Tertiary Students Research Articles

Chat Hour in Improving Fluency and Confidence among the IPGKBA Teacher Trainees

‘Chat Hour’ is an initiative organised by the English Language Department, Institute of Teacher Training, International Languages Campus (IPGKBA) Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It was conducted online via YouTube by TESL teacher trainees. The main purpose of this programme is to provide TESL students the opportunity to improve their fluency when speaking in public as well as to provide them the opportunity to practice English confidently. This program tried to bring up the aspirations stated in the Ministry of Education (MOE) Malaysia English Language Roadmap (20152025), which presents the importance of higher education institutions to provide an English-rich environment in order for tertiary students to have greater engagement with the language, outside the bounds of the formal settings in the classroom. The findings of this study show that the ‘Chat Hour with IPGKBA’ provided a positive experience, which contributed to improving their fluency and confidence when using the language. This study provides insight into the teacher trainees’ perception towards the ‘Chat Hour’ programme in terms of developing their fluency and confidence.

Financial behaviour of tertiary students, and influencing factors

Financial behaviour of tertiary students, and influencing factors

ELF pedagogy and awareness: an action research applied to Italian tertiary students in ELF Skype interactions

ELF pedagogy and awareness: an action research applied to Italian tertiary students in ELF Skype interactions

Online Food Service Awareness and Perspective of Tertiary Institution Students: The Case of Federal University Oye-Ekiti, Nigeria

This study assessed tertiary students’ awareness of the emergence of the online food delivery (OFD) services could be attributed to the changing nature of urban consumers. These consumers use food delivery services for a variety of reasons but, unsurprisingly, the most common reason seems to be the need for quick and convenient meals during or after a busy day. The study used the cross-sectional survey conducted in Federal University Oye-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria, using random sampling technique. A total of 245 undergraduate students at the university were assessed with a structured online questionnaire. The data collected data was analyzed using Microsoft excel and GraphPad. Results showed that a majority of the students use online food services for their food service needs, hence the study concluded that the majority of the students at the University are aware of online food service. It was recommended that the quality of service of the online food service system needs improvement by enhancing the efficiency of service as well as accessibility, which will enable more students to opt for the food service and delivery system.

Assessing Nigerian Tertiary Institutions Students' Awareness of Entrepreneurship in Textile Design Education

Assessing Nigerian Tertiary Institutions Students' Awareness of Entrepreneurship in Textile Design Education

Using a Modified Quality Control Charts on Academic Grades of Tertiary Institutions Students

Quality of products or services has different meaning by different Authors. Quality of academic processes in Nigeria is measured mainly by the standard set by regulatory bodies of Educational Institutions. There are a number of factors that affects quality assurance and students’ academic performance in Nigeria. This study is on the application of statistical quality control techniques on the academic performance of students. The study was aimed to investigate the performance of both National Diploma (ND) and Higher National Diploma (HND) students of the Waziri Umaru Federal Polytechnic (WUFP) Birnin Kebbi, Nigeria, using a modified version of the Shewhart’s quality control charts. Nine (9) departments from a total of 32 departments of the institution were selected. A total of 720 student’s records of Cumulative Grade Point Averages (CGPAs) were studied. Twenty student’s records each were selected per session and per programme. The results showed that the overall performance of students of the Institution is within the average standard expected of each graduand of the Polytechnic as provided by the regulatory body, the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE).

Improving Performance of Education Students in Mathematics in the Modern World by Relay Teaching Method

In the Philippines, Mathematics in the Modern World is offered to tertiary level students as one of the general education courses in almost programs. This course comprises various mathematics disciplines that aims to expose undergraduate students to various domains of knowledge and ways of comprehending social and natural realities, developing intellectual competencies and civic capacities. Through collaborative teaching, particularly on having more than one instructor in a class could offer a blending of expertise, complementary personalities, and a balanced approach to grading. Thus, relay teaching method was used. The relay teaching method in this study refers to taking turns in succession in teaching students the different lessons on Data Management as a selected topic in Mathematics in the Modern World. This study utilized the pretest-posttest research design with no control group, with three groups of education students were subjected to the relay teaching method. The performances of the students during the pretest and posttest were measured using a valid and reliable multiple-choice type of test. The mean, t-test, and ANCOVA were used to analyze the data. To summarize the feedback of students, it employed qualitative data analysis. The findings of the study revealed that there is an improvement in the level of performance of the students on data management with the implementation of the relay teaching method. The performance of the students before and after exposure to relay teaching was significantly different. The BTLEd students have significantly better performance than the BPEd students. The relay teaching method significantly helped improve the performance of the BTLEd students as compared to the BPEd students. The use of relay teaching could be more effective with enrichment activities such as coaching and sharing of lecture notes, social networking, and the use of social media and the internet.

Risky sexual behaviour among students of a Nigerian tertiary institution.

While initiation of sexual activity is a part of a normal behaviour and development, it may also be associated with negative outcomes when sexual activity is initiated at too early an age, or without due attention to involved risks. These risky behaviours expose to different kinds of sexuality and reproductive health problems like STIs, HIV, unwanted and unplanned pregnancy, abortion and psychological distress. to assess sexual risk behaviours among medical students of University of Nigeria. A descriptive cross-sectional study of sexual risk behavior of the tertiary institution students. a statistical significance existed between certain socio-demographic characteristics and sexual intercourse; these characteristics are age, level of study and place of residence (p <0.05). Major reasons for sexual abstinence include 'against my faith', 66(37.9%), 'waiting till marriage', 56(32.2%), 'not emotionally ready', 54(31.0%) and fear of pregnancy, 10(5.7%). Risky sexual behaviour exist among the respondents though with varying patterns.

Body Mass Index and Waist-Hip Ratio as Health Risk Predictors among selected Southern Nigerian University Undergraduates

Objective: The use of clinical anthropometry in the evaluation of several forms of health risks associated with dietary patterns and lifestyle habits has been encouraged globally. This present study aimed to assess the body mass index (BMI) and waist-hip ratio (WHR) of selected South-Southern Nigerian tertiary students. Methods: The study involved 100 students (50 males: 50 females) of Madonna University, Elele between 18 to 25 years. The health risk classification based on the BMI of both genders was grouped into seven (7) classes; severely underweight, underweight, normal weight, overweight, obese I, II, and III. The WHR health risk classification was grouped into three (3) classes for both genders; low, moderate, and high risks. A stadiometer was calibrated to the nearest 0.01m to obtain body height while body weight was measured to the nearest 0.1kg with a HD358 Tanita digital bathroom weighing scale. Waist (WC) and hip circumferences (HC) were measured to the nearest 0.5cm with a non-stretchable measuring tape. Results: The study showed that the highest proportion of students was either normal (27%) or overweight (24%). Females had a mean BMI and WHR of 26.56kg/m2 and 0.77, respectively while males had a mean BMI and WHR of 30.99kg/m2 and 1.04, respectively. Based on WHR health risk classification, a higher percentage of males had a high risk (40%) in comparison to females (18%). There was a significant difference in the distribution of the WHR health risk classification between males and females (p=0.045). Conclusion: The current study concluded that both BMI and WHR could significantly be utilized as health risk predictors of disorders associated with diet and lifestyle habits in the study population.

Engaging Tertiary Students: A Comparative Study of Online Learning Tools with Arcs Motivation Model Integration

In recent times, the adoption of online teaching methods has become a noteworthy development. This trend gained momentum during the Covid-19 pandemic, as education transitioned entirely to online platforms. Even though our country has now entered an endemic phase, online learning remains pertinent. Many educational institutions continue to embrace online learning, but its success depends on collaboration with students. Several factors influence students' ability to adapt to this new teaching and learning approach. In this research, the aim is to investigate the motivational factors that affect the use of online learning tools. This study utilizes the ARCS Motivation model, which encompasses attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfaction, to explore the relationship between these factors with online learning tools. Data will be gathered from part five students enrolled in entrepreneurship and management courses at the UiTM Perak Branch. Questionnaires, divided into Parts A, B, and C, will be distributed and analyzed using the SPSS software. Consequently, this research has the potential to positively impact the education sector and government policies by promoting the integration of technology into the teaching and learning process. It also sheds light on the evolving landscape of education in the digital age and its implications for both students and educators.

Gender and Age as Determinants of Environmental Perception

Purpose: The main purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which gender and age account for the variations in the environmental perception of tertiary education students in Enugu Geographical Area, Enugu State. Methodology: Three research questions and two hypotheses guided the study. The study adopted a correlational research design. The study was conducted in Enugu Geographical Area, Enugu State. The population of the study comprised 29,364 tertiary education students in Enugu Geographical Area, Enugu State. The sample size of the study was 760 tertiary education students in Enugu Geographical Area of Enugu State. Multi-stage sampling technique was used to draw the sample size. Structured questionnaire developed by the researcher was used for data collection. The instrument was titled ââ?¬Å?Environmental Perception Scaleââ?¬Â The instrument was validated by seven experts. Cronbach Alpha was used to establish the reliability of the instrument. Findings: The instrument yielded a reliability coefficient of 0.77. Data collected were analyzed using mean score and standard deviation for research question one while linear regression was used to answer research questions 1-2. Regression ANOVA was used to test the null hypotheses. Unique Contributor to Theory, Policy and Practice: The findings of the study showed that the tertiary education students have positive perception of their environment in Enugu geographical area; that 46% of variation in studentsââ?¬â?¢ environmental perception is attributed to studentsââ?¬â?¢ gender with R value of 0.68 and value of 0.46 and there is a significant difference between gender and tertiary education studentsââ?¬â?¢ environmental perception and that 42% of variation in studentsââ?¬â?¢ environmental perception is attributed to studentsââ?¬â?¢ age with R value of 0.62 and value of 0.42 and there is a significant difference between age and tertiary education studentsââ?¬â?¢ environmental perception. Based on the findings of the study, relevant conclusions were drawn.

The four-way approach of tourism students towards a post–Covid-19 world and the future of tourism

This study explores current tertiary tourism students’ post-pandemic career strategies and their visions towards Egypt’s post–Covid-19 tourism future. The data were collected through 29 semi-structured in-depth interviews with 29 students majoring in tourism management at the University of Alexandria, Egypt. Findings demonstrate that in order to adapt to the tourism workforce in post–Covid-19 Egypt, students adopted a four-way approach: a dual temporal perspective, individual agency, parental support and active imagination of lifelong careers and reimagining the future of Egypt’s tourism in the post-pandemic era. The four approaches are conceptualized in relation to participants’ strategies and concerns towards future career paths and the Egyptian tourism industry in the post-viral world. In this regard, students’ perceptions can guide policymakers, hotel professionals and government agencies to develop post-pandemic strategies and programs to meet the changing needs and expectations of post-pandemic tourists, as well as students. Finally, the study indicates avenues for future research directions related to the findings and limitations.

Writing Assignments Difficulties, Factors, and Solutions: ESL Teachers’ Perspectives

Writing assignments have been considered challenging for English as a Second Language (ESL) students. Several studies have investigated writing difficulties, primarily focusing on lexical and grammatical problems. However, few studies have explored challenges at various stages of writing. This research examines teachers’ views on the challenges ESL tertiary students face when writing descriptive essays in the three primary stages: pre-writing, during writing, and post-writing. It also explores the factors contributing to these challenges and provides suggestions for overcoming them. Explanatory research was conducted by collecting quantitative and qualitative data from a web-based questionnaire and semi-structured interviews and analyzing those datasets separately. Fifteen English teachers participated in the online survey, and five teachers underwent individual interviews. This research reveals the problems ESL tertiary students encounter at the different stages of writing essays. In the pre-writing stage, students struggled most with outlining. During writing, they worked most on avoiding plagiarism, writing well-structured sentences, and linking between sentences. In the post-writing stage, they worked most with editing and revising. The teachers identified a lack of knowledge and creativity, over-dependence on teacher feedback, and unawareness of the writing process as the main factors behind these difficulties. The teachers suggested numerous solutions to overcome the challenges, including continuous writing training, teacher guidance, and increasing students’ awareness about writing stages by applying different digital techniques.

THE IMPACT OF TAX AWARENESS AND TAX KNOWLEDGE ON TAX NON-COMPLIANCE FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF POTENTIAL TAXPAYERS

Taxpayer Non-Compliance may cause the failure of not achieving the tax revenue target in Malaysia. One of the groups of taxpayers is the individual taxpayer. Thus, the Malaysian government has worked on some strategies to optimize the tax collection from this group. Regarding this matter, the researcher is interested in studying the impact of tax awareness and tax knowledge on taxpayer non-compliance among potential taxpayers. The theory applied in this research is the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB). This study used a survey method among accounting background final year students of the Bachelor of Accountancy and Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) program at Universiti Poly-Tech Malaysia Kuala Lumpur (UPTM). The sampling method used was proportional random sampling and the data collected were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The results show that there is a negative relationship between tax awareness and tax knowledge towards tax non-compliance. This means that if these taxpayers possess a high level of tax awareness and knowledge, the possibility of tax non-compliance is lower. Therefore, in this study, the value added to the tax research is that tax education should be implemented for tertiary students, regardless of whether they come from an accounting or non-accounting background. This is because tertiary students who are also future taxpayers will have more awareness of the importance of tax as they have gained tax knowledge from the formal tax education delivered during their study at the tertiary level.

Embracing the Extend Platform in Postgraduate Education: Unveiling Student Perspectives on Technological Trends in Course Delivery

Recent global events have made it crucial for higher education to continuously update course content with digital alternatives to meet evolving student expectations and enhance their learning experience. The extent of course redevelopment varies widely, depending on the specific learning outcomes. While numerous studies investigate the impact of digitally revitalized course materials on tertiary students, less is known about the user experiences of international postgraduate students in the context of a second language teaching methodology course using different delivery modes. Our study examined postgraduate students’ perceptions of Extend using the Technology Acceptance Model 2 (TAM 2). Extend is an online platform implemented as the main course delivery platform in two postgraduate courses at a large urban Australian university. The results from mid-term evaluation surveys and end-of-semester course evaluations indicated that most students had positive attitudes towards Extend, finding it beneficial for content inclusivity and course objective transparency. The findings highlight both the perceived usefulness and ease of use for building their independent learning journey. However, for a long-term successful learning outcome in delivering this platform across various class deliveries, other aspects related to individual differences need to be taken into consideration.

A study of English name adoption, use, and attitudes of tertiary students in China

ABSTRACTThis study employs an open-ended questionnaire survey and online semi-structured interviews to explore English name adoption, use, and attitudes of tertiary students in China. The findings show that more than half of the students report having an English name and nearly half of the students choose their own English names. Students mainly use their English names in classrooms with the presence of foreign teachers. In addition, none of them believe that English names will affect their Chinese identity, reflecting ‘Chinese learning for ti (essence), Western learning for yong (utility)’, a deep-rooted sinocentric view in China's foreign language education.

The effectiveness of online academic application and registration procedures during Covid-19 pandemic at higher education institutions (HEIs)

Since the COVID-19 epidemic has forced several global activities, including higher educational institutions, to close, it poses a threat to civilization. Despite the difficulties associated with this abrupt shift, higher educational institutions have been compelled to move to e-learning using the existing educational platforms to lessen the spread of the virus. The number of applications in higher educational institutions continues to rise, regardless of the introduction of different policies, which aims at curbing the spread of the virus. Thus, the objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the academic application and registration process during COVID-19. The study adopted non-empirical research, in which existing literature on the experience of tertiary students on application and registration process post-COVID-19. This paper is solely based on a review and analysis of published research and data. The findings of this study indicate that lack of knowledge/skills and resources are challenges to students’ experiences in the application and registration process at higher educational institutions. However, it seems that the lack of internet connectivity makes these problems worse. The paper notes factors such as laptops, internet connectivity, and lack of information as contributing to the high late academic application and registration at universities. The paper recommends the adoption of mobilization of learners at secondary schools to assist them with application and registration.

Food consumption by NOVA food classification, metabolic outcomes, and barriers to healthy food consumption among university students.

The NOVA food classification system is a simple tool that can be used to assess the consumption levels of different categories of foods based on their level of processing. The degree to which food is processed has a significant impact on health outcomes. In Ghana, no study exists on the consumption of the different NOVA food groups among tertiary students and how it relates to their metabolic outcomes. This study assessed the frequency of food intake according to the NOVA classification and how they relate to body mass index, waist circumference, and blood pressure. The barriers to the consumption of healthy foods among students were also assessed. This was a cross-sectional study conducted among 352 students of the Takoradi Technical University. Questionnaire was used to obtain sociodemographic information as well as data on perceived barriers to healthy food consumption. Food frequency questionnaire was used to obtain data on dietary intake. The weight, height, waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, and blood pressure of all participants were measured. Chi-square was used to compare categorical variables between males and females and to determine the association between the frequency of food intake according to the NOVA classification and metabolic indicators. The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 23.8%. More than half (51.1%) of the students had elevated blood pressure. The majority of study participants (54.2%) had a high frequency of consumption of both unprocessed and ultra-processed foods. Male students who frequently consumed ultra-processed foods (1-6 times/day) had significantly high blood pressure. High consumption of both ultra-processed and unprocessed foods was also associated with elevated blood pressure among male students. Limited time to prepare healthy meals and the high cost of unprocessed foods were among barriers to which most students strongly agreed to. Establishment of canteens that provide affordable healthy foods, teaching students time management, and nutrition education can mitigate barriers to healthy food consumption.

Exploring Nuanced Errors in Bangladeshi Tertiary EFL Students’ Writing Mechanics: A Pedagogical Implication

Background: Top of Form In order to enhance tertiary EFL students' formal writing skills, it is crucial that they develop proficiency in writing mechanics alongside their syntactic maturity. It is crucial because weaknesses in writing mechanics can significantly impact the overall quality of the content. Purpose: the present study aims to examine the nuances of the sub-categories of three major writing mechanics and thus bring up some implications for EFL teachers, syllabus designers, and material designers. Methodology: This study is qualitative in nature and collected 42 narrative essays from 42 tertiary students. The participants comprised both English and non-English majors from seven private and public universities in Bangladesh. The collected data were analyzed using Hsieh and Shannon's (2005) summative content analysis. Findings: The findings of the analysis indicate that the most error-prone mechanics for students are the correct usage of ending punctuation marks (specifically the full stop) and non-ending punctuation marks (such as commas), while the second most challenging mechanics are the correct spellings of di- and polysyllabic words. Further, in capitalization mechanics, they encounter difficulties in the appropriate use of uppercase letters. Research implications: The study concludes with pedagogical implications that tertiary EFL teachers, syllabus designers, and material designers should put more emphasis on the sub-categories of writing mechanics while designing writing tasks for tertiary EFL learners.

LECTURERS’ VIEWS ON THE EFFECTS OF COVID-19 ON THE INTEGRITY OF LEARNING ASSESSMENTS AT TWO MULTI-CAMPUS SOUTH AFRICAN UNIVERSITIES

In December 2019, the COVID-19 virus was first detected in Wuhan, Hebei Province, China. By February/March 2020, it was declared a world pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO). To keep the virus from spreading, various tertiary institutions around the world were closed by their respective governments and forced to move to an online model for teaching and learning, as well as for assessments. The closure affected the studies of around 200 million tertiary students. The move to online learning did not only have an impact on the teaching element, but also affected the integrity of the assessments. The purpose of this paper is to determine to what extent the integrity of the assessments was affected when institutions moved to online learning, especially the ethicality with which students answered the assessments. Purposive sampling was applied in selecting the participants and a self-developed questionnaire was used as the selected research tool. Findings indicate that to ensure the integrity of assessments remained intact, lecturers experienced challenges in managing their time, as they had to set more questions in a pool used for formative assessments than they had to pre-COVID, to limit the possibility of students cheating. Difficulties were also experienced in the use of proctoring systems, as lecturers were not familiar with these systems, which brought additional stress. It can thus be ascertained from the research that failure to ensure the integrity of assessments can lead to possible failure in ethical answering of assessments.