Secondary Schools In Nigeria Research Articles

Pre-Service Science Teachers’ Training: The Case of Colleges of Education in Nigeria

Colleges of Education are teacher training institutions established to train teachers for primary and junior secondary schools in Nigeria. Research shows that science teachers trained in these colleges are not performing well in classrooms after their graduation. This is due to problems associated with Colleges of Education such as lack of science equipment, bad leadership, lack of committed lecturers and bad admission policy. These problems make teachers trained in these colleges to be incompetent in teaching science. The resultant effect of this is poor students’ academic performances in science subjects both in primary and secondary schools. The paper suggested some recommendations for stakeholders in education to solve the problems.

Relationship between Secondary School Students’Level of Testwiseness and their Performance in Mathematics in Bauchi Metropolis of Bauchi State, Nigeria

Relationship between Secondary School Students’Level of Testwiseness and their Performance in Mathematics in Bauchi Metropolis of Bauchi State, Nigeria

Disciplinary Measures in Nigerian Senior Secondary Schools: Issues and Prospects

This paper analytically discusses the disciplinary measures used in senior secondary schools in Nigeria with the emphasis on the problems encountered with a view to proffering far reaching solutions to the challenges. The paper posits that the causes and kinds of disciplinary problems experienced are determinant of disciplinary measures to be taken. To this end, truancy, absenteeism, fighting, stealing and drug addiction among others are typical examples of disciplinary problems experienced in Nigerian secondary schools. While parental/home, political, social and economic, school environment, school curriculum and peer group influence among others are the causes of disciplinary problems. The study asserts that discipline is not necessarily punishment but punishment is one of the disciplinary measures in school. Finally, the paper recommends moral punishment and well spelt out code of conduct for all students to follow.

Poor Attitude to Reading for Pleasure and Its Implications on Acquisition of Language Skills and Academic Achievements: The Case of Students of Secondary Schools in Nigeria

The place of reading in the overall intellectual development of man can never be faulted. This is why linguistic scholars have always advocated reading, especially reading for pleasure, in the target language as one of the surest ways of attaining a high level of competence in language skills and excelling in academic achievement. It is based on this background that this paper takes an incisive look at the poor attitude to reading for pleasure as noticed among secondary school students and points out the implications, which among other things include poor communicative competence, poor reading comprehension, lack of creative power, parochial knowledge and poor academic achievement. The paper finally spells out some specific recommendations, which aim at encouraging the students to develop interest in reading for pleasure.

The Challenges of French Studies at Secondary School Level in Nigeria

A well structured educational system is undeniably a formidable key to a nation's development and survival in all spheres of life. Thus, every nation, via its ministry of Education is expected to give equal status and value to all subjects that are being offered at all strata of education. This is because every educated individual should be able to give back to the society positively through the training acquired. Therefore, this paper sets out, to discuss the challenges of French Language Studies in Nigeria at the Secondary School level. It shall go about this by explaining what language education means as well as presenting succinctly the history of French Language in Nigeria. The paper further discusses the challenges that teaching and learning French Language pose to French teacher and learner of the language in Nigeria Secondary school education in Nigeria is an educational stage to be attended by students after primary school education and before tertiary institution. This is a period for youth direction on subject specialization, most especially at the senior secondary level, leading to issue of professionalization, based on subject compartmentalization and choice of higher institution.

An Assessment of Inspectors’ Compliance with Inspection Principles in Public Secondary Schools in Nigeria

Public secondary school education is rapidly growing in Nigeria, requiring huge investments by government. To justify the level of investments and improve the quality of education in the secondary schools, there is need for proper monitoring and evaluation through inspection. This paper examines the extent to which inspectors complied with inspection principles of independence, impartiality, transparency and mutual respect in public secondary schools in Ekiti state, Nigeria. This is with the view to improving the quality of education in the state. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to select 147 respondents, comprising 120 teachers, 12 principals, and 15 inspectors. Data were collected using survey questionnaires complemented with interview guide. Data were analysed with the use of frequency counts, percentage and means. Results showed that 46.7% of the inspectors indicated compliance with the inspection principles of independence, 40% with impartiality and transparency, and 53.3% with mutual respect. On the average, about 47% of the inspectors indicated compliance with all the inspection principles. The study concluded that inspectors’ compliance with inspection principles is low and therefore, intensifying their compliance with inspection principles is imperative to improving the standard of education in public secondary schools.

Enhancing students performance in the English language through Literature-in-English in the secondary schools

This paper examines the relationship between the English Language and Literature-in-English in secondary schools in Nigeria. The purpose is to explore and expose the interdependence of the two subjects in enhancing English language competence. Apart from the educational advantages, it is also in the opinion of the writer that language is not only a necessity for the formulation of thoughts but also part of the thinking process itself, which is one of the great attributes of a literary man, that is, power of intuition. Considering the “Siaseme twin composition” of the two subjects, especially in a second language situation in Nigeria, the integration of the two, it is argued in this paper will, no doubt, enhance language skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing as well as sub-skills of language such as pronunciation, comprehension, vocabulary development, perception, composition, etc. It is the conviction of the writer that Literature-in-English should form an integral part of the English language curriculum and examinations of May/June and November/December Senior Secondary School Certificate Examinations (SSCE: WAEC, NECO and NABTEB). Note: West African Examinations Council (WAEC), National Examinations Council (NECO), National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB). Key words: English Language, secondary schools, language, Nigeria.

Impact of a participatory cyber crime prevention programme on secondary school students’ attainment in crime prevention concepts in civic education and social studies

Nigeria is considered by many to be a cyber crime hot spot, and is often ranked among the world's top cyber crime committing countries (e.g. advanced fee fraud is also known as Nigerian scams and 419 scams--419 is a section under the Nigerian Criminal Code Act that prohibits obtaining goods by false pretences). We designed a cyber crime prevention programme based on the action research paradigm. We the used the pretest-postest quasi experimental design to evaluate the impact of the action cyber crime prevention programme on 218 Nigerian secondary school students' attainment in Civic Education and Social Studies. The students were purposefully selected from whole classes in six secondary schools in Nigeria. Our analysis suggested that the action cyber crime prevention programme has a positive effect on students' attainment in cyber crime prevention. Future work includes extending the Action Cyber Crime Prevention Programme to a wider audience in Nigeria and other developing countries.

The State of Science and Technology Infrastructure in Secondary Schools in Nigeria

Science and technology (S&T) education is crucial to the achievement of socio-economic development of any society and also a critical element in the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Standard laboratories and equipments as well as reagents are S&T infrastructures essential for providing qualitative education for producing national technological manpower. This study evaluates the condition of S&T infrastructures in the Nigerian secondary schools. The study utilises primary data collected from public and private secondary schools across the six geo-political zones in the country. Findings show that there are inadequate teachers, laboratories and necessary equipment for teaching S&T related subjects in most of the secondary schools in Nigeria. Also, electricity supply from the national grid to secondary schools is poor because only 30% of them have light at most 4hours a day. The study therefore recommends the provision of adequate funds and electricity generators for these institutions to enhance the teaching and overall development of S&T education in Nigeria. In addition, adequate and qualified personnel (teachers and laboratory technicians) should be provided while good maintenance culture and improved security of laboratories and equipment in secondary schools should be imbibed by all secondary schools in the country.

Strategies for Closing the Gender Gap in Science & Technology (S&T) Classrooms in Nigeria Secondary Schools: Teachers’ Perception of Gender Mainstreaming

The study invested teachers’ perception of gender mainstreaming as a strategy for closing the gender gap in S&T classrooms. The study was carried out in Enugu education zone of Enugu State. The population of the study comprised a total of 397 teachers teaching Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Basic Science and Basic Technology in the zone. A sample of 150 teachers was drawn from all the co-educational secondary schools in the zone using stratified random sampling technique. The instrument for data collection was a structured questionnaire developed by the researchers. It was face the content validated by two experts in S&T education and one expert in measurement and evaluation. The reliability coefficient was determined to 0.81 using cronbach alpha coefficient three research questions which guided the study were answered using means, standard deviation and variance. The findings of the study revealed that; gender-related unethical ideologies and practices exist in S&T classrooms; even though teachers are aware that gender gap in S&T can be narrowed down by mainstreaming gender in S&T classrooms, teachers do not presentation of lessons. DOI: 10.5901/jesr.2013.v3n8p9

Students’ Perception of Teachers’ Factors in the Teaching and Learning of English Language in Nigerian Secondary Schools

This paper investigates students’ perception of teachers’ factors (teachers’ attitude, method of teaching and classroom management) in the teaching and learning of English Language in secondary schools in Nigeria. The study is a descriptive research design of the survey method. Two hundred (200) students were randomly selected from 5 secondary schools for the study while only 192 representing 96% who responded correctly to the instrument were used for the study. Three research questions and three hypotheses were generated. A self- constructed questionnaire titled “Students Perception of Teachers Attitude, Method of Teaching and Classroom Management Scale” (SPTAMTCMS) was used to collect data for the study. Frequency counts, percentages and chi-square statistics were used to analyse the data collected. All hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that there was a significant relationship between teachers’ attitude, method of teaching and classroom management to the teaching and learning of English Language as perceived by students. This implies that expected performance of students in English Language is based on the teachers’ attitude, method of teaching the subject and classroom management. Based on the above-findings, recommendations were made. DOI: 10.5901/jesr.2013.v3n3p173

Relative and Interraction Effects of Errors in Physics Practical

The importance of physics in human endeavour cannot be glossed over, for it places a vital role and essential part of all human endeavour, especially in science and technology. The study was designed to see the relative and interraction effects of errors in physics practical in Nigeria Secondary Schools. A Quasi experimental design of the three group pre-test, post-test, control design was employed. The sample for the study consisted of sixty (60) students from three selected secondary schools in Nigeria. Equal male and female students were selected using stratified random sampling technique. Physics Practical Questions (PPQ) were validated and used before and after treatment in the groups. The findings revealed that when students are exposed to the idea of errors in practical physics, the degree of accuracy will increase and therefore enhance their performance in the subject. Physics and related courses had been recommended for both male and female students in secondary schools, since sex is not the major issue in physics practical works. If the students are taught how to get accurate results and errors are minimised in physics practical, this will enhance good performance in the subject. Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE AR-SA /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:Table Normal; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:justify; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:Calibri,sans-serif; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}

Relative and Interraction Effects of Errors in Physics Practical

The importance of physics in human endeavour cannot be glossed over, for it places a vital role and essential part of all human endeavour, especially in science and technology. The study was designed to see the relative and interraction effects of errors in physics practical in Nigeria Secondary Schools. A Quasi experimental design of the three group pre-test, post-test, control design was employed. The sample for the study consisted of sixty (60) students from three selected secondary schools in Nigeria. Equal male and female students were selected using stratified random sampling technique. Physics Practical Questions (PPQ) were validated and used before and after treatment in the groups. The findings revealed that when students are exposed to the idea of errors in practical physics, the degree of accuracy will increase and therefore enhance their performance in the subject. Physics and related courses had been recommended for both male and female students in secondary schools, since sex is not the major issue in physics practical works. If the students are taught how to get accurate results and errors are minimised in physics practical, this will enhance good performance in the subject.

Peer Victimisations as Correlates of Sexual Behaviour among Senior Secondary School Students

The influence of peer victimisations on sexual behaviour among senior secondary students has not been attracting proper attention from researchers probably because of the fact that it is not perceived as a serious social or educational problem. However, in recent time there has been a growing concern on the increasing level of student unrest, sexual victimisation, violence and cultism in Nigeria secondary schools, thus portend a great danger for the nation. This study therefore examined the influence of peer victimisations on the sexual behaviour of the students with a view of finding out the relationship and suggested ways of coping with the problem.The sample consisted of three hundred participants drawn with random sampling technique from ten selected senior secondary schools in both Oyo and Bayelsa states of Nigeria. Two valid and reliable instruments constructed by the researchers were used for data collection: Peer Victimisation Scale (PVS) (r =0.70) and Sexual Behaviour Scale (SBS) (r =0.72). The administration lasted four weeks, using simple percentages and correlation analysis. The results show that peer victimisations contributed to sexual behaviour of the students. On the strength of the findings, t he need to foster good peer relations to enhance positive sexual behaviour among students was stressed and advocated.

Management Competence Need for Effective Professionalization of Nigeria Secondary School Principals

Many Secondary Schools principals in Nigeria have no serious or professional training in educational management and are therefore bereft of the changing trends in administration of the 21 st century. This paper argues that enhancing the professional administrative skills of school principals requires training in School administration as this would enable them to effectively perform their administrative tasks such as planning organizing, directing and budgeting. Undergoing training in school administration will also made them to be in line with the modern trend. This in turn will improve the tone of the school system and reduce conflict.

Retaining and Developing Quality Teachers: Critical Issues for Administrators in Nigeria Secondary Schools

The study explored the art of retaining and developing quality teachers, with emphasis on critical issues for school administrators in Nigeria. In a country where there are hues and cries everywhere about the falling standard in education, supported by ample research evidence, it becomes pertinent to review literature on teacher retention and development, a factor that is accepted globally to influence school environment and thus goal attainment in education. This will bring again to the limelight critical issues and their implications for better school outcomes as it affects teacher-staffing. It will enable stakeholders in Nigeria education to have a re-think about the way and manner teachers are handled in Nigeria secondary schools and begin to do the things they ought to do to redeem the school system. In this light, relevant literature was reviewed on theoretical retention strategies; the importance of comprehensive induction on teachers’ retention and development; how improved working conditions can retain quality teachers; the role of administrators in teachers’ retention and development; problems facing school principals in teachers’ retention and development; support needed by school principals in the retention and development of teachers, and what the Nigerian teachers need to be retained in schools. Based on this discourse, it was recommended that government in collaboration with school principals should provide comprehension induction to teachers; school principals should ensure that the school climate is supportive of teaching and learning, encourage interpersonal relationship between staff and students, promote school/community relationship, involve teachers in decision making, ensure a manageable student-teacher ratio, and reduce teachers’ workload; State School Boards should enforce policies that provide for equitable distribution of learning materials to teachers and students in schools; government should grant additional incentive to teachers in rural and isolated schools and train school principals to be familiar with the available resources to support the diverse needs of students and staff.

Students’ Mobility and the Impact on the Administration of Secondary Schools in Nigeria

The paper examines the rate, trend, gender, location and the causes of secondary school students' inter-school mobility in Delta State of Nigeria. It also determines the problems associated with school administrative tasks as a consequence of this phenomenon. An instrument titled, Students' Inter-school Mobility and School Administration Questionnaire (SISMABAQ) was developed and subjected to validity with a test retest reliability coefficient of 0.78. This instrument was used to solicit responses from a sample of 399 school administrators. The sample was selected from a population of 1113 school administrators based on stratified random sampling technique. Descriptive statistics-frequency, percentage and the mean - were used to analyze the data. The findings show that the rate of movement was low, higher in rural areas than in urban areas, but on the whole was fairly steady. Several factors were identified as reasons for the phenomenon with the top-most being examination malpractice, indicating that most students moved because they wanted to make good grades in their High School Certificate Examinations but without working hard to earn those fine grades. On the whole, the phenomenon of student mobility negatively affected secondary school administration in Delta State of Nigeria. Key Terms: Academic performance, administrative tasks, drop-out, inter-school movement, inter-school transfer, secondary school administration, student mobility.

Internal Audit as an Aid to School Plant Management

This study assessed the effect of internal audit as an aid to school plant management in both public and private secondary schools in Nigeria. 100 schools were randomly selected from the South South geo- political zone in Nigeria. 220 school administrators and 510 teachers formed the sampled population. A questionnaire containing 12 items was drawn in line with the three research questions raised for the study. This instrument was validated by experts in test and evaluation as well as school plant education lecturers in Niger Delta University. The reliability of the instrument was established using the test-re-test method. The research questions were answered using appropriate descriptive statistics. The study shows that the role of an internal auditor is to audit school plant. Internal auditing is necessary in schools despite the wrong notions held by students, teachers and school administrators. The responsibilities of an internal auditor is to assist in school plant management which include keeping inventory of school facilities, organizing regular routine inspection of school plant and replacing or maintaining damaged school properties. The teachers, school administrators, as well as the government are expected to support internal auditing of school plant to avoid unwantom damage and manhandling of school facilities.

The Effects of Inservice Education on Teachers’ Knowledge of Junior Secondary School Social Studies Curriculum and Instruction in Delta State, Nigeria

The provision of competent professionally trained social studies teachers in adequate numbers has been a major challenge in the successful implementation of the social studies curriculum in junior secondary schools in Nigeria. In-service training of social studies teachers while still on the job has been identified as a functional strategy to enhance the professional competence of these teachers. This study was designed to evaluate the impact of in-service education on the knowledge of teachers on objectives, contents and teaching strategies employed in social studies. Sixty NCE social studies teachers and 60 teachers who obtained B.Ed in social studies through in-service training were recruited for the study using multi-stage random sampling from 30 junior secondary schools in Ika North East and Ika South Local Government Areas of Delta State of Nigeria. A questionnaire-based survey strategy was employed to test the social studies teachers' knowledge on objectives, contents and teaching strategies. The reliability coefficient of the instrument was found to be 0.81 using Cronbach Alpha technique. Data was analyzed using t-test for independent samples. The results showed that B.Ed teachers have significantly higher knowledge on objectives and content of the social studies curriculum but there was no significant difference in the knowledge of NCE and B.Ed teachers on instructional strategies. It was recommended that in-service education programs in social studies should focus not only on enhancing teachers' knowledge on objectives and content but also emphasis should be laid on knowledge of different teaching strategies for the teaching/learning of social studies.

The Influence of the Principal’s Supervisory Demonstration Strategy on Teachers’ Job Performance in Nigeria Secondary Schools

This research investigated the influence of principal’s supervisory demonstration strategy on teachers’ job performance in Cross River State, Nigeria. Respondents involved six hundred and sixty (660) teachers and three thousand, three hundred senior secondary school students which were randomly selected from two hundred and thirty two (232) secondary schools in Cross River State. Data was collected with Principals’ Instructional Supervisory Strategies Questionnaire (PISSQ) and Teachers’ Job Performance Scale Questionnaire (TJPSQ). The result of analysis utilizing one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) indicated that principal’s demonstration strategy did not significantly influence teachers’ job performance. It is recommended that regular supervision should be organized by the Ministry of Education using more robust supervisory strategies which may include classroom visitation and inspection, inspection of teachers’ lesson notes, conferencing strategy, inspection of teachers’ record keeping, and administrative workshop strategy.