skills training as an intervention strategy for combating fake news. We carried out a quasi-experiment in one public university in Nigeria and randomly divided 480 participants into equal parts to form a control and experimental group. The respondents in the experimental group were exposed to 8 weeks of training to improve their social media literacy skills to fight fake news. We realised that social media literacy skills training is effective in increasing social media knowledge, users’ recognition of fake news, their tendency to verify information, and reduce the inclination to share false news since users exposed to social media literacy training can differentiate between accurate and made-up news compared to their counterparts who were not exposed to the same training. Implications for research and practice were discussed.

Institutionalising the Effects of Remuneration and Welfare Packages on Employees’ Performance in Public Universities in Nigeria

Background: Employee remunerations and welfare packages naturally constitute the two major determinate factors that stimulate negative or positive reactions towards employee performance in an organisation.
 Objective: The study examines the effects of remuneration and welfare packages on employee performance in Nigerian public universities.
 Methodology: The researcher employed a mixed research method. A total of 100 questionnaires were administered to the academics and non-academic staff of the University of Ilorin and Kwara State University Malate through random sampling; hypotheses were tested using simple percentages and chi-square.
 Results: This menace has resulted in many negative effects, such as strikes, protests, corruption, dismal performance, slow development, side work, and nonchalant attitude, among other factors, within the staff of Nigerian public universities.
 Conclusion: Policies on remunerations should be reviewed, salaries and wages should be paid as when due; also, employees taking home pay should be capable of taking care of their needs, and welfare packages should be improved in order to improve employee performance for an effective, efficient and workable Nigeria public enterprises.
 Keywords: Remuneration, University, Welfare, Staff, Employee, Performance.

Facilitating conditions and institutional repository sustainability by librarians in public university libraries in Nigeria

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the facilitating conditions (FCs) and how these FC affect institutional repository (IR) sustainability practices in public universities in Nigeria.Design/methodology/approachA survey research design was adopted in this study. The study population comprised 542 librarians from public universities that have IRs across Nigeria. A sample size of 230 librarians was determined using Taro Yamane’s formula. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to select the respondents in three stages, which were purposive, stratified and purposive sampling. A structured, validated questionnaire was used for data collection. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential (simple and multiple regression) statistics at a 5% level of significance.FindingsThe result revealed that the availability of FCs (ßeta = 0.459, t(211) = 7.719, p = 0.000) has a positive and significant influence on IR sustainability in public university libraries in Nigeria. The F-test (1, 223) value of 59.582 shows that there is sufficient evidence to substantiate the model’s usefulness in explaining IR sustainability. The R2 (0.211) indicates that 21.1% of the variation in IR sustainability is explained by the availability of FCs in public university libraries in Nigeria. The finding suggests that the availability of FCs is a vital predictor of IR sustainability in public university libraries in Nigeria. The result also depicts that out of the eight parameters that measure the availability of FCs, it was current awareness of IR that had a positive and significant influence on IR sustainability.Originality/valueThis study concluded that ICT skills and FCs are contributory factors to IR sustainability practices by librarians in public university libraries in Nigeria. It was recommended that university administrators formulate policies that promote the sustainability of IR and provide adequate funds to support IR sustainability. Furthermore, the library management in public university libraries in Nigeria should drive content recruitment and create awareness of the IRs among students and faculty to ensure continued use.

Grit and its associated factors among final year pharmacy students in public universities in Nigeria: A cross-sectional study

Background: Assessing grit among pharmacy students provides insights into the students' experiences as well as the importance of implementing interventions to increase their levels of grit. The purpose of this study was to assess students' grit in Nigerian pharmacy schools and to identify factors that predict the amount of grit among pharmacy students. Methods: This study utilised a nine-item questionnaire-based cross-sectional design among final-year pharmacy students from one public university, in each of the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria for a month. Descriptive and inferential statistics were employed. Results: A total of 590 pharmacy students responded to the questionnaire (response rate = 66.89%). Most students 409 (69.32%) were between the ages of 20 - 25 years. A majority, 573 (97.1%) reported being free from any chronic diseases and 427 (72.37%) reported being engaged in extracurricular activities. A group mean grit score of 37.091 ± 0.253 was observed. Students from all the schools reported ‘Not Like me’ 14 (2.37%) to ‘I have overcome setbacks to conquer an important challenge’, while 275 (46.61%) chose ‘Very much like me’. Predictors of high grit level were institution (Beta, p-value), mode of accommodation (ꞵ = 1.494, p = .039), and sponsorship (ꞵ = 4.207, p = .047). Conclusion: Pharmacy students in Nigeria have a high grit level and the institution of study had an impact on the level of grit.

Knowledge management and pedagogical innovativeness of vocational educators, the mediating role of transformational leadership style

The study investigated the relationships on three dimensions of knowledge management (KM), pedagogical innovativeness (PI) and transformational leadership style (TLS) Design used for the study was correlational and data were collected from 137 vocational educators/lecturers in public universities in Nigeria, this forms the sample of study. Structured questionnaire was instrument used, covering the demographic variables of the respondents and measured the relevant dimensions of knowledge management, pedagogical innovativeness and transformational leadership style. Three experts face validated instrument for study. The reliability was measured using Cronbach alpha method and an overall alpha value of 0.89 was obtained. The data was collected by the authors and analysed. Bivariate correlation linear regression and path analysis via 5000 re-samples bootstrap method was used for analysis. The results showed that knowledge management dimensions i.e. knowledge dissemination, responsiveness to knowledge predict significantly pedagogical innovativeness while knowledge acquisition did not significantly predict pedagogical innovativeness. It also showed that transformational leadership style does mediate relationship between knowledge management and pedagogical innovativeness. The results suggest that knowledge acquisition (KA), knowledge dissemination (KD) responsiveness to knowledge (RK) are among the key indicators of pedagogical innovativeness. The result also suggest that low transformational leadership style will not bring about the relationship between knowledge management and pedagogical innovativeness. Based on findings it was recommended that knowledge management should be encourage in tertiary institutions as this will enhanced pedagogical innovativeness of vocational educators. Also, management of tertiary institution should employ transformational leadership style for ultima productivity of their employees.

Issues in University Administration in Nigeria

University administration is the engine room of the universities that determines the university’s development speed. University administration is the pillar that holds the universities and makes its function. This paper is a review research paper with the objective to examine issues hindering effective university administration in Nigeria. Relying on secondary data collected from print and online publications. Content analysis was adopted to scrutinize the data that gave the final data that were used in the paper. The paper concluded that poor funding, Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS), corruption, lack of current data, inadequate staff, shortage of infrastructure facilities, brain-drain, political interferences and strike action are some of the problems hindering effective university administration in Nigeria. Based on these problems, the paper recommended that the government should increase the financial investment of university education. The government should remove universities from the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) platform and employ more academic staff in all public universities in Nigeria. The government321 qewdsx3432qewzx should direct all anti-corruption agencies to monitor all the funds released to the university administration and artificial intelligence should be deployed for effective fit against corruption in the system. The government should ensure current university data are generated annually for effective university planning.

Electro-Learning amidst Covid-19 Lockdown and Related Challenges of Undergraduates in Nigerian Universities

This paper examined the various electronic learning platforms adopted by undergraduates in Nigerian Universities which include both private and public universities in Nigeria and its related challenges during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020. The coronavirus’ enormous consequences, which affected all countries and industries, influenced around 91% of the world's students. The objective of this study is to investigate the experiences of private and public university undergraduates in a Nigerian University, to determine whether there is a significant disparity in the accessibility, affordability, and ease of use of the various e-learning platforms that were adopted during the global pandemic lockdown. The study employed the survey method in eliciting useful information from undergraduates in Covenant University, and in the University of Lagos. The population of the study consisted of 374 undergraduates from both schools. Due to the inaccessibility of students whose lecturers were on industrial action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, the questionnaire was physically distributed to students at Covenant University, while a Google form was generated for students at the University of Lagos. Data was analyzed using descriptive techniques in frequencies, percentages, and linear regression analysis. Results from the study revealed that 68.1% of students at Covenant University utilized more e-learning platforms like Moodle, Coursera, Zoom, and WebEx unlike their counterparts at the University of Lagos who used only Moodle and Zoom with 43.6%. Also, 87.5% of Covenant University undergraduates made use of their laptops mostly for their e-learning classes while 56.4% of their counterparts in the University of Lagos mostly made use of their smartphones. Findings revealed that students from public Universities faced major challenges such as unstable internet, limited financial capability in buying devices such as laptops, and lack of skill and competence in navigating the e-learning platforms while students in the private universities on the contrary had relatively stable internet connectivity, could afford laptops and smart devices and had the requisite skills to properly navigate their e-learning platforms. The study concludes by recommending the provision of substantial financing that will aid in the acquisition of relevant technology to promote and support e-learning in public universities in Nigeria. It also suggested the inclusion of public University students with adequate training on how to navigate the e-learning platforms, thereby equipping them with the requisite skills needed to maximize the benefits of e-learning. The study emphasizes how the use of e-learning can be an effective sustainable learning solution for current and future situations by the main actors, educators, and learners. In the long run, the Nigerian educational system would be better prepared to face future emergencies that may warrant the adoption of remote learning.

University Advancement Profession and the Actualization of Health for All in Developing Countries by 2030: Lessons from University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

Both adult and infant mortality rates have been very high in Nigeria and other African and developing countries. This situation prompted the Government of Nigeria to come up with the goal of achieving health for all by the year 2020. The targeted year has come and gone yet the mortality rate is still high showing that the country has not been doing well in the health sector. Almost every public university in Nigeria has a University Teaching Hospital which were established to provide opportunity for internship training of Nigerian doctors and tertiary health care services to the public at affordable cost. However these hospitals are performing sub-optimally as a result of dearth of modern health infrastructure. Nigerian Universities are grossly underfunded. The underfunding has affected their teaching hospitals as they depend mainly on government funding which is difficult to come by. But University underfunding is a worldwide phenomenon. In the face of this underfunding the US public universities and therefore the teaching hospitals have continued to maintain near optimal level of performance. What have they done to achieve this feat? This work attempts to draw lessons from University of Washington, Seattle, US, how it uses the University Advancement Profession to raise funds for the teaching hospitals activities. The paper presents various ramifications of the Advancement profession and, borrowing from the University of Washington, it discusses how the Centre can be used to reposition the teaching hospitals in Africa and Developing countries to start tapping from the large pool of funds existing both within the country and internationally for the development of their teaching hospitals, improve their care delivery and lead to the actualization of health for all by the year 2030.

Composite Funding Strategies for Effective Management of Public Universities in Nigeria

Despite the fact that availability of financial resources is a very influential factor for the delivery of quality education, public universities in Nigeria are still bedeviled with serious difficulties in securing adequate funding. This has undoubtedly limited them from delivering a world class education. The paper examined composite funding strategies with the aim of addressing identifiable challenges and promoting effective management within Nigerian public universities. Key concepts were discussed and properly linked with the need for adequate and sustainable finance for the institutions and the current funding situation. It highlighted the significance of composite funding strategies in ensuring improved service delivery of public universities in Nigeria. The limitations associated with public university funding were discussed, including insufficient budget allocations, limited IGR, and limited access to grants. Traditional funding sources, such as government allocations, IGR, TETFund, as well as alternative funding strategies, like public-private partnerships, philanthropic donations, etc., were discussed. It also discussed the potential for international collaborations and funding opportunities, such as the benefits of research collaborations and scholarships for Nigerian students, home and abroad. It underscored the importance of transparent budget planning, resource allocation, and accountability in achieving sustainable funds within public universities. It concluded by emphasizing the need for composite funding strategies as the practicable means of overcoming funding challenges for enhanced management of public universities in Nigeria. It recommended that diversification of funding sources, promotion of partnerships, and application of effective financial management practices are the models to ensure adequate

Comparative Analysis of Academic Performance of Architecture Students in Building Structures and Architectural Designs in Southwestern Public Universities in Nigeria

Building structures and Architecture designs are major and compulsory courses in the study of Architecture. The knowledge obtained in Building structures is applied in Architectural designs. However, students’ performances in Building structures courses have been observed to be generally low and what is not known is if there is low performance in Architectural designs also. This study therefore carried out a comparative analysis of academic performance of Architecture students in Building structures and Architectural designs courses in Southwestern Nigerian public Universities in order to improve on students’ performances on these courses. The study was a descriptive survey that involved questionnaire, five public universities approved by the National Universities Commission and Architects Registration Council of Nigeria namely: FUTA, LAUTECH, OAU, UNILAG and OOU were purposively sampled. A total of 702 questionnaires were administered to all the pre-final and final year students in the Department of Architecture of the sampled universities, while only 541 questionnaires were adequately completed and considered fit for analysis. Cross tabulation with chi-square was used to summarize the data. Pearson Product Moment Correlation was employed to show the relationship between Building structure knowledge and Architectural designs performance, while Regression analysis was used to assess the effect of the two courses on students’ performances. The study revealed that there was a significant relationship between the knowledge of Building structure and students’ performance in Architectural designs as the students progressed in their studies (r=0.641; p=0.046). The study concluded that the depth of knowledge in Building Structures is a function of good performance in Architectural designs, when all other factors leading to good Architectural Designs expertise are kept in place.

Integrity and Transparency in Managing Examination in Public Universities in Nigeria: The Role of School Administrators

Exams are essential feature of every educational system because it is the structure for teaching, learning, and the educational system's overall successes are evaluated based on the examination system's aims and efficacy. The import of tests in a university system cannot be flashy, as they are used to evaluate student performance and decide if they attain the obligatory scholastic learning and knowledge standards. Exams stimulate kids to compete with one another in order to meet up with the expectations of their blood relations, teachers and the society at large. If examination is not conducted correctly and the outcomes are not shared precisely, the projected feedback may not yield the desired consequences. No matter how ambitious, admirable, laudable, or expansive the educational goals are or how well the school curriculum is designed, if no provision is made for accurate evaluation and reporting of learning achievement, these efforts will be in vain. Considering the dynamics of examination delinquency in Nigeria universities, advance the need to enthrone integrity and transparency in the system. This piece generally scrutinized examination in universities, integrity and transparency in university examination, examination malpractice in Nigeria universities, causes of examination malpractice in Nigeria universities, measures taken to curb examination malpractice in Nigerian universities, roles of administrators in the university settings, administrators and examination in Nigerian universities system. The piece concluded that administrators in Nigeria university system can be regard as prime-mover for sustaining most wanted height of integrity and transparency in the university system of the country. The piece in addition made some hints that formation of examination misconduct team should be echoed prior to the commencement of the examination so that students will know they will be put on trial if caught up in any misconduct before, during or after the conduct of the examination. Also, when administrators are habituated and motivated to unconditionally discharge their roles effectively and efficiently, it will resolve among other things to enhanced level of integrity and transparency in the assessment practices in Nigeria University system.

Assessment of the Readiness of Institutions and Undergraduates’ Attitude to Online Learning Mode in Nigerian Universities

The emergence of the corona virus pandemic and the rate of the spread affected a lot of activities across the world. This led to the introduction of online learning mode in several countries after institutions were shut down. Unfortunately, most public universities in Nigeria could not switch to the online mode because they were not prepared for it as they do not have the technological capacity to support a full online learning mode. This study examines the readiness of University and attitude of undergraduates towards online learning mode in Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile Ife. It investigated the skills and competencies of students for online learning as well as the University’s readiness towards online learning mode and effort was made to identify challenges of online teaching and learning in the study area and suggested solutions were advanced. OAU was selected because it is adjudged to be the leading Information and Communication Technology (ICT) driven institution in Nigeria. The study employed a descriptive survey research design. A total of 256 academic staff and 1503 undergraduates were selected across six faculties out of the thirteen faculties in the University. Questionnaires were used to elicit responses from the respondents. The result showed that students have the skills and competence to operate e-learning facilities but are faced by challenges such as high data cost, erratic power supply, lack of gadget among others. The study found out that the university was not prepared for online learning mode as it lacks basic technological facilities to support it. The study equally showed that while lecturers possess certain skills in using some e-learning applications, they were limited by the unavailability of online support gadgets, poor internet connectivity, and unstable power supply. Furthermore, the assessment of student attitude towards online learning mode shows that the students found the online learning mode very challenging as they had to bear the huge cost of data. Lecturers also faced same challenge as they had to pay a lot to buy data and the networks were sometimes unstable. The study recommended that adequate funding needs to be provided to public universities by the government while management of institutions must build technological capacities to support online learning mode in the hybrid form and on full basis in case of future emergencies.

Students unrest in Nigerian universities: Types, causes and administrative strategies to the challenges

This write up is on the influence of students’ unrest, prevalent in the administration of public universities in Nigeria. The author used library research to look into the types, causes and influences on university administration and the administrative strategies to curtail the challenges. Students’ unrest is described as intentional, destructive, disruptive and conflicting behaviour of students’ in universities. It is the rampage made by students in pressing their demand on certain issues with university authorities. Student unrest include; demonstration, boycott of classes/lectures, civil disturbance, protect, crises, and riot among others. The causes have been identified to be poor funding of the universities system, government and public political interference, cultism, insecurity, communication gap, peer influence, management leadership styles, school environment/facilities, and youth unemployment among others. It was discovered that student unrest affects university administration in various forms such as; Malicious destruction and vandalism of infrastructures thereby preventing effective teaching and learning, Some suggestions were offered; University management/administrations should diffuse tension and crises pruned problems from university management and administration through good government such as; collective decision making involving students, showing respect to students’ demands, being equitable and unbiased in disciplinary issues, being transparent and effective in communication and Government funding of universities appropriately and adequately.

Mounting of New Programme in Public Universities in Nigeria: Problems and Way Forward

This paper titled "Mounting of New Programme in Public Universities in Nigeria: Problems and Way Forward" examined problems of mounting new programmes in the public universities in Nigeria. Secondary data were used. The secondary data were gathered from print materials and online publications. The paper concluded that funding, personnel, infrastructure facilities problems, National Universities Commission (NUC) bottleneck, lack of instructional resources and brain drain are the major problems that have affected the mounting of new programmes in Nigerian public universities. To address these problems, the paper suggested that public universities should be adequately funded to enable them to mount new programmes in their respective institutions. Adequate budgetary provisions should be made for the employment of personnel, provision of infrastructure facilities and instructional resources. Universities should be granted autonomy to enable them to develop their programme without interference from any institutions outside the universities.

Research Development in Public Universities in Nigeria: Problems and Solutions

This paper discussed barriers to research development in Nigerian public universities. Secondary data were used to support the points raised in the article. The secondary data were sourced from print materials and online publications by recognized institutions and individual authors. The paper concluded that Poor funding, lack of modern laboratories, inadequate infrastructure facilities, strike actions, insecurity, brain drain, the poor linkages between researchers and the industrial sector, unattractive working conditions for researchers, strict guidelines for accessing grants and poor mentorship are some of the barriers to research development in public universities in Nigeria. To solve the identified problems, the paper among other things recommended adequate funding of public universities with a special interest in research development in all the public universities in Nigeria.

Perceived heads of departments’ power sources, subjective professional distance and work-related compliance among private and public university lecturers in Nigeria.

Studies on teaching and learning that exist between private and public universities in Nigeria is paramount to government and private owners of universities. Factors such as funding, teaching aids and staff motivation have been implicated in work-related compliance by workers. However, factors like heads of departments’ power sources and subjective professional distance that could influence work-related compliance more, have been neglected. This present study therefore, examined the perceived head of departments’ power sources, subjective professional distance and work-related compliance in private and public universities in South-west, Nigeria. The study is cross sectional utilizing a multi-stage sampling technique to select 900 hundred lecturers from 16 universities (federal, state and private). Data obtained for the study were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics while the hypothesis was tested at 5% level of significance. The study revealed that there existed no significant difference in work-related compliance between lecturers in public and private universities t= -.969, df 499, p>.05(37.015; 37.58). Also, there existed no significant interactive effects of lecturers’ perception of their heads of department’s power sources, subjective professional distance and their level of work-related compliance in private and public universities (F (1,388) = 2.062, P>0.1, 0.05) ; (F (1,153). 097, P>0.05). The study concluded that, perceived heads of departments’ power sources and subjective professional distance (similar or dissimilar) did. not influence lecturers’ compliance to assigned duties and responsibilities. The implication of this study is that, the management of universities should make effort in creating committed lecturers needed by their heads of department always, in order to continue to gain their compliance.